Research Paper Final Draft

Research Paper Final Draft Research Paper Final Draft Maria Flemming Ms. Stanek Honors English 10 12 January 2011 Smoking Bans: A Necessity Last year, tobacco consumption was blamed for fifty billion dollars in direct health care costs by anti-smoking organizations as well as one hundred billion dollars that was lost in productivity (Parrish). The smoking bans that have already been implemented help everything from the natural environment to the smokers themselves. Secondhand smoking is breathing the smoke from another person’s cigarettes, or breathing the smoke that the smoker exhales (Bailey, Sprague). Secondhand smoke greatly affects children and can cause them to develop permanent health problems. Adults are also affected; thousands of adults die each year because of the dangerous, but preventable effects of secondhand smoke. It might seem that smoking bans would drive some people away from businesses, but in fact, the opposite is true (Bailey, Sprague). All over the world, groups have been working to decrease smoking in public places. Smoking bans should be implemented in publ ic places because both the general population and businesses are in favor of the bans. This is because of the many negative health effects associated with secondhand smoke. First of all, smoking bans have already started to help. After Ireland passed several smoking bans, the amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the air decreased by more than eighty percent (â€Å"Europe†). In 2003, New York City was one of the first cities to ban public smoking; according to a study conducted by the Health Department, the improvement in air quality was almost immediate (Isralowitz). Alex Rich states in his article that, â€Å" Many smokers who are trying to quit have found that bans have aided in this effort by 'de-normalizing' the behavior and limiting the places they are allowed to light up. In fact, smoking bans have resulted in decreased tobacco consumption in some areas by as much as 10 percent† (Rich, Griswold). Therefore, bans help smokers to become healthier by decreasing the amount of smoking they can do. There are an overwhelming number of negative effects when people smoke in public places. Children are the most affected by secondhand smoke. In 2009, statistics showed that more women are smoking and as many as seven-hundred million children are exposed to secondhand smoke each year (Bailey, Sprague). Children and infants are greatly affected because their body systems are not yet fully developed (Rich, Griswold). For instance, one effect of secondhand smoke exposure is fluid building up in the middle ear, which causes a middle ear infection (Parrish). The biggest reason children are hospitalized each year is because of middle ear infections (Parrish). Secondhand smoke also affects a child’s teeth (Bailey, Sprague). According to the Academy of General Dentistry, children that breathe secondhand smoke regularly develop their permanent teeth about four months later than children not exposed to the smoke (Parrish). Even if someone only breathes a small amount of secondhand smoke at one time, the risk of developing heart disease increases by twenty-five to thirty percent (Isralowitz). Because the bodie s of young people are still forming, people under the age of eighteen are not permitted to buy cigarettes (Bailey, Sprague). If a young person smokes, it can permanently damage their lungs and cause pneumonia, asthma, and bronchitis (Rich and Griswold). Secondhand smoke is also related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (Isralowitz). If a woman is exposed to secondhand smoke while she is pregnant, her child is more likely to show symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), than a child that was not exposed the chemicals in secondhand smoke (Parrish). Approximately 150,000 to 300,000 children also develop lower respiratory tract infections because of the smoke (Parrish). A good reason to ban smoking in public places is to keep children safe. In many of the same ways,

Team Performance Reports Improve Team Productivity With CoSchedule

Team Performance Reports Improve Team Productivity With Tracking your teams performance can be†¦ well, challenging, to say the least. With multiple moving pieces Varying project timelinesand deadlines quickly approaching Consistent thoughts can include (but definitely not limited to) the following: â€Å"Are we completing all assigned tasks?† â€Å"Is my team overworked? Or worse, do they have enough work to do?† â€Å"Are we going to be late with a piece of content?† â€Å"Is an item going to be completedat all?† â€Å"How many tasks are overdue?† â€Å"Is an item going to get missed because I wasn’t tracking and supporting my team properly?† Yikes. With everything you have to keep track of already, you can hardly take the time to collect, measure, and analyze data about your team. So the bigger question from all of this is†¦ how can you fix + remediate any issues  if you can’t SEE how your team is performing? I mean as long as blog posts / emails / social media / etc. get out the dooryou’re good, right? Or at leastyou’re good for the meantime. BUT†¦ wouldn’t it be amazing if you could actually see your team’s performance? For instance, a nice gauge of all the items you worked on last month or a comprehensive list of completed, open, and overdue tasks? What if you saw a nice ‘ole 100% completion rate? And some correlating  GRAPHS 🠤“ †¦ created with data that came STRAIGHT FROM YOUR CALENDAR. Too good to be true? Think again :) Introducing  Team Performance Reports from . Gain insight into your team’s overall progress in one powerful report. Pinpoint areas of improvement, spot trends, and set realistic goals for your entire team (without all the tedious data collection). It’s going to make tracking your team much easier†¦ AND allow you the time to make adjustments so you can improve your team’s overall productivity. *GASP* Basically what I am saying is, it’s going to be pretty awesome. Gain Powerful Insight Into Your Team’s Overall Progress  In One Report Chasing down projects and tasks and deadlines is hard enough†¦ so adding another checklist item (like tracking down data and creating reports) when you are already swamped probably  isn’t going to happen. But with Team Performance Reports, we’ve made it easy for you to gain powerful insight into your team’s overall progress in one report, so you can focus on driving productivity and meeting your deadlines NOT scouring the calendar for project updates. It’s about saving you time, so you can focus on the things that matter (like your awesome content plan, of course). Now, let’s dive into how you can start making Team Performance Reports work for you. How to Get Started With Team Performance Reports To get started with Team Performance Reports, head to your Analytics tab on the left side of your calendar and select â€Å"Team Performance.† Your screen will look a little something like this: (!!!!) First,  specify your date range. From there, you can filter by person or project (read on for more details about this), view your overall completion rate and ultimately, grasp the productivity and progress of anything + everything you want to track within your calendar. *fist pump* Now, let’s talk about the SWEET completion rateand because you love data just as much as we do (#nerd), here is a quick explanation of how we get that number: Tasks Completed On Time: Tasks completed within your specified date range that are completed on or before the due date. Tasks Completed Past Due:  All the tasks due in a date range that are completed after the due date, and any tasks that were completed in the specific report date range that were overdue in a previous date range. Overdue Tasks:  Any tasks in the report date range that were not complete before or on the due date AND not completed before the end of the report date range. Basically, you’re going to be a TASK MASTER. #boom

