Arabic Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arabic Culture - Essay Example The Arabic language is a unifying language that is spoken by people classified as Semites and who are Asians of African origin while the language remains to have a lot of resemblance with Hebrew language. Arabic language is widely used among the Arabs and Muslims together with extensive use among the local communities as a vernacular language. There is a notable difference in the dialect of Arabic language which range from the modern standard, the media and the educated and the Arabic as vernacular (Mellor 55). Arabic language plays a significant role in the Arabic culture. For instance, some terminologies used in the Quran which is written in Arabic cannot be translated to other languages thereby, making Arabic a unifying factor in the Arab culture. Some of the terms that cannot be translated are kept in their original formats making it essential for people intending to become Islamic scholars to study the Arabic language (Mellor 111). In addition, Classical Arabic which is the main language used to write the Quran is the sole language used for presiding religious functions including prayers and Quran studying. It is for this reasons that I conclude that Arabic language plays a critical role in Arabic culture due to its usage in Quran writing which is a unifying book among the Arabs who are

Why Fast Food Essay Example for Free

Why Fast Food Essay There are numerous fast food companies emerging around the world, such as McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Subway and others. It is reported that China has already had 3000 branches of KFCs and 1100 branches of McDonald’s that set up by December, 2010. What’s more, McDonald’s spreading out among 121 countries with over 30,000 restaurants and 47 years of sustained profitability. It’s universally acknowledged that fast food is not healthy, especially for children. If you have it often, your health will be badly affected. However, it has become a trend nowadays. Obviously, people are keen on fast food because it is time-saving, a variety of choices, and tempting. As the society develops rapidly, time is the most valuable thing for everybody. In order to keep up with the high-paced life, people work very hard. Ever be engaged in their daily work, people have little time left to cook or they just feel exhausted after a day’s work that they don’t want to cook. Fast food really helps to cut down the time people spend on eating and cooking. Therefore, they prefer to go to McDonald’s or Jack in the Box to have a burger, some fries and a cup of coke as their dinner instead of making dinner by themselves. After all, having dinner in Jack in the Box, all they need to do is to wait for a few minutes then they can be satisfied savoring after a long day’s work, which definitely saves a lot of time from cooking. Housewives, for instance, spend lengthy time everyday thinking about what to eat is healthy and balanced-nutritious. And then they go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients. After all of this stuff, they still need to cook for the whole family through tedious process. Fortunately, a housewife doesn’t need to work, or they won’t live an easy life. In addition, fast food offers plenty of choices for people to choose what to eat. It exist a large amount of choice, for people to choose what to eat while the food can meet all kinds of people’s need. They have meat, like pork, chicken, and beef. They also have a variety of drinks and ice-cream. And the most popular might be the fries, more specifically, fried chicken and burger. Sandwiches, as well as hamburgers, contain both vegetables and meat which really have a balanced-nutritious. Moreover, various kinds of choices can make every meal diversified. So far as I discovered, Americans like to make big dinner, therefore, they can keep it as leftover for several days. But, if you go to McDonald’s, every meal could be different. You can have hamburger as lunch and fried chicken as dinner. One of my cousins, for example, who is very picky and eats little, always, makes my aunt angry and upset. Picky as she is, she can eventually find some food in a fast food restaurant, like fries, mashed potato, or chicken. Fast food is also tempting that almost no one can refuse it. Fried food, ice-cream, burgers and so on are exactly aiming at being attractive. Especially the fried food, which smells so tempting, stirs up people’s appetite. Children like to get stuck in the front of the fast food restaurant, staring at the delicate coating of the fast food and being captured by the smell of the food. Even some adults cannot help walking into the restaurant as they pass by. Apart from that, it’s also full of flavors, which to some extent satisfy comprehensive needs and possesses a group of stable consumers, leading to the fact that barely anyone can refuse the taste of the fries. As a result, there is always a long queue with anxious people ordering masses of food to satisfy their appetites. Fast food has already become an irresistible trend. People’s appeal towards fast food and the progressive development benefit each other. Some people may think it lacks of nutritious, making people gain weight easily, thus causing cancer or some other closely-related disease. Nevertheless, I am strongly in favor that fast food is of more advantages. It is convenient, favorable, and possesses a large scale. And what is most significance is that fast food co-responds with the high-pace life. That is the fundamental reason people are fond of fast food. Even though they are conscious that it is unhealthy, they can’t get rid of it. Since a large quantity of people love fast food, it is prone to develop rapidly. As indicate from above, fast food has become a trend nowadays for its considerateness, hasn’t it?

Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication

Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication People with diverse cultures are more than ever challenging when it comes to effective communication. Cultures vary with their ways of seeing hearing, interpreting the world, and thinking. Cultural differences can be depicting in a wide variety of behavior and beliefs that found in the daily living such as in the workplace. It often serves as a wall that makes it very in conducive for businesses to go about with their activities. Thus similar statement can perceive different meanings to group from varied cultures, despite of the same language that they talk. With this diverse languages and translation of statement has to be used to converse, the possible for misinterpreting or misunderstanding increases. Doing business in a global economy is a very typical in the multicultural workplace, whereas barriers to communication abound. There are other elements that confront people who are trying to exert effort with others of a various background. People coming from different parts of the country have a dissimilar foundations and upbringing orientation, and they may show emotions in a different way and exhibit different behaviors. This may implicate the barriers to cross-cultural communication and can impede the understanding of the individual’s point of view. According to the Putsch, R. W. (1985), language barrier prevent a communicants capacity to judge meanings of the intentions, reactions, and emotions and manage to create a condition of dependency on the person who rely the keys to the whole course of action- the interpreter. [1] It is the truth that efficient communication is the answer to success not only in personal but also to business relationships as well. Lack of proper communication among people, the message will not be in achieved with the desired interpretation. As Rampur, S. (2011) stated that cultural differences are always behind a reason why there is an existence of miscommunication between two people. A gap is already manifested between individuals with their respective different views and backgrounds as an effect of which the message to be perceived is not understood or misinterpreted.[2] Barriers of language are a very intricate thing, and communication among people talking diverse languages is hard as stated by Penn, S. She further explained that language is a method of looking at the shortcomings, and even expert interpreter can find it difficult to express multifaceted concepts and emotions, which can escort to misunderstandings. Often a time that when you always misunderstood by someone talking with your language, it is very hard to express the full meaning from a person with a diverse cultural background.[3] Most managers or clinical coordinator, when encountered with cultural variance, often have slight idea that the causal cause could be cultural, The Economist Intelligence Unit stated (2012). They are likely to imagine: ‘Why are you so distress? This is I usually act and people in my home office in no way get offend. What’s the matter with you?’ A manager has needs to be acquainted with the individual’s cultural background that powerfully influence the way they react.†[4] There are a lot of reasons why interpersonal interactions may be unsuccessful. Several communications, the message may not be established precisely the way the sender projected. It is, therefore, essential that the conversationalist seeks response to verify that their message is obviously perceived correctly. There are common barriers to effective communications in terms of Cultural perspective. Language Barriers, Hostile stereotypes, behavior differences, and emotional display are just the examples of common barriers to effective communication. With regards to language barriers, it has been observed that coming from different cultures may not be comfortable in communicating to other person because of unable to understand the accent nor the language that they possess. As for the hostile stereotypes, because of their negative perceptions towards certain circumstances, it might damage the relationship among people. Behavioral variances concerning employees of different cultures can roo t misinterpretations. In some values, looking someone in the eye while talking to you is measured rude, on the other hand in other cultures holding back from doing so is measured disrespectful. Cultural Norms and Patterns Cultural norms are the customary, pattern or model of a specific cultural, ethnic, race, social or religious group considers as classic. Cultural norms comprise behaviors, thoughts and customs, values, beliefs, institution and patterns of communication. We can study to collaborate and interact across cultural race as persons, clusters, and the social order. Frequently our own culture is imperceptible until it comes into commerce with another race. People are normally ethnocentric; they read other cultures within the outline of the understanding according to their personal view. [5] Effective communication with persons of diverse culture is expressly challenging. It takes furthermore awareness to overcome these shortcomings and converse efficiently across nations. Over the years, the world has experienced an alteration process in which it has convert a specific omnibus form of socially diverse cultures whether it is based on ethnicity, gender, age, race, physical abilities, religion, socio economic status or sexual orientation. Working with different cultures in their home aspect is more a substance of finesse, communication and diplomacy rather than the straight application of forcible power. Cultural study is all tackles of understanding one’s individual ethnic patterns and learning individual’s own cultural standards.[6] References Putsch, R. W. (1985). Cross cultural communication. The special case of interpreters in health care. The Journal of American Medical Association, 254 (23), 3344-3348. doi:10.1001/jama.1985.03360230076027. Rampur, S. (2011). Cultural barriers to effective communication. Health Promotion Agency. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cultural-barriers-to-effective-communication.html Penn, S. (2014). Cultural communication barriers in the workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/cultural-communication-barriers-workplace-13888.htm Economist Intelligence Unit (2012). Retrieved from http://www.jku.at/zsp/content/e48784/e164612/Competing_across_borders.pdf Kiss, G. (2008).Tactics for removing cultural barriers: A practical approach to effective communication. 7(3), 425–433 Retrieved from http://www.konyvtar.zmne.hu/docs/Volume7/Issue3/pdf/03kiss.pdf [1]Putsch, R. W. (1985) Cross cultural communication. The special case of interpreters in health care. The Journal of American Medical Association, 254 (23),3344-3348. doi:10.1001/jama.1985.03360230076027. [2]Rampur, S. (2011) Cultural barriers to effective communication. Health Promotion Agency. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cultural-barriers-to-effective-communication.html [3]Penn, S. (2014) Cultural communication barriers in the workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/cultural-communication-barriers-workplace-13888.html [4]Economist Intelligence Unit (2012) Retrieved from http://www.jku.at/zsp/content/e48784/e164612/Competing_across_borders.pdf [5]Kiss, G. (2008)Tactics for removing cultural barriers: A practical approach to effective communication. 7(3), 425–433 Retrieved from http://www.konyvtar.zmne.hu/docs/Volume7/Issue3/pdf/03kiss.pdf [6]Kiss, G. (2008)Tactics for removing cultural barriers: A practical approach to effective communication. 7(3), 425–433 Retrieved from http://www.konyvtar.zmne.hu/docs/Volume7/Issue3/pdf/03kiss.pdf

