Anurognathus - Facts and Figures

Anurognathus - Facts and Figures Name: Anurognathus (Greek for without tail and jaw); articulated ANN-your-OG-nah-thuss Environment: Forests of western Europe Authentic Epoch: Late Jurassic (150 million years back) Size and Weight: Around three inches in length and a couple of ounces Diet: Creepy crawlies Recognizing Characteristics: Little size; thickset tail; short head with pin-formed teeth; 20-inch wingspan About Anurognathus Aside from the way that it was in fact a pterosaur, Anurognathus would qualify as the littlest dinosaur that at any point lived. This hummingbird-sized reptile, close to three inches in length and a bunch of ounces, varied from its kindred pterosaurs of the late Jurassic time frame on account of its squat tail and short (yet incredibly solid) jaws, after which its name, Greek for without tail and jaw, determines. The wings of Anurognathus were meager and fragile, extending from the fourth fingers of its front claws back to its lower legs, and they may have been splendidly shaded, similar to those of present day butterflies. This pterosaur is known by a solitary, very much protected fossil example found in Germanys celebrated Solnhofen beds, likewise the wellspring of the contemporary dino-winged creature Archaeopteryx; a second, littler example has been recognized, however still can't seem to be depicted in the distributed writing. The specific order of Anurognathus has been a subject of discussion; this pterosaur doesnt fit effectively into either the rhamphorhynchoid or pterodactyloid family trees (embodied, separately, by the little, since quite a while ago followed, huge headed Rhamphorhynchus and the marginally bigger, squat followed, slim headed Pterodactylus). Of late, the heaviness of supposition is that Anurognathus and its family members (counting the correspondingly small Jeholopterus and Batrachognathus) comprised a generally underdeveloped sister taxon to the pterodactyloids. (In spite of its crude appearance, its essential to remember that Anurognathus was a long way from the most punctual pterosaur; for instance, the somewhat greater Eudimorphodon went before it by 60 million years!) Since a free-flying, reduced down Anurognathus would have made a brisk nibble for the a lot greater pterosaurs of its late Jurassic biological system, a few scientistss wonder if this small animal settled on the backs of huge sauropods like the contemporary Cetiosaurus and Brachiosaurus, like the connection between the advanced Oxpecker flying creature and the African hippopotamus This plan would have managed Anurognathus some truly necessary insurance from predators, and the bugs that continually drifted around high rise measured dinosaurs would have furnished it with a consistent wellspring of food. Shockingly, we dont have a piece of proof that this harmonious relationship existed, regardless of that scene of Walking with Dinosaurs in which a small Anurognathus pecks bugs off the rear of a compliant Diplodocus.

Queen Isabella of Castile Essay Example

Sovereign Isabella of Castile Paper Sovereign Isabella of Castile Imagine being naturally introduced to a spot recharging and revamping its information. Imagine this, however envision being a piece of the illustrious family. Envision picking an admirer, and afterward envision being a sovereign. Presently, when you’re envisioning these things come at the situation from their perspective. Profoundly and completely investigate all the difficult duties a sovereign must experience every day. Sovereign Isabella of Castile is such a sparkling prime case of amazing sovereign boat during the Renaissance. Isabella of Castile had blue eyes, chestnut-haired, and delightful. She supported gems and beautiful outfits that she wore for an incredible duration. As beneficiary to the seat of Castile she had her pick of illustrious admirers. Her sibling, King Henry IV of Castile, organized a union with Don Carlos, the Prince of Viana. Be that as it may, before the last courses of action could be made, Don Carlos passed on. Ruler Henry IV had attempted to mastermind different union with Isabella, yet she had just picked Ferdinand. Her sibling was enraged. He took steps to toss her into the cell. Due to her ground-breaking supporters, he realized he was unable. Rather, he made her guarantee that she wouldn’t make any game plans until after he came back from Andalusia. Be that as it may, when her sibling left she started to make courses of action with Ferdinand. In any case, she needed to discover him. So she conveyed aristocrats to look for him and he was at long last found in Sicily, Italy. He conquered an outing back to Spain and wedded Isabella in 1469. This started the thirty-multi year joint principle of a brought together Spain by the Catholic Monarchs. We will compose a custom paper test on Queen Isabella of Castile explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom exposition test on Queen Isabella of Castile explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom exposition test on Queen Isabella of Castile explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer Isabella had five youngsters with Ferdinand which include: Isabella, Queen of Portugal, John, Prince of Asturias, Joanna I, Queen of Castile, Maria, Queen of Portugal, and Catherine, Queen of England. Isabella is well known for some significant things. The most acclaimed would be her sponsorship for Christopher Columbus to cruise over the Atlantic Ocean in plans to figure out how to get to India. In 1492, Isabella was persuaded by Christopher Columbus to support his journey of disclosure. By the conventions of the time, when Columbus found terrains in the New World, they were given to Castile. Isabella took a unique enthusiasm for the Native Americans of the new grounds. At the point when some of them were taken back to Spain as slaves she demanded they be returned and liberated, and her will communicated her desire that the Indians be treated with equity and decency. Another significant thing she is celebrated for is the Inquisition in Spain, one of numerous progressions to the job of the congregation founded by the rulers. The Inquisition was pointed for the most part at Jews and Muslims who had unmistakably changed over to Christianity however were believed to rehearse their religions covertly. Isabella and Ferdinand continued with their arrangements to bind together all of Spain by proceeding with a long-standing exertion to oust the Muslims who held pieces of Spain. In 1492, the Muslim Kingdom of Granada tumbled to Isabella and Ferdinand. That equivalent year, all Jews in Spain who would not change over to Christianity were removed by imperial decree. Sovereign Isabella of Castile is such a sparkling prime case of incredible sovereign boat during the Renaissance. She had conflicts with her sibling, wedded Ferdinand, supported a journey to The New World, and began the Spanish Inquisition. So how might you want to be a sovereign during the Renaissance, once more?

