Pestel Philips Essay

POLITICAL FACTORS Because Philips is an international company, it has to deal with many political factors such as: tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and political stability inside each country they are in. Philips is a manufacturer, a sales company and needs to maintain service organization too, so it must deal with many varieties of laws and policies that are changing, depending the country and the time. For example in many countries of European union now taking place dynamic changes in employment law. (Federation of European employees, 2007) ECONOMIC FACTORS Depending on the country and the economic growth of it, the purchasing power of the population is not the same everywhere. In fact, as Philips is present in many countries, it has to adapt its products and sales processes to the buying habits and the standard of living. For Philips high economic growth means the increasing purchasing power of the population that is desirable for the company. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country, region to region. It is very important that such factors are considered. Then, it is necessary for Philips to understand the consumer needs and habits in order to meet its expectations. Moreover, in developed countries nowadays, customers are paying more and more attention to ethics, respect and culture of the company. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS Because of the international presence of Philips, each country doesn’t have the infrastructure to welcome properly Philips’ technologies, including online processes. So Philips needs to adapt its products to the country where they are. Moreover, Philips Company is very dependant on technology. New innovations can significantly improve operations of the company. Also, it’s important not to neglect the Research and Development department even if it’s the most expensive one. ECOLOGICAL FACTOR: Many countries are now environment concerned and try to reduce pollution. Philips as a large manufacturer can face some problems because of that, even more as it is a lightening company. With the important development of the LED, Philips has a real challenge even if the LED market is not as profitable as the lamp market. LEGAL FACTOR Each country has its own legislation even countries which are parts of the same organization, for example, in Europe, there is the European legislation and the country’s legislation, so Philips needs to be aware of every aspects of this system and adapt quickly.

Pushing Too Hard

Problems in Youth Athletic Problems in Youth Athletics One of the greatest feelings a parent can experience is watching a child excel in an activity. Rightfully so, many parents encourage children to perform well in sports. The problems start when the encouragement begins to go too far. Many parents and coaches toady exceed the boundaries of encouragement, and enter a realm of abuse. A lot of this behavior will start when a parent of coach believes that they are mentoring the next superstar athlete. When parents and coaches start to look at children as major prospects the problems in youth athletics begin to become major issues. In the 1950’s youth athletic programs began to grow quickly all over the United States. Today millions of children participate in organized youth sports programs. These programs were set out to help develop the skills of the youth not only in sports but in life as well. Also, an important focus of the youth leagues was for the children to have fun. In the past few years, the focus of the youth leagues has been changed by the parents and coaches due to the focus on performance and winning. Children are being introduced to competitive play at an earlier age than ever before. Some of the youth leagues have children competing as early as age four. Today many children are expected to play one sport all year long through various leagues. A commitment of this level is not good for young children. There are many problems that come along with pushing children too hard in competitive sports. â€Å"Burnout† is one of the biggest problems a young athlete can experience during youth sports. Burnout is also known as overtraining syndrome. According to the Childrens Memorial Hospital, â€Å"burnout, or overtraining is a condition in which an athlete experiences fatigue and declining performance in his/her sport despite continuing or increased training. †(2002). There are many factors that can lead to burnout in a young athlete today. Burnout can be caused by pressure to perform at a high level, from parents and coaches. Parents pushing children through excessive training will also contribute to burnout. Excessive training can be seen as parents pushing children to play only one sport, and play that sport all year long. Burnout does not just mean that a young athlete does not want to play sports any longer, but also has other repercussions. Childrens Memorial Hospital states that symptoms of burnout can also include muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and weight loss among other symptoms. (2009). For many young athletes burnout will cause them to quit sports all together. This is becoming a major issue with children in their early teens. Cary stated that some eighteen million children stopped participating in team sports in 2002. (2004). This is a very disappointing number considering how many of those children loved the sports they played at one time. Burnout causes many talented players to quit playing just because they do not enjoy sports any longer. As parents and coaches continue to become more aggressive toward youth sports, injuries to the participatants are on the rise. The old saying, practice makes perfect may be true but, overuse can also cause injury to young athletes. As more children are pushed into participating in just one sport, and often on a year round schedule, doctors are seeing more overuse injuries. The National Alliance for Youth Sports stated that Dr. James Andrews, and orthopedic surgeon, is seeing four times as many overuse injuries than he did in the last five years. (2010). A good example of overuse is in youth baseball travel teams. A talented pitcher is asked to pitch in thirty or more games in a season. They would also have the young child practicing year round. The pitchers at the professional level are not asked to pitch that much in a season to prevent injury. The children are not protected from overuse but the professionals are. When a parent or coach asks a young athlete to perform at a level that even the professionals are protected from, it is just a matter of time before a child will sustain an injury. When youth sport began the programs were brought about with great intentions. Children were supported by positive role models and learned teamwork, but most of all had fun learning to play a game with their friends. It has been shown that parents and coaches are taking the fun out of youth athletics. Many of the parents want to believe that children will have more fun if they are the best at the sport they play. Overtraining a child has shown that children stop having fun and no longer care to play sports. The schedule and intense training that many children are being pushed into are causing many children to give up on sports. Most children want to start participating in youth sports because â€Å"They want to have a good time, make friends, and learn something new. † (Stenson 2004). â€Å"Avery Faigenbaum, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Massachusetts in Boston asks kids who have quit why they are no longer interested in sports their typical response: â€Å"It is not fun anymore. †. (Stenson 2004) This helps prove that pushing kids too hard in sports will only take the fun out of the game. When the children do not want to play any longer then all of the time invested in over training children will not benefit anyone. When parents and coaches take the fun out of sports the children will not learn teamwork, and will have lower self-esteem. Childr en should be able to enjoy sports and gain all of the benefits from playing games they love. Actions must be taken to resolve the problems in youth sports. The children are the ones getting hurt in the process of parents and coaches pushing too hard in youth athletics. As children begin to quit playing sports they become more susceptible to bad influences and poor decision making. Without playing sports, children will become less physically active. Children that are not physically active will have a greater risk of becoming obese. Kids that are obese at a young age have more health risks as they get older. When the children that have dropped out of youth athletics get older the poor decision making can really take effect. Without the positive influence that a team sport can have on children, they will be more likely to try using drugs. Children using drugs will only lead to more problems and other illegal activity. Parents are a large problem in youth athletics. Many parents have turned watching their children play into something more serious that it really is. According to Parade, there was a case where a woman assaulted an eleven year old boy who was rooting for the team her son was playing against. (2005). There have been many time that parents and coaches have made children continue to pitch in a little league baseball game even though the child was complaining that their arm was hurting. One of the worst cases of parents going too far over youth athletics came at a hockey practice. Two parents were involved in a fight and one of the men was beaten to death during the altercation. Children should never be witness to these kinds of actions, especially during participation of a sporting event. Coaches can be just as big of a problem as parents in youth athletics. Many youth coaches want to win no matter what it takes. Coaches have been seen screaming at children when they make a mistake. They have been seen pushing and even hitting kids during a practice or game. Coaches are the ones who set out overly demanding practice schedules. It seems as though many coaches have forgotten what it really means to be a coach. The focus of youth athletics today needs to shift to fixing the problems in Youth athletics. Parents and coaches have to stop trying to live their dreams through the children they mentor. There are a few people who understand that changes must be made in youth athletics. Some organizations have begun to start up with the vision of teaching parents and coaches how to be positive role models in children’s sports. The National Alliance for Youth Sports has certified over two million youth coaches. (Cary 2004). The Positive Coaching Alliance is a training program that teaches parents and coaches to be positive. The famous National Basketball Association coach, Phil Jackson found the ideas of the PCA to also be effective at the professional level. (Cary 2004). These programs are just a good beginning to changing the way youth athletics are ran across the United States. One of the best programs to improve youth athletics started in the state of Maine. The program is called Sports Done Right. According to Parade, it is a program led by Duke Albanese and Robert Cobb. The SDR program marks parents and coaches as the two biggest problems in youth sports. The program requires that parents of children in youth athletics go to training sessions on behavior at sporting events. The parents also have to sign a compact to abide by a higher standard of sportsmanship. (2005). If improvements are to be made in any youth sports program has to be a main focus. The Sports Done Right Program is on coaching as well. Sports Done Right recommends compensation based on their level of training. †(Parade 2005). Coaches that are trained in the correct ways to motivate and teach children see improvements in their abilities. As parents and coaches receive proper training in dealing with youth athletics, the children participating will have more fun playing sports. As with many things in life, youth sports have drifted away from the original intentions . Youth sports organizations began as a way for children to stay busy and stay out of trouble. Sports gave children role models to look up to. Children will always benefit from the physical activities required by participating in organized sports. It is a shame that children are overworked too early and too often in sports so parents and coaches can try to relive their childhood dreams. The parents should let the children work on their dreams at their own pace. Youth athletics can have a major impact on a child’s life. It is the responsibility of the parents and coaches to ensure that the children they mentor are having a positive experience when participating in youth sports. The parents should focus on youth athletics is a fun experience with an opportunity to learn new skills and life lessons. Everyone knows that winning is fun, but winning should not be the number on goal in sports. It is time to take back youth sports for the children, and just let them play. References Cary, Peter. (2004). U. S. Fixing kid’s sports: rescuing children’s games from crazed coaches. News and World Report. Retrieved From http://www. alcdsb. on. ca/~regiath/cats/articles/FixingKidsSports. df National Alliance for Youth Sports. (2010). Overdoing it. Retrieved From http://www. nays. org/fullstory. cfm? articleid=10303 Parade. (2005). Who’s killing kids’ sports? Retrieved From http://www. parade. com/articles/editions/2005/edition_08-07-2005/featured_0 Stenson, Jacqueline. (2004). Pushing too hard too young. Retrieved From http://portal. northbayyouthsoccerclub. com/Clubs/portals/InnisfilSoccerclub/Medi a/Image/Articles/tt_pushing. pdf If you need to type anything after the reference list then start it on this page

