Analysis “The Ormolu Clock” by Muriel Spark Essay

â€Å"The Ormolu Clock† is a short story written by Muriel Spark, who is considered to be one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Dame Muriel is a poet, writer of fiction and literary criticism, and biographer – went on to win most of the literary awards going, was never out of print, and was at the top of her profession, internationally, for more than half a century. The story under discussion begins with the description of two hotels standing side by side and separated by a narrow path – the Hotel Stroh and the Guesthouse Lublonitsch. The first one is a disappointment for its visitors, what can’t be said about the second. The story goes on to tell that the author had a chance to get acquainted with the owner of the Guesthouse – Frau Lublonitsch, who was a very hardworking woman. Once he saw her bedroom he was moved by the sight. The room was richly established and there was a large ornamental clock known as ormolu. Under consideration belongs to the belles-lettres functional style, the main aim of which is to give the readers aesthetic pleasure and to make them think. It is an entrusted narrative and is told in the first person from the viewpoint of a visitor of Frau Lublonitsch’s house. The use of various types of narrative allows the author to create plausible characters. The dialogues are used in the personage†™s speech as well. In this short story women dominate men. The proof of it is that the indefinite article is used before the name of Herr Lublonitsch ( There was a Herr Lublonitsch, but he was of no account). Also the 1st paragraph ends with sentence â€Å"But she was undoubtedly the boss.† which marks Mrs. Lublonitsch’s superior position in the relationship of the couple. The story under consideration abounds in different stylistic devices. The most recurrent are metaphors which add up to the emphatic description of the protagonist’s emotions and thoughts (mouth turn down, smell its quality, strip of land, ome of sons emerged from) also epithets (humorous face, opulently dull, nervous stormy night). The detachment is used here as well (She scoured the huge pans herself; wielding her podgy arm round and round.) It specifies the manner of doing the action. In the text there are also various types of repetition: catch repetition (The maids called her Frau Chef. Frau Chef prepares special food†¦),morphemic repetition (drinking, greeting the guests, receiving as much attention†¦), lexical repetition (as she emereged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her brown apron, with her grey hair drawn back tight, her sleeves rolled up, her dingy dress†¦;She owns all the strip of land†¦ She’s got three farms.. She may even expand across the river†¦) This SD underlines Mrs. Lublonitsch’s domination, power and strength, it shows that everything belonged to her only. The Inversion used here gives emphasis to the situation.(Appended to the guesthouse was a butcher’s shop; In the garden grew one useless thing, within it was a bedroom†¦). The author resorts to the use of descriptions of Mrs. Lublonitsch and her room. He opposes her appearance of a peasant to the imperial magnificence of her bedroom. (she emereged from the kitchen wiping her hands on her brown apron, with her grey hair drawn back tight, her sleeves rolled up, her dingy dress†¦) And with the use of similie he compares her to a peasant ( She went and fetched a cloth and mopped up the mess herself, like any peasant†¦). For the description of her room the author uses various detachments that serve as descriptive details ( I saw a canopied bed, built high, splendidly covered with scarlet quilt). Also the colors make a clear contrast of Mrs. Lublonitsch’s personality: grey, black, brown describe her as a working woman, therefore gold, red, scarlet in the description of her room symbolize that she lives like a queen). The most recurrent words: possession, she, the boss, herself acquire the status of the key words. â€Å"The ormolu clock† is a symbol of the time that was ticking for Mr Stroh, reminding him who the boss is. Though it is no longer in his possession it still has an influence on him. ). In the course of the whole story the clock dominates Mr Stroh’s life and his acting. Finally, he â€Å"gave up his gazing; he went indoors, sullen and bent†. That means that he is defeated by the clock, its authority has dominated in the scene. The message is that Mrs. Lublonitsch’s appearance was contrasting with her real possessions, which she wanted to expand.

Childbirth and Preterm Infants Essay

Discuss disparities related to ethnic and cultural groups relative to low birth weight infants and preterm births. Describe the impact of extremely low birth weight babies on family and society (short and long term, including economic considerations, ongoing care considerations, and co-morbidities associated with prematurity). Discuss whether you feel that support services and systems in your community for preterm infants and their families adequately address their needs or not. Explain your answer. Respond to other learners’ posts in a manner that initiates or contributes to discussion. Racial and ethnic disparities in health disproportionately affect minority Americans. One of the greatest challenges facing the US healthcare system is the persistence of disparities in infant and maternal health among the different racial and ethnic groups. This disparity in healthcare outcomes does not appear to be limited to the Black community only, but rather it seems to affect all minority groups. In this context, American Indian/Alaska Native infants have higher death rates than White infants because of higher SIDS rates. The exact cause of these persisting racial disparities remains unexplained. The differences in socioeconomic status, maternal risky behaviors, prenatal care, psychosocial stress, and perinatal infection account for more disparities. Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin have higher IMRs than White infants because of higher LBW rates. One major risk factor for preterm birth is maternal genital infection. Others include extremes of maternal age, maternal cigarette smoking and substance abuse, history of PTD and maternal medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. There are support services and CHC’s available in our area for minority group women, preterm infants and their families to address their needs.

Ancient Mayan Civilization

The ancient Mayan civilization of the ancient Mayan civilization was built on a strict social structure based on religious beliefs. They use caste social structure where differences are based on wealth, inheritance level, privilege, occupation or occupation. Their beliefs are based on the fact that elements of nature have the power to help and hurt. Ancient Mayas used their social structure and beliefs to shape their daily lives. Maya is a very devout person. They believe in many gods. Maya's ancient Mayan civilization settled in Yucatan Peninsula around 900 AD. This civilization was one of the most advanced civilization of those days. They created their own religion, language, mathematical structure, highly accurate calendar and many other things. Maya's lifestyle is their religion. They have polytheism praising many gods. Every God has something to worry about whether they rule. Chac is the god of rain, Kinich Ahau is droughty. Sweat covered his whole body and made him shine under the noon sun like the god of glory which comes down from the sky. But he is not a god. He participated in the architectural project of the famous Mayan town of Copan with an unintentional slave. Maya rose in the year 250 AD and had a huge civilization that fell around the year 900 AD. They live in an area called Central America consisting of South America, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras. As a country, Maya is known for their numerous achievements. The ancient Mayan civilization contains about two-thirds of the Central American civilization. This area is also known mainly from volcanic mountains to porous limestones, as a lowland in the central area. Maya civilization extends from the northern Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to Honduras in the south. It is their complex society far beyond the current construction and modernization in the tropical rainforest climate that makes the Maya the most prominent (Aissen, 1992). General

GUN CONTROL LAWS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GUN CONTROL LAWS - Research Paper Example Evolution of gun control laws in the United States Although gun battles and issues related to it are getting higher in various parts of America, gun control in general is encouraged by a few Americans. They support handgun control in particular. The gun laws in United States are mentioned in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The gun control in the United States may be Federal, State or even local gun control. Congress in 1934 commenced the first major gun control in 1934 which emphasized on the regulation of the firearms like machine guns. This was followed by a new federal law in 1938 which imposed license on the gun sellers. This also put restriction on aggressive individuals from purchasing guns. An additional ‘Gun Control Act’ passed in 1968 stressed on the regulation of imported guns and expanded the regulations passed in the previous law. An obligatory penalty for the utilization of gun was established by the federal legislation in 1986 follow ed by prohibiting the manufacturing and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons. The gun control law passed by congress in 1994 has proved out to be the most prominent attempt at the national gun control. Ban on certain assault weapons also accompanied the 1aw passed in 1994 which expire in 2004. Along with the federal gun control, state and local legislation play their role in gun control. Leaving a loaded weapon with easy access of a minor has been regarded as a crime by the legislation passed by the state. As part of gun control, some states forbid concealed weapons while some others highlight on putting forward the requirement former to the obtaining of license to bear the concealed weapons. â€Å"States also regulate private sales to minors and all secondary market sales.† (Gun control policy issues, n.d.). California imposed ban on certain automatic weapons in 1989 followed by its extension by some other states. Most of the states have ‘preemption’ la ws forbidding the gun control ordinances from local authorities. Few states use additional state data for background study before the issue of handgun authority (Gun control policy issues). Multiple responses to regulations Gun control laws in the United States are believed to have brought significant reduction in the access of guns by immoral and illegal individuals. There exist controversies in the implementation efficiency of the federal laws. Some advocates claim that federal laws have indeed proved to be a milestone in the gun control efforts. They assert that state laws cannot be as effective as federal laws in restricting the states with few state laws from being the sources of guns for the immoral flow of guns to the restrictive states. The proponents of the federal laws have suggested for slight variations in the federal law components which would add to the effectiveness of laws and ensure the public safety. At the same time, there is equal denial on this claim from the op ponents. â€Å"They argue that controls often create burdens for law-abiding citizens and infringe upon constitutional rights provided by the Second Amendment† (Gun Control). The opponents show little satisfaction on the

Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Theory - Essay Example After chute of Feudalism, and the Renaissance era, in the 15-16th centuries, there was even a spiritual Revolution in Europe, mostly in France, after the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants, before French Revolution there was an era for few decades called Elucidation. The representatives of that new steam called Spiritualists, such as Montesquieu and Jean Jacques Rousseau influenced very much the political system of France and contributed to Revolution. It was thus the era of Spirit and Letters, mentality on political theory changed little by little, and mental horizon of people by means of these theories got wider, and by means of French Revolution, the whole political and social system were about to change. Rousseau, among books that he wrote, was, â€Å"The Spirit of Law† and â€Å"Social Contract†, two similar books in which he treats Monarchy and Sovereignty as systems that limit freedom of people, thus social freedom, by means of law.As social freedom is based on natural law, monarchs who apply the law, being the responsible and competent ones to apply may limit freedom, against individual real freedom. In his book ‘’Social Contract’’, he cites: â€Å"How would we like a political system? Would Social contract ensure individual freedom, or am I about to limit one’s natural freedom, based on natural law? Then he moreover claims that the monarchy system is what contributes to Constitution of Social Contract, whereas anybody would sacrifice his/her own freedom for the sake of society†.†. And also, within society, all people are correlated and interrelated, within predetermined relationships, which define individual’s social role, in advance, then individual is just â€Å"a unit† condemned to social freedom the way it is in society, and his social being and substance are defined by means of this system. Individuals by sharing â€Å"common charge† in regard to their social role, are thus forced to obey to laws of sovereign, in all terms, such as political, social, financial and cultural, what composes the ever existing political and social system, the one of capitalism, and

Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reading - Essay Example First, the principle of syntax is a linguistic principle that grammatical explains how grammatical processes function primarily on given structures of sentences. This is not applicable in a single word or succession of words since the principle of dependency structure is a rule of universal grammar. In this rule, the principle of structure dependency mandates the applicable languages to incorporate sentences of the language in question in accordance with the structure instead of the sheer order of words. In syntax approach, one is able to examine that certain unified analyses of sentences in a given language can be empirically correct or in order. This means that syntax helps in teaching of reading in that unifications of statements is not per se desirable. In the proposition of linguistics, the syntax’s explanation is the arrangement or the processes through sentences undergo construction in a language (Rogers, 2006). This means is therefore dictated the rules and the princip les that govern the sentence structure of that given language in teaching. As a result, effective teaching of reading in any language in the application must adhere to the construction rules of grammar in syntactic approach not merely the arrangement of words. For example, it would be appropriate for a teacher to get right all the constraints that control acceptable word order within any given sentence. This also goes to the dominance of relation like a head noun + a relative clause. The syntactic sequencing of such words dictates that they ought to follow that order hence syntax. In teaching, learners cannot acquire this rule through the hearing of sentences of the language. Alternatively, the rule of syntax imposes itself in whichever language they encounter. This means learners only have to apply these syntactic rules in the languages that they only hear. For example, in English language, learners would reject a statement like ‘for Mary is dog that white’. The syntax rule is wrong even to those who have never encountered it before. It is therefore important to elaborate that structure dependency as a syntactic rule stipulates that it is a principle of knowledge that is built in human minds (Dalton, 2008). This makes it part of the language being learned in teaching of learning, not necessarily English. The semantics principle also features as the principle of compositionality. It is the study of meaning. In its entirety, it focuses on the relation between signifiers like words, phrases, signs, symbols, and what exactly they stand to express in a given sentence (Rogers, 2006). In philosophy of language, semantics helps in elaborating the meaning of a complex expression through its constituent expressions and the applicable rules used. For example, given a structure like ‘ Frankenstein is a man’, if one takes away the meaning lexical items away ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘man’, what remains back in the sentence is a an incomprehensible sentence. Therefore, semantics is a meaningful structure states that the absence of lexical items in syntactic constructions, what remains behind is for the learner to input the rules of composition. The capability to have syntactically correct structures and derive a logical meaning in a statement is what semantics entail in the principle of effective teaching of reading. Therefore, it would be logical to assert that every operation of the syntax closely associates itself with the semantics that

My father is a serious person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My father is a serious person - Essay Example Growing up, we only saw our father during the holidays. Even then, mother had to force us to pack up; as we barely knew him, it was always awkward during the first days of the holidays. However, though there was this need to connect with him at an emotional level, the time never seemed right. My father had always been a prim proper man who always seemed too busy on the phone, talking up a client or trying to close a deal. He barely had enough to time to sit and enjoy a meal. Learning to ride a bicycle, I only rode with my uncle. I am told that my father was right there throughout the learning period. I do not remember it. When I broke my collar bone back in elementary school, all I remember was seating at the back of the car and my mother’s worried face as we drove to the hospital. I do not recall who the driver was though it was him behind the wheel. In my recollections of the past, I can barely recall interacting with my father. All are but stories I had tried to no avail to combine to form a picture. Dentist appointments, first day at school, graduation ceremonies, birthday parties – he was always there. He never missed any of them. This is no longer the case now, and we are now inseparable. Like there was never a gap in our relationship. A life threaten ing experience can really change how people relate. Twelve years ago I was taken ill with a very funny ailment. My whole body was itchy and I could not stop scratching myself against anything in site. On seeing a doctor, we discovered that my kidney had been failing and had been getting treatment for the symptoms during hospital visits. This came as a shock to the family, considering I had to be put on dialysis as soon as possible and a drastic change in dietary needs. It was thought that I needed a kidney transplant, and being on a waiting list could take years before I get a donor. Either way I was evaluated for insurance purposes and my name

Marketing and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing and technology - Essay Example The essence of technology in marketing is widely conveyed in terms of commerce and information sharing by way of advertising via the internet and other electronically operated means of promoting goods and commodities. In the presence of special software, online tools, and applications rendered possible by technology, marketing sites can be established to possess captivating themes in order to attract leads or buyers for whom a particular commodity or service is intended to be sold. Through the technology-enhanced worldwide web, social networking can impact persuasion of people to acknowledge or believe in an idea that leads to fruitful interactions. Eventually, the growth in relations with prospects which a business individual or group manages by mere socialization over the net would imply increase in revenues, in the level of productivity, and thereby in the yield of optimum profits. Of course, this normally accounts for an ideal assumption that undesirable factors like fraud and is sues on identity theft occur in rare frequency. Thus, because most people especially consumers prefer to negotiate online to save them some time and costs of travel, it is natural for business parties to put up their online stores via acquisition of paid domains and hosting. Internet is such an avenue with which several opportunities are realized and this concept of e-commerce can be perceived to extend its influence to almost every nature and form of business in a society. Based on the positive consequences of technology through the internet upon businesses in general, if handled properly beyond illegalities or corrupt intentions, online endeavor may sustain the U.S. economy at a desired rate. According to a bubble map study, however, the economic impact of the web, with particular reference to the use of Google, is not quite significant on the ‘services sector’ compared to the separate contributions of industries like Media and Telecommunications. Likewise, the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œretail sector’ of the U.S. is found not to obtain appreciable shares from the internet though the ‘manufacturing sector’ acquires favorable returns, on the contrary. In the assessment, surprisingly, manufacturing establishments possess the capacity of enabling good economy with their online endeavor as they undergo systematic yet effective approach of developing the e-manufacturing aspect of the business to support the economy by enhancing productivity and reducing costs. Moreover, marketing professionals are able to take advantage of technology by gaining the potential to conduct several modes of formal or informal product presentation using MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, phone app projection, and video conference among others. Because technological advancements have been capable of transforming device characteristics from analog to digital functions, from broadcasting to narrowcasting, and from stand-alone TV to internet-supported TV, there exist flexible options fo r marketing individuals to expand market and scheme toward optimal outcomes with consumers. It is normally convenient to work with technology-driven marketing for technology provides not only ease in executing tasks for marketers in various areas, it naturally captures the interest of the public due to upgraded resources and

Investigate osmosis in blood cells Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investigate osmosis in blood cells - Lab Report Example The cellular geometry, that is, the biconcave disc shape of red cells, is critical for the cells' survival. This cell surface shape provides a high ratio of surface area to cellular volume. The normal volume of the erythrocyte is approximately 90 m3. The minimum surface area that could encase this volume is a sphere of approximately 98 m3. The surface area of a biconcave disc enclosing this volume is approximately 140 m3. Thus, shape alone provides the red cell with a considerable amount of redundant membrane and cytoskeleton. This feature provides the extra membrane surface area needed when red cells swell. More importantly, this geometric arrangement allows red cells to stretch as they undergo deformation and distortion in response to the mechanical stress of the circulation. The consequent reduction in tolerance of these cells to osmotic stress explains why anaemias resulting from membrane defects often are accompanied by osmotic fragility, the basis for the clinical laboratory te st. Similarly, if erythrocytes are engorged with water, they become macrospherocytic and less deformable (Dacie, J. V., Lewis, S. M., and Luzzatto, L., 1981). Red Cell Membrane Permeability: The normal red cell membrane is nearly impermeable to monovalent and divalent cations, thereby maintaining a high potassium, low sodium, and very low calcium content. In contrast, the red cell is highly permeable to water and anions, which are readily exchanged. As a result, erythrocytes behave as nearly perfect osmometers. Water and ion transport pathways in the red cell membrane include energy-driven membrane pumps, gradient-driven systems, and various channels. An important feature of the normal red cell is its ability to maintain a constant volume. The mechanisms by which red cells "sense" changes in cell volume and activate appropriate volume regulatory pathways are unknown. The effects of disruption of the red cell permeability barrier are illustrated by complement-mediated hemolysis. Complement activation on the red cell surface leads to formation of the membrane attack complex, which is composed of terminal complement components embedded in th e lipid bilayer. This multimolecular complex acts as a cation channel, allowing passive movements of sodium, potassium, and calcium across the membrane according to their concentration gradients. Attracted by fixed anions, such as hemoglobin, ATP, and 2,3-BPG, sodium accumulates in the cell in excess of potassium loss and of the compensatory efforts of the Na+-K+ pump. The resulting increase in intracellular monovalent cations and water is followed by cell swelling and ultimately colloid osmotic hemolysis (Dacie, J. V., Lewis, S. M., and Luzzatto, L., 1981). Rationale of the Test: Osmotic activity in the red cells is tested by adding increasingly hypotonic concentrations of saline solution to red cells. As a result of osmosis, more and more water from the increasingly hypotonic solution will enter the red cells leading to increased volume of red cells by swelling. If the concentration goes beyond threshold, more water will enter into the cells which already are at maximum volume for surface area, and will burst at the most hypotonic normal saline concentrations. However, after incubation at 37C (98.6F) for 30 mins, these red cells will lose membrane surface area more readily than normal because their