Riot Roundup The Best Books We Read in March 2018

Riot Roundup The Best Books We Read in March 2018 We asked our contributors to share the best book they read last month. We’ve got fiction, nonfiction, YA, and much, much moreâ€"there are book recommendations for everyone here! Some are old, some are new, and some aren’t even out yet. Enjoy and tell us about the highlight of your reading month in the comments. Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro (Tor Teen, May 2018) I’ve been a fan of Mark Oshiro’s writing for yearsâ€"starting with his chapter-by-chapter reactions to reading Harry Potter for the first time!â€"so it’s not surprising that I would love his first novel. Still, this blew me away. It’s brilliant and absolutely gutting. I will say up front that this is a book about police brutality (and murder), so do be prepared for that going in. It is horrific, especially when my instinct was to try to distance myself by saying “that could never happen” and then constantly reminding myself “it has happened, it does happen, it is happening.” Moss watches his underfunded school become militarized, and he and his friends gather together to fight against a system that seems inescapable. It was a fresh breath of air to read about a cast of mostly people of color, most of whom are queer (including trans, nonbinary, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and asexual characters). Considering how often queer people end up with largely queer friend groups, i t’s amazing how uncommon that still is. This is a story that balances a large cast of characters as well as dealing with racism, sexism, cissexism, anxiety, and PTSD/trauma. This is the diverse, gay dystopian story we always wantedâ€"except the dystopia is present day and already happening. I can’t recommend this highly enough. â€"Danika Ellis The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson This was such a weirdly wonderful book. Elena Mendoza has never led a normal lifeâ€"unlikely when you were born of a virgin birthâ€"but when her crush is shot right in front of her at the Starbucks she works for and she realizes she has the power to heal, things get even weirder. Especially when it becomes obvious that everytime she heals someone, other people are “raptured” up into the sky, never to be seen again. It’s up to Elena to decide whether she’s doing the right thing or just dooming a bunch of people to an unknown fate. Not an easy decision for a teenager to makeâ€"especially when the fate of the world may be at stake. I really loved the stark normalcy of the highschool setting against the strange miracles. I also loved that, in a lot of ways, the magical elements, though a driving force of the story, were still second to the character’s personal journeys. And the ultimate message that we have to come together to save ourselves felt important and timely. There rea lly is no better way to describe this book than weird and wonderful. It’s bizarreâ€"but in the best way. â€"Rachel Brittain The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan Leigh’s mother died by suicide, and in the wake, Leigh believes her mother has become a bird. Grief leads Leigh to begin a search through the history of her family, the secrets that kept her apart from her maternal grandparents, and what it means to rebuild a life after a devastating loss. There is not a single thing in this book I did not love. The lush writing. The use of color. The exploration of family secrets and stories. Of culture. Or belief. But the thing that hit hardest was the way depression is rendered. This is a book about grief in the wake of suicide that comes from a depressive episode (or series of them, in this instance). There is no reason here. Theres no boogeyman moment, wherein we get the why of suicide. Rather, were forced, like Leigh is, to wrestle with the lack of answers. Were forced to understand not everything makes sense. That magical thinking is both a good thingâ€"when it can help you work through grief, when it can help you find the things youre looki ng for, the dreams you want to achieveâ€"and a bad thingâ€"when you believe what it is your brain tells you about your worth and value. Readers who love Laura Ruby’s Bone Gap or anything by Nova Ren Suma will eat this up. â€"Kelly Jensen The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk Autumn, Shay, and Logan knew that music tied them together. They couldn’t have predicted how grief would do the same. In Ashley Woodfolk’s debut novel, grief and loss are part of a kaleidoscope that colours these three teens’ lives, and while the lens through which they see the world is never the same, another turn gives them each a chance to find beauty in what’s still there. Reading The Beauty That Remains was heartbreaking yes, but it was also hopeful and honest. Woodfolk’s prose is clear-cut and it hums with unspoken emotions, but it never shuts the reader out of those emotions. It’s hard to read this book without thinking of the ways grief has intersected within your own life, but Woodfolk shows us how to honour that pain and live with it as fully as we can. â€"Angel Cruz Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman Oh, my heart. This is one of those books that reminded me why I love reading. Aciman’s rich prose drips with passion and place and philosophy. His writing transported me into Elio’s surroundings and headspace. I never expected to connect with this book so deeply, but when I finished it, I immediately wanted to start again. â€"Emily Polson The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch I read a single paragraph from this lyrical memoir and it was instant: I was deeply, madly in love. If this is what writing can be, I thought to myself, what in hell have I even been reading (or writing, for that matter) all my life? Each small chapter is a piece of prose poetry that delves into the author’s troubled childhood and its repercussions on the rest of her life. It is raw and open in a way that I rarely see: about substance abuse, about sexuality, about loss, about all of the ugliest parts of life. I can’t believe it took me seven years to make my way to this one. â€"Steph Auteri The Dragon Behind the Glass by Emily Voigt Like all good nonfiction, the subtitle of this one kind of says it all: “a true story of power, obsession, and the world’s most coveted fish.” This book is an exploration of the Asian arowana, aka “dragon fish,” a coveted black-market pet in the United States that is all the rage in the ornamental aquarium market. The book is about our exploitation of nature, the complications of endangered species, the strange world of fish hobbyists, and so many more things. There are heists, frauds, smuggling, kidnapping and even murder, all connected to this rare, expensive, and kind of ugly fish. It was a fascinating, funny read. â€"Kim Ukura Dread Nation by Justina Ireland I read this historical zombie fantasy from Justina Ireland in one sitting, and I’m thoroughly obsessed with it now. It’s exciting, thought-provoking, suspenseful, and an immediate favorite. Not even twenty years after the Civil War came to an abrupt halt because dead soldiers rose on the field and started eating people, slavery’s technically over but black children are forced to train to fight zombies (aka shamblers) so white people don’t have to. Jane, insightful, impulsive and really good at killing shamblers, is one of them, and alongside white-passing classmate Katherine, she’s drawn into a plot in which shamblers are the least of their problems. Spoiler: the racism is a big problem, but this book gave me a lot of joy. â€"Chelsea Hensley Educated by Tara Westover (Random House) HOLY WORDS-I-CAN’T-SAY-HERE. This was fantastic. In this compelling and at times disturbing memoir, Tara Westover recounts the unique and tumultuous conditions of her childhood. The daughter of survivalist parents in rural Idaho, Tara scrapped metal in her father’s junkyard or helped her self-taught herbalist/midwife mother make tinctures and salves when she should have been in school. Neither she nor her siblings were allowed to go to school, nor could they seek medical care, because this was the way, according to her father, that God wanted it. In an act of courageous rebellion and against all likelihood, she decided to pursue a college education. She was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom and yet somehow managed to earn not only an undergraduate degree from BYU but a friggin’ PhD from Cambridge. The journey there was rife with frustration and fear; you will find yourself taking deep breaths to process the abuse, the crazed conspiracy theories, the willful d enial, and the deepest of deep-rooted misogyny. All of this wrapped in beautiful, heartbreaking language made for a book I had to fight to put down. â€"Vanessa Diaz Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi Want a funny, lighthearted college tale? This is it. Want a serious, smart novel that will get you in the feels? This is also that novel! I loved this book, about a college freshman named Penny who strikes up a friendship with Sam, her roommate’s young uncle. Theirs is a special friendshipâ€"it’s conducted entirely by text message. Penny and Sam quickly learn that they are able to say things about their lives they would never feel comfortable discussing IRL. Soon the two are text BFFs, working out their problems by phone as their lives become more complicated. But how long can their friendship last, when there’s so much more to life than texting? The characters and situations in this book are so realistic, I didn’t want it to end. (SEQUEL, PLEASE.) This is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and anyone who loves to read. â€"Liberty Hardy Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss by Stephanie Wittels Wachs Stephanie lost her brother to a heroin overdose the day before her birthday. He was a writer for Parks and Recreation. They were best friends. This book is her story of the year after her brother’s death and the thirty years of life before. Everything is Horrible and Wonderful is a lot like Joan Didions The Year of Magical Thinking, but even more heartbreaking. Marriage is one thing, but siblings are another. Wittels Wachs says over and over again that a sibling is a big part of your identityâ€"theyre the context for your history, because theyre at your side from day one. When you lose them, you lose a part of yourself. She writes a lot directly to Harris, about how much she misses him and how much she hates him. She is honest. She is real. Grief is ugly. I will never have the right words for this book. It hurt my heart and made me laugh and then made me cry again. Its beautifully written and devastating. Note: I work for the publisher and I would love this book dearly even if I di dn’t. â€"Ashley Holstrom Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell I have been using The Morning News’s yearly Tournament of Books to feed my TBR for years now, but this year’s winner is a book that really blew me away. In the story, which is told in a hospital bed conversation between a dying woman and a young boy (who may or may not be real), a mother is trying to recount the moment when her daughter became exposed to a mysterious danger and whether or not she should have been able to stop it. The book finds a way to be both languid and completely terrifying, atmospheric and urgent, all at the same time. In some ways, this isn’t so much a book but a delightful infection of your brain, which will be turning it over and over well after finishing the last page. â€"Corin Balkovek Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi Technically this novel is about Ada, who spends her childhood in Nigeria and her adulthood in the United States. But it’s really Ada’s body that is the setting. Our narrators are legion, they are gods and spirits who have been bound to Ada’s body, who jockey for control with Ada herself. Emezi is reinterpreting the Igbo belief in the ogbanje trickster spirit, making the ogbanje a study in how the self fragments as a protective and destructive measure against trauma. The beings who live inside Ada create a turbulent existence for her, but they also open her up and take care of her. This is an original and visionary novel, with sly, seductive prose and big themes. I fell under its spell, and I know it’s one of the books of 2018 that I will still be talking about at the end of the year. â€"Jessica Woodbury Good As Gone by Amy Gentry If not for basic needs like sleep and going to work, I wouldn’t have put this thrilling novel down until I was finished; finishing didn’t take very long, though. This mysterious kidnapping/reappearance tale is disturbing from every angle but also hopeful and gripping. It’s told from several points of view, so just when I thought I knew what was happening, I realized I didn’t, but then I did, but then, well, you get it. It’s still haunting me. â€"Christina M. Rau Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot Holy cats, this book. It made an appearance on the best-seller list and was picked by Emma Watson for her book group, and deservedly so. It’s a powerful memoir about Mailhot’s experiences growing up on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation, trying to make sense of her difficult childhood and early adult years. She writes about her fascinating and complicated mother, her abusive father, her struggles with mental illness, her attempts to gain an education, and so much more. It’s gorgeously-written, haunting, moving, and just genius. â€"Rebecca Hussey Here, the World Entire by Anwen Kya Hayward I know Anwen from social media, where she posted a viral story about her cat Clod, RIP. Following her led me to her book, a novella about Medusa. I love the pain and pathos layered into each word, and how she remakes the myth into a sympathetic image. The gods are not wise or kind, and ultimately we come to see that people with power will hurt others, despite their pretty words. â€"Priya Sridhar How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Gregor and Gene Stone Sensationalistic title aside, this is a must-read book packed full of information to help anyone eat better and healthier. Gregor first covers the top fifteen causes of death in America (discluding things that can’t be medically prevented, like accidents) and how scientific research shows diet affects these diseases, both positively and negatively. In part two, he looks at the foods everyone should eat daily and the best ways, nutritionally speaking, to prepare them. This book is footnoted out the wazoo and Gregor clearly knows of what he speaks. I think that’s why it scared me way more than other material I’ve encountered on the pitfalls of the standard American diet. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, an omnivore, or whatever, How Not to Die will empower you to take control of your own health and make smarter dietary decisions. You are what you eat so eat well! â€"Tasha Brandstatter How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee This is my first Alexander Chee book, and I am 100% Team Chee now. So here’s the thing:  Alexander Chee is the kind of writer who can clamp his jaws down on your jugular and just end you. But he’s also the kind of writer, thank goodness, who can bite the scruff of your neck and carry you around like a kitten. Reading his essays is living in that balance. Covering everything from work to writing to AIDS activism to the 2016 election, this collection of essays is both brutal and gentle and I’m still thinking about it almost daily. (Is this all a weird way of saying I want Alexander Chee to bite my bookish neck? Yeah. Probably.) #teamchee â€"Dana Staves In Our Mad and Furious City  by Guy Gunaratne This book is one of THE big novels of spring 2018 in the UK, and I’m here to say it’s thoroughly deserving of the hype. The book chronicles 48 hours on a London council estate (“housing project”) from the perspective of five of its residents and makes moving poetry out of the gritty ugliness of life. It’s beautiful, moving, and important. â€"Claire Handscombe I Put a Spell On You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone I’m not a huge biography/autobiography reader; not because I’m not interested but because, again, the former academic in me tends to surface with any non-fiction and I get so caught up in “studying” that I forget to enjoy the experience of absorbing. As I’ve decided to do piece about women in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, however…Simone is a fascinating woman who led a fascinating, if sometimes difficult, life and to put all that she achieved in the context of the battles she fought to do it is inspirational. â€"S.W. Sondheimer The Last King by Katee Robert Robert has been on a roll lately, finishing up her O’Malley series and writing for Harlequin’s new Dare imprint. However, there was no 2018 book of hers that I was more excited for than The Last King. This book did not disappoint! This first-in-a-series, enemies-to-lovers romance introduces us to the King family, Texas oil tycoons who have wealth, power, and a whole host of enemies. When the King family torch is passed to Beckett after the death of his father, he needs deal with the company’s main competitor (lead by his evil Aunt) and figure out how to keep his previous one-night stand in his life. Since the one-night stand, Samara, works for his Aunt, things are just a tiny bit…complicated. Clear your calendar because once you start The Last King, you won’t want to put it down. â€"Erin McCoy A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara If you enjoy reading books that rip you to shreds, give you enough hope to build you back up, and then completely destroy you again, this is the book for you. I’ve been meaning to read it for a while but was honestly a little intimidated by its length (720 pages!), but had to read it after I saw Antoni on the new Queer Eye for the Straight Guy reboot wear two shirts referencing it. This was a very tough read. I cried. A lot. On the bus, at the gym, on a planeâ€"a flight attendant even gave me a free drink because I looked so distraught. But it’s worth it. It follows Jude, who grew up under horrifying circumstances and is doing his best to accept love from the people around him when he’s struggling to love himself. The book taught me so much about how happiness and sadness, love and loneliness, trust and fear, all coexist and affect our lives. â€"Susie Dumond Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan Bring the wine and the kleenex for this book. You’ll fall in love with Iris and August as their connection and chemistry leaps off the page. You’ll smile, cry, and probably close the book a few times because youll wonder how much more your heart can take. Kennedy Ryans Long Shot tells a beautiful and gut wrenching tale of resilience, hope, and love. It unflinchingly tells a story of domestic abuse and the heroines journey to reclaiming her life. Its a love story, yes, but its also a story of survival. â€"Natalya Muncuff The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg Fairy tales and classics from children’s literature made both creepy and funny. In my favorite story of the collection, Ortberg retells The Velveteen Rabbitâ€"one of my favorites from childhoodâ€"in such a horrific way that I’ll never look at the story the same way. I also loved the feminist retellings of “The Little Mermaid” and “The Six Swans,” and the gender-bending version of “Cinderella.” All of the stories are wonderful and playful. I plan to reread them, except for The Wind in the Willows retelling. Ortberg portrays passive aggressive friendships so well that I was incredibly uncomfortable while reading it and don’t want to relive that experience. But I mean that in the best of ways! â€"Margaret Kingsbury Editors note: Ortberg has recently announced a transition to Daniel, but as the book is published under Mallory and thats how youll find it out in the world, weve kept that name here. No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf by Carolyn Burke “La Vie en Rose” is Edith Piaf’s most famous song, but her life, for the most part, was anything but rosy. In this biography, Burke attempts to piece together Piaf’s tumultuous life from her early days where she was raised in a brothel and sang sentimental songs on the Paris streets to her later years and her battles with addiction. I was most amazed to learn about her roles in hiding Jews and rescuing French prisoners of war during World War II. After reading this book, I plan on reading another biography, written by her “evil spirit,” possibly half-sister, and life-long friend, Simone Berteaut entitled Piaf. â€"Katherine Willoughby Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell This debut from Ezell was the most pleasant surprise for me. It’s framed as the story of a southern California town that gets hit with a massive fire and the fallout in the life of our protagonist, Audrey. But this little gem has so much more important stuff packed in. It’s a study in guilt, grief, loss, toxic relationships…The story went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. I loved it. â€"Kate Krug Pachinko by Min Jin Lee I do love a multi-generational family saga, and I especially love one that shows me a piece of history that’s new to me. Pachinko follows a Korean woman named Sunja who marries a Christian pastor and moves to Japan where she and her family face persecution for being both Christian and Korean. The story begins near the start of the 20th century and ends in the 1980s, so it emcompasses a lot of history, and Min Jin Lee weaves events like World War II and the AIDs crisis seamlessly into the story, touching on events that affect Sunja’s family, so that it never feels like a history lessons while also being illuminating about people and places I knew little about. â€"Teresa Preston The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo A gorgeous, powerful, fierce, and tender gem of a novel. This short novel-in-verse concerns Xiomara Batista, a Dominican American teenager living with her twin brother, dad, and very religious mother in Harlem. It’s a coming-of-age story, and there are many themes exploredâ€"family dynamics, faith, the experience of being first generation, first love, friendship. The secondary characters are all wonderful and their relationships with Xiomara are complicated and real. But what makes this book so, so great is that, always, it’s about Xiomara herself, and her words, and how powerful her words make her. She is the center of her own story, and it is her journey that matters mostâ€"what she wants, what she needs, what delights her, what makes her angry, what (and who) matter to her. It’s a book that centers and celebrates black girlhood. Xiomara’s poems rip and sing off the page. I can’t recommend the audio enough; I was spellbound. â€"Laura Sackton She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper Right before being released from prison, Nate is marked by the Aryan Brotherhood to be killed. The problem is it’s not just him they’re taking out, it’s going to be his entire family. To keep his daughter Polly safe, he picks her up and they go on the run, even though Polly really doesn’t know her father and isn’t sure she should be with him. At 11 she’s smart, precocious, feels different from other kids, and carries a teddy which she uses as an outlet to process her thoughts and feelings. There’s a quote along the lines of “She had a teddy bear in her arms and murder in her eyes,” which pretty much sums up my love for this girl. If you’re looking for an intense read with a character you’ll fiercely love, which you will not be able to put down, read immediately! â€"Jamie Canaves The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid This lush novel about a celebrityâ€"she’s had seven husbands, but only one true love of her lifeâ€"built on itself until by the end, it had me in tears. Reading a Hollywood novel that is inclusive and discusses the ways that celebrity warps us, and the ways that old Hollywood especially made people need to hide their LGBTQ identities, is wonderful. It is so incredible to read a story like this about a bisexual woman. This story examines the different kinds of love, and the different ways we love and put the people we care about first. â€"Leah Rachel von Essen The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta It’s so rare to read books about (and by) Bengalis that it feels like a gift when there’s finally a new one. And this book is certainly a gift. Not just because the main character, and the story, is steeped in Bengali culture and folklore, but because it’s a thrilling, exciting, and modern stories that reimagines many of the fantastical tales and monsters from the Bengals. The protagonist, Kiranmala, is a twelve year old, kick ass character, who still has a lot to learn as she battles Rakkosh and Kokkosh. Plus, it’s a genuinely laugh out loud kind of book! â€"Adiba Jaigirdar Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli I know I’m late to the party here. This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages, and I knew I had to get to it before the film adaptation Love, Simon came out. I loved Albertalli’s second novel,  The Upside of Unrequited, and I knew I was going to love this one too, but I wasn’t prepared for how much. This book came at a time when I was in search of a good comfort read, and Simon provided. Simon is a sweet love story about a teenaged boy who is wrestling with coming out of the closet, and he finds a friend online who is also struggling with the same issues of being a closeted teen. As a devoted watcher of Catfish: The TV Show, I got sucked into the drama of figuring out who this mystery Internet boy was. Beyond the fast-moving plot, the characters were nuanced, and I cared about every last one of them. I finished this book in a day. â€"Emily Martin There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (Dutton Books for Young Readers) I listened to the audiobook of this one, and it was a fantastic experience. Reminiscent of teen slasher films like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream, Perkins’s first horror novel was not super scary, but it was really fun. I especially loved the eerie way the killer messed with his victims beforehand. This was a really satisfying listen, and I’m in the mood for other books like it! (Throw some recs my way in the comments!) â€"Lacey deShazo The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (Berkley) I started reading this book while I was making dinner and I kept reading it until I was finished, sometime around midnight, bleary-eyed and delighted. It’s sexy, it’s funny, it stars a couple I was really rooting for, and it has a great meet-cute. â€"Annika Barranti Klein

