Love and Memory in Deuteronomy Essay

Love and Memory in Deuteronomy, is the prompt for this weeks reflection paper. First, we must identify what each of those terms means to us in context to Deuteronomy and for me Love does not just mean love in the sense that we all know. Although you could easily write a reflection amount the many ways God displayed his love to his people, like when he parted the seas for them and crushed the Egyptians behind them, or when he was slow to anger when they chose to worship Baal while Moses was a top Mt. Sinai, but I choose to interpret love in Deuteronomy as God’s continued faithfullness to his people. â€Å"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.† (Deuteronomy 7:9, English Standard Version) Here God is described as a faithful God, and one who will always love those that love him, and follow his word. This is such a powerful verse and really speaks to the faithfullness of God to his people, here it shows that God is obligated to us, that he must love those that love him. I think it also shows that he is bound to look out for us because he is our â€Å"faithful† creator, and that as the creator he is obligated to look out for us, to satisfy us, and provide for us, and ultimately look out for us enough so that we may seek him out and follow him with out Faith. That creation of the Covenant is the ultimate example of God’s faithfullness to us as it takes out all mystery and makes things most certain for us, and shows his commitment to us as a people, because of the covenant we know all the cornerstones of His divine government. The many ‘I wills’ in Deuteronomy cover everything that we as a people might need in both the past, present, and future. There is no avenue of life that we can venture to where we can not find God, and he has given us clear definition of His heart and intentions by his word and covenant. God’s love in Deuteronomy can best be described as his faithfullness to us, and as mentioned prior, there is no greater example of this than his Covenant, and new Covenant with us through Jesus Christ. â€Å"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.† (Deuteronomy 8:2, English Standard Version) Memory plays a huge role in Deuteronomy as God is very clear in this verse, that the people are to remember, that all they have been through was a way for God to see what was in their heart, to see what kind of people they were. Memories, in general, throughout time are always a great way to see someone’s true heart. There were times the people worshipped false idols or cried out against the Lord, and in those moments peoples true natures were revealed, the memories of those times are a great reminder of where people stood, and as it says in that verse that is what it was all about, was for God to measure their true hearts. This principle is still the same today, we are often judged by our past deeds, and it is not because we do not believe people can not change or that people do not deserve new chances, but often times we are what we do, and again the memories of our past actions are a great way to measure who we are as people.

Essay on Human Behaviour and Social Norms

Running head: HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL NORMS Do social norms influence human behaviour? Human behaviour is the response to given stimuli, which are socially and environmentally affected. This response is something that can easily be influenced and shaped through many personal, situational, social, biological, mental factors. In this essay the case of social norms influencing human behaviour will be analyzed using previous studies. Social norms are part of a larger influential scale generally named as social influence.Social influence is the exercise of power that an individual or a group can use on other individuals or society in order to alter their attitudes, behaviours and lead them to a desired direction. Social influence has as an outcome three different behavioural patterns, which are conformity, compliance and obedience. All of them will be discussed, but especially conformity and compliance, which mainly include the influence of social norms on behaviour (Franzoi, 2009; Cia ldini & Goldstein, 2004).Firstly, conformity in general is the action to adapt with the behaviour of the rest of the people due to perceived group pressure. Practically, this means that the way people dress, entertain themselves, protest, work, eat, go on vacations, disclose themselves and substantially anything an individual can occupy himself, is formed by group’s direction and tendencies because the majority of people, if not all of them, try to socialize and be accepted by their society in any possible way.This phenomenon is called conformity and it is an ambiguous question if independence, which indeed is a reality, exists anyway. This happens because people voluntarily direct their independence towards society’s preferences and tendencies in order to feel that they belong somewhere and they have a particular social identity (Franzoi, 2009). The second factor of influence is the compliance and it is has to do with the public and clear acceptance of one’s pe rson to act according to given social direction by the indicated social power. However, compliance can be divided into internal and external.This means that a person can comply with a situation either because someone else indirectly forces him or either because he believes he should act like this. For example, if someone asks his friend to lie in order not to have problems with parents (e. g. cover a sneaking out) but he does it in the name of friendship even if he does not really want it, this is a clear example of external force making you to comply. Internal compliance is the opposite state where personal beliefs and attitudes force you to do something without having any external pressure to do something.This issue is very important because in the case of external compliance, social norms are in a great influential position in contrast to internal compliance where personal beliefs mainly take place on the decisional process (Franzoi, 2009). On the other hand obedience is the tota l performance of a given order by social power without any resistance against it or trial to sustain independence. Social power is the available social sources through social acceptance and social status that a person or a group of people can have in order to exercise persuasion and give motivation to make people change or fulfill their requests.Consequently, these three parts of social influence represents the levels of personal accordance to social patterns, authoritarian or not. Specifically, it can be noticed that the level of individual’s independence sets if a situation is more about conformity (unconscious but voluntary acceptance of the norms), or compliance (internal or external acceptance) or obedience (total accordance to social power) (Cook et al. , as cited in Franzoi, 2009; Franzoi, 2009). Focusing more one the aspect of conformity and the influence of social norms, there are specific factors that affect conformity and levels of social norms’ influence on it.These factors can be situational, personal and cultural. Situational factors can be group size, group cohesiveness, and social support. Group size is important because as Asch (1955) found, the larger the group, the bigger the phenomenon of conformity due to social norms. Group cohesiveness makes the group to have greater bonds due to similarity and ability to easily show empathy to each other (Christensen et al. , 2004) and social support is noticed to groups with higher levels of cohesiveness and bonding. On the other hand, there are personal factors ffecting the type of conformity such as self-awareness (ability to understand own self), self-presentation (try to present ideal self in order to conform), personal control (desire to feel that one has control, as a human right, over particular situations) and gender (gender differences- women are more likely to conform) (Franzoi, 2009). Based on all the previously referred material, conformity is totally driven by social norms, n orms that are not written but sometimes are more powerful than law; the way that a person conforms to society affects the level and type of his compliance to society’s requests.For example, if a person has as personal characteristic not to like altering his self-image/ presentation based on society’s preferences due to his intense belief in independence, it is possible that this person will comply more difficult because of external motivation instead of internal. On the other hand, this means that if a person has an internal compliance only to smile to people who knows and not to anybody else due to his belief, this will affect the way that he conforms to the social norm of smiling to people in general in order to be kind.This shows how social norms can affect conformity and consequently compliance and the other way around, respectively. Furthermore, people have a tendency to create and maintain meaningful relationships with other people because they need socializing a s human beings, which is called as affiliation. Affiliation is a good example of internal compliance. This motivation makes the compliance to socializing and dedicating energy and time on building relationships, an internal acceptance for personal growth (Franzoi, 2009; Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).Nevertheless, there is the issue of how and when external compliance to social norms such as stereotyping occurs. In particular, Bargh and Chartrand (1999) did a study on automaticity of behaviour and found that when people are unconsciously pre-occupied with e. g. stereotyping words, even if they believe that stereotyping is wrong, they are likely to stereotype because they unconsciously externally comply with the given stimuli. Stereotyping is a form of social norm. People may stereotype in order to protect themselves; for example, filthy aggressive people on the street may be perceived as thieves or criminals.So there are two outcomes on this example. One person may believe that the app earance cannot indicate anything about personal characteristics but in the end he conforms to the social norm and try to avoid him as the other people around him do (external compliance). On the other hand, one may truly believe that these kinds of people are definitely criminals because he might have a bad experience in the past so he avoids him due to his belief (internal compliance to the social norm of avoiding this kind of people) (Franzoi, 2009; Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004; Bargh & Chartrand, 1999).Rimal and Real (2005) did a study on how perceived norms affect human behaviour with college students in order to investigate intentions to alcohol consumption. They proposed the theory of normative social behaviour that includes three mechanisms: injunctive norms (such as social approval), outcome expectations (such as personal benefits) and group identity (such as similarity). Their hypothesis was that these three mechanisms are able to moderate the influence of social norms on the human behaviour. Indeed, their results showed that these normative mechanisms could predict the intention of alcohol consumption to college students.Consequently, this study is a clear answer to the question whether social norms affect human behaviour. In addition, Rivis and Sheeran (2003) did a study on Theory of planned behaviour in order to find out whether added descriptive norms can be good predictors of human behaviour in the particular model. Their results showed that younger participants and health risk behaviours are greatly related to stronger correlation between intentions of behaviour and descriptive norms; confirming that behaviour is affected by norms.As a conclusion, the general point of view in all these theories and facts is that social norms affect human behaviour through the state of conformity and compliance. Substantially, the intentions of behaviour can be affected either implicitly or explicitly. People conform to the society in order to be accepted and compl y with various social norms that conformity requires through implicit/internal or explicit/external way. Even if personal and situational factors may influence the level of compliance and conformity, people constantly comply with various requests either due to personal beliefs or due to accepting other’s personal beliefs.Word count: 1. 440 References Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 31-35. Bargh, J. A. , & Chartrand, T. L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American Psychologist, 54, 462-479. Christensen, P. N. , & Rothberger, H. , & Wood, W. , & Maltz, D. C. (2004). Social norms and identity relevance: A motivational approach to normative behaviour. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1295-1309. Cialdini, R. B. , & Goldstein, N. J. (2004).Social influence: Compliance and conformity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 591-621. Franzoi, S. L. (2009). Social psychology (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. Rimal, R. N. , & Real, K. (2005). How behaviours are influenced by perceived norms: A test of the theory of normative social behaviour. Communication Research, 32, 389-414. Rivis, A. , & Sheeran, P. (2003). Descriptive norms as an additional predictor in the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analysis. Current psychology, 22, 218-233.

