Cool

Identify two situations in which people would be expected to use the service described in the passage; and 6 summarize the main idea of the passage; discuss reasons why the business described in the passage seems likely to be a success. 8. Complete the exercise that follows. Writing in Chinese, use the space provided to narrate an incident or event that you experienced as a student in high school or college.In your response you may include, but are not limited to, the following information. When the incident or event took place here the incident or event took place the circumstances in which the incident or event took place 7 9. Imagine that a friend from a country associated with Chinese is considering enrolling in a postgraduate program at a college or university in the general area where you are currently living and has asked you to provide some information about the area in which you live. Write a letter in Chinese to your friend responding to this request for information.In your letter you must include, but are not limited to, the following topics: 8 a brief description of some important features of the area in which you live (for example, climate, natural features, distribution of people, mix of population, regional differences within the state, cultural amenities, educational and medical facilities, recreational and entertainment options); and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of living and going to school in your area. 10. Read the instructions below.You will have two minutes to study these instructions. Then, when you are told to do so, begin to respond in Mandarin. You may take up to two minutes to complete your response. You will be told when the two minutes are up. You may begin studying the instructions now. You will be told when to begin peaking. (The examine will read in the test booklet:) Imagine that a friend from a country associated with Chinese has been offered a Job in a city near where you live, and asks your opinion on the p ros and cons of living and working in your area.Speaking in Mandarin, discuss the advantages and but are not limited to, the following topics: a brief description of some of the important features of the area in which you live (for recreational and entertainment options); and an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in your area. (The examine will have two minutes to study the instructions above; then two minutes to respond on audiotape. ) 9 11. Imagine that you are attending a summer institute at a university in a country associated with Chinese.You are asked to speak to a group of students about your previous college experiences. Speaking in Mandarin, describe a college or university you have attended. In your response you may include, but are not limited to, the following topics: a description of a college or university you have attended; an explanation of why you chose to attend that college or university; an analysis of what you liked and disliked a bout the college or university. Cool Ice free northwest passage for half the year, flooded cities in Asia (Bengal), raciness, severe drought affecting food production, emergence of new deserts, etc. 4. ) How are warmer temperatures affecting the migration of crops? Champagne region of France is becoming too warm for traditional champagne grapes, so they are starting to grow them in England, along with olive trees. 5. ) What is involved in the carbon footprint a common product such as a cheeseburger?All the energy consumed to make up the component parts of the cheeseburger and the greenhouse gases produced as a result= the feedstock for cattle, growing lettuce, wheat for bun, milking the cattle, processing milk for cheese, ND processing cattle for meat, trucking (transporting) the various parts, keeping the meat cold, plus methane gas produced by the cattle 6. ) So, what is the carbon footprint off cheeseburger in the US? 200 million metric tones, more than all the Subs In the united States 7. How might an Increase of DC affect the planet? Rapid changes in the biosphere, especially marine life of the oceans, dying off of coral reefs, flooding of island states, melting of Grassland's glaciers, etc. 8. ) What significant ocean system could break down that could magnify the warming effect? Carbon sink provided by tiny sea creatures that absorb carbon dioxide from which they build their shells, but warmer water changes Its coldly which dissolves their shells and prevents them from forming new ones.This loss in turn will affect the marine life food change and loss of biodiversity. When the oceans can no longer absorb Carbon dioxide it will escape into the atmosphere adding to the levels of the atmosphere. 9. ) What Is a glacial Million and why are they so dangerous In terms of speeding up straight through to the bottom of the glacier creating a hydroplane on which huge asses of ice get propelled faster into the sea where it will melt and add its mass to ocean levels. 10. ) How much would the melted Gree nland Ice field raise sea levels by? M which would flood London, Bangkok, New York Shanghai, etc. 1 1 . ) In what way is the melting of Arctic Ice such a concern and a potential â€Å"runaway train†? Lack of ice means more sunlight can be absorbed by the oceans which in means less heat is reflected back into space, creating even more heat and more melting†¦ The warmer it gets the faster it gets warmer. 12. ) How much warmer does it eve to get before we are arguably at a â€Å"tipping† point of climate change? ICC 13. ) What major changes will a ICC warming cause for the planet?Arctic is ice free all summer, Amazon rainforest's dries out, snow caps on the Alps disappear, El Onion's extreme weather becomes normal, heat waves would be the norm, temperatures in Europe would more like what is currently typical of the middle east, etc. 14. ) What was the first global warming disaster to affect a wealthy nation in 2003 and what was the impact? A heat wave across Europe t hat killed 30 000 people, over 14 000 of them in France over a period of a few weeks. On August 10th alone, 2500 to 3000 people died, mostly elderly. 15. What else happened during the 2003 headwater that was an indication of another unforeseen side affect of warming? Trees and other vegetation started to release carbon dioxide instead of being able to absorb it as photosynthesis broke down. 16. ) What ominous changes occurred in the Amazon river basin in 2005? Tributaries dried up, forest fires spread and killed large quantities of trees needed to produce rainfall, therefore making conditions drier. 17. ) What conditions are common to El Ion patterns and how might a ICC warmer limited be affected by them?Trade winds and ocean currents move east instead of west across the Pacific bringing torrential rainstorms to South America and drought to Australia and Indonesia, with ICC warming this could mean even more energy to drive hurricanes whose fuel is warm ocean water. 18. ) What would the planet be like with a ICC average global warming? Delta areas, home to a billion people will be flooded, other areas will become deserts, west Antarctic ice would melt, major losses of fresh water such as the glacial source of the holy Ganges River in India. Compared to developed countries?Developing countries like India, Indonesia, etc. Do not necessarily have the billions of dollars that would be needed to invest in hydrophilic dams like developed countries such as England has. 20. ) How many refugees might there be with warming of ICC? Ass's of millions of climate refugees. 21 . ) What would the consequences of an average global warming of ICC be? There could be mass extinctions, ocean wastelands, massive desertification on land, a global catastrophe 22. ) What is ironic about our current global warming crisis due to the burning of fossil fuels, given the Earth's past history?The last major mass extinction occurred due to global warming, whereby the earth corrected its climat e imbalance by the â€Å"killing† off of mass quantities of life that were then buried by eroded material. This corrected the abundance of CO levels in the atmosphere by â€Å"sinking† them. The irony is that we have extracted them now as our sources of fossil fuels, and are releasing that stored carbon into the atmosphere as we burn them for energy, creating a previous cycle that led to mass extinction. 23. ) What are some practical changes we must make in order to prevent warming of this scale?Reducing the use of energy that uses fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases, use energy more efficiently, such as unplugging appliances to avoid wasted â€Å"vampire† energy draws, doubling fuel efficiency of vehicles, using solar power, wind power, tidal power, geothermal energy, etc. Starting now! 24. ) How much time do scientists believe we have to avoid going over the tipping point into accelerated global warming and climate change? As little as 10 years 25. ) Mak e a commitment: what 5 things can you commit to changing in your lifestyle to reduce your ecological footprint and cut down on energy consumption? Answers will vary. Discuss.

A Most Dangerous Game

â€Å"It is a very great pleasure and honour to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, into my home. † These are the first words spoken to Rainsford by General Zaroff upon his arrival on Ship-trap Island. Formally greeting Rainsford gives Zaroff an appearance of a proper gentleman; well-educated and well-mannered. But by his dark eyes, military moustache, and strong face you can also tell that he is obviously a strong leader and military general.Behind his high cheek bones, white hair and sharp nose is a strange madness not reflected by his looks. Murdering fellow human beings despite his proper look provides a stark contrast between what is seen on the outside and what personality lies on the inside. Much better described then the other characters in the story, General Zaroff is obviously a â€Å"round† character in the story â€Å"A Most Dangerous Game†.Through his words and actions we are given a deeper view of the General Zaroff character and fr om that information it is easy to assume his way of thinking and his reason for making certain decisions. Giving General Zaroff’s character a lot of depth creates the perfect â€Å"round† character. Sticking to his belief that killing humans is great fun and more of a sport then murder through the entire story, General Zaroff is a static character who obviously never learned a lesson from his experiences.Arrogant, proud, and inconsiderate to the great value of life, General Zaroff is a pretty bad guy. ‘But the sharp eyes of the hunter stopped before they reach the limb on which Rainsford lay; a smile crept across his face†¦ he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away. ’ In this short couple of sentences, the author demonstrates the arrogance of Zaroff. To demonstrate his inconsiderateness to the value of human life, Zaroff, when asked why he could do such a thing (hunt another human being) he answers, â€Å"Ennui. Boredom. By hunting Ra insford, Zaroff demonstrates that he is looking for a worthy opponent and by not sending him off with the others who got trapped on the island to exercise and gain muscle he obviously sees Rainsford, a fellow hunter, as a worthy opponent. Casually walking away from the tree he knew that Rainsford was in shows that because he knew exactly where Rainsford was, he wanted to give him another try to escape, mostly because he expected a lot more from him and was still bored because Rainsford was too easy to track.By saying things like, â€Å"Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and, â€Å"Your Burmese tiger pit has claimed one of my best dogs. Again you score. † shows that he is obviously impressed by Rainsford’s intelligence and creativity. The author tells us a lot about General Zaroff in many different ways as to give contrast to the character. Though the things he says and does are very much the same, his physical appearance (shown by what the author tells us about him) is very difficult then how he behaves throughout the story.