Research paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research paper - Assignment Example The industrial revolution of the 19th century that took place in Europe and America saw people experience pollution of air, soil and water systems to levels that threatened the extinction of some flora and fauna species. Governments the world over responded to the deteriorating environment in the last few decades of the 20th century through imposition of laws aimed at limiting environmental pollution of pollution (Ocean Service, 2008). There is no doubt that the menace of pollution is today affecting every nation of the world. The burning of fossil fuels for instance is a major cause of air pollution. Daily consumption of fuel through cars releases a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere with result of that that air we are inhaling is not clean and as such poses significant health risks. Nations especially in the developed world are trying to regulate air pollution through the passage of tough laws to govern corporations thought to hold most of the responsibility when it comes to environmental pollution (Gulf Daily News, 2009). The sole aim is to force these companies to behave responsibly in terms of release of chemicals in the atmosphere. Failure on the part of corporations to adhere to environmental laws attracts stiff penalties and increased taxes. This is because pollution affects the environmental adversely and thus bringing about major human health issues with the ultimate rise in the cost of medicine to individua ls. Bad air for instance has caused an increase in conditions such as allergies and asthma (Abdi, Ferrera, 205). In the Kyoto protocol for instance, most of industrialised and developing nations of the world committing to the reduction of CO2 emissions by an average of 5% till the year 2012 basing their 1990 emission levels. Unfortunately some major industrial powers of the world such as the US declined to ratify the protocol thus dealing a blow to the efforts.

Business Plan for an Eastern European Juice Beverage (kompot) in the Research Paper

Business Plan for an Eastern European Juice Beverage (kompot) in the US - Research Paper Example American health conscious diets have been on the rise over the past twenty years. IBIS’s healthy eating index projects a 3% from about 66% in 2014 to about 69% in 2019. The healthy eating index is a â€Å"percentage of a recommended diet that an average American consumes. The percentage represents the degree that the average American adheres to the consumption guidelines set out by the US Department of Agriculture that are regularly updated every five years. The last recommended diet was released in 2010.† The current juice market is composed of 57% citrus juice, 5.1% vegetable juices, and 37.9% non-citrus juices. The rising price of citrus fruits has caused health-conscious juice consumers to explore alternative non-citrus juices. Many of these non-citrus juices, focus on decreasing the amount of sugar infused into each serving. Natural fructose is preferred by health-conscious families as opposed to corn syrup or a large quantity of cane sugar. Many of these non-citrus juices are exotic fruit based. Additionally, with the decline of the demand for carbonated drinks, the demand for juices, particularly non-citrus exotic fruit juices will rise. Therefore, if logistics, distribution, and costs are optimal, there may be room for an exotic non-citrus juice. However, the juice industry comes with many difficulties. It is positively correlated with the rise or fall of disposable income. The financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 significantly impacted the buying power of families, therefore decreased their spending on commodities, such as juice. It is unknown when the recession will take place, so it is paramount a new beverage company takes a potentially fatal macroeconomic effect into its planning. FDA regulations have also been stricter in recent years. With the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011, the government is taking a more preventative stance than a responsive stance on importing food safe to eat. Some produce will be returned to the

EDU 330 Special Education Foundations and Framework Benchmark Assessment Essay Example for Free