Richard Nixon Essay -- Presidents Biography Essays

Richard Nixon The President of the United States is often considered the most powerful elected official in the world. The President leads a nation of great wealth and military strength. Presidents have often provided decisive leadership in times of crisis, and they have shaped many important events in history. The President has many roles and performs many duties. As chief executive, the President makes sure that federal laws are enforced. As commander in chief of the nation's armed forces, the President is responsible for national defense. As foreign policy director, the President determines United States relation with other nations. As legislative leader, the President recommends new laws and works to win their passage. As head of a political party, the President helps mold the party's positions on national and foreign issues. As popular leader, the President tries to inspire the American people to work together to meet the nation's goals. Finally, as chief of state, the President perf orms a large variety of ceremonial duties. The thirty-seventh President, Richard Milhous Nixon, was born on January 9, 1913, in Yorba Linda, California. He was the second of the five sons of Francis Anthony Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon. At the age of about ten, he began working part time as a bean picker. During his teens, he worked as a handyman in a packinghouse, janitor at a swimming pool, and barker at an amusement park. While in college, Nixon served as bookkeeper and as manager of the vegetable department of his father's store. Always a good student, he was invited by Harvard and Yale to apply for scholarships, but his older brother's illness and the Depression made his presence close to home necessary. So he attended nearby Whittier College, where he graduated second in his class in 1934. He went on to law school at Duke University, where his seriousness and determination won him the nickname "Gloomy Gus." He graduated third in his class and applied for jobs with both large northeastern law firms and the FBI. His applications were all rejected, so he was forced to go home to southern California, where his mother helped get him a job at a friend's local law firm. Shortly after returning home, Nixon met Thelma Catharine Ryan. At that time she was teaching commercial subjects at Whittler High School. They were married on June 21, 1940. The Ni... ...r resigning the presidency, Nixon sought to portray himself as an elder statesman. He published five books on US foreign policy: The Real War (1980), Real Peace (1983), No More Vietnams (1985), 1999: Victory without War (1988), Seize the Moment (1992), and Beyond Peace (1994). By the 1990s, much of the scandal had been forgotten, and Nixon was once again hailed as a genius of foreign policy. He later died on April 22, 1994, in New York City of a massive stroke. Richard Nixon's wife, Patricia Ryan Nixon, was an excellent mother and an even better wife. She was a tireless campaigner when her husband ran unsuccessfully for President in 1960, and was at his side when Richard ran again in 1968 and won. Along with adding over six hundred paintings and antiques to the White House, and encouraging voluntary service; she traveled nearly everywhere with Nixon. She did many things to help the President, one for example, she visited Africa and South America with the unique diplomatic standing of Personal Representatives of the President. And again when Nixon was accused in the Watergate scandal she supported him one hundred percent. Patricia was always a charming and caring person.

Othello: Literary Essay on Iago Essay

Humans are born with a natural capacity for good and evil. As an individual develops, he or she is taught to distinguish between the two in order to strengthen a sense of right and wrong. Through Shakespeare’s play, ‘Othello’ (Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare, 2000) we are introduced to a meticulously devious character, Iago. Ironically affiliated with the military, a substandard moral compass, channels his unreasonable code of conduct. Well educated on human behaviour, his lack of ethics enables his character to exploit this skill set to deceive those around him, ultimately disguising his true character. Between self-perception, opposing character perceptions and audience perception, Iago portrays a brilliantly, manipulative villain whose two dimensional nature is concealed beneath sheets of false sympathy, integrity and empathy. Beyond all else, Iago considers himself a man of true wit and distinction. In Act I, he furiously declares, â€Å"I know my price† (p. 3). By this statement, he admits to Rodrigo, that upon oversight for the position of first lieutenant, his dedicated service and efforts have been in vain. Having served at the front lines of the war, Iago adamantly deems that his echelon of experience proves him a more deserving candidate, than young Cassio. More so, an over confidence in his abilities, lead to the belief that he is of a superior authority, â€Å"I am worth no worse a place† (ibid). Continuing his argument of non promotion, Iago sees it unbearable, even shameful that he has been regarded with such insignificance. A man of his status and self imposed importance should not be degraded to such a pitiable standard. In having lost out on the appointment, Iago’s pride and dignity have been considerably impaired. Once a devoted soldier under Othello’s command, Iago believed it was his rightful place to gain promotion to lieutenant. When these expectations were not met, it brought out the worst in Iago and the decision was interpreted as a personal offence to his proficiency. Although having already, risen to adequate ranks, Iago could not fathom the injustice. His superior and extensive knowledge had been undermined. In comparison to the present era, this form of ‘injustice’ is experienced frequently in professions where favoured parties lose out on coveted positions to seemingly less experienced oppositions. Victims feel at loss and that their competence has been jeopardised. Due to varying circumstances, these conceited opinions cannot be voiced as it translates into bad character and conduct. Consequently, Iago set out on a conquest for supremacy. Uncannily, abiding by modern day author, Robert Greene’s, â€Å"[Law] 3: Conceal your intentions†, of â€Å"The 48 Laws of Power’ (1998), detailing observational aspects profitable in a rise to command. Within the community of Cyprus, Iago gave no obvious reason for opposing characters to suspect his cunning. In this respect, he was constantly referred to as â€Å"Honest Iago† (p. 41). Specifically, Othello, affectionately used the term, â€Å"Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee. I prithee let thy wife attend to her† (ibid). Not only does Othello impart trust with ease, but he mistakes Iago as a dear friend. One who would never think to bring harm to Desdemona or he. This misplacement of faith encourages Iago in his surreptitious endeavours. On several more occasions we witness other characters mistakenly confer with and about Iago’s sincere nature. Following a grave night for Cassio, he bids a farewell of, â€Å"Good night, honest Iago† (p. 99) unaware of Iago’s key role in his ruin. Desdemona continues the chain of mistrust when she speaks, â€Å"O, that’s an honest fellow† (p. 113) of Iago’s phony grievances of Ca ssio’s unfortunate predicament. An individual’s nature can be concealed in various forms within the company he keeps, â€Å"Law 12: Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victims† (Greene, 1998). Iago, around such company manipulates and deceives his companions that he is faithful. Having grasped an understanding of human behavior, this wisdom is disposed through cruelty and brutality. In persuading the Cyprus population of his sincerity, unknown to the other characters, Iago fuels his perception of his superiority. Such is his wit that for a much of the play, his deceit goes undetected. When it appears that a character may unknowingly expose Iago’s ulterior motives, he buries the potential realisation beneath artificial concern. Among the audience, the consensus is that Iago is purely composed of arrogance, jealousy and hostility. Triumphant in his succession to provide false evidence of Cassio’s incompetence, Iago announces, â€Å"And what’s he then that says I play the villain, When this advice is free I give and honest†(Shakespeare, p. 99). Arrogance radiates from his gloating manner, of having provided Cassio with ingenious and true advice. Jealousy held as incentive to which Iago brought about the demotion and discredit of Cassio. Moreover, this envy fuelled his ploy in planting a seed of convincing doubt to which Othello was wrongly mislead that his wife, Desdemona, was unfaithful. Not only in determining the detriment of the Moor’s marriage, Iago displayed hostility through his own relationship with Emilia, â€Å"To have a foolish wife† (p. 133), consistent with yet another law, â€Å"Law 20: Do not commit to anyone†, (Greene, 1998). Only to the audience is Iago’s evil nature revealed for a significant portion of the play. We are exposed to his ulterior motives, lies and ultimate betrayal, â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him† (Shakespeare, p. 5). Unlike any other character in the play, Iago is not fazed by the level of destruction he causes, neither to whom. In subsequent scenes, viewers witness the steady yet gradual downfall of the Moor. Unsuspecting, characters, indirectly aid Iago’s cause, particularly his ignorant, praise seeking wife, Emilia, which furthermore increases his arrogance of his unmatched brilliance. To the audience each move Iago makes is calculated methodically and only adds to the current chaos of the present scene. Iago possesses an astute two dimensional disposition. His objective throughout the play is to ensure the Moor’s eventual ruin. He becomes the bane of Othello’s existence, through conniving, unforgivable means, only recognized by the audience if not himself. Born of a natural capacity for good and evil, it is evident that Iago acquires no good, a concept hidden from other characters within the play. In relation to the present, Iago demonstrates the extremity to which an individual will go in order to sabotage the happiness and prosperity of an enemy. Persecutors hold a high opinion of themselves, as Iago displayed. Yet, by all means this strategy to pursue such an attack is achieved through clandestine, surreptitious modes. Iago can distinguish between right and wrong but still, he opts for the latter. As Nobel Prize laureate, William Golding, once said, â€Å"We need more humanity, more care, more love. There are those who expect a political system to produce that; and others who expect the love to produce the system.† (Nobel Lecture, Dec 7, 1983). Humanity is defenceless against the erroneous nature of individuals like Iago. Repeatedly throughout ‘Othello’ (Shakespeare, 2000), his master scheme endures unnoticed. As children, we are prompted to ‘recognise virtue and vice’ (Zak. J. P. The Moral Molecule, 2011) to instil a sense of ethicality, nonetheless, alongside such vindictive figures like Iago, the ‘system’ (Nobel Lecture, 1983), political or military, regresses on any potential advancement, stunting ‘humanity, more care, more love’ (ibid). Humanity is susceptible to evil, regardless encouragement otherwise. As long as rouges exist, an eternal battle will ensue between good and bad, unmistakably demonstrated through I ago’s performance. Bibliography Novel References Gray, C. (Series 2000). Othello. Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare. London: Briddles Ltd. Website References Golding, G. W. (Dec 7, 1983). Nobel Lecture. Retrieved Aug 27, 2013, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1983/golding-lecture.html Keltner, D. (2007-08). The Power Paradox. Retrieved Aug 28, 2013 from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/power_paradox Unknown Author. (No date). The 48 Laws of Power. Retrieved Aug 28, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_48_Laws_of_Power Zak, J. P. (Feb 10, 2011). The Moral Molecule: Are Humans Good or Evil?. Retrieved Aug 28, 2013 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moral-molecule/201102/are-humans-good-or-evil