Education Problem in Korea Essay Example for Free

Education Problem in Korea Essay A mother gets a headache whenever she comes back home after attending mothers regular meetings, the purpose of which is to get some information about private instruction. Her children keep her as busy as a professional manager. She surveys popular newly opened institutes called hagwon, makes a group for private lessons, chooses instructors and pushes her children to study. When they are asked about their plans for the declining years of their lives, most are not saving for old age. They feel uneasy because they are not able to save money, so some mothers go to work to earn enough for extra instruction expense. Many husbands and wives argue about their childrens education. However, their children dont care about their parents troubles. The children regard it as the natural role of parents, because they are the kings or queens of the family, served by sacrificing parents from birth. Parents seem to allow their childrens complaining. Children dont appreciate their parents because they are not happy with their support. Sometimes they act like robots controlled by mothers orders. They dont have time to talk with family, to play with their friends or to get sufficient sleep. They always hurry to learn something. As for me, I also have anxiety about my daughters private education. There are moments that I want her to push to study a little bit more because I feel worried when I hear how many kinds of extra instruction her friends are taking. But I can calm down my selfish desire by looking at my exhausted daughter. I try to confirm that the most effective result of studying comes from self-studying with strong motivation. Most parents dont wait until their children ask them to help with their studying. Theyre never satisfied. For example, many Korean goose daddies decide to sacrifice their lives by themselves, not by the childrens demands, in spite of the struggle with loneliness after they send their families to a foreign country. These days, many ordinary families without sufficient finances are planning for their children to study abroad despite the huge cost. They probably need to squeeze their budget or even borrow the money. Are their precious sons and daughters going to thank their parents in the future? Will their parents be satisfied with their children later? I wonder how great their outcomes will be. In addition to problems within families, there are many side effects with private education at school, which are usually from the studying burden. They learn the material they need in advance in hagwon before they learn it at school. Many math teachers in middle school become upset while they are teaching theorems or concepts. Some students dont concentrate on the lesson because they are under a delusion that they already know everything. Actually, they cant solve even the easy and basic problems when slightly changed. What is the investment of the money and time for private lessons for? Math teachers say the incomplete knowledge spoils the students ability to think. In English class, there are several fluent students with native pronunciation gained in English speaking countries. However, sometimes teachers are upset when they are very quiet and never volunteer for the class because they dont want to be victims of cynical teasing from their friends. The students high-leveled from private education tend to be bored during class. Another big problem is about the students who have a kind of mental disease, some of who are extremely offensive and some who have abiosis without any interest in anything. Their attitude is usually caused by the pressure of studying and of too high expectations compared to their ability. Koreans all know that economic growth is based on educating for the future generation. Korea doesnt have enough natural resources, so we need to develop knowledge and skills. The government nowadays wants to increase autonomous high schools for competitive system to build up superior talents. But parents are not likely to reduce the private education. We hope the government listens carefully to what the citizens say. For instance, English teachers need small classes according to students levels in order to achieve the aim for English-speaking class. Parents and teachers dont want epoch-making policy, but just one step in the development of education policy. Korean parents need to remember this truth: their investment in children who dont have self-motivation might waste their money, their time and their energy. Id like to advise parents to give their children a chance to choose what they want, and to wait until they are eager to study what they need. Also, I suggest they should ignore their neighbors private education, not public education.