EDU 330 Special Education Foundations and Framework Benchmark Assessment Essay The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has granted that placement options be available to better meet the needs of students. (Classroom Leadership, 2001) To better meet these requirements, educators have strived to make every effort to place students with and without disabilities in environments where they can learn, grow, and be successful. Each student is placed according to their individual needs, abilities, qualities, and level of services needed. Placing students in their correct environment is essential for obtaining a quality education. Today, there are many resourceful classrooms that are aimed at the specific abilities and disabilities of students. In these types of classrooms, students are better equipped to get the help they need. There are also related services within the school and the community that are aimed at offering support to families with disabilities. When students are placed in the correct environments, teachers can strategically help connect students and their families to these resources, and also integrate assistive technologies into the curriculum to support student learning abilities. When it comes to effectively placing student’s collaboration is key to assessing the type of environment that is presumed to be best for students. Educational environments affect teaching and learning, therefore the classroom environment must be designed to support the individual needs of students. A few types of classroom environments used in K-12 education include inclusion, self-contained, and resource rooms. The inclusion model allows students to participate in regular educational settings, and receive supported help by the inclusion teacher therein. The inclusion model is essential for increasing social  networking skills, developing behavior and academic skills through peer role-modeling, improving student achievement of IEP goals, and helping students acquire skills with the general education curriculum. The inclusion model is great for students who have mild learning disabilities, and those who are progressing consistently to a degree, where little or no help is needed. Based off of the student’s unique needs, the inclusion model is a great teaching environment, along with the self-contained education environment. In the self-contained classroom environment, students with disabilities are granted the  ability to receive much more one-on-one help given their unique disabilities. In this type of setting, educators receive additional specialized training to be able to aid students in making learning a success for students with disabilities, who are not able to participate in regular educational classroom settings. Students who learn at a slower pace, as a result of a learning disability, or uses modifications to lessons to acquire learning, a self-contained classroom may be beneficial. Nonetheless, resource educational environments may aide this same situation. In many cases, If a student is not mobile (using a wheelchair), have  severe disabilities like severe cerebral palsy, it may be beneficial to the student to participate in a resource classroom environment. Resource classroom environments focus on the student’s direct disability based on their IEP. They are potentially designed to be smaller for students to be able to get the one-on-one help they need yet still experience the social interaction with peers. Given the types of educational settings that were previously discussed, in the case of Gabriel, a kindergartener who battles cerebral palsy and has limited mobility it is necessary to place Gabriel in a resource room, to receive exceptional academic  training. Because, Gabriel is tub fed and has to use a diaper it is easier for instructors of a resource room to provide him his necessary needs, as they focus directly on the direct disability of students. Furthermore, it is concluded that Gabriel may not succeed in a regular educational setting, or a self-contained classroom setting because of his verbal inability. Although, he is able to communicate through a few eye movements, it is not enough to gain the benefits of a self-contained classroom, a regular education classroom, even though inclusion models. It is the  opinion of the author that Gabriel will better succeed in a resource room, where he will receive additional resources as physical therapy, to help him gain muscle strength to grasp things and even a speech therapist to help him gain control over his vocals. When it comes to exceptional education, there are many different related resources for students inside, and out of the school system. As for Gabriel, cerebral palsy or CP can mean life-long treatment. Generally, CP patients require 24-hour care. Therefore, in Gabriel’s case, eating, breathing, and moving freely can be a  challenge especially when trying to live independently, or study independently in an inclusion classroom, or self-contained environment. For this reason, educators may want to consider other related services, or services to assist their students with severe disabilities. Although, student have disabilities educators are still required to utilize these related services in order to provide those students with the best education possible. Most services are available to children in the public school system. While others can be accessed in the local community. However, there are related services abroad for students in public,  private, early education and head start school systems. Related services, in the terms of the educational setting of choice, calls for the special education classroom to utilize resources as assistive technology devices like wheelchairs, much physical therapy, and speech and language pathology services. Individuals who work to develop speech abilities in students who have communication impairments can effectively provide treatment to students like Gabriel, by showing them how to communicate with others. Furthermore, it is also beneficial to provide students like Gabriel with a physical therapist, who can work  through movement to help gain muscle control and movement. Nonetheless, teachers strive to develop independency in students of this type of educational setting, by providing assistive technology to encourage independent learning. Assistive technology for advancing communication with nonverbal students is made possible through devices, such as the DynaVox. This device can also be used to assess students like Gabriel to ensure they are understanding simple communication skills. Given the student’s abilities, it is necessary for educators to plan lessons and activities using a student’s IEP goals as guidelines. Then, during instruction time use many visuals and demonstrations, and even prompt the students for feedback. Moreover, in situations like Gabriel’s it is essential to students to use the co-teaching model To conclude, each type of educational setting discussed have significant roles in providing exceptional educational outcomes for students with disabilities. Whether a student is receiving training through inclusive model learning, self-contained strategies, or resource models of learning students are capable of receiving exceptional learning abilities and skills to build off of. It is a given, that all  types of educational settings has its pros and cons. However, it is believed that each type of environment has is benefits to support students in individual development. References Classroom Leadership (2001) Resource vs. Inclusion Classrooms; which is best for Students? Retrieved 8/17/14 from http://www. examiner. com/article/resource-vs-inclusion-classrooms-which-is-be st-for-students Council for Exceptional Children, (2014). Special Education Professional Ethical Principles and Practice Standards. Retrieved from http://www. cec. sped. org/Standards/Ethical-Principles-and-Practice-Standards.