Discuss Factors Affecting Product Pricing Ih the Uk

Discuss factors affecting product pricing in the UK. Product pricing in the UK is dependent on several factors. Market structures such as monopoly and oligopoly play a major part in setting price. Market structures can then influence the objectives and behavior within a firm (Sloman amp; Wride, 2009). This can lead to the use of different pricing strategies, thus having varied effects on the level of price set. Traditional theory suggests that a firms’ main objective is profit maximization. Therefore, prices will be set in line to meet this objective. A monopoly is defined as one dominant firm in the industry. In theory, a monopoly will have inelastic demand due to no available substitutes. Therefore the firm will be a â€Å"price maker†.†¦show more content†¦However in the long run oligopolies tend to indulge in non-price competition. One form of non- price competition is advertising. For example in 2009 Tesco spent  £104.6 million, Asda spent slightly less at  £98.7 million and Sainsbury’s spent  £59.1 million. Advertising allows companies to product differentiate from competitors and attract customers to their unique products. This in turn can make demand more price inelastic. Thus in the long run companies have more control over price and have the ability to raise it. Moreover, in practice products tend to go through three phases: growth, maturity a nd decline. At each phase, a different pricing strategy can be used to determine price. In the growth phase of a product, new firms’ are likely to use a price penetration strategy (Redmond, 1989). This is where prices are deliberately set low to gain foothold in the market. Therefore firms’ can attract customers to the product and over time as the firm becomes more established, it is able to raise prices. However incumbent firms’ can also reduce prices as a way to maintain their own market share in competitive markets. As the product transcends from growth to maturity, the pricing strategy may change to price skimming. Price skimming can allow a firm to charge a high initial price and as competition increases, firms’ have the ability to remain price competitive by gradually decreasing price. In the last phase of decline, profit maximizing firms’ mayShow MoreRelatedMonte Carlo Simulation218872 Words   |  876 PagesPreface This is a book about Monte Carlo methods from the perspective of ï ¬ nancial engineering. Monte Carlo simulation has become an essential tool in the pricing of derivative securities and in risk management; these applications have, in turn, stimulated research into new Monte Carlo techniques and renewed interest in some old techniques. This is also a book about ï ¬ nancial engineering from the perspective of Monte Carlo methods. One of the best ways to develop an understanding of a model ofRead MoreDamodaran Book on Investment Valuation, 2nd Edition398423 Words   |  1594 Pageswould help me ensure that the typos do not find their way into the final version. Chapter 1: Introduction to Valuation Chapter 2: Approaches to Valuation Chapter 3: Understanding Financial Statements Chapter 4: The Basics of Risk Chapter 5: Option Pricing Theory and Models Chapter 6: Market Efficiency: Theory and Models Chapter 7: Riskless Rates and Risk Premiums Chapter 8: Estimating Risk Parameters and Costs of Financing Chapter 9: Measuring Earnings Chapter 10: From Earnings to Cash Flows Chapter

The Olympics A History of the Modern Games Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The greatest athlete in the ancient games was a wrestler called Milo of Croton who won the boxing competition six times and was said to be the most powerful man then. Many artists were also inspired by the Olympics. A poet Pindar was honored at the games after he wrote many odes praising the winners of the game. The games continued until an emperor Theodosius in 393AD decreed that they are banned calling the games pagan cults .The games were introduced back after 1500 years by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France, who promoted physical education and was inspired by the idea of introducing modern Olympic Games after he visited the ancient site of Olympia. He proposed the idea in 1892 and got the approval needed and founded the International Olympic Committee, which governed the modern Olympic Games. Athens is where the first modern Olympic Games were held in the year 1896. The event was attended by a crowd of 60,000 spectators, King Georgios I welcomed 280 participants from 13 natio ns in the opening ceremony to compete in 43 events. The events included tennis, swimming, gymnastics, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, cycling and race track. We will write a custom essay sample on The Olympics: A History of the Modern Games or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The games were dominated by a 14-man team from the United States taking first place in most of the games. The games were then held in1900 and 1904 by 1908 the number of competitors was four times the number in Athens In 1920 the Olympic flag flew for the first time consisting of the modern Olympics symbol of five interlocking rings representing five continents. This is the same year when the Olympic oath was also introduced. The idea of the Olympic flame came later in 1928 in Amsterdam, but torch relays did not exist until at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. At the beginning of 1924, the Winter Olympics were included so as to be held in a separate site with cold weather sports while still in the same year they also held the summer games. The winter games included events such as ice hockey, figure skating, biathlon, and bobsledding.