General Electric Essay

General Electric is an American conglomerate currently ranked #9 on the Fortune 500 list. The firm operates in four primary business segments; Energy, Technology Infrastructure, Capital Finance and Consumer / Industrial. Headquartered in Fairfield, CT, General Electric has grown over the past 122 years into a financial behemoth realizing revenue in excess of $146 billion in 2013. Throughout its existence, General Electric has demonstrated an inconsistent record in terms of ethical governance and responsible business practices. Like many of its peers, the firm endured a number of scandals, particularly in the late 1990’s and into the 2000’s. In response to these issues and in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act passed in 2002, General Electric has transformed its business practices and is now recognized as one of the more respected players in the world of corporate governance and honorable business practices. Contemporary business practices exercised by the firm have earned numerous accolades including: – #6 Best Global Brand (Interbrand) – #10 Most Admired Company (Fortune) – #180 Greenest Company (Newsweek) To understand how this corporate evolution occurred, we need to understand the organizational structure and managerial best practices utilized by General Electric and the nature of the legislation that necessitated this institutional change. What is Sarbanes-Oxley? The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) is a federal law that mandated new or enhanced standards for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. Drafted in response to a number of high-profile corporate scandals that occurred in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s by U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes and U.S. Representative Michael Oxley; the legislation imposed several powerful mechanisms designed to curb corporate malfeasance and to protect investors. The most significant of these mechanisms included individual certification of corporate financial statements by top management, increased penalties for fraudulent activity and the separation of auditing and consulting functions in outside business agencies. (www.soxlaw.com) The overarching effect of this legislation was the increased scrutiny of financial statements submitted by publicly traded  companies and growing corporate auditing expenditures. (Sidime, 2007) Board Composition: structure and governa nce General Electric has been a progressive company in terms of Board composition and governance. (see composition matrix – attached)For decades, the company has demonstrated a desire to promote diversity in governance from three primary perspectives: gender, race and age. In addition, General Electric had historically satisfied many of the obligations outlined in the Sarbanes Oxley legislation well in advance of its passage including listing the definition of individual committees and the number of committee meetings. (General Electric Annual Report – 2000) One potential conflict that exists with the General Electric governance strategy is the combination of President / CEO and Chairman roles. This is a practice that the company has exercised since Ralph Cordiner combined these responsibilities in 1958 and continues today with Jeffrey Immelt serving in the role since 2001. An additional challenge that exists within the Board structure of General Electric is the lack of ter m limits. Nominated individuals are approved annually through a majority of votes present and may continue to serve indefinitely. This issue was debated recently when shareholders proposed a 15 year term limit of Board service along with separation of the CEO / Board Chair role. The measure was defeated in a lopsided vote held during the company’s April 2013 Board meeting. (Catts, 2013) Audit Committee Consisted of outside directors. Held 5 meetings in 2000. Reviewed the activities and independence of GE’s independent auditors as well as the firm’s financial reporting processes. Composed of independent directors. Held 11 meetings in 2003. â€Å"to review the activities and independence of GE’s external auditorsand the activities of GE’s internal audit staff†¦also reviewed GE’s system of disclosure controls and procedures.† Composed of independent directors. Held 12 meetings in 2013. Primary responsibilities include: selection of independent auditor, review the independent audit, oversee the firm’s financial reporting activities and accounting standards. Tenure Combination of cash & stock. $75,000 annual base plus $2,000 per meeting. Combination of cash & stock. $250,000 base, 10% premium for service on auditing or compensation committee. Removed contingent service reward of 5,000 shares. Combination of cash, stock & other. $250,000 base. Average compensation = $302,457 The moral of the story as it relates to Board structure and Governance within General Electric is that while the firm did work to shore up its regulatory and oversight positions post SOX; the company had exercised the basic principles outlined in the legislation for some time. Performance Metrics & Executive Compensation General Electric has functioned for decades under the philosophy of hiring, motivating, rewarding and retaining its executive leaders through compensation. The company has maintained an executive compensation model that includes salary, bonuses and stock options as the vehicle to achieve this goal for decades. While the total compensation packages at the highest levels of leadership are not as lucrative as they once were – General Electric has adapted its compensation policies in order to remain competitive and compliant in an evolving business environment. 2000 – Jack Welch In the year 2000, Jack Welch stood without peer in the world of American business. Recently named â€Å"Manager of the Century† by Fortune Magazine, (Colvin, 1999) General Electric increased revenues to nearly $130 billion. During this year Mr. Welch earned $16,700,000 in salary and bonus. In addition, Mr. Welch was granted 3,000,000 stock options which became exercisable upon retirement as well as 850,000 restricted stock options. The later options were granted by the board in appreciation of 20 years of service to GE. Furthermore, Mr. Welch was granted a split-dollar life insurance policy contingent upon execution of a personal consulting contract (up to 30 days annually) at the discretion of the acting CEO. Final terms of the consulting contract and retirement package are not listed, but the value is estimated to be north of $420 million. 2003 – Jeffrey Immelt Jeffrey Immelt emerged as the new CEO of General Electric following a highly publicized succession process in 2001. Perhaps due to his relatively short tenure to this point, but more likely due to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; overall executive compensation was revised at General Electric in 2003. In addition to a more responsible base salary, executive bonuses and stock options were much more clearly outlined and defined in the 2003 proxy statement. While the Board Compensation Committee does state: â€Å"We  rely upon judgement and not rigid guidelines or formulas or short-term changes in our stock price in determining the amount and mix of compensation elements for each executive officer† official documents include an element of specificity not previously available to investors. Mr. Immelt was paid a $3,000,000 base salary and bonuses totaling $4,325,000 – a 10% increase from the previous year. In addition, Mr. Immelt was granted 250,000 performance share units in lieu of stock options. This is the most significant change related to executive compensation policies that occurred at General Electric post SOX. From the 2003 GE Proxy Statement: â€Å"These performance share units are intended to recognize the unique position of the GE CEO. The committee believes that the CEO of GE needs no retention compensation, and that his equity compensation should be focused entirely on performance and alignment with investors.† This change in policy effectively linked 50% of the CEO’s equity compensation directly to the company’s cash generation performance; the remaining 50% would only convert to shares if specific shareholder return metrics were met. In short; the better the performance of the firm – the better the compensation for Mr. Immelt. Finally, select executives at GE (including Mr. Immelt) were granted 3-year performance incentive awards. These award s would be paid only upon achievement of unlisted specified goals related to: earnings per share, revenue growth, return on total capital and cumulative cash generated. 2013 – Jeffrey Immelt Today, the evolution of executive compensation continues at General Electric. The 2013 Proxy Report provides a thorough and defined description of all elements and metrics used to determine final executive compensation. Following essentially the same compensation model initiated in 2003, Jeffrey Immelt realized total compensation (including projected pension value) of $20,592,769. Leadership, Ethics & Firm Values General Electric is a perfect case study in the evolution of an American business. Formed in 1892 primarily as an electric company, the firm has grown into a global dynamo. Today the company operates in several areas including finance, appliances and power systems. This type of evolution and growth does not happen by accident, it is the result of visionary leadership  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a quality that has existed within GE for a century. Founded by one of this country’s greatest innovators, General Electric has embodied the vision of Thomas Edison since its inception. The company has dabbled, innovated and revolutionized a number of industries throughout its existence. This truth is a testament to the men that have lead the organization throughout the years. (see past leaders – attached) More recently, present-day General Electric has been molded primarily by two individuals who utilized their personal skill to direct the company through a challenging time. Jack Welch (1980 â⠂¬â€œ 2001) Jack Welch joined GE in 1960 as a junior chemical engineer. Early in his tenure, Welch considered leaving the organization citing a frustration with an overwhelming bureaucracy that existed within the firm. Welch was convinced to stay and worked his way up the ranks becoming Chairman and CEO in 1980. Welch became one of the most successful executives in the history of the United States during his tenure, growing the value of the company by 4000%. He accomplished this by imposing leadership efficiency practices throughout the company. Welch promoted strong businesses by limiting bureaucratic inefficiencies, trimming inventory and closing factories. His governing philosophy at GE was that a company should either be number 1 or number 2 in a particular industry or it should get out of that business. Welch adopted Motorola’s Six Sigma quality program in 1995 to further streamline operating efficiencies. In addition, Welch instituted a rigorous method of assessing organizational performance and leadership termed Session C. The goal of this program is to provide feedback and identify talent to managers within the organization. During Jack Welch’s tenure, General Electric became wildly profitable and became recognized as the preeminent organization in terms of operating efficiency and profitability. Mr. Welch’s methods, while successful were generally autocratic and focused on two specific issues: profitability and legal compliance. Jeffrey Immelt (2001 – present) Jeff Immelt was groomed to lead General Electric from a young age. Immelt’s father worked for GE in the Aircraft Engines Division. After receiving his A.B. in Applied Mathematics from Dartmouth College, Immelt earned an M.B.A.  from Harvard. Jeffrey Immelt formally joined General Electric in 1982 and began his professional ascent. Following a public and high-profile transition; Immelt was challenged with the difficult task of replacing legendary GE CEO Jack Welch in 2001. Immelt was immediately dealt two unparalleled challenges upon assuming the position – the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and to a lesser extent the public backlash attached to the prominent accounting scandals that occurred at the turn of the century. Immelt began to create an impact immediately, adopting a more people-oriented approach to management than the efficiency-minded approach that had governed GE for the preceding two decades. Immelt launched a series of effectiveness-oriented meas ures that encouraged innovation and risk-taking. Immelt also began to look to developing markets in search of opportunity. Finally, Jeffrey Immelt moved GE’s operational focus to areas not previously considered: concentration on long-term growth over short-term gains, infrastructure development with an emphasis on green energy and increased marketing efforts focused on social responsibility. The contrast between these two vastly different yet extremely effective leaders provides an interesting snapshot of the effects of the evolution in American business following the corporate scandals of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. While General Electric was not directly attached to a major scandal during that era, the timing of GE’s leadership transition was fortuitous. While there is certainly room for a chicken vs. egg debate regarding the change in managerial philosophy at GE; the change in leadership at the top of the company definitely provided an opportunity to shift course in the post-SOX business world. Corporate Sustainability & Social Responsibility Similar to many traditional American manufacturing powers, General Electric did not exercise sustainable business practices for the bulk of its existence. This, of course, was not uncommon in American industry. However, at the turn of the century, the first mention of social responsibility appeared in a GE company document. â€Å"Integrity: the Spirit and the Letter of Our Commitment† was a comprehensive document outlining the company’s policies related to privacy, supplier relationships, working with governments, environment, health and safety. The initial draft of this document was essentially a rule book seeking to achieve legal compliance in  the various nations where General Electric conducted business. The following year, (2001) two share owner proposals sought to amend and bolster the â€Å"Integrity† statement – Share Owner Proposal No. 2; which attempted to â€Å"improve the quality of life for employees and their communities† by allowing collective bargaining, eliminating discrimination & intimidation and promoting free labor, as well as Share Owner Proposal No. 3 which called for the Board to discontinue and renounce a PR campaign initiated by the General Electric Company that downplayed the dangerous effects of PCB’s dumped in the Hudson river by the company. The GE Board of Directors voted against both proposals. The reality of the Board’s actions demonstrates that the early years of General Electric’s sustainability and social responsibility programs were based in superficial statements only. In 2003, General Electric launched an interactive, electronic version of its Annual Report. This new medium included a section devoted to the â€Å"Citizenship† initiatives active within the company. The two paragraph overview acknowledged the need for a modern corporation to practice environmental compliance, leadership in corporate governance and high ethical standards. The document lists various social programs supported by the organization and its employees including nebulous philanthropic and volunteer efforts. While a step in the right direction, an outside observer may still question the level of commitment GE expressed to its sustainable programming. The strategy did not contain the measurable, quantifiable objectives r equired to effectively execute a large-scale sustainability program. (Epstein, 2003) Today, General Electric has created and maintains a robust, independent website dedicated to corporate sustainability. www.gesustainability.com outlines GE’s commitment to long-term sustainable business practices including: internal processes, (people, governance, compliance and health & safety) sustainability initiatives (health, energy & climate, water and natural resources) and progress (public policy, grassroots activism, lobbying, human rights and research). Most importantly, the site lists and outlines performance metrics used to govern their processes including the GRI G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The end result of the GE sustainability program has been a complete remake of the GE brand identity. Today; General Electric is recognized as a leader in corporate and social responsibility, receiving accolades from: The Human  Rights Campaign, (Corporate Equality) CR Magazine, (100 Best Corporate Citizens) Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Sustainable Business Prac tices) and the US President’s Volunteer Service Award amongst many others. In summary, General Electric is not a company without fault. Issues with comingling of responsibility at the top, lack of diversity in executives, and a series of accounting scandals in the early 2000’s are a few of the complications that the organization has witnessed. However; in terms of the ability of a large corporation to evolve in order to remain relevant throughout time, GE has fared better than most. Resources – Catts, T. (2013, April 24). GE investors reject 15-year term limits for board members. Bloomberg. Retrieved from www.bloomberg.com/news /2013-04-24/ge-investors-reject-15-year-term-limits-for-board-members.html – Colvin, G (1999, November 22). The ultimate manager in time of hidebound, formulaic thinking, General Electric’s Jack Welch gave power to the worker and the shareholder. He built one hell of a company in the process. Fortune. Retrieved from www.archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/11/22/269126/index.htm – Epstein, M. & Roy, M. (2003). Improving sustainability performance: specifying, implementing and measuring key principals. Journal of General Management. Vol.29, No. 1 2003. – Sidime, A. (2007, February 18). The good and bad of Sarbanes-oxley. San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/262392306?accountid=12381 – Rachel, E.S. (2002, October 29). GE adds 2 outside directors in move to boost governance. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/398860308?accountid=12381 – Watson, I. (2002, June 30). GE caught up in US accounting scandal. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/462671234?accountid=12381 – General Electric Corporation. Wikipedia. Retrieved from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general_electric – Jack Welch. Wikipedia. Retrieved from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jack_welch – Jeffrey Immelt. Wikipedia. Retrieved from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jeffrey_immelt – General Electric Proxy Statements. (2000,2003,2013). SEC. Retrieved from www.sec.gov/archives/edgar/data – The Spirit & The Letter (.pdf). GE.com. Retrieved from www.ge.com/files/usa/commitment – www.soxlaw.com