International and Strategic Marketing Essay -- Business Marketing

International and Strategic Marketing The globalization of business markets from domestic to international has generated a unique competitive advantage for all the organizations whose products and services are being welcomed by the customers all around the world demanding mass marketing efforts. In this regard, marketing research in the international environment is having different methodology and complications with respect to geographical boundaries of a specific country in which penetration and development of a product is required. Therefore, an international market planning with strategic aligned goal, for development in the global world should be the objective of marketers to captivate international market leadership. Introduction The gravity of globalization in today’s modern era in the business world is increasing enormously due to faster means of communication, transportation, technology, and rapid financial streams. The product that is being produced in a specific region does not have limitations of boundaries. A Russian student can be wearing Italian T-shirt, driving in a German car going to meet his friend in a Chinese restaurant. This example is not astonishing because it is a general practice and nowadays everybody can illustrate the true meaning of world global market place. Hence, marketers are required to analyze this gravity of globalization and have to consider international marketing in their strategic goal of marketing plan. Marketing is the well known concept of anticipating customer need or demand then analyzing how marketers are going to fulfill that demand or need and finally satisfying customer need or demand. If the customer is really satisfied by gauging th... ... Works Cited Cateora Ph., and Graham, J.,(2002), International Marketing, 14th edition, (n.d): McGraw Hill. Davis, S.M., (1987), Future Perfect, New York, (n.d): Addison-Wesley. Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K, (1996), Competing for the Future, (n.d): Harvard Business School Press Kotler, Philip and Armstrong, Gray, (2008), Principles of Marketing, 12th edition, India: Prentice Hall Kumar, V. (2000), International Marketing Research, N.J: Prentice Hall Payne, Results of Poor Cultural Awareness, (n.d) retrieved August 4, 2010 from Wind,Yoram, Douglas,Susan P. and Perlmutter, Howard V. (Apr., 1973), Guidelines for Developing International Marketing Strategies, The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 14-23 , Retrieved 4 August,2010, from