Management comprises Free Essays

Management comprises of direction and control of a group of one or more people or entities for the purpose of coordinating and harmonizing that group towards accomplishing a goal. In business, management often encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resourced, technological resources and natural resources. Since the management department is the core of effective operations, strategies and proper procedure must run it. We will write a custom essay sample on Management comprises or any similar topic only for you Order Now If employers are genuine about participation, the prime area of attention needs to be the daily behavior of managers. This necessitates reviewing the performance, selection and training of managers. The worst thing to do is to promote people into managerial jobs while letting them think that they need not take their managerial responsibilities seriously (p. 10). Participation also needs to be examined in the context of organizational and national culture and the pressures on an organization at particular points in time. Too often the topic is addressed as though the objectives can be achieved simply through mechanistic imposition. To understand what makes of an effective manager, I have studied Rees and Porter’s Skills of Management and interviewed two managers. The first interviewee is Lisa McCormack, a 35 years old Services Manager in a Health Service provider in Ireland. She has a degree in Social Science and a post graduate diploma in management studies. She has also completed computer courses, health and safety courses, and time management and conflict resolution. She has been with her current employer for ten years. Lisa is a full-time Services Manager, whose main responsibilities are matched with that of a manager. Her main responsibilities in her current position include strategic planning for services, report preparation, budget allocation, staff management and working as part of a multi disciplinary team to enhance service provision for their client group. Lisa was employed in 1998 as a Project Coordinator, which included some management duties but a project Manager was responsible for the department. She worked as a project coordinator until 2002 when she was appointed Services Coordinator, which again included some management duties but supervised by a Service Manager. In 2005 she was promoted to become a Service Manager where she takes over full management duties. Management does not take place in a vacuum but in a particular set of circumstances – usually requiring specialist knowledge. It would be unusual for a manager in a specialist environment to have had years of specialist training but only days of management training (p.2). Management escalator is progression of responsibilities, from specialists to managerial, through time to help employees acquire managerial skills overtime while developing operational skills at the same time. This transition, as managerial responsibilities increase and specialist activities decrease, gives the employee a more impeccable expertise in the department. Specialists often acquire managerial responsibilities, and often quite early in their career. Those aspiring to management have found that their entry route is via a specialist department. Consequently, it is appropriate to see that managers have the right blend of specialist and managerial skills and that they are given help in adjusting to managerial roles. The implications of the specialist route into management need to be reflected in the structure of increasingly popular undergraduate programs in business studies. There is a case for such courses having both specialist options and a managerial component. Service management is integrated into Supply Chain Management as the joint between the actual sales and the customer. A service manager reduces high service costs by integrating the service and products supply chain. She also reduces inventory levels of service parts and therefore reduces total inventory costs. She optimizes customer service and service quality. She helps in the increase of service revenue by reducing obsolescence costs of service parts through improved forecasting. A service manager may also minimize technician visits as with her knowledge and expertise, she can fix related problems. There is no way she can miss these skills through her years of specialist activities. She believes that her education has served her very well in gaining promotions but she would consider her informal education within the organization as very relevant to her current managerial position as Increases in the quantity of management training are one thing, ensuring that training is effective is another, (p. 17). Professional experience in the organization teaches helpful application than theories. The second interviewee is a 52 year old Manager of a global clothing production company. He claims that he’s a full time Manager of the Sales Department but states that 50% of his time is spent on managerial responsibilities while 25% of it is spent on changes, which their clients might require in the future and the remaining 25% spent on trying to get new clients. According to Rees and Porter, management operates through various functions, such as: (a) the planning and deciding what needs to happen in the future. It also includes generating plans for action; (b) organizing, which is the making optimum use of the resources required to enable the successful carrying out of plans; (c) leading and motivating, which is the exhibiting of skills in specialty areas for getting others to play an effective part in achieving plans; and (d) controlling, monitoring, and checking of progress against plans, which may need modification based on feedback. From this it can be inferred that though he’s a full-time manager performing specialist responsibilities, he in fact comprises the key skills of an effective manager. He has worked five years as a specialist sales person before becoming a supervisor and four years later became a manager. Managerial responsibility usually flows from specialist expertise; if a person has to run a specialist unit they are unlikely to be able to do this unless they understand what their subordinates are doing and can give appropriate guidance about working methods and end results (p. 6). Another problem that can arise people with background in a particular management specialty. Like other specialists, they may pay too much attention to their area of historic specialization. They may give too much priority in terms of time and decision making to issues in their specialized area (p.11). He has been a very effective sales specialist, which caused his department to expand. Promotion to supervisory or management positions of specialists may reduce or remove the opportunity to do the work for which they were trained and with which they identify (p. 12) but apparently this does not prove as in his case. He has taken a two-year post graduate course in Business Administration and attended many seminars. He says his formal management training, his BA course, is very effective and that he could not have done what he has accomplished now without it. Though role definition must be crystal clear to put a precise boundary between managers and specialists whose responsibilities are both overlapping, the two interviewees show that their managerial position does not take their operational responsibilities away. Organizations must be straightforward when it comes to job descriptions to avoid confusion. The selectors of managers must also be competent since incompetent ones would only appoint those skillful specialists into managerial positions they are not good in or unprepared for. Organizations who assign managerial responsibilities to specialists without formality may also encounter problems such as a demand for high paying specialist jobs, ineffective and reduced incentives for quality work from specialists who perform managerial responsibilities, and specialists encountering difficulty in integrating with colleagues. However, such problems are not demonstrated by both interviewees. Managers should also identify what disciplinary handling skills need to be developed in organizations. Much attention is often paid to serious issues such as dismissal but most disciplinary action is, or needs to be, at the base where action such as counseling and informal warnings may be what is required. Training provided is often heavily oriented around the law and more appropriate for managers than specialists. Focuses on the need to clarify responsibilities, the nature of the skills managers need, the way these skills can be developed and the preventive aspects of discipline. Crucial managerial skills should be identified and categorized into process skills. Source: Rees Porter, Skills of Management, Chapter 1 Thomson Learning, 2001 How to cite Management comprises, Essay examples

