Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example Some theorists as well as practitioners describe CSR as a form of corporate compliance with the spirit and the letter of the law; or, as a business approach that takes into account the manner in which the organization’s activities impacts upon its different stakeholders (Nehme & Wee, 2008:129). Pursuant to its legal mandate, CSR is seen as a condition where the corporation acts as a free agent of the state, to the extent that the expressed social objectives are imposed on the corporation by law (Manne & Wallich, 1972, p. 40). On the other hand, more than just compliance with legal mandate, CSR is also thought to pertain to the corporation’s efforts above and beyond regulatory requisites, in effect finding an equilibrium between the needs of stakeholders on one hand, and those of making a profit for the investors in the other (Nehme & Wee, 2008:132). CSR is â€Å"[a] concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis† (European Commission, in Nehme & Wee, 2008:131). CSR, from a market viewpoint, has been identified as a source of competitive advantage, as the company explores ways of approaching and engaging with their stakeholders (Corporation and Market Advisory Committee, 2006). â€Å"CSR is the result, implicit or explicit, of the nature of a firm, its role in society, and its relationships with its internal and external stakeholders† (Argandoà ±a and Hoivik, 2009, p. 229). The same activities, it is observed, may be undertaken whatever theory is adopted, as even community-focused activities may actually be undertaken in the service of corporate interests – a form of market development effort. Nevertheless, embarking on these activities which do not directly comprise the company’s main business operations are taken to be external manifestations of the company’s CSR program. Ever since the advent of

US Correctional System Essay Example for Free

US Correctional System Essay A correctional system is a network of legal agencies with granted authority to make pronouncements on legal issues geared toward administration of justice within a prison setting or a parole system. The goals of this system are to punish the perpetrators of criminal activities through various mechanisms, to protect the general population from harms associated with crimes, and finally to transform criminals into responsible, law abiding and productive citizens through well structured rehabilitation programs. This paper will focus on how the correctional system is utilized to achieve the above mentioned objectives and investigate which strategy between punishment and rehabilitation is the most effective in reducing crime. Punishment of those proved guilty of bleaching the law is a major goal of the correctional system and serves as a deterrent against one repeating an offence in addition to suppressing criminal thoughts of others who might be contemplating evil (eHow, Inc, 2010). A good number of mechanisms are applied and incarceration is the most common. It entails imprisonment or confinement of criminals in facilities such as prisons, local jails for persons convicted in state courts, federal prisons for those convicted in federal courts, and several residential institutions including training schools for juveniles. Another form of punishment is probation which is a sentencing option for offences of lesser magnitude and offers a second chance to first time offenders to reconstruct their behavior. Criminals who serve under this sentence have been convicted of crimes but have served only a part of the sentence in prison or not at all. Persons on probation are required by the court to adhere to certain conditions and guidelines under the supervision of a probation officer. These conditions include abiding to a curfew, living at a specified place or not leaving the jurisdiction at all, subjection to community service, and obeying the orders of the probation officer among other conditions. Probation can be seen as a suspension of a sentence during which, the offender is accorded liberty conditioned on behavior change with the state having the obligation of assisting the offender to maintain commendable conduct (Sutherland, Cressey Luckenbill, 1992). Death penalty as a form of punishment was re-instated in 1976 and it is almost exclusively used for crimes of murder (Bryant, 2003). Over the course of time, several amendments on this law have been made with several states implementing new laws which allow death sentence for the rape of a minor. Other statutes allow death penalty for non-murder crimes including treason, placing a bomb near a bus terminal, aircraft hijacking, and drug trafficking, among others. Different methods of execution have been prescribed by the federal government and the 37 states that have statutes allowing death penalty (Regoli Hewitt, 2009). These methods are electrocution, lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, and lethal gas, though no states provide for either of the last three as the sole method of execution. Rehabilitation is an approach entrenched within the correctional system and is meant to punish offenders in a more positive way with the understanding that the offenders are sick and require gradual cure and reconstruction of their moral and social discipline before their release. This strategy is taken to be an effective mechanism of shifting a criminal from being a liability to the society to being an asset. It can be accomplished through vocational training, drug rehabilitation treatment, and counseling (eHow, Inc, 2010). Vocational training for instance offers criminals a chance to acquire a variety of job skills which consequently shapes them into productive members of the society and helps them to fight hopelessness, lack, and low self esteem which they might be struggling to overcome. Counseling is also a viable method of rehabilitating criminals and can be done either individually or in groups. Group counseling aims at triggering a positive influence among criminals by sharing the wide niche of experience from its members. Group activities and interactions also help significantly in providing solutions to the problems among peers such as how to break links of ealier relationships with undesirable people. Drug addiction and alcoholism is also a menace that has jeopardized cohesive existence and has threatened state security. There are a staggering number of drug rehab centres whose goal is to assist drug addicts and alcoholics heal physically, mentally, socially and spiritually and re-establish themselves in a drug and alcohol-free setting (treatment- links. net, 2010). To a great extent, capital punishment and long term imprisonments play a significant role as deterrent and incapacitation approaches against crimes. However, these strategies do not serve to heal the society from all facets of social relationships. According to Braithwaite, a legal system that relies on punishing criminals as the major approach of curbing crime, is destined for failure since it does not incorporate the voice of the victim (2002). From my point of view, the rehabilitation approach carries a lot of potential in reducing criminal activities as it provides the criminal with a second chance of becoming a better and resourceful person through acquisition of skills and advice that fits his or her needs. Rehabilitation scores a major goal of ensuring that the offender gets a chance of acquiring some form of education, phsycological support, and treatment in case of drug addiction. Consequently, this can be more effective in eradicating the urge to go back to criminal activities. In addition, rehabilitation generates a sense of healing and new life both to the offender and to the community after successful reformation. With regard to punishment, fear of being punished does not offer any better solution to criminal activities Braithwaite(2002). Rehabilitation therefore goes an extra mile in meeting the goals of the correctional system. References Braithwaite, J. ( 2002). Restorative justice and responsive regulation. Newyork: Oxford University Press US. Bryant, C. (2003). Handbook of Death and Dying. New Orleans: SAGE. eHow, Inc. (2010).Role of the Correctional System. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www. ehow. com/about_5087269_role-correctional-system. html Regoli, R. , Hewitt, J. (2009). Exploring Criminal Justice: The Essentials. Boston: Jones Bartlett Learning. Sutherland, E. H. , Cressey, D. R. , Luckenbill, D. (1992). Principles of criminology. Newyork : Rowman Altamira. treatment-centers. net. (2010). Drug Addiction Treatment Centers, Alcohol Rehab Programs, Dual Diagnosis and Addiction Treatment Resources. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www. treatment-centers. net/