Defining Moments in Canada Essay

Defining Moments in Canadian History During the 20th century, there were many events and situations that helped define the country of Canada. There were positive moments, but also a good amount of negative ones. Of course, the successful events kept Canadians in a positive light, but the negative situations helped Canada learn from its mistakes and went to prove how strong and brave its citizens were/are. The three most defining moments would have to be the Dieppe Raid, the Invasion of Normandy, and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. These three events not only assisted the country to become what it has today, but has also defined what the nation has become. The first defining moment of the 20th century was the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This particular battle was a military engagement located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France during World War I. The main fighters were Canadian Corps against the German army. The battle took place from April 9 to 12, 1917. This was the beginning stage for the Battle of Arras, led by the British. â€Å"The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917. Situated in northern France, the heavily-fortified seven-kilometre ridge held a commanding view over the Allied lines. The Canadians would be assaulting over an open graveyard since previous French attacks had failed with over 100,000 casualties. â€Å"(Cook) Main objectives were to take control over German-held high ground along an extensive escarpment. Doing so would allow the southern flank to advance without having to be heavily worried about enemy fire. With support from a nearby barrage, Canadians were able to capture most of the ridge within the first day of attack. The town of Thelus fell the second day, as did the crest of the ridge. The final objective was to capture another ridge located outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, which fell to the Canadian Corps on April 12. After that incident, the German forces had no choice but to retreat. This quick battle was successful due to a mix of tactical and technical innovation, powerful artillery support, extensive training, and thought-out planning. This event is a defining moment for Canada because it was the first time that all four sectors of the Canadian Expeditionary Force participated in a battle as a whole, therefore becoming a Canadian Nationalistic symbol of sacrifice and great achievement. â€Å"The Canadian success at Vimy demonstrated that no position was invulnerable to a meticulously planned and conducted assault. This success had a profound effect on Allied planning. Though the victory at Vimy came swiftly, it did not come without cost. There were 3,598 dead out of 10,602 Canadian casualties. After Vimy, the Canadian Corps went from one success to another, to be crowned by their achievements in the 1918 â€Å"advance to victory†. This record won for Canada a separate signature on the Versailles Peace Treaty ending the War.†(Battle of Vimy Ridge) The second definitive moment of the 20th century was the Dieppe Raid. This event was a World War II attack on the German occupied port of Dieppe on August 19,1942. The raid took place on the northern coast of France, and began around 5 am. Allied commanders were forced to call a retreat, a mere 6 hours later. Objectives included seizing and holding a major port to prove that it was possible and also to gather information. Allies also planned on destroying coastal defences, port structures, and all strategic buildings. The allied countries knew that they would eventually have to attack, so they figured they needed the practice. Another goal was to take some of Hitler’s attention off of trying to invade Russia. The plan was to use 5000 Canadians and have a 1-day attack and retreat on the Nazi-held coastal town of Dieppe. The plan was also to be secretive and attack at dark. None of these objectives were met. â€Å"The Soviet Union was pressuring the Allies to open a second front in Western Europe. The Allies, however, needed to build up their military resources before undertaking a full campaign. They felt that a large raid on the coast of France could force the Germans to divert more of their military resources away from the Soviet Union and also help in the planning for the full-scale assault to come. â€Å"(Canada Remembers) The first mistake was that they reached Dieppe in broad daylight, making this â€Å"surprise attack† not very surprising. Also, the Dieppe forces became on high alert at Dieppe because French agents warned them that the British were showing a great deal of interest in the area. When the Allied forces arrived at the port city, its flanking cliffs were well defended. Thesoldiers were met with very heavy machine gun fire from little stations dug into overlooking cliffs. The Allied fire support was not nearly adequate enough and the attackers were basically trapped on the beach by series of obstacles and never-ending German fire. After less than 6 hours, the Allies were forced to surrender and many of the soldiers were stranded on the port, to be k illed or to be taken prisoner by the Germans. The Allied forces were beaten severely, they definitely lost this battle, and they lost it hard. Numerous tactical and technical errors were made, resulting in huge amounts of Canadian deaths. â€Å"The raid was a disaster: More than 900 Canadian soldiers were killed, and thousands more were wounded and taken prisoner. Despite the bloodshed, the raid provided valuable lessons for subsequent Allied amphibious assaults on Africa, Italy and Normandy. â€Å"(Herd) This was, after all, one of the first attempts by the Allies on a German-held port. This was an important, defining moment for Canadians because the lessons learned there became the guidelines of what not to do in regards to future endeavours, and influenced preparations for the highly successful Normandy landings. The last definitive moment of the 20th century was the Invasion of Normandy (D-Day) on June 6, 1944. The Allies attacked the German-held beaches of Normandy, France towards the end of World War II. The landings were done in two phases; the first was an airborne assault landing consisting of 24 000 British, US, and Canadian soldiers shortly after midnight. The second was an amphibious landing around 6:30 am of Allied infantry. This attack was executed by all elements: land, sea, and air. The invasion required transportation of soldiers, and materials from England by aircraft and ships. These particular landings took place on an 20 km stretch of the Normandy coast on 5 seperate beach areas: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The British armies took control over Sword and Gold, US took charge over Utah and Omaha, and Canadian forces stormed Juno. â€Å"On June 6th, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade were tasked with establishing a bridgehead on the beach codenamed â€Å"Juno†. This was an eight-kilometre long stretch of beach bordering Saint-Aubin, Bernieres, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer. Assault troops were then to move towards the Carpiquet airfield, 18 kilometres inland. The 3rd Infantry Division, under Major-General R. F. L. Keller, was under command of the Second British Army. It was flanked on the left by the 3rd British Infantry Division that was to land on Sword beach (Lion-sur-Mer, Langrune-sur-Mer). To the right, the 50th British Division had as its target â€Å"Gold Beach† (La Riviere, Le Hamel, and Arromanches).†(D-Day) Unlike the previous, unsuccessful raid at Dieppe, surprise was achieved at Normandy, thanks to bad weather and a very successful deception plan deployed in the months prior to the attack. The deceptive plan was used to distract Germany’s attention from the possibility of landings in Normandy. Another key success was to convince Adolf Hitler that landings would occur at the Pas-de-Calais. At the same time of the attack, there were also decoy operations taking place. â€Å"Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. Their courage, determination and self-sacrifice were the immediate reasons for the success in those critical hours. The fighting they endured was fierce and frightening. The price they paid was high – the battles for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives and another 574 wounded. â€Å"(Juno Beach) By the end of D-Day, 30 000 Canadians had been successfully landed and all had penetrated further into France than any other Allied force! This was a defining moment for the country of Canada because, after all the previous, unsuccessful missions, they deserved a glorious victory. That is definitely what they got! All their hard work; preparing weapons, planting decoys, and all their extensive planning made this invasion so successful, and all the tedious work paid off. This event is definitive for me because my great-grandfather was involved in this attack, and thankfully returned home from it. There were definitely more than three defining moments for Canada during the 20th century, but the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Dieppe Raid, and the Invasion of Normandy were three of the most significant. These events helped Canada grow as a nation, and made Canadians even more proud of their heritage and their country.