Free Essays on Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man

â€Å"Silence, exile, and cunning.†- these are weapons Stephen Dedalus chooses in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. And these, too, were weapons that its author, James Joyce, used against a hostile world.Like his fictional hero, Stephen, the young Joyce felt stifled by the narrow interests, religious pressures, and political squabbles of turn-of-the-century Ireland. In 1904, when he was twenty-two, he left his family, the Roman Catholic Church, and the â€Å"dull torpor† of Dublin for the European continent to become a writer. With brief exceptions, he was to remain away from Ireland for the rest of his life.It was a bold move for several reasons. In spite of his need to break away from constrictions on his development as a writer, Joyce had always been close to his family. He still admired the intellectual and artistic aspects of the Roman Catholic tradition that had nurtured him. And the city of Dublin was in his soul.(Asked later how long he had been away from Dublin, he answered: â€Å"Have I ever left it?†) But Joyce did achieve his literary goal in exile. The artistic climate of continental Europe encouraged experiment. With cunning (skillfulness) and hard work, Joyce developed his own literary voice. He labored for ten years on Portrait of the Artist, the fictionalized account of his youth. When it appeared in book form in 1916, twelve years after Joyce’s flight from Ireland, it created a sensation.Joyce was hailed as an important new force in literature.Portrait of the Artist is usually read as an autobiography, and many of the incidents in it come from Joyce’s youth. But don’t assume that he was exactly like his sober hero, Stephen Dedalus. Joyce’s younger brother Stanislaus, with whom he was very close, called Portrait of the Artist â€Å"a lying autobiography and a raking satire.† The book should be read as a work of art, not a documentary record. Joyce transformed autobiography into fict ion by selecting, sifting, ... Free Essays on Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man Free Essays on Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an autobiographical novel of James Joyce. The novel Stephen Hero was originally written as Joyce’s autobiography, which was reworked from the autobiographical piece entitled â€Å"Portrait of the Artist.† This piece was written for a journal, but was rejected due to sexual content. In each of these works it was Joyce’s main goal to create a story, in which the protagonist was a Catholic hero as well as a martyr, according to Richard Ellman, Joyce’s biographer. Stephen Dedalus is the main character of the novel, as well as the protagonist. The work starts out when Stephen is about three years of age, and Joyce does an excellent job of describing the experience of growing up to the reader by taking us into the mind of Stephen Dedalus through a literary technique called â€Å"stream of consciousness.† Stephen constantly detaches himself from others throughout his childhood. Sexual urges are a large problem for Stephen because he assumes he is the only boy feeling them. This only causes him to feel more distanced and outcast. Because Stephen is so shy and isolated, people believe that he is egotistical and arrogant, a mistake made all too frequently in our society. This makes it even harder for Stephen to fit in and get along with others. Stephen has persistent feelings for a girl named Eileen, but the idea of them being together is frowned upon by his family, which upsets Stephen. This obstacle is similar to a situation in another work, Dante’s Inferno, by Dante Alighieri. In Dante’s real life, his love is also out of reach. He is in love with a girl named Beatrice but cannot realize this love due to his betrothal to another woman. Beatrice dies prematurely at the young age of twenty-five, and this inspires Alighieri to write Inferno. Inferno is a story about Dante’s a brief period in his life when he lost sight of his moral principles, and turns to his faith in order to g... Free Essays on Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man â€Å"Silence, exile, and cunning.†- these are weapons Stephen Dedalus chooses in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. And these, too, were weapons that its author, James Joyce, used against a hostile world.Like his fictional hero, Stephen, the young Joyce felt stifled by the narrow interests, religious pressures, and political squabbles of turn-of-the-century Ireland. In 1904, when he was twenty-two, he left his family, the Roman Catholic Church, and the â€Å"dull torpor† of Dublin for the European continent to become a writer. With brief exceptions, he was to remain away from Ireland for the rest of his life.It was a bold move for several reasons. In spite of his need to break away from constrictions on his development as a writer, Joyce had always been close to his family. He still admired the intellectual and artistic aspects of the Roman Catholic tradition that had nurtured him. And the city of Dublin was in his soul.(Asked later how long he had been away from Dublin, he answered: â€Å"Have I ever left it?†) But Joyce did achieve his literary goal in exile. The artistic climate of continental Europe encouraged experiment. With cunning (skillfulness) and hard work, Joyce developed his own literary voice. He labored for ten years on Portrait of the Artist, the fictionalized account of his youth. When it appeared in book form in 1916, twelve years after Joyce’s flight from Ireland, it created a sensation.Joyce was hailed as an important new force in literature.Portrait of the Artist is usually read as an autobiography, and many of the incidents in it come from Joyce’s youth. But don’t assume that he was exactly like his sober hero, Stephen Dedalus. Joyce’s younger brother Stanislaus, with whom he was very close, called Portrait of the Artist â€Å"a lying autobiography and a raking satire.† The book should be read as a work of art, not a documentary record. Joyce transformed autobiography into fict ion by selecting, sifting, ...

anti-abortion research essay essays

anti-abortion research essay essays The definition of life according to Websters Dictionary is the property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter.(Websters Dictionary) According to this definition, what do murder, capital punishment, euthanasia and abortion all have in common? They all take away a life, but in Canada only one of these is not against the law and occurs over one hundred and thirty thousand times a year: abortion. Prior to the nineteen-seventies, abortion was illegal in Canada and was punishable by incarceration. Legal abortion was unheard of prior to this decade, and if this act was committed, a horrific stigma was placed upon such an individual. This was the most progressive and most active time period for the pro-choice movement. In history, the nineteen-seventys, was when values and beliefs began to change and more individuals began to speak out against the abortion laws. Today abortion has become a normal medical procedure, just like having ones tonsils removed. The present society has recognized the rights of the individual as very important because of the shift in societal values. As society progresses and changes its values, issues such as abortion have become more acceptable within the new limitations of societal values and beliefs. Abortion must be viewed as a whole instead of being judged as individual cases, and in doing such society will see abortion as morally wrong and, in turn, will make this act illegal once again. During the nineteenth century, society had great respect for life, as morals and the greater good were seen as important. Laws are a set of regulations and statutes that are made up of popular societal values and beliefs that are important by the members of society. As such, the belief of the right and respect of life was portrayed through the beliefs of the nineteenth century society. However, there was still the minority which...

Book Report Leadership Energy Essays

Book Report Leadership Energy Essays Book Report Leadership Energy Paper Book Report Leadership Energy Paper Cottrell has tried to put complicated ideas of a process to make successful organization into orders of simple principles which can be applied in everyday situations. This is an easy to read book. However, it does not mean the content is easy to guest and it is not worth reading. In fact, all of the cases that Cottrell mentioned are all significant ones of what an energize organization looks and feels like, and there are always something could be learned. He identifies five key The conductors of Leadership Energy: synchronization, speed, communication customer focus and integrity. If these are applied and followed, they ill not only turn your organization around with positive energy, but also show a leader how to maintain this energy. Chapter one is a comparison between the famous Albert Einstein equation and the Leadership Energy equation. It is a little bit unclear and creating curiosity, but everything will be answer and become much clearer from chapter 2 on. I really like chapter 6, communication conductor, because to me, communication is the key. It could be the most important one. In my personal experience, I work at couple of different places, but only at one place that I really felt the energy to go to work, and happy with it. My manager is a great person, he always goes to talk to employees, smile a lot, and he does not hesitate to give someone a complement. Most important thing, I did not feel Like he Just said that and did not care Like some others managers whom I got. He gave me some new responsibilities, and that made me feel important. Everybody wants to feel that they are Important, and I really tried to work harder. I know that making people happy and working harder at the same time Is not easy, but he did It. He Is my role model of a great leader. I think this book Is highly recommended for anyone who Is Interested In the topic of leadership. It packs very powerful principles to turn the mass Into a highly positive place to work. As Cottrell said, a leader must have the courage to learn. He vision to lead, and the passion to share. Successfully doing this will not only help you, but also help others in your team/organization to archive high goals. Book Report Leadership Energy (E=Mac): a High Velocity Formula to Energize Your Team, Customers and Profits. By Smallwood Albert Einstein is famous with his equation E=Mac. That is a revolution in science, and now, Cottrell wanted to base on that to make another revolution in finding a key Leadershi p Energy is also E=Mac. E represents your organizations energy; M for complement. Most important thing, I did not feel like he Just said that and did not care like some others managers whom I got. He gave me some new responsibilities, and that made me feel important. Everybody wants to feel that they are important, harder at the same time is not easy, but he did it. He is my role model of a great leader. I think this book is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the topic of leadership. It packs very powerful principles to turn the mass into a highly positive place to work. As Cottrell said, a leader must have the courage to learn, the

Euthanasia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Euthanasia - Term Paper Example But the wider implications of euthanasia are important considerations for near and dear ones of the sick person. I believe that every person should be empowered to make his or her own decisions about his or her welfare and therefore, euthanasia needs to be accepted as legally and medically correct practice under certain conditions. The traditional approach like medical, behavioral and socio-economic approach to health are popular. The knowledge gained through religious ideologies and guidelines is complemented and supplemented by our inherent tendency to explore and widen its area of influence through all available means. Brandt (1975) states that ‘killing a person is not something that is just prima facie wrong in itself; it is wrong roughly only if and because it is an injury of someone, or if and because it is contrary to the known preferences of someone’. Whatever we do, it is based on reasoning or motivating forces that influence our thinking process and the way we think. The principles of patient’s autonomy and the right of the patient to decide about his welfare are vital considerations that should be respected. Hence, patient’s request for dignified death or euthanasia becomes highly relevant. Euthanasia is highly relevant for people who are in constant pain and may not even be in a conscious state to acknowledge the people around them. Terminally ill patients who are capable of living a full life or even assisted life and are not continuously suffering unbearable physical pain have the option and right to the natural death. Philippa Foot (1977) says that ‘encourage patients to make their own contracts with a doctor by making it known whether they wish him to prolong their life in case of painful terminal illness or of incapacity’. Indeed, it is inhuman to make people live through artificial means like medication when they are undergoing huge mental and physical agony when they know that they will

