Ethnography and participant obsevation Coursework

Ethnography and participant obsevation - Coursework Example A greater proportion of people coming to the store are the female gender indicating that shopping as a chore is more prone to be undertaken by women, and as a family group activity does not happen as an individual activity. Since the door of the store was not an automatic door, the expectation was that assistance would be provided to women with toddlers and the elderly, to gain access to the store by others ahead of them entering the store, by holding the door open for them. However, this was not the case, as the door was held open only once for other people and twice for women with toddlers. Less awareness of the difficulties of others and less concern for that appears to be the culture of people who entered the store during the period of observation. Lengthening the period of observation could have led to the unobtrusive exercise, losing that quality, as people entering the store could have become aware of the observation, and changed their patter of behavior. Literary References D ewalt, K. M. & Dewalt, B. R. (2002). Participant Observation. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.

Preparing Your First Speech Essay Example for Free

Preparing Your First Speech Essay Since this is a public speaking class, it means that you will indeed have to present speeches! Since many people become nervous at this prospect, I like to get the first one done early in the semester. It’s like ripping off a band-aid: rip it off fast to feel less pain. Your Introductory Speech is your first baby step into this field. This assignment is meant to be easy. It’s meant to be a way to get you up in front of the group and doing something for 2-4 minutes, not to be a heavy, taxing assignment. Therefore, if you find that it’s really hard, you’re doing it wrong! Take a deep breath, remember it’s supposed to be simple, and start over again. Because I want this assignment to be easy and I want everyone to be on about the same level, this is the one speech in the semester where I’m going to give you topics to choose from rather than just letting you pick something on your own. Don’t worry, after this one you can talk about any appropriate subjects you want, but for now, your choices are limited to five. Topics Your first topic option is called a â€Å"coat of arms† speech. A coat of arms is also often called a family crest. In Medieval heraldry, pictures were emblazoned on a knight’s shield or armor which represented that person’s character or ancestry. A family crest has pictures that tell about a family’s history. Don’t worry; I’m not going to ask you to research your genealogy! Instead, for this topic, I want you to create your own personal coat of arms. To do this, you should choose between 2 and 4 objects that represent something about you. For instance, if I were to create a coat of arms for myself, I would choose a golf club, a suitcase, and a roller coaster because those represent three of my favorite hobbies. I love to play golf (though I’m not very good at it), I seek any opportunity to travel, and I’m a huge roller coaster nut who will go anywhere to ride the latest and greatest ride. You could choose hobbies, as I have don e, or you may choose a person or people, a pet, something related to your future career, etc. You can choose anything that tells us a little bit about you, who you are, and what you like. You don’t have to get deep and personal, just tell us some basic, surface-level things about yourself. Since some people don’t like to talk about themselves, you have other options as well. Your second topic to choice is: if you could invite any three people to dinner, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional, who would they be and why? Who would you most like to meet and talk to, either from the past or the present? What would you like to learn from them? Since they don’t have to be living, I could choose Adolph Hitler if I wanted to. Since they can be fictional, I can choose Bugs Bunny if I want to. They don’t have to be famous people or characters, either. I know someone who would be at the top of my invitation list would be my grandmother, who died 25 years ago, and I’d just like to sit down and talk with her again. You might also address what that combination of people would be like at dinner. Are Hitler and Bugs Bunny going to get along, or will there be trouble? Will my grandmother be able to put Hitler in his place? Your third topic option is: if you were going to be stranded on a deserted island, what three books would you want to have with you? Do you want to entertain yourself with fiction? Would you prefer a survival or spiritual guide? Would you pick â€Å"A thousand and one ways to prepare coconuts† or â€Å"How to build a raft and get off a deserted island†? ï Å  When I bring up this topic option in a live class, students often groan that they don’t read or like a lot of books, so I’m not completely hung up on your choosing them, but I would like you pick some form of media such as magazines, music, movies, newspapers, journals, etc. We’ll just pretend you have a lifetime supply of batteries so you can watch those movies or listen to that music! Your first three choices have all been â€Å"informative†-type speeches, because you’d just be telling us about yourself, the people you’d like to meet, or the books you’d like to have. Your fourth topic option is a persuasive one: a sales speech. You can sell us any product or service. It can be a real product, or you can make up a fake one (and yes, it can be funny and creative). I know that many students I have in class work in sales, and if that’s the case with you, you can sell us the product you sell at work. The bottom line is: if you choose this option, your goal is to make us want the product by the end of your speech. Keep in mind that it isn’t meant to be a TV commercial; it should still be a proper speech in proper speech format. Your final option could be either informative or persuasive, depending on how you approach it. It is a speech about your pet peeves. What are the little nit-picky things other people do that really get on your nerves? Is it people who chew with their mouth open or fail to replace the toilet paper roll when it runs out? Is it all the bad drivers in Columbia? You could approach this topic option in a couple of different ways. You could pick out two or three different pet peeves and talk about each, or you could give two or three reasons why one thing is a big pet peeve of yours. For instance, I once had a woman in class who talked about the three things she found most irritating at Wal-Mart. Keep in mind that pet peeves are supposed to be minor irritations. Something like domestic abuse, for instance, isn’t a pet peeve, but a major social issue! Hopefully, you find at least one of those topic options appealing. Remember the assignment is supposed to be easy, so choose the one where ideas come to you most easily. Sometimes, upon first hearing the topic choices one stands out as â€Å"THE one† you’re going to do, but when you sit down to write it you can’t think of anything to say. If that’s the case, try another one to see if the ideas come to you more easily. You want the writing part of this to be easy so that you’ll have plenty of time to practice your speech before it’s due. You may also consider using a visual aid with this presentation. It’s not a requirement, but if you’re particularly nervous about speaking, you might consider it for a couple of reasons. First, having a visual aid may make you less nervous because it gives the audience something else to look at for a moment rather than you! Second, the visual aid will help you remember what you want to say in your speech. If I have a golf club lying on the table, I’m not likely to forget that I want to talk about golf! The visual aid could be an actual object, a picture, a power point slide show, or whatever may be appropriate for the subject you’re discussing. Writing and Organizing the Speech Regardless of which topic option you choose, your speech should contain certain basic elements that are present in all speeches that you will present in this class. First, the speech should begin with an introduction to lead the audience in to the main content of the speech. You should spend 10-15% of your speaking time setting up the speech in the introduction and it should include at least these two elements: an attention-getter, and a thesis that previews the main points. When a speaker first stands up to speak, the audience is doing a hundred other things rather than listening. They’re talking to each other, daydreaming, reading, doodling, and who knows what else? So, your first goal as a speaker is to get the audience to stop doing those things and to want to listen to what you have to say. You can accomplish this by having an effective attention device as the opening of your speech. There are several techniques you can use to draw the audience in. Attention Getters 1. You could ask the audience a question, which forces them to participate in some way. You could ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience wonder where you’re going with the speech, or you could ask for a show of hands in response to your question, which forces them to physically participate. In order for this to be an effective device, though, you have to make sure it’s a good question! If the question has an obvious answer, instead of drawing the audience in, you’ll turn them off! For instance, I once had a student who started his speech with â€Å"How many of you have ever watched television?† The audience laughed and nobody raised their hands. The speaker then timidly said, â€Å"No, really. Raise your hand if you’ve ever watched TV.† The audiences sighed and grudgingly held up their hands. The audience felt that it was obvious that they had all seen TV before, and resented having to actually answer that question, so the speakerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s attention getter backfired. 2. You could tell a joke. Humor is actually a wonderful way to begin a presentation. It lightens the mood and makes the audience want to hear more. Most speakers report feeling the most nervous right before starting their speech, so if you can tell a good joke and get the audience laughing, it will help you feel like they’re with you and you’ll start to relax. There are a couple of catches to this technique, though. First, the audience may expect you to continue to be funny throughout your speech. Second, you want to make sure it’s a good joke! If you tell a joke, you’ve got â€Å"wait for laughter† written in your notes, no one laughs, and you can hear the crickets chirping, it will make you more nervous! 3. You could use a quotation. If you’re choosing the people you would invite to dinner or the books you’d take to a deserted island, this could be a good attention device for you. Choose a powerful quotation from one of the people or a dramatic passage from one of your books, and it can help to set the mood of your speech. 4. You could make a shocking statement or give a surprising fact or statistic to begin the speech. A surprising fact about the subject can make the audience want to hear more about your subject and your research. 5. You could use a visual aid or physical demonstration to draw the audience in. For instance, if one of the objects you’ve chosen to represent yourself is something unusual, it may make the audience curious about what you’ll be discussing. I once had a student that opened his speech in a way that scared me to death. He stood up and started talking, when suddenly; another man burst in the door and attacked him! I was panicked! I thought, â€Å"Oh no, a fight! They’re going to kill each other!† Just as I was getting ready to call security, it became clear that this was a pre-planned â€Å"skit† for a speech about self-defense. The speaker was showing how to get out of a hold by an attacker. It was frightening, but it definitely got our atten tion! Not everyone is comfortable with being quite that dramatic, though, so feel free to use one of the other techniques. 6. A more subtle approach might be to tell a story. A story can gently draw the audience into your speech and topic. For instance, if I were doing my coat of arms speech, I might tell a story about a day at the amusement park. These are the main techniques speakers use to start a speech. You might also reference a historical event or a previous speaker. The main thing I want to get across to you is that you should NOT start a speech by stating the topic. Saying, â€Å"My name is Cindy and today I’m going to tell you about my coat of arms† is boring and not likely to make the audience interested. Don’t say, â€Å"My speech is on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"My topic is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Use a good, well thought-out attention getter. Keep in mind as well that the attention getter MUST be related to the content of the speech in some way. Don’t tell a random joke, for instance, tell a joke that’s related to something you’re actually going to talk about i n your speech. I feel that the attention getter is one of the hardest parts of the speech to write, and I would save it as one of the last things I write. You want to know what your main content is going to be before you decide how to start the speech. These with Preview of Main Points The second part of the introduction is to have a clear thesis that previews the main points you’ll discuss in the body of the speech. Just like a paper has a central thesis it’s trying to get across to the reader, a speech has a central thesis it’s trying to get across to the listeners. The thesis takes your entire speech and summarizes it in one sentence. It is THE thing you want the audience to remember, even if they remember nothing else about your speech. The thesis includes a preview of the main points that will be discussed in the body of the speech as well. This means that I’m literally going to state my main points in my introduction, as part of that thesis. For instance, a potential thesis for my coat of arms speech might be something like, â€Å"You’ll get to know me better once you see how much I like golf, travel, and roller coasters.† Now the audience knows that I’ll be discussing those three specific topics in my speech. One thing you’ll learn in this class is that most people aren’t particularly strong listeners, so you have to keep reminding them of what you want them to know. A general rule of speech making is â€Å"tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em. Tell ‘em. Then tell ‘em what you just told ‘em.† The preview is telling them what you’re going to tell them. I’ve had some students in the past that really hated the idea of doing a preview. They were afraid it would make the speech boring and repetitive or that it was giving away all the potential suspense in their speech. Well, it might be a bit repetitive, but that’s a necessary evil when dealing with oral communication. It’s also still possible to leave people in suspense while still previewing the body. For instance, in my â€Å"three people I’d invite to dinner speech† I could have the thesis of: â€Å"The three people I’d most like to have to dinner include a relative, a historical figure, and a cartoon character.† I’ve still previewed, but the audience won’t know which relative, historical figure, or cartoon character I’ve chosen until I talk about them in the body.