Criteria for a good short story Essay

Does ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ meet your criteria for a good short story?  A short story is a work of fiction shorter than a novel or novelette, and is one of the oldest forms of literature. Some of the most famous short stories are ‘The Canterbury Tales’ by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th Century. However, before the 1800s short stories did not get much respect, and were seen as a poor relation of the novel. At around 1835, Edgar Allen Poe became the first writer to make the short story a distinct literary form. After this the popularity of this form of literature grew in popularity due to short stories being published in magazines and journals, becoming widely available. ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892. It was published as part of a book of twelve short stories, all in the crime genre. Conan Doyle was and still is famous for his crime stories involving the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Before taking up professional writing, Conan Doyle was a doctor. The first of the Sherlock Holmes stories was ‘A Study in Scarlet’ and was published in 1887. The crime story genre was very popular in the 19th century, and many established writers wrote stories of this type. For example, Charles Dickens’ last, unfinished novel was ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood.’ This was a murder mystery and so shows how popular the genre had become. For any short story to be successful, especially the crime genre, the correct authorial perspective must be chosen. In ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ the perspective is that of Dr Watson, looking back over a previous case. I think that this is effective because the reader is able to relate to Watson, as he is following Sherlock Holmes. Watson also learns of the clues at the same times as the reader, but doesn’t get an explanation. This creates tension and excitement and so the reader will read on to find out. For example, the reader knew there was a â€Å"dummy bell rope,† but it wasn’t until Holmes explained it that we found out its actual use. If the narrative perspective had of been from Sherlock Holmes point of view, there would be no tension as he worked out the clues very quickly. We know the when Holmes saw the bell rope was a dummy, it â€Å"instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and coming to the bed.† Another option Conan Doyle could have chosen would be to have an omniscient narrator, who would know everything going on and everyone’s feelings. This, also, would have reduced the tension and atmosphere in the story. The plot of ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ is that of a typical nineteenth Century crime story. A young woman, Helen Stoner, comes to see Sherlock Holmes, after the strange circumstances surrounding her sister’s death start to repeat themselves. Just before she got married, therefore getting her inheritance, she dies very mysteriously. Miss Stoner is very worried, and she is also set to be married. Holmes and Watson agree to help the young lady. However, before they set off for Stoke Moran, Dr Grimesby Roylott, Miss Stoner’s stepfather, pays them a visit and tries to threaten them into not going. This only encourages Holmes, who goes to the house, where he finds several clues in the bedrooms. Holmes decides to come back to the house at night and stay in Miss Stoner’s bedroom, to witness the strange events for himself. During the night, a snake crawls through the ventilator between Dr Roylott and Miss Stoner’s rooms. Holmes attacks it and it flees back, where it turns upon its owner, and kills him. As this is a short story, it should only have one main storyline, and this one does. If there was more than one then there would be little time for any development of plot at all. Conan Doyle, in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ gives enough information to sustain interest, but is also very selective about what is included in it. There are some events in the story that are not directly important to the plot, but create tension and suspense. The visit of Dr Roylott to Sherlock Holmes’ house is included for this reason. Dr Roylott describes himself as a â€Å"dangerous man to fall foul of,† so Holmes wants to get to the house even more quickly, as he fears for the safety of Miss Stoner. This also increases the pace of the story, and makes it more exciting. Conan Doyle uses various things throughout the story to keep the reader’s interest. Dr Grimesby Roylott is an unusual man, who used to live in Calcutta. He went to prison for after ‘he beat his native butler to death.’ When he returned home to England he had various ferocious quarrels, due to his ‘violence of temper approaching to mania.’ Dr Roylott also kept tropical animals, which also makes him an interesting character, and his violent temper is also typical of a nineteenth Century villain. Another factor that creates interest in the story is the amazing skills of deduction possessed by Sherlock Holmes. Watson notices ‘his quick, all-comprehensive glances’ when he first meets Miss Stoner. Holmes then goes on to deduce her exact journey, just from what he has seen. The reader is then anxious to see what he deduces from what Miss Stoner tells him about her circumstances.

Tangled Essays - Tangled Characters, Rapunzel, Mother Gothel

Tangled Essays - Tangled Characters, Rapunzel, Mother Gothel Tangled English 011 29 March 2013 Tangled Have you ever wondered what Disney films are really showing to children? In the article Someday My Prince Will Come, Marcia Lieberman explains the negative impact on children from classic Disney films. The negative messages Lieberman talks about are the girl always depends on the hero, the willingness to change themselves, and the idea that if you are beautiful you get through life easy. However, the Disney film Tangled defies this article. Tangled starts off the same as any other Disney film; a nice, strong, brave man saves the damsel in distress, but then it changes by not following the clich, negative messages and sends out a positive message. Although Tangled and Cinderella have a similar plot, Tangled portrays a better gender message for young children because of the untraditional role reversal and the inspirational message. The plot of Tangled is just like any other plot that Disney comes up with. Girl gets into some kind of trouble; handsome male comes to save her, and they live happily ever after. But, the difference with Tangled is that it starts off as a clich, but drives away from the fairytale norm. In the movie, theres a magical flower that everyone desires to have. The queen of the kingdom had a special baby girl named Rapunzel. She has had magical powers since birth. Her long blonde hair glows when she sings and has the ability to heal all wounds. However, things take a turn when Mother Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel just to stay young. Rapunzel was locked in the tower and could never leave. Until one day Flynn Rider steals a crown from his partners and is forced to run towards the tower. Not knowing if anyone was there, he climbs up into the tower and meets Rapunzel for the first time. The two go out on a wild adventure that would make them closer than ever. During their journey they both learn to gr ow more into each other. Throughout the movie Tangled shows a reversal of roles that strays away from the traditional story of damsel in distress. Classic Disney movies have a big part of gender roles, which are a set of behaviors that indicate, specifically the image projected by a person that identifies his or her femaleness or maleness. Stereotypical gender roles in Disney movies teach individuals behavioral and associational patterns that illustrate appropriate behavior for each sex and provides a way to predict the outcome or fate according to sex. Rapunzel is a princess, who was kidnapped by Mother Gothel. She lived her entire life locked inside a hidden tower, but she is no damsel in distress. She is a girl with very long golden hair. She is a girl who fills her days with art, books, and imagination. Rapunzels true destiny lies outside of the lonely tower. She always obeyed Mother Gothel by keeping her magical hair hidden. Flynn Rider is a thief, who discovers Rapunzel in the tower. He is a tall and well-built with short, dark hair. He is an experienced thief; he skilled in escaping the authorities, hiding out, and steal ing right from peoples noses. He later becomes the husband of Rapunzel. Tangled is a much different movie compared to Cinderella even though they were made by the same company. Cinderella has a message of that a woman should be abused from most of her life until she is saved. The woman should be dependent on someone else instead of herself. In Cinderella she depends on her fairy godmother to save her at first, and then she depends on the prince to save her instead of working on her own to save herself. In Tangled Rapunzel is very independent and even is able to leave her tower. She rescues Flynn multiple times throughout the movie. She shows that women can easily be independent and even be the rescuer. Additionally, the focus on beauty sends another negative message to young girls. Beauty is associated with goodness, and ugliness is associated with evil. Rapunzel is beautiful and sweet. For example, she was able to help the men at the bar and think back and show emotion by asking them if they ever had a dream. She was not