National Kidney Foundation Leadership

National Kidney Foundation Leadership In 2005, National Kidney Foundation faced a leadership crisis that raised many public issues that became the subject of much scrutiny. A public issue is any issue that is of mutual concern to an organization and one or more of its stakeholders. With regards to National Kidney Foundation (NKF), both the organization and its stakeholders were concerned over the issue of funds being misused, a lack of transparency and the lack of enforcement of laws internally. The emergence of these issues has not only raised media attention but also became the subject of much controversy. It has resulted in public backlash and has definitely shaken public confidence in charitable organizations. The main ethical issue which surfaced was NKFs misuse and mismanagement of the funds primarily donated by the public. As a non-profit organization, NKFs public mission was to help needy patients. Though they were effective in using both the media and campaigns to garner donations to support their cause, these funds were misused. As stated in the case study, trials revealed that the claims made by an article published in the Straits Times in 2004, about NKFs Chief Executive Officer, T T Durai alluding to wastefulness and extravagance were in fact true. There was excessive spending made by T T Durai such as a gold tap that had been installed in the executive bathroom and personal luxuries including a fleet of eight cars that came together with company drivers. In addition, given that TT Durai was entitled business class flight by SIA, as a trustee over donors money, Durai should get best value on a business class seat instead of using it for first class on another plane (NKF v SPH: Cou rt Transcript for July 11th 2005 Morning Session). Instead of using the funds for the right purposes such as to help NKFs patients, T T Durai had misappropriately used the funds for his personal wants. Another major issue to be discussed is the lack of transparency with regards to being accountable on how NKFs funds collected from donors were utilised. There was a lack of a transparent system in documenting managment minutes at NKF. The meeting minutes was an important documentation reflecting the discussions and decisions of how NKFs funds should be utilised. The fact that it went missing may have given the public the impression that NKF was negligent in its duties. When the funds of the NKF were not properly accounted for, the public become skeptical and doubtful of NKF. People start to lose trust in the NKF as they become suspicious that NKF is just another bourgeois conspiracy. Corporate governance refers to the process by which a company is controlled, or governed. In having systems of internal governance that determine the overall strategic direction and balance conflicting interests that may arise, such is crucial to the organizations performance. In helping to establish an effective internal governance structure, the board members play a central role. They are responsible for setting missions and aims that take into account stakeholder interests, develop comprehensive policies and appointing a committee of top-level personnel to execute these policies. However, in NKFs case, the lack of a enforcement of policies within the internal governance structure among the Board members has led to repercussions. The actions of the Board members have contributed to these problems. Under the Executive Committee, approval of proposals were made by default without seeking the overall consensus of the board. Furthermore, the audit committee failed to receive necessary the necessary support from the EC and fellow members in implementing necessary internal control measures. As such, negligence from each department snowballed into an undesirable consequence that the NKF had to bear. Due to the fact that there was insufficient discipline in part by each committee, these were the main contributing factors to the problems. In addition, NKF provided no avenues for the public to give constructive feedback to improve its performance. Essentially, the failure of the Board members to employ good corporate governance had brought to light serious concerns over Durais fund raising strategies. Despite NKFs mischief, its fund raising strategies were very efficient . As a non-profit organization, NKFs main aim was to look after its patients and encompassed drawing resources from society to contribute back to society as a whole. To do this, NKF has successfully employed an interactive stance in engagement with the public to raise funds for charity. The introduction of the NKF live charity show since 1994 incorporated stunts performed by foreign and local celebrities in exchange for donations. Such a method was effective as they appealed to the public, raising $4.5 million in 1994 which slowly grew to $16.8 million in the 2004 show. This suggests that NKFs fund raising strategies were effective as they involved enthusiasm in adopting creative and innovative methods to genuinely raise funds for the greater good of patients. It was through these funds raised that patients benefited tremendously. Optimists have also supported Durais fund raising strategies as NKF has successfully reached out to different segments of the community, both the young and old. Besides having a charity show where the public can pledge their support, these additional strategies include using telemarketing techniques to recruit and retain donors, coupled with the recruitment of students and National Servicemen to raise funds via pledge cards. These initiatives illustrate Durais inherent motivation in garnering increased donations for its patients. By promoting its fund raising strategies through different avenues, this helped NKF to reach out to a wider spectrum of people, targeting the public from different age and backgrounds. Applying a two pronged approach, Durais fund raising strategies can also be applauded for having long term vision. He realized that besides the direct implementation of policies to raise funds, what was needed for NKF to garner substantial funds was to build its brand image. Under his helm, NKF increased its brand image locally by implementing a complimentary Cabby Health Screening Program and engaging local media channels through programs such as Health Maters. Through these, there was an emphasis that NKF strictly enforces a non-discriminatory approach when it comes to raising awareness about the disease in that every individual, regardless of background could be susceptible to the disease. Its network of dialysis centres was also expanded, providing accessible and affordable healthcare to the public. In the international arena, Durai strived to increase brand recognition by getting endorsement from public and international leaders and having their success story written by credible sources. NKFs programs were also promoted via renowned Brazillian soccer legend, Pele. Forward planning in directly raising funds and increasing brand image has thus helped NKF encourage a larger recognition of its practices and consequently, a substantial pool of donations. However, critics have argued that such fund raising techniques are too aggressive and have deviated from the motto of its organisation. Although NKF recruited the younger generation to raise funds through pledge cards, this was not done purely out of goodwill but in exchange for monetary incentives. Similarly, by consciously seeking and obtaining endorsements from public and international leaders as well as the employment of credible sources to write their success stories, their reputation and credibility is in question. Although these acts ultimately increase the brand recognition of the foundation, which is crucial to the attraction of donors, they display NKFs aggressiveness and possible misdirection in their techniques. Although important, a charitable non-profit organisations branding is fundamentally secondary to its mission and purpose. The deontology approach is defined as the approach to ethics that focuses on the good and evil of the act alone, not necessarily the outcome. Using the deontology approach, T T Durai may be deem as unethical as the intent to fundraise may be a misrepresentation of the NKF and therefore deceiving the public to donate more. In this aspect, his fund raising strategies are unethical as the means differ from what is advocated by the company. Setting executive compensation is one important function of the Board members. In NKFs case, the lack of corporate governance has also caused Durais compensation package to be the subject of much controversy. With the ongoing issues associated with NKF, cynics have felt that the compensation package remunerated to Durai was excessive. Durai was paid bonuses ranging between 4 months and 12 months which was not what one would expect to receive considering that he is working in a charitable organisation. Prima Facie, although his bonuses may seem to be over evaluated, Durai is not overpaid as he deserves to be rewarded for the outstanding results he achieved for NKF. In building NKFs brand image and employing successful fund raising techniques, Durai managed to increase the amount of donations that were raised through the NKF charity show from $4.5 million in 1994 to $16.8 million in 2004. Under his leadership, he was also awarded the Public Service Bar by the Singaporean government in 1992 for his contribution to NKF and expanded NKFs network of dialysis centres for its patients. Thus, from the perspective of distributive justice, the benefit of Durai being highly paid is ethical as much of the success of NKF was due to Durais tremendous efforts. In relation to the average salary other top executives are paid, Durai is not overpaid as his salary of $25,000 a month coincides with what individuals holding top management positions are paid. Furthermore, Tan Choo Leng, wife of former Prime Minister Goh Chong Tong commented that Durais salary was peanuts compared with the donations the high-flyer raised for the organization. [1] This suggests that based on his contributions towards NKF, Durai, such a high salary is justified and will provide an incentive for motivation to increase NKFs performance. In relation to Durais compensation package, there will always be differing views and there is no right or wrong to it. The reason why individuals feel that Durai may be overpaid may be due to the fact that NKF is a non-profit organization that should not be so concerned with profits. Perhaps, NKF should consider the views of the public, compare the salary of top managers with those of average employees and quantify the efforts of the management relative to their remunerations. In light of the 2005 NKF saga and its various spin-offs that have dominated the domestic news, there are several changes that can be adopted so that the same problems would not happen again. Essentially, there is a need for proper governance to ensure that corporate objectives are established, stakeholder interests are protected and the managements performance in check. In proposing the possible changes that could be adopted, analysis of the Stakeholder Map is imperative to determine the various positions of the stakeholders in terms of salience and position on the issues put forth earlier. Through stakeholders reactions to these issues, it is useful in determining possible changes that are crucial to ensure that NKFs decisions and actions are in line with stakeholders interests, to prevent such problems in the future. With collaborative involvement with these key stakeholders, the possibility of problems arising would be reduced as well. * * For Position on the issue Salience refers to how important an issue is, or how much attention it brings to NKF. When stakeholders have salience, they usually have power to assert a large impact on NKF, urgency in demanding NKF to do something about the issues or legitimacy which refers to the level of appropriateness of the stakeholders actions towards the issues. In the above stakeholder map, the public have the highest salience on the issue as they have high urgency and legitimacy. Since the funds of NKF are primarily contributed by the public, strong violations from these donors over the issue of misuse of funds would warrant much media attention. In proposing the possible changes that could be made, NKF needs to recognize that they are not able to operate independently. The survivability and performance of NKF then hinges on its effectiveness in engaging with varied stakeholders and recognizing their interests, especially the public. By aligning the publics interests with NKFs objectives, this would prevent the widening of the performance expectations gap, reducing the likelihood of these problems re-occurring. Hence, one area that could be improved on is information transparency and disclosure to the public. Steps should be taken to ensure transparency where there is communication to ensure involvement of the public. The public should be informed on new developments either through press conferences or releases. The companys financial activity should also be made known to the public with clear intentions, and certified by known accounting firms. This can be done through regular emails or letters that are sent out to donors or invitations to annual general meetings so that the public can contribute their views. By being accountable for the funds, the public would be more informed on how the funds received by NKF are spent, increasing the reliability of NKF. This would increase their confidence in donating towards NKF. Fostering a stronger relationship with the public will also help to reap benefits for NKF. NKF should reach out in engaging the general public through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to provide the public with the opportunity to voice out their opinions on company decisions. Such an interaction will allow NKF to draw upon the publics reactions and societal expectations to further boost NKFs reputation. By constantly updating these platforms with information or messages NKF wishes to convey to the public, this helps in the publics understanding of what NKF is doing. Beyond that, the public will also feel reassured that their interests are considered, building support for NKFs practices. Besides the public, the employees of NKF have low salience as they have been obscured on these issues. Due to the nature of their job, individual influence on any decision-making by the board is minimal. However, they must realise that they play a part on the issues revolving NKFs misconducts. By turning a blind eye to the misdeeds mentioned above or worse, taking part in it, these employees accommodate the problem and only allows it to escalate further. They must realise, that themselves being part of the organisation, they have a responsibility to act against any deviation from the mission of the foundation and a collective effort can prevent the history from repeating itself. Therefore, employees can have high salience if they collaborated and worked together, ensuring that the organization does not stray away from its core values. Upon futher analysis of the stakeholder map in relation to the employees of NKF, policies should also be employed to better ensure the organizations governing structure. For example, a system based on adequate internal controls should be introduced. In the instance of NKF, it is evident that there was a failure to adhere to internal audit controls as it was stated that the audit committee was to meet every 3 months to review audit plans and evaluate the adequacy of the internal control systems but they had never met. Furthermore, the committee failed to implement recommendations spelt out by internal auditors due to lack of support. Thus, NKF should outsource its internal audits to external auditors from independent accounting firms. Having such an unbiased third party ensures that corporate governance is enhanced as there is impartiality with regards to NKFs auditing processes. Although adoption of stringent practices may incur high costs, it is worth the investment to prevent the future misuse of funds. Such a practice would ensure that there is a system of checks to ensure funds are managed in line with the organizations mission, preventing financial lapses in the future. The members of the board should also only contain a few members that are current managers of NKF. The remaining members should be independent in the sense that they have no connection whatsoever to the corporation other than being a Board member. These members should either be appointed or elected by shareholders. In addition, the performance of each member should be reviewed regularly to assess if they were competent enough in assuming their responsibilities. Although NKFs Board members were volunteers who served in the belief that every member was acting in the best interests of the foundation, they normally approved proposals by default instead of through collective decision making. This meant that decisions were not made on a consensus basis but based on a hierarchal structure with the CEO having the dominant say, which resulted in the problems aforementioned. With a board comprising various key stakeholders, both internally and externally, greater transparency will be present an d the individual interests of major stakeholders will not be compromised. With greater transparency, the public would be assured that NKF has no intentions of hiding certain facts but are assuming their responsibilities. In moving forward to ensure that the NKF operates in an accountable and transparent manner, the initiative to align every committee members and employees responsibilities to NKFs mission is crucial. The Board members, together with the Chief Executive Officer have a responsibility to set future directions for the organization. The issues that surfaced at NKF were evidently due to the lack of governance in ensuring that stringent measures were implemented to ensure committees were compliant. Hence, the top management should incorporate regular discussions to remind employees of NKFs prime objectives, review performance and set new directions and foster team spirit in meeting these goals. NKF can also seek to provide employees with more say in broad decision making. Employees must also be made aware the channels for whistling and encouraged to flag when they feel that things are not right. By doing so, this will enforce that employees have a common and clear knowledge of the companys p ractices. It is evident from the stakeholder map that the government has high salience pertaining to these issues due to power in asserting a large impact. The opinions of the government on NKF will greatly impact the reactions and actions of the public and thus, should not be neglected. In hindsight, having a sound internal governing structure is the first step in preventing the future problems from occurring. The NKF saga was a result of a lack of accountability and mismanagement of funds which was further intensified as NKF was not transparent about meeting the publics interest and allocating the funds in the best possible manner. While the interest and needs of stakeholders are ever changing, NKFs attempts in balancing the varying interests and aligning them in the organizations direction is of utmost importance. This can only be achieved with good corporate governance.In doing so, the successful operation of NKF will establish trust within the government and translate to a win-win situation for both NKF and its stakeholders.