Cuba Essay Research Paper The Peasantry and free essay sample

Cuba Essay, Research Paper The Peasantry and the Urban UndergroundIn the Cuban RevolutionThe thought that the Cuban Revolution of 1959 was a # 8220 ; provincial # 8221 ; revolution or had a # 8220 ; provincial # 8221 ; character is a widely held misconception, one which has been propagated by the Rebels # 8217 ; post-revolutionary rhetoric and the wealth of sympathetic scholarship which based itsinterpretation of the revolution upon this propaganda. To delegate an event every bit complex as theCuban Revolution any peculiar # 8220 ; nature # 8221 ; is a drastic simplism and confounds themultitude of factors which led to the revolution and its triumph. Bing the supporters inthe rebellion, the revolutionists themselves understood really clearly that theirrevolution was non the consequence of simply the provincials # 8217 ; support, so they must hold hadparticular grounds for retracing the revolution in the mode they did. The firstelement to analyze is the Reconstruction itself through the post-revolutiona ry propaganda, and to find exactly what sort of a vision the Rebels wished to advance as therevolution. We will write a custom essay sample on Cuba Essay Research Paper The Peasantry and or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Following, ! the existent revolution will be analyzed and compared to the Rebels # 8217 ; imagined revolution. Finally, some of the possible accounts for the Rebels # 8217 ; deviationwill be posited, and the revolution itself will be re-examined in visible radiation of these theories. When Castro and his set reached Cuba aboard the Granma December 2, 1956, their scheme, asthey stated at the clip and admitted subsequently, was to take Santiago with the aid of FrankPais # 8217 ; urban insurrectional organisation, and so assail the remainder of Cuba from there incoordination with a monolithic general work stoppage. ( Bonachea78 ) This portion anarcho-syndicalist, partBlanquist scheme was rapidly put on clasp, nevertheless, as the onslaught upon Santiago failedbilaterally and the guerillas were forced to fly to the Sierra Maestra. The Rebels in themountains rapidly came in contact with the peasant population at that place, and a cooperativerelationship began to develop between the tw o after initial apprehensivenesss on the portion of thepeasants. # 8220 ; The provincials who had to digest the persecution of Batista # 8217 ; s military unitsgradually began to alter their attitude towards us. They fled to us for safety toparticipate in our guerilla units. In this manner our rank and file changed from metropolis peopleto P! easants. # 8221 ; ( Guevara10 ) Out of this practical relationship which Guevara explained inApril 1959 grew the mythology which became the revolution # 8217 ; s bequest. Guevara laterproclaimed # 8220 ; the guerilla and the provincial became joined into a individual mass, so that # 8230 ; webecame portion of the peasants. # 8221 ; ( Thomas154 ) It was this mystical bond, subsequently described evenmore romantically by Jean-Paul Sartre, which was what gave the revolution as a whole itspeasant nature. By populating with the provincials, the Rebels explained, they had come toempathize with their demands, the principal # 8220 ; need # 822 1 ; being land reform. Therefore, as Guevaraexplained, the Rebels put forth their # 8220 ; land reform slogan # 8221 ; which # 8220 ; mobilized the oppressedCuban masses to come frontward to contend and prehend the land. From this clip on the first greatsocial program was determined, and it subsequently became the streamer and primary spearhead of ourmovement. # 8221 ; ( Guevara11 ) The post-revolutionary vision was one in which land reform was thespearhead, and the intel! ligentsia was needfully the spearbearer, for, as Castroexplained in February 1962, # 8220 ; the peasantry is a category which, because of the unculturedstate in which it is kept # 8230 ; needs the radical and political leading of # 8230 ; therevolutionary intellectuals, for without them it would non by itself be able to immerse intothe battle and accomplish triumph, # 8221 ; ( Castro113 ) The peasantry was the monolithic ground forces followingthe vanguard # 8217 ; s lead. From the mountains, this united peasant-rebel force would brush downinto the field ; as Guevara said, # 8220 ; a peasant ground forces # 8230 ; will capture the metropoliss from thecountryside. # 8221 ; ( Guevara33 ) That the full revolution had merely succeeded through # 8220 ; vastcampesino engagement # 8221 ; ( Guevara21 ) the Rebels wanted the universe to believe. The other radical component which the Rebels sharply reconstructed after they took power was the function of the urban opposition. As theirs was a peasant revolution, the metropoliss evidently had to play a minor portion, so much clip was exhausted polemicizing against the metropoliss # 8217 ; radical function and influence. The Rebels # 8217 ; anti-city propaganda took two signifiers, theoretical and practical. Theoretically, Castro stated in 1966, # 8220 ; It is absurd and about condemnable # 8230 ; to seek to direct guerillas from the city. # 8221 ; ( Castro132 ) The urban insurgents, Castro stated, were excessively ready to compromise a nd do armistices, they could non to the full understand the psychological science of the guerilla and therefore would about systematically work to cross-purposes. As a practical fulfilment of this theoretical consideration, the Rebels cited events in the Cuban revolution which necessitated their disclaimer of the urban motion. It was after the failure of the general work stoppage of April 9, 1958, Guevara claimed, that the! Rebels realized that the urban motion could non win. ( Guevara11 ) The urban rebellion # 8220 ; can all excessively easy be smothered # 8221 ; by the authorities, Guevara said, and therefore the countryside was the necessary venue for the revolution. ( AlRoy9 ) The revolution which these work forces have constructed is one with a monolithic extremist provincial base and character, led by a little vanguard clerisy which had gained the peasant class-consciousness through sympathetic contact, and which sweeps over the counterrevolutionary metropoliss on its manner to set uping a authorities which would be the # 8220 ; best friend of the peasants. # 8221 ; ( Castro58 ) The truth of this image is evidently dubious. Although it has its advocates, the earliest possibly being Huberman and Sweezy in their book, Cuba: Anatomy of a Revolution, most of the facts upon which they base their analysis are doubtful, in this instance, gleaned from a short visit to Cuba and interviews with high ranking cells. What is of import, nevertheless, is to arouse what of the Rebels # 8217 ; post-facto vision is grounded in fact and what is calculated misinformation, for from there a decision can be reached as to the ground for their historical deformation. The best manner to analyse the revolution is chronologically, get downing with the unfortunate landing of the Granma and following the development of the rebellion from at that place. This brings up the really first deformation of history, that because the Rebel party consisted of simply 82 guerillas, rapidly c ut down to eighteen before they reached the Sierra Maestra, it is assumed that it was through the extraordinary gallantry of this bantam group that the authorities was finally defeated. This ignores that fact that there was already a tenable urban rebellion motion, upon which the guerilla set would depend wholly. The urban M-26-7 group, under the way of Frank Pais, was, as mentioned before, expecting Castro # 8217 ; s reaching to take Santiago. In add-on, there besides existed the Directorio Revolucionario, led by Echevarria, dedicated to violent urban rebellion. These two groups, along with a battalion of other organisations and persons, would for the following few old ages provide support, both fiscal and corporal, which Castro urgently needed and wouldhave perished really rapidly without. ( Bonachea139 ) Quickly after the Granma catastrophe, Fidel and his compatriots regrouped in the Sierra Maestra, the country to which they were to withdraw in instance of failure. ( Bonachea78 ) They did so with the aid of the local peasantry, who led them through the dumbly forested mountains to happen each other. ( Bonachea89 ) The Rebels set up a base from which their operations stemmed. Their operations, nevertheless, shortly came to affect much more than stray military brushs with rural guard barracks ; as they lived in the thick of provincials, they depended on them, non merely for ushers or buying supplies, but on their trueness. The provincials had no understanding for the rural guard, but neither did they for the Rebels ; therefore, they would frequently turn informer on Castro and his work forces. ( Bonachea90 ) In order to antagonize this, Castro instituted a system of highly barbarous, yet merely, radical justness. All betrayers were executed instantly, and the executings were advertised widely throughout the peasantry. At the same clip, nevertheless, the Rebels were highly just in their commercialdealings with the provincials, and Castro established a rigorou s radical codification to maintain hisguerrillas in line, including commissariats specifying colza and other offenses against thepeasantry as capital discourtesies. Although the radical jurisprudence was rough, at least it wasnot arbitrary, and the provincials bit by bit came to see the revolutionists as the jurisprudence of theSierra. The # 8220 ; Sierras # 8217 ; provincials were cognizant that their endurance and security depended mainlyon whether they helped the guerillas or non, # 8221 ; ( Bonachea91 ) wrote one bookman. Thus thepeasants were half-terrorized, half encouraged to back up the guerillas over thebatistianos. The function of the provincials within the motion was non every bit heroic as it was subsequently made out to be. Of the military personnels themselves, figures differ as to the proportion of provincials to urban recruits. Bonachea, for illustration, states that the bulk of the Rebel forces were metropolis people, largely immature, educated, and male. To back up this is the March tierce, 1957, motion of 52 armed and supplied work forces from Santiago to the Sierra. Harmonizing to him, the figure of guerillas continued to turn due to these regular urban inflows, despite regular abandonments of the provincials, who would instead return to their # 8220 ; little, unproductive secret plans of land. # 8221 ; ( Bonachea95 ) Huberman and Sweezy, on the other manus, claim that from three-fourthss to four-fifths of the Rebel forces were provincials. ( Huberman78 ) However, the thought that peasant engagement in the forces, at whatever degree, would give the revolution a # 8220 ; peasant character # 8221 ; is put into uncertainty due to two facts. First, the provincials were non promoted to officers, in fact, most of them were non even soldiers ; their chief responsibilities were transit andcommunication. Since there were no provincials in the leading, it is difficult to conceive of thatthe motion had any sort of a peasant nature. Second, ever y bit late as May 1958, even the mostsympathetic authors put the entire figure of guerillas at around 300. ( Huberman63 ) Even ifthey were all provincials, three hundred provincials barely seems to be a monolithic, popularmovement. As Castro # 8217 ; s motion in the hills began to consolidate his clasp on the land andthe people, Pais began be aftering earnestly for the general work stoppage which was to co-occur withCastro # 8217 ; s outgrowth from the Sierra and assail upon urban centres. ( Bonachea142 ) Bonacheamakes the point here that Pais was still the existent leader of the M-26-7, and that Castro wasstill subordinate to him. The general work stoppage was the existent arm, Castro was merely at that place totake over one time the work stoppage had immobilized Cuba. However, Echevarria, who had been alsoinvolved in be aftering the work stoppage, was killed in March, and Pais was killed in July, so theonly insurrectional leader left was Castro. Desiring to do his base even firm er beforethe work stoppage was to continue, Castro directed all the urban insurrectional motions todedicate their activities to maintaining him good supplied in the Sierra. ( Bonachea146 ) As hewas the lone popular Rebel leader staying, Castro # 8217 ; s power, support and resources grewimmensely. In September, there was an rebellion at the Cayo Loco Naval Base in Cienfuegos which involved coordination between M-26-7 and naval officers. Bing chiefly a secret plan initiated by the armed forces, it did non necessitate Castro # 8217 ; s assist. The rebellion ended in full-scale urban warfare between the M-26-7 forces and the crewmans against Batista # 8217 ; s ground forces military personnels. The deficiency of coordination between metropoliss prevented the motion from turning, and the rebellion was finally put down by Batista and followed by highly barbarous repression. ( Bonachea147 ) But what this event shows, despite its failure, is that there was discord already in the militar y due strictly to gross out with Batista. At this clip besides, the Directorio Revolucionario sent 800 guerillas to the Sierra Escambray in order to set up an # 8220 ; urban and rural # 8221 ; guerilla battle. ( Bonachea184 ) A few months subsequently, Raul Castro was sent to the Sierra Cristal to set up the 2nd forepart # 8220 ; Frank Pais # 8221 ; . Once once more, the development of # 8220 ; the Second Front in Oriente was mostly the consequence of the urban belowground attempts of Mayari, Guantanamo, an vitamin D Santiago de Cuba.† ( Bonachea191 ) It is interesting to compare Raul Castro’s intervention of the peasantry with that of his brother. Raul had a much more classless attitude, he permitted provincials to lift as far up in the rebel officer ranks as their accomplishment would take them, whereas Fidel had no provincials in the officer corps. However, this equalitarianism was non entirely for the peasantry: he besides every bit encouraged the agricultural workers and mineworkers in the country to fall in his forces. This resulted in monolithic popular support for Raul in the encompassing country. ( Bonachea196 ) Therefore during this period from the summer of 1957 until April 1958, the rebellion was turning, in the Sierra Maestra, in the armed forces, and on two new foreparts. However, as Che stated in November 1957, they were all still expecting the general work stoppage. â€Å"The Sierra Maestra is geting at the terminal of its fortress committedness, † he wrote, â€Å" [ and is ] acquiring ready to establish its hosts of battlers across the plains.† Victory was predicated on two things, he said: the â€Å"burning of canefields and the general revolutionist work stoppage which will be the concluding blow. The radical general work stoppage is the unequivocal weapon.† ( Bonachea202 ) At this point the rebellion was still no more of a peasant revolution that it was when the Granma went ashore. The rebellion still consisted of rural guerillas dependant on the urban resistance for military personnels, supplies and, finally, a monolithic general work stoppage among the workers, organized by the urban resistance, to do possible their motion from! the hills. The peasantry had influence merely in the lesser of the two foreparts, and even at that place, it was shared with the labor. The general work stoppage was eventually planned by Castro for April 1958. The grounds for its dramatic failure are controversial, but a twosome of f acts which emerge point towards a sensible account. Fidel called the work stoppage and, against the advice of the urban M-26-7 who said that they were non yet ready, forced the insurgent leaders to follow. Then, he did non present the weaponries he had promised them and without which, the work stoppage was impossible. ( Bonachea214 ) It therefore turned into a slaughter. It was such a catastrophe that any program for a hereafter work stoppage became hopeless. It appears that Castro intended for the work stoppage to be a failure in order to wholly consolidate his power at the caput of the rebellion. His power had grown to the point where he believed that he could get the better of Batista, and he wanted to extinguish the opportunity that the urban insurgents might steal his revolution. This was further confirmed at the meeting of May 3, which Guevara characterized as the official shifting of all power to the countryside, that is, to Castro. ( Bonachea215 ) The other strategic benefit which Castro derived from the failure of the work stoppage was to coerce Batista into confrontation. Castro had house control over the Sierra Maestra, but he could non venture down into the field to contend the regular ground forces at that place. He wanted Batista to direct parade up into the Sierra, where his guerilla tactics would turn out superior. Castro would destruct Batista’s ground forces so move out of the hills. Castro’s program worked, as Batista’s officers, encouraged by the licking of the work stoppage, pushed him to assail the Sierra and stop the full rebellion right so. Batista complied, and on June 28, after heavy recruiting, Batista’s summer offense began. The dry component was that the great bulk of Batista’s recruits were provincials, many from Oriente state. ( Bonachea229 ) However, the Sierra was non the exclusive phase upon which the conflict was taking topographic point ; on April 16, Batista had declared a province of exig ency and began the most barbarous crack-down of his government. ! Partially in protest and partially in support of Castro, the urban rebellion escalated, turning the metropoliss into regular battlefields. ( Bonachea223 ) Another consequence of the increased urban activity was a new, extremely effectual thrust to provide Castro with work forces and weaponries. Due to the highly efficient organisation which he had developed, Castro was victoriousagainst Batista’s run. This was a morale encouragement to the rebellion everyplace. Cellsgrew up in all industries, the five to six thousand urban terrorists runing during thesummer grew even more legion, and resistance in the armed forces escalated. ( Bonachea263 ) The Rebels left the Sierra and marched west, capturing town after town, climaxing in the gaining control of Santa Clara. During this clip, the urban resistance was indispensable to the Rebel triumphs. The Rebels numbered no more than 250, and Batista’s ground forces w as still in the 10s of 1000s. ( Huberman69 ) However, in each town, the army’s morale had been so decimated by the changeless terrorisation of the urban insurrectionaries that the guerillas really seldom had to fire a shooting to accomplish triumph. ( Bonachea297 ) Another likely cause of the troops’ deficiency of morale is merely the surpluss of Batista. The ground forces had no more desire to maintain contending for a adult male who was so viciously oppressing their households and friends. Finally, there was the repute of Castro and his guerillas to be reckoned with: their monolithic, bloody triumph over the regular ground forces was well-known, and few of Batista’s largely badly-trained military personnels had any desire to dispute them. Although the guerillas succeeded without the work stoppage itself, through the urban resistance and the troops’ deficiency of morale, the samesituation was effected in which they could take over urban Cuba despite thei r extremenumerical lower status. So the guerillas took Cuba and declared it a peasant revolution. However, it seems clear that, no affair by what criterion we judge it by, the revolution was surely non characterized by the peasantry. The guerrilla-peasant matrimony was one of convenience, the peasantry was merely the medium in which the guerillas were forced to run. They neer spoke of any particular connexion with the provincials until good afterwards, allow alone help them or swear the provincials any further than they had to to accomplish their ain terminals. And in return, the guerillas neer enjoyed any sort of mass support from the provincials ; they would still fall in Batista’s ground forces with merely as much enthusiasm as before. Even the â€Å"spearhead† of the revolution, agricultural reform, was initiated by the guerillas, and there is great contention as to whether the provincials truly cared about acquiring land that much at all. The preamble of the Land Reform Law stated that its intent was to â€Å"diversify the Cuban economic system and assist the industrialisation of the country.† ( Goldenberg218 ) Beyond their excellentservice as porters, the provincials had about no function in the revolution. The urban resistance, nevertheless, did play a major, though disregarded, function. At every measure of the revolution, their aid was indispensable to the guerillas, and at the clip, until April 1958, the guerillas recognized it. Afterwards, the aid was merely as necessary, possibly even more so during the March due west, but it was subsumed under Castro’s revolution. The inquiry can now be posed: why did the revolutionists, after their triumph, seek so hardto set up their revolution as a provincial revolution? The reply is rooted in Cuba’speculiar category construction at the clip of the revolution. Cuba was non a typical LatinAmerican state: foremost off, its population was 57 % urban and 43 % rural, as opposed to thegeneral rural nature of the remainder of Latin America. ( Draper21 ) It had one of the higheststandards of life in Latin America, and it was besides one of the most middle-class: figuresrange from 22 to 33 per centum of the population as belonging to the in-between category. ( Thomas328 ) This in-between category was besides curious because it was a defeated category, frustrated by theeconomic stagnancy which was impeding their professional and fiscal promotion. Thisfeeling was particularly prevailing among the recent university alumnuss. ( Thomas330 ) AlthoughHuberman and Sweezy claim that the peasantry was the most radical of the categories, a! sit was the most marginalized, ( Huberman80 ) by other criterions it would look that this middleclass was the most radical, as it was a clear campaigner for a revolution of risingexpectations. This seems to be the instance, as the people who made up most of the urbanunderground, and who contributed the most military personnels to the gue rillas, were exactly theseyoung, knowing work forces. Batista’s power was founded in the in-between category, he could havehandled a true provincial rebellion because the peasantry was non strong plenty ; a in-between classrevolt, nevertheless, could do his ruin. The constituency of the Cuban Revolution was madeup of the middle-class. It derived its support from the in-between category by assuring theinstitution of the fundamental law of 1940 with its broad reforms, ( Draper20 ) and it succeededwithout important worker or peasant support. However, after the work stoppage of April 1958, therevolution, antecedently a revolution of the middle-class clerisy, became Castro’s ownrevolution. He made the work stoppage fail so as to consolidate his power, irrespective of thebloodshed it caused among his fellow insurgents. This would look to be one of thereasons why he termed it a peasant revolution. He reversed cause and consequence so as tojustify what had happened: he claimed that the triumph was the triumph of a peasants’revolution, of which he was simply the vanguard, swept into the category consciousness of thepeasantry ; alternatively, he had swept the urban leaders off phase, and in order to conceal the factthat it was simply he and his ain cells wh! O finally seized the authorities, hefabricated the peasant nature of the revolution. Then, following up on this lead, one time hewas in power, he radicalized the agricultural reform jurisprudence by adding socialist co-operatives to itright before it was signed, therefore driving off broad in-between category in the name of thepeasant revolution. ( Draper24 ) His personal appeal was such at that point that he could draw such amaneuver without much battle, therefore, he consolidated his power and based it, unlike hisrevolution, in the peasantry and the workers. The concluding ground why it seems that heconstructed the peasant nature of the revolution was to give the revolution the popularcharacte r it needed to be accepted in the remainder of Latin America. â€Å"Our revolution has set anexample for every other state in Latin America, † said Che Guevara. ( Guevara13 ) However, auniversal in-between category revolution was non rather what Guevara had in head. As mentionedearlier, Cuba was far in front of most of Latin America vitamin E! conomically, and so most of the restof the continent had the potency for a echt provincial revolution. The success of thisstrategy is apparent in the monolithic popularity of Castro among peasant motions in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. ( Goldenberg313 ) When he eventually took power, Castro did consequence many radicalsocial alterations to better the peasant’s status. Indeed, it does non look that he wentthrough so many substitutions merely to accomplish entire personal power, but that he was lookingultimately to consequence extremist societal alteration every bit good. That the agencies to these two ends, along with the exigencies of foreign policy, all coincided was propitious. That his fellowmiddle-class urban revolutionists had to be removed was simply a Machiavellian necessity.But no affair what the state may look like now, or what the cells have said concerningthe roots of the revolution, it still remains, as Hugh Thomas pointed out, that while theurban opposition likely could non hold defeated Batista without Castro, it is certain thatCastro could non hold defeated Batista without the urban opposition. AlRoy, Gil Carl. # 8220 ; The Peasantry in the Cuban Revolution. # 8221 ; Cuba in Revolution. Ed. RolandoE. Bonachea and Nelson P. Valdes. Garden City, New York: Anchor Books, 1972. 3-17. Bonachea, Ramon L. , and Marta San Martin. The Cuban Insurrection 1952-1959. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1974. Draper, Theodore. Castro # 8217 ; s Revolution: Myths andRealities. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1962. Goldenberg, Joseph. The Cuban Revolution and Latin America. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1966. Huberman, Leo, and Paul M. Sweezy. Cuba: Anatomy of a Revolution. New York: Monthly ReviewPress, 1961. Kenner, Martin, and James Petras, eds. Fidel Castro Speaks. New York: Grove Press, 1969. Lavan, George, erectile dysfunction. Che Guevara Speaks. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1967. Thomas, Hugh. The Cuban Revolution. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1977.