The History of Newspapers

The History of Newspapers Introduction: Any kinds of news about something new or current affairs which appears frequently and is a type of publication can be considered as a Newspaper. According to American author Mark Twain â€Å"If you dont read the newspaper, youre uninformed. If you read the newspaper, youre mis-informed.† Newspaper consists of many different contents such as news, articles, features, advertisement and many more which is printed in relatively cheap newsprint. Newspaper publishes news daily or weekly of general interest to large portions of public in a specific geographic area. According to American Novelist Norman Mailer Once a newspaper touches a story the facts are lost forever, even the protagonists. A newspaper contains news and articles that touches personalities, business and finance, crime, severe weather, natural disasters, health and medicine, science and technology, sports, entertainment, fashion and arts divided and published in different sections closely related to proximity factor or general interest of the people. Even though the Newspaper is based on facts and news, personal opinions are adjusted through editorials and op-eds. The newspaper includes photographs shot by the photographers along with stories and articles along with graphic artists, data, chats and diagrams. All the reports or stories have headlines and photographs with caption is edited to be fixed somewhere in the papers layout after being checked by the editors usually supervised by an editor-in-chief or an executive editor. The newspaper business is kept alive by general circulation or through advertisement they carry. It is important for newspaper to provide citizens with information on government and politics. History of Newspaper in European context: The history of newspaper in Europe can be traced back to 59 B.C. to A.D. 222 in Rome when writing and reading gained reliability. The Roman Empire published Acta Diurna (Daily Acts), a daily handwritten news sheets which were carved in mental or stone and posted by the government in Roman forum. The acta contained news of Political happenings, trials, scandals, military campaigns and executions. These were printed with the order of Julius Caesar, a Roman general and author of Latin writing style. The printing press came into light to propagate news in Europe soon after the invention of letter press by Johann Gutenberg in the 1450s which was the initiation of movable type of printing press. In 1470, one of the first printed works which can be considered as news was an Italian account of a tournament. Christopher Columbus had written a letter reporting his discoveries which was set in type and was circulated all over Barcelona before he got there in 1493. There were thousands of printed newsbooks, short pamphlets reporting on a news event, and news ballads, details of current events written in verse and generally printed on one side of a single sheet of paper which were circulated all over Europe and its colonies specially America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The newsbooks and news ballads was eligible enough to be called a newspaper since they appeared only once, to report only one story and had no identity separate from the scrupulous news report they told. There is no doubt that the concept of modern newspaper was invented in Europe. The oldest form of modern newspaper is said to be first published as a handwritten news sheets that circulated extensively in Venice, Italy in the sixteenth century. Notizie scritte (written notices) were published by the government of Venice in 1556 which led to the trademark of modern newspaper. Venice was the center of trade in Europe therefore hub for information. The Venetian news sheets also known as avisi or gazettes which was handwritten had information and news regarding politics, wars and economy of Italy and Europe during early modern era (1500 – 1800). The newspaper traveled all along Europe till London and was distributed weekly during 1566 A.D. They techniques and style they applied for this paper were short sets of news items, advanced from a particular city, printed under the name of that city along with the date on which they were sent. These techniques would be used in most early p rinted newspapers and this idea of handwritten newsbooks travelled all the way to Germany and Holland. According to World association of newspapers, the oldest surviving European printed newspaper were published weekly in German language in Germany, the first being Relation aller Fà ¼rnemmen und gedenckwà ¼rdign Historien printed in 1605 A.D. in Strasbourg by Johann Carlous followed Avisa Relation oder Zeitun printed by Lucas Schlute in 1609 in Wolfenbà ¼ttel. The names of the cities were not included in the papers in order to evade government prosecutions. It did not take much time for the printed newspaper to spread through Europe rapidly starting from printed weeklies which appeared in Basel in 1610, followed by Frankfort and Vienna in 1615 and finally in Berlin by 1617. All the weeklies were in German language and no specific names have been discovered. In 1618 the first Dutch newspaper weekly was introduced in Amsterdam called Courante uyt Italien, Buytslandt, c. which can be considered as the first broadsheet paper because it was issued in folio – size rather than previously printed pamphlets in quarto – size. The very first newspaper printed in England came in 1621 when an English official complained about the lack of means of communication in England. The French started printing newspaper of its own in May 30, 1631 called La Gazette in Paris. The Italians introduced their first printed weekly in 1639 followed by Spanish Catalan language newspaper Gazeta in 1641. The first English Language newspaper was printed in Amsterdam by Joris Veseler for the publisher Pieter van den Keere in 1620. The first English newspaper does not begin with a title because in those early days papers often did not have consistent names. The first English newspaper is well illustrated by the following item: Out of Ceulen (cologne), the 24 of November. Letters of Neurenburge of the 20 of this present, make mention, that they had advise from the Borders of Bohemis, that there had been a very great Battle by Prague. The news was translated in English, printed and shipped to London. Many early newspapers did not have many stories to be printed and struggled to find new news to fill their paper every week, especially in England, the news were published late. The readers expectation of weekly newes was not fulfilled during those time. This led to more working hours to gather news to fill the weekly news and this pace of gathering news lead to adapt itself to the schedule of daily newspapers later on. The first actually printed newspaper in England was Corante, or weekely newes from Italy, Gerany, Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, France and the low Countreys in September 24, 1621. The publisher known by only initials N.B. whose credits are given either to Nathaniel Butter and Nicholas Bourne which were both Englands first newspaper journalist. The second newspaper in France Gazette de France was also published in 1631 by Theophraste Renaudot which survived till the French Revolution in 1789. There were basically two formats in which the newspaper were published in early days; one was the Dutch paper style known as corantos, in which the reports were packed densely in only two or four pages and the other style was the German weeklies, generally a pamphlets with eight to twenty four pages. The Dutch style of paper eventually turned into German style in 1622. The news were printed directly in print shop as soon as it was received, such as the thirty years war raging on the continent at that time appeared under the name of Vienna, Frankfort or Prague or any other cities where a letter or newspaper found its way to a printing shop. The same news printed in some date in a certain city was printed in different date in some other city. In London the process of editing story to make it easier for the reader started by editor Thomas Gainsford, who started working in series of early English newspaper in 1622. The Oxford Gazette which was established in 7 November 1665 and that contained official journals of record of the British government is the oldest surviving English newspaper in the world today. The Daily Courant was the first daily newspaper in the England and the world. It was first published in 11 March 1702 and was produced by Elizabeth Mallet and contained a single page with advertisements on the reverser side. Year Newspaper Language City Country Reference 1605 Relation aller Fà ¼rnemmen und gedenckwà ¼rdign Historien German Strasbourg Holy Roman Empire First newspaper of the world 1609 Avisa Relation oder Zeitung German Wolfenbà ¼ttel Holy Roman Empire 1610 German Basel Swiss Confederacy 1615 German Frankfurt Holy Roman Empire 1617 German Berlin Holy Roman Empire 1618 Courante uyt Italien Duytslandt, c. Dutch Amsterdam Dutch Republic It is the worlds first broadsheet. out of use in 1664 1620 Nieuwe Tijdinghen Dutch Antwerp Spanish Netherlands Published in 1605 – 1629 1631 La Gazette French Paris France First newspaper in French language and first weekly magazine established between May 30, 1631 – September 30, 1915 1641 Gazeta Catalan Barcelona Spain The first Catalan Language newspaper. Only two issues were published 1645 Ordinari Post Tijdender Swedish Stockholm Sweden Oldest and still published newspaper in the world. Went online in 2007 1656 Weeckelycke Courante van Europa Dutch Haarlem Dutch Republic In 1664 the name was changed to Oprechte haerlemsche Courant. The newspaper merged with the Haarlems Dagblad in 1942 and still exists. 1661 La Gazeta Spanish Madrid Kingdom of Spain Existed till 2008 as Boletin official del Estado and went completely online from 2009. 1661 Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny Polish Krakow Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Lasted till 22 July 1661 in Warsaw. 1664 Gazzetta di Mantova Italian Mantua Duchy of Mantua, Holy Roman Empire Still the oldest privet and continuously published print in the world. 1665 Oxford Gazette English Oxford England It was renamed as London Gazette and moved to London in 1666. 1702 Daily Courant English London England It was the worlds first daily Newspaper. Merged with the Daily Gazetteer in 1735. 1702 Vedomosti Russian Moscow Russia Renamed as Sankt – Petersburgskie in 1728, and again renamed as Petrogradskie Vedomosti in 1914. Last issue in 1917. 1703 Wiener Zeitung German Vienna Austria Still in publication. 