Greek Theatre :: essays research papers

â€Å"Greek Theatre† Hello my name is Chris Gerald and I want to tell you about Thespis. The honor of the beginning of theatre should be given to one man. His name is Thespis. With his chorus he would carry his belongings on a cart whose floor and tailboard could form an improvised stage. In traveling from one festival to another eventually he reached Athens, Greece. He was said to be the first to win a prize at the newly established festival in the city of Dionysia. The great innovation that Thespis made was to detach himself from the chorus, and engage in dialogue in the character of god or the hero whose deeds were being celebrated. He was said to be the first actor as well as a manager. Thespis was the first unsanctified person who dared to assume the character of a god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most important feature of their costumes was the mask, said to have been introduced by Thespis. Masks were made of lightwood, cork or linen. These enabled three actors in a tragedy to play several parts each. It also allowed a theatre staffed entirely of men to Impersonate woman since woman were not allowed to be in plays. More than thirty types of masks are said to have existed. Each one showing age, standing, sex, fear, rage, hate, and despair.â€Å"My Greatest Fear†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of all the fears in life, my greatest would definitely have to be the loss of my parents. My parents have had a great influence in my life. Threw thick and thin they have been there right by my side. I would be lost without them. My childhood memories of my mom are always warm. I can remember her tucking me in for bed every night. She always has good advice for me in every situation I am in. If I ever lost her it would be a great chunk out of my life. I wouldn’t have anyone to confide in. My dad is the provider for our house. I can remember one year he worked threw Christmas just to keep his job. That was a very sad point in my life. He always makes sacrifices for our family. He helps me the most when my mom and me are having trouble.

Macbeths Numerous Atmospheres :: Free Macbeth Essays

Macbeth's Numerous Atmospheres       The atmospheres in William Shakespeare's Macbeth are numerous, but begin as one surrealistic atmosphere initially with the witches' appearance at the outset. From there the atmosphere is incrementally added to regularly.    Charles Lamb in On the Tragedies of Shakespeare comments on the atmosphere surrounding the play:    The state of sublime emotion into which we are elevated by those images of night and horror which Macbeth is made to utter, that solemn prelude with which he entertains the time till the bell shall strike which is to call him to murder Duncan, - when we no longer read it in a book, when we have given up that vantage-ground of abstraction which reading possesses over seing, and come to see a man in his bodily shape before our eyes actually preparing to commit a muder, if the acting be true and impressive as I have witnessed it in Mr. K's performance of that part, the painful anxiety about the act, the natural longing to prevent it while it yet seems unperpetrated, the too close pressing semblance of reality,give a pain and an uneasiness [. . .]. (134)    D. F. Bratchell in Shakespearean Tragedy record's Charles Lamb's consideration of   Macbeth's atmosphere as essential to the purpose of the play:    For Lamb the essence of the tragedy in Macbeth lies in the poetically suggested atmosphere of horror and evil impulse, readily seized upon by the imagination of the perceptive reader, whereas stage representation concentrates the mind on the action. (133-34) Roger Warren comments in Shakespeare Survey 30 , regarding Trervor Nunn's direction of Macbeth at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1974-75, on opposing imagery used to support the opposing atmospheres of purity and black magic:    Much of the approach and detail was carried over, particularly the clash between religious purity and black magic. Purity was embodied by Duncan, very infirm (in 1974 he was blind), dressed in white and accompanied by church organ music, set against the black magic of the witches, who even chanted 'Double, double to the Dies Irae. (283) L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" mentions equivocation, unreality and unnaturalness in the play - contributors to an atmosphere that may not be very realistic:    The equivocal nature of temptation, the commerce with phantoms consequent upon false choice, the resulting sense of unreality ("nothing is, but what is not"), which

Free Essays - Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man :: Alexander Pope Essay on Man

Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man An enormous emphasis was placed on the ability to think and reason during the Enlightenment. People during this era thought and reasoned about a variety of topics. Some people concerned themselves with the issue of God, which consequently caused many to question the church. Others were concerned with the organization of the Universe, and man’s place within that Universe. The first epistle of Alexander Pope’s â€Å"Essay on Man† can be considered an articulation of the Enlightenment because it encompasses three major concerns of the people during the Enlightenment. Pope addresses man’s ability to reason and think for himself, he questions the church and the nature of Christianity, and he also speculates about man’s place in the world, as apart of the great chain of life. The ability to reason was the central focus of the Enlightenment also denoted The Age of Reason. Pope begins epistle one by appealing to the reason of his audience. He writes, â€Å"Together let us beat this ample field, / Try to open, what the covert yield!† Pope encourages his audience to use the reason they have been given, to examine those things that have been advised against. To reason about those issues which have been kept in secrecy. He then goes on to write â€Å"say first, of God above, or man below, / What can we reason, but from what we know?† Pope again is addressing the ability of his audience to reason. He is trying to bring them into the 18th century, asking them to look for evidence in the knowledge they receive, rather then allowing the church to spoon-feed them all of their knowledge. bodyOffer() During the Enlightenment, people began to question the church for the first time. Pope exemplifies this when he writes, â€Å"no Christians thirst for gold.† Pope subtly questions the nature of Christianity and Christians by exposing their own sinful desire for material goods. His words are simple, but they say a lot. By acknowledging that these Christians sin, and â€Å"thirst for gold,† he asks then why a man is looked down upon if they do not aspire to be Christian, since Christians have a sinful nature just like that of every other man. Pope was not alone in questioning Christianity and the church. David Hume writes, â€Å"the Truth of Christian Religion is less than the Evidence for the Truth of our Senses†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Many writers during the Enlightenment not only questioned Christianity, but also the church in general.

Assimilation or Retaining Ethnic Identity

Assimilation or Retaining Ethnic Identity America was founded by a group of diverse immigrants. All immigrants are coming from different parts of the world such as Asia, Europe, Africa and Mexico and so on. Therefore, each person has his or her own culture, religion and beliefs. Most of the people who are immigrants are non-English speaking and face struggles and numerous challenges to assimilate into American society. Millions of people have been discriminated due to skin color, religions, and beliefs, so it means that people face struggles with assimilation and acculturation.One sure thing is people must understand others cultures when they fall in love with different races, or when they go to school at different countries. However, most of the people are not assimilating for their religion, and they are proud of being what they are. Love is blind. Love is the result of appreciating another’s goodness. So it is wonderful when people fall in love with each other. Love comes f rom emotion, so nobody can limit that one has to fall in love within the same race, especially in the United States where many different races are living together in the same land.That is why it is not an odd thing that white men fall in love with Asian girls or black men fall in love with white girls. But if one falls in love with someone from another race he or she will have to learn and understand his or her culture to build a long term relationship. On December 25th 2005, Junot Diaz published in the New Yorker about â€Å"How to Date a Brown girl, Black girl, White girl or Halfie†. Many people like to read this, and most of the readers commented that it provided really useful tips for the first date with different race girls.Before dating, the speaker Junot Diaz gives advice to the readers: â€Å"Clear the government cheese from the refrigerator†. Moreover, the speaker said â€Å"If she’s a white girl you know you’ll at least get a hand job. † If a man dated the white girl, he could involve sexual activities. He needs to find out what she wants to do after dinner and spends the rest of evening as she likes. According to the Junot Diaz â€Å"If she’s a halfie don’t be surprised that her mother is white. † The girl’s mother will be white or black or Asian, but he shouldn’t show the emotions of shocked and should say â€Å"Hi† to her mother friendly and smoothly.If he doesn’t prepare well to find what she likes or what her culture, he might get broken-heart. Moreover, he will not get a happy relationship. Some people may argue that a good relationship is only based on the personality instead of his or her culture and history, and they don’t need to assimilate others. For example, a white guy’s date with Asian girl may involve sexual activities for the first date. As a result, she may be think he is a ridiculous and rude person, and she won’t meet again bec ause Asian girl hardly ever involve sexual activities before she gets married.Assimilation and acculturation are needed in some situations. According to the Migration World Magazine â€Å"Non-English speaking immigrants grew quickly in numbers†. Most of the immigrants from Southern, and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa don’t know the English language well. They are struggling with learning English because it takes them a little bit long to speak frequently. In Latino Issue conservative blog, Josue Sierra discussed about getting good English speaking skills is essential for immigrants in education, jobs opportunities, and preventing crime.The speaker says â€Å"If immigrants don’t speak English, chances are they won’t get very far from a low-level laborer positions†. Some immigrants are already graduated and have a higher education in their country, but they only get lower job positions in the United States because they can’t speak English wel l. The speaker also mentions â€Å"An immigrant who has learned English can also look forward to better paying work in their home country†. It means that the immigrants who want to go back home have a benefit by learning English. They can get a better salary than any other in their home country by knowing English well.Some students find difficulties in college because teaching styles are different from their home town and self-study is essential for all students in the United States. For example, Burma which is situated in South East Asia, students are not allowed to argue with the teachers’ ideas. Arguing with teachers is rude and asking questions means students don’t understand the lessons. Moreover, teachers assume asking questions to them means they are not good at teaching, and it insults them. So most of the children are afraid to ask question even they don’t understand. These habits are hard to vanish when they are studying in the United States.Tha t’s why most Asian students are quiet in the class. Moreover, they have to study detail in text books and are not allowed to use their own idea. Next, â€Å"An immigrant that doesn’t speak English will be more hesitant to contact authorities when they are victimized, out of fear of not being understood†. Some of the international high school students have been bullied by English speakers. But they dare not to talk about it to their parents or teachers because they are afraid they can’t explain well. Sometimes, some non-English speaking girls get robbed, but they don’t dare talk to the police.Above these reasons, it is better for immigrants to forget their own origins and try to assimilate the new language. Most immigrants can assimilate living style, wearing style and some cultures in a short time, but they hard to try to assimilate another religion. In the United States, Christian is 78. 4% including Protestant and Catholic; other religions are 4. 7% such as Jewish (1. 7%), Buddhist (0. 7 %), Muslim (0. 6 %), Hindu (0. 4 %), Unaffiliated (16. 1%), Humanism (0. 8%) according to U. S Religious Landscape Survey. A Muslim guy could marry with the Christian girl, even though; the girl or the guy hard to change their religion status.Most of the children who were born to two different religions parents become Humanism. The United States is a democratic country and has freedom of religion and beliefs without government influence or interference. Even though, the country still has problems related to the religious beliefs. For example, in the abortion case, some Catholics don’t agree to destroy the pro-life as â€Å"Don’t kill Jesus’s children† because they assume that people is created by Jesus. For humanism and unaffiliated, they may think this abortion cases are the human right to destroy or not. People dare to die for their religions or their beliefs.So many religion wars have occurred in the world. An other example of religious attack happened on September 11 in New York. Many people’s life lost and the rest of the families felt pain and suffer about this attack. Actually â€Å"Religion is not a way to pigeonhole someone,† Professor of Religion Bruce Lawrence said. â€Å"You can be very Muslim, but also be very American because you appreciate the freedom and opportunity of the country. Loyalty to one's own background is an important part of being American. † Conflict over Muslim immigrants occurs not only in the United States but also in Europe.For example, in France, Muslims girls are banned by wearing chadors (head scarves) by French president. Moreover, in German schools, Muslims girls are asking to take the class of physical education class such as swimming or gym. According to Marion Berning, director of the Rixdorfer primary school in Berlin, Germany, â€Å"We have Muslim girls who say they don't want to swim with the boys. It's obvious the parents exe rt pressure on them, but [the parents] have to accept that coeducation is part of German schools. † These kind of small conflicts lead to ethnic disunity and hostile communities in Europe.In contrast to the European conception, assimilation in the United States â€Å"has always been much more flexible and accommodating and, consequently, much more effective in achieving its purpose,† according to Peter D. Salins, author of Assimilation, American Style. Different immigrants have different ideas of assimilation into American culture. People may get many new experiences and new ideas by assimilating, especially building good relationships and friendships. However, assimilating also has a drawback such as losing one’s own culture and traditions.So immigrants should decide themselves what American cultures support them to have a better life if they assimilate. If they can have a better life due to assimilating into other cultures, they should go for it. Simultaneously , they should keep some value about their own cultures to say what they are. Works Cited G. McDonald , Hellen and R. Balgopal, Pallassana. â€Å"Conflicts of American immigrants: Assimilate or Retain Ethnic Identiy. † Migration World Magazine. May-June 1998. Web. 9 November 2012. â€Å"Introduction to Immigration: Current Controversies. † Immigration. Ed.Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Junot , Diaz. â€Å"How To Date A Brown Girl ( black girl, white girl, or halfie),† The New Yorker, 25 December 1995. Web. 10 November 2012. Sierra , Jouse. â€Å"The Important of English for Immigrants. † Latino Issues, A Conservative Blog. 8 April 2007. Web. 9 November. 2012. â€Å"U. S Religious Landscape Survey. † The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. 1615 L Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036-50610, n. d . Web. 9 Novemeber. 2012.