Paramedic science degree (Medical) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Paramedic science degree (Medical) - Essay Example We then supported her back while she slowly stood. With the help of a walker, she walked a few steps outside her room. When she expressed that she was getting tired, we assisted her to the wheelchair and wheeled her into the rehabilitation clinic. She was also a very anxious patient and feared that she might fall again and further injure herself. She was also feeling depressed and melancholy; she felt like there was no point in her trying to recover from her injuries. Feelings (What was I thinking and feeling?) I felt that the process of assisting the patient was a long and tedious process; but I knew that it was something we had to patiently undergo. This step by step process of transporting the patient from each point to the next helps prevent further injury and ensures that the patient would be able to safely regain her mobility and independence. Regaining mobility and independence after partial hip surgery is crucial to the patient’s recovery. In a study by Freburger (2000 , p. 448), the researcher was able to establish that physical therapy after hip arthroplasty helps to improve patient outcomes and to ensure home discharge. I felt that discharging the patient to home care would help calm and ease her anxieties; calming her anxieties about falling is essential towards achieving mobility and independence. Evaluation (What was good and bad about the experience?) What was good about the experience was that, I learned the importance applying safe methods of moving and transporting patients. Safely transferring and transporting the patient from one point to another requires technique and guidance from the physical therapist. I learned that all elements of the transfer and transport must be coordinated with all the members of the medical team in order to ensure the safe and stable transport of patients (Durch, p. 209). The physical therapist was able to teach us proper techniques of transferring the patient – techniques which were not too difficult for the patient to adopt while also being ergonomically safe for the transport team to apply. Ergonomically safe techniques in transporting patients help prevent injuries on the part of the transport team (Nelson and Baptiste, 2004). What I found bad about the experience was that I felt like the medical team was pushing the patient too hard. Granting that early mobility would help her regain her independence, I could see from the patient’s demeanour that she really was finding the process very exhausting. I felt that we needed to include counselling also to her treatment in order to help her deal with her anxiety and post-surgery depression. Depression after surgery, especially for the elderly is a common occurrence. Treating that depression helps ensure that she would do well during the rehabilitative process (McConnell, n.d., p. 3). Analysis (What sense can I make of the situation?) This situation emphasizes the importance of applying safe methods in the transfer and trans port of patients. Post-surgery patients, especially the elderly, already have compromised mobility, but it does not mean that they cannot move at all or that they will never regain their mobility. Learning the safe and appropriate ways to assist them in regaining mobility is an important function for the medical team. In the process however, the team must also learn how to

The Gaps Left By Private Health Insurance Dissertation

The Gaps Left By Private Health Insurance - Dissertation Example Medical savings account evolved first in Singapore during 1984 as an alternative method of prepayment which is meant to address cost escalation caused by moral hazards (Mossialos and Dixon, 2002, p. 121). Medical Savings Account is a trust or custodial account for which a bank or an insurance company works as a trustee for the benefits of the individual or family (Prescott, 1998, p. 27). Medical savings accounts are savings accounts for individuals by which people are required to deposit money or are encouraged to deposit money. The money collected by medical savings accounts should be utilized solely for personal medical expenses (Mossialos and Dixon, 2002, p. 5). Medical savings accounts are considered to be tax-deferred because money contributed to medical savings accounts or money earned from unused balances are exempted from employee’s personal tax and these allow customers to save money for medical expenses. Either employer or employee keeps a portion of that part of the money which is spent on health insurance to the Medical savings account and the other portion is used for obtaining a catastrophic policy to cover medical expenses. Health Savings Account, a synonym for Medical savings account was created on December 2003 by a Medicare Bill signed by George W. Bush. It functions as a part of a high deductible health plan in America. It can be best viewed as Medical IRA because, Health savings account combines a health insurance plan with a tax-free saving account (Sedhom, 2008, p. 1) The medical savings account is based on the principle of self-reliance, because citizens are required to keep a portion of their income for saving purpose every month mainly for meeting their health care costs (Mossialos and Dixon, 2002, p. 121).