Pros and Cons on Flexible Grouping in Grades 7-12

Pros and Cons on Flexible Grouping in Grades 7-12 Every student learns differently.  Some students are visual  learners who  prefer using pictures or  images;  some students are  physical  or  kinesthetic who prefer using their bodies and sense of touch. Different learning styles mean that teachers must try to address the variety of learning styles of their students to target instruction. One way to achieve this is through flexible-grouping. Flexible grouping  (flex grouping) is the purposeful  and  strategic  grouping/regrouping  of students within the classroom  and in combination with other classes in various ways based on the subject area and/or type of task. Flexible grouping is used in middle and high school, grades 7-12, to help differentiate instruction for students in any content area.   Flex-grouping  allows teachers the opportunity to organize collaborative and cooperative activities in the classroom. In creating flexible groups teachers may use  test results, student in-class performance, and an individualized evaluation of a students set of skills to determine the group into which a student should be placed.  Regular review of placement in flex-grouping is recommended. In flex-grouping, teachers can also group students by levels of ability. There are ability levels organized in three (below proficiency, approaching proficiency) or four (remedial, approaching proficiency, proficiency, goal).  Organizing students by ability levels is a form of proficiency-based learning which is more common in the elementary grades. A type of assessment that is growing at the secondary level is standards-based grading which ties performance to proficiency levels. If there is a need to group students by ability, teachers can organize students into  heterogeneous grouping  mixing students with different skills  or  into  homogenous groups  with students in separate groups based on high, medium, or low academic achievement.  Homogeneous grouping  is used for improving specific student skills or measuring student understanding more often.  The student grouped with students demonstrating similar needs is one way a teacher can target identified needs students have in common. By targeting the help each student needs, a teacher can create flex groups for the most remedial students  while also offering flex groups for higher achieving students.   As a caution, however, educators should recognize that when homogeneous grouping is used consistently in the classroom, the practice is similar to  tracking  students. The sustained separation of students by  academic ability into groups for all subjects  or specific classes  within a school is called tracking.  This practice of tracking is discouraged as  research shows that tracking  negatively impacts academic growth. The key word in the  definition of tracking is the word sustained which contrasts with the purpose of flex grouping. Since the groups are organized around a particular task, flex grouping is not sustained. Should there be a need to organize groups for socialization, teachers can  create groups through a drawing or lottery. Groups can be created through pairs spontaneously. Once again, each students learning style  is an important consideration as well. Asking students to participate in organizing the flex groups (How would you like to learn this material?) may increase student engagement and motivation. Pros in Using Flexible Grouping Flexible grouping is one strategy  that allows the teacher opportunities to address each learners  specific needs, while regular grouping and regrouping encourage student relationships with teacher and classmates. These collaborative experiences in the classroom help to prepare students for the authentic experiences of working with others in college and their chosen career.   Research shows  that flex grouping  minimizes the stigma of being different and for many students helps to  reduce their anxiety. Flex grouping provides an  opportunity for all students  to develop leadership skills and take responsibility for their learning.   Students in flex groups need  to communicate with other students, a practice which develops speaking and listening skills. These skills are part of the Common Core State Standards in Speaking and Listening  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 [Students] repare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. While developing speaking and listening skills are important for all students, they are particularly important for students labeled as  English Language Learners  (ELL, EL, ESL or EFL). Conversations between students may not always be academic, but for these ELs, speaking to and listening to their classmates is an academic exercise regardless of topic. Cons in Using Flexible Grouping Flexible grouping takes time to implement successfully. Even in grades  7-12, students need to be trained in the procedures and expectations for group work. Setting standards for cooperation and practicing routines can be time-consuming. Developing stamina for working in groups takes time. Collaboration in groups may be uneven. Everyone has had an experience in school or at work of working with a slacker who may have contributed little effort. In these cases, flex grouping may penalize students who may work harder than other students who may not help. Mixed ability groups may not provide the support needed for all members of the group. Moreover, single ability groups limit peer to peer interaction.  The concern with separate ability groups is that placing students into lower groups often results in lower expectations. These kinds of homogenous groups organized only by ability can result in  tracking.   The National Education Association  (NEA) research on tracking shows that when schools track their students, those students  generally stay at one level. Staying at one level means that the achievement gap grows exponentially over the years, and academic delay for the student gets worse over time. Tracked students may never have the opportunity to escape to higher groups or levels of achievement.   Finally, in grades 7-12,  social influence can complicate grouping students. Some students may be negatively affected by peer pressure. Student social and emotional needs require that teachers need to be aware of their students social interactions before organizing a group. Conclusion Flexible grouping means that teachers can group and regroup students to address student academic skills. The collaborative experience of flexible grouping can also better prepare students for working with others after they leave school. While there is no formula for creating perfect groups in class, placing students in these collaborative experiences is a critical component of college and career readiness.