Meaning to Human Life Essay

Is there any meaning to human life? After listening to the first two lectures I gathered what I felt to be Professor Amrbosio’s definitions of the hero and the saint. I took notes and after going back through and reading them it helped me to put a few things together. He asks the question about whether or not human existence is meaningful or absurd. We live in a hostile and deadly environment so we try to find our purpose and meaning so we have some sense of security. It is a defense mechanism. Why is there so much evil in this world? We have the good and the bad. The good being our loving parents and the soldiers who put their lives at risk to defend our freedom and our lives. But then you have the bad and the evil such as the homeless people and the terrorist attacks and the holocaust. It is unfair how there are so many people with nothing and living on the streets when there are just as many people who have much more then they need to survive. The hero and the saint represent traits that can and will be inherited and passed on across different cultures and over time. The hero and the saint are metaphors that humans have used to search for the meaning of life. With the hero, reality is formed and driven by the struggle of humans. They believe in honor and self-esteem along with self-fulfillment and admiration. They always run up against bad things and they believe the good guys will come in last. The Saint believes that reality is made up of our personal and loving relationships. These relationships are based around unconditional trust. They feel like humans really have no goal but they have a purpose. Love and gratitude define them. Some people say life is a wrong turn and it’s down a dead end street. Saints and heroes show us ways we can share and participate in living every day and still asking our questions about life. The best we can do is to live the most meaningful life. Make every day count and always tell the ones you love how much you love them because you never know when it could be the last time that you are able to tell them. Sometimes you just have to trust that our life has a purpose.

Police stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police stress - Essay Example Stress, actually, is a result of physical and emotional nervousness and anxiety that a person suffers due to pressures from people living in his surrounding or events happening in his life. Stress results in tension, touchiness, lack of concentration, nuisance, bad temper, and a number of physical indications such as headache. Segal et al. assert that â€Å"while some stress is a normal part of life, excessive stress interferes with your productivity and reduces your physical and emotional health, so it’s important to find ways to keep it under control†. A little stress is beneficial as it keeps one going and forces him to maintain his good performance. This is called positive stress. It adds to a person’s wellbeing and health as it leads him to manage things properly. On the other hand, stress becomes an emotional rollercoaster when the police officers are constantly worrying about their performances, input and output, out of fear of their officials. In cases wh ere the officers are constantly bullied, or are taken for granted, or are threatened for delayed or cut down salaries, or are treated harshly, there they undergo negative stress more commonly known as distress. Causes of Stress / Stressors in Police Since police officers are consistently facing human indecency, violence, fights, gore, arrests, threats, and negative behaviors, thus they are very much prone to negative stress. Police officers are also human beings just like us and there is a limit to their forbearance. Some of the major stressors in police are described below. Constant Danger The life of a police officer is constantly in danger. The constant feeling of being under peril takes its toll on the police officer causing him permanent stress. This ever-present danger is a part and parcel of the duty of a police officer. Internal Stressors These are the stressors that arise from within the police departments causing the officers to make sudden mobilizations and then occurrenc e of boredom for longer periods. Sudden shifts for longer periods causes boredom during which the officer has to remain alert for sudden actions. The presence of a gun all the time; the confronting of the jailed criminals; the administrative policies; the need to obey the commands from a senior officer even unwillingly; and, investigations and procedures, all add up to police stress. Lack of Reward Layoffs, delayed salaries, low budgets, and pressure from senior officers put strain over police officers’ minds which then results in decreased productivity and poor output. They undergo fear, become irritable, suffer through nuisance, and all this reflects in their relationship with the seniors and co-officers. Fatigue due to overworking without lunch or rest breaks or working for longer hours without naps; dissatisfaction caused by lack of motivation when the officers are not given their due rewards; and, lack of interest in the job due to constant pressure coming from seniors a nd poor communication with the co-officers form some of the major stressors in police work. When a police officer puts his sincere efforts in meeting deadlines and producing good results, he definitely needs an appreciation, a compliment, or some feedback from his seniors. If he is not given his due credit, he comes under stress. Workload Police officers complain about undergoing stress when the

Jim brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jim brown - Essay Example Simons Island. Jim was excellent by all means as a school boy; he was unparalleled in football, baseball and track and field events. Perhaps it was the legacy of his father’s might as a profession al boxer. Apart from references of his excellence as an actor, this article covers specific features and traits of James as America’s all-time greatest professional athlete and the best known professional footballer ever. As a school boy, Jim’s focus was mainly on basketball and running with special enthusiasm for lacrosse. He had an outsmarting style of leading the rush that brought him the best name as a professional sportsman in the later stages of his career. He was always singled out as the best performer of each event he participated, and especially in basket ball and lacrosse, he was a dread in the minds of opponent teams for the fact that he could win the matches single handedly. Jim’s athletic skills were excellent as he always produced invincible energy to turn the matches to his side’s benefit without so many struggles as others usually had. Stamina and enthusiasm were the key factors he had learned to possess at a very young age. Jim’s records are evidences of his unchallenged dominance over the game zones during his years as a student at both the school and the university. James’ efforts were fruitful as he was committed to his games and practiced them with absolute dedication. A normal lad from a comparatively remote location of the racism-prone American generation would not grow this height if it was not for his determination and patience during hard work. James was a finding of his university indeed. His successful sessions in football had entered him the notice of Cleveland Browns and he was taken to the team to play professional football in 1956. He marked envious success at the feats and exited NFL as the record holder

Communication Process Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication Process - Research Paper Example These noises are barriers to communication which include filtering, selective perception, information overload, emotional discernment, lack of source familiarity or credibility, semantics, differences in meaning, and bias (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009). These are some probable barriers to effective communication that an organization like New Orleans Police Department should address. In the New Orleans Police Department, there is an emancipation of change, but prior to this, effective communication is necessary for it to set the vision or direction for the entire organization. In fact, this department agrees to create a reporting system in place to monitor crime-watching activity, both in its external and internal operations (Schwartz, 2012). This is regarding its goal to alleviate corruption and other relevant activities that would hinder the emancipation of change in its organization. At this point, it is important to understand that the New Orleans Police Department is looking forward to achieve change by which communication plays an integral part. Its communication climate as of this moment includes group networks, trying to help one another to establish effective communication. So there is an association of all channel group network that effectively coordinate essential communication coming from the top hierarchy. The communication climate so far at New Orleans Police Department is organized based on integrating networks to ensure effective flow of communication process. Since it is still new with its implementation of effective communication strategy, New Orleans Police Department has great room for improvement and even a high level of flexibility to look for best alternatives. This has become its remarkable strength considering the fact that looking for best alternatives would ensure efficient flow of its operation. However, due to its relatively new policies, there is danger of information overload among personnel as this would incur enough time of familiarization. In this view, communication would need to become more dynamic and consistent. As of this moment, the presence of monitoring system just only proves the fact that New Orleans Department is looking forward to generate feedbacks in order to achieve effective outcome for its newly set direction. However, this alone could not suffice for the need to achieve better outcome of communication. In fact, the New Orleans Police Department is still on the process of communicating the appropriate direction. Aligning of its people towards the new direction is very essential. This makes communication plays a crucial role in its current move (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009). At New Orleans Police Department, everybody is considered important in order to obtain successful output. Although vertical hierarchy is what it implements so placing high value for beaurocracy is a must, it ensures consistent flow of information to be exact from top to bottom line level in the management sys tem. There is just certain drawback in this system considering that not being able to deliver information from one channel to another could lead to mismatch information in the end if compared from the top. This is feasible considering that there are some important

Wuthering Heights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wuthering Heights - Essay Example Mr. Earnshaw walked sixty miles with him wrapped in his coat, the beginning of his hardship. Upon his arrival, the only person who wanted him is Mr. Earnshaw. Other than the fact that Mrs. Earnshaw took an instant dislike to him, she complains about the added financial burden of another child in their home. â€Å"She did fly up―asking how he could fashion to bring that gipsy [sic] brat into the house, when they had their own bairns to feed, and to fend for† (35). the same; and we plagued and went on with him shamefully, for I wasnt reasonable enough to feel my injustice, and the mistress never put in a word on his behalf, when she saw him wronged† (36). The few time Mrs. Earnshaw is mentioned in the novel, she is not depicted as a nurturing person. She dies and her own children did not seemed to morn her loss. Heathcliffs hardship begins in his infancy, Nelly said he seemed as old as Catherine yet, he spoke gibberish, and she stated that â€Å"it crept Mr. Earnshaws door,† suggesting that he could not walk. A child who cannot walk at six, shows gross neglect in nurturing. He is an abandoned child, no one claimed him when Mr. Earnshaw found him and inquired about his where abouts. From hell on the streets to hell in the Earnshaws home is Heathcliffs plight. Catherine is the only person who befriends him. Mr. Earnshaw defends him but they never bonded. At an early age Heathcliff learns to keep his feelings inward. He never smiles or shows emotions; he becomes diabolical, due to the harsh treatments he received, especially from Hindley. An essay on eCheat.com, titled â€Å"Wuthering Heights-Catherine and Heathcliff† agrees that Heathcliff s stamina to endure pain is uncanny. Although Heathcliff was once subjected to vicious racism due to his dark skin color and experienced wearisome orphan years in Liverpool, this distortion had already begun when Mr. Earnshaw brought him into Wuthering Heights, a

