Fleming Park Restoration and Improvement Project Case Study

Fleming Park Restoration and Improvement Project - Case Study Example Scope ï‚ § To improve the recreational and leisure facilities of the area in competition with other providers. Assumptions and Constraints - The project will be delayed by 6 months, - Budgeted money will be inadequate & project delays are acceptable. - Lack of resources along with limited manpower. - HLF has been appointed as a main project monitor & its decisions will directly impact on the project outcomes. Outcome / Quality Expectations ï‚ § More and more residents in the area will be persuaded to visit the park, ï‚ § Existing trees of the area could be preserved and new trees could be planted & it will facilitate the animals and birds to inhabit the area. Risk and Interdependencies - An Environment Impact Analysis must be carried to assess the environmental impact of restoring the park, - Thus the natural eco-system of the area could be disturbed and some of the animals and birds would be driven away. - Some houses and buildings in the area would have to be demolished to expand the Leisure Park, - These houses and offices would have to be relocated elsewhere & it would involve a considerable cost. Benefits ï‚ § Leisure activities increases as a result of the leisure park, ï‚ § The price that residents have to pay for leisure activities decreases, Benefit Realisation - Thus it would be cheaper for the residents to come to the park for leisure than developing their own plots of greenery or look elsewhere for leisure. - This will in turn benefit the Parks and Leisure Developments company. Their profits would rise and thus the employees of the company would be benefited. Fleming Park Restoration and Improvement Project Case study Project Mandate - Example Project Objectives Key Stakeholders / Project Roles To extend the new Total Incentive reward package to the population with effect from June and in so doing: Identify the population as a Xerox resource on one common grade and move towards harmonised terms and conditions of employment. Provide a market-led, modern rewards package that assists attraction and retention at this level. Provide a benefits framework that supports cultural change and recognises and rewards performance, incentivising employees to grow the business. Project Sponsor Project Manager End user working group Etc. To champion the scheme To lead the Project Life cycle Interested parties communication stream to voice end users needs. Scope Assumptions and Constraints To include all existing or equivalent grades across all brands. Estimated population of 535 people

Peripheral and Semi-Peripheral Regions

Peripheral and Semi-Peripheral Regions INTRODUCTION The terms Core, Peripheral and the Semi peripheral are born from the World systems theory. World systems theory has been closely associated with Immanuel Wallerstein. According to him, it is multicultural territorial division of labour in which the production and exchange of basic goods and raw materials is necessary for the everyday life of its inhabitants. Our world is divided into different regions the Core, the Peripheral and the Semi Peripheral. The core nations are the highly economically developed countries with they reaping benefits from the economy of the rest of the world. The peripheral nations are the third world countries which are still in the developing stage with a very low standard of living. The semi-peripheral nations are those which are between the core and the peripheral. They are the stabilising factors in the world system. The world is divided into two major world regions. First, the core and second, the periphery. And somewhere in between them, lies the semi periphery. Now, before starting discussing about these regions, first let us know their meanings and the countries which come under these regions. Core: The core consists of the world powers and countries, in other words, the developed or first world countries. This is basically the centre point which benefits from the economy of the peripheral regions and enjoy wealth not just from their economy but also from the other world regions. They have most of the wealth of the world. Most of the characteristics of globalization like development, scientific innovation, trans national links, good healthcare, high education occur in these regions. They are technologically, socially, politically, geographically highly developed with peripheral and semi peripheral lagging behind. Wage rate, employment conditions, access to healthcare, infrastructure and many other factors contribute to the countries being core which in turn is ignorant in their peripheral counterparts. Core regions success is determined by being dominant and exploiting the other world regions which in turn is determined by the participation of the other regions in the world system. What is more significant in these regions is their population. Population is stagnant and way too less in compared with the peripheral. In other words, 75% of the benefits of the world economy are enjoyed by just 15% of the world population. These countries are highly industrialized with ever growing tertiary sector. Most of its population is the working class with importance given to the salaried jobs than being in business. They are wealthy and powerful Very much industrialized Specialization in finance, information and service industries Strong military Highly influential Independent of outside control Forefront in inventing new technologies Some major core regions are: Peripheral: The Periphery consists of the rest of the world or in other words, the third world countries. These regions are characterised by poverty, ignorant healthcare, less education and a low standard of living. Infrastructure is very bothering with more space for slums. Some places do show positive development but generally this is the state of peripheral regions. The major factor in these regions is the migration from small cities to the bigger cities to have better economical opportunities which in turn poses problems in terms of housing, unemployment and many others. Despite of there being no jobs in the cities, people from the rural areas migrate in order to support their families. Population is sky rocketing is these regions as children are perceived to be the family supporters in terms of income generation and no education adds to the population woes by having no information on family planning. Majority of the population growth happens in these regions. Crime rate is very alarming in these regions as because of massive unemployment, people turn to crimes to have income and support their families. Economically backward Expects investments from the core nations Most of the people poor and uneducated Inequality Lack of development Easily influenced Regions that are peripheral in nature are: Semi peripheral: The term semi peripheral originated in the thirteenth century as there was a growing need to have a separate term for those regions and countries which have moved away from the periphery but have not yet become core. The category describes them as those regions which remain dependant and to some extent under developed despite having a significant rate of industrialization. In world systems theory, semi peripheral are the regions positioned between the core and the peripheral. The organizational structure of these countries or regions are both of core and peripheral countries and are often geographically located in between them or between two or more core countries. These are the industrializing and mostly capitalist countries. They play a major role in mediating between the core and the peripheral regions in terms of social, economic and political activities. These regions are different from the peripheral regions as they provide room for industrial growth, innovative technology and reforms in social and organizational structure. Just as the core regions, semi peripheral regions also tend to dominate and exploit the peripheral regions but not to the same extent as the former. Semi peripheral countries have chances of being promoted to the core countries group mainly because of their industrialized nature and also because they contribute to manufacturing and exportation of variety of goods. They can be also defined as being the key structural element as it plays a very vital role. Some of the regions which come under this category are: Peripheral regions will remain peripheral? Now, the second part of peripheral countries remaining peripheral or advancing to become the semi peripheral or core is to be answered. According to me, every nation has the space to improve given proper strategy and planning. First world countries have started note of the third world countries which are growing at a stupendous rate socially, economic and political. As far as current economical trend goes, third world countries like India, China are fast emerging to be the superpowers of the coming decade. They with their stable economic growth rate are outnumbering many of the countries ranked higher above them. Many core countries like the United States are feeling the jitters after analysing the growth trend that some of the peripheral countries are showing. Many of the multibillionaires from these peripheral countries are being given space in the Multibillionaires of the world list which indirectly shows the way where the latter are headed. New technological advancements, scientific innovations are increasing as compared to the years and decades gone by. First world countries are facing problems like unemployment which is harming their economy considerably whereas the developing nations have not experienced the bolt of recession as the former have. Socially, as the core countries perform well as they always done on the education, healthcare, infrastructure, wage rate part, the peripheral nations are improving but at a slow rate. Core countries have always given preference to the needs of the people and their standard of living whereas the latter have only recently started noticing the social factors that need to be addressed much more any other problem. Education is being given due importance with literacy rate going notches higher. Awareness of higher education is making even the rural areas note the advantages and send their children to schools. Social hierarchy, caste system are one of the major factors in stagnating the growth of the third world countries as these only promote differences in the system. This calls for equality amongst people and a better social structure. This is fast improving as there is a need to acknowledge efforts made by everyone in improving the overall economy of the nations. Politically, many countries are getting democratic with citizens given right to vote and choose their own leaders as opposed to the fact that the people were treated as slaves. The right to be governed upon is solely in the hands of the people in many nations though some are still under military governance and self imposed leaders. When somebody forces himself on the rest solely on the power status, that nation is bound to get stagnant in all the fields, whether its social, economic or political. This is slowly and steadily improving in the peripheral region though the rate is not that good. This makes the region unstable as political pressure makes it handicapped. Conclusion: Still there are many factors which need to be addressed by the peripheral nations in order to advance. There is huge possibility of some of the third world countries becoming part of the core or semi peripheral group in economical terms but as far as the social system goes, they need to work hard to be in that league and achieve what the core countries have, long back. Proper planning and strategy with no corruption and transparent system will pave way to be advanced and shift to the other better world systems. REFERENCES Carlos A. Martinez-Vela n.d. World Systems Theory [Online].Available from: http://web.mit.edu/esd.83/www/notebook/WorldSystem.pdf [Accessed 08 Feb. 10] Colin Steif (August 4, 2008) Core andPeriphery [Online]. Available from: http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/coreperiphery.htm [Accessed 08 Feb.10] Techtor-ga (May 26, 2003) Core and Periphery [Online]. Available from: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/208711.html [Accessed 06 Feb.10] Wikipedia n.d. World-systems approach [Online]. Available from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World-systems_approach [Accessed 06 Feb.10]