1704 The Review English London England Founded by Daniel Defoe as a Review of the Affairs of France until 1713. 1705 Hildesheimer Relations – Courier German Hildesheim Germany Still in publication with name Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung. 1705 Mercurius Hungaricus Hungarian Hungary Hungary Was printed in Latin and lasted till 1710. 1709 The Tatler English London Kingdom of Great Britain Founder was Richarded Steele and existed till 1711. 1709 The Worcester Post – Man English Worcester Kingdom of Great Britain Renamed as Berrows Worcester journal since 1753. Last publication was in 1690. 1710 The Examiner English London Kingdom of Great Britain Jonathan swift had the most contribution and lasted till 1714. 1711 The Spectator English London Kingdom of Great Britain Founded by Joseph Addison and lasted till 1712. 1719 The Daily Post English London Kingdom of Great Britain Established in 1719 by Daniel Defoe. It contained news about current events, science, art and all important dates. 1719 PraÃ…Â ¾skà © poÃ… ¡tovskà © noviny Czech Prague Kingdom of Bohemia It was a weekly newspaper which is no more. 1731 Gentlemans Magazine English London England Lasted till 1922 and was first to use the term magazine. 1734 Lloyds List English London England It still publishes news about shipping, marine insurance and is the oldest English – language daily to be published till date. 1735 Gazzetta di Parma Italian Parma Duchy of Parma Still available. 1737 The Belfast News Letter English Belfast Kingdom of Ireland Still available. 1738 Feuille dAvis de Neuchà ¢tel French Neuchatel Swiss Confederacy The oldest French – Language daily newspaper which is still published. 1747 The Press and Journal English Aberdeen United Kingdom Still available. 1749 Berlingske Danish Copenhagen Denmark – Norway Originally known as Kjà ¸benhavnske Danske Post-Tidender. Still available. 1752 Leeuwarder Courant Dutch Leeuwarden The Netherlands Originally known as Leeuwarder Saturdagse Courant. Still available. 1758 Norrkà ¶pings Tidningar Swedish Norrkà ¶ping Sweden Originally published weekly asNorrkà ¶pings Weko-Tidningar. Still available. 1761 Nassau – Saarbrà ¼ckisches Wochenblatt German Saarbrà ¼cken Nassausaarbrucken Still available as Sarbrà ¼ker Zeitung. 1767 Adresseavisen Norwegian Trondheim Denmark – Norway Originally namedKongelig allene privilegerede Trondheims Adresse-Contoirs Efterretninger. Still available 1767 Finns Leinster Journal English Kilkenny Kingdom of Ireland 1772 Fyens Stiftstidende Danish Odense Denmark – Norway Originally namedKongelig Privilegerede Odense Adresse-Contoirs Efterretninger. Still available. 1783 The Herald English Glasgow United Kingdom Still available. 1785 The Times English London United Kingdom Still available. 1791 The observer English London United Kingdom First Sunday newspaper of the world. Still available. 1794 Arhus Stiftstidende Danish Denmark – Norway Arhus Originally named Aarhus Stifts-Tidende.still available 1817 The Scotsman English Edinburgh United Kingdom Still available 1821 The Guardian English Manchester United Kingdom Originally named The Manchester Guardian. Still available. 1824 Abo Underrà ¤ttelser Swedish Abo Finland Still available. 1826 Le Figaro French Paris France Still available. 1829 Curierul Romà ¢nesc Romanian Bucharest Romania Lasted from 1829 to 1859. 1829 Albina Romà ¢nească Romanian Lasi Romania Lasted from 1829 to 1850. 1831 Takvim-I vekayi Turkish Istanbul Ottoman Empire Published till 1891. 1835 O Aà §oriano Oriental Portuguese Ponta Delgada Azores Portugal Still available. 1843 News of the World English London United Kingdom Closed in 7 July 2011, after the phone hacking scandal. 1844 Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant Dutch Rotterdam The Netherlands Merged with Algemeen Handelsblad in 1970 and still available. 1846 LIndà ©pendant French Perpignan France Still available. 1853 Faro de Vigo Spanish Vigo Spain Oldest and still available newspaper published in spain. 1854 Surrey Comet English London United Kingdom Still available. 1855 The Daily Telegraph English London United Kindom Still available. 1855 A Aurora do Lima Portuguese Viana do Castelo Portugal Still available. 1859 Le Progrà ¨s French Lyon France Still available. 1859 La Nazione Italian Florence Grand Duchy of Tuscany Still available. 1861 LOsservatore Romano Italian Vatican City Papal States Semi official newspaper of the Holy See. 1863 Church Times English London England Weekly newspaper which is still available. 1870 La Dà ©pà ªche du Midi French Tlulouse France Still available. 1873 Richmond and Twickenham Times English London England Weekly London newspaper which is still available. 1877 Dernià ¨res Nouvelles dAlsace French Strasbourg France Still available. 1881 The Evening News English London England Closed in 1987. 1882 El Pireneo Aragonà ©s Spanish Jaca Spain Still published in the Autonomous community of Aragon. 1888 Financial Times English London United Kingdom Still available. 1889 LEst Rà ©publicain French Nancy France Still available. 1891 Gazet van Antwerpen Dutch Antwerp Flanders, Belgium Still available. 1891 La Nuova Sardegna Italian Sassari Kindom of Italy Still available. 1893 Lidovà © Noviny Czech Brno Moravia, Austria – Hungary Still published in Prague and known as Lidovky. 1893 De Telegraaf Dutch Amsterdam The Netherlands Still available and is the largest Newspaper in Holland. 1895 Heraldo de Aragà ³n Spanish Zaragoza Spain Still available and known as Heraldo. 1896 Daily Mail English London England Was a major trendsetter for English newspaper market by starting the trend for popular mass journalism and is still published. Table 1: List of oldest newspapers in Europe according to the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. The freedom of the press was very much suppressed during those times and controlled by the authorities therefore very less news about the country was being printed at those times. The newspapers were not allowed to discuss any local or national issues or events. The first breakthrough in news writing came during the English Civil War after the parliament under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell struggled with King Charles I, and journalist felt free to discuss about it. The first English newspaper to talk about national issue was the sedate little weekly entitles which talked about the proceedings in the parliament in 1641. The struggle of freedom of press was initiated by John Milton in His Areopagitica in England 1644. They were free from government control and experienced free press. According to the historian Joseph Frank, newspapers in England were the first to use Headlines, print advertisement, employ women, newsboy to sell newspapers and proper journalist in the world in 1640s. Newspaper started reporting newsworthy national stories by 1649 with a story: This day the King was beheaded, over against the Banquetting house by White – Hall†¦. Cormwell gained more power after the beheading of Charles I and cracked down the press allowing only few newspapers to be printed. However the Glorious Revolution in 1688 again free the press freedom and the Licensing Act lapsed in 1695 allowing press to criticize the government and write what they pleased. Newspapers started taking new turns by becoming more commercial with more advertisement along with printing price listings and market reports. In 1650 the worlds oldest surviving printed daily newspaper Einkommende Zeitung was established in Leipzig in 1650. Daily Courant became the first daily newspaper in the world which appeared in London in 1702. In the early eighteenth century, according to journalism historian Stanley Morison, the newspaper gained a hold on Londons commercial classes which it never lost. At that time, too, great essayists like Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift began publishing newspapers filled with their social and political commentaries in London. Breakthrough in English newspaper came when journalist were allowed so sit in the gallery in parliament, however they could not take any notes. In 1783 journalist were allowed to take notes after William Woodfall, editor of morning Chronicles send his reports to write the parliament proceedings. Similarly reports about the French Revolution were heavily written all over Europe which led to many other revolutions notably the American Revolution in late 1700s. The early 19th century there was many newspapers being published in Europe specially after the Industrial Revolution. Advances in printing technology related to the Industrial Revolution enabled newspapers to Become and even more widely circulated means of communication. By 1814, the Times (London) acquired a printing press capable of making 1,100 impressions per minute. Conclusion In this way the development of newspapers in Europe has impacted the way of newspaper writing and printing all over the world. The rich history of newspaper in Europe and its domination around the world at that period has left a lot of impact and impression on other newspaper around the world. According to WAN-IFRA Currently there are more than 15 thousand newspaper titles in the world. Newspaper is a part of eve

heath care system Essay -- essays research papers

In the United States today there is an epidemic in heath care costs and medical benefit coverage not covering all a patients need; leaving victims with large medical expenses. Today raising cost of heath care has effected the lower middle class tens of thousands in debt that lead them to bankruptsy; but resent laws passed by the Bush administration (undoubtedly lobbied by hospitals boards) making it nearly impossible for people in the middle class to file chapter 7 bankrupsy that starts them off with a clean start. Instead forcing them to file for chapter 13 that involves large sum of money be produced in *5 yrs with penalties ranging to imprisonment if the debtors defaults on payment. President Bush in a speech on the topic said people have to take responsibility and pay there debt. In this move he completely ignores the rapidly growing problem with the heath care system and appeases the insurance companies and the hospitals by forcing patients to extraordinarily high cost for proc edures and my belief that they have patients go through unnecessary treatments to help hospitals combat their raising costs of insurance (only back my personal experience). It is a system of capitalistic heath care and the patients are the one's losing their money to make the rich richer at the expense of quality (or at least effective) heath care to the masses.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ...