Education Assault on Indian Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Education Assault on Indian Children - Essay Example The educational assault on Indian children came in the form of off-reservation boarding schools, which aimed to totally cut off the Indian youth from what colonials thought as the â€Å"contaminating† influences of their Indian culture (Calloway, 2012, p.426). To ensure the success of these boarding schools, attendance was â€Å"mandatory,† and parents who did not send their children to these schools were punished by not receiving their rations and annuities (Calloway, 2012, p.426). The policies in these schools advocated military-style discipline and teaching. Standing Bear, a Lakota, remembered the discomfort of wearing Western clothing and enduring monotonous routines that taught habits and values that fit the American ideas of social norms (Calloway, 2012, p.428). Loneliness and sicknesses prevailed in these schools, where some Indian youths committed suicide, while the youngest ones succumbed to illnesses (Calloway, 2012, pp.429-430). Furthermore, Indian boys and g irls were prepared for their future low-skilled jobs, where boys learned vocational skills and girls learned domestic duties (Calloway, 2012, p.426). Moreover, the teachers taught the Indian youth about American patriotism, racial inferiority of the Indians, and a history where Indians had little to no role in its making (Calloway, 2012, p.426). â€Å"Sioux School Experiences† talked about the resistance of the Indians against assimilation (Calloway, 2012, p.457). Plenty Horses killed a white man and justified it because of his loneliness and his Indian identity (Calloway, 2012, p.457). He showed his rage against unjust Indian policies through his murder, which was a single incident compared to the repeated murders of Indians across centuries. Standing Bear and Red Bird adopted American language and ways, but remained Indian. They fought for Indian rights and equality throughout their lives through writing and publicly

SCM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SCM - Essay Example There are various ways by which optimization of logistical networks can be achieved. SCM is therefore composed of several philosophies on how best to achieve its objectives of a fully-integrated chain of activities encompassing the movement of raw materials, the internal processing of these materials into finished goods inventory and shipping out these products into the market in the fastest and most efficient manner to achieve strategic marketing aims. This paper tackles the two types of systems commonly used today – the JIT and the MRP. Discussion The strategic concept of supply chain management lies in the realization that no single business entity is an island and cannot function optimally if it works entirely alone. The SCM idea is anchored on the dictum that a company providing products or services is nothing but a chain of continually evolving capabilities in a globalized marketplace (Jespersen and Skjott-Larsen, 2005:50); it combines its capabilities with the capabilit ies of other firms it deals with. Any discussion of supply chain management involves the subject of logistics. ... Logistics is a way to achieve superior customer service through a precise method of inventory management attained through having the right materials at the right time in the right quantities at a lowest possible cost at the right place. This obsession to have everything right is contained in the JIT or just-in-time management originally developed by Toyota Motors Corporation of Japan. The just-in-time philosophy - of inventory management is anchored on the simple but very profound idea that inventory supplies should not be delivered yet until when required. It therefore presupposes an efficient supply chain that delivers the needed materials just in time when these are needed at the precise moment during the production process to avoid a costly stock-out that disrupts entire production and raises costs or lowers profits. A guiding principle behind this seemingly simple idea is to let demand determine the supply. This simply means a part or material needed will be delivered only at th e precise moment it is needed, not a second earlier or a second later. Benefits of using JIT include smaller storage areas, lower operating capital needed for inventories and minimize need for big buffer stocks (Hensher, 2001:90). Another philosophy underpinning the JIT system is the pull concept of operating costs wherever along the chain. Besides determining the supply through the pull of the demand for a particular inventory item necessary for input in the next production process, JIT places a big emphasis on suppliers to the market a product that is affordable; their profits depend to large extent on internal operational efficiencies that allows profits at a price set by the customer.

Mgt 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mgt 1 - Essay Example If employees feel that the increase in productivity will threaten their jobs due to innovation and mechanization, they may fail to engage in productivity improvement and other forms of cooperation. Employment security facilitates the implementation of the other high-performance management practices such as extensive training. An example of a practical experience is the case of the General Motors’ as it aimed at implementing new arrangement of work in its Saturn plant in which case the management guaranteed the employees their job security (Pfeffer and Veiga 40). Once employees have the assurance that their employment will not be interfered with, they tend to work harder and offer their knowledge and efforts to increase the productivity of the organization. Laying off of the employees that a company has spent resources training and developing their talents is a great loss as it opens unhealthy competition from the other closely-related firms. Employment security can be guarante ed by taking obligations with the workers unions, which intervene in case an employee is dismissed unlawfully. Firms may lay off their employees due to some financial strains, but the action leads to losses, as the company has to pay benefits, which consumes its finances leading to more strains. The biggest loss is to those companies that offer extensive training and development to their employees because they lose the talents and abilities of these workers (Pfeffer and Veiga 40). Job security helps in building the employee partnership in various organizations, especially in the long-term. Many firms will pursue short-term benefits at the expense of their employees job security. Such firms find themselves in difficult situations since their employees have low morale and are less productive leading to the company’s poor performance. When companies or

Culture Clashes in the two novelsThings fall apart Chinua Achebe and Term Paper - 1

Culture Clashes in the two novelsThings fall apart Chinua Achebe and Lolita Vladimir Nabokov - Term Paper Example The following essay is an effort to portray the clash of cultures as the main protagonists interact with the people of different culture, the difficulties they face and the differences they experience. Igbo Okonkwo is a Negro whose interaction with British colonialists’ causes much of chaos in his life and the same is true with Humbert who is unable to understand what is going on in Lolita’s life. In both the novels, protagonists’ lives end in misery making us to think about our lost roots of heritage and our own identity. Chinua Achebe tells us the life of an Igbo who has himself experienced and seen culture of the people falling under the walls of the British colonial power. When British and other whites interfered in simple lives of Africans, it brought chaos and disturbance in their cultural and religious lives. Throughout the novel, people are seen facing conflicting situations in their daily affairs and even in their religious lives. Okonkwo is both a good farmer and a warrior and has gained two titles for his clan; has three wives, is owner of two barns full of yarns and a considerably big house revealing his achievements. He has got this success because of his father’s failures in life, which shows us type of the difficulties he must have borne in his life. He is revered and respected by his clan, as per his custom â€Å"Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered.  As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings† (Achebe 6). While in Lolita, when Humbert of European origin and Charlotte Haze as well as Lolita, both Americans, get to know each other, it leads to conflicting situations in their lives. The glamour and intellect of Humbert fascinates Charlotte while on the other hand Humbert laughs at the superficial aspects and civilized nature of the Americans. He looks at Charlotte not more than a simple housewife whereas considers Lolita as a sexual symbol. He is

Global Exploration and Global Empires 1500-1700 Essay

Global Exploration and Global Empires 1500-1700 - Essay Example During this time, the Portuguese and the Spanish begun to explore the European oversees (Annenberg Media, 2007). This exploration aimed at the Atlantic Ocean and Western Mediterranean instead of the East as it was common in the past exploration. The reasons presented in this essay motivated the exploration by the Portuguese and the Spanish during this time (Abernethy, 2007). Economic factors The first motive was that the financial system in Europe- towards the end of the 15th century- was growing and carrying out well. It is recorded that in case the financial system of a nation is flourishing, it aims at importing and exporting its goods. They needed new markets to market their commodities. Italian traders had dominated the market with the East, therefore Europeans, particularly the Portuguese started to abandon the Mediterranean and attempted to enter the Atlantic (McDowell, 1992). There was a shortage of silver in Europe and they had no possibility for a new supply. They discovere d that large quantities of gold were in Africa, though they were not amused with the current system whereby they purchased gold from Northern Africa (Abernethy, 2007). The gold went through numerous distributors before getting to the Arabs (Abernethy, 2007). ... trading positions in Africa and finally sailed from place to place in Africa and started trading positions in Southern Arabia and India (Abernethy, 2007). Geographical factors The first moved during the exploration involved their tactical geographic setting, which offered an effortless entrance to the south towards Africa or the west towards the Americans. Another, possibly important, influence for these explorers leading opinion in their exploration was the eras purchase and use of old Arabic information and knowledge in math’s, geography and astronomy (Abernethy, 2007). This period of exploration introduced the communities of Europe to the presence of new philosophies across the globe (Abernethy, 2007). Before this era, the Europeans had enough details of the individuals and locations beyond the limitations of Europe, mainly Asia and Africa. Before the innovation and invention of the Americas, the Europeans were not aware of other existence. Europeans assumed that the world was small than it was in reality (Abernethy, 2007). This motivated the initial pioneers like Magellan and Columbus to believe that discovering new paths to the East was going to be easier than the way they discovered it (Overy, 2004). Philosophical misconceptions around natural features and the beliefs of local populaces would transform gradually through the initial centuries of these exploration (Abernethy, 2007). By the 16th century, European plans started to increase their representations and accounts to incorporate new physical discoveries (Abernethy, 2007). However, because of the powerful political conflicts taking place during the time, European nations protected their geographic findings and data from one another (Abernethy, 2007). Therefore, we can say that, though the need to

Mgt 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mgt 1 - Essay Example If employees feel that the increase in productivity will threaten their jobs due to innovation and mechanization, they may fail to engage in productivity improvement and other forms of cooperation. Employment security facilitates the implementation of the other high-performance management practices such as extensive training. An example of a practical experience is the case of the General Motors’ as it aimed at implementing new arrangement of work in its Saturn plant in which case the management guaranteed the employees their job security (Pfeffer and Veiga 40). Once employees have the assurance that their employment will not be interfered with, they tend to work harder and offer their knowledge and efforts to increase the productivity of the organization. Laying off of the employees that a company has spent resources training and developing their talents is a great loss as it opens unhealthy competition from the other closely-related firms. Employment security can be guarante ed by taking obligations with the workers unions, which intervene in case an employee is dismissed unlawfully. Firms may lay off their employees due to some financial strains, but the action leads to losses, as the company has to pay benefits, which consumes its finances leading to more strains. The biggest loss is to those companies that offer extensive training and development to their employees because they lose the talents and abilities of these workers (Pfeffer and Veiga 40). Job security helps in building the employee partnership in various organizations, especially in the long-term. Many firms will pursue short-term benefits at the expense of their employees job security. Such firms find themselves in difficult situations since their employees have low morale and are less productive leading to the company’s poor performance. When companies or