Ancient Societies in Mesopotamia and Ancient Societies in Africa

Sound and Fury Characterizatio essays

Sound and Fury Characterizatio essays Several times throughout The Sound and the Fury, as in other novels, are scenes in which the family, or parts of it, is sitting down at the dinner table for a meal. In Jasons section, there is a particular scene in which this occurs. At this point in time, the Compson family consists of Jason, his mother, Quentin and Benjy, and Dilsey and Luster. The scene begins by Jason refusing to eat dinner, or even go to the dinner table, until his mother and Quentin come down to accompany him. This situation clearly shows the stubbornness of Jasons personality. Several times Dilsey asks him to just eat by himself, and to forget about the other family members who are obviously too sick or occupied to come down to dinner. Instead, Jason continues to read the paper, refusing to move until the rest of the family has come down to join him. In the same dialogue as above, not only is the trait of stubbornness shown, but also his constant sarcastic, almost brash tone. When Dilsey first tells Jason that dinner is ready, instead of a thank you or any other common words of appreciation, he replies Is it?. . .Excuse me, I didnt hear anybody come down. This clearly shows his sarcastic tone towards all people. Jason is seen as the man of the house ever since Mr. Compson died. His mother actually corrects herself when she calls the house her house, instead saying it is Jasons and that he is the head of it. This is what gives him a lot of his arrogance and haughtiness. His mother is constantly telling him how he is the superior of all the other children and even that he is the head of the house and that it is his. Who wouldnt acquire such a big ego with the praise he receives from his mother? When Quentin finally sits at the table, Jason immediately starts to rip her apart. In his usual cynical tone he constantly irritates Quentin to the point where she breaks. Jason brings up th...