Analysis on Blanche DuBois From “A Streetcar Named Desire”

In Tennesse Williams' play, â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† the readers are introduced to a character named Blanche DuBois. In the plot, Blanche is Stella's younger sister who has come to visit Stella and her husband Stanley in New Orleans. After their first meeting Stanley develops a strong dislike for Blanche and everything associated with her. Among the things Stanley dislikes about Blanche are her â€Å"spoiled-girl† manners and her indirect and quizzical way of conversing. Stanley also believes that Blanche has conned him and his wife out of the family mansion. In his opinion, she is a good-for-nothing â€Å"leech† that has attached itself to his household, and is just living off him. Blanche's lifelong habit of avoiding unpleasant realities leads to her breakdown as seen in her irrational response to death, her dependency, and her inability to defend herself from Stanley's attacks. Blanche†s situation with her husband is the key to her later behavior. She married rather early at the age of sixteen to whom a boy she believed was a perfect gentleman. He was sensitive, understanding, and civilized much like herself coming from an aristocratic background. She was truly in love with Allen whom she considered perfect in every way. Unfortunately for her he was a homosexual. As she caught him one evening in their house with an older man, she said nothing, permitting her disbelief to build up inside her. Sometime later that evening, while the two of them were dancing, she told him what she had seen and how he disgusted her. Immediately, he ran off the dance floor and shot himself, with the gunshot forever staying in Blanche†s mind. After that day, Blanche believed that she was really at fault for his suicide. She became promiscuous, seeking a substitute men (especially young boys), for her dead husband, thinking that she failed him sexually. Gradually her reputation as a whore built up and everyone in her home town knew about her. Even for military personnel at the near-by army base, Blanche's house became out-of-bounds. Promiscuity though wasn't the only problem she had. Many of the aged family members died and the funeral costs had to be covered by Blanche's modest salary. The deaths were long, disparaging and horrible on someone like Blanche. She was forced to mortgage the mansion, and soon the bank repossessed it. At school, where Blanche taught English, she was dismissed because of an incident she had with a seventeen-year-old student that reminded her of her late husband. Even the management of the hotel Blanche stayed in during her final days in Laurel, asked her to leave because of the all the different men that had been seeing there. All of this, cumulatively, weakened Blanche, turned her into an alcoholic, and lowered her mental stability bit-by-bit. Her husband's death affects her greatly and determines her behavior from then on. Having lost Allan, who meant so much to her, she is blinded by the light and from then on never lights anything stronger than a dim candle. This behavior is evident when she first comes to Stella's and puts a paper lantern over the light bulb. Towards the end, when the doctor comes for Blanche and she says she forgot something, Stanley hands her her paper lantern. Even Mitch notices that she cannot stand the pure light, and therefore refuses to go out with him during the daytime or to well lit places. Blanche herself says â€Å"I can't stand a naked light bulb any more than †¦ â€Å". A hate for bright light isn't the only affect on Blanche after Allan's death – she needs to fill her empty heart, and so she turns to a lifestyle of one-night-stands with strangers. She tries to comfort herself from not being able to satisfy Allan, and so Blanche makes an effort to satisfy strangers, thinking that they need her and that she can't fail them like she failed Allan. At the same time she turns to alcohol to avoid the brutality of death. The alcohol seems to ease her through the memories of the night of Allan's death. Overtime the memory comes back to her, the musical tune from the incident doesn't end in her mind until she has something alcoholic to drink. All of these irrational responses to death seem to signify how Blanche's mind is unstable, and yet she tries to still be the educated, well-mannered, and attractive person that Mitch first sees her as. She tries to not let the horridness come out on top of her image, wanting in an illusive and magical world instead. The life she desires though is not what she has and ends up with. Blanche is very dependent coming to Stella from Belle Reve with less than a dollar in change. Having been fired at school, she resorts to prostitution for finances, and even that does not suffice her. She has no choice but to come and live with her sister; Blanche is homeless, out of money, and cannot get a job due to her reputation in Laurel. Already in New Orleans, once she meets Stanley, Blanche is driven to get out of the house. She needs get away from Stanley for she feels that a Kowalski and a DuBois cannot coexist in the same household. Her only resort to get out, though, is Mitch. She then realizes how much she needs Mitch. When asked by Stella, Whether Blanche wants Mitch, Blanche answers â€Å"I want to rest†¦ breathe quietly again! Yes-I want Mitch†¦ if it happens†¦ I can leave here and not be anyone's problem†¦ â€Å". This demonstrates how dependent she is on Mitch, and consequently Blanche tries to get him to marry her. There is though Stanley who stands between her and Mitch. Stanley is a realist and cannot stand the elusive â€Å"dame Blanche†, eventually destroying her along with her illusions. Blanche cannot withstand his attacks. Before her, Stanley's household was exactly how he wanted it to be. When Blanche came around and drunk his liquor, bathed in his bathtub, and posed a threat to his marriage, he acted like a primitive animal that he was, going by the principle of â€Å"the survival of the fittest†. Blanche already weakened by her torturous past did not have much of a chance against him. From their first meeting when he realized she lied to him about drinking his liquor, he despised her. He attacked her fantasies about the rich boyfriend at a time when she was most emotionally unstable. He had fact over her word and forced her to convince herself that she did not part with Mitch in a friendly manner. Further, he went on asking her for the physical telegram to convince him that she did receive it. When Blanche was unable to provide it, he completely destroyed her fantasies, telling her how she was the worthless Queen of the Nile sitting, on her throne and swilling down his liquor. This wild rebuttal by Stanley she could not possibly take, just as she could not face a naked light bulb. Further when Stanley went on to rape her, he completely diminished her mental stability. It was not the actual rape that represents the causes for her following madness, but the fact that she was raped by a man who represented everything unacceptable to her. She couldn't handle being so closely exposed to something that she has averted and diluted all of her life – reality, realism, and rape by a man who knew her, destroyed her, and in the end made her something of his. She could not possibly effectively refute against him in front of Stella. Blanche's past and present actions & behavior, in the end, even in Stella's eyes depicted her as an insane person. All of Blanche's troubles with Stanley that in the end left her in a mental institution could have been avoided by her. Stanley and she would have gotten along better if she would have been frank with him during their first encounter. Blanche made a grave mistake by trying to act like a lady, or trying to be what she thought a lady ought to be. Stanley, being as primitive as he was, would have liked her better if she was honest with him about drinking his liquor. Blanche always felt she could give herself to strangers, and so she did try to flirt with Stanley at first. After all like she said to Stella â€Å"Honey, would I be here if the man weren't married? â€Å", Stanley did catch her eyes at first. But being brutally raped by him in the end destroyed her because he was not a starnger, he knew her, he made her face reality, and in a way he exposed her to the bright luminous light she could not stand all her life.

Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles

and can understand and comprehend around 20,000.... Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles Free Essays on Contrasting Different Thinking Styles Contrast the thinking styles of three year-old and seven year-olds. When contrasting the difference in thinking styles amongst three year-olds and seven year-olds, a number of things are brought to attention. First off, usually at the age of 3 children are able to understand that thinking goes on inside the mind and that it can actually deal with either real or imaginary things, that someone can be thinking of one thing while doing or looking at another, that a person whose eyes and ears are covered can think about objects, and most kids at this age realize that thinking is totally different from seeing, talking, toughing, and knowing. These kids, at the age of three have a hard time realizing that the mental activity in the brain never ever stops. However, once they reach the age of 7, most of these children begin to understand this concept. At the age of 3, they also have no idea that they talk to themselves in their heads. Once they hit the age of 7, they can understand that people who are asleep do not engage in conscious mental activity. When talking about false beliefs and deception, it is stated that three-year-olds fail to recognize false beliefs, and this is believed to stem from egocentric thinking. These children tend to believe that everyone else knows what they know and believes what they do. By the age of 7 however, children can begin to realize that two people who see or hear the same thing may react or interpret it differently. One last thing that is important to factor when discussing the thinking styles of these two ages is vocabulary. This plays a key role because they greater the vocabulary, then the greater the mind. It is noted that three year-olds can use 900 to 1,000 different words and uses about 12,000 a day. By the age of 7 however, children have a vocabulary of right around 2,600 words and can understand and comprehend around 20,000....

terrorism position paper essays

terrorism position paper essays Measures To Eliminate International Terrorism Terrorism has been an international nuisance for an extremely long time. Terrorism has been used to express political and religious beliefs, in retaliation for certain wrongdoing, and in other cases for the specific purposes of intimidating and injuring people. Nearly all nations are and have been effected by terrorism in one way or another. Some nations have been victimized others have actually been sponsors and the majority has seen their citizens stricken with the that they cannot be protected by their government from terrorism. Seeing as how one of the United Nations many goals is to protect innocent citizens, the United Nations has made many attempts to lesson, if not eradicate, the problems posed by international terrorism. One of the most important measures taken by the United Nations took place in 1994 with the passing of the Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism. Another measure, equally important and even more recent, took place in 1997 when the General Assembly adopted Resolution52/164, The International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Both of these measures planned strong action while keeping in mind the sovereignty of the nations involved and along with the passing of Security Council resolution 1269 which unequivocally condemns all acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, have taken great strides in the fight In our over forty years as a United Nations member, including two stints as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Austria has made attempts to aide in the eradication of international terrorism. In our nations opinion, terrorism is unacceptable and actions must be taken in order to protect current, as well as, future generations. However, these actions mus ...