Comparison on Classroom and Technological Education Essay

Perceivably two of the most important issues raised in every college revolve around the dilemmas on finances and instruction. Operating a college is like operating any other business. It takes immense amount of financial aid to make a college work in the most proficient and smooth manner. Given these reasons, community colleges are challenged with the utmost sense of stability and efficiency which rather gives those under the administration a trigger on the vortex of their intellectual capacity and managerial capabilities in that certain extent. For these reasons, online learning has crossed beyond borders slowly converting the conventional trend in education to a rather efficient and advanced scheme while saving much on the society’s pockets. It is true for a fact that funding or running any form of institution requires much rather than that which is aided to be a smooth sailing entity like any other business (Conner). Hence, the challenge does not only withstand within the walls of the school, but rather expanding on several skills needed so as to keep its foot on the charms through the help of financing companies and private organizations given the fact that community colleges cannot stand on its own in the financial basis. Mainly such income surfaces from three sources: local tax, students’ tuition and fees and state revenues (Stuart Lusty). Analysis The percentage of each source of funding varies enormously one state to another. For example, in California students pay about only one tenth of the benchmarked education cost while in other states, students pay as much as one-fourth of the total cost (Conner). Aside from that, there are still other form of fees which are taken gravely in the pockets of those who enroll their children in schools such as miscellaneous fees and materials needed for the completion of their respective courses (Shorrocks-Taylor, W. and Angell). Each has its pros and cons. The most widely used one is funding based on full-time student enrollment. Hence, such is not a practical formula since it does not take other costs such as facilities into consideration. Educational system Further, since the sources of revenue from institutions are limited, as stated above, colleges must find their own way to generate proceeds. Nevertheless, establishing foundations to receive fund from alumni and other donors is one of the cited common practice—selling school related merchandises, leasing extra parcel to developers or ever â€Å"reclamation of lands abandoned by former coal mining companies. † (p. 157)—another way to balance the budget is by saving costs. These sometimes cause schools to change their policy causing them to hire more part-time instructors, rent spaces instead of building new classrooms, reducing student services or limit student enrollment—this seems to go against community colleges’ policy of open enrollment—an irony which denotes compromise. As a matter of fact, some argue that instructors in community colleges are better trained in teaching than those in four-year colleges (Conner). It is basically one of the main reasons why parents critically choose the colleges and universities where to entrust their children’s future. Classroom education Given these various arguments, studies have shown that the delight offered by the â€Å"fresher† form of education is still a mile away from the effectiveness catered with traditional classroom education. It helps students and teachers interact personally while squeezing what is best in each student in the most conventional but â€Å"sure-hit-on-the-brain† perspective. In essence, the percentage of â€Å"learning thoroughly† over â€Å"assisted learning† comes in a pace of large difference (White). The traditional classroom education helps students to meet their respective classmates and interact with them five days a week. More specifically, the presence of â€Å"clubs and organizations† does not only help these students to enhance their skills and apply them for the benefit of the group is a matter of fact a beneficial factor to the kind of profession that they will soon take in the near future (Albalooshi). Distance learning Due to advent of technological advancement, distance learning becomes a trend for community colleges—television and computers become instructional materials, allowing individuals to venture in â€Å"home learning† while mounting the number of enrollees in such form of education and leaving the â€Å"traditional† way of academic acquisition (White). The following however, were noted to be the advantages: writing across the curriculum helps students to improve writing skills; supplement instruction identified high risk courses and help students with those courses; mastery learning makes students competent; competency-based instruction is similar with master degrees and other tutorial services through the internet helps students cope up with various needs in the academic arena (p. 177). Classroom issues The issue of discrimination and other forms of prejudice in the classroom landscape has always been a major factor why some students fail or prefer not to go to school. However, through online learning, these issues are not floating in the scenario. Given the fact that the online enrollees are only interacting virtually with their teachers and their classmates through emails and not through face-to-face meetings, the â€Å"physical† interaction (Januszewski, Molenda and Harris)—which sometimes lead to diverse impressions—are eradicated and this argument makes it more efficient for this â€Å"somehow reprimanded† individuals to pursue education hassle-free at that (Roblyer). It may be a form of â€Å"individual† learning, but through online learning, students are able to do errands after finishing their educational tasks without leaving their homes. Studies in â€Å"online learning† show that individuals who have families and were not able to finish school because of time constraints were able to get the degree they wanted in the most efficient mean possible (Januszewski, Molenda and Harris). Conclusions and further remarks It is true that there exists a humungous demarcation line between the two kinds of learning. Thus, this gap is made not to eradicate the other form from the other, but to improve the society’s way of life. It may have caused several predicaments and may have not completely improved the educational landscape of the society thus for other groups, the innovative form served them good. It may then be taken to assumption that these kinds of learning is basically equipped not to mess the system of acquiring knowledge, rather to give the society sets of choices which have been shaped in accordance to what the proponents of these learning methods have crafted. More specifically, this serves as a proof that education does not stop in extending their capabilities to mold people to become professionals and earn a living, the scope of technology has not congested only on the realm of entertainment and recreation but on the basis of the only treasure that one may cherish in life—and that is education.

The Advancement of Robot Technology

The advancement f robot technology is pointless in our world, other than to please the curiosity of the curios; Those who wish for a world full of robots intertwining with humans have not pondered the difficulty and the consequences that may come about with these advancements. An AIR is an advanced interactive robot that, in some cases, is a pet robot that can interact with humans and the environment around them. The Japanese have developed an AIR that is a pet seal named Paro. Paro is a white seal that can interact with humans and the environment by making baby seal noises as its response.Paro can be turned on and off at any time throughout the day, offering control over when it does and does not wish to be used by its users. In experiments, Paro has been found to reduce patient stress, stimulate socialization between patients and their caregivers, and even have the psychological effects of improving relaxation and motivation of its users. Some patients have experienced both positiv e and negative effects of using Paro. In the documentary, â€Å"Mechanical Love†, an elder woman used Paro while in a senior home and she loved it! The other elder women when living in hat same home, however, did not.They became annoyed with Paro as it continued to make noises during the evening game night. The next day, the patient using Paro was sitting alone with another elder woman while eating dinner, the patient said to the woman, â€Å"l really love my pet seal. † The other elder woman responded with a simple, â€Å"Hmpf†, displaying that she wasn't quite fond of Paro. Although some may not enjoy the company of Paro, I encourage the use of the pet seal for those who see a benefit in themselves with the use of it. Humans are born to interact with other humans.When a robot of any kind is introduced, there is always a level of caution and many questions arise during interaction with such robots. Along with the advancement of Paro, the Japanese have also deve loped a robot called a geminoid. A geminoid is a robot â€Å"twin† or clone of a human. One Japanese engineering scientist has developed a geminoid clone that looks almost identical to himself. As also displayed in â€Å"Mechanical love†, the scientists working with this geminoid put him to the test to see how his wife and his daughter would respond to interaction with the robot.The man that they cloned had sensors ttached to his body to portray the movements of his mouth and arms through the robot as ne talked into a microphone that projected his voice out ot the geminoid to mimic himself. The wife was first and she responded quite well to the geminoid. She stated that it was weird, she could deal with the robot but she would much rather prefer her real husband rather than the twin robot. On the other hand, however, the young daughter did not respond well to the robot twin. She found it to be scary and creepy while interacting with him.The father asked the daughter to touch the robot nd she refused because she was too scared. She explained that she wouldn't want the robot in her home in place of her real father in any case. As you can see, there is a high level of caution and awkwardness that is displayed by humans as they interact with the robots. Humans are not born to interact with mechanical beings. Humans are made to form relationships with those who are like them, not with specifically programmed beings. If there is such a day where robots are introduced into our everyday society, a numerous amount of difficulties and communication and relation roblems would arise.With the development of the AIR's and geminoids arises many difficulties of production and advancement of them. The elder women not using Paro thought that it was annoying. Engineering scientists are now attempting to make Paro more responsive to humans and its environment by programming it to know when to make its noises, when not to, and the loudness of its noise responses to e liminate turning it on and off multiple times throughout the day. The wife and daughter that were used in tests with the geminoid responded also saying that the its face and body ovements were awkward compared to a real human.The scientists are now working on making the geminoid's body and facial movements seem more natural, as well as programming the robot able to move and talk by itself, with out the sensors and microphone being used by the human twin. In the future they hope to engineer the robot function in everyday life along with humans. They plan for the robot to express emotion through its voice and body movements and even to perform specific jobs or become a universal robot that can respond to interaction with all humans, environments, and situations.As the scientists advance with such technologies, the robots become more prone to error and wrongdoing. There is always the possibility of a malfunction with the system of the robots, increasing the odds of the geminoid doing s omething that it normally wouldn't do. With the programming of emotion into the geminoid, they may express anger or frustration and become capable of crime or express violence towards its users in certain situations. As so many questions and complications emerge with the development of robot technology, is there really a point to their advancement?Because a large part of the development of robots is to allow them to take over some Job positions to make the production more efficient and more safe, there would be a lack of Jobs for humans. If geminoid technology advances to the point where they cant think, act, and work like humans(like in the documentary Mechanical Love), should our government pay them like we pay humans? There would be no point in paying robots because they cannot eat, they cannot drink, and they have no use in owning a house or any land, and they would have no family to care for. They merely would need a place to stay when they are not being used.Since the goal is to create a geminiod that can think and act like a human, we would have to treat them like a normal human being. Humans would nave to allow them to compete in sports and possibly even run tor president. Allowing them to compete in sports would create an unfair disadvantage to humans. They would be much more durable and be capable of much more athleticism and strength. If we were to allow them to run for president and other governmental positions, geminiods would have some rule over humans and for the majority of umans, that is a very hard subject to imagine.The development of robot technology would have little use a may negatively affect our society as a whole. The goal of the advancement of Paro is to aid certain people with their reduce patient stress, stimulate socialization between patients and their motivation of its users. The goal of the advancement of geminiod technology is allow them to think, act, and respond to their environment, like their human counter parts do. To repl icate the body movements, the responses, the emotions, the learning and emory functions, and Job specifications that humans have would be largely impossible.If this technology were to ever reach that point, there would be more room for error and malfunctions that may lead to crime or violence between humans and robots. Since the robots are clones of humans, we would be required to treat them like humans. This would allow for the next robot superstar sports competitor and possibly the next robot president. If future technology allows this to happen, how would you feel knowing that robots could potentially have rule over humans?