SUMMARY ON USING OUR GES TO PREDICT OLYMPIC MEDALS Speech or Presentation

SUMMARY ON USING OUR GES TO PREDICT OLYMPIC MEDALS - Speech or Presentation Example When there are more participants there is also high medal attainment. Basing on the medal determining factors mentioned we can generate an accuracy GES mathematical model to predict the medals. We choose to use a scale of ten to rate different countries in terms of political stability, incomes, economic development, technology and population. The country with high overall rating will attain highest medals. Example in table form is ; From the above explanation we can state the model as medals earned is directly proportional to overall development. Medal ratio = (political stability + incomes + economic development+ technology + population) / 5. China and Great Britain were highly missed and I think this is due to their huge population which gives a high expectation of participants. The pitfalls in this prediction GES is the technology which has little effect in the athletics

Family assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Family assessment - Essay Example Moreover, the house is adequately spacious with every member of the family enjoying his/her own personal space. The family owns a dog. The house has a solar water-heating panel with fixed air conditioners. The family does not own any firearm. The house is equipped with smoke detector equipment in virtually all rooms. There are three fire extinguishers in the house. One is located in the living room, one in the corridor downstairs, and the other one in the corridor upstairs. All the medication is kept in the bathroom shelves while other chemicals and cleaning agents are safely kept in the store located in the garage. The windows and doors of the house are firmly protected with system locks that are synced with a sophisticated security system. The house has one emergency exit at the rear end of the building. The Andersons own a family van that aids in their transportation. They exercise road safety by emphasizing on good practices like fastening of seatbelts. All the family members are satisfied with the level of security in their homes. Every family faces a number of challenges. These challenges arise from the complex nature of relationships within the family setting (Duvall, 1962). The Andersons are a very small family comprising of two parents, father and mother, and a daughter. Both parents are employed and have day jobs and subsequently provide for the needs of the family. A number of roles exist that either mutually shared by each family member or left exclusively to another member. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are responsible for catering to the emotional needs of their daughter Vivian. They are tasked with the objective of providing counseling sessions and emotional support to their daughter in order to prevent instances of emotional stress. Moreover, both parents provide each other with emotional support in times of emotional stress resulting from various undertakings. No overlap in the emotional needs existed where one family member’s

Mystery religions of the Hellenistic era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mystery religions of the Hellenistic era - Essay Example Although the religions were present several years before the Hellenistic era, their popularity increased significantly during this period and even spread through the entire Mediterranean region (Ferguson, 1980, p. 157). The mystery religions were created in several diverse geographical areas including India, Iran, Egypt and Greece, yet all of the mystery religions were based on myths that were very similar to each other. Although they were diverse in geographical origin, heterogeneous in historical development, and theological orientation, during the Hellenistic period the various mysteries shared a similar response to the religious needs of the day, and they resembled each other sufficiently to warrant being classified and discussed together† (Meyer, 1987, p. 4). This paper will mainly focus on the Greek mystery religions in the Hellenistic period. The mystery religions, which were often considered cults, promised their followers good things although most of these promises wer e never fulfilled. Examples of the mystery religions were the worship of single deities like Demeter, Kore, Orpheus, Isis and Cybele (Grant, 1962, p. 98). These figures were taken from ancient myths and legends, telling stories of Demeter, the goddess of grain, and her daughter Kore, also known by the name Persephone, Orpheus and his lute and other major figures. (Tripolitis, 2002, p. 17) They mingle stories about the world of men and the home of the gods on Mount Olympus, relating natural events like the passing of the seasons to myths about the underworld. By attaching stories to these things, people gave meaning to their lives, and through rituals and gifts, felt that they could have some influence on how their crops would turn out, or how they would get through the darkness of winter. Although literature and history do not always recognize the importance of the mystery religions in the Hellenistic era, they were a significant part of the Greek culture and without a doubt influen ced many aspects of life. As a result of this they also affected history and there is plenty of evidence in the form of statues, ritual objects, paintings and other relics which show how these divine figures were part of daily life. Of further importance is the legacy the mystery religions left, and how they affected subsequent religions. It appears that the mystery religions had great similarities with early Christianity. This paper will therefore discuss what the mystery religions were during the Hellenistic era, how much we can find out about them and what they had in common with early Christianity. The background of the mystery religions In comparison to the previous Hellenic culture the Hellenistic society was multicultural, open, and tolerant (Mathews and Platt, 2008, p.87). Before, and during the Hellenistic period the Greek citizens worshiped the Olympian gods and goddesses. Greek religion was an indispensable part of private and public life and the polis and religion could not be separated (Mathews and Platt, p.43). The Hellenistic period, from the time of Alexander the Great through the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid Kingdoms established by his successors, witnessed the transformation of the polis (city-state). It can be argued that Alexander the Great’s conquest of 336-323 B.C.E. was a main factor that initiated the profound changes to the values of the old Greek polis and the Olympian gods and goddesses linked to the polis (Meyer, 1987, p.2). These changes most likely began because of the growing contact with other civilizations, including Egypt and the New East. During this time Macedonia overtook and philosophy, religion and every other aspect of life began to change. Although heirs of the

Mlb monopoly market structure Essay Example for Free

Mlb monopoly market structure Essay Major League Baseball (â€Å"MLB†) is the only American Industry that is a self-regulating monopoly exempt from anti-trust law. In 1922, there was the U. S. Supreme Court Case of Federal Baseball Club v. National League and the judge unanimously decided that the Sherman Antitrust Act was not applicable to MLB and could therefore regulate as a monopoly. Furthermore, this decision was later reaffirmed in 1952 and 1972 in two different U. S. Supreme Court cases. This antitrust exemption has given increased monopolistic power to the MLB organization. MLB Monopolistic Characteristics Monopoly is defined as â€Å"A market structure in which there is only a single seller of a good, service, or resource. In antitrust law, a dominant firm that accounts for a very high percentage of total sales within a particular market. † The following characteristics that label the MLB as a Monopoly are the following: (a) one unique firm/product (i. e. , no other industry like the MLB and it’s impossible to duplicate); (b) absence of competition (i. e. , granted from anti-trust laws); (c) profit maximization (i. e. , attendance increasing even as prices increasing); (d). â€Å"Price Makers† (i. e. , control price and possible price discrimination); and (e) impenetrable barriers of entry into market (i. e. , highly unlikely to enter into industry). MLB Controlling Powers Major League Baseball and specifically their team owners can raise ticket and concession prices whenever they want to increase profits. For example, less desirable stadium seats are much lower in price than â€Å"good† seats. The MLB also sets prices based on team location. For example, I know first-hand that prices for the New York Yankees are much higher than those for the Chicago White Sox. In addition to controlling prices, MLB also controls output. They set the season schedule at 162 games with half of those being home games. Since there are limited amounts of homes games owners know that they can keep increasing prices for tickets and concession stands. Conclusion Major League Baseball’s ability to control prices, set extreme difficulty on barriers of entry and to eliminate competition definitely identifies them as a Monopoly market structure. Furthermore their use of pricing strategies, which include setting ticket prices according to the view of the field, discount group pricing for lower attended weekday games and games against lesser teams, discounts for seniors/students/military, increased prices for suites and luxury boxes, and parking priced depending on location to stadium (i. e. , closer parking to stadium is more expensive). However, even with all of these increasing prices and price controls the MLB continues to set attendance records each and every year. I personally love Major League Baseball and I’m willing to pay any prices when I want to go to the ballpark and watch a game. Bibliography/References Haupert, Michael, edit by Robert Whaples. (2007, December 3). The Economic History of Major League Baseball. Retrieved September 26,2011, from EH. Net Encyclopedia Web site: http://eh. net/encyclopedia/article/haupert. mlb McConnell, Campbell R. Economics, 19th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2012. p. G-18.

Gantt Chart for Execution of House Construction Essay Example for Free

Gantt Chart for Execution of House Construction Essay The activity of house construction involves many stages which are spread over many months. The case study example taken for the preparation of Gantt chart is selected as it involves various stages and there are many people involved in different activities. These activities are interdependent on the performance of various work groups and can get delayed if not planned and executed timely. Thus I present a Gantt Chart that will assist and ensure effective working in order to obtain the end result as planned. Explanation of Gantt Chart (refer appendix) The overall activity has been planned for a time span of 9 months. The activities have been classified as follows Excavation (A) : This is the first stage where excavation for the house columns needs to be carried out. The lead time for this activity is one month. This is a process which is labor intensive and needs to be completed as per the architectural drawing. Other activities cannot be started before ensuring accuracy of the excavation work as the structure cannot be modified if desired at a later stage. Hence activity B , RCC cannot start before 100 % completion of activity A. In case during this phase it is realized that any delays could be caused in reaching the first milestone then additional workforce or earth moving equipment needs to be outsourced. RCC (B) (Reinforced Cement Concrete) : The lead time for this activity is three months. Once excavation is complete the next stage is of RCC which involves making columns and beams of the house. Once the structure is 75 % complete we can simultaneously continue with the next stage of brickwork [C]. The achievement of this milestone will not hamper activity C but due caution has to be exercised that the activity gets completed by the fourth month form the project starting date as it is the start of activity D and E. Brickwork (C) Along with brickwork the other activities Electrical (D) and Plumbing (E) also need to be commenced upon the completion of stage B and 50 % of stage C as the electrical pipes and fittings need to be covered inside the walls. Similarly toilets and kitchen requires plumbing to be done simultaneously. If the activity deviates from its planned lead time of two months then activity D, E and F will need to be carried out at an increased pace than its actual to cover up for the lag time. Electrical (D)and Plumbing (E) These stages can be executed simultaneously as they are not interdependent on each other . Once these are complete we can move on to the next stage. Plastering (F) After completion of electrical and plumbing work we can start with the internal plastering activity. However external plastering can be carried out when 50 % of stage D and E are complete. This is the third milestone. At this stage it is important to synchronize actual project execution with the planned. Tiling (G) Once plastering is 100 % complete then we can move on to Tiling Flooring work Painting (H) This is the final milestone to be executed after 100 % completion of activity G . Conclusion: Gantt chart gives a clear picture of the stages and helps in noticing any deviations and corrective steps can be implemented which in turn will not disrupt other schedules and help in achieving desired results in a cost effective and efficient manner. The case for buy Vs make is indeed a matter of individual capacities and judgment in the said example. By choosing to make as in the above case the maker gets freedom of choice and taste to suit his own needs. If activities are carried out with due diligence the project would be cost effective. Reference : Gantt Chart- Wikipedia, 19 October 2008, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gantt_chart