Theory and practice of Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Theory and practice of Leadership - Essay Example pper and Lipshitz (1993) have defined leadership is a way to motivate people to perform with the help of non-coercive means while other research scholars like Alas et al. (2007) have stated that leadership depends on personal traits of a individual such as behaviour, relationship with subordinates, interaction pattern with subordinates, influencing capability, ability to motivate people to perform well, influence on culture of the organization etc. Vardiman et al. (2006) have argued that leadership is a process of influencing others to accomplish predetermined objectives rather than characteristics of individual. According to Vardiman et al. (2006) leadership is dependent on the dyadic relationship between leader and follower which is independent of the macro and micro environmental conditions. Day (2002) has defined leadership in terms of transformational leadership theory which states that individual characteristics of leaders decide the dynamics of leadership. Various research sch olars such as Johnson (2000) and Howell & Costley (2001) have stated that organizations need to develop leadership skill among employees in order to provide direction, commitment and engagement to their work effort. Morrison et al. (2003) have stated that leadership is basically the ability of individuals to understand and implement contemporary management theories to real life problems. Popper and Lipshitz (1993) have indicated that there are three pillars for successful leadership characteristics, 1- building self efficacy, 2- motivating others to perform well and 3- developing specific skills to influence the followers. Steers et al. (1996) have also stated that leaders must the ability to motivate employees in workplace. Groves (2007) has proposed that systematic effort is needed in order to develop leadership quality among individuals. Deci and. Ryan (2000) has revealed that social-contextual conditions boost psychological development and self-motivation and these two factors

Why is Family Important Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why is Family Important - Research Paper Example ly is a combination of the people, their individual personalities, their financial and emotional relations and interdependence, and how they interact with each other -Families provide legal protection to the right of inheritance -Family history in medicine is a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment planning -Positive families lead to creation of positive individuals, who accomplish more as individuals -Families give emotional strength when positive relations exist, and create important examples for children to follow as adults -Controversy exists between schools of thoughts in individualism and collectivism over the importance and role of family CONCLUSION Families in all of its form remain an essential unit of society. a positive family environment translates in to well protected and emotionally sound individuals, who become better contributors to society The current debate in sociology regarding family and family systems is far more complex, with its implications even more so. Th e most important question that has risen is the simple question whether family is important in human society or not. Individualism and collectivism come at a deadlock here, for each group stands to demonstrate two different concepts of self and roles in societies. Family sadly suffers from the tug and pull of these two ideologies, which is easily seen by the many new family systems that have currently developed. Therefore, the most important question that arises before impact of different family systems is whether family is important in current societies. Although appearing as a simple term, the word family is often the most difficult to describe and define. This is because the word family has come to identify many close emotional, physical and biological social interactions, which take...Family sadly suffers from the tug and pull of these two ideologies, which is easily seen by the many new family systems that have currently developed. Therefore, the most important question that ar ises before impact of different family systems is whether family is important in current societies. Although appearing as a simple term, the word family is often the most difficult to describe and define. This is because the word family has come to identify many close emotional, physical and biological social interactions, which take different meanings in separate cultures (Allan and Allan, 1999, pp 21). The definitions therefore, vary, depending upon the context in which family is defined.

The Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Nazism in Germany Research Paper

The Treaty of Versailles to the rise of Nazism in Germany - Research Paper Example The allies crafting the treaty at the Paris Peace Conference were more interested in punishing Germany than securing long lasting peace. Ironically, the Treaty of Versailles was intended to make sure Germany was rendered too weak to wage war but due to its restrictive nature served to enrage and embolden factions within the beaten nation which fanned the flames of an emerging fanaticism. Germany not only lost massive amounts of land, economic sanctions caused severe hardships to a people trying to recover from the devastation of war. The worldwide depression in the 1930’s worsened the already desperate situation. In addition, German’s greatly resented foreign troops occupying parts of their country. The German government was weakened as a consequence of the ill conceived Treaty of Versailles which allowed for a fanatical form of fascism led by Adolph Hitler to flourish in Germany following World War I. (Henig, 2010). These issues, which were instigated by the Treaty of Versailles, caused Germany to again become aggressive against its neighboring countries which started WWII. The Treaty of Versailles was designed specifically to weaken Germany in many vital areas. Large sections of German territory were taken away and given to surrounding countries. France and Poland especially received lands that had been important to the Germany economy. Germany also lost all of its worldwide outposts to various allied nations. The new country of Austria was carved from previously held German lands as was the former Czechoslovakia, now called the Czech Republic. The allies were given all of Germany’s mercantile marine ships, another severe blow to the German economy. On top of that, the Treaty required Germany to construct civilian and war ships for selected Allied countries. The Treaty also placed stringent restrictions on the Germany’s capacity to defend itself or to wage war. Germany was not permitted to possess heavy guns, tanks, armored cars, u -boats, Zepplins or airplanes, no air force of any type was allowed. The defeated nation could keep no more than one hundred thousand troops in its army and fifteen thousand sailors in its navy. Germany was forbidden by the Treaty to import materials used for war and was made to pay steep reparations to the Allied nations as well as to the territories it ceded. All types of valuables were seized to make these payments such as precious metals, building materials, vehicles and ships. On top of that cash payments were mandated on an annual basis for years to come. The Treaty also greatly diluted Germany’s transportation system. It gave control of Germany’s railroads to Poland and placed Germany’s river system, an important transportation artery at that time, under foreign management. Poland also gained free use of Germany’s northern ports. (Bell, 1986) Though the Treaty of Versailles accomplished its intended purpose by crippling Germany’s military an d economy ensuring it too weak to wage war, this tactic caused the next great world war just 20 years later. The Allied delegation in Paris assumed they had been successful in both ending the â€Å"war to end all wars† and preventing Germany from ever again waging war against its neighbors in Europe. They were tragically mistaken. The Treaty contained strong language but weak enforcement characteristics. Many military and political leaders understood this from its inception and predicted the horrific consequences. The Treaty was â€Å"the peace to end peace†

Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Constitution - Essay Example The English dictionary sees the meaning of the phrase to fall within the periphery of all those statutory protocol and social efforts that have concern to the matters of public. As such, health is just one of the aspects that fall within the phrase. Individuals such as James Madison also note that the limits of the phrase also seems infinite, considering the congress has the same authority but in a different capacity which is taxation by the federal government and the spending of the same. In the case Ferrocarril Central Argentino c/Provincia de Santa Fe, 569 held in Argentina, the court noted that the existence of the term in the US constitution is an affirmation of the authority that accrues to the federal government through its taxation and spending. In the case of a state such as Alaska, the existence of the phrase not only does imply public health, but it goes further to note that the phrase implies promoting and protecting public

Can china solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policy Research Paper

Can china solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policy - Research Paper Example Furthermore, I would also discuss various factors that contribute to the conflict between China and Taiwan. â€Å"China cannot gain Taiwan by force before the end of this decade.† (McCready, 8) Basically, the research paper examined if China can solve the dispute with Taiwan using one country under two policies. However, many questions still arise regarding this conflict if China would give up on Taiwan and let them enjoy their sovereignty? Why is United States not supporting China considering their recent super power status? Why does the Nationalist Party want to rejoin the People’s Republic of China? Nevertheless, the independent state of Taiwan in the eyes of China or Taiwan merging with China once again seems like a never ending conflict. It is said that Taiwan â€Å"Should pass the point of no return in asserting its independence and end the prospect of rejoining mother China.† (Tsang, 10) The government of Taiwan has multitude of reasons for not merging bac k and not giving up their independence from China. Taiwan has the right to enjoy its freedom and to prosper, thus depriving them of their rights is no excuse. China and Taiwan hold a very dainty and fragile relationship with each other. â€Å"China, Taiwan, the United States, and Japan have national interests in how the conflict is resolved, and these interests will be difficult to reconcile.† (McCready, 5) Therefore, China should end their efforts and give up on Taiwan as the Taiwanese currently are very happy with their independent state both personally and economically. As the time passes on, these conflicts will cool down. To sum it up in the most effective manner, Taiwanese are satisfied with their present state so there is no room for negotiations in this regard. At some point, China will show maturity and leave Taiwan so that they can enjoy their freedom. Also, the number of people visiting Taiwan from China has also tremendously increased with the passage of time and Taiwan has wholeheartedly increased its quota for Chinese visitors. Hence in a nutshell, Taiwan is quite happy with their independent state and they are economically stable and happy as well, which leaves China in no condition to negotiate merging them back with China, although it is said that the economical relations between Taiwan and China are quite stable and they are active trade partners. In my opinion China cannot solve this China-Taiwan conflict by using a single country under two policies. Prospectus Template:   1) My research topic: I had to analyze that whether China can solve Taiwan problem using one country under two policies. 2) I have learned the following:  I have learnt through my research that China and Taiwan have been in the state of unrest since Taiwan separated from China. I have to consider the factors that contribute to the conflict and what else needs to be done in order to overcome the conflict. 3) These observations lead me to ask the following questio ns:   Whether China would give up on Taiwan and let it enjoy their sovereignty? Will this conflict ever end? Why is the United States not supporting China, considering their recent super power status? Why does the Nationalist Party want to rejoin the People’s Republic of China? 4) This question has several plausible answers: Many factors contribute to the conflict, thus, there are numerous reasons. Some believe that the conflict will carry on, while others are optimistic about the