Shadow Kiss Chapter 24

Twenty-four THE WHOLE WORLD WAS still. At this time of night, there were no birds or anything, but it seemed quieter than usual. Even the wind had fallen silent. Mason looked at me pleadingly. The nausea and prickling increased. Then, I knew. â€Å"Dimitri,† I said urgently, â€Å"there are Strig – â€Å" Too late. Dimitri and I saw him at the same time, but Dimitri was closer. Pale face. Red eyes. The Strigoi swooped toward us, and I could almost imagine he was flying, just like vampire legends used to say. But Dimitri was just as fast and nearly as strong. He had his stake – a real one, not a practice one – in his hand and met the Strigoi's attack. I think the Strigoi had hoped for the element of surprise. They grappled, and for a moment they seemed suspended in time, neither gaining ground on the other. Then Dimitri's hand snaked out, plunging the stake into the Strigoi's heart. The red eyes widened in surprise, and the Strigoi's body crumpled to the ground. Dimitri turned to me to make sure I was all right, and a thousand silent messages passed between us. He turned away and scanned the woods, peering into the darkness. My nausea had increased. I didn't understand why, but somehow I could sense the Strigoi around us. That was what was making me feel sick. Dimitri turned back to me, and there was a look I'd never seen in his eyes. â€Å"Rose. Listen to me. Run. Run as fast and as hard as you can back to your dorm. Tell the guardians.† I nodded. There was no questioning here. Reaching out, he gripped my upper arm, gaze locked on me to make sure I understood his next words. â€Å"Do not stop,† he said. â€Å"No matter what you hear, no matter what you see, do not stop. Not until you've warned the others. Don't stop unless you're directly confronted. Do you understand?† I nodded again. He released his hold. â€Å"Tell them buria.† I nodded again. â€Å"Run.† I ran. I didn't look back. I didn't ask what he was going to do because I already knew. He was going to stop as many Strigoi as he could so that I could get help. And a moment later, I heard grunts and hits that told me he'd found another. For only a heartbeat, I let myself worry about him. If he died, I was certain I would too. But then I let it go. I couldn't just think about one person, not when hundreds of lives were depending on me. There were Strigoi at our school. It was impossible. It couldn't happen. My feet hit the ground hard, splashing through the slush and mud. Around me, I thought I could hear voices and shapes – not the ghosts from the airport, but the monsters I'd been dreading for so long. But nothing stopped me. When Dimitri and I had first begun training together, he'd made me run laps every day. I'd complained, but he'd stated over and over again that it was essential. It would make me stronger, he had said. And, he'd added, a day could come when I couldn't fight and would have to flee. This was it. The dhampir dorm appeared before me, about half its windows lit. It was near curfew; people were going to bed. I burst in through the doors, feeling like my heart was going to explode from the exertion. The first person I saw was Stan, and I nearly knocked him over. He caught my wrists to steady me. â€Å"Rose, wh – â€Å" â€Å"Strigoi,† I gasped out. â€Å"There are Strigoi on campus.† He stared at me, and for the first time I'd ever seen, his mouth seriously dropped open. Then, he recovered himself, and I could immediately see what he was thinking. More ghost stories. â€Å"Rose, I don't know what you're – â€Å" â€Å"I'm not crazy!† I screamed. Everyone in the dorm's lobby was staring at us. â€Å"They're out there! They're out there, and Dimitri is fighting them alone. You have to help him.† What had Dimitri told me? What was that word? â€Å"Buria. He said to tell you buria.† And like that, Stan was gone. I had never seen any drills for Strigoi attacks, yet the guardians must have conducted them. Things moved too fast for them not to have. Every guardian in the dorm, whether they'd been awake or not, was in the lobby in a matter of minutes. Calls were made. I stood in a semicircle with other novices, who watched our elders organize themselves with amazing efficiency. Glancing around, I realized something. There were no other seniors with me. Since it was Sunday night, all of them had returned to the field experience to protect their Moroi. It was oddly relieving. The Moroi dorms had an extra line of defense. At least, the teenage Moroi did. The elementary campus did not. It had its normal guardian protection, as well as a lot of the same defenses our dorm did, like gratings on all the first-floor windows. Things like that wouldn't keep Strigoi out, but they would slow them down. No one had ever done too much more than that. There'd been no need, not with the wards. Alberta had joined the group and was sending out parties throughout campus. Some were sent to secure buildings. Some were hunting parties, specifically seeking out Strigoi and trying to figure out how many were around. As the guardians thinned out, I stepped forward. â€Å"What should we do?† I asked. Alberta turned to me. Her eyes swept over me and the others standing behind me, ages ranging from fourteen to just a little younger than me. Something flashed across her face. Sadness, I thought. â€Å"You stay here in the dorm,† she said. â€Å"No one can leave – the whole campus is under lockdown. Go up to the floors you live on. There are guardians there organizing you into groups. The Strigoi are less likely to get up there from the outside. If they get in on this floor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She scanned around us, at the door and windows being monitored. She shook her head. â€Å"Well, we'll deal with that.† â€Å"I can help,† I told her. â€Å"You know I can.† I could tell she was about to disagree, but then she changed her mind. To my surprise, she nodded. â€Å"Take them upstairs. Watch them.† I started to protest being a babysitter, but then she did something really astonishing. She reached inside her coat and handed me a silver stake. A real one. â€Å"Go on,† she said. â€Å"We need them out of the way here.† I started to turn away but then paused. â€Å"What does buria mean?† â€Å"Storm,† she said softly. â€Å"It's Russian for ‘storm.'† I led the other novices up the stairs, directing them to their floors. Most were terrified, which was perfectly understandable. A few of them – the older ones in particular – looked like I felt. They wanted to do something, anything to help. And I knew that even though they were a year from graduation, they were still deadly in their way. I pulled a couple of them aside. â€Å"Keep them from panicking,† I said in a low voice. â€Å"And stay on watch. If something happens to the older guardians, it'll be up to you.† Their faces were sober, and they nodded at my directions. They understood perfectly. There were some novices, like Dean, who didn't always grasp the seriousness of our lives. But most did. We grew up fast. I went to the second floor because I figured that was where I'd be most useful. If any Strigoi got past the first floor, this was the next logical target. I showed my stake to the guardians on duty and told them what Alberta had said. They respected her wishes, but I could tell they didn't want me to be too involved. They directed me down a wing with one small window. Only someone my size or smaller could probably fit through, and I knew that particular section of the building was nearly impossible to climb up, due to its outside shape. But, I patrolled it anyway, desperate to know what was going on. How many Strigoi were there? Where were they? I realized then that I had a good way of finding out. Still keeping an eye on my window as best I could, I cleared my mind and slipped into Lissa's head. Lissa was with a group of other Moroi on an upper floor of her dorm too. The lockdown procedures were undoubtedly the same across campus. There was a bit more tension in this group than with mine, probably due to the fact that even while inexperienced, the novices with me right now had some idea how to fight Strigoi. The Moroi had none, despite those adamant Moroi political groups wanting to instigate some sort of training sessions. The logistics of that were still being figured out. Eddie was near Lissa. He looked so fierce and so strong – like he could single-handedly take on every Strigoi on campus. I was so glad that he among my classmates was assigned to her. Since I was completely inside her mind now, I got the full force of her feelings. Jesse's torture session seemed meaningless now compared to a Strigoi attack. Unsurprisingly, she was terrified. But most of her fear wasn't for herself. It was for me and Christian. â€Å"Rose is fine,† a voice nearby said. Lissa glanced over at Adrian. He'd apparently been in the dorm rather than guest housing. He had on his usual lazy face, but I could see fear masked behind his green eyes. â€Å"She can take on any Strigoi. Besides, Christian told you she was with Belikov. She's probably safer than we are.† Lissa nodded, wanting desperately to believe that. â€Å"But Christian†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian, for all his bravado, suddenly looked away. He wouldn't meet her eyes or offer any conciliatory words. I didn't need to hear the explanation because I read it from Lissa's mind. She and Christian had wanted to meet alone and talk about what had happened to her in the woods. They'd been supposed to sneak out and meet at his â€Å"lair† in the chapel's attic. She hadn't been fast enough and had been caught by curfew just before the attack, meaning she remained in the dorm while Christian was still out there. It was Eddie who offered the words of comfort. â€Å"If he's in the chapel, he's fine. He really is the safest of all of us.† Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground. â€Å"Unless they burn it down,† said Lissa. â€Å"They used to do that.† â€Å"Four hundred years ago,† said Adrian. â€Å"I think they've got easier pickings around here without needing to go all medieval.† Lissa flinched at the words easier pickings. She knew Eddie was right about the chapel, but she couldn't shake the thought that Christian might have been on his way back to the dorm and been caught in the middle. The worry was eating her up, and she felt helpless with no way to do or find out anything. I returned to my own body, standing in the second floor hallway. Finally, I really and truly grasped what Dimitri had said about the importance of guarding someone who wasn't psychically linked to me. Don't get me wrong; I was still worried about Lissa. I worried more about her than any other Moroi on campus. The only way I wouldn't have been worried would have been if she were miles away, ringed in wards and guardians. But at least I knew she was as safe as she could be right now. That was something. But Christian †¦ I had no idea. I had no link to tell me his whereabouts or to even let me know if he was alive. This was what Dimitri had meant. It was an entirely different game when you didn't have a bond – and it was a scary one. I stared at the window without seeing it. Christian was out there. He was my charge. And even if the field experience was hypothetical†¦ well, it didn't change things. He was a Moroi. He might be in danger. I was the one who was supposed to guard him. They came first. I took a deep breath and wrestled with the decision before me. I'd been given orders, and guardians followed orders. With the dangers around us, following orders was what kept us organized and efficient. Playing rebel could sometimes get people killed. Mason had proven that in going after the Strigoi in Spokane. But it wasn't like I was the only one who faced danger here. Everyone was at risk. There was no safety, not until all the Strigoi were gone from campus, and I had no clue how many there were. Guarding this window was busy work, meant to keep me out of the way. True, someone could invade the second floor, and I'd be useful then. And true, a Strigoi could try to get in through this window, but that was unlikely. It was too difficult, and, as Adrian had pointed out, they had easier ways to get prey. But I could go through the window. I knew it was wrong, even as I opened the window up. I was exposing myself here, but I had conflicting instincts. Obey orders. Protect Moroi. I had to go make sure Christian was okay. Chilly night air blew in. No sounds from outside revealed what was happening. I'd climbed out of my room's window a number of times and had some experience with it. The problem here was that the stone beneath the window was perfectly smooth. There was no handhold. There was a small ledge down by the first floor, but the distance to it was longer than my height, so I couldn't simply slide down. If I could get to that ledge, however, I could walk off to the corner of the building where some scalloped edging would let me climb down easily. I stared at the ledge below. I was going to have to drop down to it. If I fell, I'd probably break my neck. Easy pickings for Strigoi, as Adrian would say. With a quick prayer to whoever was listening, I climbed out of the window, holding onto its sill with both hands and letting my body dangle as close to the lower ledge as I could. I still had two more feet between it and me. I counted to three and released my hold, dragging my hands along the wall as I dropped. My feet hit the ledge and I started to wobble, but my dhampir reflexes kicked in. I regained my balance and stood there, holding the wall. I'd made it. From this point, I easily moved to the corner and climbed down. I hit the ground, barely noticing I'd skinned my hands. The quad around me was silent, though I thought I heard some screams in the distance. If I were a Strigoi, I wouldn't mess with this dorm. They'd get a fight here, and while most Strigoi could probably take out a group of novices at once, there were easier ways. Moroi were less likely to put up a real fight, and anyway, Strigoi preferred their blood to ours. Still, I moved cautiously as I set out toward the chapel. I had the cover of darkness, but Strigoi could see in it even better than I could. I used trees as covers, looking every way I could, wishing I had eyes in the back of my head. Nothing, save more screams in the distance. I realized then that I didn't have that nauseous feeling from earlier. Somehow, that feeling was an indicator of nearby Strigoi. I didn't entirely trust it enough to walk off blindly, but it was reassuring to know I had some kind of early alarm system. Halfway to the chapel, I saw someone move out from behind a tree. I spun around, stake in hand, and nearly struck Christian in the heart. â€Å"God, what are you doing?