Macro-environment and Micro-environment for Topshop

Macro-environment and Micro-environment for Topshop Introduction As a global marketing manager of Topshop, it is very necessary to think about expanding its global marketing. China is a good choice as it owns a large number of persons. And, alongside changing lifestyles and income growth, Chinas fashion retail market is booming (Reuters, 2007[Online]). For Topshop, it means many potential customers. But, some other international brands, like Zara and HM, have opened its market in China for few years and have created customer loyalty to some extent. Then, before entering into Chinese market, it is still need to make a detailed analysis of the whole Chinese environment include internal and external and decide the most suitable entry strategy for Topshop if it wants to be successful. Situation of Topshop: Organization overview Topshop is a U.K. based clothing store chain which is founded in1964 for young women selling fashion clothes, shoes and accessories and also is a part of the Arcadia Group (Mahalo.com, 2010 [Online]). It is owned by Sir Philip Green and the stores feature Kate Mosss designer fashions (Mahalo.com, 2010 [Online]). Now, the flagship store in London Oxford Street is the biggest fashion store in Europe. It operates in more than 20 countries currently and has over 309 fashion stores nationwide, and 50 stores outside the UK (Oppapers.com, 2008 [Online]). It also has a website where you can buy a lot of the Topshop (Oppapers.com, 2008 [Online]). SWOT analysis Strength of Topshop as it belongs to Arcadia Group which managing several successful brands, and has accessed to target market with over 300 stores nationwide (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). It provides numerous choices in product lines and design variety of products with thousands of looks per season creatively (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Compete with other brands, it also offers free personal style consultants (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). And, internet website makes it attract more customers around the world and make everybody shopping online quickly (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). All of these make Topshop keep trend of awareness and follow the fashion (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Weakness of Topshop is that the company is global, but it has a presence in few countries worldwide (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). A large number of staff and products make it difficult to manage and increase the management costs. And, big store space lead to weak customer services. On web shopping, there is no detail and size for accessorizes (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Moreover, some garments quality is not matching with the price (Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). Opportunities for Topshop are about a large number of people in China which means it can get many potential consumers. Compared with other fashion retailers, it is not just target young Chinese, but also white-collared workers and a part of middle aged persons who follow the latest fashion in China, as this kind of fashion group can afford it and willing to spend on fashion (Reuters, 2007). It is easier for attracting Chinese customers and makes them know about this brand by online shopping to increase revenue and profits (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Threats always reflected by its competitors, such as Zara and HM, also are fast fashion retailers who have entered into China and have a status for few years(Irina Klebelsberg, 2008[Online]). If Topshop wants to be successful in China, it is necessary to show its unique features and improve quality and retain low price and good design, because its competitors cooperate with top designers and fashion icons too (marangonimarketing.blogspot.com, 2008[Online]). Whats more, it needs to face some limitations from government policies and to know about the cultural and demands of China as soon as possible. Key competitors For Topshop, Zara and HM are considered international competitors in China, as all of them have some common features as fashion retailing. For example, they are all creativity, quality design and rapid turnaround to adjust to changing market demand (Thinking made easy, 2009[Online]). However, Zara is the closest competitor for Topshop because of the relative higher price than HM. To some extent, HM is less fashionable. Analysis of China: PEST analysis In aspects of policies, China insists its way of peaceful development and keeps the stable political situation for a long term which offers a favorable external environment for Topshop to develop its market. And, the government also enhances its attention on overseas-funded enterprises and develops a well environment for investment to achieve its goal of investment attraction. By economics, from 2003 to 2010, GDP in China has increased as a whole (real growth rate showed as the chart below) which means the growth in the living standard. Moreover, this reflects that purchase power has been improved. It suggests that consumers can afford its products at reasonable price if Topshop enter into Chinese. China GDP (indexmundi.com, 2010) In social, China is a country with a large population which means many potential consumers for Topshop. And, it targets except young, also includes white-collared workers (Reuters, 2007). In China, they are both paying more attention on fashion products and brands. It is not difficult for Topshop to be a new focus as a famous international brand. About technologies, in China, E-commerce becomes more and more popular nowadays. In comparison, shopping online is more perfect in such a developing country. It is easier to set up its own network platform to advertise and sell products for Topshop. It is also a useful way to attract consumers. The theory of Porters diamond (Value based management.net, 2010) The four point of the diamond contributes towards global success as the picture shows (Henry, 2008). Factor conditions as China has large populations and have a low labor costs. And, perfect network it creates make it successful in business, especially for selling. Demands conditions as various customers demands in China make Topshop to innovate and provide an insight into future global trends for Topshop stay in a better position to exploit (Henry, 2008). To cooperate with Chinese suppliers provide Topshop with the most cost-effective inputs and communicates with local suppliers can make Topshop to learn about new fashion features to shape new styles (Henry, 2008). The structure of Chinese market is complex and multilevel with a large and various demand (Xinhua, 2009 [Online]). With this feature, it may work well in retailing industries. For Topshop, as a fashion retailer, it is driven by a need of fashionable and trendy for providing products to meet demands variety which suit for current Chinese market (elegman.com, 2005 [Online]). And, the existed strong competitors create pressures for Topshop to update to compete successfully (Henry, 2008). The theory of Porters Five Forces www.anythingresearch.com The five forces as the picture shows are used to analyze for assessing the competitive environment (Henry, 2008). The threat of new entrants depends on entry barriers and the reaction of existing competitors (Henry, 2008). For Topshop, if entry barriers are high, the threats of new entrants will be low. For example, as a global brand, Topshop already has a large-scale, to some extent, it can achieve economies of scale to decrease its costs, gain more profits with stronger proclivity. Then, if new entrants without enough strength, it will be difficult to entry into the industry and the threats will be low for Topshop. Bargaining power of buyers, buyers always want lower price and more services and bargain for high-quality (Henry, 2008).Topshop has to face to the forces come from buyers, if products can not satisfy customers demands, they will find other products to replace which leads to the loss of customers. This asks Topshop to make products with reasonable price and high quality. Bargaining power of suppliers, sometimes the costs of Topshop based on its suppliers. It is unnecessary to worry about if Topshop has many suppliers because it has opportunity to choose one which can offer lower costs. But, if fewer suppliers can provide goods and services for it, the profits may be decreased as suppliers will ask for high costs and there is no space to choose. Threat of substitution, there are products and services can meet similar needs, if Topshop cannot meet customers demands, especially for price, they will choose another one (Henry, 2008). It has to under the pressure and adjusts its price for maintaining its customers and profits. The intensity of rivalry, Zara is the closest competitor for Topshop as the similar price and products, so it has to face a strong competition. And, both them target young persons. The competition also is reflected to gain customers. What makes China attractive to invest in China keeps its stable political situation by peaceful development and offers a favorable environment to attract investment of foreign-funded enterprises. And, a large number of populations which suggests many potential customers make it attractive for Topshop to invest in. Moreover, it is worth investing as the attitude for following the fashion is enthusiastic and people also willing to spend on it (Reuters, 2007). Though it has to face the pressure of competition, Topshop still can maintain its competitive advantage with reasonable price, good design and high quality. Available market entry strategies for Topshop: Exporting is one of entry mode strategies for Topshop as it can make goods and services in UK and sells them in China. This method provides an opportunity for Topshop to acquire international experience for decreasing its risk exposure and resource commitments (Henry, 2008). But for Topshop, a famous international brand, has expanded its market in many other countries, it has already owned enough experience and strength to undertake risks. Exporting may waste a long time for it to entry into China, because it relies on local distributors and some of them have less ability to marketing and promoting international products (Henry, 2008). Then, it is not a suitable strategy for Topshop. Licensing is another way for Topshop to entry into China with less resource commitments. It is attractive for small firms as it requires little capital (Chee Harris, 1998). It can make Topshop to enter China quickly and fairly and help to access market knowledge, distribution and contact with customers immediately (Chee Harris, 1998). It also invests with a low cost. But, Topshop will have a less and direct control for its products and also make licensee is able to imitate its products and become its competitor (Henry, 2008). To some extent, it may enhance the stress of competition in Chinese market because of it is common for customers in China to choose imitation which is similar with what they wants of a lower price. It is easy to be replaced by imitation for Topshop. Franchise is particular form of licensing which can make Topshop enter into China rapidly with minimum investment (Chee Harris, 1998). Benefits of franchise as franchisee can provide local market knowledge which similar with Licensing. And, Chinese market may be more receptive to this strategy by a large area because of it involves local ownership and employment (Henry, 2008). The disadvantage is about lacking of trust and understanding between Topshop and its franchisee (Henry, 2008). The successful of franchisee means mutually beneficial for both side, not just for Topshop or its franchisee. Joint venture is a new company which is created by Topshop with its partners if it chooses this form. It differs from licensing as Topshop can take a managerial role and participate in operation and control its product line (Chee Harris, 1998). Partners will share the risks and costs of investment. Other benefits as joint venture can help greater familiarity with the local environment, especially for cultural of Chinese market. This enables joint venture to be more aware of culture sensitive. By joint venture, Topshop may benefit from government support and with a local partner (Chee Harris, 1998). Strategic alliance is sharing some resources and capabilities of Topshop with its two or more separated organizations (Henry, 2008). Their common aim is to learn from its partners. They all need to grow and develop based on their strategic objectives. It is beneficial because the opportunity to build new skills that Topshop can get from its partners (Chee Harris, 1998). But, it is difficult to identify each companys boundaries and ownership is also not clear. For a long-term strategy, Topshop cannot show its obvious features to attract customers and establish a superior position. Wholly owned Subsidiaries is the strategy can make a total control for Topshop. This entry involves the greatest commitment of resources with the highest risk (Henry, 2008). The unique resources and the distinctive capabilities provide for competitive advantage of Topshop (Henry, 2008). The drawbacks is just about Topshop has to undertake the most risk compared with other strategies. Conclusion: Through analysis of the situation and competition environment of Topshop and China, and think about some available strategies for Topshop entering China, Wholly owned Subsidiaries is the most suitable entry strategy for Topshop to choose. The decision depends on the vision of Topshop and its attitude towards risks and available investment capital. For Topshop, though it needs to face the highest investment cost and the most risk by strategy of wholly owned subsidiaries, it also can get the greatest returns based on this mode (Henry, 2008). Topshop can maximize the control of products line, operation and managements in China with this strategy. And, to expand its new market in China by this way can fully reflect competitive advantages of Topshop with enough capital. This entry mode provides a chance for Topshop to make a full use of local resources to produce, to some extent, helping to decrease the cost. Moreover, comparative low labor cost in China makes Topshop to save investment c ost on human resources, combined with its enough capital and competitive strength, it is real to reduce the threats if new entrants. By the development of business, it is not just open one store in China of Topshop, so wholly owned subsidiaries make Topshop can control its business in China and prepare the foundation for its future development. As a famous global brand, some suppliers are also in China, to choose wholly owned subsidiaries as an entry strategy make it close to the source of raw materials (Henry, 2008). Based on its local suppliers, it is easier to catch up the local fashion trend by communicating with its suppliers and serve the market better to satisfy local needs. Whats more, a base established in China can help to avoid government policies and barriers to trade which is better than exporting (Chee Harris, 1998). Other strategies like joint venture and licensing are common choice for other retailing. Then, Topshop choose wholly owned subsidiaries helps it enter into China rapidly and show its strength. And, in the initial period, Topshop choose wholly owned subsidiaries as entry modes can help to introduce other series products of Topshop gradually, such as Topman, to expand its market share at the right time.