Comparison of Post War Poetry

Comparison of Post War Poetry Write an essay comparing John Agards, ‘In Times of Peace, and Fred DAguiars, ‘War on Terror: The post-war Caribbean Diaspora, and its attending aesthetic rise in poetics, is rooted in a celebration of paradox in the disorientation and anxiety of a conflicted cultural identity, and consequentially, the self-examination and inspection it provokes. John Agard and Fred dAguiar are no exception as both are of Guyanese origin, and both find themselves exploring the present in Britain, a present submerged in social and political turbulence to which the war in Afghanistan is inextricably linked. We find ourselves in a divided Age, wherein troubadours and poets no longer scribble from a faraway trench nor enlist at all, but instead fight in a socio-political arena against seemingly endless cavalries of disillusionment and bureaucratic control. The stanzaic Rebel-Yell is, today, battling alienation on a pseudo-home front orchestrated by vast and impersonal forces, and as a result Fred dAguiars proclamation, that â€Å"home is always elsewhere†, speaks volumes for our current c ondition. Agard and dAguiar, poets capable of fusing deep imagination with cultural and political realities, seem at once relevant voices in their potential to shed light from a paradoxical insider-and-outsider perspective. Traditionally, Agard and dAguiar have displayed firm grasps on iconoclastic satire and political criticism. Their poems, ‘In Times of Peace and ‘War on Terror, respectively, stay true to this tradition while sharing many other themes including; the psychological impact of modern warfare, dislocation, ambiguity, transience, and more. For every similarity however, there are differences, most profoundly in tone. Where ‘War on Terror is overwhelmingly elegiac with overtones of nostalgic resignation, ‘In Times of Peace seems defiant and provocative. Through these and other varied vehicles, the poems arrive with the same didactic intention of moving us into a vital awareness and inquisitiveness. Even at a first glance, the structural differences between the two poems are as striking as they are reflective, in that we are faced with the juxtaposition of dAguiars aesthetic minimalism and Agards erudite precision. In ‘War on Terror, the total exclusion of punctuation acts out the role of persistent catalyst for interpretation. The lack of direction created, while being profoundly symbolic of the convoluted war itself, also provokes an active readership in which the audience is forced into subjectively expressing the framework of the poem. This provocative absence almost constructs a dialogue between reader and poet, a poetic conversation and revelation free of political rhetoric but instead promoting personal understanding and endless possibilities for expression. Along with this understanding though, extreme ambiguity the ‘fog of war is ever-present and is only accentuated by the final non-conclusion. The fact that the last line is left open-ended leaves an after -taste of â€Å"nightmare†2 discomfort, wherein the ambiguously prosperous war remains unanswered for and closure is left unfound; thus this purposeful omission aims for a metaphorical rereading and search for answers. In contrast, John Agards deliberate inclusion of question-marks as the only punctuation lends to a more direct approach whereby he automatically denies any degree of finality or certainty, but in its place offers us the right questions. This careful placement, in conjunction with an apocalyptic ‘falling trochaic metre, draws attention to the gravity of the questions being asked, or the questions that should be asked and answered. Tension seems to rise as ‘In Times of Peace progresses along a series of internal-rhymes, with each quatrain growing closer to a complete Canzone verse a relatively archaic form traditionally reserved for the tragic, comic or elegiac in subject; and is therefore not out of place here. In this way, as the rigidity of Agards confrontation symbolises the homogenous production-lines of Capitalist war, dAguiars free-verse compliments the lack of punctuation in projecting a disquieting awareness of entropy3. Both poems display a deviant anaphora, with equally significant effects. In ‘War on Terror the repetition of â€Å"as long as†2, and more consistently, â€Å"long†2, serves both to provide changing states of time and perspective, and to emphasize the severity of the paradoxical â€Å"shorter†2 in the final stanza. The theme of Time and transience is abundant throughout, with the first and second stanzas introducing a conceit paradox that will be elaborated upon gradually until echoing indefinitely in the open-ended stanzaic non-conclusion. Before doing so however, the somewhat surrealistic inclinations of â€Å"paint behind the eyeballs†2 and plethora of functioning tropes succeed in defamiliarizing the reader from the mass-media-desensitization to ongoing war, so to give way to the abrupt and dire realities where â€Å"nightmares paint†2 Post Traumatic Stress disorders and the next generation dies for todays conflict â€Å"in their sleepâ₠¬ 2. The sense of time and relative transience is propelled by the changing metaphors and perspectives of short long, of â€Å"as long as a piece of string†2 contradicted by â€Å"no longer than a piece of string†2, of â€Å"as long as nightmares†2 juxtaposed with the evanescence of â€Å"paint†2. Mutually, ‘In Times of Peace uses the complexities of Time within the words, â€Å"begin†, â€Å"all there is†, â€Å"wilting†1, and urgent questioning of â€Å"are eyes ready†1, to create a sense of immediacy. Anaphora in Agards poem comes in the form of quantifiers and adverbs (â€Å"that†, â€Å"how†, â€Å"when†1) at the beginning of lines, enabling continuity of the inquisition. Figurative use of grammar is likewise found in dAguiars elegy as, in the final stanza, possessive pronouns of â€Å"this†, â€Å"our† and â€Å"their†2 are wielded to illustrate identity and allegiance â €Å"this war in this time under this government†2 not only projects a feeling of detachment and sterile anonymity, but the inclusion of â€Å"under†2 proposes a deeper anomie, oppression and inhumanity. Contrastingly, â€Å"our children†2 evokes a possessive responsibility just as, â€Å"their sleep†2 exemplifies a human right to self-ownership (of fate). The theme of inhumanity, or even sub-humanity, is moreover exposed when the only alliteration, a signpost for natural fluency and regularity, can be found in the nostalgic â€Å"tamarind tree† and â€Å"child crying†2. Furthermore, the incongruous imagery of â€Å"radar† and â€Å"whale†2 is rooted in irony, subjectively interpreted as a comparison between the natural purity of the whale, and the disturbing ‘new nature of technological man. This metaphor finds its feet most dramatically in Agards commentary, where the conceit metaphor throughout is that of modern-man cha nging or devolving into something unrecognisable. Via anatomical referencing of â€Å"finger†, â€Å"skin†, â€Å"feet†, â€Å"bodies†, â€Å"hearts†, â€Å"human arms†, â€Å"ears†, and â€Å"eyes†1, Agard contemplates the long-term impact of cross-generational war on human nature4. The alliteration of â€Å"at home in heavy boots†1 brings us to question whether the nature of modern humanity is rooted and reliant on war, leading onto our â€Å"stepping over bodies†1 to draw attention to ruthless Capitalist careerism, and finally questioning how we will â€Å"cope with a bubble bath†1 and whether terminal damage has been done and the notion of ‘peace is no longer relevant, but has been reduced to obscurity, to theory and vagrant optimism. Alliteration is present again in the orality of â€Å"bullets blood†1, but as if awakening in a violent realisation the fluency is halted abruptly by the line -ending â€Å"rush†1. These dystopian visions remain central to the satirical and sceptical comparisons of index fingers with â€Å"skin†, â€Å"feet† with â€Å"foam†, â€Å"arms† with the ironic â€Å"death of weapons†, and â€Å"ears† with the romantically-natural imagery of â€Å"wings†1. Considering these interpretations, the audience can find echoes of Rousseauian6 humanism in both Agard and dAguiars outlook on an anaemic mechanised society. Within our psychological black comedy, our â€Å"Parade Sauvage†7, refuge can be found in the rarity that is the autonomous realm of poetry no social compromise is offered, no empty promise, but in their places stands a state of rare human equality and mutual exploration. John Agards ‘In Times of Peace bares the ugly reality of our ‘evolution into the modern Prometheus by veiling serious musings, of the notion of Peace as a still-tangible possibility or a faded and fellatious mirage, with a darkly comical satire. Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror, a title made metaphorical by its origins in mass-media and governmental reasoning, reflects upon the long-term consequences of war and leaves, open-ended, the prospect of a predetermined and doomstruck fate for our next generation of children. Appendix: Notes: 1. From focus text, John Agards ‘In Times of Peace 2. From focus text, Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror 3. The focus poems both mirror each other in a stanzaic capacity for debate, with ‘In Times of Peace separated into three thematic sections of ‘War vs. Civilian Life (first and second stanzas), ‘War vs. Love and Soul (third stanza), and ‘Traditional Nature vs. New Human Nature (fourth and fifth stanzas). Fred dAguiars ‘War on Terror can be stanzaically split into two balanced faces of paradoxical Time, ‘the Indefinite (first and second couplets) and ‘the Definite (fourth and fifth couplets). 4. â€Å"The number of former servicemen in prison or on probation or parole is now more than double the total British deployment in Afghanistan†, and an â€Å"Estimated 20,000 veterans are in the criminal justice system, with 8,500 behind bars, almost 1 in 10 of the prison population†. Travis, Alan, ‘Revealed: The Hidden Army in UK Prisons, The Guardian, 25 September 2009, p.1. 5. Roberts, Neil, A Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2001) pg. 583. 6. Rousseau, J.J, The Social Contract (London: Penguin Group, 1968). 7. Rimbaud, Arthur, Complete Works Selected Letters, Bilingual edn (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005) pp. 314-317. Bibliography: Silkin, John, The Life of Metrical and Free Verse in Twentieth-Century Poetry (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1997). Roberts, Neil, A Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2001). Lennard, John, The Poetry Handbook, 2nd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). Rousseau, J.J, The Social Contract (London: Penguin Group, 1968). Focus Text: Approaching Poetry U67010 Module Handbook Semester 1, 2009-10: Agard, John, ‘In Times of Peace DAguiar, Fred, ‘War on Terror

White Attitudes Towards Nature Essay -- Racial Relations, Indian, Whit

In Luther Standing Bear’s â€Å"Nature† and Louis Owens’s â€Å"The American Indian Wilderness†, the authors dictate differences in Indian and white relationships with nature. They stress how Indians see nature, their balanced relationship with it, and how they know wilderness is just a European idea. Though agreeing here, Standing Bear focuses on the Lakota view of how Indians truly lived while Owens reveals both sides and thinks white views can shift with time. Standing Bear thinks the difference in how whites and Indians see nature stems from childhood. He believes Indian children are aware of nature because they have been taught to â€Å"become conscious of life† and spend time just observing the wild things around them (9). By seeing the world this way, their love and respect for it flourishes (Standing Bear 10). This appreciation sharply contrasts to ignorant whites who foolishly play as children, ignoring everything but each other, and grow up disregarding the knowledge nature gives and viewing it only as something to use. He says whites are bored with nature because they do not have the â€Å"Indian point of view† (11). This distance whites have from nature harms their relationship with nature and humans, making them less compassionate when they do not see that â€Å"man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard† (12). Similarly, Owens says whites see nature differently because of childhood experiences. Instead of growing up in nature daily, white children go on sporadic vacations camping, and thus view nature as a tourist attraction instead of a second home. He states Indians embrace nature because it has a stronger family significance to them that whites do not see. Indians call the Cascades the â€Å"Great Mother† because of stories they have hear... ...e two races â€Å"could not understand each other† (Standing Bear 12). On the other hand, Owens has hope for whites because he did not grow up with Indian traditions. He has seen whites preserving nature when he was sent to burn the shed, so even though they do not yet understand it he has hope that they can one day appreciate it. Indians understand and value nature more than whites and these authors recognize that. They believe the trouble with white attitudes is they do not truly see nature or form a harmonious relationship with it, and whites think they can be separated from their idea of wilderness. Although Standing Bear is critical of whites and believes they will never change, Owens thinks they will if they continue to redefine how they view nature. Overall, both authors want whites to respect the Indian view of nature and aspire to see it that way also.