Media Law in South Africa

The Press Freedom Commission (PFC) was launched in July 2011 by the press industry representative body, Print Media South Africa and the South African National Editors Forum in order to set up a suitable regulatory media system for South Africa (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). The Press Freedom Commission that was held earlier this year assessed all measures concerning co-regulation, self-regulation, independent regulation and state regulation so as to ensure that the media is accountable to the public that they serve and similarly to ensure the protection of press freedom (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1).This year, the PFC recommended that an independent co-regulatory system , which does not include State participation, would best suit the country. This would mean that the press are accountable to serve in interest of the population (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). With reference to Julie Reid’s and Julie Posetti’s article in the Rhodes Journalism Review, I aim to evaluate various contexts and henceforth provide reasons for why I am in accordance with the co-regulation of the media.Under the South African Constitution, in the Bill of Rights (1996) it is stated that every person has a right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of press and the media, the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom and freedom of scientific research (Act no. : 108 of 1996). Henceforth press freedom means the autonomy to communicate ideas, opinions and information without restraint.The media are a public trust with the ability to inform and influence and because of this power they should serve to represent the interests of the citizens without external institutional constraints. When analyzing freedom of the press with the current regulatory system, there are two powerful institutions in society which cannot be ignored, that is political and economic power. Under apartheid the freedom of the press was heavily restricted.The Newspapers Registration and Imprint Act of 1985, required that all newspapers had to be registered and conform to a strict code of conduct. In addition newspapers were also required to lodge R40 000 as a deposit before they could publish, as a result the act silenced many liberal newspapers (Manoim, 1996: 7). With the transition into a new democracy, self-regulation of the media was employed to uphold freedom of expression, a pivotal component of a true democracy.Self-regulation is a system that operates on self imposed rules by the media, it consists only of representatives of the media profession who use the Journalistic Codes and Ethics as a guideline (Reid, 2012: 1). The relationship between the government/ state and the media is one of conflict and dependency because on the one hand, the media are commonly referred to as the ‘unofficial opposition’ to the government.As ‘watchdogs’ they make public a range of issues concerning health care, education, corruption, unemployment etc and because of these disclosures the government repeatedly attempt to censor their biggest critic. As such, the government proposed a Media Tribunal, which could lead to the forced registration of all newspapers, the registration of all journalists and punitive fines(Reid, 2012: 1). The tribunal exemplifies the government’s hostility towards the media and it clearly epitomizes the Newspapers Registration and Imprint Act of 1985 .Another example constitutes as the Protection of Information Bill which will allow the government to classify specific information which is deemed harmful to the â€Å"national interest†. The government have suggested media-unfriendly laws which pose a threat to attack the heart of the struggle for democracy (Reid, 2012: 1). On the other hand, however, the media are dependent on the government for information and official materials and similarly the government depends on the media to produce important information to their citizens.It is evident that the media plays a large role in making public the successes and the failures of the government, however, I argue that a change in the regulatory system could improve the relationship between the two so that the media do not have their own agendas for the information they produce, but they produce that which of interest of the public that they serve. Although self-regulation of the press was once highly valued, examples like the Murdoch scandal have shown that the system is weak and does not assure the accountability of the press.Journalists from the News of the World were accused of phone hacking, police bribery and using unethical means to obtain ‘public interest’ stories (Posetti, 2012: 19). The self-regulatory system allows for journalists to operate freely without state interference and although there haven’t been any situations like the aforementioned unethical proceedings in South Africa, the regulatory system does not fulfill the democratic vitality of the inclusion of wider population (Reid, 2012: 18). For many years under the rapacious system of apartheid, the black population was silenced, their grievances and njustices undocumented. In this new democracy, the media are still seen to cater for the interests of the elite, this can be conceptualized in Noam Chomsky and Edward. S. Herman’s â€Å"propaganda model†. Granted the media does deliver information to serve the interests of its citizens, news coverage is frequently tailored to what suits the corporate. The media are a profit-seeking institution, funded by advertisers and are (sometimes) owned by private investors, this can henceforth lead to the media placing profit above public interest (Manoim, 1996: 4).An example of this can be seen in various newspapers during the apartheid era, particularly the Business Day. The Business Day embraced a conservative liberal take on the apartheid system. Th e reporting that the Business Day encompassed relied on keeping an apolitical stance and avoided negative consequences of full disclosure. The newspaper did not report on any issues negative aspects of the apartheid system or its effects on the population and the reason for this was to gain more revenue than to possibly create controversy (Manoim, 1996: 4).Another example of this was the recent Marikana shootings, wherein the first pieces of information distributed by the media through print and broadcast, told a story of a violent, armed and angry mob, charging towards apprehensive policemen who then shot the mobsters from afar, in fear of their lives (Johnson, 2012: 1). At least 36 miners were shot dead and because of the inadequate coverage by the media, many people were under the impression that the police action was proportional to the threat posed by the miners.It wasn’t until Greg Marinovich went on to publish shocking findings about the deaths of the Marikana minors, in his article â€Å"The murder fields of Marikana: The cold murder fields of Marikana† (Marinovich, 2012: 1). The article made public that some of the miners had been shot by close range (execution style) and others crushed by police vehicles, thus providing proof that the police did not act in fear, but instead hand the upper hand and viciously killed the miners.In many of the articles published, before Marinovich’s, statements were mainly one sided, comprised of policemen, the mining management and government official (Manoim, 1996: 7). It can be understood that many journalists and news firms did not accurately report on the Marikana shootings because they did not want to cause controversy and did not want to lose revenue. With regards to the aforementioned relationships between the media and political/ economic institutions within the self-regulatory system, I argue that the system is clearly weak.There is indeed more freedom of speech with this system, however, t he press aren’t held accountable to the citizens that they serve, the press can be seen to accommodate only the elites and silence the people. For these reasons and the above examples, in my opinion it is clear that the self-regulatory system in inadequate for a new democracy such as ours. The proposed system of independent co-regulation without state or government intervention will best serve the freedom of the press in our country.The system will consist of members of the public (e. g: academics, civil society organizations etc. ) and members of the press industry therefore sufficiently creating integration between the press and the society that it serves (Reid, 2012: 18). The independent system as well as journalists will henceforth be accountable to the public. The co-regulatory system will allow regulatory rules to be created by more than one stakeholder and it will have independence from industries (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1).The system should sufficiently allow members of the public and the press to engage with reports made by the independent body. This nature of transparency will build a close relationship between the public and the media and henceforth it will encourage the media to be accountable to the citizens that it serves (Reid, 2012: 18). I believe that the increased integration between the public and the press will give the once unheard voices of the public a platform for their opinions furthermore it will directly assist the country on the road to true democracy.The PFC suggests that the system will introduce a more efficient framework for dealing with sensitive matters especially when dealing with children. There will also be a be a method of â€Å"space fines† which will consist of monetary fines, summons or rulings for any offences made by the press (Press Freedom Commission, 2012: 1). The co-regulatory system proposed by the Press Freedom Commission is not an attack at the freedom of the press, rather, it is very nec essary to strengthen the system of the press in South Africa.Co-regulation will not only serve the public because of the system’s transparency and allowance for integration but it could also improve the quality and credibility of journalism in the country. The marginalized and excluded persons of this country need an environment where they are able to make public their discrepancies and regarding the extensive reception to the current self-regulation it is evident there needs to be a change in the system.In my opinion co-regulation will ensure the greatest independence from different influential institutions, it will reinforce the accountability the press should have for the citizens, it will allow for press freedom and furthermore it will assist to uphold the principles of a democracy. References: Manoim, I. 1996. You Have Been Warned: The First Ten Years of The Mail & Guardian. Penguin Books: South Africa. Posetti, J. 2012. Media Regulation, Murdoch and the Journalism Wars of Oz. Rhodes Journalism Review. Press Freedom Commission, 2012.What the Press Commission recommends. Retrieved from http://www. politicsweb. co. za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656? oid=294997&sn=Detail on 11/01/1012 Reid, J. 2012. Press Freedom in South Africa and why self-regulation is best. Daily Maverick. Retrieved from http://dailymaverick. co. za/opinionista/2012-01-26-press-freedom-in-south-africa-and-why-self-regulation-is-best on 11/01/2012. Reid, J. 2012. What will co-regulation mean? The Press Freedom Commission report and its implications for the regulation of journalism. Rhodes Journalism Review.