Images and Imagery in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Imagery consists of the use of symbols to convey an idea or to create a specific atmosphere. Shakespeare uses imagery in Macbeth often; pathetic fallacy, blood, tailoring and sleep are examples of this. His use of these tools in the play is to demonstrate the sadness of Scotland at what has been done, the guilt of the characters and to symbolises premonition of events. Pathetic fallacy is a tool of imagery that is used in Macbeth to convey nature's response to the unnatural events that occur. Most of the scenes in which some kind of ill-doing is taking place is set at night or in darkness of some kind. Macbeth's murder of Duncan happens at night, and it triggers a response of outrage and grief in the land. Nature's troubled actions show us this; as Lennox tells Macbeth just before Duncan is found dead, "The night has been unruly; where we lay, or chimneys were blown down ... lamentings head i' the air ... some say the ear was feverous and did shake." (II (iii) L59) Another good example of imagery used is blood. It is used to convey guilt, murder, betrayal, treachery and evil. Macbeth, directly after his murder of Duncan, is concerned about the blood on his hands , and states that no amount of water will wash the blood away, signifying the guilt in his heart. Lady Macbeth, however, states "A little water cleans us of this deed" (II (ii) L97). It is ironic that later on in the play Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and dry-washes her hands, ands says "What! Will these hands ne'er be clean?" (V (i) L38) -- guilt at what she has done surfaces in her sleep where none was felt before, and the reverse is true for Macbeth. The use of tailoring to convey the idea that something is not suited or not belonging to someone that has been acquired by them is used often in Macbeth. Macbeth himself uses the tailoring image in saying "The Thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in borrow'd robes?" (I (ii) L109) when told by Ross that Duncan has given him the title Thane of Cawdor. This gives the impression that his newly acquired title does not fit him -- much like a garment belonging to another person. Angus states, "Now does he feel his title Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe

Guitar History :: essays research papers

The guitar is a fretted, stringed instrument, and is a member of the lute family. It originated in Persia and reached Spain during the twelth-century, where it ¹s versatility as both a solo and accompanying instrument were established. The theory of the guitar was discovered in the early centuries. They found that the sound of a bowstring could be enhanced by attaching a resonating chamber -most like a tortiseshell- to the bow. From the bow came essentially three main types of stringed instruments: the Harp family, which was the sound of plucked strings indirectly transmitted to an attached sound box. The second was the Lyre family, which was strings of a fixed pitch are attached to the directly to a sound chamber. And the third was the Lute family, this was were the pitch of strings was altered by pressing them against a neck that is attached directly to a sound chamber. Within the Lute family came two groups. The lutes proper which had rounded backs and the guitar type instrument s with their flat backs. Guitar-shaped instruments appear in stone bas-relief sculptures of the hittites in northern Syria and Asia Minor from as far back as 1350 B.C. The word guitar also has origins in the middle and far east, deriving from gut, is the Arabic word for four, and tar, the Sanskrit word for string. The earliest European guitars did have four courses of gut strings. A 2 course is a pair of strings tuned in unison. These early guitars were distinguished from lutes by body sides that curved inward to form a waist and by four courses of strings. Some but not all early guitars had a flat back, while lutes always had a flat back. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the lute was the dominant fretted instrument. The lute with was pear-shaped and had five or more courses of strings was generally regarded as a higher class of instrument. By 1546 the guitar had gained enough popularity to merit the publication of a book of guitar music. By this time guitars had added another course, and modern tuning had come into existence. Chord positions were the same as they are today. The frets of the early guitars were made of gut and tied around the neck. This made placement of frets very difficult. The early guitars were also much shorter in length than todays guitars. Guitar History :: essays research papers The guitar is a fretted, stringed instrument, and is a member of the lute family. It originated in Persia and reached Spain during the twelth-century, where it ¹s versatility as both a solo and accompanying instrument were established. The theory of the guitar was discovered in the early centuries. They found that the sound of a bowstring could be enhanced by attaching a resonating chamber -most like a tortiseshell- to the bow. From the bow came essentially three main types of stringed instruments: the Harp family, which was the sound of plucked strings indirectly transmitted to an attached sound box. The second was the Lyre family, which was strings of a fixed pitch are attached to the directly to a sound chamber. And the third was the Lute family, this was were the pitch of strings was altered by pressing them against a neck that is attached directly to a sound chamber. Within the Lute family came two groups. The lutes proper which had rounded backs and the guitar type instrument s with their flat backs. Guitar-shaped instruments appear in stone bas-relief sculptures of the hittites in northern Syria and Asia Minor from as far back as 1350 B.C. The word guitar also has origins in the middle and far east, deriving from gut, is the Arabic word for four, and tar, the Sanskrit word for string. The earliest European guitars did have four courses of gut strings. A 2 course is a pair of strings tuned in unison. These early guitars were distinguished from lutes by body sides that curved inward to form a waist and by four courses of strings. Some but not all early guitars had a flat back, while lutes always had a flat back. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the lute was the dominant fretted instrument. The lute with was pear-shaped and had five or more courses of strings was generally regarded as a higher class of instrument. By 1546 the guitar had gained enough popularity to merit the publication of a book of guitar music. By this time guitars had added another course, and modern tuning had come into existence. Chord positions were the same as they are today. The frets of the early guitars were made of gut and tied around the neck. This made placement of frets very difficult. The early guitars were also much shorter in length than todays guitars.

Military and Societal Values :: Military Philosophy Society Essays

Military and Societal Values Colonel Malham M. Wakin, in his evening address, asks whether Plato's claim that "knowledge is virtue" is true. Much contemporary experience suggests otherwise. To some extent, such an observation could apply to the military as well. Col Wakin argues that we do have some basic knowledge about human conduct, but that we live in a highly pluralistic society in which some practices reject that basic knowledge. Nonetheless, even though we draw members of the military from that pluralistic society, the uniqueness of the military function will always keep its leading practitioners apart from the mainstream of civilian society. The military profession swears to defend the values, the lifestyle that incorporates the minimal conditions for human dignity. After examining the convergence of the values that are functionally necessary for the military and those that we know are fundamental to social existence, he concludes that a competent military profession can serve as a moral anchor for its p arent society. I Many years ago when I learned I was going to have the opportunity to study philosophy at the graduate level, I was tremendously excited. What a wonderful opportunity this would be, I thought, to sit at the feet of Socrates and be enlightened by those who studied the crucial problems of human existence. I expected that senior philosophy professors would be marvelous role models in their personal lives and I looked forward with great anticipation to associating with those who had solved the problems of the universe. Indeed, these senior professors seemed very wise. They were dazzling in their abilities to rattle off the names and theories of great thinkers from every era. They knew the views of those whose names I couldn't even pronounce and I said to myself: "I'll never be able to grasp all of these ideas nor remember them well enough to teach them to others." But as time went on, I was slightly devastated to observe that these senior professors were not, as a group, the congenial masters of everyday living I expected them to be. They were not all basically kind persons--not even to each other. In fact, some would occasionally cross the street to avoid meeting and speaking with a colleague. And some had difficulties in their most important personal relationships--divorce, legal squabbles, envy, character assassination, narcissism--hardly what I had hoped for in the most knowledgeable, most studious persons in our society.