Death Penalty Essay Introduction Essay

A death penalty is one of the oldest corrections familiar to mankind. Strictly speaking, it was applied even before the criminal law appears in a modern sense of the word. One of the problems worries not only lawyers but a whole society, causing a lot of discussions, disputes and debates, was and still is an issue of execution. At the moment, its relevance is also connected with the fact that now a lot of states are going to soften own legislation, abolishing the supreme penalty. In this connection, a question arises as to validity and admissibility of its application. The presence or absence of the capital punishment is a kind of indicator of culture and quality of life, security and public mentality. That is why in socially and economically well-off countries, the death is much calmer, philosophically, not as exaggerated as in unsettled states. The relevance of such an investigation is due to the matter that much is said and written, confirmed by judicial and extrajudicial practice regarding severe punishments as never frightening things. This is explained, first of all, by the fact they were most frequently applied to criminals who, for various reasons, either did not fear death or ignored it. An attitude of mass consciousness to the capital punishment and scale of its usage serves as a barometer of the community’s morality, its social and mental health. To date, 111 countries have abandoned it, but there are still many governments that have resorted to it so far. Each state faces such dilemma: should the death penalty be applied as discipline for especially serious crimes or adhere to the principles of humanism? How effective is it? How does the public opinion influence the abolition or retention of similar penalty? A modern society was divided into two camps. Each of the groups has enough weighty arguments, which it is difficult to disagree. The main motives of supporters of execution are its preventive nature, economic feasibility, and justice of retaliation. In other words, a lot of citizens consider the rule of mutual murder as justified. An alternative point of view also has its justifications and deserves no less attention. Opponents of capital punishment point to an imperfection of the judicial system and its frequent mistakes, an inconsistency of the indicated problem in the context of international law, financial costs, as well as doubtfulness of a preventive effect. In light of increased terrorist attacks, there was another argument like suicide bomber did not scare death. Perhaps, only organizers of the attacks themselves are not in a hurry to part with life. And for them, an execution is a quite likely outcome. However, outraged public opinion requires a fair impact on the offenders and does not want to tolerate the facts of insufficiently severe sentences or an abandonment of life by dangerous, incorrigible criminals. And no matter how incompetent, uncivilized it may be, it cannot be ignored. Otherwise, instead of verdicts, according to the law and the court, a â€Å"punitive presumption† of the population begins. Thus, there can be no unequivocal decision on the issue of death penalty. It affects political, legal, socio-economic, moral-religious, cultural-psychological and other spheres of activity. There are criminals who do not deserve life, but punishment is not all-powerful. Since criminality is of a multilateral and deep nature, the measures to struggle against it must also be complex.

PInk Flamingo

The sass was a period of spunk, pizzazz, and flashy colors. In 1957, Don Featheriness had designed the attention grabber of the generation- the plastic pink flamingo. The lawn d ©corn had originated from the pretty, pink-feathered wading bird. In her recent essay The Plastic Pink Flamingo, Jennifer Price explains that flamingos have always been animals that have attracted attention, similar to the flamingos,Price believes America is a country that wishes to capture the spot light in the world. Price also claims that as the Great Depression came to an end, bright colored objects began to emerge into the United States, including the plastic pink flamingo. Throughout her essay Price reveals that her view of the American culture is that America was finally coming out of the Great Depression era so they focused on changing the countries culture and making It stand out.Since the sass, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, America soused on being a country different from any ot her country. The establishment of religious freedom was the key aspect that separated the united States from the other countries- America propelled itself to stand out. Likewise during the sass, Featheriness design had similar elements to the call of religious freedom; the plastic pink flamingos emerged Into being the hottest Item In America, simply by Its color. While the rest of the world laid on bland colors, America 11th Itself with luminous ones.In her essay Price stated, Kraal Ann Marling had written, the Sassy pinks' were the Panache 2 hottest color of the decade†. The jazzy pink flamingos had formed their own generation In America- a generation that put the country in the center of the world. A translator from one decade to another can be a huge leap In some Instances. During the sass the Great Depression had hit America like a plague. Times were dark and dull; hence when the pink flamingos flew into the country, Americans were filled with light in their eyes.In The Pl astic Pink Flamingo Price wrote, â€Å"The hues were forward- working rather than old fashioned, Just right for our generation, raised in the Depression, that was ready to celebrate its new affiance†. The flamingos settled after the Great Depression- a time when the country seemed Insipid and out of color, as soon as the Depression ended bright colors began to burst Into the alarm changing the generation, one to another. The plastic pink flamingos had taken a turn in history when they arrived during the sass.The plastic flamingos brightened the streets of America with lucid colors. In The Plastic Pink Flamingo by Jennifer Price, Price explains that the pink birds are known to stick out amongst Its fellow birds, likewise Price believes that America would Like to stand out amongst the other countries In the world showing Its the Depression broke through, a whole new generation began to emerge- a generation of change. The arrival of the false flashy flamingo was a movement for A merica to shift away from the past, reform the countries culture, and to stand out in the world.

Quotes About Courage From the Cowardly Lion

Quotes About Courage From the Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz lives up to his name, at least at the beginning of the 1939 film. We eventually learn that hes not really a coward;  rather, he thinks he is  because he doesnt ​believe in himself. Before all is said and done, the Cowardly Lion performs several courageous acts without realizing his bravery. The Cowardly Lion Is Caught Faking Bravery The first time  the Lion encounters Dorothy, the  Scarecrow,  and the Tin Man, Dorothy smacks him on the nose for being a bully. She quickly realizes hes all bluster: Dorothy:  My goodness, what a  fuss youre making! Well, naturally, when  you go around picking on things weaker than you are. Why, youre nothing but a great big coward!Cowardly Lion:  [crying] Youre right, I am a coward! I havent any courage  at all. I even scare myself.  [sobbing]  Look at the circles under my eyes. I havent slept in weeks!Tin Man:  Why dont you try counting sheep?Cowardly Lion:  That doesnt do any good, Im afraid of em. The Cowardly Lions Funny Fear Quote The Cowardly Lion doesnt usually let his nervousness keep him from doing the right thing. He has a sense of humor about it, too. In one scene, he wants to be brave and save Dorothy  but has to make a joke first: Cowardly Lion: All right, Ill go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, Ill tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but Im going in there. Theres only one thing I want you fellows to do.Tin Man and Scarecrow: Whats that?Cowardly Lion: Talk me out of it! The Cowardly Lion Shows His Bravery By the time he encounters the Wicked Witchs palace guards, the Lion has had enough. If hes afraid, he doesnt show it (we suspect that he is but is putting on a brave front): Cowardly Lion: Put em up, put em up! Which one of you first? Ill fight you both together if you want. I’ll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I’ll fight you standing on one foot. I’ll fight you with my eyes closed...oh, pullin’ an axe on me, eh? Sneaking up on me, eh? The Cowardly Lions Thoughts on Courage In his most famous song, the Lion muses on what it would be like if he had courage (not realizing he already has plenty): Cowardly Lion: [singing]Im afraid theres no denyinIm just a dandy-lionA fate I dont deserveIm sure I could show my prowessBe a lion, not a mouseIf I only had the nerve Just before meeting  the Wizard in the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion muses about what it would be like to be the king of the forest,  imagining that everyone would respect and fear him: Dorothy:  Your Majesty, if you were king, you wouldnt be afraid of anything?Cowardly Lion:  Not nobody! Not nohow!Tin Man:  Not even a rhinoceros?Cowardly Lion:  Imposerous!Dorothy:  How about a hippopotamus?Cowardly Lion:  Why, Id thrash him from top to bottomus!Dorothy:  Supposing you met an elephant?Cowardly Lion:  Id wrap him up in cellophane!Scarecrow:  What if it were a brontosaurus?Cowardly Lion:  Id show him who was king of the forest!

voice recognition essays

voice recognition essays The future is here! Computers deciphering speech, cars commandeered by satellite and miracles of miniaturization are a reality. Are you ready to take advantage of this technology? Voice recognition along with these other new advances in technology are going to vastly increase the accessibility and function of personal computers. As viable working speech recognition software reaches the people the way we work with computers will be transformed. This hands-free technology will allow our words per minute to be dictated by our ability to express coherent ideas verbally, versus our typing skills. At first we may have to tolerate some clunky or limited command interactions but as the software evolves we can expect to see even greater accessibility for people of lesser computer skills. For those who use computers daily, hand held computers with voice input will increase their own ability to multitask. We'll soon be able to walk, talk, word-process and chew gum all at once. The miniaturization of technology is putting greater power in our grasp daily. The personal computer will soon be off our lap and in our palm. What used to take up the space of a desk may soon be no larger than a Walkman. This technology is bound to put a dent in your pocketbook, however we can expect that competition in the market will eventually lower prices. Advancements in heads up display, or HUD technology will further integrate the computer with our everyday lives. Developed early on for fighter pilots, the military now has a lightweight headgear unit for the foot soldier. This marriage of information at a glance and sustained interaction with the non-virtual world will be a breakthrough for ease of use in the civilian domain. If you thought Walkmans were annoying, we may now have to listen to the chatter of these people walking around with their computer headsets. Those with the latest in guidance and navigational technology in their automobi...

