Frank OConnors My Oedipus Complex free essay sample

Frank OConnors literary piece, My Oedipus Complex portrays childhood in a subverted ight. He is exploring exaggerated aspects of mother-child relationships as a reflection upon human nature. Themes and ideas present within the story are of possession, in the protagonists view of his mother, and of jealousy. This short story shows the faults and dangers of human nature. Possession is a motif that permeates the text. Through a first person narration, the reader is able to have an insight into the main characters perspective. what mother and I should do during the day. This quote shows the world that Larry, the child, exists within. Larrys life is an exclusion of all things except hi and his mother. The line is an extract of Larrys play, and imagination involving a dialogue between his feet. This technique of identifying Larrys feet with conscience allows for the reader to infer the main characters thoughts. We will write a custom essay sample on Frank OConnors My Oedipus Complex or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As well as this, Larry is shown to classify his mothers attention as his own. my time with mother. The use of the possessive pronoun in Larrys inner narration allows the audience to gauge his views. It shows the demanding nature that Larry feels toward his mother. This story shows the human flaw of possession through the character of Larry. Jealousy is another theme present within the story. Through the introduction of various figures, the attention that Larry recieves is diminished. The entrance of his father is a major disruption to Larrys life. Described as, a stranger, a total stranger , the paternal entity is now a source of jealousy. The repeated assertion of unacknowledgement and disassociation is a representation of Larry;s inner turmoil. Another example of this is the quote, Mrs Right right talked of the trouble that she had with her own father, till she put him in the Home. This is another representation of Larrys views and ideas through the use of an indirect medium, i. e. Larrys feet. The aspect of jealousy is explained and explored in Frank OConnors short story. Through the main characaters mentality, the short story is able to explore human nature. Frank OConnors piece shows the faults and flaws in human nature

Definition and importance of a tree butt

Definition and importance of a tree butt The butt of a tree is its bottom portion and this basal portion of the trunk is distinctively different from a trees branches, roots, and upper trunk.   A trees  butt is above the roots but separated from the trunk which continues upward toward the terminal bud A trees butt is often referred to by loggers as the bottom log of a felled tree. The first cut  nearly always starts at the butt or base of the tree for the initial cut. It is the most valuable part of the tree when sold and converted to a wood product A tree butt is also important when tree disease is detected at or near ground level. Butt rot diseases  are serious concerns for tree owners and tree managers. A basal rot will inevitably weaken  the tree to the point where its support system is compromised  resulting in trunk failure and the eventual death of the tree. The butt of a tree is also its most valuable section to a timber grower. If there is a defect in the butt log which by definition is the first 16 feet of a tree trunk, the trees lumber grade is diminished considerably. Butt Rot and Effects on Trees Butt rot  is a serious disease of trees and all species are susceptible to a greater or lesser degree. Fungal pathogens are the primary causal agent of butt rot  and attack the moist, vulnerable and under-protected lower portion of a tree trunk where its largest diameter is recorded. A tree is most  vulnerable to rot where the bottom end of the trunk  stem  makes contact with the  soil. The tree butts location, when diseased, can  attack the roots as well causing a disease known as  root rot. These kinds of  infections are  likely to impair the transport properties of the  xylem  tissue found in the cambial region under the tree bark. Again, it also weakens the stem and makes the plant more vulnerable to toppling. Rot in the area of the tree butt can spread to the roots and/or  move up and into the tree compartment producing a roughly conical column of dead, rotted wood which increases in size proportional to a trees age and ability to compartmentalize and stop the spread. These wood-decay diseases can start as a root or butt disease but can  overlap as both root and  stem decays. Most are caused by Basidiomycota  or fungi. They may get in through wounds in the lower part of the tree or penetrate roots directly. Understanding a Butt Log and Its Quality The highest quality logs typically  come from the first or lowest section  called the butt log by timber harvesters. The butt log is where the best, highest quality wood veneer and lumber is found. Wood veneer (usually hardwood) that is sliced  or plywood (usually pine) that is rotary cut  command high prices. It should be noted that high-quality trees with butt log damage or disease will negatively affect what will be paid at the timber harvest time. Buyers of veneer and plywood quality wood will  require certain minimum log lengths depending on the mills operation and set up.   A  common minimum used in North America is  8 feet plus an extra 6 inches  for trim allowance. However, different veneer markets have different requirements for species, wood color and grain quality and can take logs as long as 11 feet plus 6 inches. Top grade veneer logs may have a 14-inch diameter minimum and extra prime grade  can only come from the first butt cut. What is Tree Butt Swell? All trees will have some taper but the most valuable timber tree will maintain a cylinder-like form extending up the trunk. Any extra expansion of  tree trunk butt above the normal stump flare is called butt swell and is normal in some tree species (especially trees on wet sites like cypress and tupelo gum). Sound wood within the butt swell can be used but only as non-construction materials including wood chips and specialty items. Timber cutters are  recommended to cut above the swell for construction logs. Butt swell is considered a defect for veneer logs.