Free Essays on Oppression

The Limits to Freedom What is oppression? The word oppression can relate to a wide myriad of situations, as it did in the 1960’s. Oppression is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as the act of oppressing; arbitrary exercise of power or a feeling of being heavily weighed down in mind or body. In the 1960’s it was not just one entity that experienced this need to obtain freedom, but it was many groups. According to Miller, â€Å"Something of value did happen in the sixties. New Voices were heard, new forms of beauty appeared. And most of the large questions raised by that moment of chaotic openness- political questions about the limits of freedom, and cultural questions, too, about the authority of the past and the anarchy of the new- are with us still† (Miller, 8). These â€Å"limits of freedom† explained by Miller are the oppressive standards that were evident in the 1960’s by not only college students, but also by African-Americans, women, the people of Vie tnam, and many other Americans who were exposed to technocracy, this era of oppression and its consequences is one of the major themes of this course. Technocracy triggered many of the social movements of the 1960’s that were lead by young adults of this time. Their beliefs arose from their opposition toward the violence of the Vietnam War, which unionized them. They felt that they were being oppressed, because people’s lives were in danger. The students were against society’s intentions of maintaining a status quo, these individuals tried to break the barriers of society and develop their own minds to change themselves and the world around them from being exploited. According to Roszak, â€Å"When any system of politics devours the surrounding culture, we have totalitarianism, the attempt to bring the whole of life under authoritarian control. We are bitterly familiar with totalitarian politics the from of brutal regimes which achieve their integration b... Free Essays on Oppression Free Essays on Oppression The Limits to Freedom What is oppression? The word oppression can relate to a wide myriad of situations, as it did in the 1960’s. Oppression is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as the act of oppressing; arbitrary exercise of power or a feeling of being heavily weighed down in mind or body. In the 1960’s it was not just one entity that experienced this need to obtain freedom, but it was many groups. According to Miller, â€Å"Something of value did happen in the sixties. New Voices were heard, new forms of beauty appeared. And most of the large questions raised by that moment of chaotic openness- political questions about the limits of freedom, and cultural questions, too, about the authority of the past and the anarchy of the new- are with us still† (Miller, 8). These â€Å"limits of freedom† explained by Miller are the oppressive standards that were evident in the 1960’s by not only college students, but also by African-Americans, women, the people of Vie tnam, and many other Americans who were exposed to technocracy, this era of oppression and its consequences is one of the major themes of this course. Technocracy triggered many of the social movements of the 1960’s that were lead by young adults of this time. Their beliefs arose from their opposition toward the violence of the Vietnam War, which unionized them. They felt that they were being oppressed, because people’s lives were in danger. The students were against society’s intentions of maintaining a status quo, these individuals tried to break the barriers of society and develop their own minds to change themselves and the world around them from being exploited. According to Roszak, â€Å"When any system of politics devours the surrounding culture, we have totalitarianism, the attempt to bring the whole of life under authoritarian control. We are bitterly familiar with totalitarian politics the from of brutal regimes which achieve their integration b...

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Critical Thinking - Essay Example The proposition has bureaucratic regulations and guidelines that do not guarantee that guardians are informed. It does not specify a person that will sign the mail, what will happen in case the mail delays, or if guardian is not at home, and if the teenage intercepts the letter. The propositions on my side only endanger the life our teens which can only be taken care of by a caring family. Additionally, the proposition does not protect the teens from the sexual predators and older men. There are already set up institutions that offer behavioral counseling and reporting illegal tasks and activities. Therefore, the proposition will not minimize the cases of teenage pregnancy and cannot force households to embrace communication because it is quite complex and unworkable and not confined on the predators. This will only put the teenagers at risk. Voting against means the teens will be safer and the freedom of choice will be protected. The proposition forces the teenagers to delay their m edical attention thereby suffering serious damages or consider committing suicide. Additionally, I would vote against the proposition since it puts the safety and health of the girls at stake. There is no single guideline that ensures good communication with a family. The only way that could minimize the issue of abortion and pregnancy is through caring, strong families and an outstanding sex education. In summary, I would vote against the proposition because there is no single law that will ensure communication within a family.

IT in Small Business Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IT in Small Business Accounting - Assignment Example Both sides of the Balance Sheet increase by $5000. Journal entry that would affect the Income Statement would be: DR CR Retained Earnings $2000 Wages Expense $2000 Assumption: Retained Earnings decreases with the debiting and Wages Expense account decrease while being posted to the expenses in the Income Statement. Assignment 2 The primary objectives of accounting are to fairly present the financial information in the financial statements with necessary disclosures in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) so that users of the financial statements can use them to make informative decisions. This fulfills one of the main objectives which is to give assurance to the public about financial statements. The main objective of the firm producing financial statements is to monitor business performance throughout the year and possibly compare with past results. When comparative financial statements are compiled, a better understanding of the level of consistency can b e obtained. A part of this objective of accounting is to judge the performance of management and employees. Why isn't the company doing well when Sales have gone up? Are employees being careless with materials? Using this financial information the company can analyze the data to find out why the budgeted amounts for the operations budget and the actual data differ. In doing this, management will be able to answer questions about employee performance and it's own performance. Another objective is to record all expenses and revenues in the correct period. This is important since in order to find the financial position we must know when to post revenues and expense to the income...This fulfills one of the main objectives which is to give assurance to the public about financial statements. The main objective of the firm producing financial statements is to monitor business performance throughout the year and possibly compare with past results. When comparative financial statements are c ompiled, a better understanding of the level of consistency can be obtained. A part of this objective of accounting is to judge the performance of management and employees. Why isn't the company doing well when Sales have gone up? Are employees being careless with materials? Using this financial information the company can analyze the data to find out why the budgeted amounts for the operations budget and the actual data differ. In doing this, management will be able to answer questions about employee performance and it's own performance. Another objective is to record all expenses and revenues in the correct period. This is important since in order to find the financial position we must know when to post revenues and expense to the income statement. We also need this information to prepare tax records. Another objective is to prepare for the future of the company. Management needs to know which parts of the company are functioning inefficiently or efficiently. Certain departments m ay be functioning inefficiently and its important to know why and what can be done to prevent waste or inefficiency.

Economics of Social Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economics of Social Issues - Assignment Example Due to the prohibition the supply curve is inelastic. The shortage of kidney is given by q’ minus q*. The market for kidney can be corrected by allowing for the sale and distribution of kidney in a free market. This would address the shortage of kidney and enable people with enough income to buy though at a higher price. The market equilibrium would be at price P* and at quantity Q* as shown in the diagram. The market for kidney is prone to negative externalities. The poor people are subject to exploitation from the rich by selling their organs in exchange for money. Moreover, people with debt may be pressured in selling their body organ to repay their debtor. The negative externality will result to increased sale of the kidney reducing the price of kidney to (p’) at quantity q’. Negative externality increases the production of services above the optimal level and thus the poor become vulnerable at the long

A history of ultrasound physics and the properties of the transducer Research Paper

A history of ultrasound physics and the properties of the transducer - Research Paper Example Prior to the second World War, sonar, which is the technique of transmitting waves of sound through water and observing the echoes that return to characterize the objects that are submerged, was an inspiration to the pioneers of ultrasound investigators in exploring ways and in turn applying the medical diagnosis concepts. This paper will highlight the history of ultrasound and discuss the properties of transducers. History of ultrasound According to Orenstein, (2008) Pythagoras, popular for his theory about right-angled triangles was the pioneer of ultrasound, since he invented the sonometer, which was used to study musical sounds. Boethius (c. 480-c.525) was the first to give comparison between sound waves to waves that were produced when a pebble was dropped into calm water. Pierre Curie, a French physicist discovered piezoelectricity in 1877, the moment that ultrasound was conceived. Later on, as Orenstein continues to assert, sonographic imaging was developed by French professor and physicist Paul Lavengin. Many scientists had the desire to see inside the human body and in turn developed probes and scopes for diagnosis and treatment during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For instance, the discovery of X-rays by William Conrad in 1865 played an important role in the history of ultrasound. Moreover, in 1912, when the Titanic sank while on its maiden voyage made people to be curious in detecting submerged s ubstances. Like many other technological advances, ultrasound also owes its development to the World War. Lavengin was called upon by the French government to develop an object that was able to detect the sub marines of the enemy during the World War One. The device he invented applied the piezoelectric effect he had learned as Curies’ student (Orenstein, 2008). The transducer is one of the most critical componenets of any diagnostic ultrasound system. There exists various types of ultrasound transducers that can be chosen prior to performing an ultrasound investigation, therefore, much attention should be accorded towards choosing the most suitable transducer for the ultrasound application (Gibbs, Cole, & Sassano, 2009 p27). However, Lavengin did not complete the device he developed in 1917 so that it could be used during the First World War, but it indeed formed the basis of sonar detection that was developed in the World War II (Orenstein, 2008). In 1928, Sergei Sokolov, a Russian physicist made important suggestions that saw ultrasound being used for industrial purposes that included detecting flaws in metallic devices. Ultrasound is a new aspect in the field of medicine. For instance, in the 1920s and the 1930s, ultrasound was used by members of European football clubs as a physical therapy. Additionally, as reported by Orenstein, ultrasound was utilized in the sterilization of vaccines as well as for cancer therapy in conjunction with radiation therapy. Subsequently, in 1948, other ultrasound pioneers such as Douglas Howry subjected his efforts towards developing a B-mode equipment that compared pathology to cross-sectional anatomy. The late 60s and early 70s was the period of sonic boom. A 2D echo was pioneered by Klaus Bom. Don Baker, John Reid and Dennis Watkins were able to develop a pulsed Doppler in 1966, which was able to detect the flow of blood from the different corners of the heart. Real-time ultrasound was developed in