Why were British troops sent into Northern Ireland?

Almost 40 years ago British troops were sent into Londonderry because of many conflicts due to the separations and discrimination of the two religions, Catholic and Protestants. British government tried to intervene by sending in their on troops as discrimination got so escaladed that Catholics would not even trust the RUC (who were mainly Protestant.) British troops were sent into Ireland because of many conflicts that originated to Henry VIII which was almost 500 hundred years ago. When Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the pope of Rome forbade it, thus making England alone and more importantly formed â€Å"The church of England.† Ireland was still Catholic and allies with Rome, England saw this as a threat so after 1610 they, seized some of Ireland and â€Å"planted† some Protestants there. England thought that Rome would want to try and evade England through Ireland so this is why they took over part of Ireland. The protestant living in Ireland were called undertakers as they had to under take all rules given by the Church of England, they had to build barns houses and be combat ready when needed. Irish Catholics were furious about the take over of Ireland so they decided to rebel, they burnt houses and barns, crops and food; they also killed thousands of protestants (2000 – 3000). This made England retaliate so they sent a Scottish army of 10,000 men into Ulster and the English army took hold of Cork and Dublin, the rebellion resulted in the whole of Ireland being taken over. When King Charles II died, James II became his successor, the problem with James II being king is that he is catholic. James promoted catholic soldiers to higher ranks and gave more benefits to Catholics, parliament became suspicious and thought he was trying to change England into a catholic state. James's Daughter Mary married William of Orange. Making William the new king. James II went to Ireland and he knew he would get strong support from Catholics. With his army behind him, he went to take over Derry, but the apprentice boys closed the gate stopping his army from entering, the protestants suffered from starvation, disease and huge destruction because of this, but when James II was defeated by William of orange, (battle of Boyne) protestants where seen as heroes for fighting for their believes, ironically this is one of the main reasons why British troops had to be sent in again 400 hundred years later. This in many ways led to the rising of Sinn Fein who were a political group fighting for Ireland's freedom, in the sense they were also corrupt and had the support of the IRA (Irish republican army.) The Sinn Fein, one of the leaders Michael Collins, who raised a lot of armies, actually signed the partition. Britain thought the only way to resolve Irelands conflicts would be to try and buy both Ulster and Ireland off, reluctantly accepted by both sides Ireland was once and for all separated (1920),). Possible short term effects of the British troops sent in would be the discrimination against Catholics, due to the bad blood because of plantation and the reformation and the battle of Derry. The first of many short term causes was the blatant vote rigging or Gerrymandering, which caused many Catholics to have bad or even no house at all even if there were 12 in a family, but the Protestants would get them due to the discrimination. Jobs and promotion given to a catholic was very rare, a shipyard in Wolfe had over 10,000 employees but only 400 were catholic. Possible reasons which led up to the civil war could, which ultimately led to the sending in off the British troops, are the lack of housing provided by the local council, due to the gerrymandering the council was run by protestants causing Catholics to lose houses. Prejudice rose even further when RUC or B – specialists (off duty police who were armed) treated Catholics like scum. The RUC were renown to be mainly protestants, they harassed Catholics and destroyed their property, they even let off crimes as long as it was a protestant stealing from a catholic. All these events led to the Civil rights movement, Civil rights activists tried to march to Londonderry but were stopped at Burntollet bridge, where civil rights activists were met by angry protestants. The protestants thought the civil rights were all IRA, and thought they would take matters into their own hand and brutal rioting broke out. The b specialist actually helped the rioters and the RUC did little to nothing to help the matter. Soon after the events that occurred at Burntollet bridge and the appalling display by the RUC led to the Battle of Bogside. This battle was on the day of the apprentice boys march, (mentioned above) the protestants would march and â€Å"celebrate† the honorable apprentice boys. They would sing offensive songs such as â€Å"Drive the Billy-boys back† and throw missiles at the Catholics such as rocks and coins. On august 1969 the march began, even thought many people thought it would inevitable end up in a full scale riot. The Catholics tried to barricade themselves in but the Protestants ran at the barrier full force to get at them, the RUC were actually trying to get the barrier down (supposedly trying to break up the riot but couldn't get to them). This appalling riot caused the sending of the troops in, Catholics thought it was a godsend as they heated the RUC so much.

Vastu Shastra

Mini notes for vastu shastra . Ads by Google important tips TIPS FOR DAILY LIFE 1)According to hindu beliefs drawing room should face towards north direction. 2)furniture should be kept at southern or western walls or corners of your house. This ensures that whenever you sit you are faced towards east or north. facing towards east or north makes you positively charged. 3)the kitchen placed to the southern corner attracts good things . the kitchen should not be next to the toilet,or in front of the toilet. )the room for meditation or worship [pooja room]  should be faced to the north or northeast direction, this deed results in good and powerful worship,meditation. 5)for study table best direction is supposed to be the north or east. 5) i. bookshelves must be in north ,east or northeast direction†¦.. bookshelves should not be above the study table. 5) ii. computer should be in southeast direction. 5) iii. wall-clock [pendulum] should be in north.. above study table is expected] 6)a shrine or a water pot is expected to be at the northeastern corner.. shrine or a water pot is a healthy sign for increase in level of knowledge.. a pot full of water represents the brain full of knowledge. 7) color of the study room should be light reflective. for instance light green, cream,and white is supposed to be the best. 8)according to the hindu religious beliefs a picture of goddess saraswati ,and lord ganesh should be placed in the room,and worshiping them regularly brings good knowledge

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Critically consider to what extent this offers a mutual gains approach Essay

Critically consider to what extent this offers a mutual gains approach to people management - Essay Example The flexibility of approach and perspectives to change become high point that hugely helps to meet the challenges of time. The innovative measures and incentive driven tools that are linked to the performance are increasingly being used as vital elements of business strategy. Scholars assert that performance management is strategic tool or process that motivates workforce for optimal performance (Bloisi, 2007; Armstrong and Baron, 2005). Apart from incentives, commitment to work and loyalty towards employers is considerably increased when the employees are provided scope of enhancing their professional skills and competencies through in-house training and development. Financial and emotional security, job satisfaction etc are factors that promote trust building and induce high performance and retention of employees. Hence, HPWP not only benefits employees but also the employers as they are able to retain high performing human capital that significantly influences the revenues. Most importantly, they are able to maintain their competitive advantage through hard times as HPWP provides organization with fl exible approach and innovative performance related measures to meet contemporary challenges for optimal performance. (words:

Measuring Marketing Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Measuring Marketing Performance - Assignment Example There is not a single measure that is best for measuring marketing performance but three very famous measures of marketing performance are return on investment, comparison of marketing cost with result, and brand knowledge.Marketing Return on Sale:Marketing return on sale is an important measure of marketing performance and determines that how efficient the firm is. It provides the deeper understanding of impact that organization has on its profits due to marketing strategies. It is a percent of net sale attributable to the net marketing contribution. The higher marketing return on sale of current year as compare to prior year describe the positive performance of marketing (Ambler, Kokkinaki, &Puntoni, 2004).Compare the Cost of Marketing Activities with Results:Marketers use the revenues - that are the result of marketing program - as a measure of marketing performance. For example marketing programs like direct mailing and advertising develop contacts and some contacts has higher va lue as compare to others that depends on the number of responses. Marketing department compare the cost spent on each contact with the value of the result. If the marketing program results in increasing numbers of orders and generates greater revenue on per order then the marketing performance will be considered good (Srinivasan &Hanssens, 2009).Marketing department is liable to make people understand that why the brand exists in market, how it is different from others, and what values it can deliver.