† I hissed. â€Å"Trying to get back to the dorm,† he said. â€Å"What's going on? I heard screaming.† â€Å"There are Strigoi on campus,† I said. â€Å"What? How?† â€Å"I don't know. You have to go back to the chapel. It's safe there.† I could see it; we could get there easily. Christian was as reckless as me sometimes, and I almost expected a fight. He didn't give me one. â€Å"Okay. Are you going with me?† I started to say I would, and then I felt that nauseous feeling creep over me. â€Å"Get down!† I yelled. He dropped to the ground without hesitation. Two Strigoi were on us. They both moved in on me, knowing I'd be an easy target for their combined strength, and then they could go after Christian. One of them slammed me into a tree. My vision blurred for half a second, but I soon recovered. I shoved back and had the satisfaction of seeing her stagger a little. The other one – a man – reached for me, and I dodged him, slipping out of his grasp. The pair of them reminded me of Isaiah and Elena from Spokane, but I refused to get caught up in memories. Both were taller than me, but the woman was closer to my height. I feinted toward him, and then struck out as fast as I could toward her. My stake bit into her heart. It surprised both of us. My first Strigoi staking. I'd barely pulled the stake out when the other Strigoi backhanded me, snarling. I staggered but kept my balance as I sized him up. Taller. Stronger. Just like when I'd fought Dimitri. Probably faster too. We circled and then I leapt out and kicked him. He barely budged. He reached for me, and I again managed to dodge as I scanned for some opening to stake him. My narrow escape didn't slow him down, though, and he immediately attacked again. He knocked me to the ground, pinning my arms. I tried to push him off, but he didn't move. Saliva dripped from his fangs as he leaned his face down toward mine. This Strigoi wasn't like Isaiah, wasting time with stupid speeches. This one was going to go in for the kill, draining my blood and then Christian's. I felt the fangs against my neck and knew I was going to die. It was horrible. I wanted to live so, so badly†¦but this was how it would end. With my last moments, I started to yell at Christian to run, but then the Strigoi above me sudde nly lit up like a torch. He jerked back, and I rolled out from underneath him. Thick flames covered his body, completely obscuring any of his features. He was just a man-shaped bonfire. I heard a few strangled screams before he grew silent. He fell to the ground, twitching and rolling before finally going still. Steam rose from where fire hit the snow, and the flames soon burned out, revealing nothing but ashes underneath. I stared at the charred remains. Only moments ago, I'd expected to die. Now my attacker was dead. I nearly reeled from how close I'd been to dying. Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to leave this world. I was still in it, barely, and as I looked up from the ashes, everything around me seemed so sweet and so beautiful. The trees. The stars. The moon. I was alive – and I was glad I was. I turned to Christian, who was crouched on the ground. â€Å"Wow,† I said, helping him up. Obviously, he was the one who had saved me. â€Å"No shit,† he said. â€Å"Didn't know I had that much power.† He peered around, body rigid and tense. â€Å"Are there more?† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"You seem pretty certain.† â€Å"Well†¦this is going to sound weird, but I can kind of sense them. Don't ask how,† I said, seeing his mouth open. â€Å"Just roll with it. I think it's like the ghost thing, a shadow-kissed side effect. Whatever. Let's get back to the chapel.† He didn't move. A strange, speculative look was on his face. â€Å"Rose †¦ do you really want to hole up in the chapel?† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"We just took out two Strigoi,† he said, pointing to the staked and charred bodies. I met his eyes, the full impact of what he was saying hitting me. I could sense Strigoi. He could use his fire on them. I could stake them. Provided we didn't hit a group of ten or something, we could do some serious damage. Then reality hit. â€Å"I can't,† I told him slowly. â€Å"I can't risk your life†¦.† â€Å"Rose. You know what we could do. I can see it in your face. It's worth risking one Moroi life – and, well, yours – to take out a bunch of Strigoi.† Putting a Moroi in danger. Taking him out to fight Strigoi. It pretty much went against everything I'd been taught. All of a sudden, I remembered that brief moment of clarity I'd just had, the wonderful joy of being alive. I could save so many others. I had to save them. I would fight as hard as I could. â€Å"Don't use your full power on them,† I finally said. â€Å"You don't need to incinerate them in ten seconds like that. Just light them up enough to distract them, and then I'll finish them. You can save your power.† A grin lit his face. â€Å"We're going hunting?† Oh man. I was going to get in so much trouble. But the idea was too appealing, too exciting. I wanted to fight back. I wanted to protect the people I loved. What I really wanted was to go to Lissa's dorm and protect her. That wasn't the most efficient idea, though. Lissa had my classmates on hand. Others weren't so lucky. I thought about those students, students like Jill. â€Å"Let's go to the elementary campus,† I said. We set off at a light run, taking a route we hoped would keep us away from other Strigoi. I still had no idea how many we were dealing with here, and that was driving me crazy. When we were almost to the other campus, I felt the weird nausea hit me. I called a warning to Christian, just as a Strigoi grabbed him. But Christian was fast. Flames wreathed the Strigoi's head. He screamed and released Christian, trying frantically to put the flames out. The Strigoi never saw me coming with the stake. The whole thing took under a minute. Christian and I exchanged looks. Yeah. We were badasses. The elementary campus proved to be a center of activity. Strigoi and guardians were actively fighting around the entrances to one of the dorms. For a moment, I froze. There were almost twenty Strigoi and half as many guardians. So many Strigoi together†¦Until recently, we'd never heard of them banding together in such large numbers. We'd thought we'd disbanded a large group of them by killing Isaiah, but apparently that wasn't true. I allowed myself only a moment more of shock, and then we jumped into the fray. Emil was near a side entrance, fending off three Strigoi. He was battered and bruised, and the body of a fourth Strigoi lay at his feet. I lunged for one of the three. She didn't see me coming, and I managed to stake her with almost no resistance. I was lucky. Christian meanwhile set flames to the others. Emil's face reflected surprise, but that didn't stop him from staking another of the Strigoi. I got the other. â€Å"You shouldn't have brought him here,† Emil said as we moved to help another guardian. â€Å"Moroi aren't supposed to get involved with this.† â€Å"Moroi should have been involved with this a long time ago,† said Christian through gritted teeth. We spoke little after that. The rest was a blur. Christian and I moved from fight to fight, combining his magic and my stake. Not all of our kills were as fast and easy as our early ones had been. Some fights were long and drawn out. Emil stuck with us, and I honestly lost count of how many Strigoi we took down. â€Å"I know you.† The words startled me. In all this bloodshed, none of us, friend or foe, did much talking. The speaker was a Strigoi who looked to be my own age but was probably at least ten times older. He had shoulder-length blond hair and eyes whose color I couldn't make out. They were ringed in red, which was all that mattered. My only answer was to swing out with my stake, but he dodged that. Christian was setting a couple of other Strigoi on fire, so I was handling this one on my own. â€Å"There's something strange about you now, but I still remember. I saw you years ago, before I was awakened.† Okay, not ten times my age, not if he'd seen me when he was a Moroi. I hoped his talking would distract him. He was actually pretty fast for a young Strigoi. â€Å"You were always with that Dragomir girl, the blonde.† My foot hit him, and I jerked my kick back before he could grab me. He barely budged. â€Å"Her parents wanted you to be her guardian, right? Before they were all killed?† â€Å"I am her guardian,† I grunted. My stake swiped dangerously close to him. â€Å"She's still alive, then†¦There were rumors that she'd died last year†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a sense of wonder in his voice, which mixed weirdly with the malice. â€Å"You have no idea what kind of reward I'd get to take down the last living Drag – Ahh!† He'd dodged my stake from hitting his chest again, but this time I managed an upward strike that dragged the stake's tip across his face. It wouldn't kill him there, but the touch of a stake – so filled with life – would feel like acid to the undead. He screamed, but it didn't slow his defenses. â€Å"I'll come back for you after I finish her,† he snarled. â€Å"You'll never get near her,† I growled back. Something shoved into me from the side, a Strigoi that Yuri was fighting. I stumbled but managed to drive my stake through Yuri's Strigoi's heart before he could regain his balance. Yuri gasped his thanks, and then we both turned to other parts of the battle. Only the blond Strigoi was gone. I couldn't find him anywhere. Another took his place, and as I moved toward that one, flames lit up around him, making him an easy mark for my stake. Christian had returned. â€Å"Christian, this Strigoi – â€Å" â€Å"I heard,† he panted. â€Å"We have to go to her!† â€Å"He was messing with you. She's across campus, surrounded by novices and guardians. She'll be okay.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"They need us here.† I knew he was right – and I knew how hard it was for him to say that. Like me, he wanted to run off to Lissa. Despite all the good work he was doing here, I suspected he would rather have sunk all his magic into protecting her, keeping her ringed in a wall of fire no Strigoi could cross. I had no time to deeply investigate the bond, but I could sense the important things: She was alive, and she wasn't in pain. So I stayed on, fighting with Christian and Yuri. Lissa hovered at the back of my mind, the bond telling me she was okay. Aside from that, I let battle lust consume me. I had one goal and one alone: Kill Strigoi. I couldn't let them get into this dorm, nor could I let them leave this area and possibly go to Lissa's dorm. I lost track of time. Only the Strigoi I was currently fighting at any given moment mattered. And as soon as that one was gone, it was on to the next. Until there wasn't a next one. I was sore and exhausted, adrenaline burning through my body. Christian stood beside me, panting. He hadn't engaged in physical combat like me, but he'd used a lot of magic tonight, and that had taken its own physical toll. I looked around. â€Å"We gotta find another one,† I said. â€Å"There are no others,† a familiar voice said. I turned and looked into Dimitri's face. He was alive. All the fear for him I'd held back burst through me. I wanted to throw myself at him and hold him as close to me as possible. He was alive – battered and bloody, yes – but alive. His gaze held mine for just a moment, reminding me of what had happened in the cabin. It felt like a hundred years ago, but in that brief glance, I saw love and concern – and relief. He'd been worried about me too. Then Dimitri turned and gestured to the eastern sky. I followed the motion. The horizon was pink and purple. It was nearly sunrise. â€Å"They're either dead or have run away,† he told me. He glanced between Christian and me. â€Å"What you two did – â€Å" â€Å"Was stupid?† I suggested. He shook his head. â€Å"One of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Half of those are yours.† I looked back at the dorm, shocked at the number of bodies lying around it. We had killed Strigoi. We had killed a lot of them. Death and killing were horrible things†¦but I had liked doing what I just did. I had defeated the monsters who had come after me and those in my care. Then I noticed something. My stomach twisted, but it was nothing like my earlier Strigoi-sensing feeling. This was caused by something entirely different. I turned back to Dimitri. â€Å"There are more than just Strigoi bodies there,† I said in a small voice. â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"We've lost a lot of people, in all senses of the word.† Christian frowned. â€Å"What do you mean?† Dimitri's face was both hard and sad. â€Å"The Strigoi killed some Moroi and dhampirs. And some†¦some they carried away.†