Human Resource Strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource Strategies - Case Study Example It has Discount Stores, Supercenters (for one-stop shopping), and Neighborhood Markets (convenience stores). It also operates Sam's Club, America's leading members-only warehouse club (Our Retail Divisions 2007). Being the leader not just in a particular industry but to the whole business world as a whole in terms of revenues is a result of effective policies, plans, and strategies against its competitors. In case of Wal-Mart, their competitive advantage lies on how well and effective they make their principles into reality. Wal-Mart considers its corporate culture as one of the keys for its outstanding success. Walton was able instill his inspiring and motivating beliefs and principles that is being abided and taken by heart by his employees then, until now. Wal-Mart has retained the culture based on tested principles for a successful business and life (The Wal-Mart Culture 2007). The cornerstones by which Wal-Mart stands on are its Three Basic Beliefs. These three main thrust play an important role in decision making and other activities the company does. They are also the standards by which the accomplishments and performances of individual personnel or of the entire organization is measured. Respect the Individual - Wal-Mart believes that they are a group of dedicated, hardworking and ordinary individuals who are united "to make extraordinary things." Being an organization as such is no easy task. One of the essentials of making this happen goal happen is to treat each individual member within and outside the organization with respect and dignity. Service to our Customers - The retail giant knows that they are nothing without their customers. Because of this the company strives to ensure that each of the hard-earned dollar spent by their customers to their service is compensated accordingly by offering quality merchandise at the lowest price while providing outstanding service to them. Strive for Excellence - Wal-Mart's amazing success is a product of innovative and trailblazing ideas and goals that stretch their horizons further. For Walton, it is not enough that Wal-Mart offers low prices or high quality. He believed that striving for excellence by incorporating fresh and innovative ideas that will get them ahead of the pack. Accomplishing a feat is not enough. Complacency is never attained at Wal-Mart as the company takes each accomplishment as a stepping stone for another success. Sustainable improvement is what Walton wants for his organization (Three Basic Beliefs 2007). Sam's Rules for Building Businesses Perhaps still unsatisfied with the brevity of his three basic beliefs, Walton elaborated ten rules that would rev up his business steps higher. Together with the three basic beliefs, he had revealed much of his secrets before his death in April 1992. Commit to your business - The unwavering passion for making the business a phenomenal success is what Walton instilled in the minds and the hearts of his employees. For him the love for work and the desire to excel in it is needed in this fiercely competitive world. Share your profits with all your associates, and treat them as partners. - For Walton encouraging his associates to hold a stake in a company is important for them to accompany Wal-Mart in pursuing their dreams. By offering them discounted

3 Element's The Need for Affordable Healthcare is Now Essay

3 Element's The Need for Affordable Healthcare is Now - Essay Example The above statement is adequate for the audiences as well as the readers because it informs them of the perceived benefits. It makes them paint a picture of what they are likely to encounter with the implementation of the policy. â€Å"Businesses and corporations that offer benefits packages to their employees spend a large portion of their budget to ensure that in case of a medical emergency, their families and themselves are covered through private insurance companies." "in 2011, a report predicted that by 2014, 30% of health insurance benefits packages were going stop being offered due to the increasing awareness and accessibility to alternate care packages like ObamaCare." "In a 2001 survey, 46.2% filed bankruptcies were directly related to medical problems. Since then, the number has risen to 62 percent of filed bankruptcies in 2009, where over 90 percent of medical debtors were at least $5000 in medical debt or 10% of their family income before taxes". The writer has used evidences to support the thesis statement by giving out figures. Similarly, the figures show the statistics that the policy will have positive effects on the employees as well as employers. Generally, the content o the essay was up to the task because it fulfilled its purpose, had a clear thesis statement, which was supported by evidence. Through all these, the reader is convinced of the content as well as the reliability of the

A history of ultrasound physics and the properties of the transducer Research Paper

A history of ultrasound physics and the properties of the transducer - Research Paper Example Prior to the second World War, sonar, which is the technique of transmitting waves of sound through water and observing the echoes that return to characterize the objects that are submerged, was an inspiration to the pioneers of ultrasound investigators in exploring ways and in turn applying the medical diagnosis concepts. This paper will highlight the history of ultrasound and discuss the properties of transducers. History of ultrasound According to Orenstein, (2008) Pythagoras, popular for his theory about right-angled triangles was the pioneer of ultrasound, since he invented the sonometer, which was used to study musical sounds. Boethius (c. 480-c.525) was the first to give comparison between sound waves to waves that were produced when a pebble was dropped into calm water. Pierre Curie, a French physicist discovered piezoelectricity in 1877, the moment that ultrasound was conceived. Later on, as Orenstein continues to assert, sonographic imaging was developed by French professor and physicist Paul Lavengin. Many scientists had the desire to see inside the human body and in turn developed probes and scopes for diagnosis and treatment during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For instance, the discovery of X-rays by William Conrad in 1865 played an important role in the history of ultrasound. Moreover, in 1912, when the Titanic sank while on its maiden voyage made people to be curious in detecting submerged s ubstances. Like many other technological advances, ultrasound also owes its development to the World War. Lavengin was called upon by the French government to develop an object that was able to detect the sub marines of the enemy during the World War One. The device he invented applied the piezoelectric effect he had learned as Curies’ student (Orenstein, 2008). The transducer is one of the most critical componenets of any diagnostic ultrasound system. There exists various types of ultrasound transducers that can be chosen prior to performing an ultrasound investigation, therefore, much attention should be accorded towards choosing the most suitable transducer for the ultrasound application (Gibbs, Cole, & Sassano, 2009 p27). However, Lavengin did not complete the device he developed in 1917 so that it could be used during the First World War, but it indeed formed the basis of sonar detection that was developed in the World War II (Orenstein, 2008). In 1928, Sergei Sokolov, a Russian physicist made important suggestions that saw ultrasound being used for industrial purposes that included detecting flaws in metallic devices. Ultrasound is a new aspect in the field of medicine. For instance, in the 1920s and the 1930s, ultrasound was used by members of European football clubs as a physical therapy. Additionally, as reported by Orenstein, ultrasound was utilized in the sterilization of vaccines as well as for cancer therapy in conjunction with radiation therapy. Subsequently, in 1948, other ultrasound pioneers such as Douglas Howry subjected his efforts towards developing a B-mode equipment that compared pathology to cross-sectional anatomy. The late 60s and early 70s was the period of sonic boom. A 2D echo was pioneered by Klaus Bom. Don Baker, John Reid and Dennis Watkins were able to develop a pulsed Doppler in 1966, which was able to detect the flow of blood from the different corners of the heart. Real-time ultrasound was developed in

3 Element's The Need for Affordable Healthcare is Now Essay

3 Element's The Need for Affordable Healthcare is Now - Essay Example The above statement is adequate for the audiences as well as the readers because it informs them of the perceived benefits. It makes them paint a picture of what they are likely to encounter with the implementation of the policy. â€Å"Businesses and corporations that offer benefits packages to their employees spend a large portion of their budget to ensure that in case of a medical emergency, their families and themselves are covered through private insurance companies." "in 2011, a report predicted that by 2014, 30% of health insurance benefits packages were going stop being offered due to the increasing awareness and accessibility to alternate care packages like ObamaCare." "In a 2001 survey, 46.2% filed bankruptcies were directly related to medical problems. Since then, the number has risen to 62 percent of filed bankruptcies in 2009, where over 90 percent of medical debtors were at least $5000 in medical debt or 10% of their family income before taxes". The writer has used evidences to support the thesis statement by giving out figures. Similarly, the figures show the statistics that the policy will have positive effects on the employees as well as employers. Generally, the content o the essay was up to the task because it fulfilled its purpose, had a clear thesis statement, which was supported by evidence. Through all these, the reader is convinced of the content as well as the reliability of the

Creative Piece for as Level English Literature Coursework Comparing Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Creative Piece for as Level English Literature Coursework Comparing Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet Essay Kenneth Branagh takes Hamlet from play to screen in an intense, full-length adaptation and he got it right! Gregory Doran also takes a whack at bringing Hamlet from the stage to the screen but with a more modern-day interpretation. Branagh restores Hamlet’s greatest scenes and brings out the most in Shakespeare’s awe-inspiring revenge-tragedy plot; in both performance and direction, Branagh displays energy and cogency. The language has the upmost clarity and makes the film feel accessible and comprehensible for a range of viewers. Branagh’s pragmatic approach, which includes short illustrative ‘flashbacks’, work as a perfectly credible cinematic device that helps the audience to understand the complex scenarios. Branagh tends to rant on and shout throughout the film, especially in his soliloquys, but to the audience it could feel commanding and passionate and so it creates quite an impressive effect. The musical scores are generally helpful, although on occasions they don’t quite fit in with the mood, for example in Act 4, Scene 4, during Hamlet’s speech, the music just made it more humorous rather than serious and dramatic, honestly it sounded more like a cheesy American speech with a flag in the background! At the start of the film, the setting is a bit weak, with the shaking of the earth and the appearance of the ghost proving to be a poor attempt at special effects! However the film then gets flooded with colour and majestically inviting grand halls and rooms which are truly beautiful. The BBC’s adaptation of Hamlet (2009), takes a modern-day approach; from the start it is clear that this adaptation is modern dress, Hamlet wears jeans and a T-shirt and he kills Polonius with a handgun, as well as there being Helicopters and women in military roles. Some dialogue and scenes were ‘trimmed’ and adapted to suit viewers of the modern day and unlike the exuberant, bravura styling of Branagh’s version, Doran has favoured a more refined minimalist dramatization. Whilst the production design is theatrical, Doran directs the camera in a manner that is more typical of television; he uses a few cinematic flourishes and can reach angles that would be impossible on the stage. The use of modern CCTV may enforce the element of surveillance but their clumsy, intrusive functioning is more distractive rather than innovative. It is interesting however how Doran puts a camera in Hamlet’s hands to highlight that character’s observations of others. Onstage, Tennant made eye-contact with the audience, bringing  viewers into the plot and the tense impression of the play; this quality was also apparent in the film where Tennant looks directly into the camera, enhancing the meaning behind the text whilst recreating the theatrical intimacy. Branagh doesn’t stray from the original text in his exciting adaptation of Hamlet and the cast, acting, set and overall production was brilliant and can really captivate viewers. However despite the fact the former Doctor Who star tackled his role with an excellent fierceness, Doran’s modern-day approach was nowhere near as dynamic as Branagh’s performance.