Discussing and analysing key sociological and psychological issues Essay

Discussing and analysing key sociological and psychological issues which underpin approach to care management - Essay Example s (such as the family of the patient or his/ her gender, race or educational level) should not be criteria for differentiation from the principles and the ethics that govern the health care sector. In this context Arneson et al. (2003, 35) stated that ‘professional nurses experience increasing workplace demands from inside and outside the hospital; The internal pressures of patient care and a traditional organizational hierarchy are coupled with external factors such as medical reimbursement guidelines and competition from other healthcare providers’. Under the above conditions the intervention of the sector’s leaders for change should be considered as crucial. After examining the particular issue Shelley (2003, 13) stated that leaders in the health care industry should ‘understand that staffs reactions to change vary widely; While change itself isnt good or bad, its relative to whomever is experiencing it. Some will feel motivated and energized by change, o thers will feel threatened, anxious, fearful, or a sense of loss of the familiar and status quo. Some may even experience a grief reaction’. The application of the above plan should not be regarded as a permanent solution to the problems that appear in the healthcare industry; however it could be characterized as a primary effort that can lead – if applied successfully - to the delivery of high quality health care services in the future. If we try to identify the particular elements of care management and particular the responsibilities of the care provisioners we will come to the conclusion that although a net of rules and principles exist in the specific area – referring especially to the issues of responsibility and ethical behaviour – in fact the retrieval of evidence for the existence of responsibility regarding the actions of care provisioners can be a very difficult task which in many times is not completed successfully. In this context, Wikler (2002, 48) stated that ‘assessment of the

The paradox of choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The paradox of choice - Essay Example Little does it nurture talent, as the developers put more emphasis on meaningless areas at the expense of personal talent development? Call it formal or informal, the system is set in such a way that little is doable by any party to make education more talent focused. As Robinson argues, every person is born with deep natural capabilities, unique in every person. However, the formal education is keen on suppressing the growth and development of these. He observes that the best way of b ringing personal development to young people is by cultivating these capabilities in an urgent, manner for economic, cultural and economic reasons. Proposing on how this can be done, he notes that dominant approaches to the said talents are the best way of nurturing talents. Marginalization of education system has transformed students to education slaves. Many people languish in silence on the extreme torture that they undergo in a curriculum that does not allow them freedom of choice. A student has to follow the system, to the later, and work hard to achieve define targets and goals. Further, Robinson extrapolates that the current form of education has terribly failed in offering answers to the specific problems that we face. Instead, it creates alternatives which barely get to answer the kind of challenges that we are faced with in life. In most countries, observes Robinson, the system is set in relevance to national policies and cultural attitudes entirely set in the past. The disadvantages of these systems are that they promote standardization, creating a narrow view of intelligence in comparison to the diverse and personal human talents. They also promote compliance whilst cultural progress and achievement depend on imaginative cultivation of creativity. Education systems are linear and rigid in change, while human talents are organic and are largely unpredictable. Thus, Robinson seeks to differ with the current system of education, arguing that it does not promote talent de velopment. True to this, education does not give room for personal development. Students are locked in bitter disagreements with the system that has little flexibility on the importance of various subjects taught in class and their relevance in life. A closer look at the system reveals that little is done to help a student grow individually, and personally. All syllabuses are designed in line with national goals and development agendas for the country. Classes meant for recreational and personal development are given less value. What happens to the most talented students who are poor in curriculum? Few schools focus on talent. In fact, there are no government sponsored institutions to nurture talents. The few that are in existence are Non-Governmental Organizations sponsored, or others are private institutions, owned and operated by individuals who share a similar thinking with Robinson. How many schools focus on training footballers or athletes in the world? Focus shifted from purp osive learning that is intended at instilling skills and behavioral change to instilling knowledge that is aimed at running the wheels of a country’s economy. It is startling how various people who have had an opportunity to develop their talents have had great careers that have subsequently catapulted them to fame and immense wealth. Gillian Lynne is an example of such people. She was a poor student in school,

Exam 4 chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exam 4 chapter - Essay Example In contrast only the broad outline is provided within which a variety of course content could be accommodated. The teachers play the role of a mentor to students. Instead of spoon-feeding all concepts and course content they give a fair degree of liberty for students to find their own individualized style of learning. They prompt students to find equilibrium in the interaction between the organism and the environment. There is no standardized evaluation of learning. Moreover, the process involves experimentation and learning through experience rather through concepts. Pragmatism also rejects Metaphysical Absolutes and Metaphysical Dualisms. Pragmatism is a relevant philosophy of schooling even today. The prevalent system of education does not mould students into well-rounded and socially-conscious individuals. The emphasis is too much on grades and individual excellence. Being part of the current education system I can clearly see what Pragmatism offers. Under Pragmatist education student co-operation is given more importance compared to student competition. This is not the case in the current system where there is severe competition to get good grades. Perhaps, the current system can be modified to include educational goals and methods outlined under Pragmatism. This chapter is useful reference for students and educators alike. Just as students are exposed a system of education quite different to theirs, it also helps educators to rethink the objectives of curriculum and methods employed to achieve the same. The lack of standard grading system can be problematic for contemporary educators. The ability of a student to handle ad hoc problems as posed by the teacher is loosely evaluated for learning outcomes. It is this aspect of Pragmatism which makes it incompatible with the present mindset of teachers and parents. Today teachers and parents want students to excel in tests, irrespective of understanding how it translates into social and

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola - Essay Example In the opening scene where a person is asking for justice, not from the law but from a compatriot, sets the tenor of the film. ‘Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?’(Vito Corleone) subtly illustrates the disillusions of an immigrant about the law and justice of the country and how he is forced to adopt other ‘means’ to get the same. Godfather is a film which revolves around an Italian-American family which operates a crime syndicate in New York in mid-forties. Vito Corleone, the patriarchal head of one of the five ’family’ involved in the crime syndicate, is the protagonist of the film. He often works beyond the realm of law because he has powerful contacts in the political arena and the judiciary. Despite exerting awesome influence and muscle power, he has a very strong sense of justice and commands great respect from people who do not hesitate to ask for his help when the law fails to do so! He becomes their ‘protector’ when the need arises so he is better known as ‘the godfather’. The only return for his good deed is their loyalty which he gets. His portrayal of a deeply religious family man reinforces people’s trust in him. His firm belief that family can alleviate a lot of pain and anguish is amply illustrated when he admonishes his godson Johnny Fontane, a sin ger, in his study as he says ‘..cause a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man’. Indeed â€Å".The Godfather puts forward a positive picture of a family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Glenn Man in genre and ideology) The introduction of the youngest son Michael during the wedding reception heralds amalgamation of American values and Italian culture. The educated younger son, who has just returned from the war, comes with his girlfriend. His statement that ‘my father made him an offer he couldn’t refuse’ went on to become one the most famous one-liner in the history of Hollywood films.

Networking Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Networking Management - Essay Example Typically network management software is based on a particular network management protocol. The capabilities provided with the software are basically based on the functionality support by the network management protocol. Most systems are not only using open protocols, but also vendor specific proprietary protocols. When selecting management software, the decision is driven by present status alerts and information to the operator, managed devices and network environment (Schwalbe 2005). IT Lab plans has plans to radically expand and upgrade its existing network infrastructure by opening new branches. This brings out more requirements and tasks for the administrator in terms of; management, monitoring and configuration. Expansion to remote branches requires remote configuration, proactive management with backbone links to all remote sites. IT support is critical and availability of the network will be a factor for support to consider. The fact that there is existing infrastructure will affect the compatibility and setup configuration of the additional devices. For this reason IT lab needs a solution to cut across the typical installed operational platform. It has built up a system that is not integrated and the consideration that integration costs more time and resources than available is crucial. The first option that IT lab has is using Sieomons NMS to manage their network. Evaluating the solution against their needs is the first task at hand. In comparison, Siemon is built for large networks with functionality to automate the critical and most important tasks of network management. Offering the unparalled ability to manage complex networks, Siemon’s solution fits many network administrators tasks as a general solution. Siemon provides a next generation intelligent infrastructure management solution. They have made an improvement on one of their

Management planning and control system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management planning and control system - Essay Example So as to avert the frauds and errors, the modern business world has developed some potential tools. These tools include accounting techniques and control systems such as internal check system. According to Macintosh â€Å"accounting and control systems can and do play a critical role in defining the moral constitution of an organisation† (1994, p.174). In order to better understand this statement, it is essential to evaluate control systems and accounting techniques separately. This paper will evaluate the efficacy of such tools in defining the ethical status of an organization. Impacts of control systems on organization In the opinion of Basu (2009, p. 4.13), internal check can be defined as an arrangement of staff duties whereby no person is allowed to deal with the entire process of a transaction. As a result of this practice, every record is checked by several persons so as to ensure the accuracy of the book of accounts. This method would also assist the organisation to de tect errors and frauds that already committed by accounting clerks. Since employees are not permitted to deal with a transaction from beginning to end, their unfair practices would be detected in subsequent checks if they have committed any. When such a practice is being exercised in an organisation, the employees will be very cautious about the fair maintenance of accounts. This careful account preparation minimises the elements of errors to a large extent. At the same time, the fear about detection of frauds and thereby compulsory job termination would persuade employees to treat organisational documents genuinely. Nowadays, majority organisations practice this type of internal control system in order to increase the reliability of their financial information. In short, control systems and thereby the feeling of being discovered would aid the organisation to exercise moral pressure over its employees. Impacts of accounting on organization If control systems are employed to put a c heck to errors and frauds, the accounting procedures mainly propose to identify elements have already been committed. At the same time, it must be noted that control techniques are part of a well formulated accounting system. According to American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), accounting is defined as â€Å"the art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in terms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof† (as cited in Jon, 2008). Although, the basic components of accounting such as journalising and posting are carried out in a day to day manner, the final accounts are prepared at the end of the financial year. The final financial statement provides the state of affairs of the business, and on the strength of this report; it is possible to verify the book balances with actual business status. If any difference is identified between book value an d actual value, the concerned accounting clerks are held liable to compensate the detected damages. This procedure also puts some moral pressure over employees to keep the accounts accurately and sincerely. In the opinion of Roy (n.d.), forensic accounting is the recently introduced branch of accounting that can be effectively employed to deal with errors and frauds. Under this system, the firms treat all