Reflections on Federal Welfare Policy - Week 3 - Journal Coursework

Reflections on Federal Welfare Policy - Week 3 - Journal - Coursework Example The federal government further governs the unemployment insurance, a program that provides unemployed individuals with a source of income for about 26 weeks. I believe the policies are effective in eradicating poverty thereby creating a desirable society for every American. Labor relations remain contentious issues with the country lacking a holistic federal policy to govern the compensation of workers. The unpredictable labor relations are likely to affect my social welfare when should I migrate from one state to another. Despite such, I believe that the governments are doing their best in providing the populace with a better living condition. Such policies as the No child left behind act and the Obama care have for example succeeded in reducing the costs of education and health care, two of the most important yet equally costly social requirements. This way, the public enjoys lower costs of living (Meier & Wood, 2004). Furthermore, the social security act safeguards the future of Americans after retirement thereby ensuring that every citizen enjoys a comfortable life. This week’s readings have exposed me to a number of policies thus reinforcing my belief that the government is doing enough to safeguard the social security of the

Chinese Foreign Currency Reserves Swell by Record Amount Article

Chinese Foreign Currency Reserves Swell by Record Amount - Article Example This article tries to raise public alarm over the swelling foreign exchange reserve levels of China and how this contributes to the country’s â€Å"worsening inflation problem† (Bradsher, 2011). This has to do with its effect on the renminbi’s exchange rate vis a vis the US dollar.   A high level of reserves causes the renminbi to appreciate against the dollar.   The problem is this will make China’s substantial exports more expensive; thus, losing its competitive advantage.  Ã‚   This then could lead to the loss of jobs by millions of people working in the export industry.   This led to China’s central bank’s decision to keep the value of its currency low.   To do this, it prints renminbi at a â€Å"furious pace in order to buy the dollars and euros† that come in through trade surpluses and foreign investment (Bradsher, 2011).   However, this spawns another problem.   The additional renminbi issued causes the money suppl y in the country to rise even further.   What was not discussed in the article is the direct impact of the level of money supply on inflation.   A high level of money supply circulating in the economy causes aggregate demand to rise.   This increased demand for goods and services is what pushes general prices to go up. Looking at China’s foreign reserve levels, in the third quarter of 2010, it increased by $194 million.   In the fourth quarter, it jumped by $199 million to raise the total to $2.85 trillion.   This increase was much larger than what economists had expected.   During this time, China â€Å"doubled its intervention in the currency markets to about $2 billion a day† (Bradsher, 2011).   And so, the country’s money supply was 19.7 percent higher in December than a year earlier. The increase in money supply though is not solely due to the central bank’s efforts to keep the value of the renminbi in check.   Banking loans have also risen and measures taken by the central bank to slow down lending, primarily by increasing bank reserve requirements have proven to be ineffective.

Corporate Performace Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Corporate Performace - Coursework Example McDonald's Corporation was also analyzed under the lens of SWOT Analysis, BCG Matrix and Porter's Competitive Forces. These techniques help us assess the various policies and strategies that the business is following. Furthermore, they are also a snap-shot of business as a whole and tell us at a glance, whether the business is doing well or not In the end, the current performance of McDonald's Corporation is compared with its past performance and its future prospects are discussed in great detail. The future prospects are based on the strategies that McDonald's Corporation is planning to implement. The report ends with some suggestions that McDonald's Corporation could adopt to help them further improve their condition and could help them reach new heights. McDonald is perhaps the most successful corporation of the world. There's no magic formula to it, but the company believes that its success has come due to their insistence on their values and because of their belief in truthfulness and honesty. "At McDonald's, success has always involved a not-so-profound formula involving one-part inspiration and four-parts perspiration. Our founder, Ray Kroc, coined the phrase "grinding it out" to characterize the determination and attention to detail that is required to be successful in our industry. "Grinding it out" was his way of saying the restaurant business is, and always will be, a labor intensive operation. It was hard work and determination that built McDonald's - and today, those same qualities drive our success." (McDonald's Corporation Annual Report, 2008). The above statement clearly indicates that hardwork and determination is the most followed principle in this corporation. They also believe in their past values and think their success has come about due to the value given to the organization by their founding father Ray Kroc. McDonald's Corporation gives a lot of importance to their customer choice. It has recently added new product in line with what customers want. These additions have become instant hit, which is not only good for the business, but has also given increased weight to the McDonald's menu and increased the choice as they now offer variety of products. "Whether you prefer beef or chicken, salads or sandwiches, breakfast or desserts, there's something for every appetite and occasion at McDonald's. In every country, our menus balance classic favorites with new tastes and local flavors. We're also a beverage destination with offerings such as sweet tea, juices and McCaf coffees." (McDonald's Corporation Annual Report, 2007). According to Richard L. Daft, in order assess the success of an organization, you do not look at only the financial figures of the company, but you also

Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crime - Research Paper Example It is vital to maintain the devices used to commit the crime as evidence when reporting electronic crimes. How can one protect him or herself or their family against e-crime? By educating themselves on basic online safety through recommended websites (Ghosh & Turinni 291). Individuals can also educate their families about online safety. Individuals can also set up basic protection against malware such spyware and anti-viruses. Are e-crimes punishable by jail time? If found guilty of a cyber-crime by the court, one is probable to get punished through jail time. Sentences for cyber-crimes are getting tougher by the day and cyber-crime attorneys are increasingly finding it challenging to defend their parties. Most cyber-crimes sentences get served in months, however depending on the degree of the crime, the accused may receive years in jail time. What methods get used to detect e-crime? There is no single, clear cut method of detecting cyber-crimes. E-crimes get detected by chance. There are informal methods such as regular audit of the systems, looking for mistakes, and the use of government agencies such as the police or IRS to detect the crime. What is computer forensics? Computer forensics refers to a form of forensic science that involves legal analysis of evidence located in electronic devices or computers (Ghosh & Turinni 232). Computer forensics helps to discover the actual cause of a computer system malfunction. It may also get used by professionals to determine situations where individuals may have unlawfully used a computer or network with the intention of hacking or harming a computer

Vocabulary and semantics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vocabulary and semantics - Essay Example Hence the phrase, flea market Today, the term is used to describe rent spaces for traders dealing in used goods that are of low quality and at low prices. Morphology Morphology is the study of word structure. Morphology is the process of identifying, analyzing and describing the structures of a language’s morphemes and other linguistic units, such as root words, parts of speech and intonation or stress. The term â€Å"flea market† is made up of two words; flea and market, which are the morphemes to this phrase. A morpheme is the smallest single unit in the grammar of a language and its study is called morphology. A morpheme may not be a word as a morpheme has to stand on its own. There are free and bound morphemes. A free morpheme is a single unit that stands on its own and has meaning, whereas a bound morpheme appear as only parts of words, always supported by the root or by another bound morpheme. The term â€Å"flea market† is made up of two free morphemes as the word â€Å"flea† can stand on its own and still have meaning and also the word â€Å"market† has meaning on its own. ... The phrase â€Å"flea market† can also be thought to be a place inhabited by dirty traders. A collocation is a sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance (Durkin, 2009). A collocation can be said to be two or more words that often go together, and may sound correct to a native speaker but be unnatural and sound wrong. The term â€Å"flea market† sounds correct to a native speaker but may be very disturbing to a person, who is just learning the language, as that a person can loosely interpret it to be a place where fleas are sold. Semantic relationships Semantics is the study of meanings; the phrase â€Å"flea market† can be taken literally to mean a place where fleas are sold, or we can take the meaning where it denotes a place where second-hand items are sold. There are different semantic relationship types, and they include; Synonyms Synonyms are words that mean exactly the same. According to the Macmillan dictionary, t he term â€Å"flea† is synonymous to aphid, beetle and black widow, as all are types of insects (Hurford, 1996). The term â€Å"market† is synonymous to shop, as both are places where goods are traded. The phrase â€Å"flea market† is synonymous to yard sale. Antonyms Antonyms are words pairs whose meanings are opposite and lie in a continuous spectrum. The term â€Å"flea† has no antonym as there are so many things and animals that are opposites of insects. The term â€Å"market† is also broad as it involved buying and selling which are opposites of each other. As a modern place of trade dealing in mostly new items, a mall can be used as an antonym to a flea market. Pragmatic usage Pragmatics is a minor field of linguistics and studies ways how context contributes to the