Japan's 21 Demands of the Chinese government in 1914 Essay

Japan's 21 Demands of the Chinese government in 1914 - Essay Example Japanese ambitions in China were impeded by the presence of these European powers, but an internationally recognized foothold had been secured by 1905. The start of the First World War in 1914 provided Japan with an opportunity to extend its influence over more areas of mainland China. The â€Å"21 Demands† of Japan were a manifestation of its ambitions in mainland China and a reflection of its growing strength as an international power. Korea had for long had been a bone of contention between China and Japan. For Japan, Korea was both a threat and a challenge. Positioned as it was, Korea in the hands of China was a dagger poised at the heart of Japan and that was the strategic threat. Korea was also a challenge in that it paved the way to any ambitions on mainland China. In the Sino-Japanese War between 1894 and 1895, Japan emerged the victor. China was not only forced to concede the neutrality of Korea, but also give Taiwan and the Liaodong peninsula (Port Arthur) to the Japanese. The intervention of three European powers in the form of France, Germany and Russia forced Japan to return the Liaodong peninsula to China. In 1898 Russia leased the Liaodong peninsula from China and building a railroad began to expand its influence into Korea, and by the beginning of the twentieth century the growing Russian influence in the area was a matter of concern to Japan and eventuality war broke out between the two in 1904. Jap an emerged victorious and the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 an American effort at bringing about peace in the area established the withdrawal of Russia from Korea and the internationally recognized presence of Japan in Korea. In addition the Liaodong peninsula returned to the Japanese sphere of control, giving Japan a foothold on mainland China (1). In 1898 Germany had managed to secure several concessions from China in the Shandong province including the port of Tsingtao and the railway rights in the province. To Britain these

Services Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Services Marketing - Essay Example Even in emerging economics, services output is growing rapidly and often represents at least half of GDP (World Bank, 1996). In developed countries, knowledge based services - defined as those that are intensive uses of high technology and/or have relatively highly skilled workforces are providing the most dynamic components (Peneder, Kaniovsky and Dachs, 2003, 47-66). What is service: A service is an act or performance offered by one party to another. Although the process may be tied to a physical product, the performance is transitory, often intangible in nature, and does not normally result in ownership of any of the factors of production. So it has been very clear that In the case of goods, the benefits come from ownership of physical objects or devices, whereas in services the benefits are created by actions or performances (Bery, 1980). The dynamic environment of services today places a premium on effective marketing. Christian Gronsoos (2001) argues that service-marketing function is much broader than the activities and output of the traditional marketing department, requiring close cooperation between marketers and those managers responsible for operations and human resources (Gronsoos, 2001, 26-27). To run on efficient operation Employees must be customer oriented in addition to being concerned about efficiency. The service product must be tailored to customer needs, priced realistically, distributed through convenient channels, and actively promoted to customers. Difference of service marketing: Marketing management tasks in services sector tend to differ from those in manufacturing sector in several important respects i.e. in services customer do not obtain ownership of services, service product are ephemeral and cannot be inventoried, intangible element dominate value creation, customers may be involved in the production process, other people may form part of the product, there is greater variability in operational inputs and outputs, many services are difficult for customers to evaluate, the time factor assumes great importance and distribution channel takes different forms. Although it's useful to distinguish marketing, it's also important to recognize that there are marketing relevant differences among services themselves. Types of services: Numerous proposals have been made for classifying services (Lovelock, 1983, 9-20). A particularly significant classification is based on the processes by which services are created and delivered. By looking at service processes from a purely operational perspective, we can categorized into four main categories i.e. people processing includes our company i.e. Hotel industry specifically Radisson Hotel & Resorts, the service directed by people's bodies, possession processing, the service directed at physical possessions include Transportation, warehousing etc., Mental stimulus processing i.e. services directed at people's mind includes Advertisement/PR, entertainment, education etc. and information processing, the services directed at intangible assets include Banking, data processing, legal service etc. Nothing can alter the fact that people processing services require the customer to be physically present with in the service premises, in our case in the Hotel. When customers visit a service factory (Hotel), their satisfaction