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola - Essay Example In the opening scene where a person is asking for justice, not from the law but from a compatriot, sets the tenor of the film. ‘Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?’(Vito Corleone) subtly illustrates the disillusions of an immigrant about the law and justice of the country and how he is forced to adopt other ‘means’ to get the same. Godfather is a film which revolves around an Italian-American family which operates a crime syndicate in New York in mid-forties. Vito Corleone, the patriarchal head of one of the five ’family’ involved in the crime syndicate, is the protagonist of the film. He often works beyond the realm of law because he has powerful contacts in the political arena and the judiciary. Despite exerting awesome influence and muscle power, he has a very strong sense of justice and commands great respect from people who do not hesitate to ask for his help when the law fails to do so! He becomes their ‘protector’ when the need arises so he is better known as ‘the godfather’. The only return for his good deed is their loyalty which he gets. His portrayal of a deeply religious family man reinforces people’s trust in him. His firm belief that family can alleviate a lot of pain and anguish is amply illustrated when he admonishes his godson Johnny Fontane, a sin ger, in his study as he says ‘..cause a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man’. Indeed â€Å".The Godfather puts forward a positive picture of a family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Glenn Man in genre and ideology) The introduction of the youngest son Michael during the wedding reception heralds amalgamation of American values and Italian culture. The educated younger son, who has just returned from the war, comes with his girlfriend. His statement that ‘my father made him an offer he couldn’t refuse’ went on to become one the most famous one-liner in the history of Hollywood films.

Management planning and control system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management planning and control system - Essay Example So as to avert the frauds and errors, the modern business world has developed some potential tools. These tools include accounting techniques and control systems such as internal check system. According to Macintosh â€Å"accounting and control systems can and do play a critical role in defining the moral constitution of an organisation† (1994, p.174). In order to better understand this statement, it is essential to evaluate control systems and accounting techniques separately. This paper will evaluate the efficacy of such tools in defining the ethical status of an organization. Impacts of control systems on organization In the opinion of Basu (2009, p. 4.13), internal check can be defined as an arrangement of staff duties whereby no person is allowed to deal with the entire process of a transaction. As a result of this practice, every record is checked by several persons so as to ensure the accuracy of the book of accounts. This method would also assist the organisation to de tect errors and frauds that already committed by accounting clerks. Since employees are not permitted to deal with a transaction from beginning to end, their unfair practices would be detected in subsequent checks if they have committed any. When such a practice is being exercised in an organisation, the employees will be very cautious about the fair maintenance of accounts. This careful account preparation minimises the elements of errors to a large extent. At the same time, the fear about detection of frauds and thereby compulsory job termination would persuade employees to treat organisational documents genuinely. Nowadays, majority organisations practice this type of internal control system in order to increase the reliability of their financial information. In short, control systems and thereby the feeling of being discovered would aid the organisation to exercise moral pressure over its employees. Impacts of accounting on organization If control systems are employed to put a c heck to errors and frauds, the accounting procedures mainly propose to identify elements have already been committed. At the same time, it must be noted that control techniques are part of a well formulated accounting system. According to American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), accounting is defined as â€Å"the art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in terms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof† (as cited in Jon, 2008). Although, the basic components of accounting such as journalising and posting are carried out in a day to day manner, the final accounts are prepared at the end of the financial year. The final financial statement provides the state of affairs of the business, and on the strength of this report; it is possible to verify the book balances with actual business status. If any difference is identified between book value an d actual value, the concerned accounting clerks are held liable to compensate the detected damages. This procedure also puts some moral pressure over employees to keep the accounts accurately and sincerely. In the opinion of Roy (n.d.), forensic accounting is the recently introduced branch of accounting that can be effectively employed to deal with errors and frauds. Under this system, the firms treat all

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Confessions found In a Prison by Charles Dicken Essay Example for Free