Impact of HESI Specialty Exams Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Impact of HESI Specialty Exams - Dissertation Example These two theories were used as the basis for formulating a model for constructing Critical Thinking Test objects that were used in this study. This same model was used for the previously concluded eight studies that were carried out to study the effectiveness of E2 in predicting the success of NCLEX-RN (Zweighaft, 2013).The E2 and the HESI Specialty Exam produced by the Elsevier, and the Ninth Validity Study Questionnaire, which was a design of the researcher, were used for data collection. The E2 is always administered during the final semester or quarter of the nursing curriculum. Its blueprint is a reflection of what is there in the NCLEX-RN plan. The HESI Specialty Exams always come at the end of the nursing curriculum. The study mainly used the HESI exams with testing units that are greater than 300. The questionnaire, which had 19 multiple-choice with open fields for comments, was used mainly to gather information from the deans and the directors of the respective schools rega rding their policies on E2 and HESI Specialty exams. It also asked questions about the outcomes of the NCLEX-RN (Zweighaft, 2013). This study made use of Non-Experimental design. All user and none user schools were enumerated and a Random Number generator was used. Deans and directors from 97 schools of nursing were invited. Stratification of random samples of the schools was done based on the three levels, Baccalaureate, Associate degree and diploma. A sample of 3790students from 63 randomly selected schools participated in this study and power analysis indicated that this was a good sample.The study found out that the E2 are highly accurate in predicting the success of NCLEX-RN. The students who took part in Specialty Exams also showed higher means in their E2 scores than those who did not take the Specialty Exams. This was determined using the Welch-Satterthwaite’s test (Zweighaft, 2013). Since the data obtained in this ninth study are consistent with those of the previous studies, it shows that E2 scores can be good predictors of the success of the NCLEX-RN.

Three Summaries for three sections (9.1 - 9.2 - 9.3) Essay

Three Summaries for three sections (9.1 - 9.2 - 9.3) - Essay Example Use of white space is also important, as well as selecting different fonts to highlight different types of information. Additionally, presentation support materials such as slides should be planned carefully. Fourthly, one must think visually. The nature of design projects requires thinking visually. Thus, one should know their purpose and audience, and make an appropriate use of the medium. Finally, writing ethically is paramount. Here, a designer should present designs and other technical results in ways that show what is favourable, as well as what is unfavourable in the design. Additionally, this includes giving full credit to others, such as authors or previous researchers, where it is due. With regard to oral presentations, there are various key needs that must be met. First is knowing the audience. After identifying the type of audience, the presentation can be tailored to hat audience. Second is the presentation outline. This provides a clear structure of the presentation and includes a title slide, an overview of the presentation, a problem statement, background on the problem, objectives, and functions of the design, among other key components. The outline should include both rough and detailed outlines. Thirdly, the team presenting should know the setting in which it will be presenting. This will help them know the types of devices such as slide projectors, are available. Overall, this guides their usage of visual aids. Fourthly, there is need for the team to practice regularly before their presentation in order to gain confidence. Finally, a design overview is key. This is key to helping the team get undivided attention from professionals about their design proj ect. Although this might pose some challenges to the team, it is a constructive and important process to the team. With regard to the final project report, it is

Memo and Flowchart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memo and Flowchart - Essay Example Mchane and Travaglione explain that good communication enure individual know what i expected of them and it galvanie coordination within the organiation. The root of a large number of organiational problem i poor communication. Thi eay will give an indication of what tyle of communication were involved in my previou line of employment with Woolworth Limited. How everyday communication uch a word, voice, tone, geture phyical action and the like took place with fellow employee baed on the model preented by Gamble and Gamble. To be a effective a I could, verbal communication wa one of, if not, the mot important apect when communicating with employee. A a manager it wa imperative to overcome communication barrier before approaching an employee. Thee barrier may have been diadvantage of verbally communicating, uch a noie, hearay, choice of word, aumption and tereotyping, which could all contribute to miundertanding. I felt it to be my duty to recognie any of thee barrier and enure that they were not included in the communication proce. For example, if it required me to talk to an employee about hi/her performance, it wa imperative that they had my 100% attention and the chance of ditraction wa zero. In an environment where there maybe five employee at one tore, it wa crucial to be aware of what wa aid about employee around other employee or co-worker, which could have had repercuion at later tage. I learnt from early on, an employee will not hear what you have to ay, poitive or contructive, if they have heard that you have been talking to other about them. They would have already began to get defenive and think of what they need to ay to get their point acro while I wa trying to make mine. Another apect of verbal communication i written tatement. In my workplace, thi included memorandum, bulletin, flyer, report, letter, faxe and e-mail. Mchane and Travaglione decribe written, verbal, or electronic method a, at time, imperonal, but fat and effective. Written communication i very often the mot uitable and clearet mean of communication. A a manager at BW, written communication may be the mot uitable when trying to communicate organiational goal, objective, target, value and o on. In an indutry where the encouragement of policie, procedure and practice are central to improvement, written communication i often the bet way to demontrate thi. That i not to ay interperonal connection within BW wa are non-exitent, becaue that i by no mean the cae. Developing a trut relationhip between manager and employee make it eaier to reach the goal of ucceful communication. Effective communication i built and utained on the trut between manager and employee. 'Doing what i right' and having employee follow thi principle alo require initiating and utaining mutually truting relationhip . Gamble define litening a a deliberate proce through which we eek to undertand and retain aural timuli. It depend on a complex et of kill