Global Exploration and Global Empires 1500-1700 Essay

Global Exploration and Global Empires 1500-1700 - Essay Example During this time, the Portuguese and the Spanish begun to explore the European oversees (Annenberg Media, 2007). This exploration aimed at the Atlantic Ocean and Western Mediterranean instead of the East as it was common in the past exploration. The reasons presented in this essay motivated the exploration by the Portuguese and the Spanish during this time (Abernethy, 2007). Economic factors The first motive was that the financial system in Europe- towards the end of the 15th century- was growing and carrying out well. It is recorded that in case the financial system of a nation is flourishing, it aims at importing and exporting its goods. They needed new markets to market their commodities. Italian traders had dominated the market with the East, therefore Europeans, particularly the Portuguese started to abandon the Mediterranean and attempted to enter the Atlantic (McDowell, 1992). There was a shortage of silver in Europe and they had no possibility for a new supply. They discovere d that large quantities of gold were in Africa, though they were not amused with the current system whereby they purchased gold from Northern Africa (Abernethy, 2007). The gold went through numerous distributors before getting to the Arabs (Abernethy, 2007). ... trading positions in Africa and finally sailed from place to place in Africa and started trading positions in Southern Arabia and India (Abernethy, 2007). Geographical factors The first moved during the exploration involved their tactical geographic setting, which offered an effortless entrance to the south towards Africa or the west towards the Americans. Another, possibly important, influence for these explorers leading opinion in their exploration was the eras purchase and use of old Arabic information and knowledge in math’s, geography and astronomy (Abernethy, 2007). This period of exploration introduced the communities of Europe to the presence of new philosophies across the globe (Abernethy, 2007). Before this era, the Europeans had enough details of the individuals and locations beyond the limitations of Europe, mainly Asia and Africa. Before the innovation and invention of the Americas, the Europeans were not aware of other existence. Europeans assumed that the world was small than it was in reality (Abernethy, 2007). This motivated the initial pioneers like Magellan and Columbus to believe that discovering new paths to the East was going to be easier than the way they discovered it (Overy, 2004). Philosophical misconceptions around natural features and the beliefs of local populaces would transform gradually through the initial centuries of these exploration (Abernethy, 2007). By the 16th century, European plans started to increase their representations and accounts to incorporate new physical discoveries (Abernethy, 2007). However, because of the powerful political conflicts taking place during the time, European nations protected their geographic findings and data from one another (Abernethy, 2007). Therefore, we can say that, though the need to

Research Proposal Essay Example for Free

Research Proposal Essay I would like to write about a famous Arabic writer, Naguib Mahfouz. His poetry and works inspire me a lot and I enjoy reading his things. My father always used to read them to me, because his poems were true. Mahfouz always talks about the issues affecting the people of Egypt: generational, historical, religious, and political. Egyptians always have something going on. With his writings, Mahfouz’s introduces the reader to Egyptian reformers and modern and traditional characters as they change. We all know that as a country Egypt constantly reforms, even at an early age, Mahfouz has been able to capture hints of revolution. Mahfouz’s novels are stories of love, ethics, moral responsibility, and crises that characterize a culture that has had many changes. His stories talk about and describe the lives of ordinary individuals caught in struggles of identity and religion. His fictional work paint a picture of Egyptian Muslims that are ruled by their own culture, as well as those they encounter as a result of the outside influence of colonialism. This simultaneity allows Mahfouz to depict the contemporary Egyptian identity as both modern and traditional. In Naguib Mahfouzs short story Zaabalawi there see a young man in search of the mysterious Zaabalawi, because he afflicted with a disease which doctors are unable to cure. Zaabalawi is known to cure illnesses, a holy man that has healing powers. Zaabalawi is like a mysterious figure that has some strange powers to accomplish the impossible. While in this search, the protagonist visits a variety of figures including a religious lawyer, a book seller, a government officer, a calligrapher, and a musician. Not able to find any definite answers as to the whereabouts of Zaabalawi, he begins to doubt his existence. Eventually, however, while in a drunken sleep in a tavern, he dreams that he is in a beautiful garden and experiences a state of harmony and contentment. He awakes to find that Zaabalawi was with him but has now disappeared again. Though upset at having missed him, the main character is encouraged by his dream and determines to continue his search for Zaabalawi. In this story the author uses symbolism to convey his message to his audience, that the quest to find Zaabalawi is a journey into our souls in search of the inner peace that inside us. Mahfouz uses a lot symbolic meanings, such as irony, that is why I want to write about this work. I have always been drawn to these types of writing. Annotated Bibliography 1. Aboul-Ela, Hosam. The Writer Becomes Text: Naguib Mahfouz and State Nationalism in Egypt. Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 27:2 (2004 Spring), pp. 339-56. I chose Prof. Aboul Ela because his work because it’s easy to read and very simple, some of the other materials was a bit too hard to put together. 2. Naguib Mahfouz. The Happy Man ONE WORLD OF LITERATURE Shirley Geok-Lin Kim and Norman A. Spencer. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. p.46-p.53 Im using this source because it’s going to help me explain other literary works of Naguib Mahfouz in this essay. 3. Modern Egyptian Short Stories by El-Gabalawy, Saad (trans.) (Najib Mahfouz, Youssef Idris, Saad Elkhadem) ISBN: 0919966039 Im using this other source because of the type of writing. This book explains how Mahfouz writes his stories, and what he uses in terms of grammar and how he builds the story, symbolism and irony. 4. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/mahfouz.htm This source is going to help me discuss the state of mind of Naguib Mahfouz when he wrote his books. It explains how Mahfouz became a beginning of an era not only in the Egyptian literature but also in the Arab literature.He was always lonely, maybe that’s the reason why his writings were always kind of sad.

The History And Background Of Yahoo Marketing Essay

The History And Background Of Yahoo Marketing Essay A company symbol is regarded as a unique mark or design that identifies a certain firm. In most cases, a company symbol tends to be more important than the assets of a company when it comes to the companys identification by the public. All of the international as well as regional business firms, including Yahoo, tend to have their specific company symbols, which helps them for public identification. For instance, the company symbol for Yahoo is Yahoo! (Mortensen p25). The key executives of Yahoo are committed business individuals who ensure that the firm runs smoothly in the business fraternity. Yahoos key executives include Marissa Mayer who is the Chief Executive Officer, the President, as well as the Director of the company. David Filo is the Co-Founder and Chief of Yahoo!. Kenneth Goldman holds the key position of the Chief Financial Officer. Ron Brachman is the Chief Scientist and Head of Yahoo! Labs. Finally, there is Henrique De Castro who holds the position of Chief Operating Officer at Yahoo! (Snell p31). Yahoo is an American internet corporation, which has its headquarters in Sunnyvale California. The firm was found by two individuals, David Filo and Jerry Yang, in 1994, and was incorporated in the business world in March the year 1995. Yahoo tends to generate its revenue from the display of text-based links to advertisers Websites, which is regarded as search advertising, from the display of graphical advertisements, which is regarded as display advertising, as well as from other relevant sources (Snell p33). As an internet corporation, Yahoo offers a number of products and services to its esteemed customers. The company has a strong technology and insights that helps it in the delivery of digital content and experiences across the globe and communication devices. The firm tends to provide online services and properties to its users, as well as marketing services aimed to connect with Yahoo! users. This is done through a distribution of network of third party entities. Through its search engine, Yahoo! Search, and its web portal, the firm provides services such as advertising, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Directory, fantasy sports, online mapping, social media website, Yahoo! News, as well as Yahoo! Groups. The firm has properties, which are tailored to users in certain international markets. The properties include social networking websites (Meme and Wretch), and Yahoo! Homepage (Mortensen p69). The services offered to users of Yahoo are divided under three categories. The categories include Media, Communications and Communities as well as Search and Marketplaces. Under the Communications and Communities category, the firm offers Yahoo! Messenger, Flickr, Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo! Mail, Connected TV, and Yahoo! Groups. Services offered under this particular category enable the users to organize themselves in groups and share photos, common interests, as well as knowledge (Snell p47). The Search and Marketplaces category tends to answer the information needs of the users through the search results pages and across Yahoo!. The search offerings of the company include Yahoo! Local, and Yahoo! Search. These offerings are free of charge for the users and help them discover new content on the internet. On the other hand, the Marketplaces offerings include Yahoo! Small Business, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Shopping, and Yahoo! Autos. With these properties, the company enables users to research and review specific topics or fields of interest and exchange information with parties of similar interest (Snell p49). The final category is the Media whose services are tend to engage the Yahoo users with online services and content especially on the web. The services provided under this category are free of charge to the users. Services provided include My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Entertainment, Yahoo! Sports, and Yahoo! Contributor Network (Snell p48). In the internet business, Yahoo tends to have a number of competitors who keep the company on toes in terms of performance and service provision to the customers. The main competitors for Yahoo! include Google Inc., Acxiom Corporation, Agilysys, Inc., AOL Inc., Adobe Systems Inc, Facebook Inc, and Callidus Software, Inc. among others. These competitors tend to compete in terms of service provision to the internet users. The top competitors of the named ones for Yahoo are Google Inc., and AOL Inc (Mortensen p72). The key executives in the firm head the structure of the organization. The head of the structure is the Chief Executive Officer who is also the president of the firm. The Chief Executive Officer usually does most of the managerial activities and decisions in the firm. Other key executives who makes the top of the organization structure includes the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Yahoo, and Chief Scientist and Head of Yahoo Labs. The growth and development of the firm majorly depends on these individuals (Associated Press). The management of the company mainly lies in the hands of the Board of Directors and the Key Executive members of Yahoo. The management team of the company tends to manage business at the company by ensuring that employees perform their duties as scheduled, and that the users of Yahoo receive the best products and services in the market (IFM). In 2011 September, the management team headed by the chair of the firm decided to fire the then Chief Executive Officer, Bartz. This decision was consequential in terms of business for Yahoo when a number of potential buyers came in with the idea of buying parts or rather the whole firm. In September 2012, the current Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo made a decision of closing the deal the company had with Alibaba in her managerial post. This particular deal; was controversial and it earned the company a negative image in the business fraternity. The closure of the deal affected the companys financial function in a positive way by giving the company 625 million US Dollars (IFM). In relation to sales and earnings of the key financial finding for Yahoo is that the company has been able to grow its bottom line. In the 2012, despite the stagnant revenue growth, the companys bottom line was able to grow from 1.0 billion US Dollars to 3.9 US Dollars. In the earning statement of 2012 delivered by the companys Chief Executive Officer, she stated that the firm was able to show a revenue growth in 2012 for the first time in a period of four years. The variables that tend to affect the earnings of the company include revenue, earnings per share, price to earnings ratio, and return on equity. The variables tend to change from time to time and this affects the earnings of the company (Mortensen p56). There are a number of activities and decisions that the company did to affect its financials. For instance, in 2012 during the quarter that the company made progress in its financials, it is indicated that various activities took place. The CEO stated that the executive team was reshuffled leading to its growth, there was the launching of unbelievable Yahoo! mail and Flickr mobile experiences, as well as signing of major business partnerships with the CBS Television, and NBC Sport (Snell p38). There are also a number of decisions that the company made which led to negative impact of its financials. They include signing a business deal with the Alibaba group, creation of the Yahoo! search image in 2006 that brought up sexually explicit images, and rejection of Microsoft Corporations bid of acquiring the firm in 2008 on the basis that Microsoft had undervalued it. These decisions led to the fall of the companys financials (Mortensen p81). It is with no doubt that global issues are affecting business at Yahoo. For instance, there are various global issues that can be discussed. Advancements in technology is one of the global issues that affect business at the company since it is an internet company. Many technologically advanced companies around the globe are coming up with advanced internet service provision, and this tends to keep Yahoo on toes (Belew and Joel p35). Another global issue of concern is the fact that majority of people around the globe communicate through the social medias in the internet. Since the company offers such services, increased numbers of subscribers on social networks around the globe affect business operations at the company. The company has to provide the best services to its customers (Belew and Joel p33). Challenges that Yahoo! has been facing over the years in business operation is a relevant topic that was left out. One of the main challenges that the company has been facing in the past years is poor management. For instance, until the appointment of Mayer as the Chief Executive Officer of the firm, the company had plunged into poor leadership. This is clearly indicated by the poor financial reports the company used to report in the past years (Belew and Joel p56). Another challenge that the company faced in the past, and was a great loss is the fact that the company had signed a business deal with Alibaba Group and that it had created a Yahoo! Search image that showed sexually explicit images. The company received a lot of criticism from the public, whereby it lost some of its customers (Mortensen p43).