Social Psychology, What it would be like to be an African American Essay

Social Psychology, What it would be like to be an African American Male - Essay Example The African Americans are influenced by the common Americans as well as all those that live near them. The basic point to note here is that they are not being dealt in a fair manner. They are subject to the mercy of their superiors, which should not be the case in the first place. African Americans have left their African lands in search of a better living but what they find in American for so many years now is an attitude and treatment full of bias and malice on the part of the latter. The only manner in which a young African American gets to know more about his own self and his roots is through his ancestors as the country and its media do not project the Blacks in such a fashion as should be the case. His parents and other family members teach him what his upbringing is all about and what asked of them to migrate towards America. The development of this young individual is in the hands of the Americans, the Whites. Now it is up to them how they treat him and what sort of work they want him to do and for whom. Not only this, his character is built in such a way that he always feels under the rule of a White, which is a pure American. This man feels that he is impure and does not belong to the country as the White American does. Others think of the African American male as being an outsider, who has crept into the American lands either through some fraudulent tactics or other similar activities. Nobody is agreeable to his being there no matter what the circumstances are. The stereotypes related with him are that since he does not belong to the place, he will never be loyal with the nation, its values, customs and ethics. He will steal; commit forgery and other heinous acts which are considered derogatory in nature by all concerned. Other stereotype related with him is that since he is Black, he will always be kept at the position that is behind a pure White American. Concepts of attribution theory and confirmation bias

International Students Essay Example for Free

International Students Essay Attention getter- â€Å"Did you have a lion in your backyard when you were growing up?† â€Å"Did you have to hunt for your food?† Reveal Topic- These were the questions asked by my classmates when I first moved to the United States. Often times, international students are asked bizarre questions about their culture. Frequently, international students are asked what their names mean and although most may know, some don’t have the slightest idea. My name, Taiwo, means first of the twins to be born and the first to taste the world. From the audience survey I received back, only 2 out of 16 people that took the survey knew the meaning of their name. Most questions asked of international students can be humorous but some are very offensive. Credibility Statement- I moved to the United States when I was 12 years old, and my biggest problem was readjusting to the weather, which by the way I’m still not adjusted to. In Nigeria, my home country, there are only two seasons which are the wet and the dry season. Although I am not an international student, I can relate because I had to go through so many changes and at one point it was unbearable. Each year, Johnson County Community College is home to international students from more than one hundred countries with their own cultures, skills, and struggles. Preview of main points- Today, I am going to inform you about international students struggle with challenges like cultural and social adjustment. Connective- First, I would like to explain I. International student’s struggles with cultural adjustments. A. According to Gregory Trivonovitch, there are four transitional stages: a honeymoon, hostility, integration/acceptance, and finally, the home stage. 1. The honeymoon stage is described as the stage full of joy and excitement because most international students that are just arriving are captivated with everything new. They  a excited to start studying at a United States university. The second stage is hostility that â€Å"is characterized by frustration, anger, anxiety, judgementalism, fear, and sometimes depression† (Claremont). The third stage  is integration and acceptance, meaning when international students start to feel comfortable and relaxed in their new environment. At this stage they can join different clubs like the international club. The international club at Johnson County Community college â€Å"brings together students from America and around the globe for educational and social activities† (Johnson County Newspaper). The last stage is the home stage. This final stage is the â€Å"feel at home† stage that allows the students to absorb both their culture and the American culture. 2. Students go through these stages because they feel that they have lost but at the same time gained their identity. B. The anxiety and stress of being separated from their families, relatives, and their friends in their native countries can be overwhelming for them. 1. Leaving a culture and surroundings that one is very familiar with while transitioning to a new one can be difficult. 2. For instance, my friend john, an international student, said he asked one of his friend to â€Å"hook up†, meaning he wanted to hang out, but his friend taught he meant to â€Å"hook up† â€Å"hook up† as in sexually. John also mention how difficult it was for him to adjust to this new lifestyle and is still learning how to. Connective- Now that I have informed you about international students struggle with cultural adjustment and along with it explaining the four stages of cultural shock, II. I am going to explain international students’ struggles with social adjustment. A. International students usually stay in the United States for a short period of time or depending on how long they study for. They face sets of challenges such as interacting with others and making new friends. B. â€Å"International students may also experience a loss of social status and self-respect because their social standing in their home country may not be recognized in the U.S.† (Eunyoung). 1. Even though their suffering might be too much there are ways to manage. As mentioned earlier, the Johnson County Community College International club is a great way to network. a. The club â€Å"is an organization that works to increase international understanding and friendship† (JCCC brochure). b. This club as many goals in mind like â€Å"support for new students, social activities that increase awareness about American culture, fundraising activities to support scholarships for international students† and more (JCCC brochure). 2. Fear of belonging and coping with it. Conclusion- In closing we have learned the struggle international students face with challenges like cultural and social adjustment challenges. International students badly need to be given full initial and ongoing explanations of what is expected of them, how the system works, and where to get help. Being in a country you’re not familiar helps you learn. If you go to a foreign country you are not familiar with, these tips will be very useful in adjusting without any complications. Bibliography Stages of Cultural Adjustment. CGU Writing Center. Claremont Graduate University, n.d. Web. http://www.cgu.edu/pages/945.asp. Hurtado, David. Students Clubs Aim to Increase Involvement. The Campus Ledger 21 Sept. 2012: 6. Print. Johnson County Community College International Club. Johnson County: n.p., 2012. Print. Eunyoung, Kim. An Alternative Theoretical Model: Examining Psychosocial Identity Development of International Students in the United States. Rep. Project Innovation (Alabama), n.d. Web.