Johnson and Dubois :: Comparative, Literary Analysis, African American L

Johnson and Dubois Many parallels can be drawn between the works of W.E.B. DuBois and those of James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was greatly influenced by many concepts created by DuBois, especially those presented in DuBois's classic work The Souls of Black Folk. Johnson was so impressed with DuBois and his ideas that he sought him out in 1904 at Atlanta University. The two men developed a strong friendship and later worked for years together in the NAACP, Johnson's diplomatic temperment often balancing DuBois's more volitile one.* As Johnson developed his ideas about literature, he adopted the use of "double consciousness" the theme presented by DuBois in Souls of Black Folk. This theme was used significantly in Johnson's Autobiography. Along with this theme he came to embrace the idea of "racial distinctiveness" theorized by DuBois. DuBois argues in his book that spiritual contributions are what African-Americans bring to white American culture. Johnson's ideas about black distinctiveness within the frame of spirituality and creativity was strongly expressed in his poem "O Black and Unknown Bards." This poems plays on the themes of protest with a celebration of black distinctiveness and creativity in regards to slave spirituals. Johnson argues in the poem that the slave spirituals provide proof of the legitimacy of black literary independence, another theme Johnson adopted from DuBois. Another poem by Johnson which reflects ideas from DuBois is "The White Witch" In this poem, Johnson warns of the seductive charms of "the white witch" and is a militant call for African- Americans to preserve their heritage and distinctiveness. The images of white society brought forth by Johnson was very similar to those presented in DuBois's Souls, where he also calls out to African-Americans not to be tempted and corrupted by white materialism. Johnson and Dubois :: Comparative, Literary Analysis, African American L Johnson and Dubois Many parallels can be drawn between the works of W.E.B. DuBois and those of James Weldon Johnson. Johnson was greatly influenced by many concepts created by DuBois, especially those presented in DuBois's classic work The Souls of Black Folk. Johnson was so impressed with DuBois and his ideas that he sought him out in 1904 at Atlanta University. The two men developed a strong friendship and later worked for years together in the NAACP, Johnson's diplomatic temperment often balancing DuBois's more volitile one.* As Johnson developed his ideas about literature, he adopted the use of "double consciousness" the theme presented by DuBois in Souls of Black Folk. This theme was used significantly in Johnson's Autobiography. Along with this theme he came to embrace the idea of "racial distinctiveness" theorized by DuBois. DuBois argues in his book that spiritual contributions are what African-Americans bring to white American culture. Johnson's ideas about black distinctiveness within the frame of spirituality and creativity was strongly expressed in his poem "O Black and Unknown Bards." This poems plays on the themes of protest with a celebration of black distinctiveness and creativity in regards to slave spirituals. Johnson argues in the poem that the slave spirituals provide proof of the legitimacy of black literary independence, another theme Johnson adopted from DuBois. Another poem by Johnson which reflects ideas from DuBois is "The White Witch" In this poem, Johnson warns of the seductive charms of "the white witch" and is a militant call for African- Americans to preserve their heritage and distinctiveness. The images of white society brought forth by Johnson was very similar to those presented in DuBois's Souls, where he also calls out to African-Americans not to be tempted and corrupted by white materialism.

Impact of New Technology on Lifestyle and Health Essay

As a start I would like to give a short and simple definition of the concept â€Å"technology†. Technology will, in this case and this paper, refer to any physical object, product, environment, or symbol that has been created by human beings. Another frequently used concept with the same meaning is â€Å"artifact† (Simon, 1969). Technology has had a great impact upon the living conditions of people all over the world. Technology has helped us to perform many tasks safer, faster, and with higher precision than would be possible without its help. Technology has also made us stronger, helped us to travel faster, and made it possible for us to perform tasks that otherwise would be impossible to perform. With the help of technology we can perform many tasks that are dangerous for people to perform, like working in a hostile physical environment, for instance in a contaminated or radioactive environment. Technology has helped us to perform boring manual tasks day and night, every day in the week, even without a coffee brake. Technology has made it possible for us to travel all over the world and reach new destinations, quicker than ever. Soon we might even travel to other planets in our Solar system. The invention of machines, computers and other technological artefacts has improved our mental abilities too. Technology can make us smart (Norman, 1993) by increasing our abilities to remember better, by storing information in different formats, and support our reasoning activities. Thanks to computers we can perform complex calculations quickly, simulate processes of different kind, create art and music, and so on. Technology has also helped us to pick up information that earlier was impossible to pick up. Microscopes and telescopes, only to mention a few technological devices, have made it possible for us to look into worlds that we otherwise would not have any access to. New intelligent hearing aids have helped people with hearing deficits to pick up auditory information better and improved the possibilities to communicate with other people. Technology can improve our abilities to control vehicles of different kind, for instance to improve the ability to steer, brake and shift gears in the car. New technology has been used to create systems that can help drivers to find new destinations, or find the quickest route to known destinations. New technology has also been developed for helping drivers to avoid collisions and other dangerous situations. Technology has made it possible to adapt cars to drivers with functional handicap so that they can drive (nearly?) as safely as drivers without these problems. Technology can help mariners to navigate ships across the Atlantic with high precision, to assist pilots in their task of flying to selected destinations, avoid collisions in the air, control the aircraft, and so on. Process industries, manufacturing industries, energy producing industries can today be controlled with the help of new advanced technology. Technology has had an impact on the way we live, work, enjoy ourselves, and communicate with each other. Thanks to improved transportation systems we can now live at a distance from our working place, and commute to our job. Some of us can work from home thanks to the computer and the ability to send digital messages to different destinations. Thanks to the World Wide Web we can communicate with people at very distant places and arrange virtual meetings. We also have new ways of entertaining ourselves. Technology in the Health sector has made important contributions to the treatment of diseases and with the help of advanced technology it is now possible to save lives in a way that was not possible only a few decades ago. In her key note, professor Axelsson has shown how technology can be used in health care. Soon it may be possible to replace missing limbs with artifacts that can perform the tasks the missing limb should have performed. Changes in lifestyle? I believe we can identify some important changes in our lifestyles that are, at least partly, caused by the technological development. With the focus on human work I believe we can identify the following, and many more changes. A shift from physical to mental workload One important trend in our working life is a shift from physically demanding tasks to mentally demanding tasks. Human work has for a long time been more or less dominated by tasks that were physically demanding. Some of these tasks are still with us, but in many cases new technology can help us to perform them with less physical effort. A farmer, say 150 years ago, performed many manual tasks. Today there exist machines that can help the farmer to perform many of the tasks. A miner used to perform many heavy manual tasks when my father was working as a miner. Today trucks are doing the job, quicker and faster. Instead of performing the physically demanding tasks an operator of a machine has to control the machine and supervise its performance, indicating a shift to a mentally demanding task. A task is mentally demanding if it imposes a workload on our abilities to search for and pick up relevant information, store information, use information to make decisions, solve problems, develop action plans and supervise the performance of action plans. Many working tasks today have the character of being more mentally demanding than physically demanding. A shift towards supervising processes The condition for workers has, in many cases, changed from being in direct contact with the working task to using some kind of technological device to perform the task. This has quite often resulted in a new role for the worker. The new role is more of a supervisor of a process. Examples may be found among pilots who are interacting with a computer, the flight management system, which is performing part of the flying task. Another example can be found among workers in highly automated industrial processes, where an automated system is controlling a large part of the process. Increased complexity The introduction of computers has increased the complexity of many tasks. The amount of information we are forced to process in working life has increased. As a result is it has become harder to understand the way different systems are working. The logic of many systems is hidden in the computer and not possible to inspect directly. Negative impact of technology There are some psychological consequences of the changes that has occurred as a result of new technology. In some cases technology can make us stupid, confused and disoriented. Please let me illustrate this statement by giving a few examples on how technology can confuse us and make us look stupid. Technology that may make us stupid Doors are equipped with some kind of device to open and close them. In some cases it is perfectly obvious how the device works by looking at it. In other cases it might be confusing. There exist doors where the device to open and close the doors are identical in shape, but works completely different. A good design should make it obvious how a door should be opened and the principle of consistency should be used. In some cases it may be extremely important to be able to open doors quickly and without involving higher mental processes. Another example of a violation of the principle of consistency is when you have a door with two locks, and to open the door you must turn the key in different directions in each lock. Still another example can be taken from the medical sector. A number of studies have shown that errors are made in this sector, and that errors tend to occur when patients are given their medicine. One possible explanation to this is that different medicines may be stored in bottles that look very much like each other. An interesting question is how the container for different medicines should be physically designed so that it is easy to distinguish different drugs. An example from the automobile industry has to do with the relationship between controls and, in this case, windows. A good principle, stemming from Gestalt psychology, is that you should place a control of a certain device close to that device. This is called the â€Å"proximity principle†. In some cases this is not done, and controls for the windows in a car might be located far away from the windows. The design of the physical environment is also of interest. When a new living area is created and houses and paths are designed, it is common to find that people living there are not walking on the paths that have been so nicely designed. Instead they quite often are using the shortest route across some sensitive area(s). A simple solution here would be to wait and see where people are walking, and after that decide the paths should be located. In some hotel rooms you must use most of your brain power to figure out how the shower works. The problem in many cases is that the function is hidden, and it is not possible to directly see how the shower must be operated. Technology can be used to supervise people – Big Brother can see you In some cases technology is used to supervise worker’s performance at workplaces. This may increase the stress level of the involved workers, and in some cases increase their stress level, and make them sick. On example comes from call centres. The number of call centres has increased rapidly in Sweden. A common definition of a call centre is a working place where people are engaged in telephone communication with customers and are doing that with the help of computer support. In a call centre the operator’s performance can be effectively supervised with the help of computers. It is possible to measure the number of telephone calls each employee is performing during the working day, and also measure the number of breaks that occur during a working day. A psychological effect of this registration is, sometimes, an increased stress level among the workers. Big Brother can see you! Technology can be used to supervise traffic streams, control traffic streams, and identify speeding drivers. Cameras on the road side are being more and more common in Sweden. Some drivers don’t like being supervised by â€Å"Big Brother† and one solution seems to be the destruction of cameras. Technology can also be used to prevent drunken drivers from using their car. Before the car can be started the driver must exhale (breathe) into a measuring device. If the device detects alcohol in the air then the car will not be possible to start. Some drivers which have been found guilty of driving when intoxicated by alcohol have, as a part of their treatment, accepted to install this kind of device in their car. A follow up study has shown that many of these convicted drivers have stopped using this device. Technology can give an invitation to â€Å"Human Error† Besides making us feel stupid, improper design of technology can cause incidents, accidents, and in the worst case kill people. Please let me illustrate this by using some well known accidents as examples. Three Mile Island, USA. This accident happened in the USA 1971. A problem occurred in the Nuclear Power Plant and the situation gradually developed into something problematic. One, out of many, aspects of this accident is that the alarm systems in the Power Plant were activated, and very soon a large number of alarms and warnings were sounding. This probably increased the stress level of the operators who were trying to understand the problem and what to do with it. A high level of stress is not an optimal condition for solving a complex problem. One problem here was that instead of helping the operators to solve the problem the alarm systems made the situation worse. The crash in Gottrà ¶ra, Sweden. A certain similarity can be found in an accident with a passenger plane in Sweden, 1991. A plane (MD 81) started from Arlanda airport (Stockholm) and soon after the start it lost the power of one engine and shortly thereafter the power of the other engine. The captain’s plan was to fly the plane without the help of the engines (basic flying) and perform an emergency landing on an empty field at a distance from the airport. During the four minutes, from the moment the engines had stopped until the aircraft landed safely (!), the plane was shaking and the instrument panel were blinking. Auditory warnings were activated and a female warning voice was talking continuously. The information from the plane to the captain was chaotic and did not offer any useful help to him. In one interview after the accident the captain stated that on the wish list was a warning system that can offer help in situations of this kind. Not a system that distracts and increases the pilots stress level. In Linkà ¶ping, Sweden, a number of patients were treated with the help of a machine that should purify their blood. A nurse misjudged the information from the machine and by mistake turned the machine off. A number of patients died as a result. The machine was built by some technicians and when it was working correctly a number of indicators (lamps) showed the colour red. Normally red is a colour that is used for warnings of different kind. There are also a number of accidents that have occurred as a result of automation. Automation of some tasks may solve some problems, but can also create new possibilities for errors (Bainbridge, 1987). It has been found that people may have an over trust in automation and believe that an automated system takes care of more that it actually can take care of. Automation can also have the effect that an operator becomes less involved in the control of a system and has a problem to take the control back when so needed. What can we do to avoid the negative sides of technology? In the cases where technology is used to supervise people and this is not totally accepted by people this may be regarded as a political question and should be treated as such. This case will not be discussed further in this paper. In cases where the design of technology has caused problems it is possible to provide some guidelines. Improper design of technology is common when technology is designed without consideration of the user’s needs, abilities and limitations. The following advices can be given: Start the development process of new technology by investigating the needs of the intended users! Perform a task analysis (see for instance Kirwan and Ainsworth, 1993) and try to understand what the users need are in order to perform the task efficiently and safely. Involve the intended users early in the design process! Remember that they have a lot of valuable knowledge concerning the task and how it may be performed. Respect individual differences! There are sometimes large individual variations among users of a technological device and the design should be flexible enough to take care of this variation. Make it possible for users to understand the technical device. If users can understand the way a technical device works (if I push this button, then that will happen) the risk for so called â€Å"human error† will most likely decrease. Use the scientific method – test and test again, until you have eliminated the worst problems. The empirical testing of a technical device should have a high priority. Design for human error! People will, in the long run, get tired, distracted or anything else and make an error. This is sometimes called Murphy’s law – if anything can go wrong then it will, sooner or later. Human beings are not like machines and we have to design with that in mind. A technical device should be designed to make it possible to escape the error that sooner or later will be made. Provide feedback (this happened) and feedforward (that will happen). Feedback and feedforward from a technical device should be clear and easy to understand. This will give the user a possibility to understand the system. If possible introduce an undo function! As mentioned earlier people will make errors and this is an error correcting possibility. Use a system perspective! Any kind of technological equipment will be used in a certain context. Analyse the context and see whether the new artefact can successfully be mixed into the context. These are general rules to follow, and by following them I strongly believe that we can influence the design of technology in such a way that our lifestyles and health will be improved. References Bainbridge, L. (1987). Ironies of Automation. In J. Rasmussen, K. Duncan and J. Leplat (Eds.) New Technology and Human Error, John Wiley & Sons Ltd Kirwan, B., and Ainsworth, L.K. (Eds.) (1993). A guide to task analysis. Taylor & Francis Norman, D.A. (1993). Things that make us smart. PERSEUS BOOKS, USA Reason, J. (1990). Human error. Cambridge university press, USA Simon, H. (1969). The Science of the Artificial. The M.I.T. PRESS