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Confessions found In a Prison by Charles Dicken Essay My essay will consist of the themes of the two short stories and background information on the authors who were living at the Victorian time, now seen as classical writers. Edgar Allen Poe was born January 19th 1809 in Boston. He was an American short story writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is famous in all of these traits for his cultivation of mystery and macabre writing. The atmosphere is his tales of horror is unrivalled in American fiction. After his mother died in Richmond, in 1811, he was taken into the home of John Allan, a Richmond merchant (presumably his godfather), and his childless wife. He was later taken to Scotland and England (1815-20), where he was given a classical education that was continued in Richmond. His gambling losses at the university incensed his guardian that he refused to let him continue, and Poe returned to Richmond to find his sweetheart, (Sarah) Elmira Royster, engaged. Poe made a name as a critical reviewer and married his young cousin Virginia Clemm, who was only 13. Poe seems to have been an affectionate husband and son-in-law. Poe was dismissed from his job in Richmond, apparently for drinking, and went to New York City. Drinking was in fact to be the bane of his life. To talk well in large company he needed a slight stimulant, but a glass of sherry might start him on a spree; and, although he rarely succumbed to intoxication, he was often seen in public when he did. This gave rise to the conjecture that he was a drug addict, but according to medical testimony he had a brain lesion. His wife Virginia died in 1847. Charles Dickens is generally considered as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian Era. His work is characterised by attacks on the social evils, injustices and hypocrisy. In his early teen years he was forced to end school and work in the factory. Dickens characters such as Scrooge, David Copperfield and Mr Pickwick have fascinated generations of readers. The author was born in Hampshire during the industrial age his father was a well-paid clerk but often ended up in financial problems. Dickens wrote for several newspapers. In 1836 he married Catherine Hogart. They had 10 children. Both short stories contain the theme of GOTHIC LITERATURE. The Goths were said, by history, to be barbarians who destroyed the classical Roman civilisation and plunged the civilised world into the centuries of ignorance called the Dark Ages. Hence the word Goth originally came from the name of the German tribe at odds with the Roman Empire, later a generic term for all German tribes- came to stand for Barbarous; and later, what was said to be barbarous, came to be known as gothic. The term gothic also came to represent the medieval culture of the long years of the Dark Ages. In Edgar Allan Poes story The Tell Tale Heart, the narrator cannot see that she/he is crazy and rather maniacally tries to convince that she/he is not. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. You should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded. He gleefully recounts the skilled way he kills an old man and buries him under the floorboards. When two policemen came to the residence to investigate, the narrator believes that he can hear the old mans heart still beating, and it drives the narrator to confess the crime: Villains! (Narrator shrieked), dissemble no more! -Here, here! It is the beating of the hideous heart. Both authors have one obvious thing in common they are both male writers. They were very popular in their short story writing and became very famous. The two stories have the narrator as the insane murderers. Those killers talk in great detail about why, how, when and where they committed their evil actions. In both stories the victims were vulnerable. A young child was atrociously killed in Confessions found In a Prison and a powerless old man was killed fiercely in The Tell Tale Heart. Both victims were vulnerable because of their age. The murder plots were both designed intelligently methodically thought out what was being undertaken in days or weeks before the episode occurred. Both authors added a great twist in the end and left the readers stunned. The police officers in The Tell Tale Heart were shocked by the killers confession while viewing where the body was hidden; he was revealing his madness in a dramatic breakdown. The army officers in Confessions in a Prison found out where the decaying body of the child lay simply by observing the unknown crime scene. Last of all, both murderers confessed to their compulsive, inhumane actions and paid for taking the life of an innocent person. The killers in both stories believably insane in the way they had the most ridiculous reasons to take another human life but they still had killers motives. There are many differences that make the both stories unique, such as the murderers Motives to kill. In The Tell Tale Heart the killer was haunted by the evil eye of vulture, although he still liked the man he had to get rid of the eye. In Confessions Found In a Prison the motives were all about greed because the killers wife loved his nephew as her own child and was haunted by the childs face and eyes, which reminded him of his mother, who he believed didnt like him very much. The two victims who were killed had a major contrast in age, old verses young. I think I felt more sympathy for the child being killed rather than the old man because the young child had his whole life ahead to see and experience the world, compared to the old man who had already lived his life. I also think the killing of a child was more horrific in the Confessions found In a Prison compared to the aged man in The Tell Tale Heart. The helpless young child was innocent, little and fragile who even attempted to escape outside in the garden by himself. The poor child didnt have the best of childhood. Both his parents had died, and he had been put into the care of his uncle. The murder in The Tell Tale Heart was left unidentified as to whether it was a male or a female. There were no clues or hints referring to his or her sex, which gives the story more suspense and more mystery. As a reader I felt the narrator could only have been a man due to the horrific style of the murder. I understand that these extreme actions could have been committed by a woman, but I believe it is more likely to be a man. The assassin in the story Confession found In a Prison had a blood relationship with his victim. The killer was an uncle of the child who was his BLOOD nephew. The murderer in the story of the The Tell Tale Heart was a neighbour to the old man who we didnt really know anything about. The Tell Tale Heart takes place in the region of 7-8 days mainly during the hours of darkness at the residence of the old man. The motives of the two murderers were different and similar in particular ways. In The Tell Tale Heart the assassin was disturbed by the evil eyes of the old man that was an image of a vulture. In Confessions found In a Prison the murderer was greedy and jealous because his wife seemed to love his nephew as her own child, the memory of his brothers wifes eyes lived in the little boys eye in particular, which he inherited. I think there is a lot of evidence as to why the murderer was completely mad in The Tell Tale Heart The narrator was simply trying so hard to convince the reader that he/she was not mad, for example but why will you say that I am mad or the line would a mad man have been so wise as this? this clearly shows that the narrator is trying to convince the reader of his sanity. The repetitiveness and the use of phrases of how a mad man should be keeps relating to themes of madness. The narrator also uses speech, involving the readers by asking questions, e.g. Would a mad man have been so wise as this? The killer says in the first paragraph that he/she loved the old man. The killer didnt have any grudges against him, and he had never wronged the narrator. The only thing that came in the way of all of these opinions was that the narrator was haunted by the old mans eye. Such stupid, mad and negative thoughts took the life of an innocent man. The killer in Confessions Found In a Prison was a blood relative of the victim, the uncle of the child. The killer didnt really think twice about his relationship towards the boy and about the deep, deep consequences. Both murderers had plainly confessed to their repulsive deeds at the end of the short stories. Both confessed dramatically. Both murderers sat on top of their victims lifeless corpses just before they were found out. In The Tell Tale Heart the narrator was sitting on top of the floorboards just above where the body had been placed. In Confessions found in a Prison the murderer sat outside in his own garden with his own officers sitting on the soil that his nephew lay beneath. Both killers ended at the site of the manic crimes. In Confessions Found In A Prison when the narrator did not move his chair or himself, the army officers guessed that he was hiding something. Both narrators have probably flashes in their mind of what they did and what their consequences were going to be if they got caught for murdering an innocent and helpless. For example in Confessions Found In A Prison although the narrator his all the evidence and covered up the crime scene, he lived in fear of being found out that he killed his own nephew. He suffers terrible nightmares and needs to keep a constant watch over his nephews early grave. Both authors are sending significant messages in their short stories, who ever takes a wrong turning life or has done something very wrong against the law will be caught and punished to pay in debt for their crime. If you murder, later your actions turn into regrets and pure nightmares, it drives you insane because you cant simply cope with a guilty conscious. The authors try to convey to their readers that by taking a life of a human, the punishment given to the killer will never be enough to pay for the death of an innocent person who will never get another chance to live in this world. I believe the authors are disapproving of MURDER, in the way they ended their short stories with both killers getting caught and arrested for operating a murder offence. Edgar Allen Poe uses noise to create atmosphere in the short story and to build up suspense, for example, the hinges creaked. The reader instantly wants to discover who is behind the door. This creates more suspense and mystery with the intension of making the readers more engaged, and wanting to read further, and it leaves the reader clinging to the edge of their seats. The Tell Tale Heart is very quiet, calm and peaceful, until the twist at the end of the story, when death was inflicted upon the victim. A silence is always followed by action; again the reader is kept entertained, interested and literally addicted to the suspense and the build up of the tension. Edgar Allan Poe also mentions time in The Tell Tale Heart. It helps many writers in building suspense and creating atmosphere based of the theme of the story. Time makes the story more interesting and gives a sense of repetition if certain words involving time are used atmosphere, suspense and tension are built. For example, For the whole hour I didnt move a muscle this portrays how slowly the time passed. For a minute, the heart went on with a muffled sound. The writer here engages his readers by making TIME a way of creating more atmosphere and tension the short story. Out of the two murderers I really do not think either of them deserved any sympathy, seeing as their reasons for murder were both so meaningless. I feel a tiny bit of pity for the murderer in Confessions found in a Prison because he had had the hatred growing inside him for a long time, waiting to explode. From an early age he seemed to resent his brother and this hatred was later transferred to his innocent nephew. The killer in Confessions found in a Prison wasnt completely mad at the beginning of the story, but became so when the nephew took a role as part of his everyday life, his madness simply stretched from the point when the child was put under his care, the memory of the childs parents was there to remind him everyday of his past hatred and jealousy. The murderer in The Tell Tale Heart didnt appear to have a particular link with the victim, as we know it. The victim did him no wrong. I believe the narrator was mad, and beyond any sense of logical thought. I think he was in need of great medical help from the beginning of the story. I favoured The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe rather than the short story Confessions found in a Prison by Charles Dickens, even though both stories stunned me completely. The author Edgar Allan Poe writes in such anger and irritation about the evil eye, which was compared to a vultures eye. The account of the heart of the old man drumming in the killers mind, driving him to breakdown, gives the reader a shaky feeling while imagining the event. I think the repetition of words helped build up the suspense and tension, this also guides the reader to read further into the passage. The word mad appears in The Tell Tale Heart many times referring to the narrators insanity, this implies to the reader that the narrator is crazy, as he/she brings up this subject on many occasions and obsessively denying their own accusations, e.g. I am not mad. There are many short sentences, usually a device to build up atmosphere and suspense. Edgar Allan Poe writes in such detail about each topic, for example the Evil Eye, we as readers could feel the hate growing inside the narrator, which became very realistic. The twist at the end of this story fascinated me, and gave effectiveness to the whole story. It was intelligently written. The ending wasnt obvious, and kept you guessing to the very end. I didnt expect the killer in The Tell Tale Heart to rip up the floor boards because of all of the hard work and preparation that the killer went through to cover up the crime scene. I took a great interest In the way the narrator was portrayed at the end, when the police inspectors arrived. The killer put on an innocent and relaxed facial expression, just in-case suspicion occurred with the officers. His or her voice tones were transformed into calm, relaxing tones, and the body language is conveyed greatly by the description from the author. The body language was altered depending on the situation to avoid suspicion. The reaction at the end was unexpected, but I could sense a twist building up in the writing. The coincidental visit from the police, and the dramatic confession of the killer was very amusing for me to read. In conclusion, Although I believe that neither of the murderers deserve sympathy, I feel remote pity for both murderers, in the fact that they were mentally unstable, and the knowledge of their crime tore at them until it drove them to confess all. I believe that this does equate for a slight sympathetic vote to go to the killer who showed the most emotion, and regret. I therefore would say I felt the most sympathy for the killer in The Tell Tale Heart.