The Magnificent Mary Leakey Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper

The Magnificent Mary Leakey Mary Leakey died on December 9, 1996. She loved to smoke Dutch cigars, as if everyday were some kind of celebration; strong tobacco was one of her vices. Hers was a life of constant commencement. She never attended colleges, though she did receive numerous honorary degrees in Britain and America: "I have worked for them by digging in the sun," she said. She first gained recognition in 1948 for discovering a 16 million year old fossilized cranium of a hominid thought to be the missing link, one she called "Proconsul". But she only found it and named it. "I never felt interpretation was my job," she said. "What I came to do was to dig up things and take them out as well as I could. There is so much that we do not know, and the more we do know, the more we realize that early interpretations were completely wrong. It is good mental exercise, but people get so hot and nasty about it, which I think is ridiculous." She really was a no-nonsense woman, one who was perhaps more preoccupied with nonsense than she realized. As an explorer of concrete material, her primary and determined pursuit of fossils, bones, and human origins antagonized the speculative nature of her profession. She found beauty in the tangible history of human ancestry. "What was it like?" was simply not a question she entertained. More important was the question "What was it?" Once, three "man-apes," as Leakey called them, traversed a plain, accidentally leaving some of the most formidable scientific data we have about our ancestor-cousins. Is that how it happens? Is our universe a continuum of chaos out of which we construct a simplicity that is both pleasing and functional? And is ours a reality by these attempts—or perhap... ...familiarity. Embarkation begins with a choice, and choice is a product of self-consciousness. We have been alive for so long, as has love and anger, resolve and obsession. With the million and one options that fight for our attention in a hyper-society like our own, reluctance can cost us everything. As a society, as a species, progress is our handle, the drive toward better and more hopeful situations is our enterprise. But the drive is also a specific one, localized and partitioned in every individual to find the next best condition. For senior preschoolers to senior graduate students to senior citizens transitioning into eternity, the origin of our motions are the same: the inescapable need to move on as where we are no longer suits us. Who were these individuals? Who were these three who walked together in the rain? The answer is simple and magnificent. The Magnificent Mary Leakey Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper The Magnificent Mary Leakey Mary Leakey died on December 9, 1996. She loved to smoke Dutch cigars, as if everyday were some kind of celebration; strong tobacco was one of her vices. Hers was a life of constant commencement. She never attended colleges, though she did receive numerous honorary degrees in Britain and America: "I have worked for them by digging in the sun," she said. She first gained recognition in 1948 for discovering a 16 million year old fossilized cranium of a hominid thought to be the missing link, one she called "Proconsul". But she only found it and named it. "I never felt interpretation was my job," she said. "What I came to do was to dig up things and take them out as well as I could. There is so much that we do not know, and the more we do know, the more we realize that early interpretations were completely wrong. It is good mental exercise, but people get so hot and nasty about it, which I think is ridiculous." She really was a no-nonsense woman, one who was perhaps more preoccupied with nonsense than she realized. As an explorer of concrete material, her primary and determined pursuit of fossils, bones, and human origins antagonized the speculative nature of her profession. She found beauty in the tangible history of human ancestry. "What was it like?" was simply not a question she entertained. More important was the question "What was it?" Once, three "man-apes," as Leakey called them, traversed a plain, accidentally leaving some of the most formidable scientific data we have about our ancestor-cousins. Is that how it happens? Is our universe a continuum of chaos out of which we construct a simplicity that is both pleasing and functional? And is ours a reality by these attempts—or perhap... ...familiarity. Embarkation begins with a choice, and choice is a product of self-consciousness. We have been alive for so long, as has love and anger, resolve and obsession. With the million and one options that fight for our attention in a hyper-society like our own, reluctance can cost us everything. As a society, as a species, progress is our handle, the drive toward better and more hopeful situations is our enterprise. But the drive is also a specific one, localized and partitioned in every individual to find the next best condition. For senior preschoolers to senior graduate students to senior citizens transitioning into eternity, the origin of our motions are the same: the inescapable need to move on as where we are no longer suits us. Who were these individuals? Who were these three who walked together in the rain? The answer is simple and magnificent.

Independent Study Project :: essays research papers

Comparative Study of Murder Mysteries; Agatha Christie and Sheila Radley   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novels Death of a Maiden and Appointment with Death, written by Sheila Radley and Agatha Christie, are murder mysteries describing a betrayal of trust. While both are similar in this way, it is the differences between the two novels that make the similarities remarkable. By comparing the victims, the killers, and the investigators, the differences in the novels are revealed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The victims in the novels, Mary Gadge and Mrs. Boynton, were murdered in very different ways. Mary Gedge was drowned in Ashthorpe river in her home town of Godbold;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The girl lay face-down, arms outstretched, rushes woven among her fingers. She wore a long dress of cotton, sprigged with tiny flowers, and the hem of the dress swung and rippled round her legs with the motion of the water. Gathered flowers--enamelled buttercups, mauve lady’s smock--floated about her body and clung to her hair and her dress wherever they touched. It looked a quiet way to die. (pg 6 Radley) Mrs. Boynton on the other hand, died a quiet and unexplainable death. Miss. Gedge was a young woman in the prime of her life loved by everyone, while Mrs. Boynton was a grouchy old shrew whom even her family couldn’t stand. It was because of the differences between the victims that the police inspector’s investigations were completely different. In the case of Miss. Gedge inspectors Tait and Quantrill could not find any substantial evidence pointing towards a motive. Tait compared the fate of the Page #2 young woman to that of Shakespeares’s Ophelia. Ophelia committed suicide in the play Hamlet reflecting the inspectors original view of Mary Gedge’s death. In the case of Mrs. Boynton, on the other hand inspector Poirot had numerous suspects with convincing motives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The motives of the killers, were a lot alike. In some ways they can be both viewed as mercy killings. Miss. Gedge was killed by Jean Bloomfield who used to be Mary’s teacher. Jean killed Mary because she saw a lot of herself in Mary, and didn’t want to see Mary travel the same downward path that she did in her later years. Mrs. Boynton was put out of her misery by Lady Westholme, because of the suffering she imposed on herself and them. Mrs. Bloomfield didn’t have a reasonable motive, where as in the killing of Mrs. Boynton I can understand. She was described as a mean over powering lady who forced the lives of her children to revolve around her, â€Å"The old woman’s mouth widened into a malicious smile as she looked at Raymond.