Explain the welfare requirements and guidance of the relevant early year’s framework Essay

Explain the welfare requirements and guidance of the relevant early year’s framework Welfare requirements were bought in, in September 2008 as part of the EYFS welfare requirements and are compulsory. These are split into 5 groups which our operational planning covers. Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare has legal and statutory guidance, general legal requirements cover and as a setting we must take necessary steps to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. We must promote the good health of children and take necessary steps to prevent cross infections, and take appropriate action when they are ill. Children’s behaviour must be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. Specific legal requirements and statutory guidance covers safeguarding, information and complaints, premises and security, outings, equality of opportunities, medicines, illness and injuries, food and drink, smoking and behaviour management; these cover the many day to day activities we provide as a nursery. Suitable people include vetting procedures, health, training levels, qualifications and ratio and staff qualification levels. Suitable premises covers children are looked after that premises and environments are safe. Organisation is more to do with the promotion of learning and development. This is where planning and organising of settings systems provide each child with fun, yet challenging learning and development experiences to meet the child’s individual needs. Like key workers promote equality of opportunities and anti-discriminate behaviour, sensitive observations, fire detecting equipment, suitable for all users, meets all the health and safety regulations. Documentation records and documentation that is kept in the setting referring to policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the setting and to meet children’s individual needs. All records are kept in accordance with the data protection act 1998 and the freedom of information act 2000 and children must have certain data kept on them at the setting; such as their name, date of birth, and address, emergency contact details.

Standpoint Theory Paper Essays

Standpoint Theory Paper Essays Standpoint Theory Paper Essay Standpoint Theory Paper Essay Standpoint Theory Paper Racism is defined as the systematic subordination of certain racial groups by those groups in power . As a society, we must first eradicate ignorance in order to defeat racism. We must acknowledge that people have different ways of viewing the world and that even though someone may have a different opinion than you, it is not necessarily wrong. The idea that people have different ways of viewing the world stems from standpoint theory. Standpoint theory is based on the concept that people view the world differently depending on their social standing . A central theme of tandpoint theory is that a persons racial and or ethnic background deeply impacts how they view and interact with the world . Racial location and racial standpoints are both key elements of standpoint theory. A racial location is defined as the racial or ethnic groups to which a person belongs . Everyone has a racial location because everyone identifies with at least one or more races. Having a racial location does not necessarily mean that one has a racial standpoint. A racial standpoint refers to a racial location accompanied by a deep and oppositional understanding that our xperiences are influenced by societal and political climates . The way we behave and the way we think is a product of our environment and is a direct result of our childhood. As we grow up our beliefs and opinions are shaped by our experiences and the example set forth by our parents. My greatest influences on my views of race have been my parents. My parents emigrated from Nigeria to the United States in the early 1980s. My parents have always been open-minded about different races and cultures but they tend to be guarded when interacting with people of Caucasian issent, indicating to me that they have had past negative experiences causing them to react this way. Ann Arbor, MI is very diverse and cultured city. Growing up in Ann Arbor meant that I was exposed to people of different races, lifestyles and creeds. My childhood best friends were of different races then me, one being Polish and the other being Indian. I was a very inquisitive child and would often ask my parents about why people were different. They always took the time to explain different cultures to me. My parents have always taught me to be cautious when I interact with people of Caucasian dissent. They have never expressed any racism towards people of the Caucasian race but have always reminded me to be on my guard and that not everyone I meet has good intentions. I have noticed that this cautiousness has been a recurring theme in the Nigerian community that I am a part of. This message has been relayed to me by aunts, uncles and even my Nigerian friends. The idea that I should have to be cautious around specific races has always bothered me. I know that this mistrust of the Caucasian races isnt completely unfounded. History has shown us that given the opportunity, some people will try and suppress ou. I am of the mind that not everyone is out to suppress me and bring me down. My parents will often tell me that I ignore the racism that is rampant in this country. I understand that racism exists and that there are people who will go out of their way racism everywhere we go. Many instances of racism occur because people are ignorant of other cultures and allow their prejudices to blind them. Living in Ann Arbor means that I interact with people of different races and cultures on a daily basis. Many of my closest friends are from different ethnic groups: my roommate is Caucasian, another friends is Caucasian and my best friends is part Mexican. Whenever I interact with a person from a different race or ethnic group I look at it as an opportunity to learn something about a different culture or way of thinking. Even though I try to look at every interracial/interethnic interaction as a positive one, there have been times where these interactions have turned into negative ones. One of the earliest incidences of ignorance and racism I experienced was in middle school. I remember being in Geography class learning about the continent of Africa, pecifically the country of Niger. We were watching a movie about a boy who lived in a hut and had to herd cattle across a river as a rite of passage. Since everyone in class knew I was Nigerian, everyone in class assume that I had gone through this ritual. They then used this as an opportunity to ask me ridiculous questions like: do you run with lions? Do you swing from tree to tree and do you live in a hut? Naturally I was very upset because this view of Africans that my classmates presented was not what my parents had taught me. Besides, I was born in the United States and grew p there Just like many of my other classmates. The worst part of that situation was that my teacher didnt even correct my classmates. To me, that entire situation is a perfect example of how ignorance leads to racism. Another negative racial experience that I will never forget occurred while I was in my sophomore year of high school. I had gone down to Atlanta to visit my God-family. My God sister Tara, who is also African-American and I drove around town looking for a barbershop so that I could get a haircut. We stopped at a place that appear to be open and proceeded to open the door. As soon as we opened the door, we both sensed that something awkward was about to happen. Before we even had time to cross the threshold everything going on inside the shop came to a grinding halt, it felt like being in a movie scene. Barbers turned off their clippers, people abruptly stopped their conversations and everyone Just stared at us. At this point we understood that we were not welcome and walked right back out. Throughout this entire interaction not a single word was uttered. Orbe, Mark P and Tina M Harris. Interacial Communication: Theory into Practice. 2nd . Losa Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc. , 2008.