Reading Response Abel’s Island

Chessman, this Is my reading response on Babel's Island, It Is a Newbury Honor book by William Stein, a short, sweet, enjoyable story. This book have 117 pages, I love this book so much that I spend only one day to finish the whole book. This book Is about a little mouse, Babel's adventure story on the Island, he encountered many problems, but also learned many meaningful things, and he became a better person after he finally returned home.I love all the things In this kook, all the exciting adventures of Able, all the lovely Illustrations, and all the beautiful writing by William Steel, he use all the most beautiful words In the world and created an island in the dream. I believe no matter what age you are at, anyone who have a heart that contains dream will love this sweet story by William Stein. – Summary: Able, the elegant mouse live in the Impossible is enjoying a picnic in the forest with his wife Amanda, but they are interrupted by a fierce rainstorm and are forced to t ake shelter in a cave nearby.There is already many animals in the cave, so Able and Amanda must stand on the edge. A hard wind blows up Manta's scarf, Able bravely lump down and try to reach the scarf, he did reach it but the wind blows up Able into a river and he is swept downstream until he is stranded on an island. Able attempts to escape the island several times the day after the storm, even though he haven't do any work at Impossible. He build a wood ship, but failed two times for crossing the river, then he decide to make a bridge, he first made of piled up stone, and he tried o build a straw bridge, but both of them didn't work out.And finally realizes that he must survive on the island by himself. He finds a log and makes it his home in the winter. To ease his loneliness since he is the only animal that have wisdom on the Island, he creates his family out of clay and talks to them. Able also found a book called [Sons and Daughters] and a big pocket watch left by some big civ ilized creatures, these things give Able more fun and let him believe there will be some veiled animals to visits again and save him.In the harsh winter, Able has to live through the hardest times, including battling an owl, stores the food, and live under the darkness in the log. But everything became better when the spring comes, the owl Is gone, and another stranded volt from the river, a frog named Grower, comes and became best friends with Able. The had some really good times In the spring. Later, Grower leaves when the water of the river became warmer and promising that he will send for help when he gets back home.However, due to Grower's lack of memory, Able didn't receive any help after weeks passed. Able then decides to swim against the fierce river after the water level has dropped sufficiently, he think If he didn't go this time, maybe he will waited to next year again. Then Able swim across to Impossible. Able go back to his house, his wife Amanda haven't return, Able ch anged his best clothing and papered Manta's scarf, he will have many, many stories to tell her! – Connections: In the book, I read that

Australian visions Essay

Different Australian visions are often portrayed in various texts and motion pictures. Australian film Strictly Ballroom 1992 is a great example as the director uses very over-the-top and theatrical style of filmmaking to present a humorous story that reflects various ideals in Australian society with cinematography and film techniques. The movie not only showcases the persona of the underdog especially through the character of Fran, but also illustrates the concept of multiculturalism and the idea of achieving dreams on the land of Australia, which are all concepts that relates to different aspect of Australian visions. On the other hand the poem ‘My country’ written by Dorothea McKellar, expresses other ideals of Australia that are more directly related with the land. Through the use of poetic techniques such as metaphor the poet was able to depict both the natural danger and beauty of the nation that are also valued as important part of Australian visions. One of the main focuses of the movie Strictly Ballroom is the characteristic of the underdog, a term that is closely associated with Australian values. The belief of giving everyone a fair go is fully expressed through the story arc of Fran, whom like the ugly duckling was transformed into something beautiful by the end of the movie. This concept is expressed through the Baz Luhrmann’s portray of this character. The juxtaposition between her first appearance and her performance at the end fully showcases Fran’s role as the underdog. This is reinforced with her red dress and the lighting used during the ending of the movie. Differs to other contestants’ clothes that looked superficial and over-the-top, the authentic colour of red used for Fran made her stood out as a glamorous, confident and beautiful woman, which is completely different to her seemingly unattractive first appearance from the start of the film. This is further on supported by the lighting of the movie, which not only focuses on her and Scott’s dance, but also stresses the affect of the red costume, making the dress almost a dramatic symbol of her successful transformation and achievement within this film. On the other hand, the impact of her appearance also fully represents Australian’s idealisation of the underdog. Another theme of Strictly Ballroom is the idea of multiculturalism as this movie depicts the transformed modern society that accepts and embraces cultural differences.  This is expressed through the use of music in the film. For most part of the movie the music used is traditional ballroom scores or Australian classic songs such as ‘time after time’, which makes the simple instrumental Spanish music played in Fran’s house stood out. This not only illustrates the differences between Fran and Scott’s background but also puts the audience into the character’s shoes to experience another type of dancing and culture that exists on the land of Australia. This concept is again strengthened at the last scene of the movie when all the audiences joined with Scott’s parents and danced together. The long shot that presents the unified crowd combines with mid shots that focus on specific people like Fran’s father who has different background reinforce the positive connotation of multiculturalism. This also presents Strictly Ballroom as a movie that mirrored the value of contemporary Australian society, which is all about acceptance and embracement. The pursue for dream is a concept that is highly valued in Australia and the movie Strictly Ballroom relate this idea with the notion of overcoming fear and the challenge of authority. The focus on lines such as â€Å"A life lived in fear is a life half lived† shows the importance of this in relation to the character’s will of achieving their goals. However their desire is often dishearten by the dancing federation. The continuous use of low angle shots and the lack of music playing when characters such as Barry Fife talked establish their state of power, which the main characters have to conquer. This also made the scene from end of the movie highly symbolic. With the success of Scott and Fran’s performance, there was a high angle shot depicting a falling Fife who tumbled with the trophies on the table that contrasted with the previous use of low angel shots. This scene not only served as a comic relief for its audience but also represents the downfall of the authority, stressing the significance of this confrontation in terms of the Scott and Fran’s accomplish of their dream. In context of this film, these ideas reflect the possibility of reaching one’s goal in Australia. Just like the persona of the underdog this also relate to the stereotypical notion that this land typify a sense of hope and opportunity. My country written by Dorothea Mackellar is a poem that illustrates both the natural beauty and danger of Australia, depicting very different visions of the same nation in comparison to Strictly Ballroom. The poet’s repeated usage of various stones to describe the nature  scenery of this country not only stresses the authenticity of those features, but also made the stones a metaphor for the land’s flawlessness. This is seen through lines such as ‘An opal-hearted country’ and ‘Sapphire-misted mountain’, which continuously reinforce the genuine notion of beauty in Australia. On the other hand Mackellar also uses personification to describe the danger of this land. Lines such as ‘Her beauty and her terror’ and ‘her pitiless blue sky’ strengthen the image of the threating nature environment, giving the readers a real sense of fear and adoration for the poet’s country. Even though this text shared limited similari ty with Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, it still manages to express visions and depictions of Australia that is highly valued in this nation.

Music Triggers Sexua

Music triggers early sexual activity – study published: Sunday | March 2, 2008 Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Reporter Tony Matterhorn thrilling the crowd at Passa Passa on Spanish Town Road in February 2004. A study found that reggae music is one of the influencing factors of early sexual behaviour in teens. – File Teenagers are identifying music, mainly of the dancehall genre, as a trigger for early sexual intercourse, according to a scientific study conducted by public policy analyst and doctoral candidate, Tazhmoye Crawford, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, last year.The study, which centred on contraceptive use among adolescents, revealed that a number of children aged nine to 17, identified popular music as the main influence for experimenting with sex. Music was identified as the fifth leading reason for having intercourse, with 10 per cent of boys indicating that it was the main reason, compared to three per cent of girls. But, the study's findings is generating a mix of arguments among artistes as well as academics.Behavioural scientist and music educator, Dr Marilyn Anderson says despite the fact that the music is being laid out as part of the culture, there is no doubt that hard-core dancehall lyrics and content has an impact on the brain. â€Å"Some rhythms, timbres and amplitudes of the music can affect emotional behaviour in humans, particularly the young,† she says. Sexual activity on buses She surmises there is a direct correlation, for example, between the loud, hard-core music played on some public transportation and the proliferation of sexual display and activity on these same buses.Lecturer and author, Dr Donna Hope says while there are legitimate linkage between the two, the influence of the music is not great when compared to other influences like peer pressure and early exposure to pornography. â€Å"The role of the music is quite negligible,† she explains, â€Å"except that it takes so much from w hat is around us in the society then it would speak about these scenes in ways that would suggest – along with all the things that are happening on the ground – that, yes, a man should have sex because the heterosexual practice is very important in defining who is a man†.Her thoughts are shared by Dylan Pow, organiser of the famed ‘Passa Passa' street dance that takes place on the west Kingston end of Spanish Town Road. He argues that dancehall music is merely a speck in the array of sexual messages promoted by the mass media and is, therefore, no more influential than Hip Hop or Soca. Pow adds that sexuality is only one component of the music which reflects a wide cross-section of the inner-city experience. â€Å"Sometimes is a slack man on top [of the music charts]; sometime is a bad man on top; sometimes is a comedic artiste on top,† he says.He reasons that while events like his does not shun children, despite the graphic overture of sexuality, it does not influence them any more than other aspects of global popular culture. â€Å"The kids are not patrons, they are not buying liquor, they not doing anything and if you go to any open event in Jamaica for the most part, you going to find children who should be in their bed sleeping,† he adds. Big impact on teenagers Popular cultural artiste Tony Rebel is not buying the argument that dancehall merely mirrors the experiences of inner-city folk. He says it equally impacts on those receiving the message, especially teenagers.He says while it is not the only medium of exposure and influence, it plays an important part in early sexualisation. â€Å"The music is the one that is teaching a lot of the youths how to have sex, the name of certain types of sex acts, how to do it. It is all descriptive and even prescriptive,† he argues. He adds that the music has reduced sex to a casual activity and fails to promote and educate youngsters about protecting themselves from sexu ally transmitted diseases during intercourse. Rebel notes too that more males are impacted by the sexual messages coming out of the dancehall because it is delivered from a masculine perspective