Importance of SHRM in an Organization

Importance of SHRM in an Organization The importance of strategic human resource management in a business organization must be projected. Most of the organizations when was recently introduce the role of strategic HRM to the long-term growth and survival of the business organization. Most who are the these most of them managers of the managers have realized that specific defining the mission of their organization are better and able to give direction and focus activities. According to Ansoff (1979), who strongly recommended that, the success or failure of strategic planning is determined by a number of components which include the environment, organization structure and strategic decision making. When these three components are properly matched, the performance of any organization is optimized. Furthermore Lorange (1979) has describe that the importance of strategic planning is to accomplish a sufficient process of innovation to support and enhance the planning process and effective strategic planning does not have to be complicated but must be logical and focused on strategic decisions to be undertaken. Based on Alli (1992) who has presented characteristics of an effective strategic management as follows: 1. Clear direction and purpose. Objectives, goals, and strategic consistency. Continuous monitoring of internal and external environment. Integration of operating budget and profit plans with strategic plan. Continuous monitoring of progress with revision of plan and programs as appropriate. Creation of strategic atmosphere that foresters a team spirit Commitment of necessary resources and the development of system to provide necessary management information. SHRM has increased its importance since the 1980 and day by day it improved the role dramatically in business organizations. Because of, Globalization Government regulation Stronger knowledge or research base. Changing role for labor unions. Challenge of matching worker expectations with competitive demands. It is also important to ensure that staff management, human resource management work with the interests of the organization. Many organizations change and increase their view to HRM is a strategic rather than operational issue, and means that SHMR functions tackled and solved by the particular line manager. It is also requires attention to establishing, maintaining and developing the organizational management style and culture and involving management development programs. Therefore, it realized that, the SHRM is highly required in an organization. Without any proper plan business organization cannot achieve their goals. At the end, it realizes the need of strategic human resource management cannot be over-emphasized in a business organization. Purpose of SHRM activities in an organization (AC1.2):- Strategic Human recourse management plays an important role of the growth of the business organization .All the organization activities managed whose are fully incorporated into general management practice and supported by the specialist corporate HR functions. There is a correlation between the ways and methods in which each and every aspect is addressed, approached and organizational success, effectiveness and profitability. The key activities of SHRM are as follows with discussion with the impact on Tesco. Equal Opportunity/ diversity: Diversity describes peoples differences, in a business context; it often focuses on a particular set of characteristics which are: gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, location, marital status. Tescos diversity programme is essential to keeping position as a leading employer. The programme helps Tesco maintain first-class reputation and the opportunity to maximize market share. Tesco feels that diversity is important because of employing and managing diverse people makes them well-rounded and balanced. Sexual orientation: The research discovered that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) staff can sometimes feel lonely. Tesco committed to making sure that employees who are LGB can be comfortable being open about their sexual orientation at work. Staff planning: It is the process of analysis an organizations future needs in terms of number, skills and locations. It allows the organization to plan for the future employees and a vital for Tesco to plan for the future work force. The key elements involved are as follows: Work analysis: Work analysis is interesting, rewarding and fulfilling to the individual and profitable for Tesco. Tesco uses a workforce planning to establish the demand for new staff. The planning runs each year from the last week in February. There are quarterly reviews in May, August and November, so Tesco can adjust enrollment levels and recruit where necessary. It allows Tesco sufficient time and elasticity to meet demands for staff and allows the company to meet its strategic objectives. Fitting the work to people; fitting the people to work:- The process is abbreviated to FWP-FPW balance provides a sound basis on which to address to each of the following:- Job and work descriptions: parceling up task into occupations and patterns of work. Meanwhile- the behavior, attitude, skills, knowledge, expertise and technological proficiency required and asked for in jobs holder. Job description and person specification shows how a job-holder fits into the Tesco business. It helps Tesco to recruit the right people and provide a benchmark for each job in terms of responsibilities and skills. Recruitment: Attracting the right standard of applicants to apply for vacancies. Tesco first looks at internal Talent Plan to fill a vacancy. For external recruitment, Tesco advertises vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com or through vacancy boards in stores. People interested in store-based jobs with Tesco can approach stores with their CV or register though Job centre Plus. The store prepares a waiting list of people applying in this way and calls them in as jobs become available. Selection: identifying the critical behavior, attitudes, skills, knowledge, expertise and technological proficiency aspect are to be tested in individuals for capability and willingness; identifying the best to test, observe and understand the particular qualities. At the first stages of screening, Tesco selectors look carefully at each applicants summarizes education and job history. A candidate who passes screening attends an assessment centre. Applicants are given various exercises, including team-working activities or problem solving exercises. These involve examples of problems might have to deal with at work approved by the internal assessment centre. Induction: It identifies those qualities required as a condition of employment and ensures that people learn quickly and effectively to applied. In Tesco, the new employee joint to work through an induction and learn how to do their works. Employee and organization development: It identifies those areas where expertise and capability are not present or need to be improved. Tesco employees assess their own skills to give them a focus for their development. Tescos Options programme provides a long term route for development like leadership workshops. Work patterns: Reflecting the demands for maximizing and optimizing returns on investment in technology and expertise and ensure that product and service are available to customers and clients. Tescos purpose is to serve its customers. Their work pattern has the customer at the top. Tesco needs people with the right skills at each level of these patterns. There are six work levels at Tesco. This gives a clear structure for managing and controlling the organization. Each level requires particular skills and behaviors. Pay and rewards: Balancing the demands with offer and recognizing the actual and potential problems of retention for those who are coming into work. Its a most important activity of Tesco. The elements activities for effective staff pay and rewards scheme as follows. Expectations: all systems must meet of the jobs holder extent to be attracted and retained staff. Tesco lists current employees looking for a move, either at the same level or on promotion. They do Talent Plan or developing on the internal management Development programme to retain their current employees. Motivation: within the constraints illustrated above, all payments and reward motivates to an extent; the rewards offered to carry implications for nature, complexity and commitment to the work is required on their part. Tesco motivates its staff in many ways -financially and non-financially. Tesco apply Maslows hierarchy of needs, Herzbergs two sets of factors to motivation, theorist Elton Mayos motivation came from a number of factors and Taylors motivational theory to motivate their employee. Good pay and conditions satisfy basic needs. Reviews and Personal Development Plans ensure that their staffs are able to make progress and achieve higher goals. This benefit staff and Tesco. There are some other pay and rewards activity of elements to be done by the organizations includes Mixes of pay with other aspects, Occupational aspects, International, organizational and local variations, Respect and value and the nature of the work and working environment. Contribution of SHRM to the achievement of an organization Frank Mueller describe as the human resources are scarce, valuable, firm specific and difficult to imitate resources that can contribute significantly to the achievement of competitive advantage and should be regarded as strategic assets. The approaches of an organization to career planning, performance appraisals, reward management and employee development must be re-appraised according to vision, characteristics and mission outcomes as reflected in the SHRM plans, policies, and practices. Development responses aim to increase business skills, the application of business skills and the behavioral elements -whose contribute to effective performance to achieve its goal. Investment initiatives for individual, team and organization are toward to achieve high levels of organizational goal. Reward strategies aim to align the performance of the organization with the way it rewards its people, providing the necessary incentives and motivation to staff. Beardwell I 2004: Tesco has strategically integrated SHR plans. Managers have been to realize aspects of SHR in their decision making, has shown high commitment, attempting to gain acceptance from all employees, and offering to all employees basic and extended training. Tescos strategic direction is discussed with all employees to help individual to understand their role and importance. A human-resource-leading business strategy has helped Tesco to take the lead over its rivals in the fiercely-competitive UK supermarket sector. It has introduced a high commitment model which offers training and development to employees. It operates in a very competitive market; the consumer has a choice where to shop for their necessities. Their slogan every little helps used to show their commitment to customers, reduce prices and to increase the level of customer service which used in staff training to increase the knowledge of the work force. Tesco is widely reported in news papers to the success of the business. They are rapidly expanding has taken a great deal of their resources in the planning and implementing stage of expansion. The human-resource strategy at Tescos revolves work simplification, challenging unwritten rules, rolling out core skills to employees and performance management linked to achieving targets. Tesco ensures that each and every employee has the opportunity to understand individual role in contributing to purpose and values. The training provide by Tesco through the history, purpose, values, business goals, financial aims, operations and marketing strategy and commitment to customers. Tesco intends to increase the skills of its workforce to make learning into a truly integrated part of culture, as an important way of developing organizational flexibility and remaining ahead of its rivals. Future concentrates provides that all employees are responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. (Anonymou s 2003). (P-3)

Paeadise Lost :: Essays Papers

Paeadise Lost In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, we can see that there are the two ideas damnation and salvation through the characters of Satan and Adam & Eve, respectively. It is Satan’s sin of pride that first causes him to fall from God’s grace and into the depths of hell. This same pride is also what keeps him from being able to be reconciled to God, and instead, leads him to buy into his own idea of saving himself. With Adam & Eve, we see that although they too, disobeyed God, they repented of their sin, and were reconciled to the Divinity through the saving judgement of the Son. It is their ability to admit their wrong doings to God that allow them to have the promise of returning to Paradise; something that Satan was not able to do. In the fourth book in Paradise Lost, we see Satan wrestling with himself over what has happened, his fall, and what it is he is about to do, his completely setting himself against God. He is able to recognize that God’s forgiving nature extends even to himself, "I could repent and could obtain By Act of Grace, my former state", and is if only for a moment, unsure as to "which way I shall fly"? However, Satan knowingly chooses to cling to his foolish pride, and is unwilling to ask and receive the forgiveness of God, "is there no place left for repentance†¦ none left†¦ disdain forbids me". It is important to understand that Satan fully comprehends the sin he is about to commit as he is well aware of the consequences for his actions. He allows his pride to completely remove him from ever regaining his "former state", and so damns himself and the other fallen angels to the hell set aside for them. This idea of his last and lost chance to reconcile himself to the Divinit y is seen when he declares "So farewell Hope†¦ Farewell Remorse: all Good to me is lost". This demonstrates his complete sense of despair, and thereby, his complete rejection of both God and His love. When we look at Adam & Eve, we see what might be considered tragic "heroes" in the sense that they also knowingly doom themselves to be removed from Paradise, and subjected to the harsh, new world as well as death, and yet persevere with the hope for a better future.

Hair Removal: What is the Best Way? :: Persuasive Argumentative Essays

Hair Removal: What is the Best Way? Susie really needed to go to the bathroom. She had been enjoying a peaceful slumber until the urge hit. Quickly, Susie threw back the covers and sprinted to the bathroom. She reached for the doorknob and tried to turn it, but it would not budge. Her sister, Caroline, was locked in the bathroom. "Caroline, I really have to go!" "I am sorry , Susie." "Caroline, you really do not understand." "Well, Susie, if you could find a better way to get rid of the hair on my legs, then I would not have to occupy the tub for this long. Until then...leave me alone!!" "Caroline...Caroline?" And with that, Susie gave up. She just decided that she would have to wait another half hour while Caroline finished plucking every single hair from her legs. Caroline had tried many different methods for hair elimination, but she still had not found one that suited her. All techniques of hair removal -- depilatory lotion, laser, wax, soap and water shave, and electric razor -- accomplish the same goal, but they do it in very different ways. However, I feel the best option for hair removal today is the electric razor. Now I will explain each form of hair removal and how they all have advantages, but I will prove why I feel the electric razor method is the best. The first type of hair disrooting is depilatory lotion. It is fairly easy to use, but sometimes the strong odor of the lotion offends users. Consumers simply squeeze a small amount from the bottle and apply it to the designated area. After the lotion has been allowed to penetrate, it is wiped off and the roots of the hair are dissolved. The pain is minimal; usually none occurs unless the user suffers an allergic reaction. If that happens, the fault lies with the consumer. The directions should have been read by the consumer, and a test should have been performed also. The price is moderate; it is not as expensive as a different technique, but there are some methods that are cheaper. A bottle of lotion ranges from $5.00 to $6.00, and it would last for 20 to 25 applications. The effects also last a reasonable length of up to a week. However, the lotion needs to be applied every week to keep the desired effect. The second method of hair removal is lasers.