Trading Places and Local Hero Essays

Trading Places and Local Hero Essays Trading Places and Local Hero Paper Trading Places and Local Hero Paper Essay Topic: Film Trading Places is a film about contrasting people and how different people from diverse backgrounds can adapt to new surroundings. The two main characters are Lewis Winthorpe, a well off, successful businessman and Billy-Ray Valentine, a homeless man with no money or possessions. These two characters are put into an alien environment when they trade places and live each others lives, as the result of a bet between the two brothers who own the company Winthorpe works for. Local Hero concentrates more on the contrast in physical environment. In this film MacIntire, who works for a large oil company in Texas, is sent to work in a small remote village in Scotland. The locals seem to be very relaxed and the pace of life is very slow, unlike the busy employees of the Texas oil company. The film explores how MacIntire gradually takes on the behaviour of the new culture. The film Trading Places sets the scene at the start by showing examples of the two very different worlds it is going to explore. For example: a shot of a job centre bland and busy with artificial lighting where only the backs of heads can be seen is followed by a shot of Winthorpes kitchen The butler preparing breakfast on a clean, marble surface. In the background, fresh flowers. In the film Billy-Ray Valentine is a beggar who has to think up ways of making enough money for his next meal. He tries to dupe people into believing that he is a war veteran who has lost his eyesight as well as his legs. He works hard to make people believe him so that they will give him money. He lives by his wits. Mr. Winthorpe, however, does not work hard for his money at all. He has never had to worry about where his next meal will be coming from or even what shirt he will be wearing that day. He has a butler whose job it is to do that for him. The first bit of contrast seen in this film is that of the places of work of the two main characters. Billy-Ray works on a street corner. It is very dirty. Although it is quite busy, people dont seem to pay any attention to him and try to avoid walking near him on the pavement. Winthorpes workplace is extremely diverse. It has a grand foyer, receptionists desks lining the walls, all answering phone calls, doing paperwork. As he walks through the double doors at the entrance everyone says hello to him. Good morning Mr. Winthorpe How are you Mr. Winthorpe?. His private office is also large. He has a big desk and a reclining, leather chair. The walls are faced with beautiful paintings and in the corner, there is a sofa for when he feels tired. The first sighting we get of Billy-Ray, he is dressed in rags. He has dirty clothes on, shoes with holes in and his whole appearance is grubby. Winthorpe is dressed in the complete opposite. He has a blazer with matching tie, a neatly ironed shirt, pressed trousers and polished shoes. As a result of the bet between the owners of the company that Winthorpe works for, Billy-Ray Valentine and Lewis Winthorpe change places. The owners have different opinions about what makes a man successful. One has the idea that if a person, particularly a black person, comes from a not very well off background, they will never be successful. The other has the complete opposite opinion, that no matter who you are, if you are given the opportunity to do well in life, you will. So they have a bet on it. Drugs are planted on Winthorpe and the police are informed. Winthorpe is arrested and put in jail and Billy-Ray Valentine is employed to take his place. Winthorpe loses his job, his house and his bank account, which contains a lot of money, and his car. Billy-Ray is given it all. One of the biggest differences that the characters have to cope with is the fact one has gone from being homeless to living in a mansion, while the other has gone from the mansion to a life of poverty. Billy-Rays home environment is now luxurious. He lives in a huge house with a mahogany staircase, full of valuable ornaments and paintings. He eats his meals in a grand dining room, using expensive silverware. He has long relaxing baths in a large Jacuzzi with scented bubble bath, and he sleeps in a full-sized, four-poster bed. Meanwhile Winthorpe, on being released from jail, has nowhere and is reduced to living in a one bedroom flat which is owned by someone else. Billy-Ray now has money and Winthorpe is penniless. At first Billy-Ray struggles to accept his riches walking around the house, picking up objects and putting them in his pocket to steal them. After a while he begins to realise what he now has and tells guests, that he has invited round, to watch not to spill anything on his Persian rug. Winthorpe, however, never manages to cope without money. He finds it hard at the beginning and even harder at the end. Billy-Ray manages to cope successfully in his new environment. His knowledge of people helps him to do well. Winthorpe on the other hand cannot handle not having any money or possessions. Billy-Ray now lives in a privileged world. He has to make business decisions but has no previous business experience on which to rely on. However his life on the street has given him an education of a different sort. Winthorpe however had no previous experience on which to draw. His life had not taught him to cope with poverty or even how to do everyday things. He had taken his life and money for granted. He was used to getting respect because of who he was and had not really had to earn it. He had shown that he had a very low opinion of people who lived in poverty, which was where he was now, earlier in the film when he believed that Billy-Ray had stolen his brief case. Now he is seeing things in a different light. Local Hero also has a story line where one man is put into a completely different physical environment to the one he is used to. This comedy looks at the conflict between a Texas oil company and the canny residents of a Scottish fishing village whose land is needed by the Americans for their North Sea oil base. MacIntire has to leave the hectic life of working in Texas and go and work in Scotland. In Texas he works in a large office for a large company in a concrete jungle. The city is full of giant skyscrapers towering above all. The roads are all motorways, long, overcrowded and with impatient drivers. MacIntire is used to working in a busy office along with many others. There are people always on the phone, doing paper work, with no time to stop and look at the stars. Everyone is working under pressure. But now he gets the chance to leave Texas and work in the out doors. A Scottish man, who is going to help him find his way around the area he will be staying, meets him at the airp ort. Straight away you can see a difference in the appearance of the two men. MacIntire, in a suit and tie, where as the local is wearing trousers and a polo neck jumper. MacIntire is driven to where he is going to be staying. They drive along winding roads that stretch for miles, with no sign of habitation, through picturesque valleys and over lush green hills. The sky is a blue/grey and in the far distance, the sea. The area is so serene. There are no other cars on the road and not an office block in sight. While in Scotland MacIntire stays in a small Bed and Breakfast. Next door is a small accountants office. The accountant that works in the office happens to be the same person that owns the bed and breakfast and goes from one to the other all day. MacIntire believes that the inhabitants of the fishing village dont actually know why he is there. He is lulled into believing that the slow pace of life means that the people are unable to understand the wheeling and dealing of the Texan corporation. Although relaxed, the villagers are a lot smarter than MacIntire thinks. They hold secret meetings and discuss what to do about their problem. MacIntire soon learns to like the pace of life on the island and comes to resent the interruptions from his boss in America. He spends time just walking along the beach admiring the view of the sea and looking at the stars. As the film progresses you see a change in MacIntires appearance. He begins to wear polo neck jumpers instead of shirts and ties, as you have previously seen worn by the Scottish businessmen. He starts to have a drink in the pub with the locals as if he too was a local, and all together he seems less business like. By the end of the film, MacIntire wants to stay in the peacefulness of Scotland rather than return to the busy life of Texas. I think that both of these films are effective at putting across the contrast in different lifestyles in their own ways. Trading Places has two businessmen playing God with Billy-Rays and Winthrops lives, turning them around at the drop of a hat. Local Hero shows the changes of one man, MacIntire, as he stays in an alien environment for longer periods of time. They both show individuals getting an insight into a completely different way of life outside their previous experiences, and the effect it has on them. In most cases the person has found that they actually prefer the other lifestyle to their own. Winthorpe, on the other hand, doesnt prefer his new life to the old one but I think he now appreciates how hard some people have to work for money and how easy his life was for him before.