Tasks Carried Out During The Internship Media Essay

Tasks Carried Out During The Internship Media Essay Phoenix Satellite Television is a  Hong Kong-based  Mandarin Chinese  and Cantonese   television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers. It has 7 different television channels including Phoenix InfoNews Channel, Phoenix Chinese Channel, Phoenix Movie Channel, Phoenix Hong Kong Channel, Phoenix Emerald Channel, etc. Phoenix Television provides news, information, entertainment programme. It is one of the few privately owned broadcasting companies in mainland China able to broadcast information about events not covered by the government media. The companys head office locates in Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong, it also has correspondents offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The channel where I worked in is The Phoenix InfoNews Channel, which was established on 1 January 2001. It was the first Chinese-language channel that covered news from the regions of Greater China, including mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. There is 24-hour broadcasting on financial news, stock market information as well as news headlines worldwide. In addition, it provides comments and analysis prepared by analysts on current issues and topics. My role at the company When I first began my job as an intern student, my role was rigidly defined. I had certain tasks that I was to complete the first week along with direction from the other experienced staff. (Making rolling subtitles the first week) The teacher told me exactly what I shall do, what news shall I pick, where shall I replace the news on the software. As I became more accustomed to my work routine, the group leader let me do the thing by my self. She gave me the power to select news and make decision for where to place them and when to broadcaste the news. I was encouraged to generate some of my own ideas to the workplace to make unique contributions to the team. Beside the rolling text, I also helped to a program name à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, this program is about popular ting from the internet. Within weeks, I came up with creative idea about the program topics and created ideas and inventory management strategies that were broadcasted. I was lucky to have a boss that I had, she let me do the editing job indenpendentlu after 3 weeks time, thus I attribute my ideas to my managers encouragement to come up with my new ideas. Because of it, I feel I have eventually grew apathetic toward my job. After I was given the freedom to take ownership of my role, I became a much stronger resource to my company and my increased performance is proof of that.   when an I was got the opportunity to determine and define my own roles, it lead to much better performance. Given the ability to define their own role, I will feel more ownership of their responsibilities and gain a deeper understanding of their job function Because the company give me the freedom to shape my own role in a company, I felt just like a staff in the company, and perceived my self as a part of the company, it did will increased my productivity and job satisfaction.  Ã‚  I truly believe employees will perform better when given a say in defining their role within a company Tasks carried out during the internship I found my internship to be rewarding, fulfilling, challenging, and enjoyable. For me, it was enjoyable to participate in news production. I enjoy many aspects of the production process from start to finish-activities such as composing scripts, editing voiceovers, and editing the news footage. Broadcasting the news to the public, I feel is an important duty and I learned that the process of broadcasting to the public is an enjoyable process and feeling for me. My internship had a duration of six weeks. This internship was at a television station that produced broadcast news. While interning, my official title was Student Intern. My specific duties involved working with the rolling subtitles that appear underneath and simultaneous to broadcast content. I additionally participated in the post production aspects of the program, working with other editors. I researched material, made drafts or rough cuts, typeset content, and sent my work to be seen and used by the news anchors. My internship allowed me to develop skills in a specific area of production while also providing me opportunities to interact with various departments and individuals. While I did have my primary focus of work (subtitling), the internship gave me opportunities to learn and participate in aspects of the production process in which I was not always directly involved. There was both specificity and variety. These aspects helped make the internship enjoyable. I had the opp ortunity to develop a routine and a work process that I could practice, and at the same time there was a sense of unpredictability because there were plenty of times I did other things besides subtitling. It was also very exciting and interesting to interact with so many people who collaborate to make the news happen. Learning experience During the summer internship I realized that collaboration and cooperation are things which are absolutely crucial to production work happening. Media production is definitely a group effort. Having social and communication skills are just as important as having production skills. If a person cannot get along well with others, that person will have a short-lived and likely unfulfilling career in media production. Media and news production appeals to my fundamental need and ability to communicate and tell stories to people. I am a storyteller. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of media in human history. Media and news production are simply derivations of storytelling. The news, television shows, and movies are all just modern versions of one of the oldest forms of communication human beings have. There must be some instinctual need in humans to tell stories and listen to stories. There is something about storytelling that has a strong and deep appeal to human beings all throughout the world for as long as humans have existed, so far as documented history tells us. I feel a connection to this need to share stories. It is within me. Therefore, my internship at the production studio has personal and professional implications for me. I certainly enjoyed my work and my experience there, which influences the trajectory of my study and my plans after graduation. During the internship, I discovered that News and media production play very well into some of my natural skills and abilities. I am a person who is patient. I learned about just how much patience and discipline are required for research, editing, and presentation. I am fortunate that I already retain some of the qualities necessary to do well in such activities and processes. People who are not as patient or meticulous would have a very hard time in production. I am also a person whose has the ability to achieve and maintain focus. When I have a task at hand, I know how to achieve and maintain focus from the start of the task until the task is completed. Media production cannot work without people who know how to focus. Some of the aspects of production are extremely delicate both technically and artistically. In order to produce a quality piece of media, production teams must be able to focus. I knew this before my internship started, but after the experience of the internship, I h ave a new kind of appreciation for some of my character traits. As a student, it is fairly unknown how one would fair in the real professional world. We never know which qualities about ourselves will help us or hurt us professionally. My experience as a production intern gave me a clearer sense of what about me lends itself to this kind of work as well as what about me should be improved upon to be a better professional whenever my next production opportunity may be. In this way, the production internship gave me confidence in myself as well as motivation to be better. News production is already a challenge in of itself; lacking personal traits that lend themselves to the work only makes the work all the more arduous. These are some ways the internship connected to my personal and professional lives. My understanding for media after intern My previous courses in advertising and marketing in prior semesters in combination with my work in media personally influences my thinking now, which is that media is a truly significant aspect for people in the 21st century world. In todays local and global societies, media is a fixture. I have a deeper understanding of the range of affects media has upon people, especially with regard to have media affects peoples perceptions. I also see how media affects international relations. Media can be used as part of international relations. In fact, a production with an international production crew is in itself an exercise in a kind of international relations. Because media has such an influence on perceptions and international relations, I see how much responsibility media producers and media professionals have to the subject matter and to the audiences that consume the content. This is an aspect of media that appeals to me now. The international aspects, the potential to influence audie nces, and the chance to demonstrate social responsibility or professional integrity are things about a career in media that cause me to want to contribute myself. What I contribute to the company Again, my internship lasted for six weeks total. During the first three weeks of my internship, I contributed to the production of the scrolling marquee or rolling subtitles that appear underneath the anchor during broadcasts. My jobs was to perform acquire information that appears as content for the marquee. There are many news networks and news programs that practice putting a scrolling marquee of other news while there is news content on the screen. I would go online and search a variety of websites. I would do my best to locate the most controversial, most interesting, and most newsworthy news. After I assembled an adequate amount of news information from my research, I would rewrite the information I found, input into the system, and then the information would be broadcast. I would have to have twelve items of news of the list for the marquee. My duties not only included research and writing, but it also included prioritizing. I had to put the news items I found in an order that made sense and showcased all the information gathered in the best way possible. There was also an element of timing because I had to additionally change which news items appeared on the marquee periodically, usually changing two items every fifteen minutes. In addition to current events and world news, I also had to include stock news, which was new for me as I am not an expert in the stock exchange. During the remaining three weeks of my internship, I spent time working exclusively with the editors. I worked with the editor for a program called à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ «Ãƒ §Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ §Ã‚ ½-. With the assistance and supervision of the editor, I would perform research. The research had to be quality and current content that was amusing, important, controversial, or otherwise noteworthy. I located images, videos, and text using only the Internet. After I gathered my content, I composed a rough draft summarizing the content and its potential significance. After I wrote a draft, the editor would send my draft to a news anchor. The anchors would read my work and then report upon it in a casual or informal manner. The anchors would actually use work that made part of their on-air discussion and commentary. à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ «Ãƒ §Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ §Ã‚ ½- is a program with a running time or approximately 38 minutes. As part of my teams research for this program, we had to locate approximately ten pictures, ten news texts, and eight videos. There were times when it was necessary to cut or edit the videos for length. The editor would make or approve of every draft and every draft would go to the anchor. Altogether, there was a small team behind this program, so that was interesting to be a part of large teams and small teams during my internship experience. There were times when the specific forms of research were delegated to one person. For example, one team member may only perform research for images. Another person may only research for relevant videos. In my experience, I had the chance to research for all three types of necessary content. I now have experience researching images, videos, and text. After I located the appropriate material or content, I wrote my drafts. After they were approved, there were instances where I could help the anchor directly as well as assist in the recording of the program. From my internship I learned that I have strong time management skills. I had no problems completing my work within a specific time frame or by a specific deadline. I also was able to utilize the resources provided to me very well and on time. For the scrolling marquee job, I always had to update the content slightly before fifteen minutes elapsed to be prepared. Thus, my rolling subtitles were always very fresh. All of the news I compiled was the latest news and the most important. The news marquee is updated quite frequently; therefore, late or old news is unacceptable. If the number of an item has increased, I updated the number immediately. Furthermore, as part of my time management skills, I always made time and got into the habit of double and triple checking my work before sending it off for approval or broadcast. These traits contributed to my level of productivity during the internship. For the program à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ «Ãƒ §Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ §Ã‚ ½-, I looked through many different websites and gathered many good materials. I made sure there was variation in the style to make sure the program is suitable for a broad spectrum of audience members. I wrote a draft for the material immediately after the material was found, with accurate, simple, and clear language. The time spent on the draft is normally no more than fifteen minutes. Thus, I must have had good time to find good material. I always finished locating the items I need to find before the time limit expired, and used the rest of time to prepare material for the following day. Sometimes with my leftover time, I would double check the draft, consulting my colleagues on what they think about the news, if they have other comments; I appreciate the commentary and would consider integrating it into my work. These are other ways my traits contributed to my productivity. As far as my output, with regard to the scrolling marquee, I located and used a minimum of forty news items per day, which is higher than average. Again, the news items were updated every fifteen minutes. Two items were updated for every few minutes. I had to follow the rules for updating information quite strictly. I used less than five minutes for every news item, and subsequently located more items. For à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ «Ãƒ §Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ §Ã‚ ½-, I had five hours to locate items and write drafts for the materials I found. I always finished on time. I had no problem with punctuality and quality of my work. I realize that my internship shows me some of the gaps in my knowledge structure or base. As aforementioned, I need to know more about editing and about producing. I want to know more about how to organize and lead people during production. I could always use more development as a writer. Study and internship From this experience, I learned about the necessity of both school experiences and work experiences. I think that to be a truly success professional, people should have formal educational experiences in their fields, and they should also have worthwhile professional experiences. The two different kinds of experiences complement each other very well. Having both kinds of experience can only help a professional get better or be his or her best. In school, there is stress on theory and concepts, which is good and necessary to have a theoretical knowledge about the work. In the professional world, a person has a chance to prove or disprove the theories learned in school. The professional world provides students important opportunities to apply what they have learned in the classroom to see what is really relevant, useful, and/or true. From my university coursework, specifically a course called Writing for Media, I learned that media professionals must write in a specific way. I learned that in every industry there is a specific format and style of writing that is appropriate for that industry. In the media industry, professional must write in a succinct manner, with great clarity and accuracy. The lessons I learned from that course helped me very much during my internship. There was a clear connection between the courses I have taken and the work that I did during my internship. I applied the lessons from Writing for Media over and over during my six-week internship. I composed drafts for programs. Therefore I practiced writing for media in general. I wrote drafts that were brief, yet very clear. I did my best to represent the information in my drafts as accurately as possible. Another course called I took called Fundamentals of Persuasive Communication proved to benefit me during my internship as well. My communi cation skills increased because of the course and because of the application of lessons learned from the course during the internship. Communication must include listening to others. I had to listen to others during the internship. I was working in teams and I am inexperienced, so I would listen to my team members and I would listen when people would give me instructions and/or feedback. I also learned the differences between listening and listening carefully. My listening skills improved and I became more discriminating about what information is useful to me and what is not. This is how my coursework prepared me for the internship experience. I still have a ways to go until graduation, so I will take the focus and direction I acquired because of my internship has influenced my current and upcoming choices regarding my remaining coursework. I feel that because of my internship, I will select courses in news editing, news journalism, and broadcasting in the upcoming year. On the other hand though, there were things that I learned in the internship that I would have never been able to learn just from the classroom experience. I learned much more intensely about my strengths and weaknesses personally and professionally. One weakness is my lack of experience to problem solve during emergency or otherwise intense situations. In the working environment, there is a real, palpable tension that I was not prepared for. The internship highlighted my lack of agility and strength under very serious pressure. This is something upon which I must improve because a lot of media production, especially news media, is very intense and move fast. I need more practice working effectively in this kind of environment. The internship highlighted many of my strengths including my intense concentration. I concentrate very well on my work. I am also good at listening and over communication with different kinds of people. Another strength I learned I have is my ability to adapt to new situations, circumstances and more. After years of studying media theory, I have my own real life experience with the production process of news, and television situation comedy. I know what it feels like to deliver messages to the public in those formats. Those are things I could not learn from a book or in a classroom. This is one way in which my internship proved invaluable. Difficulties experienced during the internship My problems during the internship were few. I had troubles working with pieces of production software. I was unfamiliar with them and I found them to be very different from the software I used at school or for school normally. That was a setback because production work is heavily predicated on software. Almost every department in production has its own kind of software to learn. Something else that was a problem or issue was accuracy. There was a lot of pressure to be accurate. Everything I wrote, in terms of the subtitles, would be read by millions. I felt a lot of responsibility, especially to be accurate, clear, and have correct spelling. I never experienced that kind of pressure at school. I had some adapting to change, after all the internship was a new environment with new people. Mostly, I had to deal with the unexpected. I am inexperience in problem solving and working on my own. In school, I have an instructor to ask for guidance; in the workplace, its own me. From a group perspective, my internship could have been improved with a bit more support from other members of the crew. I already had an interest in media before my production, and even before I chose my major. After having some coursework and internship in media, my desire to work in media has definitely solidified. I want to work as a professional in the media industry for many years to come. My production internship experience specifically has shown to me in what direction I will go after my impending graduation next year.