Mathematical in India Past, Present, Future

Mathematics in India Past, Present and Future What is mathematics? â€Å"mathematics is a science of space, numbers and quantity† Past: Indian mathematics emerged in the Indian subcontinent from 1200 BC until the end of the 18th century. In the classical period of Indian mathematics (400 AD to 1200 AD), important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskara II. The decimal number system in use today was first recorded in Indian mathematics.Indian mathematicians made early contributions to the study of the concept of zero as a number, negative numbers, arithmaticm and algebra. In addition, trigonometry was further advanced in India, and, in particular, the modern definitions of sine and cosine were developed there. These mathematical concepts were transmitted to the Middle East, China, and Europe and led to further developments that now form the foundations of many areas of mathematics. Present: 20th century The 20th century saw mathematics beco me a mojor profession.Every year, thousands of new Ph. D. s in mathematics are awarded, and jobs are availablein teaching, research and industry. Mathematical collaborations of unprecedented size and scope took place in India. One of the more colorful figures in 20th – century mathematics was Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan (1887-1920), an Indian autodidact who conjectured or proved over 3000 theorems, including properties of highly composite nimbers, the partition function and its asymptotic, and mock theta functions.He also made major investigations in the areas of gamma functions, modular forms, divergent series, hyper geometric series and prime number theory. 21st century In 1980, Shakuntala Devi gave the product of two, thirteen digit nimbers within 28 seconds; many countries have invited her to demonstrate her extraordinary talent. In Dallas she competed with a computer with a computer to see who give the cube root of 188138517 faster, she won. At university of USA she was asked to give the 23rd root, she answered in 50 seconds. The answer is 546372891.It took a UNIVAC 1108 computer, full one minute (10 seconds more) to confirm that she was right after it was fed with 13000 instructions. Now she is known to be Human computer. FUTURE: There are many observable trends in mathematics, the most notable being that the subject is growing ever larger, computers are ever more important and powerful, the application of mathematics to bioinformatics is rapidly expanding, the volume of data to be analyzed being produced by science and industry, facilitated by computers, is explosively expanding.The field of mathematics has become so large that it has become impossible to have an overview of all relevant mathematics. A formalized library should enable the search for relevant results. When designing new high-tech systems, like software for an automatic pilot super computer etc. , one uses complicated mathematical models. Indian mathematician, engineers and scient ist ar eone of the top leading in this trend. CONCLUSION: Mathematics is a science of all sciences and art of all arts. Without the proper foundation of mathematics, any science or subject will be a failure, Mathematics is a creation of human mind, concerned cheifly with the ideas, processes and reasoning the modern world of technology, tools such as computer requires the basic mathematics and calculations. Matehmatics is the instrument of education found to be in conformity with the human mind. If we sincerely give our time in the subject of mathematics, we can also come up with innovative ideas and thoughts that can shape the entire universe as our ancestors do in past. We look forward to what the future will bring.

Multiple types of laws Essay

During last week’s session multiple types of laws were introduced and their differences were discussed. One of the types of laws that were discussed were civil laws. Civil laws were created to â€Å"compensate parties and businesses for losses as a result of another’s conduct† (Melvin, 2011). This means that these laws were created for certain types of conduct against another party to be handled civilly between them. For any type of offense that is handled civilly, the defendant will need to repay the plaintiff for any loss suffered. Another type of law is criminal law. Criminal laws â€Å"are a protection of society and the violation of criminal laws results in penalties to the violator such as fines or imprisonment† (Melvin, 2011). This means that these laws were created to protect all of society against criminals that disrupt the peace of others. Another type of law that we focused on was â€Å"Common Law†. Common law, also known as â€Å"Case Law†, is a basic system to ensure that cases with similar commonalities are treated fairly and consistently. For example, imagine that you are the victim of a reckless driver who side swipes your car, and the judge is now responsible for deciding whether the defendant is liable for the damages in question. The judge will listen to the statements in court and refer to common law in other cases to ensure that the party is fairly dismissed or prosecuted, depending on the verdict. The type of law that many people have heard of is statutory law, also known as written law. Unlike Common Law, Statutory law is made by legislature and written down (hence the â€Å"aka† written law). Statutory Law is a concept in order to underscore the distinction between laws that a governing body makes and case law. If looking for an example of Statutory Law, you do not have to travel too far, or fast I should say; posted speed limits. This means that the speed limit is â€Å"formally† (and literally in this case) written and enacted. Another law that was discussed last week was substantive law. â€Å"Substantive law is the statutory, or written law, that defines rights and duties, such as crimes and punishments, civil rights and responsibilities in civil law†Ã‚  (Melvin, 2011). This law defines and regulates individual’s rights. Some example substantive law is the law of contracts, torts as we talk about in the last lecture along with real property and the essential substance of rights under the law. Substantive law and procedural law are the two main categories with the law. Procedural law sets the rules and methods employed to obtain one’s rights and in particular how the courts are conducted. This law basically defines and creates rights limitations under which society us governed. References Melvin, S. P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Audiovisual Cues in Bilingual Language Acquisition

Audiovisual Cues in Bilingual Language Acquisition Article title: Bilingualism modulates infants’ selective attention to the mouth of a talking face Authors: Pons, F., Bosch, L., Weikum et al., 2007). Significant research has been conducted to explore the auditory domain of bilingual language acquisition and there is strong evidence that both bilinguals and monolinguals rely on redundant audiovisual speech (Rosenblum, 2008; Stein, 2012; Sebastià ¡n-Gallà ©s et al., 2012). However, this paper seeks to understand the importance of audiovisual cues as a mechanism that bilingual infants utilize during complex language processing in comparison to monolingual infants. METHODS (234 words) To test these predictions they conducted two experiments each on infants whose native languages were Spanish/Catalan. The goal of the first experiment was to extend the findings of previous studies about monolingual, native English speaking, infants’ use of audiovisual speech cues to infants whose native languages are eithe r Spanish or Catalan. Sixty monolingual infants (with native languages of either Spanish or Catalan) participated in this experiment and formed three groups: 4, 8 and 12 month-old infants with 20 participants in each group. Stimuli, 45-second videos of one of two female actors speaking a monologue in English or Spanish/Catalan, were presented on a computer screen in front of the infant. Each infant watched one video of a monologue in their native language and a second video of a monologue in English. Throughout the procedure, an eye-tracker was utilized to enable researchers to collect data about their attention to two areas of interest (AOI), the speaker’s mouth and eyes. The second experiment investigated how bilingual infants’ selective attention to these AOI changes and develops in their first year of life. 63 Spanish-Catalan bilingual infants (once again divided into groups of 4, 8 and 12-month-olds) were presented with the same stimuli as in the first experimen t and researchers tracked their eye movements to AOI. They conducted a Mann-Whitney test to compare the vocabularies of the monolingual and bilingual infants and found no significant difference between their lexica. DISCUSSION (399 words) The results from the first experiment successfully extended the findings of Lewkowicz and Hansen Tift’s (2012) study to monolingual speakers in Spain of Catalan or Spanish. They saw the same developmental trends with language acquisition and attention to AOI with this group of infants: when presented with both native and non-native audiovisual stimuli 4-month-old infants spent more time attending to the eyes of the speaker and 8-month-old infants spend more time attending to the mouth of the speaker. When presented with stimuli in their native language, the 12-month-old infants spent equal time looking at the mouth and eyes but with stimuli in their non-native language they spent more time looking at the mouth than the eyes. One of th e most intriguing comparisons explores the differences between the monolingual and bilingual infants’ developmental pattern of attention during audiovisual stimuli presentation (comparing Experiment 1 and 2). They found the biggest differences at 4-months and 12-months. 4-month-old bilingual infants attended equally to the mouth and eyes while the 4-month-old monolinguals spent more time attending to the eyes. 12-month-old bilingual infants spent more time attending to the mouth in both native and non-native language presentation while the monolinguals attended more to the mouth only in non-native trials. On average the bilingual infants spent more time attending to the mouth of the speaker than monolinguals at their same age. These findings support evidence that audio input is not the sole contributor to language acquisition and differentiation. Visual cues are crucial in understanding and interpreting speech because there is not a 1:1 relationship between speech signals a nd meaning; we must use hermeneutics and external cues to make sense of language. The McGurk Effect demonstrates this idea: when just using audio input a person hears â€Å"ba, ba† but when provided with audiovisual stimulus, a person hears â€Å"da da† as a result of hearing â€Å"ba, ba† but seeing the mouth produce â€Å"ga ga.† These early studies illustrate the importance of visual input but do not explore how this reliance on external cues during development is different for bilinguals. This paper offers fascinating evidence that shows how monolingual and bilingual infants rely on audiovisual input to acquire, perceive and comprehend language. Research still must explore how these effects continue after 12 months old, once native and non-native language systems are more defined: do bilingual young adults still look more at the mouth than the eyes of a speaker? REFERENCES Bijeljac-Babic, R., Serres, J., Hà ¶hle, B., & Nazzi, T. (2012). Effect of bilingualism on lexical stress pattern discrimination in French-learning infants. PLoS ONE , 7 (2), e30843.       Bosch, L., & Sebastià ¡n-Gallà ©s, N. (2001b). Evidence of early language discrimination abilities in infants from bilingual environments. Infancy , 2 , 29-49. Lewkowicz, D. J., & Hansen-Tift, A. M. (2012). Infants deploy selective attention to the mouth of a talking face when learning speech. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA , 109 , 1431-1436. Oller, D. K., Eilers, R. E., Urbano, R., & Cobo-Lewis, A. B. (1997). Development of precursors to speech in infants exposed to two languages. Journal of Child Language , 24 , 407-426. Pons, F., Bosch, L., & Lewkowicz, D.J. (2014). Bilingualism modulates infants’ selective attention to the mouth of a talking face. Psychological Science , 26.4, 490-498. Rosenblum, L. D. (2008). Speech perception as a multimodal phenomenon. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 17 , 405-409. Stein, B. E. (2012). The new handbook of multisensory process- ing . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Weikum, W. M., Vouloumanos, A., Navarra, J., Soto-Faraco, S., Sebastià ¡n-Gallà ©s, N., & Werker, J. F. (2007). Visual lan- guage discrimination in infancy. Science , 316 , 1159.