Mother-tongue Education in South Africa Essay

Introduction The question of mother-tongue education in South Africa remains a vexed one. On the one hand, it seems reasonable and desirable that learners should be able to receive education in their mother-tongue, if they so wish. On the other hand, there are some very real difficulties involved in the implementation of this ideal. The purpose of this paper is to clarify what these difficulties are, and then to suggest what needs to be done to overcome them. The intention is neither to argue for or against the notion of mother-tongue education in the South African context, nor to consider whether its implementation is practically possible, but simply to spell out what courses of action need to be undertaken if the idea is to be seriously pursued. Background The South African Constitution guarantees learners the right to receive education in the language of their choice1. Most current research suggests that learners entering school are able to learn best through their mother-tongue, and that a second language (such as English) is more easily acquired if the learner already has a firm grasp of his/her home language. Furthermore, the poor throughput rates in South African schools at the moment, where barely a quarter of African language learners who enter the schooling system are likely to reach Matric2, seems to indicate that the current practice of using English as the initial language of learning and teaching is at least one contributing factor to this problem. 1 This right is, however, qualified by the consideration of reasonable practicability, which is defined in the Language in Education Policy of 1997 as occuring when 40 learners in a particular grade in a primary school, or   35 learners in a particular grade in a secondary school, demand to be taught in their mother tongue. 2 As a number of newspapers reported, of the number of learners who entered Grade 1 in 1994 only 21.9% wrote the 2005 Matric examination. Even taking into account such factors as the repetition of grades or learners leaving to study at FET Colleges, the percentage cannot be much higher than 25%. 1.  For some years now, educationists have proposed that African language learners should be taught in their mother-tongue for at least the first three years of school before switching over to English. More recently, the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, speaking at a Language Policy conference at the end of 2006, intimated that this initial period of mother-tongue instruction would be extended to six years, that is, both the Foundation Phase (Grades 1 to 3) and the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4 to 6). If this proposal is to be taken seriously, there are a number of questions which need to be clarified and considered. The rest of this paper will be devoted to this task. These questions may be divided into four main headings, although, as will become evident, there is much overlap between them: language development, curriculum development, teacher education and school implementation. Language Development The nine official African languages are certainly able to function as media of communication at such levels as interpersonal conversation, narrative and cultural practice. As they currently exist, however, the standard written forms of the languages have not yet been developed to the point where they are able to carry academic discourse effectively and therefore function as full-fledged languages of learning and teaching, even at the Foundation Phase. For the most part, they are based on particular rural dialects in conservative contexts, having been standardised in the nineteenth century by missionaries for such specific purposes as proselytisation, and later by the apartheid era Language Boards at least partly as a mechanism of social  control. As such, these standard written forms remain in many ways archaic, limited and context-bound, and out of touch with the modern scientific world. In addition, these  standard forms are often quite different from the various dialects spoke n by the actual language communities, even to the point in some cases of mutual incomprehensibility (see Schuring 1993; Herbert and Bailey 2002:59f). Nevertheless, it is axiomatic, as the Canadian linguist, William F. Mackey (1992:52), has pointed out, that â€Å"the lack of standardisation jeopardises the potential status of a language† and that a language which lacks a well- established written form cannot become empowered. 2.  If they are to be implemented as academic languages of learning and teaching, therefore, the standard written forms need to be modernised, regularised, codified and elaborated. This entails a number of large-scale projects: the revision of the spelling and orthography rules of the languages; the elimination of dialectal variation in the writing of the languages; the enlargement of their vocabulary, especially though not only in the fields of science and technology, together with the creation of modern dictionaries; and the codification of their grammars, based on the actual current practices of their speech communities, rather than on otiose cultural norms. It is clear that this is a very large undertaking, which will require the provision of very large resources, both material and human. Of course, in theory it can be done, and the example of Afrikaans in this country is often cited as evidence for this. It must be remembered, however, that the development of Afrikaans was made relatively easy by the fact that it emerged out of Dutch, an already fully functional scientific language; that enormous resources were made available through the National Party government; that it was fuelled by an intensely nationalistic political will; and that it was whole-heartedly supported by a community seeking exclusivity and autonomy from English. None of these conditions obtains in the case of the African languages in the present context, which makes the  possibility of their development into academic languages far less certain. And it must be realised that all the investment put into the elaboration of Afrikaans would have to be increased at least ninefold if all of the official African languages are to be developed to the same degree. It must be noted, furthermore, that the development of the indigenous languages into academic media of communication cannot be achieved merely through the endeavours of a few scholars working in isolation, however industrious and well-intentioned they may be. This technicist and artificial view of language development is plainly insufficient. Instead, what needs to occur is that the entire intellectual speech community of each language becomes actively involved in the development of the language as academic discourse by strenuously attempting to use the language to write scholarly articles, give formal lectures, present conference paSouth Africa uses English and Afrikaans as the languages of teaching and learning.pers, produce textbooks and scientific manuals, and the numerous other activities which require a rigorous academic register. It is only when co-ordinated and 3. To give but two lexical examples, there is no equivalent in isiZulu for the word â€Å"hypothesis†, while in  systematic linguistic research is able to draw on, and feed back into, an actual, developing discourse of practice in a mutually enhancing relationship, that a language can begin to evolve into a functioning mode of academic and scientific expression. After a period of some inertia, a number of projects have recently been undertaken to develop the African languages by both the university sector and the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). These include the establishment of research centres at some universities, as well as the creation of new courses in translation and terminography. The nine African National Language Bodies (under the aegis of PanSALB) have initiated projects aimed at orthographic standardisation; lexicography and terminology  development; and the promotion of literature in the indigenous languages (see, for example, Webb, Deumert and Lepota, 2005). It remains true, however, that progress has not been rapid and that a very great deal more needs to be done if the ideal of the African languages functioning fully as academic and scientific media of instruction in South Africa is to be actualised. Curriculum Development If the African languages are to be used as languages of learning and teaching in the classroom, the first and most obvious step that must be taken is to translate the Revised National Curriculum Statement (the RNCS) into these languages. At the moment, the only subject curricula which appear in the indigenous languages are the African languages as subjects themselves. The rest are available in English and Afrikaans only. It is plainly unjustifiable to propose that subjects be taught in the African languages when the RNCS – the very basis of all subject content and methodology – is not available to teachers in the putative languages of learning and teaching. In the Outcomes Based Education system which South Africa has adopted, there are three Learning Areas in the Foundation Phase: Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills. The subjects making up the Literacy Learning Area – the eleven official languages as subjects – are obviously written in the particular languages themselves. But the Numeracy and Life Skills Learning Areas have not yet been written in the nine African languages. Now, for this  Sotho one term is used for the quite distinct scientific notions of â€Å"force†, â€Å"power† and â€Å"energy†. 4. Translation to be conducted successfully, it is imperative to amplify and clarify the subject- specific terminology in the African languages, as well as to develop their capacity for generic academic discourse. Thus, it is necessary to develop the African languages as academic and scientific  languages, at least to a certain level, before the Foundation Phase curriculum can be translated, and, consequently, before one can expect teachers to begin teaching the curriculum in the learners’ mother tongues with any degree of consistency and precision. In the Intermediate Phase, matters are rather more complex. Here, there are eight Learning Areas: Languages, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Culture, Economic and Management Sciences, Life Orientation, and Technology. Moreover, within these Learning areas there may be one or more distinct subjects: for example, Natural Sciences comprises both Physical Science and Biology; Social Sciences includes both History and Geography. As is to be expected, the curriculum for these Learning Areas becomes increasingly detailed and specialised as the learner progresses through the various Grades. In consequence, the translation of the RNCS in this Phase can only proceed successfully if the African languages have been developed to a significantly higher degree as academic languages. And, at the risk of repetition, it is only once the RNCS has been translated that teachers will be able to begin teaching the various Learning Areas effectively in the African languages. Naturally, it is not only the RNCS which must be available in the indigenous languages. All textbooks, readers, support material, teaching aids, guides and literature must be made readily accessible in these languages and kept continuously up to date. This is particularly important in the fields of mathematics, science and technology where an extensive range of new terms and phrases will have to be developed, learnt by the teachers and then communicated to the learners. Apart from the translation of the RNCS and related learning and teaching materials, it is also essential that the curricula for the African languages themselves be revisited and revised. The content structure and methodology for the teaching of the languages remains, like the languages themselves in many ways, rooted in an outmoded and ineffective pedagogic model which hampers learning and diminishes interest. As a result, many learners emerge from the schooling system unable to write their own mother-tongue with  any acceptable level of competence. Moreover, since they have often not been taught English (or Afrikaans)  successfully, they find themselves unable to communicate effectively in their second language, in either oral or written mode. While they may have attained a certain level of basic interpersonal communicative competence, they lack what Jim Cummins (2000, for example) termed cognitive academic language proficiency, and thus they are unprepared for higher education or for training in a sophisticated work environment. At this point, it is necessary to make a distinction between employing the African languages as authentic media of instruction throughout the curriculum and using the languages in the classroom in an informal, ad hoc manner in some or other form of code-switching. Given the diverse linguistic profiles of many South African classrooms, together with learners’ limited grasp of English, it is inevitable that teachers will resort to a mixture of languages for purposes of clarification and explication. In such contexts, code-switching is frequently a vital and indispensable pedagogical tool. Nevertheless, if the goal is to develop the African languages into genuine academic languages, and have teachers use them as such, then code- switching cannot be viewed as anything more than a partial and transitional support mechanism. This becomes ever more apparent as learners move into the Intermediate Phase and beyond, where increasing emphasis is placed on independent reading and writing skills. Learners who remain reliant on mixed-language modes of communication will find it extremely difficult to read texts written in the standard form of a particular language, as well as to write essays and assignments and to answer tests and examinations. Furthermore, given the highly context-specific, personal and arbitrary nature of code-switching, it is impossible to construct generally comprehensible and enduring academic texts in a mixed-language format. Thus, while code-switching practices currently play an important role in many South African classroom environments, they can never be construed as constituting a target language of acquisition, or as representing a viable alternative to the development of formal academic  proficiency in the standard form of a language. It ought to be clear from the foregoing discussion just how much work needs to be done in order for teachers even to begin teaching the first six Grades of school in the indigenous languages. To suggest that such teaching could begin imminently, and to propose rapid policy changes to this effect, is both disingenuous and irresponsible. Teacher Education In addition to language and curriculum development, a crucial aspect of providing mother- tongue education in South Africa lies in the field of teacher education (or teacher training as it used rather inelegantly to be termed). In the early years of this decade the responsibility for teacher education was transferred from the former colleges of education to the universities. During the same period, the numbers of students enrolling for African language courses at universities dwindled, for various reasons, to almost nothing. Even in Teacher Education programmes where an African language is a compulsory credit, the number of students who