Army Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Army Family - Essay Example I realized what color I was, but that really didn’t seem to affect anything in the communities where I was growing up. Base housing was very diverse and I realized that there were surely more white kids than black kids. But I also noticed that there were more black kids than Hispanic kids and Asian kids as well. I had friends, close friends, of all colors, as did my parents. We went over to the Hispanic family next door for supper and they cam to us. Only they weren’t ever viewed as Hispanic. They were just the Ramirez’s. I do remember going to some parties when I was a kid and all of us were the same race. I do remember thinking, â€Å"This is weird. Where are the Ramirez’s?† I have no idea if these parties were planned so that everybody was the same race as my parents or not, but I sort of doubt it. So I guess what I am trying to say is, as a kid growing up in military housing, I never though about race at all, mine or anyone else’s. When I arrived in North Carolina, I first became aware of race. For one thing, I noticed that people of the same color tended to stay together. There seemed to be a rule that said people of different colors didn’t mix. I noticed it right away and asked my mother about it. She simply said that things are different everywhere and that in North Carolina, that’s just the way it was. ... and Asian kids apparently just had to figure out something else to do than have friends because there weren’t many of them on base at that time in North Carolina. I can honestly say I didn’t try to challenge the rule in any way. When you are new to a base, the kids that approach you first are the kids that become your friends. When only kids of your same race approach you, well then that is the friends you have. I remember thinking it was weird at first, and then after a year it was perfectly normal. The second lesson about race I learned was that some races are better than others at certain things. Black kids can run fast and dance best. They listen to rap music and play basketball. White kids are smartest and are better at sports like baseball. Hispanic kids play soccer and have lots of sisters and brothers. For the first time, I was introduced to racial stereotypes and this I struggled with. I didn’t fit into the definition of any of these races. I was smart, awesome at basketball and had five brothers and sisters. I could have been white, black or Hispanic. But for the first time, I felt like I had to downplay an aspect of who I was because I had to conform to somebody else’s notion of what I ought to be based on my race. The final thing I learned about race in North Carolina is that people of different races had nasty names for each other. It was in North Carolina that I heard racial epithets, from all races, for the first time. Perhaps I was incredibly sheltered growing up. I can say that I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I feel as though I still have a lot of that pre-North Carolina person in me. I still see color, not race. I have a more nuanced understanding of what race means in a societal context, but the reality is I still am largely unaware of

Impact of TESOL Continuing Professional Development programs (CPDs) Research Paper

Impact of TESOL Continuing Professional Development programs (CPDs) - Research Paper Example Impact of TESOL Continuing Professional Development programs (CPDs) Therefore, despite the numerous continues development programs available, the success of such programmes are measured by how best such trainees are able to transfer knowledge gained to their respective duties, skills improvement, in addition to job performance. Due to developments in information technology, there are increasing perceptions that ICT has resulted in major improvements in education, and may transform the learning process when implemented effectively (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). However, there are still arguments that discussions on ICT improving education are far-fetched, and that ICT has not always resulted to outright improvement of such programs (Smeets, 2005). Therefore, effectiveness of such teachers training programs related to ICT and other platforms have resulted in different findings depending on how such learning programs are implemented in different learning environments. This paper examines the challenges and impact of various professional training programs on both teachers and students. The article investigates several research papers on professional training programs, and outlines various findings to make a general summary regarding the impact of such programs. Short in-service teacher training (INSET) courses are one way in which the skills and knowledge of teachers may be revitalized through enhancing their skills and knowledge on specific aspects.... INSET courses are aimed at facilitating and stimulating new ideas in teachers and as a platform for teachers to meet and share with new colleagues their experiences and skills. However, the impact of the INSET courses according to Lamb may not be effectively realized without proper follow up of the participants. The motivation and stimulus gained by teachers is fast eroded and teachers are frustrated when trying to implement all newly learned ideas; teachers enroll in such professional development courses to learn new ideas, but have difficulties applying the learned concepts and ideas in a static learning system, which does not encourage or facilitate them to apply such ideas (Lamb, 2005). This brings about tensions and frustrations in teachers. However, Bridges (2007) in a controlled group trial on the effectiveness of INSET reports the group actually registered impressive growth in skills, though on what the researcher termed as cautious positive results in an intensive immersion INSET. A study on Tanzania primary teachers on INSET programs showed that such INSET trained teachers were much better in introducing and developing lessons, in addition to involving students in class group work, which was found to improve learning (Hardman & Dachi, 2012). However, in another study, Bridges (2007) asserted that multiple assessments resulted in a lower self-reporting as the participants did not have enough time to express their concerns in the learning process. Despite this, INSET was found to have a varied degree of positive growth in knowledge acquisition. This reveals that measurement of the programme’s success in this case has to be based on enough feedback from such teachers, and how best class lessons improve. One way to measure the success of INSET programme in

Answering the given questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answering the given questions - Essay Example ‘Syn’ means same while ‘optic’ means relating to sight or view. However, despite these similarities, the three books also have various differences but there are difficulties in pointing them out. These difficulties are referred to as synoptic problem. For instance, the remarkable similarity of flow of events and point of view in the gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke make one wonder if they had a common source of information Even though we still acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit. Although the gospel of Mathew is shorter, the similarity of these three books could also be as a result of them referring to each other’s works when writing the gospels. The common source suspected of having being used is referred to as ‘Q’ from the German word quell. This word means source. However, this document has never been discovered and none of the fathers of the early churches ever made a mention of it. However, the synoptic books are still used in inspiring hope and bringing more people to the religion of Christianity. These gospels are still useful in achieving the purpose of the bible. Gospel is generally referred to as the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a record of Christ’s teaching in the first four books of the New Testament in the bible. The name gospel means good news which a translation from the Greek word ‘euangelizo’. This refers to the message contained in the New Testament books reveal good news that brings hope and inspirations to followers and encourages people to convert to the Christian religion. Gospel of Christ the Son of God and offers deliverance from sin. Rudolf Karl Bultmann was a New Testament Scholar who intended Form Criticism. He refused to accept the imminent supremacy of God and felt that there was a problem with the gospels having an eschatological Jesus who announced the end of the world. He was one among several other critics of the gospel. Bultmann had an existentialist theory which he founded on the

Environmental and Industry Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Environmental and Industry Analysis - Essay Example Good-to-Go customers place orders with the business via telephone or company website, and then the company collects the requests and consequently delivers them to the customer. The business strengths include partnerships with other restaurants and print and online advertisement. However, their weaknesses rely on diversity as they only deal in restaurant industry and have not considered exploration possibilities. Registration Express refers to a company that conducts registration of a customer’s vehicle at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The inherent strengths of the company involve its comprehensive techniques, ideas, skills, and knowledge relating to the varied requirements for vehicle registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Besides, the company has long lasting intimate relationship with majority of the employees at DMV who willingly assist them. The main weakness of the company remains that it specifically advertises its services only online via social media including Facebook. Moreover, the company remains entirely dependent on the inherent regulations outlined by DMV. Grocereaze exists as a new business, and not much information remains available concerning the corporation. The company provides services relating to shopping and delivery of groceries to their esteemed customers. Grocereaze advertises via bulletin boards. Guam Concierge Services will employ technological applications in order to differentiate itself from other concierge-related companies within Guam, and guarantee an inherent reputation based on its trusted service. The company will use Dashboard cameras and Ipads to ensure provision of trusted services to customers. The business would initiate a policy that will require Dashboard cameras to remain turned on while performing errands for a client. Based on Dashboard cameras, if there will exist any disputes in the service offered by the company a camera would provide a timestamp and record all

Review of the Separation of Powers Section of the Federalist Papers Essay

Review of the Separation of Powers Section of the Federalist Papers 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 - Essay Example This paper seeks to focus on sections federalist paper. Federalist Papers #47 In this essay, the principle of separation of power is addressed. At the time, the constitution was opposed, as it was perceived to breach separation of power. Those against asserted that the three arms of government are not adequately distinct and independent and power was irregularly distributed. Their worry was that the government would fail, and that freedom would be affected. Madison concurs with this notion on separation of power, mainly on the threat posed by unequal distribution of power. He claims that excessive authority in one branch is a recipe for authoritarian rule and it did not matter the number of men in authority. He claims that no further argument was needed if claims were objective. In contrast, he asserts that these claims lacked basis. He relies on Montesquieu, French in supporting his argument. Montesquieu relied on British constitution as his model. Montesquieu points out that the go vernment branches in constitution are not absolutely separate or distinct. British king could intervene in legislative function when signing treaties. On the other hand, the king has authority of hiring and firing judges. ... Federalist Papers #48 This essay propounds that the three branches needed not be absolutely separate and independent. It argues that each branch of government required minimum power to control the other two. Each branch is given some power by the constitution; however, it was to be controlled to avoid overexploitation of the power. He wrote that it was essential to differentiate between the three branches to be able to protect legal power vested on each branch of government. Madison concurs that conflict of interest are likely to arise due to power overlap. He states that theoretical checks expounded by the constitution are not adequate. He argues that the original drafters of republican government failed to draft laws that could check legislature. This created ways for legislature to abuse its power. He concurs that in hereditary monarchy the king is feared, likewise in direct democracies executive is feared, as legislature is ineffective in controlling powers of executive. This is because in direct democracies, the size of legislature is enormous, and power is scattered hence solving conflict is a challenge. In their envisaged government, the legislature was more likely to abuse the power as more power had been granted to it. On the other hand, legislature controlled a huge chunk of the money and controlled salaries paid to government employees. This was a recipe for corrupt dealing. In comparison presidential and judicial power was just simple and under extreme regulation. There existed no chance for the two branches to breach authority vested on the congress and any attempt was easy to detect (Project Gutenberg, 1992). Federalist Papers #49 Jefferson highlighted the