The History Of Hip Hop Music Essay

The History Of Hip Hop Music Essay Rap as we know it today was originated in the 70s, but the earliest known recited rhyme was performed by the famous boxing champion Muhammad Ali just before his bout with Sonny Liston in which he says: Clay comes out to meet Liston And Liston starts to retreat If Liston goes back any further Hell end up in a ringside seat. Clay swings with a left, Clay swings with a right, Look at young Cassius Carry the fight. Liston keeps backing But theres not enough room Its a matter of time. There, Clay lowers the boom. Now Clay swings with a right, What a beautiful swing, And the punch raises the bear, Clear out of the ring. Liston is still rising And the ref wears a frown, For he cant start counting, Till Sonny comes down Now Liston disappears from view. The crowd is getting frantic, But our radar stations have picked him up Hes somewhere over the Atlantic. Who would have thought? When they came to the fight That theyd witness the launching Of a human satellite Yes, the crowd did not dream When they laid down their money That they would see A total eclipse of the Sonny I am the greatest! (Hip-Hop Timeline, N.D) Todays Rap, or Hip-Hop, was brought into the U.S by a group of Jamaican immigrants in the 70s. One of the Jamaicans, Clive Campbell, A.K.A Kool Herc began, making instrumentals out of two turntables. While another man from the Bronx, Theodore Livingstone, A.K.A Grand Wizard, accidentally discovered the scratching sound of the turntable. Rap was created as an inter-cultural phenomenon of New Yorks poorer sections (Harlem, Soho, Greenwich Village, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn). Rap became an evolved form of Jamaican dub music which is an instrumental subgenre of reggae music. The rapper would record his voice over a pre-recorded base of percussions, bass and horns (Scaruffi, 2004). The predecessors of rap were disc-jockeys, or spinners, (A.K.A. Djs) who would comment on the song and try to excite people to dance; the deejays became cult figures. Later on, the Bronx was divided into three main parts of influence: Bambaata in the southeast, Hercules in the west, and Grandmaster Flash in the center. They also corresponded to the aspects of different crews. Another part of hip-hop, although not a lyrical one, was graffiti or tagging. Tagging started in Philadelphia sometime in the 1960s, pioneered by such legendary figures as Cornbread and Cool Earl (who may or may not have existed) (Scaruffi, 2004). Soon after, a particular form of graffiti began to appear on the New York subway train Scarfutti P says: the following year the New York Times claimed to have interviewed the tagger, a teenager only known as Taki 183 (also may not have existed). It is unknown whether these graffiti writers really existed because other people began to use the same names to write graffiti around the city (Scaruffi, 2004). The first rap records made were done by the Sugar Hill Gang, who released the song Rappers Delight in 1979 (the song became the first know rap song on Billboard), Kurtis Blow Walker, who wrote the songs, Christmas Rapping and The Breaks, as well as, having the first rap album to go gold. Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Raheim (Guy Williams), and Mr. Ness (Eddie Morris) were the third of the early top artist to record songs under the name, Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five. Rap music began to become more popular and led to the first rap radio show called, Mr. Magics Rap Attack, on WHBI. Then 1981, Grandmaster Flashs album, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel, became the first album to showcase the use of turntables to make music. Two years later, rappers began to put political messages in their songs, as Kurtis Blow did in the song, The Breaks, and Grand Master Flash had done with The Message. Both songs talked about inner-city poverty instead of just party themes (Scaruffi, 2004 Timeline Help, N.D). It was at this time that rap music began to move outside the park or block party format and saw performers begin to put more thought into their lyrics as they created routines and choruses and catchy phrases. As raps popularity begins to grow and spread from New York to the rest of the country two entrepreneurs, Russell Simmons and Rick Ruben, start a record company out of the dorm room of Rick Ruben who was attending college at the time. The record label, Def Jam Records, became one of the most important record labels ever. Although Russell Simmons was the brother of rapper Run, from the group Run-DMC, he did not have the group on his label in the early years. The label did release T La Rock Its Yours and then followed that with another artist who is still recording to this day, LL Cool J, who recorded I Need A Beat. Other artists began to create songs and the battle rap style (still popular today) began to take the spotlight as the group UTFOs put out a diss song called, Roxanne Roxanne. It was during this time that rap began to combine with other styles of music and moved away from using simple beats made with drum machines. One the biggest and most successful example of this was Run-D MC whose music allowed them to become the first rap act to get airplay on MTV and radio stations throughout the country. Run-DMC put out the first collaboration between rock and rap music and achieved success using this style in their albums: Run-DMC (1984), King of Rock (1985) and Raising Hell (1986). Their hits had a heavy mix of hard-rock guitar riffs and hip hop beats. LL Cool J introduced a softer side to raps hard edge as he recorded the song I Need Love which would become a major part of his appeal and formula for future music. As rap continued to grow in popularity, different forms emerged ranging from political rap (Public Enemy, KRS-ONE) to comedic (Fat Boys, Slick Rick) to the later, more edgy forms of gangster rap made introduced by artists from the West Coast. Rap was able to cross racial lines also as white artists, such as, the Beastie Boys released their first album, License to Ill, in 1987, which mixed punk rock and hip-hop and became a top selling group in the history of rap music. Other artist focused on developing strong wordplay skills, using metaphors and similes to separate themselves from other artists of the time. These artists, such as, Kool Moe Dee, Rakim and KRS-ONE helped to elevate the art form while also promoting the development of intellectual thoughts in the music. Boogie Down Productions releases Criminal Minded and following the release KRS-ONEs DJ Scott LaRock is shot and killed trying to settle and argument. Public Enemy stuns the world when they drop Yo Bum Rush The Show which signals the beginning of politically motivated Hip-Hop. During this time Rick Rubin leaves Def Jam and founds Def America. (Adaso, N.D). Kool Moe Dee Battles LL Cool J begins with Moe Dees How You Like Me Now LLs response to this was Jack the Ripper the feud would continue until Moe Dee tries to battle LL at a St Louis concert and LL refuses so Moe Dee broke down his name to diss him and then slammed the mic down in victory (Hip-Hop Timeline, N.D). After a long battle with crack-addiction Cowboy from Grandmasters Furious Five dies at age 28. Dr.Dres protà ©gà © D.O.C releases No One Can Do It Better D.O.C ends up in a terrible accident and although he survives his career however didnt. NWAs Niggaz for life album reaches #1 on pop charts and sells almost a million copies in its first week. Then Nas Illmatic album goes gold is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest albums in Hip-Hop history. The same year Warren Gs Regulate: The G-Funk Era Goes 4x platinum. Soon artists started to want a boycott against gangsta-rap artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dog and 2Pac because of their violent lyrics (Adaso, N.D). 2 Pac is robbed and shot 5 times in a New York studio. After he recovers Pac is then sentenced to 8 months in prison. 2 Pacs death row career takes off after prison Adaso, H says 2 Pac signs a deal with Death Row Records after Suge Knight posts a $1.4 million bail. On September 7th, Tupac Shakur is murdered after being shot multiple times as he rode in a car driven by Ceo of Death Row Records Marion Suge Knight near the Las Vegas strip. Tupac died 5 days later. His death once again sparked the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly side of the streets (Adaso, N.D). 2Pacs New York counterpart Biggie Smalls is also killed Adaso, H says The Notorious B.I.G. is murdered in a drive-by shooting only six months after 2Pacs murder. His second album, released only a few days later, and ironically titled Life After Death becomes the best selling rap album of all time (Adaso, N.D). Eminem is signed to after math records and releases his debut album the Slim Shady lp which despite racial complications sells 4 million copies. The following year Eminem releases the Marshall Mathers lp which solidifies his spot as a future great in the rap community. The album sells 1.76 million in the first week out and Eminem receives two Grammies for his work. Just after 9/11 two of New York greats Nas and Jay-Z begin to battle after years of subliminal attacks Jay-Z hits Nas with the Takeover and Nas strikes back with the earth-shattering Ether Jay-Z bounces back with hard hitting Super Ugly (rapped over the instrumental of Nass Got Yourself A Gun) in which Jay talks about having sex with Nas baby momma. New Yorks Hot 97 asks for a vote to pick a winner. While votes are being tallied up Jay rushes to apologize for the vulgar lyrics in the freestyle but it doesnt change the fact the Nas won the battle however fans would forever debate the victor of the battle. Jam Master Jay (Dj of Run-DMC) is murdered in a Queens Bridge studio. No convictions have been made on his murder. More battles emerge such as: Nelly vs. KRS-One, Eminem vs. The Source magazine, Jermaine Dupri vs. Dr. Dre and more. More violence emerges Adaso, H says: In the middle of the 2004 Vibe Awards ceremony, a man named Jimmy James Johnson approaches rap legend Dr. Dre, who was preparing to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and punches him in the face. A full-on brawl ensues during which Johnson gets stabbed. After reviewing tape of the melee, authorities identify the stabber as G-Unit rapper Young Buck, a member of Dr. Dres label. Suge Knight, who also crashed the event, later denies allegations that he had promised Johnson $5000 to assault Dr. Dre. Nas and Jay end their long feud at a 2005 power 105 concert. Eminem becomes the new face of the argument of Hip-Hop racism Adaso H says: Eminem becomes the new focus of a debate on hip-hop and racism after some unidentified friends of the rapper submitted a tape of him using the N-word and making several derogatory remarks about the African-American community. Sample lyrics from the Eminem tape: Black girls are b****es/ Thats why Ima tell ya you better pull up your britches/Cause all that cash is making your a** drag. On another song, he rhymes: Black girls and white girls just dont mix/Because Black girls are dumb and white girls are good chicks. The Source uses the tape to renew their anti-Eminem campaign, even releasing a CD version of the racist tape. In response, Eminem apologizes publicly and claims the rap was done out of teen angst following a break-up with a black girlfriend. Eminem says: I did and said a lot of stupid s**t when I was a kid, but thats part of growing up, said Eminem in a statement. The tape of me rapping 15 years ago as a teenager that was recently put out by The Source in no way represents who I was then or who I am today. This is a collection of some of the most significant events in Hip-Hop from the beginning to 2004. With more time however I would have liked to touch up on establishing some of the more influential aspects of Hip-Hop and those who made them popular. What I hoped to achieve with this report is that Hip-Hop wasnt originally about who has the most record sales or who has the best cars of jewelry it was as KRS-ONE often says: peace love unity and having fun. Anyway Id like to thank you for taking the time to read this.