Cultural studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cultural studies - Essay Example Despite this shift Bengalis, be it Hindu or Muslims did share a greater cultural similarity than what superficial boundaries failed to erase. The irony behind this cultural similarity between East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal explains the complete disadvantage of categorizing literature or cultural studies within nationalistic homogenizing forces. If nationalization or neo-imperialism or globalization is seen as cultural homogenization, then cultural fragmentation and intercultural conflict or issues of ethnocide are also serious issues that haunt us with World War II memories. But are the poles of cultural studies thus stretched between these two stereotypes Aren't we approaching greater possibilities of cultural exchanges and the exciting new cultural hybridity that do not threaten cultural purity, but add new and socio-economic, spiritual and discursive voices to the present zeitgeist of our age by virtue of which we remain unique to our historical time travel The essay " 'Indian Literature': Notes Towards the Definition of a Category", posits the argument that cultural and linguistic exclusivity of various languages and their corresponding literatures are weak at encouraging actual overlapping translations between themselves and the cultural context, where they developed or grew through continuous interaction and affecting their linguistic differences. Thus knowledge of "Indian Literature"(however controversial the term is) is being generated in the medium of English, since the rare combination of, say, a Punjabi folklore (in a Punjabi local dialect or even major language) being integrated into Bengali literature by another Bengali author who has quite a deft hand at understanding that specific sub-division of Punjabi language or culture. Thus in spite of bridging the cultural gap between varied cultures in India, it only creates a chasm with its linguistic function due to inherent symbolic gaps or meanings gathered or generated by its id eological or discursive order or burden. Again, this lead to the very question of information and its readers, since, the finer points of intercultural translation are no necessary to a class of people who are literate, dependent on the print media for preservation of culture that cannot but precipitate the words and ideological, spiritual and social practices of the Subalterns in their complex standing. Thus gap between the vocabularies of the petit bourgeoisie and the general or popular is great. But, I would like to question the use of the term "popular" by the author, since popular culture has come to reflect the taste and vocabularies of the bourgeoisie classes and the subalterns are hardly presented in such cultural representations. Indian Literature is either categorized in its ancient period of literary production or under a generic name that does not always add to the production of a unified literary indigenous history where all exist independently unaware of another cultur e or their mutual linguistic interdependence. Textual exchanges are scarce. With chronological imposition on Indian History that do not let history thrive under the vast confusion of overlapped and interrelated periods despite gaps in time or space, Indian Literature has become a sharp Enlightenment induced linear, teleological product of "Universal History" and have forgotten to voice its histories and metanarratives under the troubling demands of multiculturalism, gaps in vernacular exchange realized not until the beginning of post-colonial cultural studies,

Direct and Indirect Qualitative Research Procedures Essay

Direct and Indirect Qualitative Research Procedures - Essay Example Qualitative Research: This allows exploring even the traits like attitudes, perceptions or beliefs. Such research activity requires in-depth study of the subject. Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts†. The qualitative research is meant to take care of such situations actually. Quantitative Research: This type of research calls for mathematical modeling and analysis of data collected during the process of research. It is more structured than qualitative and calls for quantification of data together with generalizing the results. Talking about the comprehensive approach adopted during a qualitative research activity, Myers (2002) stated, â€Å"In communicating or generating the data, the researcher must make the process of the study accessible and write descriptively so tacit knowledge may best be communicated through the use of rich, thick descriptions†. The qualitative research, in turn , is further divided into two types namely; Direct research and Indirect research. Though at times, both these types appear to lead in a similar direction, yet the procedures with which research is carried out often brings out many differences amongst these two types. While comparing these two approaches we find that; The direct approach to qualitative research is a non-disguised method while the indirect approach happens to be somewhat disguised. Qualitative research has the potential to go into different aspects of the subject in detail.  ... The difference is more apparent in the figure shown below; Qualitative research has the potential to go into different aspects of the subject in detail. Meredith et al (1989) feels that often research of this kind lends itself to the semi-structured, open ended type of interview to enable interviewees to expand on what they consider to be important and to frame those issues in their terms. In direct qualitative research in-depth interview is the norm. The focus group approach requires that we prepare a focus group well in advance to carry out the research. The group is prepared with the help of a selected few research participants. This is more like a brain storming session. The topic is discussed amongst the focus group with the help of a moderator from amongst the focus group participants only. Subsequently, the group interview is conducted and a final report is prepared by the researcher based on the outcomes of the discussion. On the other hand the depth interviews imply that one-to-one interviews are held amongst the researcher and the research participants. The researcher is supposed to solicit information from the research participant during the interview and accordingly prepare the databank. Burgess (1982) points out that such interview allows the researcher to probe deeply in order to find out 'expansive' responses, which often helps in uncovering previously unknown details so that a direction is also provided to future researchers. In the indirect method on the other hand the research participants are encouraged to come out with their own versions and understandings about the issue/s being taken up by the researcher. The respondents are supposed to 'project' their feelings or attitudes about the situation. In direct qualitative

Teachers Attitude Towards Children With Disabilities Education Essay

Teachers Attitude Towards Children With Disabilities Education Essay This section presents the literature that has been published in relation to the teachers perceptions /attitude towards special education and children with disabilities. Special Education is a complex and broad area of study. It is a distinctive provision that involves a range of foundational disciplines that encourage and assist the progress of children with special needs and other children to grow hand in hand and attain proficiency at the academic, social, personal and inter-personal level. This requires that special educators undergo specialised training and receive support from the school management to ensure that such children with special needs benefit and thus ultimately receive the best of education and care that civil society can provide to them without disparity (Routledge, 2003). There is a general consensus that complete justice to the children with special needs seeking inclusivity by this system can be done only if teachers who are involved in mainstream education are a lso aware of specialist knowledge and possess the skills required to cater to atleast a minimum set of special needs. Although educators specializing in particular special needs would be considered as best equipped to help the children with certain special needs, a cooperative approach with colleagues is vital in a school setting to ensure the best interests of the children in question (Sage, 2004). A teachers role is very critical in identifying and recognizing the special needs of a child and in assessing the impact of the disability in detail so that ways and means can be devised to help the possible implications in learning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Keeping this consideration in mind, the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (House Bill 1350) directed that students with disabilities must be taught by teachers who hold complete certification in special education or who have passed a state teacher licensing examination and hold a state licence. In particular, special education teachers teaching core academic subjects, are expected to hold certifications in both the subject in question and in special education (Chapman R, 2008) so that complex core subject matter can be presented in a way that meets the individualized need of the child. Further, the special educators must be equipped, competent and confident in the use of adaptive equipment, information and communication technology and multisensory environments to effectively put to use technology as and where the curriculum or the requirements of the child with special needs demand, so that the education of children with special needs can be aided by the use of such services to increase the autonomy of the child and thereby build confidence, enhance learning and thereby improve knowledge acquired and thus effecting integration in its essential sense. Access: The new age concept of special education is based on the thought that any improvement made to the special education system is an improvements made to the education system as a whole in accordance with the fact that special education is not merely education of children with special needs but a collective effort of the community in helping different children with different abilities and tempraments to mutually benefit in the process of education. The view of the education community on special education today is based on the a variety of service options that must be made available in accordance with the special education laws such that a least restrictive environment may be constructed that enhances the scope of mutual interaction and considers the social well-being of the student community as a whole (Hallahan Kauffman, 1998); As good as this sounds, this concept is far from being fully accepted (Yellin et al, 2003) by the civilized modern community and is still riddled with doubts, f ears and litigative questions. The IDEA laws recommend inclusive mode of education as a solution rather than a problem for special educators, in which children with special needs are no more isolated, but educated in conjunction with children who are not disabled and special classes, separate schooling, or removal from the regular environment may be considered only when the nature or severity of the disability interferes with the education process. The new philosophy is to practice education on a general basis where (Bryant, Smith, Bryant, 2008; Lipsky Gartner, 1997; Rogers, 1993; Salend, 2001) the flexibility of an organization and special resources tchild should be an equally valued member of the school culture. However, the success of such inclusive methods of education depends largely on the attitude and willingness of special educators to make children with special needs feel welcome, accepted and included meaningfully. Addition or inclusion of material facts are mutually ben eficial to children with special needs and also it help them benefit from being able to learn in a regular classroom and meet up with their peers without disabilities who can also gain from the exposure to children with diverse characteristics. School and community environments must be designed in such a way that they are physically and programmatically more accessible so that they will help children with physical disabilities function more effectively and enable others who do not have disabilities to access their environment even more readily (Ferguson, 1996). Apathy: Conceptually speaking, it can be said that the social and civil progress of any society can be measured by the way a society treats its weak and dependent citizens. Hence the emergence of inclusive education may be seen as a way to ensure school practices against discrimination and toward social justice and thus build a society that is indicatively progressing in the right direction. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of the teaching fraternity who must learn to identify the barriers that social taboos have placed in the way of children with special needs in a constructionist perspective discouraging the use of labeling and categorization so that children can be allowed to communicate, interact and advance to the best of their abilities (Berger and Luckmann, 1971). Inclusive education like any other new reform has been supported and criticized equally in both developing and developed countries. For those people who support inclusive education, (Stainback and Stainback, 1991), always stress on the fact that inclusion is a tool that can play an effectively role in the combat of discrimination, sow the seeds to create a warm and welcoming attitude in young minds: which replaces their past experience of isolation. (Smith, 2007), always insists on an inclusive society as it helps children to learn social skills adapting themselves to an environment that is close to normal conditions of development and growth (Mitchell Brown, 1991) and achieve the ultimate commitment to educate every child (Ajuwon, 2008). The critics on the other hand overlook the problem of stigmatization and base their arguments on the idea that inclusive schools will not be able to adequately pay attention to or meet the needs of the disabled as can be done in therapy in segregated schools. This debate is vital in terms of determining the attitude of the teaching fraternity towards the idea of including children with special needs in general education as a child with a disability will bene fit optimally from inclusion only when general education teachers are equipped to teach a wider array of children and be willing to collaborate effectively with special educators (Bender, Vail Scott, 1995; Brophy Good, 1991). Appeals: The crux of inclusivity is the human right to education. Apart from ethical, moral, human, economic, social and political reasons, it brings about development at the personal level, helps build relationships and ultimately turns schools into instruments of political and social change towards democracy (Slee, 2002). Inclusivity stresses on a collective community responsibility to develop a productive informed society (Raey, 2003). It stands for community innovation where diversity is the norm and stresses that programs must be developed to be exceptional and to suit the diversity so that all may be able to participate and thus benefit. Class rooms must be treated as mirrors of social reality where high expectations, high achievements and full participation of all learners is appreciated and teachers must understand and play the esteemed redefining role of working to enable rather than disable students so that social justice does not remain rhetoric but becomes practical. Awareness is the cry in the academic community today and the current appeal is to equip the teaching fraternity medically, contextually and logistically to help the students gain more out of existing infrastructure and thereby effectively realize the goals of special education. Although technology plays a vital role in special education, it can act as a means of social isolation too; hence it is vital that technology be used with care so that its positive social advantages are maximized and its alienating aspects minimized. Achieving this goal however, lies in the critical and analytical capability of the instructor so that use of technology is ensured in a way that is positive outcome oriented by assessing and re-assessing benefits on a regular basis and re-thinking/ planning new strategies in cases where no improvement is perceived. Assessment: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), has guided that inclusive instruction be implemented and assessed. Even today this system of education elicits mixed responses in that it is lobbied for by some and against by some in courts, debated about in social forums and variously interpreted by the common man. The diversity of an inclusion class leads to a question of various students receiving different benefits (Rogers, 1993); however, unless the social, academic, functional, or life skill outcomes are better perceived clearly, it would end up limiting the teaching fraternitys assessment and thereby impairs the improvisation aspect that is vital for the progress and success of special education. Research shows that present day schools and teachers are struggling to respond to the wide array of students (Wills Cain, 2002). An inclusive school without the adequate facilities in terms of technology equipment and incentives and inadequate specially trained teachers cannot rise up to the challenge of presenting fair knowledge distribution to all. Hence a universal design (Centre for Universal Design, 1997; Waksler, 1996) that includes physical, curricular and pedagogical changes must be evolved so that children with different learning styles can cope without adaptation or retrofitting. Child centered education practices must be ingrained in every teachers mind so that education approaches are based on a clear analysis of where each of their students stand in terms of academics, social and cultural factors so that learning can be best facilitated (Gildner, 2001). At the school level the learning needs of all children can be addressed only if a specific focus is placed on those children who are vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion (UNESCO, 1994). Research on special education strategies over the years says that assessments must be developed based on curriculum, team teaching must be encouraged, learning styles must be understood and cooperative strategies m ust be devised such as peer tutoring or skills training for inclusive education to work in a manner that speaks success. Classroom instruction must be planned and be well organized so that it meets each childs need, and helps in their wellbeing.