Sociology269 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology269 - Essay Example Steger’s definition tries to cover up all the factors affected by globalization unlike the errors committed by most people wherein they isolate the very complex nature of the concept on a certain premise like the political and economic spheres. One thing that must be considered is that the complex nature of globalization is parallel to the complexity of humankind since their acts that fall under globalization are considered to be â€Å"as old as humanity† (Steger 19). This assertion provides a condition that globalization can be considered a novel concept since it has made humans develop new technologies and developments to improve social condition. One thing that cannot be denied is that globalization has been significant to the lives of humans. There are several improvements in technology, cultural exchanges and global interaction that have been achieved through globalization (Steger 24). Since globalization has a notion of a borderless world, all the political, economic and social aspects of life are subjected to the â€Å"global social formations† (Steger 82). In this case, all the provincial, national, regional and global spheres are presumably controlled by these global groups like the WTO, UN, IMF and World Bank (Steger 41). In Grant MacEwan University City Centre Campus, there are several manifestations of the contested concept of globalization. Most of the time, the economic perpetrations of globalizations are the ones that are greatly manifested on the local level. However, it should not be denied that there are still products on the national level that competes with the global products. There are certain products in the campus that have caught my attention. One of them is the Two Toned Hoodie which is made in Canada and manufactured by Sharper Image. It is a jacket made of polyester and cotton. This jacket, in my opinion, highlights

The Atomic Attack on Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Atomic Attack on Japan - Essay Example After Germany's surrender in May 1945, the U.S. and its allies were able to concentrate their efforts on forcing Japan to surrender. With the fall of the Marianas Islands in July 1944, it had become apparent to military leaders on all sides that the fall of Japan was a foregone conclusion (Long). The increased capability of B29 bombers to strike Japan opened Japan's cities and industry to severe attacks. Coupled with a Naval blockade that crippled Japan's ability to gain the resources to wage war, it was only a question of when the surrender would occur. By June 1945, General Curtis LeMay estimated that U.S. airstrikes would have no Japanese targets left by October 1945 (Long). As early as June 1945, the U.S. had intercepted cables from the Japanese to the Russians seeking aid in an offer to surrender (Lewis). With Japan weakening, the Potsdam Declaration of July 1945 called for Japan's unconditional surrender. The harsh rhetoric of the declaration, aimed at the Japanese, indicated that Emperor Hirohito would be deposed and treated as a war criminal. Due to the Japanese religious belief that the emperor was a God, the Proclamation was unacceptable even to the Japanese peace movement. While Japan attempted to negotiate surrender through Russia, the U.S. held fast demanding the complete dismantling of the Japanese authority. The fate of the emperor, and the unwillingness of the U.S. to have Russia broker the deal, were the main points impeding a calculated surrender. Leading scientists as well as military leaders of this period overwhelmingly opposed using the new dreadful weapon. Most found its use against a civilian population repugnant. Many of them suggested a demonstration to the Japanese of its awesome capabilities in an effort to persuade them into surrender. Most agreed that a demonstration would be less than effective and a waste of a bomb. Truman writes in his private diary of July 25, 1945, that he has ordered the bomb dropped on a purely military target and spare civilians, women, and children (Truman Diary). It was clear by his diary entry that he understood the ramifications of the bomb's destructive capability. Truman had quipped that the Japanese would fight to their last dying man and an invasion would cost a million American lives. These were anecdotal estimates and had no military basis. In fact, in the days before the bomb was dropped, Japan was trying to secure an acceptable surrender that would maintain the Emperor's fate. Yet, in the face of scientific opposition and military skepticism, Truman stuck to the order to drop the bombs and struck Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. A second strike hit Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. When the bomb was dropped, the American public shared Truman's enthusiasm laced with a hint of the gloom that rose over the horizon. The perception is still prevalent today that the bomb prevented an invasion and saved American lives (Hogan, 146).Estimates are that 170,000 Japanese were killed instantly from the bomb and the ensuing radiation (Anhalt). Most were civilians. Still, the Japanese Cabinet refused to surrender due to their belief in the emperor as a God. As

Global health issue - Lung Cancer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global health issue - Lung Cancer - Assignment Example Likewise, case-control studies and recent prospective cohort which have factored tobacco smoking and occupational and various cancer risk factors, have constantly to report upsurges in lung cancer related to air pollution. In light of the done research, the question is perhaps not â€Å"Are some lung cancers caused by air pollution?†, but rather â€Å"What are the excess cases likely to be caused? The existing evidence from the research suggests that proper education and awareness of the negative consequences will relatively assist to lessen the possibility and effectively cure the issues related to lung cancer but silent on the specific environmental risk factors related to air pollution. This is a concern for lung cancer is attributable to air pollution that can occur among both notorious smokers and non-smokers, and thus both effect modification and residual confounding of the air pollution and another environmental relative risk due to smoking must be well-thought-out. Na fstad et al report the relative risks of air pollution adjusted for cigarette smoking, but adjustment cannot have organized completely for possible confounding. The authors recognize that their research has information or details on cigarette smoking merely at the start of the follow-up period. Further studies and real-time solutions of outdoor air pollution globally and lung cancer in will need to detail concurrent or past exposures to various risk factors, particularly now that there is an increasing trend in the rates of global warming.

Age of the Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Age of the Image - Essay Example This paper analyzes the image Omayra Sanchez by Frank Fournier. Omayra Sanchez was a 13-year-old girl was one of the victims of the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcano that took place in Columbia. The analysis will show the tremendous impact of the image in defining Omayra Sanchez, the Columbian government, and the photographer (BBC 1). The Nevado del Ruiz volcano is a living stratovolcano that generates deadly volcanic mudflows in Colombia (The Famous Pictures Collection 1). In November 13, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted leading to a blanket of ash that covered the town of Armero and buried villages with mud (The Famous Pictures Collection 1). The image relates to the Age of the Image that defines the transformation of literacy through the ages leading to the interaction between words and images in modern culture (Apkon and Martin 1). Indeed, upon publication, the "Agony of Omayra SÃ ¡nchez" had tremendous impact due to the controversy and information it derived about the Colom bia government, humanitarian organizations, Omayra SÃ ¡nchez, and Frank Fournier (Obviousmag 1). The photographer’s role and the Colombian government’s inaction were aspects that dominated the publication of the "Agony of Omayra SÃ ¡nchez." Buried up to her waist in concrete debris from her own home and submerged up to her neck in freezing water, the 13-year girl manifested profound courage and dignity as she agonized for about 60 hours (BBC 1). The photo depicted her pasty-white shriveled hands and bloodshot eyes.

Defining the Nature of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defining the Nature of Happiness - Essay Example The happier you are, the better your life is going for you. Yet the nature of happiness remains controversial. Some claim that happiness is fundamentally a matter of sensory pleasure and pain - if you are experiencing a favorable balance of pleasurable sensations over painful ones, you are happy. Others say that to be happy is to be getting your desires satisfied, whatever these desires may be. Still others say that to be happy is to be satisfied with your life as a whole."1 There are many ways which a person can do to himself to feel happy. Everybody is in the pursuit of happiness and in my view there is no way that person feel ultimate happiness. Some aspect of art and some of science are necessary for sense happiness for short time period. Nothing is forever neither happiness; it doesn't mean that the person feel guilty or sad because of that thing which made him happy. Everybody after sometime will have new aim to fulfill which they think will make them happy. Satisfaction leads to happiness, so in whatever condition we are we should do ignore our bigger aims and concentrate on little things which will make us happy on daily basis. We should count all our blessings and write it in a journal which will give you satisfaction. You should practice some acts of kindness like give charity or help someone genuinely. Relish joys of life, remember all the good moments of your life which will make you smile in less happy moments. If there is a mentor who has helped you in any way which had made things better in your life, thank him. Forgive a person who has hurt you by writing an email or giving him a phone call and it will help you a lot to move on. Personal relationship should be developed like visit family or spend time with friends; you will not feel lonely and sad. There is nobody who hasn't seen hardships of life, so religion will be your savior and believe in 'this shall too pass'. You have to take a lot of care of your body because healthy life is necessary to be happy, irregular timings of sleeps and meals will lead to sickness and you will be worried. Take plenty of sleep, practice smiling and exercise to feel better3. One of the greatest delusions related to happiness is that one need money to be happy. But if you study people around then you will feel there is not much truth in it, as rich people do not automatically become happy if they get money and poor people do not automatically unhappy if they don't get money4. Another big misconception about happiness is that one needs someone else to be happy. Happiness comes from within oneself and a person can himself control their happiness. The third big misconception about being happy is that one needs to be lucky to be happy. Happiness doesn't depend on luck. Happiness is to open oneself to happiness and to look for places where one can find happiness. So one should have a positive approach towards life; one should not wait for happiness to come to them but you have to open your life to be happy. There are many realistic benefits which can cultivate higher levels of personal importance, satisfaction and happiness, besides just "feeling

Contrasting the View of the Ultimate Reality in Relation to Science Essay Example for Free