Leadership and teamwork in nursing

Leadership and teamwork in nursing ABSTRACT Introduction: The treatment of vertebral osteomyelitis includes antibiotics with or without surgical intervention. Debridement is warranted for the treatment of idiopathic spondylo-discitis in case of neurological deficits, deformity, instability, abscess formation, intractable pain or failure of medical management. The use of instrumentation is still controversial. Objective: Is to evaluate the surgical outcome of idiopathic lumbar spondylodiscitis treated with posterior debridement combined with single-stage posterior instrumentation and autologus bone grafting. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of 15 cases of idiopathic lumbar spondylo-discitis treated with posterior debridement combined with single-stage posterior instrumentation and grafting. All patients were followed up for up to 1 year post-operative. We evaluated operative time, blood loss, and complications. Visual analogue scale (VAS), activities of daily living (ADL) (Barthel index), C reactive proteins (CRP), and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the preoperative, postoperative and final follow-up periods were used to evaluate the surgical outcome. Results: All 15 cases of lumbar infections resolved without recurrence. Bony union was obtained in all cases. Twelve out of 15 patients (80%) were completely relieved of pain and fully active with improvement neurological deficits, while the other 3 patients (20%) obtained a good result. No post-operative major complications were reported among the studied group. There were two superficial infections, which healed with debridement and antibiotics. Conclusion: According to the results reported in this short study, the proposed technique is an effective and safe treatment for idiopathic lumbar spondylo-discitis, if surgery is mandatory. Keywords: spondylo-discitis, debridement, posterior fixation. INTRODUCTION The increasing number of spinal infections has become a global health concern. It is currently due to reactivation of latent infections, more drug resistant agents and more immuno-compromised patients. It has been shown that delay in diagnosis can lead to increased morbidity and mortality, early diagnosis and treatment are therefore of paramount importance.(1) Spinal infections encompass a spectrum of conditions comprising spondylitis, discitis, spondylodiscitis, pyogenic facet arthropathy, epidural infection, meningitis, polyradiculopathy and myelitis. All of these have a specific presentation and clinical course.(2) Osteomyelitis of the spine accounts for approximately 1 to 7% of all osseous infections. In recent years, there have been an increasing incidence of spinal infections, which is now estimated to occur in approximately 1/100,000 individuals annually. This rise may be attributed to the increasing prevalence of elderly and immuno-compromised individuals in the population.(3) The predominant organism in almost all studies is Staphylococcus aureus, accounting for approximately 40 to 80% of all spinal infections. Other Gram-positive organisms such as S. epidermidis and Streptococcus species are also common.(4) Establishing the diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis in a timely fashion is critical to preventing catastrophic neurological injury. In the modern imaging era, magnetic resonance imaging, in particular, has facilitated the diagnosis of osteomyelitis even before the onset of neurological signs or symptoms. Nevertheless, despite advancements in diagnosis, there remains disagreement regarding appropriate treatment. Antibiotics are the main- stay of therapy.(5) The treatment of pyogenic spondylodiscitis with intravenous antibiotics is universally agreed upon. More than 75% of patients can be treated with intravenous antibiotics and immobilization.(6) Although no difference in clinical outcomes has been observed when comparing antibiotics alone with antibiotics plus surgical debridement, debridement of infected and dead tissue removes the source of continuing sepsis, may allow shorter courses of antibiotic treatment and may also allow early mobilization of the patient.(7) Surgery is generally reserved for patients with neurological involvement, spinal instability, severe deformity, and/or those in whom antibiotics alone have not been effective. Current surgical treatment options include anterior or posterior decompression with or without fusion, and with or without instrumentation. The fact that there exist several alternative surgical approaches highlights the lack of a consensus on the optimal operative treatment for vertebral osteomyelitis. The decision to place instrumentation into an infected spinal column remains controversial. Numerous authors have shown that instrumentation in patients with osteomyelitis can be performed safely.(8) There is still controversy about the best surgical treatment. Many spine surgeons are unwilling to place an implant in an infected area. Some authors go one step further and advocate debridement-only surgery, followed by antibiotic treatment and second- stage instrumentation. Other authors propose single-stage anterior decompression, bone grafting and instrumentation.(9) Aim of the work The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of idiopathic lumbar spondylodiscitis treated with posterior debridement combined with single-stage posterior instrumentation and autologus bone grafting. METHODS This retrospective study included 15 patients (9 males, 6 females) with a mean age of 66 years (range: 43-80) who were admitted to El-Menoufia University Hospitals Neurosurgical Department, in the period from Aug 2007 to Nov 2008. The inclusion criteria were: MRI of lumbo-sacral spine showing evidence of spondylodiscitis. Plain radiographs revealed disc space narrowing with erosion and sclerosis of the adjacent end-plates. Persistent high levels of laboratory tests: white blood cell count (WBC; count/mm3), C-reactive protein (CRP; mg/dl) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR; mm/h). Failure of conservative treatment for about 3 months. Development of neurological deficit. The exclusion criteria were: Postoperative spondylodiscitis. Decreasing ESR and CRP levels with conservative treatment. Medically unfit patients. The mean duration of symptoms before admission was 3.7 months (range: 0.5 to 12 months) and the mean duration of conservative treatment before surgery was 2.2 months (range: 1 to 3 months). The average follow-up period was 12 months. Six out of 15 patients (40 %) had an elevated white blood cell count, while all 15 had an elevated ESR and CRP level .Plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without contrast were performed in all patients. Conservative treatment was given to all cases preoperatively in the form of two bactericidal and synergistic antibiotics were administered intravenously in high doses: mostly a first-generation cephalosporin and an aminoglycoside. Postoperatively, the antibiotics were adapted to the antibiogram performed on the specimens obtained. The duration of treatment was determined by the clinical evolution, the ESR and the C-reactive protein. Generally speaking, the antibiotics were administered intravenously for 6 weeks, and orally for 6 weeks. Patients were operated in the prone position for the posterior instrumentation and grafting. A meticulous debridement of all granulation tissue, devitalized disc and sequestra was carried out to the point where healthy cancellous bone is exposed. Wide decompression of the thecal sac was done, with drainage of any epidural abscess and depridment of any necrotic tissue, which were submitted for bacteriological culture and sensitivity, and histological examination. Finally, trans-pedicular screw fixation was done combined with autologus done chips graft. Postoperatively all patients were immediately mobilized with an external lumbo-sacral orthosis. Duration of surgery and operative blood loss were recorded. The clinical outcome was assessed according to Barthel Index,(10) which has been used since the 1960s because of its high reliability and validity, as regards the activities of daily living (ADL), and the VPAS as regards the severity of back pain. Fig 1: Preoperative sagittal MRI-scan of the lumbar spine. T2-weighted images showing L3-L4 spondylodiscitis. Fig 2: A, B. Postoperative antero-posterior and lateral radiographs showing L3-L4 posterior trans-pedicular screw fixation RESULTS After surgery, infection was successfully controlled in all patients, with return of the white blood cell count, ESR and CRP to normal within a mean period of 4 months (range, 2 to 6 months). Two patients (13% of cases) had a superficial wound infection which healed with debridement and antibiotics. The estimated blood loss was 650 ml (range 450-1000 ml). The mean duration of surgery was 3 hours (range: 2 hours to 4 hours). Bony fusion with incorporation of the graft was achieved in all patients. . Table I: Pre-operative clinical presentations No. % Persistent low back pain 15 100 % Radiculopathy 12 80 % Constitutional symptoms 6 40 % Table II: Pre-operative laboratory findings No. % Elevated ESR 15 100 % Elevated CRP 10 66 % Leukocytosis 6 40 % Table III: Pre-operative radiological leveling No. % L 3/4 spondylodiscitis 8 53 % L4/5 Spondylodiscitis 5 33 % L5/S1 Spondylodiscitis 2 14 % Table IV: Associated risk factors No. % DM 5 33 % Chronic Liver Disease 2 14 % Urinary tract infection 4 28 % Table V: Post-operative outcome according to Barthel Index No. % Excellent 12 80 % Good 3 20 % Total 15 100 % DISCUSSION Although there have been advances in diagnosis and treatment of spinal infections with further refinement of microbiological and histopathological techniques, early detection and management remain a matter of considerable difficulty.(11) A correct diagnosis may be delayed by more than a month in over two thirds of the patients. A rise in the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s elderly and immuno-compromised populations is bringing an increased incidence of pyogenic and granulomatous infections of the spine, hence, timely diagnosis of pyogenic spondylodiscitis with back pain and fever may prevent greater tissue destruction, spinal instability and progressive neurological deficit. Advances in therapy have reduced mortality rates, but early diagnosis is essential for a satisfactory outcome.(12) The exact cause of lumbar spondylodiscitis is controversial; some authors believe that there are two types of spondylodiscitis, a septic form caused by an infectious agent and an aseptic form resulting from an inflammatory reaction. (13) Others believe that there is no such thing as an aseptic spondylodiscitis and that this form is actually the result of a less virulent, low grade infection.(14) Once inoculated, the process of infection and discitis begins. More than often, the main causative organism is not identified. When an organism is identified, the most common infectious etiologic agent is Staphylococcus aureus followed by other Staphylococcus species and anaerobic organisms. Other less common organisms include Streptococcus viridans and other Streptococcus species, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.(15) Traditionally, the mainstay treatment of pyogenic infections of the spine remains medical management, with external immobilization and culture specific antibiotics for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks. However, large clinical series have demonstrated the need for surgical intervention in up to 43% to 57% of the patients, in case of neurological compromise, deformity, instability, abscess formation, extensive destruction, intractable pain or failure of medical management.(16) Because all the patients in our study were from the low socio-economic class and because of the difficulty to identify the causative organism, we elected not to perform CT guided biopsy and give the patients empirical broad spectrum antibiotics covering both aerobic and anerobic pathogens. It has been reported that the most sensitive laboratory studies indicative of the presence of an inflammatory process are the ESR and the CRP. However, it should be noted that in adults, ESR trends are confused by associated medical conditions. Nevertheless, the ESR was a useful tool in the management of adult pyogenic spondylodiscitis, and the authors of most studies on this matter, view a 60 to 85% reduction in the ESR as compatible with eradication of infection, and this correlates with the results in our study which reported reduction of ESR in 80% of case.(17) MRI is the radiographic imaging modality of choice in diagnosing lumbar spondylodiscitis with a reported sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 97%, respectively. It has been shown that MRI is superior in showing loss of disc space height. This can be accompanied with erosion of the vertebral end plates above and below the infected disc space, and these changes were reported in all cases included in our study.(18) In the surgical treatment of spondylodiscitis, numerous authors have advocated a staged operation with a period of antibiotic therapy bridging the debridement and instrumentation procedures. Open surgical drainage for spondylodiscitis was historically reserved for patients with an epidural abscess. The prognosis is stated to be better when treatment is instituted early during the infection.(19) Posterior debridement combined with trans-pedicular screw fixation has been advocated by several authors. Dai et al(20) obtained 100% of good results with this technique in a series of 22 cases and we used the same technique in this short study. The first series describing the consistent placement of posterior instrumentation at the time of debridement was published in 1988 by Redfern et al(21) In 1996, Rath et al(22) reported on a series of 43 patients with thoracic or lumbar spondylodiscitis who were treated entirely via a posterior approach. This approach is based on the principle that instrumentation placed posteriorly involves a second operating field that is not (at least directly) contaminated. Single-stage procedure surgery (autograft and posterior instrumentation) was used in this study and its results correlates with the Kuklo et al(23) study which included 21 patients with pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis managed by a single-stage with neither recurrence of infection nor perioperative complications. A single-stage procedure has several advantages, such as avoidance of a second anesthesia, reduced blood loss, avoidance of graft displacement during transfers, earlier mobilization, less anxiety for the patient, shortened hospital stay and less expense. (23) According to Barthel Index,(10) 80 % of our patients had an excellent result, without pain or restriction of activity. From a neurological viewpoint, ten patients (83%) of the 12 with a neurological deficit improved and these findings were consistent with Fayazi et al(24) who reported 85% improvement after posterior approach for lumbar spondylo-discitis. After posterior instrumentation, fusion rates up to 93% and 96% have been reported (25) the current study yielded a 100% fusion rate. As stated by Hadjipavlou et al(26) posterior stabilization through instrumentation was the critical factor in these improved results. We believe that posterior instrumentation and grafting is the principal stabilizer of the vertebral column in order to achieve a successful fusion. Conclusion Although this is a limited series, we found that a posterior debridement combined with trans-pedicular screw fixation and autologus grafting may be a safe and effective surgical treatment for selected patients with lumbar spondylodiscitis and may not be associated with recurrent hardware infections and/or any major complications.