Effects of Communication on Employee Essay

This study explores the positive effects of effective communication on employee motivation and performance. Specifically, in intends to compare the results between service employees and manufacturing employees in terms of communication as a motivating factor. The theories used in this study to create a conceptual framework are Herzberg Two factor theory, Goal Theory, and the circular theory of communication. The concept is that when hygiene and motivator factors are high, goals can be developed, but can only be effective only if the message was disseminated effectively. The study uses quantitative research on service and manufacturing employees. They were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire with ranking questions and some open-ended questions. The study found that there were only slight differences in the motivator factors for both set of respondents but there service employees are higher in hygiene. Both industries, however, see communication as an important factor in motivation. However, they only experience high hygiene, but less motivator, which means that they are not fully motivated. It has been suggested that the companies of the employees surveyed should invest on improving the motivator factors within the working environment and improve communication flows. CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND This study examines the importance of communication on the performance and motivation of employees. The target samples of the study are employees from service and manufacturing companies. This allows seeing the importance of organizational communication in two different angles – that is the difference between the views of service and manufacturing companies regarding the matter. Comparison of these views may lead to the development of new hypotheses or theories that may contribute to human resource management research. In this chapter, the nature of problem is presented and discussed. The backgrounds of different variables related to the study were also featured. Here, the aims, objectives, problem statements and significance of the study were also explained. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Employees Employees basically refer to people who work for another in return for wages or salary (Gillis, 2004). Legally, an employee is referred to a person hired to provide services to a company on a regular basis in exchange for compensation, and who does not provide these services as part of an independent business (Gillis, 2004). However, Gillis (2004) stated that employees are more than any of those definitions. Employees are the lifeblood of the organization because they are the ones who provide products and services that define corporations, organizations and government entities (Gillis, 2004). They are referred to as the most precious assets of the organization because without them, the organization is crippled and cannot function effectively. Because of the important role of employees, organizations have the responsibility to motivate them so as they can function more effectively. Theories of motivation such as Maslow’s theory, Alfelder’s theory, McClelland’s theory, and Herzberg’s theory (Mullins, 1999) explain why employees should be motivated and why organizations should take this concept into consideration. But what really constitutes effective employee motivation? Several research and organizational reports point positive communication as one of the most important factors that build effective employee motivation. For instance, Riccomini (2005) cited a couple of organizational research by General Electric and Hewlett-Packard in the eighties that concludes: â€Å"The better the managers’ communication, the more satisfied the employees were with all aspects of their work life†. Building a positive communication with employees is important because they are the organizationâ€℠¢s best ambassadors or loudest critics, depending on how fast they get relevant information and the context in which it is received (Howard, 1998). Information consistency affects the success of the company and if it fails to communicate information internally and externally, the reputation of the company may fall. Communication basically uplifts the morale of an employee as it makes them feel that they are valued by the  organization. This also builds employee loyalty and satisfaction. As Goldfarb (1990) stated: â€Å" Employers are becoming more aware that employee loyalty, commitment, and concern for quality depend on effective employee communication. Communication Communication is not just important to an organization, but is an important component in everyday human life. Gamble and Gamble (1999) stated: â€Å"Communication is the core of our humanness†, and that â€Å"how we communicate with each other shapes our lives and our world† (p.4). Communicative skills help humans to reach out to one another or to confront events that challenge our flexibility, integrity, expressiveness and critical thinking skills (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Communication is rather complex to define in a single sentence. In a glimpse, however, it has many types which include: interpersonal communication; intrapersonal; group communication; public communication; mass communication; and online or machine-assisted communication (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Interpersonal communication means to interact with another person, while intrapersonal means to interact with oneself, or to reason with or evaluate self (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Group communication, on the other hand, is defined as the process of interacting with a limited number of others, work to share information, develop ideas, make decisions, solve problems, offer support, or have fun (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Mass communication, is communicating to a large number of people using media (television, newspaper, internet, radio), and finally, online or machine assisted communication deals with communicating through the use of online software that are programmed to interact with browsers or users (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Communication is also categorized into two: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication means the use of the spoken word when communicating, while non-verbal communication means using other medium such as body signals, writing etc. (Gamble and Gamble, 1999). Communication undergoes a process, which involves the information source, the transmitter, noise source, receiver and destination. This is based on the communication theory (see figure 1) that was developed by Shannon and Weaver (1949). The information source is the communicator of the information, which then uses a specific type of transmitter or medium (e.g. verbal, written, telephone, etc). The receiver receives the information, but the information can be affected by a specific noise source, which can be a distraction from anyone or anywhere. The receiver then interprets the message and finally puts the communicated message in its destination (Bryant and Heath, 2000). Figure 1: Shannon and Weaver Theory of Communication The theory of communication evolved over the years, but the model of Shannon and Weaver (1949) is one of the firsts that explains the process of communication. Today, communication is being regarded as an important factor in business, and that the ability of the company to communicate can determine its success. Business Communication Communication is important in business because a business environment is a place where many interactions are needed, and much information should be acquired (Eckhaus, 1999). It always involves openly competitive activity, in which working professionals debate issues, defend positions, and evaluate the arguments of others (Eckhaus, 1999). Most working professionals, particularly those in middle and upper management, routinely produce a variety of messages, many of which are in the written form of memoranda, electronic mail, letters, reports, performance reviews, instructions, procedures, and proposals (Eckhaus, 1999). It is also argued that a fuller understanding of organizations is a vital ingredient at every forward step of the career process, and that communication is a primary element for understanding how organizations function and how members of the organization should, even must, behave in organizations if they are to  advance their careers (Harris, 1993). The practice of effective communication within the organization is also linked with the development of a healthy corporate culture, job satisfaction of employees, and the happiness and productivity of employees (Harris, 1993). Communication skills are also important to organization leaders because it helps them manage the company more effectively (Harris, 1993). Companies recognize the importance of communication that is why it is a barometer in hiring or measuring employee performance. Waner (1995) found that companies want their employees to maintain confidentiality, write persuasively, write routine letters, use proper placement and format, compose at the keyboard, and write special types of letters. Furthermore, interpersonal and oral skills were rated as very important. Also, basic English as well as abilities dealing with ethics, morals, values, and sensitivity were rated either important or very important (Waner, 1995). Although there were proven studies that communication promotes positive improvement in organizations, specifically motivation and performance improvements of employees, studies often fail to compare the level of importance of communication in terms of firm industry types. Firms of today can either belong to the manufacturing or service industry. Each industry has different traits and characteristic from the other. Service industries sell and produce intangible services, while manufacturing companies sell tangible manufactured products. The management of the service firm is basically different the manufacturing firm because they have different organizational structures, services and products being provided, and working systems. STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES While many organizations believe that positive employee communication promotes employee motivation, this belief can still be considered as a complex issue because of the changing nature of  organizations and the differences of their structure. For instance, the old employee communication paradigm relied on top-down approaches to reach their employees (Edelman, 2004). Today, this has already been replaced by new communication paradigms where employees â€Å"ping† sources both inside and outside their organization for information (Edelman, 2004). Employees are now basically treated as consumers. The Workplace Communication Consultancy (2005) even reported that statistics show â€Å"90% of those who are kept fully informed are motivated to deliver added value; while those who are kept in the dark almost 80% are not†. However, such results are not industry specific. Industries vary in terms of culture – for instance, service versus manufacturing industry. Thus, this study will confirm the effects of positive communication on employee motivation in two specific industries – service and manufacturing. The following are the research objectives of the study: 1. To confirm the effectiveness of positive communication on employee motivation. 2. To determine the effects of positive communication on employee motivation in service companies. 3. To determine the effects of positive communication on employee motivation in manufacturing companies. 4. To find out if the relationship between positive communication and employee motivation depends on which industry the organization is into. Needless to say, two groups of companies will be surveyed in this study –from the service industry; and from the manufacturing industry. The results from the two groups will be compared and evaluated to determine if the relationship between positive communication and employee motivation depends on a specific type of industry. Hypothesis The study aims to test the hypothesis that: â€Å"managers in manufacturing companies give importance to motivation but their employees are less motivated compared with service companies†. The reason why that hypothesis is developed is because of the  difference between service and manufacturing company operations and process. For instance, since the service companies already dominated the market and most of their employees have higher salaries compared to manufacturing workers, there are great differences in terms of motivational factors. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is significant to both service and manufacturing companies because it offers insights on which industry gives higher importance to communication. Through this study, the importance of communication in organization is once again emphasized. However, the comparison between the two business industries gives new insights and may develop new hypotheses for future studies. This study may help develop theories for service and manufacturing companies on how communication can be used as a tool to motivate employees to improve their performance or work. This study is also significant to communication and business students. For communication students, this study may benefit them because it may serve as a reference when it comes to communication theories or the role of communication in business. On the other hand, for business students, this paper may also serve them as a useful academic reference tool. Through this study, they will realize early the importance of communication and how this can help them become motivated or more active at work. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Because the aim of this study is to determine a possible motivational factor for employees (which is specifically â€Å"communication†), the theoretical frameworks that have been chosen for this study are motivational theories – a content motivation theory; and a process motivation theory. Theories of motivation can be divided into two: the content theories; and the process theories (Mullins, 1999). Content theories emphasize the factors that motivate individuals. Examples of content theories are Maslow’s theory, Alfelder’s theory, McClelland’s theory, and Herzberg’s theory (Mullins, 1999). On the other hand, the emphasis on process theories is on the actual  process of motivation. Some examples of process theories are Expectancy theories, equity theory, goal theory, and social learning theory (Mullins, 1999). The content motivation theory that has been chosen as one of the frameworks for this study is Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory or Motivator-Hygiene Theory. This theory basically extended Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory and is more directly applicable to the work situation (Steers, 1983; Kreitner and Kinicki, 1998). Herzberg’s research suggested that motivation is composed of two largely unrelated dimensions: job-related factors which can prevent dissatisfaction, but do not promote employees’ growth and development (hygiene); and job-related factors that encourage growth (motivators) (Steers, 1983; Kreitner and Kinicki, 1998). Herzberg’s theory is the first of its kind to emphasize the importance of non-monetary rewards in motivating employees (Gevity Institute, 2005). According to this theory, satisfying experiences are most often associated with the non-monetary, or intrinsic, content of the work. This includes variables such as achievement, recognition, personal growth, personal responsibility and the characteristics of the work (Gevity Institute, 2005). These factors are called motivators. When people are satisfied, they attribute their satisfaction to the work itself and not on the environment in which they work (Manisera et al, 2005). On the other hand, dissatisfying experiences result from the extrinsic work environment (Gevity Institute, 2005). These factors include company policies, salary, co-worker relations, supervisor relationships, status, supervision, personal life and job security (Herzberg, 1966; Gevity Institute, 2005). Extrinsic factors cause a person who feels neutral about the job to feel dissatisfied and less motivated (Herzberg, 1966; Gevity Institute, 2005). The theory explains that workers basically attribute their dissatisfaction to the environment in which they work, or conditions that surround the doings of the job (Herzberg, 1966; Gevity Institute, 2005). This is also known as the â€Å"Hygiene factor† (Herzberg, 1966). This should be continually maintained because employees never completely satisfied (Manisera et al, 2005). Manisera et al (2005) noted that when the hygiene factors are very low, workers are dissatisfied. However, when hygiene factors are met, workers are not dissatisfied but it does not necessarily mean that they are satisfied or motivated to work. The same goes for the motivator factors. When motivators  are met, workers are satisfied leading to higher performance. However, when motivators are not met, workers are not satisfied but it does not necessarily mean they are dissatisfied with their work. For this study, the following are the motivators and hygiene that affects the employees: HygieneMotivator 1.Supervisor’s participation level 2.Supervisor’s directions/expectations. 3.Supervisor’s communication approach to employees. 4.Supervisor’s willingness to help employees on problems concerning work information or directions. 5.Supervisor’s preferred medium when communicating with employees. 6.The level of noise where communication takes place. 7.How information about salaries or company policies are communicated to employees. 1.The employee receives appraisals or compliments when a job is well done. 2.The employee is being given awards for performance and this is broadcasted or made known throughout the company. 3.The responsibility of the employee is well-communicated or well-explained in terms of its contribution to the company. 4.Improvements are well-communicated to employees. 5.Employees receive briefing or information regarding changes in management or company policies. 6.Employees feel they are part of the company. 7.Employee mistake are corrected through strategic communication by the supervisor. On the other hand, the process motivation theory adopted for this study is the goal theory of motivation. In the late 1960s, Edwin Locke proposed that intentions to work toward a goal are a major source of work motivation (Locke and Latham, 1990). That means the goal will tell the people what needs to be done and how much effort will need to be put in order to fulfill the goal and target of the organization (Locke and Latham, 1990). The key steps in applying goal setting are: (1) diagnosis for readiness; (2) preparing employees via increased interpersonal interaction, communication,  training, and action plans for goal setting; (3) emphasizing the attributes of goals that should be understood by a manager and subordinates; (4) conducting intermediate reviews to make necessary adjustments in established goals; and (5) performing a final review to check the goals set, modified, and accomplished (Matteson, 1999).