Women in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Women in Oedipus Rex  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         Charles Segal in Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge explains one of the pivotal functions of Jocasta in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex:    The second series begins with Jocasta. . . .Now Oedipus is pursuing the killer as possibly the same as himself. . . . In this set his goal shifts gradually from uncovering the murderer to discovering his own parents. The confidence and power that he demonstrated in the first series of encounters gradually erode into anger, loss of control and fear (72).    This essay will reveal the role of women in the drama, the attitude toward women, the contribution of women to plot development, and other considerations relevant to women in Oedipus Rex.    Michael J. O’Brien in the Introduction to Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, maintains that there is â€Å"a good deal of evidence to support this view† that the fifth century playwright was the â€Å"educator of his people† and a â€Å"teacher†. Sophocles in his tragedy, Oedipus Rex, teaches about â€Å"morally desirable attitudes and behavior† (4), and uses three women to help convey these principles of living.    At the outset of Oedipus Rex no female characters are present; the reader sees a king who comes to the door full of curiosity: â€Å"Explain your mood and purport. Is it dread /Of ill that moves you or a boon ye crave?† When the priest has responded that the people are despairing from the effects of the plague, the king shows sympathy for his subjects: â€Å"Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain, /How great soever yours, outtops it all.† Thomas Van Nortwick in Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life : â€Å"We see already the supreme self-confidence and ease of command in ... ...nflicts of the Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.    Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi    â€Å"Sophocles† In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Van Nortwick, Thomas.   Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998.    Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.      

Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Glass Menagerie essays

Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these components to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie - hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the narrator blatantly admits, 'since I have a poet's weakness for symbols', symbols are central to The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols are merely concrete substitutions used to express a particular theme, idea, or character. One major symbol is the fire escape which has a separate function for each of the characters. This fire escape provides a means of escape for Tom from his cramped apartment and nagging mother. Therefore, the fire escape for him represents a path to the outside world. For the gentleman caller, the fire escape provides the means through which Jim can enter the Wingfield apartment, thus entering their lives. For Amanda, the fire escape allows Jim to come into the apartment and prevent Laura from becoming a spinster. The significance of the fire escape for Laura is that it is her door to the inside world in which she can hide. It is ironic that when Laura does leave the security of her apartment, she falls. This symbolises Laura's inability to function properly in the outside world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another recurring symbol is the glass menagerie which represents Laura's hypersensitive nature and fragility. Laura is just as easily broken as a glass unicorn - and just as unique. When Jim accidentally bumps into the unicorn and breaks it, the unicorn is no longer unique. Likewise, when Jim kisses Laura and then shatters her hopes by telling her he's eng... ...ructure of the entire play -   an ironic pattern of romantic expectations, momentary fulfilment, and ultimate loss' (Thompson 13).    Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold. Introduction. Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 1-8. King, Thomas L. "Irony and Distance in The Glass Menagerie." In Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 85-94. Levy, Eric P. "'Through Soundproof Glass': The Prison of Self Consciousness in The Glass Menagerie." Modern Drama, 36. December 1993. 529-537. Thompson, Judith J. Tennessee Williams' Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol. New York: Peter Lang, 1989. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.    Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Glass Menagerie essays Crushed Dreams in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is known for his use of symbols, tension, and irony. Williams uses all of these components to express the central theme of The Glass Menagerie - hope followed by despair. Each of the characters has dreams that are destroyed by the harsh realities of the world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the narrator blatantly admits, 'since I have a poet's weakness for symbols', symbols are central to The Glass Menagerie (Williams 30). Symbols are merely concrete substitutions used to express a particular theme, idea, or character. One major symbol is the fire escape which has a separate function for each of the characters. This fire escape provides a means of escape for Tom from his cramped apartment and nagging mother. Therefore, the fire escape for him represents a path to the outside world. For the gentleman caller, the fire escape provides the means through which Jim can enter the Wingfield apartment, thus entering their lives. For Amanda, the fire escape allows Jim to come into the apartment and prevent Laura from becoming a spinster. The significance of the fire escape for Laura is that it is her door to the inside world in which she can hide. It is ironic that when Laura does leave the security of her apartment, she falls. This symbolises Laura's inability to function properly in the outside world.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another recurring symbol is the glass menagerie which represents Laura's hypersensitive nature and fragility. Laura is just as easily broken as a glass unicorn - and just as unique. When Jim accidentally bumps into the unicorn and breaks it, the unicorn is no longer unique. Likewise, when Jim kisses Laura and then shatters her hopes by telling her he's eng... ...ructure of the entire play -   an ironic pattern of romantic expectations, momentary fulfilment, and ultimate loss' (Thompson 13).    Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold. Introduction. Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 1-8. King, Thomas L. "Irony and Distance in The Glass Menagerie." In Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 85-94. Levy, Eric P. "'Through Soundproof Glass': The Prison of Self Consciousness in The Glass Menagerie." Modern Drama, 36. December 1993. 529-537. Thompson, Judith J. Tennessee Williams' Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol. New York: Peter Lang, 1989. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.