Marshal Philippe Petain in World War I

Marshal Philippe Petain in World War I Philippe Ptain - Early Life Career: Born April 24, 1856 at Cauchyla-Tour, France, Philippe Pà ©tain was the son of a farmer. Entering the French Army in 1876, he later attended the St. Cyr Military Academy and the École Supà ©rieure de Guerre. Promoted to captain in 1890, Pà ©tains career progressed slowly as he lobbied for the heavy use of artillery while repudiating the French offensive philosophy of massed infantry assaults. Later promoted to colonel, he commanded the 11th Infantry Regiment at Arras in 1911 and began contemplating retirement. These plans were accelerated when he was informed that he would not be promoted to brigadier general. With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, all thoughts of retirement were banished. Commanding a brigade when the fighting commenced, Pà ©tain received a rapid promotion to brigadier general and took command of the 6th Division in time for the First Battle of the Marne. Performing well, he was elevated to lead XXXIII Corps that October. In this role, he led the corps in the failed Artois Offensive the following May. Promoted to command the Second Army in July 1915, he led it during the Second Battle of Champagne in the fall. Philippe Ptain -Hero of Verdun: In early 1916, German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn sought to force a decisive battle on the Western Front that would break the French Army. Opening the Battle of Verdun on February 21, German forces bore down on the city and made initial gains. With the situation critical, Pà ©tains Second Army was shifted to Verdun to aid in the defense. On May 1, he was promoted to command the Centre Army Group and oversaw the defense of the entire Verdun sector. Using the artillery doctrine he had promoted as a junior officer, Pà ©tain was able to slow and eventually halt the German advance. Philippe Ptain -Finishing the War: Having won a key victory at Verdun, Pà ©tain was irked when his successor with Second Army, General Robert Nivelle, was appointed Commander-in-Chief over him on December 12, 1916. The following April, Nivelle launched a massive offense at Chemin des Dames. A bloody failure, it led to Pà ©tain being appointed Army Chief of Staff on April 29 and ultimately replacing Nivelle on May 15. With the outbreak of mass mutinies in the French Army that summer, Pà ©tain moved to placate the men and listened to their concerns. While ordering selective punishment for the leaders, he also improved living conditions and leave policies. Through these initiatives and refraining from large-scale, bloody offensives, he succeeded in rebuilding the fighting spirit of the French Army. Though limited operations occurred, Pà ©tain elected to await American reinforcements and large numbers of new Renault FT17 tanks before advancing. With the beginning of the German Spring Offensives in March 1918, Pà ©tains troops were hit hard and pushed back. Ultimately stabilizing the lines, he dispatched reserves to aid the British. Advocating a policy of defense in depth, the French progressively fared better and first held, then pushed back the Germans at the Second Battle of the Marne that summer. With the Germans halted, Pà ©tain led French forces during the final campaigns of the conflict which ultimately drove the Germans from France. For his service, he was made Marshal of France on December 8, 1918. A hero in France, Pà ©tain was invited to attend the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. Following the signing, he appointed vice chairman of the Conseil Supà ©rieur de la Guerre. Philippe Ptain -Interwar Years: After a failed presidential bid in 1919, he served in a variety of high administrative posts and clashed with the government over military downsizing and personnel issues. Though he favored a large tank corps and air force, these plans were unworkable due to lack of funds and Pà ©tain came to favor the construction of a line of fortifications along the German border as an alternative. This came to fruition in the form of the Maginot Line. In September 25, Pà ©tain took to the field for the final time when he led a successful Franco-Spanish force against the Rif tribes in Morocco. Retiring from the army in 1931, the 75 year-old Pà ©tain returned to service as Minister of War in 1934. He held this post briefly, as well as did a brief stint as Minister of State the following year. During his time in government, Pà ©tain was unable to halt the reductions in the defense budget which had left the French Army unready for a future conflict. Returning to retirement, he again was summoned to national service in May 1940 during World War II. With the Battle of France going poorly in late May, General Maxime Weygand and Pà ©tain began to advocate for an armistice. Philippe Ptain - Vichy France: On June 5, French Premier Paul Reynaud brought Pà ©tain, Weygand, and Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle into his War Cabinet in an effort to bolster the spirits of the army. Five days later the government abandoned Paris and moved to Tours and then Bordeaux. On June 16, Pà ©tain was appointed prime minister. In this role, he continued to press for an armistice, though some advocated continuing the fight from North Africa. Refusing to leave France, he got his wish on June 22 when an armistice with Germany was signed. Ratified on July 10, it effectively ceded control of the northern and western parts of France to Germany. The next day, Pà ©tain was appointed head of state for the newly formed French State which was governed from Vichy. Rejecting the secular and liberal traditions of the Third Republic, he sought to create a paternalistic Catholic state. Pà ©tains new regime quickly ousted republican administrators, passed anti-Semitic laws, and imprisoned refugees. Effectively a client state of Nazi Germany, Pà ©tains France was compelled to aid the Axis Powers in their campaigns. Though Pà ©tain showed little sympathy for the Nazis, he permitted organizations such as the Milice, a Gestapo-style militia organization, to be formed within Vichy France. Following the Operation Torch landings in North Africa in late 1942, Germany implemented Case Aton which called for the complete occupation of France. Though Pà ©tains regime continued to exist, he effectively was relegated to the role of figurehead. In September 1944, following the Allied landings in Normandy, Pà ©tain and the Vichy government were removed to Sigmaringen, Germany to serve as a government-in-exile. Unwilling to serve in this capacity, Pà ©tain stepped down and directed that his name not be used in conjunction with the new organization. On April 5, 1945, Pà ©tain wrote to Adolf Hitler requesting permission to return to France. Though no reply was received, he was delivered to the Swiss border on April 24. Philippe Ptain -Later Life: Entering France two days later, Pà ©tain was taken into custody by De Gaulles provisional government. On July 23, 1945, he was placed on trial for treason. Lasting until August 15, the trial concluded with Pà ©tain being found guilty and sentenced to death. Due to his age (89) and World War I service, this was commuted to life imprisonment by De Gaulle. In addition, Pà ©tain was stripped of his ranks and honors with the exception of marshal which had been conferred by the French Parliament. Initially taken to Fort du Portalet in the Pyrenees, he was later imprisoned at Forte de Pierre on the ÃŽle dYeu. Pà ©tain remained there until his death on July 23, 1951. Selected Sources First World War: Philippe PetainBBC: Philippe Petain World at War: Philippe Petain

Community Parnerships Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Community Parnerships - Assignment Example Enough nurses will help improve the quality of our services and prevent scenarios of nurse frustration and burnout. My agency is also in need of a counsellor. According to Meier, Isaacs and Hughes, counselling is an important element in palliative care delivery (Meier, Isaacs & Hughes, 2010, Pg. 312). Counsellors will be charged with the role of providing supportive and confidential advice for patients as well as families that are facing the loss of their loved one. Most patients have raised the need to talk to someone, sometimes feel isolated, block their feelings, and have heightened anxiety with complicated family issues. These patients feel depressed. This is why we need community members who are professional counsellors to join Quality Care Agency and lend a hand in this modest task. We have also learned that there has been an increased attention to the religious dimension of our patients and families. Therefore, we request preachers from the community that are conversant with the patients’ religious beliefs to step forward. They will help integrate the spiritual beliefs of the patients into the overall plan of care. Preachers intervene in cases where patients feel that our services have evoked a conflict between medical treatment goals and patient values (Knapp, Madden & Fowler-Kerry, 2012, Pg. 235). Quality Care Agency is also in need of patient advocates. These are individuals that will aid in keeping abreast with any situations that may emerge after which they will build bridges (Alexander, Corrigan, Gorski, Hankins & Perucca, 2011, Pg. 36). This need arose after most of our clients wanted to know about the quality of services they are receiving. Part 2: One of the community partners that can help in satisfying our needs is Stafford Nursing School. This institution can assign some of their internship nurses to our organisation. We can also benefit with spiritual support from Full Gospel Church. RN Patient

Thomas Jeffersons two terms in office Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thomas Jeffersons two terms in office - Essay Example Thomas Jefferson’s two terms in office Washington had constraint the operations of the judiciary to deliver justice to all Americans by allowing it to be overly influenced by federalists. Jefferson succeeded in eliminating federal influences in the judiciary by making the Supreme Court independence. The independence of the judiciary was a critical aspect in America’s rise to a justly state. His intention to repeal the 1801 Judiciary Act, remove judges untrustworthy judges from office, and eliminate district courts from the judicial structure were motivated by his intention to see an efficient and effective judicial system that functions within the budgeted expenditures (Bailey, 2001). He also ensured that the executives operate within the constitutional frameworks and are non-partisan in their actions as this was critical to America’s growth. Additionally, Jefferson was committed to strengthening the nation’s economy through elimination of debt and superfluous taxes that were deemed offensive and unreasonably burdened struggling Americans. He saw a ballooning national debt as a cesspool of bigoted patronage (Denson, 2001). Unlike Washington, Jefferson believed that the nation could build foreign credit without carrying a huge national debt. However, I believe that his misdoing came in during the Louisiana Purchase when he candidly violated his powers and borrowed gold from England only to reimburse with treasury bonds which particularly increased the state’s external debt as it is equaled to debt.