Berkeley :: essays research papers

Berkeley As man progressed through the various stages of evolution, it is assumed that at a certain point he began to ponder the world around him. Of course, these first attempts fell short of being scholarly, probably consisting of a few grunts and snorts at best. As time passed on, though, these ideas persisted and were eventually tackled by the more intellectual, so-called philosophers. Thus, excavation of "the external world" began. As the authoritarinism of the ancients gave way to the more liberal views of the modernists, two main positions concerning epistemology and the nature of the world arose. The first view was exemplified by the empiricists, who stated that all knowledge comes from the senses. In opposition, the rationalists maintained that knowledge comes purely from deduction, and that this knowledge is processed by certain innate schema in the mind. Those that belonged to the empiricist school of thought developed quite separate and distinct ideas concerning the nature of the substratum of sensible objects. John Locke and David Hume upheld the belief that sensible things were composed of material substance, the basic framework for the materialist position. The main figure who believed that material substance did not exist is George Berkeley. In truth, it is the immaterialist position that seems the most logical when placed under close scrutiny. The initial groundwork for Berkeley's position is the truism that the materialist is a skeptic. In the writing of his three dialogues, Berkeley develops two characters: Hylas (the materialist) and Philonous (Berkeley himself). Philonous draws upon one central supposition of the materialist to formulate his argument of skepticism against him; this idea is that one can never perceive the real essence of anything. In short, the materialist feels that the information received through sense experience gives a representative picture of the outside world (the representative theory of perception), and one can not penetrate to the true essece of an object. This makes logical sense, for the only way to perceive this real essence would be to become the object itself! Although the idea is logical, it does contain a certain grounding for agnosticism. Let the reader consider this: if there is no way to actually sense the true material essence of anything, and all knowledge in empiricism comes from the senses, then the real material essence can not be perceived and therefore it can not be posited. This deserves careful consideration, for the materialist has been self-proclaimed a skeptic! If the believer in this theory were asked if a mythical beast such as a cyclops existed he would most certainly say no. As part of his reply he might add that because it can not be sensed it

A Tale of Two Cities :: essays research papers

A Tale of Two Cities In the fictitious novel Tale of Two Cities, the author, Charles Dickens, lays out a brilliant plot. Charles Dickens was born in England on February 7, 1812 near the south coast. His family moved to London when he was ten years old and quickly went into debt. To help support himself, Charles went to work at a blacking warehouse when he was twelve. His father was soon imprisoned for debt and shortly thereafter the rest of the family split apart. Charles continued to work at the blacking warehouse even after his father inherited some money and got out of prison. When he was thirteen, Dickens went back to school for two years. He later learned shorthand and became a freelance court reporter. He started out as a journalist at the age of twenty and later wrote his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. He went on to write many other novels, including Tale of Two Cities in 1859. Tale of Two Cities takes place in France and England during the troubled times of the French Revolution. There are travels by the characters between the countries, but most of the action takes place in Paris, France. The wineshop in Paris is the hot spot for the French revolutionists, mostly because the wineshop owner, Ernest Defarge, and his wife, Madame Defarge, are key leaders and officials of the revolution. Action in the book is scattered out in many places; such as the Bastille, Tellson's Bank, the home of the Manettes, and largely, the streets of Paris. These places help to introduce many characters into the plot. One of the main characters, Madame Therese Defarge, is a major antagonist who seeks revenge, being a key revolutionist. She is very stubborn and unforgiving in her cunning scheme of revenge on the Evermonde family. Throughout the story, she knits shrouds for the intended victims of the revolution. Charles Darnay, one of whom Mrs. Defarge is seeking revenge, is constantly being put on the stand and wants no part of his own lineage. He is a languid protagonist and has a tendency to get arrested and must be bailed out several times during the story. Dr. Alexander Manette, a veteran prisoner of the Bastille and moderate protagonist, cannot escape the memory of being held and sometimes relapses to cobbling shoes. Dr. Manette is somewhat redundant as a character in the novel, but plays a very significant

First Day of Elementary School Essay

The first day of school is always difficult. New faces on anew place. I came from a small private school in South Carolina and now I transferred to a public school in Utah. I am amazed by the big difference studying in the 2 vicinity. My mind is full of confusions and questions. Whenever I recall my first day, I can’t help but smile. Good thing I was able to survive it. First thing in the morning, I was really excited and looking forward to attending classes. Though I miss my classmates before, I know I need to move on and focus on what lies ahead of e. I get out of bed and look for something to wear. I believe wearing new clothes is not necessary but I am also afraid of being embarrassed by wearing something old. So I wore a simple jeans and shirt and rush my way to school then. One notable distinction for students on the first day of school is the look of ignorance. Everyone seems lost and looking at them on first glance, they look like very unfriendly and will not bother to know my name. It was really different fro South Carolina because there almost everyone knew one another and even your family. First day of school on a new environment is boring for me. The environment is stark and empty. I miss the feeling of people who are around us and greet us with smile and motivation. It was a major rule for students to wait outside the school premises. I find it awkward because the first day of school is supposed to be the moment where a student should experience the feeling of being at home to a new surrounding. The school is the second home of students. But it seems that my first day of school is like waiting for the plane to arrive while all of us are outside the university campuses. I wanted to blame my mom for taking me to school early which made my first day embarrassing. She is not the stereotypical mom who wears a jogging suit and drops off her kids in school. She is not fond of keeping schedules on track. I recall my kindergarten days when she brought me to school after Labor Day when in fact the school season starts in August. The same thing happened on my first day in public school. I was an hour and a half early and this leads me to rushing to the classroom without waiting for the bell. Since I am unaware of the rule I rushed towards the classroom thinking that I was already late for my class, I am dismayed by the coldness of my teacher who just barely look at me and told me to go outside and wait for the bell. To compose myself and regain my composure, I decided to sing jingle bells while walking towards outside. Having different students around me made me feel like an alien. I am also expecting for the usual sound of a ringing bell but it sounds like a text message. It was just a beep rather than a bell. Going back to the classroom scenario and my new teacher, she was not even excited to see me. I even put the best cologne for her to notice me but then my teacher is like a stick in the mud. In the end I learned that the only difference from my first day in public elementary school from my first day in kindergarten school is the number and the kind of people. Elementary school marks the preparation stage of young boys and girls towards high school. I believe that having many classmates allows me to gain more friends and more food during snack breaks. When luck strikes it is also the chance for me to gain more answers during exams. Students are not also fond of matching bow heads with Lily Pulitzer outfits. The girls at my new schools opt for matching Patagonia clothes. I cannot blame them for doing such because of the social status that they belong. After all it is not the clothes that you wear but your quality as a student that counts.