Jollibee Foods Corporation Essay

What were the strategy and competitive advantages of Jollibee in the Philippines? JFC observed that the fast food market in Philippines had a high growth potential. They were the first movers in the market and therefore able to build up brand recognition. JFC’s success could be attributed to its differentiation strategy that created and sustained a competitive advantage especially against McDonalds. The McDonalds was a global giant strictly following the philosophy of standardization especially with its hamburger line. JFC realized that it could attract customers with superior tasting products for more affordable prices due to their tight control over operations management. JFC was also aware that the founders of Jollibee (Tan family) had a family tradition (a capability) of making delicious food tailored for the needs (local tastes) of Filipino customer. In conclusion, JFC offered a more tailored menu with a sweeter hamburger, an innovative chicken product, a kid-oriented chicken plate in line with the preferences of consumers whereas McDonalds did little or nothing to modify its products due to mainly its US based decision process. This might be, because the global operating competitor McDonalds would jeopardize its brand image and values, if they would adapt local needs – the contrary applies for JFC. The flatter organizational structure allowed JFC to respond to market changes more quickly. In addition being closer to the market as well as better connected (Many franchisees were friends of Tan family) helped JFC to establish themselves better. JFC’s managers knew that offering tasty hamburgers were not sufficient. They took the initiative to replicate and improve the McDonalds operating structure so that Jollibee became more competitive at store level. Lessons learned from the competitor at the early stages of the small food chain enabled it to reduce production time and ensure consistency and cleanliness of its products. The combination of being the first in the market, service with innovative products and opening new and efficient store at good locations allowed  Jollibee to expand the growing fast food market to new consumers. In addition, Jollibee’s organizational culture and philosophy summarized by ‘Five Fs’ (Friendliness, flavorful food, fun atmosphere, flexibility in catering customer needs and focus on families) sustained the competitive advantage against competitors by enhancing the customer experience and optimizing processes to keep costs low and quality high.

Julie was perfect – Creative Writing

Julie was perfect. She was smart, popular and pretty. Her naturally blonde hair was professionally styled at least once a week and her size eight figure was always gloved in designer labels heard of only in magazines, brought for her on Daddy's credit card. She was involved within the school teams and clubs, including gymnastics and dance, as well as all of the social clubs and school politics. Jen was far from this. She was what would be referred to as â€Å"bad†. Her dyed black hair that was worn so that half of her face could not be seen and she always wore uniform black. She was the kind of person that rarely made an appearance at school, let alone at anything extra curricular. She spent her entire life drinking, smoking and getting â€Å"high†. Dom would have called himself one of the cool guys but everyone else would have called him a jock. He was captain of the football team and head of his gang. They were all members of the football team and spent their free time taunting or punching one another mindlessly. When he was away from his gang, he spent his time acting too cool for anyone else. Brian was one of the cleaver ones. He was a straight A student who enjoyed extra curricular activities like science and chess club. The only thing that he was not good at was sport. Whatever he tried, he looked gawky and awkward. Everyone saw him as a â€Å"geek† or a â€Å"nerd† and I suppose the fact that he wore trousers that were slightly too short for him and glasses didn't help. These four people had nothing in common apart from the fact that they had to share a chalet on a skiing holiday organised by the school. There had been a mix up with numbers meaning that none of them could share with their friends. There was no television or radio and no one was to leave their chalet after eight in the evening unless there was an activity. After the first day of skiing, neither Julie, Dom nor Brian wanted to leave their friends. Jen, who had no friends that had come on the holiday, was busy having a smoke out of the window with her Walkman turned up. She didn't hear Mr Bowdon, their incredibly strict PE teacher come in to the chalet. â€Å"What do you think your doing, Ms. Parker?† Mr. Bowdon shrieked red with fury. Jen turned off her Walkman and spoke. â€Å"What does it look like I'm doing?† She said sarcastically. â€Å"It looks like your trying to get yourself banned from the slopes,† Mr. Bowdon remarked snidely â€Å"What do I care? Skiing is mind-numbingly boring; I only came to pick up some cheap smokes and booze!† Jen laughed, â€Å"Besides, where are the princess, the jock and the geek that I have to share this place with? I bet there with their friends and its after eight! So, instead of wasting your time with no-hopers like me, why don't you guide them into doing the right thing, isn't that what you say your job is?† Her words oozed with contempt. Mr. Bowdon looked at her but she stared him out. Eventually he turned and went in search for the others. For the rest of the week, Mr. Bowdon kept an eye on all four of them and caught them out many times. By the second to last evening, he had had enough. He called them all in to his chalet and banned them from spending their last day on the slopes. There was an array of moans and groans but it was clear that Mr. Bowdon's word was final. They were to be supervised by Mr. Bowdon's wife who was not a skier and would have to spend the day with only each other for company. Everyone knew that tomorrow would be hard. They were woken at six in the morning for breakfast, which was to be eaten on a solitary table laid just for the four of them. Jen was the only one to speak through breakfast. She spent the whole time complaining about being stuck with a bunch of losers for the whole day. When they had finished breakfast, they were instructed to go back to their chalet and to stay there until they were told otherwise. â€Å"This is so unfair, all I wanted to do was to spend my holiday with my friends, and now I'm stuck in here for the day,† Julie whined â€Å"Oh shut up princess, just because you can't go running to Daddy!† taunted Jen. â€Å"Leave her alone, arguing's a waste of time because you can't walk away, your stuck in here all day whether you like it or not,† Said Brian shyly. â€Å"This is none of your business, Geek†, jeered Jen and, with that, she lit up a cigarette and began to inhale deeply. Just as Jen had thrown the cigarette butt out the window, a hard faced woman came into their chalet without so much as a knock. She informed them that she was Mrs. Bowdon and that she would be surprising them with visits throughout the day and, as swiftly as she entered, she left. â€Å"God, no wonder Mr. Bowdon's so bitter with that witch as a wife†, sniggered Jen. For the first time, Julie and Jen made eye contact and smiled. â€Å"So, why do you waste so much of your free time in clubs then?† asked Jen. â€Å"Leave her alone,† warned Dom. â€Å"No I'm being serious, why?† â€Å"I don't know, it's just what me and my friends have always done. Besides, it's not so bad† Julie answered unconvincingly. There was an awkward silence. Julie began to study her French manicure and the others started to fidget. After a while, Dom crossed the room to talk to Julie. â€Å"Hey!† Dom said with ease. â€Å"Hi† Julie said, surprised. â€Å"Aww, the Jock and the Princess, what a prefect match† Jen jeered. â€Å"Shut up!† They all said in unison. â€Å"It's a free country!† She retaliated. â€Å"Why are you always so sarcastic, Jen?† Julie asked, â€Å"I think it's just a front. I think that you are so scared about letting anyone see your feelings, that you cover them up with jokes and sarcasm.† â€Å"Shut up Julie. Yeah, so I don't show emotions, so what? Besides you can hardly talk. Everything about you is fake. Your so fake that you probably don't even know who you are anymore. So maybe I do hide emotions but I'd rather do that then have everyone know my personal business.† Jen shouted and, with that, she went into their room and slammed the door. â€Å"You know, she's right.† Brian said timidly, â€Å"Every single one of us puts on a front.† â€Å"And what front do you put on then?† Dom mocked â€Å"You know, I'm not as good as you think I am,† Brian said, a little braver than last time. As if on cue, Jen entered the room again. Her gothic make up was freshly applied to red, blotchy eyes and her infamous army boots had been removed, as had a little bit of her front. â€Å"So, what have you done that's so bad?† Jen asked with a friendly smile on her face for the first time. â€Å"Well, I've smoked a cigarette and I got a little bit drunk at my cousions wedding,† Brian said nervously. â€Å"Hey, I know what'll make the day pass quicker!† Jen said with a glint in her eye. With that, Jen ran to her room to fetch something. The others looked at each other nervously. She returned with a tightly wrapped package. â€Å"Is that drugs?† Brian asked nervously. â€Å"It's only pot, it's not gonna kill ya,† Jen said â€Å"Well, ok then,† Brian said reluctantly. â€Å"Are you guys in?† Pushed Jen. Julie and Dom looked at each other. After a few minutes they agreed. They all sat around in a circle and watched Jen expertly roll it. After it was lit, they passed it around. Everyone accept for Jen coughed violently on their first drag, and, after it had been passed around a few times, they were too relaxed to care! They spent hours talking mindlessly and becoming relaxed in each others company until it wore off. When it did wear off, the fronts that they had been putting on for so many years also wore off.