The Euorpean Gypsy Moth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Euorpean Gypsy Moth - Essay Example Firstly, being voracious eaters they feed extensively on the leaves of trees such as firs and spruce thereby completely destroying the foliage. Such repeated instances of foliage destruction may lead to death of the trees. Secondly, these moths also affect the water quality as well. The moths feed on tree leaves and their droppings fall into the streams and water bodies thereby increasing the organic matter in the water thereby leading to algal blooms. It is not only the environment that is affected but the moth also causes economic losses as well. Timber is lost as the moth destroys woodland as well as ornamental trees and thereby causes monetary loss. Another monetary loss is the financial costs incurred while trying to cope up with the moth infestation (Moellar,1977). However, after the advancement in the field of biotechnology, B.thuringiensis is deemed as the best management for gypsy moth. The bacterium produces a Bt toxin which on entering the moth’s body destroys the gut of the moth and thereby keeps them under control. The pros of using Bt against gypsy is that it works well in controlling the moth population and is cost effective. However, since Bt is non-specific it may harm other non-target organisms as well. Moreover, health impacts have been seen among ground workers (Wronski,1997). "http://worldcat.org/oclc/774038619:##: The Use of Bacillus Thuringiensis Kurstaki for Managing Gypsy Moth Populations Under the Slow the Spread Program, 1996-2010, Relative to the Distributional Range of Threatened and Endangered Species. Newton Square, PA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 2011. Internet resource. :##:Blackburn, Laura." N.p., Web.

Inventive Spelling, should we convert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inventive Spelling, should we convert - Essay Example Moreover, it allows a person to write and experiment with letters without being bound in a specific set of rules (Goswami, Ziegler & Richardson, 2005). Purpose of Inventive Spelling The purpose of inventive writing is to encourage children to communicate their thoughts without worrying if they are able to express it correctly. People who advocate the use of inventive spelling claim that children who are taught through this approach present a developing comprehension of the sounds corresponding each letter, wherein a more advanced inventive spelling approach encourages a student to write the sounds that represents the words they hear (Goswami, et. al, 2005). In addition, advocates of this approach share that students who are constantly corrected in the way they spell usually lose interest in writing and eventually develop a low self esteem. Instead of hindering a child to express his or her thoughts due to spelling lapses, the inventive spelling approach enjoins the children to write as they please, and correct them from there (Andrews, et. Al, 2005). The process of inventive spelling is one of the new means of teachers in helping their students to learn. It had been established on the premise of children's comprehension, which follows the context of encouraging children to express their thoughts first before teaching them the restrictive measures of spelling guidelines. Through inventive spelling, students are free to express their thoughts through using the letters and spelling patterns they know (Frisson,2002). In that regard, inventive spelling has been formulated towards the children's developmental process. When students use inventive spelling, the teacher would be able to identify what the child knows and doesn't know about proper English spelling. This would then help the teacher to know what aspect of the writing form she must focus on in teaching the students. In addition, inventive spelling also helps a child understand that words should be spelled ba sed on how you say them (Bowman& Treiman, 2002). As stoodents lern haw tu spel, it iz hrd tu xpek dat day wud bee eibel tu spel everi wrd korekly. It iz dan imprtan tu nat dat invintiv speling iz an aproch tuwards tradishoal speling, end nat a speling porm in itself. It ken bee regardd as an edyukeishonal tuol dat wud hlp stoodents tu lern da konvenshonal mins, by alawng stoodents tu wraite yusng invintd speling end gaid da chaildren in rekognaizng mizspeled wrdz end tich da korek ones. In diz maner, a stoodent's speling abilty wud impruv, daus enayblng dam tu spel mor wrdz korekly (Richgels, 2001). Advantages of Inventive Spelling Research indicates teaching students how to spell entails a process of memorizing words. However, inventive spelling allows children to communicate their thoughts, and later on adapt the correct form as they get exposed to correct spelling. The context of visual memory was associated with the ability of a child to visualize what a word should look like, w hich is deemed an integral aspect of spelling. On the other hand, an expert noted that visual memory can be developed through learning word patterns and using these words in the process of reading and writing, as opposed to simply memorizing a list of words (Richgels, 2001). In essence, children are able to learn how to communicate their thoughts in writing and learn how to spell these properly afterwards. This would then help students to express their ideas, without beings restricted by spelling guidelines. Through this

Government Job vs Private Job Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Government Job vs Private Job - Research Paper Example The â€Å"game† presents no investment in the future of the company or corporation, its merle an exchange of wealth. This scenario contributes many problems to the current operating business atmosphere. Mergers bring about immediate economic problems that include, loss of markets to foreign competitors, continuing trade deficits, inadequate operating capital, declining productivity, debt-heavy corporations, and loss of many jobs. The debt is due mainly to financing in order to carry out the merger. These problems plus lagging research and development add to the complications of business operations after the merger is finalized. Another factor that has played a significant role in the situation of state and federal government budgets now are government financial bailouts. The first of these was the Savings and Loan Bailout of 1989 due to more than half of America’s Savings and Loans failing between 1986 and 1989. This was primarily due to lax government lending policies. These business bailouts have directly affected the budget, deficits, and economic stability of our federal and state governments. The US passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act in October 2008 for a $700 billion financial sector bailout. This resulted in the bank rescue of 2008, which called for a $250 billion cash infusion into the banking system. The bailout of Bear Stearns in April 2008 ended in lending the firm $29 billion to JP Morgan to buy the troubled firm. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapsed in the late summer of 2008. The federal government committed up to $200 billion to save both these giant mortgage lenders. Also, $100 billion in cash credits was guaranteed to each of them to prevent bankruptcy. American International Group (AIG), who was one of the largest insurance companies in the world. The government took control of the company and guaranteed them $85 billion in loans.

Disappearing Technology of the Twentieth Century Essay

Disappearing Technology of the Twentieth Century - Essay Example Steam locomotive being the most influential example of steam engine technology, its disappearance from the modern railroad deserves to be reflected on. According to Lindqvist, the general perception about history of technology holds that â€Å"the initial stages of growth and development of new technologies are far more interesting than the boring routine maintenance and depressing dismantling of older technological systems.†1 However, research on older technological systems helps us not only to analyse the dynamics of industrial demands but also to understand the contemporary political and social values. Moreover, economic analysis of the decline of a technological system may have extremely useful implications for the future technologies. This paper is divided into four major parts: Introduction, Literature Review, Analysis and Conclusion. Reputable scholarly resources and contemporary literature of twentieth century have been used for research and reflection on the topic. Ca ses of USA and UK have been discussed with special emphasis. Research Question: Give an account of a disappearing technology of the twentieth century. Why has its use decreased? Literature Review The steam engines have been part of a gigantic technological system which dominated the world almost throughout the twentieth century. ... acilitated political organisation, industrial production and transportation, Theoretical Perspective: Innovation can be regarded as the driving force of technological development which is designed to meet the socio-economic demands of the populace. So, too much emphasis on the developmental phase of a technological system may appear to be natural; but this is not a wise option always.2 â€Å"We know, for example, more about the first automobiles and the infancy of the automobile industry than we know about the dominating transportation technologies at the same period.†3 But the importance of an older technological system lies in the fact that it may not be necessarily abandoned at the introduction of a new system. Although cases of exponential decline of a technology are known, older and modern technologies do exist in our world side by side. Illustrating the American charcoal industry, Schallenberg has put forward that evolution, adaptation and survival are the key phases in the life cycle of a technology which may eventually culminate at a slow or exponential decline.4 In the case of steam engine technology, the pace of phasing out the steam locomotives has been fast in some countries (e.g., Britain, USA, etc.) and slow in some other countries (e.g. India, China, etc.). The extent of once powerful steam engine technology has been truly international and impressive. Evolution of Steam Locomotives: Steam locomotive capable of passenger conveyance was invented by the British engineer George Stephenson in 1825. Hence UK can be regarded as the first country in the world that developed its steam powered railway system. In USA, steam locomotive was first operated in the year 1829. Subsequently, locomotive manufacturing industry started off in the country. In the 1830s and

Government Job vs Private Job Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Government Job vs Private Job - Research Paper Example The â€Å"game† presents no investment in the future of the company or corporation, its merle an exchange of wealth. This scenario contributes many problems to the current operating business atmosphere. Mergers bring about immediate economic problems that include, loss of markets to foreign competitors, continuing trade deficits, inadequate operating capital, declining productivity, debt-heavy corporations, and loss of many jobs. The debt is due mainly to financing in order to carry out the merger. These problems plus lagging research and development add to the complications of business operations after the merger is finalized. Another factor that has played a significant role in the situation of state and federal government budgets now are government financial bailouts. The first of these was the Savings and Loan Bailout of 1989 due to more than half of America’s Savings and Loans failing between 1986 and 1989. This was primarily due to lax government lending policies. These business bailouts have directly affected the budget, deficits, and economic stability of our federal and state governments. The US passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act in October 2008 for a $700 billion financial sector bailout. This resulted in the bank rescue of 2008, which called for a $250 billion cash infusion into the banking system. The bailout of Bear Stearns in April 2008 ended in lending the firm $29 billion to JP Morgan to buy the troubled firm. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapsed in the late summer of 2008. The federal government committed up to $200 billion to save both these giant mortgage lenders. Also, $100 billion in cash credits was guaranteed to each of them to prevent bankruptcy. American International Group (AIG), who was one of the largest insurance companies in the world. The government took control of the company and guaranteed them $85 billion in loans.