Practical book review Essay

Petersen breaks down the book in five parts . He starts off with part one the value of of communication balancing: listing awhile , talk until the other person stops hearing , Listen until the person calms enough to hear again. He furthers this in a another chapter. He then moves on to the Flat-brain theory . He uses diagrams to explain the different levels of Stomach functions which is where the our emotions are located . This area is were we experience our inner nudges . He also explains how the heart functions , the heart functions as a filter it gives and receives concerns , suggestions, and support. The next function is the head. The functions of the head is thinking, planning , remembering. The next couple of chapters begin to talk about he goes into a deeper understanding of the the flat brain theory until he reaches the flat- brain syndrome where he talks about how our brains function better in a short football shape. However when our brains are squished it creates a serious defect in our head fiction.he continues to talk about this concept . Part two starts off with the talker listener process taking turns talking and listening. This can and will determine the role of talker or listener. The talker-listener card was introduced and we were provided a actual card to put to use in our personal time. The purpose of this card is to create an atmosphere and role of each persons involved. The card provides instructions on when to talk and when to listen this the opportunity of the talker to without being interrupted and the listener to be attentive to what the talker is talking about. Chapters 8 through 15 go deeper in depth of the talker- listener card and its many functions from the talker prescriptive and the listener prescriptive. Part Three Petersen highlights the six communication traps, 1. Ritual listening, 2.Perry Masons( which made me chuckle ) 3. Why? 4. Not?5. I understand, he goes in depth to help the reader understand the difference between the five communications traps. He also talks about when trying new things and some of the thoughts that come long with that . When trying new skills you always have negative reactions such as: To much repetition grates, new skills often sound fake, friends and family co-worker get rattled by change. He further part three by discussing basic listening technique . He uses technique such as : para-feeling ( putting the talker’s feelings into your words), decoding . He futhers the conversation of why we don’t listen better in part five Where you can use TLC( talker-listener card) in group settings . The TLC card can help aide through difficult discussion as well help moderate a two person conversation . In conclusion in part five he states â€Å" how if you go beyond skill to increase empathy, genuineness and warmth you’ll tap into reservoir of healthy humanness that’ll out wheels on your technique( Pg 210). RESPOND! I remember growing up and my mother would ask me â€Å" how are you? what are thinking about?† I would have such a difficult time in expressing my feelings. I felt like when no one really cared about me , and my thoughts. In chapter eleven Petersen talks about the first talker goal: sharing your feelings. I immediately become more in tune with what I was reading. I recently had an encounter with a very close friend and she made the statement: Kia you listen to everyone else’s problems but you never seem to open as easy as we do to you. That’s unfair to us as friends. I thought to myself I trust them as friends but sometimes its easier for me to keep my thoughts to my self . However from reading this chapter I understand that it hinders my communication not only with my friends but with others . It puts a stumbling block on me to be open and receptive. So I went back to that friend and we went to dinner and I used skittles as props; we sat down and for every skittle in my hand I had to share my feelings or thoughts on questions she had or asked. I can honestly say that just by having this little prop it open the door and I was able to release so much that I was holding back from her. I now see the difference of talking and listening she listened attentively and this allowed me to be honest and not feel judged by her or her actions. REFLECT! Honestly the thought that popped in my head as I was reading this book was our relationship with Christ. I have said this before but it seems to be more imperative . We often talk to Christ and we tell Him all the troubles of our lives and how we need this or we need that.However we often neglect the fact that Christ has to something to say to us. I started to reflect on the stories of Jonah , Moses. They did not want to recognize the many clues that was present to them throughout their walk so it took spectacular things to happen to them before they got the message. Isn’t like God to speak to us In the loudest moments of our lives. In those times of anger and frustration and we miss the mark because we are so loud internally. He took Jonah inside of the fishes belly in order to get the message to him . It took a burning bush to get Moses attention and it took me reading this book ; to recognize that internally I’m so loud that I need to learn how to calm myself down and others to experience me. Could it be that God has to extreme measures sometimes for me to stop and recognize Him? I often am on the go and pray on the go but I have recognize that in the moments when I feel like giving up or fighting or screaming He speaks quietly and calms my mind , soul, and spirit. He speaks often I guess the question is how much are we really listening ?Silence keeps you bound , talking gets you free, listening brings understanding! ACT! Some of the techniques that I plan on using are the Talker- Listener card . I plan using this in my personal life ,when I have arguments and as well as in just simple conversations when trying to come to an agreement. I believe that this strategy will be helpful in my prayer time . The concept of talking and listening and really allowing God to minster to me as I minster to Him. Another technique I will use and will keep visuals of is the balancing scale of the emotions, heart, judgement or thoughts. Remembering the scale will help balance my conversations in the future especially when it comes to a misunderstanding. I really thank Petersen because I am a visual learner and the pictures put what he was saying in perceptive for me. Another technique that is really important to is remembering the pointing finger. In many conversations I often use my hands to communicate how I’m feeling . After reading this section of the book I understand how my hands and fingers can seem more offensive then helping . I will remember this and will try to not use my hands as much in explaining my feelings. I plan incorporating the talker- listener card in my youth groups and after school programs. Teaching our youth to the stages of communication now . View as multi-pages