proceed with the study of an African language beyond the obligatory first level course is negligible. There is, as a result, a real crisis in African language teacher supply. As a first step in addressing this crisis, it is essential that the government offer service contract bursaries for student teachers specialising in African languages. In this scheme, students receive a full bursary (covering tuition, board and living expenses), but then have to pay the bursary back through a year of service for every year of study in which they received the bursary. Over the past few years, such bursaries have been offered for Maths and Science students only. In 2006, however, the Minister of Education announced that such bursaries would be extended to students specialising in Technology and Languages (both African languages and English). It is gratifying to note that this service-linked bursary scheme,  which teacher education institutions have been demanding for some time, has begun to be implemented in 2007, through the Fundza Lushaka project (see Metcalfe 2007). It remains to be seen, however, whether sufficient numbers of student teachers will enrol for and g raduate in African language courses, and then whether the Department of Education has the capacity to ensure that they do actually take up African language teaching posts in the schools. Even this is not enough, however. Incentives must be provided for graduating teachers to accept employment in the rural areas and township schools where the need for teachers qualified to teach in the African students’ mother tongues is most needed. Such incentives could take the form of higher salary packages, performance bonuses and better promotional opportunities. If this does not happen, the current trend of successful black education graduates taking posts in private schools or government schools in the affluent suburban areas will continue. Here it is necessary to remember that the issue is not merely that of teaching the African languages as subjects, but rather the ability to use the African languages as the media of instruction for the entire curriculum. For student teachers to be empowered to achieve this goal, a number of further steps need to be taken. Firstly, as with the African language school curriculum, the African language curriculum at tertiary level needs to be drastically revised and modernised, so that students are enabled to study and learn these languages as effective carriers of academic discourse. Secondly, the entire Teacher Education curriculum (or at the very least the undergraduate Bachelor of Education programme) needs to be translated into each of the African languages. This would include all the official school subjects, but most especially Mathematics and the Sciences. As was noted in the first section of this paper, however, for this to be made possible the languages themselves need to be si gnificantly developed. Thirdly, it will be necessary to provide a very large number of new Teacher Education lecturers who are able to teach the newly translated curriculum in the medium of the African languages. At the moment, a very small percentage of university teacher educators are able to provide quality tertiary tuition  through the African students’ mother tongues, and even fewer in the scientific subjects. Finally, for the requisite development and continuous upgrading of mother tongue tuition at tertiary level to be possible, it is necessary for high level research to be conducted. Thus, optimally, each university’s Faculty or School of Education would need to attract and support top quality education researchers working specifically in the field of African languages in education, whether through research units, centres of excellence or individual fellowships, grants or professorial chairs. In addition to the training of pre-service student teachers, it will also be necessary to upgrade the competence levels of teachers already in the system. Universities will have to provide a range of additional courses for in-service teachers so that they are able to acquire academic proficiency in the newly-developed African languages as well as enhanced methodological skills in utilising the languages as media of instruction in all the various Learning Areas. Such courses would, of necessity, need to be taught part-time (after hours, during the vacations, or as block-release programmes) which would place an enormous burden on both the schools and the universities, and would again require a heavy investment on the part of the State in terms of additional lecturing staff, tuition and transportation costs, and perhaps even temporary teacher-replacements. Such courses would also by their very nature have to be completed over an extended period of time and would thus require a strong co mmitment  on the part of both lecturers and teachers over and above the normal duties which they have to perform in an already highly pressurised work environment. As was the case with language and curriculum development, it is evident that for all of this to become possible, the State will have to make extremely heavy investments in human and material resources far beyond the provision of the limited number of student bursaries it currently offers. Whether the State budget for education can or will ever be enlarged to meet all of these multiple costs remains unclear. Implementation in the Schools The fourth aspect of mother tongue education involves its actual implementation in the schools. Even assuming that at some point in the future the African languages have been effectively developed, that the curriculum has been efficiently translated, and that a full quota of properly trained teachers is available, there is still the question of whether schools will adopt the policy and implement it thoroughly. For this to take place, a number of stakeholders will have to be convinced of the broad benefits of mother-tongue education, not merely in a cognitive sense, but in a much larger socio-economic context. Such stakeholders include government education officials, school governing bodies, principals, teachers, and, most importantly, parents and learners. If learners and their parents do not actively desire mother- tongue instruction, then all the effort in the world will not make the policy viable. And for this desire to be inculcated, parents and their children will have to see that mother-tongue education leads to palpable benefits in such spheres as economic empowerment, social mobility and influence, and pathways to further academic opportunities. All of this raises questions of the instrumental value of the African languages in South African society more generally which, though of interest and importance, lies beyond the scope of the present paper. A more specific question related to mother-tongue education in schools concerns the role of English. No matter how rapidly or to what degree the African languages are developed, it is safe to assume that English will continue to occupy a role of crucial importance in South Africa for the foreseeable future. Even if the African languages are utilised as languages of learning and teaching in the first years of school, at some point there will have to be a switch  to English as the medium of instruction, whether this takes place after three years, or, as is now proposed, after six years. Thus, English will have to receive systematic and sustained attention, and will have to be taught  extremely effectively as a subject during the initial years of schooling so that when the transition does take place (be it gradually or immediately) learners will be sufficiently competent in the language to be able to cope with learning through it. Indeed, even if mother-tongue education were one day to be employed right through to Matric level, learners would still need to be proficient in English for the purposes of higher education where, in a globalised academic environment, English is indispensable. At the moment, however, English is, in many cases, badly taught in South African schools. Just as important as the production of large numbers of competent mother-tongue teachers, therefore, is the development of high quality teachers of English who can be deployed in the rural and township schools. Again, a system of service-linked, contract bursaries and incentives to work in areas of greatest need must be implemented immediately for student teachers specialising in the teaching of English. The Minister of Education, as mentioned previously, has included English in the list of priority subjects for student teachers, and this is to be welcomed as a long overdue practical measure. But, as in the case of African language teaching, steps must be taken, over and above this, to ensure the upgrading of in-service teachers in terms of academic proficiency in the language, content knowledge and improved methodological practice. It is a simple truism that any educational system which prioritises the African languages at the expense of English is destined to fail at the levels both of practical reality and educational theory. As even so avid a proponent of heritage languages as Tove Skutnabb-Kangas has observed, in multilingual societies it is essential that all learners are enabled to â€Å"learn enough of the power language to be able to influence the society or, especially, to acquire a common language with other subordinated groups, a shared medium of communication and analysis† (1981:128). In the best of all possible worlds, learners, especially in areas where English is rarely used, would begin their schooling in their mother-tongue and then at some point switch over to English as the medium of instruction, having acquired enough English through subject study to be able to cope with it. At the same time, they would continue to study their home languages as subjects in a model of additive bilingualism. Conversely, in areas where  English is able to be used as the language of learning and teaching from the outset, it is just as important that learners acquire proficiency in at least one official African language. In schools where Afrikaans is the medium of instruction, it is not unreasonable to require that in 10 addition to their mother-tongue, Afrikaans-speaking learners acquire both English (as they invariably wish to do anyway) and an African language. From this it ought to be apparent that there can be no single language policy which would suit every school context in South Africa. The society simply remains too disparate and differentiated for any â€Å"one size fits all† system to be practicable or even desirable.4 What is not unfair to expect, however, is that by the time learners leave school they will all have full academic proficiency in at least one language (for the moment this would continue to be English or Afrikaans) as well as some degree of academic proficiency in one and perhaps two other official South African languages. However, even within this ideal linguistic scenario, there are some possibly unexpected and certainly ironic implications. For schools seriously to implement initial mother-tongue instruction (followed later by English) means that schools would have to be divided into particular language groupings, and learners would have to attend a school offering their particular language. While this does happen informally to a certain degree, a formalised policy would in effect return South Africa (at least in the primary schools) to a kind of linguistic apartheid reminiscent of a former era. Even in the unlikely event of township schools being able to offer parallel medium education in two or more African languages, there would still effectively exist a language apartheid between the various classes within the school. It is not clear whether the current proponents of mother-tongue education in this country have thought through these matters with sufficient care. Finally, there remains the question of individual choice, and this brings the present discussion full circle. In any democracy parental (and learner)  choice is paramount, especially when it comes to such issues as the language in which a child is to receive his or her education. It is no small matter that this right is enshrined in the Constitution. If, after all is said and done, parents continue to insist, as the majority currently does, that their children be educated in  Colin Baker (2006:215f) provides a typology of bilingual education in which ten main models, each with multitudinous sub-varieties, are discussed. Which of these models would be best for any particular South African school is a complex matter, and is clearly best left to each specific School Governing Body to decide.   This is borne out by the FutureFact 2006 survey, which reveals that, â€Å"apart from the Afrikaans community, between 60%-67% of all other language groups feel that English is the preferre d language for education†. Indeed, of the remaining 33%-40% of the sample, less than 20% preferred mother-tongue education (at whatever level); the remainder stating no preference. In addition to this, 82% of the sample claimed to be able to read and understand English, and, again apart from the  English rather than their mother-tongue, then the onus rests on the State to ensure that this is provided as effectively as possible for everyone who wants it. And if this does indeed continue to be the will of the majority, then the State must take far more active and extensive steps to improve the teaching and learning of English in South African schools than has hitherto been the case. No language in education policy which is forced on the majority against its will can ever succeed, and will serve only to perpetuate the unequal and inefficient conditions which currently exist in South African education. References Baker, Colin. 2006. Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (4th edition). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996. Cummins, Jim. 2000. Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual matters. Department of Education. 1997. Norms and Standards Regarding Language Policy; Language in Education Policy. Government Gazette No.685, 9 May. FutureFact 2006 Survey. Languages. (Available at http:// www.futurefact.co.za/ 2006 survey.html.) Herbert, Robert K. and Bailey, Richard. 2002. The Bantu Languages: Sociohistorical perspectives. In Rajend Mesthrie (ed.) Language in South Africa, 449-475. Cambridge: University Press. Mackey, William F. 1992. Mother Tongues, Other Tongues and Vehicular Languages. Perspectives 81 22(1):45-57 (my translation from the French). Metcalfe, Mary. 2007. In Search of Quality Schooling for All. Mail & Guardian (Getting Ahead) January 26 to February 1:4-5. Pandor, Naledi. 2006. Language Issues and Challenges (opening address at the Language Policy Implementation in HEIs Conference, Pretoria, 5 October. Available at http://www.education.gov.za/dynamic/dynamic.aspx?pageid=306&id=2290. Schuring, Gerhard K. 1993. Language and Education in South Africa: a policy study. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. Afrikaans community, between 72%-77% of all other language groups believe that English should be the main official language of South Africa. 12 Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove. 1981. Bilingualism or Not: the Education of Minorities. Clevedon: Multilingual matters. Webb, Vic, Deumert, Ana and Lepota, Biki (eds). 2005. The Standardisation of African