Contrasting the View of the Ultimate Reality in Relation to Science Essay What compels mankind to seek unity between, science and religion, two compartmentalized and distinct aspects of our world? John Polkinghorne states, in â€Å"Does God Act in the Physical World†, â€Å"The demand for an integrated account of both theological and scientific insight impels us to the task† (Polkinghorne 59). Yet Polkinghorne is not alone is his quest; in â€Å"Emptiness and Form† Fritjof Capra connects the ultimate reality with the physical world. While Polkinghorne and Capra agree on certain ideals, such as the man’s inability to fully grasp the ultimate and the incorporation of quantum mechanics in each one’s respective argument, they also contrast in terms of the religions they use to defend their argument. This leads to differences in their views on the ultimate and His interaction with the physical world. While this leads to two distinct and diverse arguments, I believe that both arguments are equally presented in a reputable and successful manner. At one point in each of their respective arguments, Polkinghorne and Capra clearly state that the understanding of the ultimate reality cannot be fully understood by humankind. Polkinghorne writes, â€Å"We are a long way from a full understanding of our own powers of agency, let alone how it is that God works in the world† (Polkinghorne 74). Due to our limited minds and capabilities, mankind will never be able to fully grasp the ultimate reality in its full essence. It is quite mindboggling, if not impossible, to fully understand the ultimate reality, when it is as an infinite and omnipresent being. â€Å"The reality underlying all phenomena is beyond all forms and defies all description and specification† (Capra 211). The professor who taught my freshman Colloquium on Science and Religion once stated that God cannot be put in a test tube. While he did say this statement as a means to refute the existence of an ultimate reality, his assertion is valid; there is only so much we can know about the divine. It is crucial that both Polkinghorne and Capra affirm this position in order to clarify that while it is possible to unify the ultimate reality with the physical world, we will never fully understand the relationship. In evolution terms, there seems to be a â€Å"missing link† that allows us to connect both aspects. Also, both Polkinghorne and Capra use the ideas and concepts of quantum mechanics as premises when connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Capra’s discussion of electrons and photons becomes the premise for one of his deductions. Capra writes, â€Å"The full interaction between the electrons will involve a series of photon exchanges†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (216). This leads to the assertion that there are no true forces in the subatomic world but that these interactions are due to the exchange of particles, that according to the quantum field theory are created and destroyed (Capra 217). These two premises lead Capra to state, â€Å"The electromagnetic forces are due to the presence of virtual photons ‘within’ charged particles†¦[and]†¦the forces between particles appear as intrinsic properties of the particles. † After deducing this premise Capra goes on to say, â€Å"Such a view of forces is also characteristic of Eastern mysticism which regards motion and change as essential and intrinsic properties of all things† (221). In order to clarify this statement he utilizes aspects of Chinese religion and explains how this assumption of quantum mechanics is connected to the ultimate reality. Like Capra, Polkinghorne makes use of the theories and ideas of quantum mechanics as premise to relate the ultimate with the physical. One of the ideas he uses is the chaos theory. The theory says that events in a chaotic system are random but Polkinghorne employs this theory in his argument in order to show how deterministic chaos is not a valid argument, which will eventually lead to his idea of an open system. He says, â€Å"A chaotic system is not totally ‘chaotic’ in the popular sense, corresponding to absolutely random behavior. † There are certain possibilities known as a â€Å"strange attractor† and its limited to a certain extent, but this â€Å"detailed future behaviour of a chaotic system is unknowable† (Polkinhorne 52). Later on in his argument, Polkinghorne discusses the idea of deterministic chaos and consider it from a different viewpoint. He writes: Instead of adopting the conventional strategy of saying this shows that simple determinism underlies even apparently complex random behavior, I prefer the realist strategy of seeking the closest alignment of ontology and epistemology†¦[which] has the additional advantage of accommodating the notion of top-down causality in a natural way (Polkinghorne 64). The premise of top-down causality leads to his connection of the ultimate reality with the physical world and that God interacts with the world in a top-down fashion. If the ultimate reality does truly interact with the world, then this will lead to the discussion of an open system in which Polkinghorne also uses the basis of quantum mechanics in order to make a postulation. Another major theories Polkinghorne frequently refers to in his argument is the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which states that we cannot simultaneously know the position and momentum of any particle (53). This idea of uncertainty in the physical world is the premise that leads to Polkinghorne’s assumption of the universe as an open system. He writes, â€Å"The ‘gaps’ of quantum uncertainty operate only in particular circumstances†¦to produce an openness at the lever of classical physics† (Polkinghorne 60). While Polkinghorne advocates the idea of an open system, it is evident that his counter partner, Capra, sees the universe as a closed system. One of the major differences between Capra and Polkinghorne is the concept of a closed system versus an open system. Capra respectively agrees and accepts with the view of the universe as a closed system. Capra explains this concept by first explaining the idea of matter and empty space or the full and the void. He discusses how these are interconnected. â€Å"The two cannot be distinguished† (Capra 208). In Eastern religions, this Void â€Å"has an infinite creative potential†¦[which]†¦like the quantum field, it gives birth to an infinite variety of forms which it sustains and eventually reabsorbs† (Capra 212). The notion of it sustaining itself and reabsorbing leads to the idea of a system that is set up and is able to maintain itself without the help of an ultimate being. Buddhism expressed this idea of form and emptiness in a single whole entity. Capra quotes, â€Å"‘Form is emptiness, and emptiness is indeed form. Emptiness is not different from form, form is not different from emptiness. What is form that is emptiness, what is emptiness that is form’† (215). Also, Capra states that this form and emptiness is elevated into a vacuum diagram that â€Å"contains an unlimited number of particles which come into being and vanish without end. † This â€Å"physical vacuum†¦contains the potentiality for all forms of the particle world† (Capra 222). This system implies that the relationship between the ultimate reality and the physical world is one where the divine has set up system and does not intervene in our world. This premise eventually leads to the idea that there is no free will and that the universe is determined. This view of the universe completely changes the way we perceive the world. Without free will morals and ethics lose validity and are worthless to society. It is quite evident that Polkinghorne disagrees with this concept and presents his views of an open system. Polkinghorne would classify the idea of a universe as an closed system under â€Å"a minimalist response [which] is to decline to speak of particular divine actions and to confine theological talk to the single great act of holding the universe in being. † Polkinghorne believes that most scientists do not even consider this notion of a minimalist to be valid. He states that while God did establish the laws and set up the universe, this does not impede his interaction in the universe (Polkinghorne 54). He sees the connection between the ultimate reality and the physical world as â€Å"relating divine agency to human agency. † Polkinghorne explains, â€Å"When we act, we seem to do so as total beings† (57). Therefore God acts in the same as humans do, but it is seen as a God in relation to his creation. This premise leads to the top-down notion of the parts depending on the whole. With this top-down premise, Polkinghorne strengthens his argument of an open system by exhibiting that we are dependent on God, whether through the establishment of the laws or divine intervention in the universe. Polkinghorne also classifies the closed system as a â€Å"block universe†. He writes, â€Å"It is sometimes claimed that science endorses the alternative view that the universe ‘is’ rather than ‘becomes’† (Polkinghorne 68). This implies that the universe has a certain determinacy and that God does not act in the universe. Since the universe â€Å"is†, then it is conclusive that God must know the future because it is already determined. The view of the open system appears to be more logical and realistic, but at the expense of God’s infinite and omnipresent capabilities. He says, â€Å"†¦it is the universe of becoming that is the correct picture, then surely God must know it in its temporality, as it actually is. God must not just know that events are successive; they must be known in their succession† (Polkinghorne 69). While I agree that the universe is an open system, it cannot be at the expenditure of God. Say a person is on a roof looking down at an intersection; he can see all and everything laid out before him. He observes two cars coming at the intersection at the same time and foresees an accident. This is analogous to God and the universe, where God is in a position to see all and foretell all. Obviously, this is not a perfect analogy since the person is constricted by time and therefore could be incorrect in his assumptions. Therefore, if we accept the premise that God is infinite and outside the constricts of time, then we can conclude that God or the ultimate reality knows the future in an open system. The most crucial difference between the arguments of Polkinghorne and Capra is their definition of the ultimate reality. In each of their respective claims, the view of the ultimate reality has a drastic effect on the outcome of each argument. The belief in certain characteristics of an ultimate reality is important when there is an attempt to connect it to the physical world. Through further analysis of both arguments, it is evident that the difference between Polkinghorne and Capra is basically a Western Religion versus Eastern Religion discussion. It is evident that Capra takes the side of Eastern Religion; his book is titled The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. Throughout his argument he constantly refers to the ideas and beliefs of religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese religion. He quotes from their texts in an attempt to connect their ultimate reality with the physical world. On the other hand, Polkinghorne utilizes Western religion as a means of connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Specifically he uses the values and teachings of Christian traditions. He says that the discussion of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world is â€Å"a perennial issue on the Christian agenda† (Polkinghorne 48). One aspect of the arguments that I found to be perplexing was the use of the same laws of the physical world as at he basis of each author’s respective argument. Obviously, Polkinghorne and Capra have their own agenda and argument. Therefore, what does this say about the laws of the physical world; can they simply manipulate to agree with any form of the ultimate? This cannot be valid or then the laws of the physical world can be disfigured in order to fit any belief system or value; either Polkinghorne must be right and Capra wrong, or vice versa. We cannot accept this dualistic view of the world that the universe can be open in some instances and closed in others. Yet, this view arises when we fail to realize that there is one ultimate reality or truth. If there was one truth, then there would only be one way to connect this ultimate to the physical world. At the same time, we cannot say that Polkinghorne is correct and Capra is wrong, or vice versa. If the premises that they base their arguments off are valid then we cannot deduce which argument is better, but only say that it is a conflict of realities. The success of the arguments lies in the belief of the premises of the religious and physical world. Faith is the true deciding factor that will allow us to declare a winner in this pursuit of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world. If we assume that the premises of the physical world and quantum mechanics in each argument to be the same, then the only significant difference between each argument is the view of the ultimate reality. Since I have Christian traditions and beliefs I would strongly side with Polkinghorne’s argument. Yet, if there is a person who has no solid beliefs, then these two arguments would seem valid and justifiable in their eyes, due to their lack of knowledge of the ultimate reality.