Discussion Question for Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince Essay

Discussion Question for Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince - Essay Example He himself was made subject to this, when he lost his position in 1512 in the hands of the Medici Family. All these real life experiences led Machiavelli to write â€Å"The Prince† which at first was criticized for being cruel, but later, it was appreciated for all the theories and guidelines of warfare and politics. He easily finished the old norms of ruling the people and brought about a completely new way to run an empire, city or state. In the beginning of the book, Machiavelli very cleverly identifies his readers with the terms and policies that he will be using further in the book. The initial chapters are simple and they give the reader an easy introduction into the world of Machiavelli: one that exists on the hard work and effort of the ruler himself and has nothing to do with Divine Interference or whatsoever. Niccolo’s ideas become very clear initially when he clearly explains the idea of maintaining a new principality is better than governing a hereditary sta te. He argues that inheriting power and position means that one has to keep up with people’s expectations to make their life better. However, it is much easier to govern an entirely new principality where people care less if their lives are not fidgeted with. His brutal and cruel nature is depicted through the idea of killing the former Prince’s family to keep control. ... And if his successors had been united they would have enjoyed it securely and at their ease, for there were no tumults raised in the kingdom except those they provoked themselves.† Cold hearted and cold blooded, Niccolo believed that the power stays with you only if you are ready to go to any extents possible. As the book proceeds, the typical Machiavellian thoughts shine. As the adjective suggests, his name is used as a synonym for treachery, cruelty and oppression. Hence, the book starts on with why and how a prince should really act and rule. To put it in simple words, the people of the state do not matter to Niccolo at all. For him it only matters that the Prince, the ruler has faith in him and then there is nothing else that will keep him out of power. â€Å"But to come to those who, by their own ability and not through fortune, have risen to be princes, I say that Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and such like are the most excellent examples†. Contradictory to Ancie nt theory, that rulers were sent with Divine help and that they have to be obeyed at any cost, Niccolo was with the view, that a person, himself is responsible for his throne and no one else, even not the people. Though he does not put aside the idea of a common man’s support, it is just an element or a step to the throne rather than the route itself. He is very clear about his ideology that rulers rule because they believe in their strength and they work hard for it. And working hard, for him meant oppression, brutality and cruelty. Machiavelli moves on to present an argument that ignores the question of right and wrong. He acknowledges the use of crime and cruelty in establishing power, and stresses on extreme cruelty if need rises. However, he suggests limiting the time period of cruelty so

Employee reward

Employee reward Employee Reward Assignment The aim of this essay is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages relating to broad-banding and grading pay structures. The first part of this paper will define broad-banding and grading pay structures. It will continue including various examples of both broad-branding and grading pay structures and also discussing the benefits and drawbacks of applying both structures within an organisation. The summary of the key findings will be included at the end of this paper in conclusion. A pay structure outlines the various levels of pay for jobs or groups of job by reference to their relative internal value as recognized by job evaluation and to external relativities as recognized by market rate surveys. In Figure 1.0 is an example of a Pay-graded structure. Example of a pay graded structure is shown in fig 1.0 (Google Images) The pay structures in organisations must be suitable to the necessary characteristics and needs of the required organisation and employees to enable it to work and be successful and worthwhile. The structures should make it attainable to achieve equity, operational flexibility and continuous development, steadiness and fairness in managing employee reward. The main types of pay structures are narrow-graded, Broad banded , job family, individual job grade, pay curve, spot rate and pay spine. Broad banding is the compression of a hierarchy of pay grades or salary ranges into a small number (typically four or five) of width bands. This was first introduced in organizations in the late 1980s and early 1990s (World at work, 2002). The aim of breaking down the job clusters or levels of positions into a fewer number of width bands are to: Provide pay structures which fit flatter organisation structures, Allow processes initially created to withstand hierarchy and vertical movement to be replaced, Work upon other methods of payment that reflect a broader range of employee development and contribution, as well as increased levels of competence, skill acquisition, incessant learning, career development and flexibility, etc. Each of the bands therefore spans the pay opportunities, which beforehand were covered by several pay ranges as illustrated in figure 2.0 Figure 2.0 Example of a broad-banded structure (Armstrong, 2002). ‘Broad banding is an attractive alternative to rigid, structured, specialized and hierarchical organizations. (Aon Consultings Forum, 2002). It differs from a conventional grading system due to the greater pay range within each band and the smaller number of bands. Determining the width of the bands requires care to be taken because if a band tends to be too broad it runs the risk of giving impractical expectations to those near the bottom. In this case, some organisations have introduced bands within bands, which are known as ‘zoning, and reason being is to contain expectations and make the structure more easily to understand and manage. The way Broad banding works is that, when job evaluation has been finalized, the artificial divisions, which normally differentiate between grades, are ignored. A group of titles such as manager, supervisor, operative, clerk are gathered into one large band. This then allows all employees in the organisation to fit into a salary structure, which may have as few as 5 broad bands as illustrated and mentioned above. Also, in Figure 3.0, is an example of a broad-banded salary structure. Figure 3.0 Example of Broad-banded salary structure (Stredwick, 2005) Adopting a broad banded structure concentrates on evaluating the individual, focusing on lateral career development and on competency growth rather than upward progression through a hierarchy. In a 1994 survey by the American Compensation Association/Hewitt Associates examined why organizations had implemented broad banding, 71% of the participants reported supporting a flatter organization and nurturing a new organizational culture, 57% mentioned the promotion of a widely skilled work force and facilitation of career development, and 55% reported minimizing administrative effort and reducing job evaluations. (Peters, 1994). Reasons as to why organizations adopt such an approach are; a de-emphasis on formal job evaluation systems can free up time for senior managers and compensation professionals to focus on critical business and people management issues. In addition to this, a broadband structure can support organizations with collaborative work styles that value process and results over control and status. (Aon Consultings Forum, 2002) Pay Expert Michael Armstrong recommends 12 steps for developing and installing a broad banded pay structure in his publication ‘ Employee Reward. A couple of examples of these steps are: ‘ Reach an agreement that it is the most appropriate pay structure for progression. ‘Decide on the width of bands, the degree of overlap (if any), the anchor points and pay zones. (LGE) Broad banded are most likely to be introduced to organisations, which are flexible, who do not operate with extended hierarchies and believe in continuous development. Broad banding continues to be an approach that has a great interest to managers seeking to enhance organisational performance. During the 1990s the number of companies implementing broad banding continued to increase from 10% of firms surveyed in 1993 to 23% in 1999. (HR Focus, 2000). Broad banding started out in the USA. William Mercer carried out a study in 1997. One of the outcomes of the study was that of approx. 3000 US organisations it was found that close to 45% had either installed the broad banding approach or were considering to do so. (Armstrong, 2002) Looking at the percentage, it is quite a large amount of organisations, which make broad banding look more attractive to other organisations that may be unsure about adopting this approach. Broad banding started of slow in the UK but research carried by Watson Wyatt in 1996 showed that 20 per cent of the 346 firms surveyed had introduced the system. More than half of the remaining firms planned to introduce it in their organisations. (Armstrong, 2002) Since then, there has been a considerable increase in the number of organisations with broad bands. The CIPD 1999/2000 survey of 193 organisations (Armstrong and Brown, 2001) found that 60 per cent of them had broad banded structures with five or fewer bands. Broad banding has become the most popular approach to the design of pay structures. In broad bands, pay is managed more flexibly than in a conventional graded structure and great is paid to market relativities. There are many advantages of adopting a broad banded structure as there are fewer number of bands which makes it easier to manage and an organisation operating with a small number of bands is able to address communication issues more effectively because it grades far more employees within the same pay category, greater width of bands, greater overlap between bands which means continuous development without being upgraded. Although broad banding has come to the force, graded pay structures remain the most standard types in the private sector, however broad banded structures are replacing traditional graded structures. ‘ In a broadband structure, the range of pay in a band is significantly higher than in a conventional graded structure. The band width may be as much as 100 per cent or even more, and there may be only four or five bands in the structure (Perret, 2007) As more employees will be grouped in the same band it can be used to reduce the status consciousness that is often found in a narrow banded pay structure. This in turn might help to focus employee attention to the external environment rather than internal equity. Broad-banding has flatter organisational structures and also encourages flexibility dispensing the need for constant regarding and promotion, less competition compared to graded pay as there is competition trying to compete to the next level of the structure rather than working as a team. ‘In broad banded pay systems, employees are encouraged to pursue the development of job skills the need to achieve the next promotion. (Loma, 1999) From research that was conducted it was found that in one large organization that had introduced broad banding, senior management reported that they received more thoughtful recommendations for promotions because managers did not need to promote people to get a raise simply because they were at the band ceiling. (Tyler, 1998) There are rewards rather than attributes in broad-banding and also worker commitment is at its highest. In traditional pay grading structures theres no prospects at getting to the top. In a business environment where organisations want to respond flexibly to global developments and customer requirements, the inflexibility of a traditional scheme has far too many disadvantages. Promotions are now far fewer as organisations have de-layered, reducing greatly the number of management and supervisory positions. Employees need to be far more flexible, willing to change their roles and learn more skills to meet the needs of the quickly changing their roles and learn more skills to meet the needs of the quickly changing national and international marketplace. The stiff, hierarchical grading structure is far less likely to match the quick-moving, responsive culture required in both manufacturing and service industries. They need to be able to adapt quickly to new changes being implemented. Despite the numerous advantages of the wider use of broad banding, at the close of the 90s, a Wyatt survey of 1,300 companies found that less than one in 10 used broad bands. If one was to remove the larger companies from the survey (5000 employees or more), only 6% to 7% used this approach. (Stern Associates, 2006) A few companies find that it works for them, but most are redesigning their structures to allow pay ranges to reflect the market. Conclusions As with any compensation structure, broad banding must be suited to the strategy, culture and employee needs of the particular employer. In my opinion and after careful consideration on broad banded structures I feel a broadband structure is best adopted in a culture that is flexible and team-based or at least is moving quickly in that direction. Companies should carefully weigh broad bandings pros and cons to ensure it fits with their organizational culture and business goals. Despite all the advantages of the broad banded systems, broad bands are still viewed as a novel approach to pay, yet to be proven workable. While companies continue to move to broadband pay programs, anecdotal reports indicate that many early-adopters are returning to more traditional pay structures. Clearly it is found that managers in organizations that have implemented broad banding believe they will have greater flexibility in directing the workforce if they can move people more readily in all directions within the organization without the constraints of narrowly defined jobs and restrictive pay grades/ranges.

Malcolm X, the Movie Essay -- Spike Lee

Spike Lee's version of Malcolm X's life is similar to the historical Malcolm X. By watching the movie and knowing who he was and his beliefs, one can easily tell how alike they are. When the movie starts Malcolm Little is getting his hair cut. The appearance is that he wants to look more like a white person. Malcolm X's father is a preacher, but the KKK came to the house to burn it down. Later, Malcolm's father is killed by being tied to the rail road tracks when a train comes. His father died when Malcolm was just a child.. After Malcolm's dad died A white woman came to tell Malcolm that they were going to take her kids away because she was an "unsuitable mother". They then sent Malcolm to a detention home which drove his mother insane. While at a club Malcolm met a white girl by the name of Sophia. They later moved in together. When Malcolm was in his early 20's he met a man which got him into the "gangster" life-style. He then began doing drugs. To feel like he was in with everyone else, Malcolm gets new clothes and a a gun. The gang, and Malcolm got into a lot of gambling. Malcolm messed up and almost got himself killed by the gang. Malcolm had to leave town with Sophia and Shorty, because the gang was still after them. Malcolm and Shorty later robbed a man's house and got caught. Shorty and Malcolm are sent to jail for 10 years at Charlestown State Prison for sleeping with a white women and for robbery. In prison, Malcolm got beaten for not knowing his prison number. He met a man named Banes. Banes talked to Malcolm about God. Banes was trying to get Malcolm out of prison. Malcolm finally reads and realizes what he has to do to get out of prison. Malcolm reads the Bible, other books, and he wrote letters to fellow Muslims. Banes teaches Malcolm about Islam religion and Elijah Muhammed. Finally after ten long years Malcolm finally gets out of prison. When Malcolm got out of prison he decided he would go out on the streets and make speeches about the Nation of Islam. After Malcolm became a Muslim, he went to see Archie. The old gang that Malcolm was in is getting in lots of trouble. While involved with the Muslim Nation, Malcolm meets sister Betty. Malcolm falls in love marries Betty and has three children. Brother Banes, a good friend of Malcolm's, gets beaten by police and then the police take him to the prison. Malcolm is tol... ... of Afro-American Unity. On the 21, of February in 1965 Malcolm was murdered. When he was buried he went by the name of Al Hajj Al-Shabazz, the name that he took in 1964 after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Malcolm has much influence on blacks and whites. Malcolm was a man of the people, in his ways of teaching on the street instead of going to college to become a preacher. The movie Malcolm X was very well portrayed by Spike Lee. It is historically accurate in the life of Malcolm X. It showed many of the struggles that he faced in making black history. The movie Malcolm X showed all the emotion of the original events, and it made the audience feel like they were reliving history. Some may not agree with Malcolm's point of view. However, the movie is accurate, as well as thrilling, and it pulls the audience into it. There is superb emotion and feeling. In all, the movie Malcolm X is a historically accurate movie of the true life of Malcolm Little. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Malcolm X, please visit Three Speeches By Malcolm X, a page that contains other links to resources of this intruiging historical figure.

Embryonic Stem Cells Unnecessary for Medical Progress :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Embryonic Stem Cells Unnecessary for Medical Progress Reporting on new research by Dr. Donald Orlic of the National Institutes of Health and others, indicating that adult bone marrow stem cells can help repair, and restore function in, damaged hearts: "Until now, researchers thought that stem cells from embryos offered the best hope for rebuilding damaged organs, but this latest research shows that the embryos, which are politically controversial, may not be necessary. 'We are currently finding that these adult stem cells can function as well, perhaps even better than, embryonic stem cells,' Orlic said." - "Approach may repair heart damage," MSNBC, March 30, 2001 (www.msnbc.com/news/552456.asp) * * * "Umbilical cords discarded after birth may offer a vast new source of repair material for fixing brains damaged by strokes and other ills, free of the ethical concerns surrounding the use of fetal tissue, researchers said Sunday." - "Umbilical cords could repair brains," Associated Press, February 20, 2001 * * * "PPL Therapeutics, the company that cloned Dolly the sheep, has succeeded in 'reprogramming' a cell -- a move that could lead to the development of treatments for diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The Scotland-based group will today announce that it has turned a cow's skin cell into a beating heart cell and is close to starting research on humans... The PPL announcement...will be seen as an important step towards producing stem cells without using human embryos." - "PPL follows Dolly with cell breakthrough," Financial Times, February 23, 2001 * * * "[O]rgan-specific adult stem cells appear to display much more plasticity than originally thought. Stem cells isolated from one tissue can differentiate into a variety of unrelated cell types and tissues... These findings raise the exciting possibility of using bone marrow transplantation to treat a wide variety of disorders, such as muscular dystrophies, Parkinson disease, stroke, and hepatic failure." - E. Kaji and J. Leiden, "Gene and Stem Cell Therapies," Journal of the American Medical Association, February 7, 2001, p. 547 * * * "[S]ince adult bone marrow has recently been found to contain stem cells of previously unrecognized 'plasticity' that are able to form a variety of types of cell -- muscle, liver, neural, bone, cartilage, endothelial, and perhaps others -- it may be possible to use marrow stem cells in cytotherapeutic approaches to a wide spectrum of diseases, such as cardiac disorders, muscular dystrophy, liver disease, neurodegenerative conditions, and joint diseases.

Human Element Essay

This study is related to an important topic that influence the evolution of both public and private institutions via improving human resource management and, hence improving the human resource itself, which occupies a vital and outstanding position in the comprehensive development strategies. Also, because of the role that effective human resource plays in planning and implementing development. Therefore, human element is considered an investment in the bright future of the institutions. Human resource is an innovative element that is described as an interactive rather than a rigid element, which is able to coordinate, maintain a balance between the various constituent of production and take the responsibility for the results of operations. On the other hand, external circumstances, such as the economic, political, social cultural and environmental factors, affect human element more than any other element. The researcher has selected Giad Automobiles Manufacturing Co. LTD, as a case study to introduce the influence of human resource development on employees’ performance. The results have been determined based on the analysis of the employees’ responses to the questionnaire that surveyed the employees’ community in the company. The questionnaire has tested the following hypotheses: 1- There is a relationship between the development of human resource management and the development of the working human element. 2- There is a relationship between the development of the human element and the development and improvement of performance in the institution, which leads to an increase in the production and, hence achieving the objectives. The researcher has applied several methodologies, such as case study methodology, descriptive methodology, and statistical analysis. The researcher has confirmed the validity of all the above hypotheses, in addition to the research outcomes that have led the researcher to conclude the study with some suggestions and recommendations.

Argumentation in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

At the beginning of the story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is constantly under the influence of a mother figure. That mother figure makes him feel guilty when he does something wrong, rewards him when he does something right, and also serves as a kind of protector of him. Although Huck does not realize it, he is always being looked after by something or other. At one point it’s the widow, and throughout most of the story it’s the river. In the story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the river becomes a provider of food, transportation, and refuge, metaphorically taking over the role as his mother when he runs away with Jim. At the beginning of the story, the Widow takes Huck under her wing and tries to teach him right from wrong. She makes him wear nice clothes, go to school, and say his daily prayers. Throughout his stay with the widow, Huck does not respond to the widow’s ways of teaching very well. When the widow asks Huck to do something, he does it, however, begrudgingly. She tries to teach Huck to become a gentleman and treats him as if he were her own son. When Tom Sawyer comes back into the picture, the widow takes on the motherly role of disapproval. She does not like the way Tom acts and makes believe all the time. This is why, rather than asking to see Tom, Huck usually snuck out when she did not know. The widow can not act as Huck’s mother for long though, because Huck is kidnapped by his father and fakes his own death to get away from everybody. After Huck’s â€Å"death,† he escapes to the river where he hides out on an island while his friends and family are searching for his body. During this time the river, without Huck realizing it, kind of takes over the role of mother. It provides protection from the elements when rain hits. It also hides Huck as the steamboat sails past with all his friends and family on board. Huck does not want the people to see him, or they will know he was just faking and will take him back to the life he is not fond of. Knowing this, Huck hides in the bushes and trees that grow along the river. When a mother knows that its child is in danger, she will hide it from the world so that it won’t get hurt. The river shows this motherly trait to Huck. The first thing a mother does for its child when it is a newborn, is to feed it. While Huck is a runaway, he needs food for survival. The river, in a way, provides this when Huck finds a loaf of bread floating down the river. Also later on in the story, Huck and Jim happen upon a house boat where they find many different types of fruit among other things.