Parenting Model Metaphor Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Parenting Model Metaphor - Assignment Example Thin can be compared to parenting-styles change with generations, but the basics stay the same. Jeans could also be the metaphor for the parental role-two legs joined that must function as one garment. I will look through some important concepts that affect parenting (these are concepts that have been introduced in the course work in unit two) and further link them to the metaphor of a pair of jeans. Parents often look to their neighbours, family and collective environment for advice and role-models on how to parent. A group of people assisting the parents in bringing up a child or children is termed collective parenting. This is a bit like mothers and fathers choosing the style of jeans that suits them. They look to see what others are wearing and what is suitable for their age group and body type. The most important thing is choosing a comfortable pair-just like choosing a parenting style that is comfortable for the parent. It’s hard to sustain something if it doesn’t ‘sit right’. (Chapter 12). Because so many people move to different parts of the world in today’s world, parents are cut off from their families who might have, in the past, offered support and advice. It’s like adapting to a new pair of jeans in a style or cut that you are not used to and finding a new style and support structure for changing times. A parents’ coho rts will often feel comfortable with a similar style of parenting just as they might all prefer a similar style of jeans-they can also look back and laugh at the stonewashed pairs they pulled on in the eighties (a reflection of their youth and freedom) and compare them to the more utilitarian and classic pair they wear now: which reflects their changed value system. As people become parents they might become a bit more conservative and not as fashion conscious. It’s also

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

Interpetive - Essay Example In the beginning, the streets of London are represented by Woolf as amazingly pleasing and interesting to people. Walking around the city of London arouses the imaginations and discoveries of identity where people are unbound to shortly become â€Å"a nomad wandering the desert, a mystic staring at the sky, a debauchee in the slums of San Francisco, a soldier heading a revolution, a pariah howling with skepticism and solitude† (Woolf 3). This sense of liberty and independence while walking the streets of London somehow manages to merge the individual identity of the narrator to those of the passing crowd. The narrator is simply carried away by the exquisiteness and magnificence of the city that dissolves any form of her hang-up into a â€Å"central oyster of perceptiveness† (Woolf 1). Her character then becomes identity-less as she absorbs the color and light of the city roads. But when the door shuts on us, all that vanishes. The shell-like covering which our souls hav e excreted to house themselves, to make fro themselves a shape distinct from others, is broken, and there is left of all these wrinkles and roughness a central oyster of perceptiveness, an enormous eye. How beautiful a street is in winter. (Woolf 1) In addition, the freedom that the modern city of London offers to the narrator allows her to lose herself in the crowd, and thus discovers herself inquiring about the everyday life of a dwarf (reference)? This event of losing oneself while exploring the streets of modern London is the fundamental reason that haunts the narrator. As she walks around the city, she witnesses different disturbing realities: a dwarf woman, two blind men, a retard, and the limping ludicrous dance of â€Å"the humped, the twisted, and the deformed† (Woolf 2). These realities have brought deep thinking to the narrator that makes her feel so lost in the modern world. The monstrosities that the narrator has witnessed and the beauty that she has experienced shake her identity and left her unstable. All the way through the narration of Wolf in her essay â€Å"Street Haunting† this feeling of uncertain identity is stressed out by referring to her narrator as â€Å"we† instead of â€Å"I†: â€Å"We shall never know† (Woolf 4) and â€Å"We are no long quite ourselves† (Woolf 1). The very instance of the narrator stepping out her door and into the modern city of London immediately strips off her individuality for anonymity. She can no longer identify herself with the different oddities and, at the same time, beauty that she is witnessing around the streets of modern London. The narrator becomes estranged to herself because she cannot connect anymore to the outside world that is entirely different to her inside world. Indeed, the various technological advances and behavioral changes brought by the rapid modernization of the London’s society highly contribute to the new definition and understanding of mobility, communication, time, and speed. Contrastingly, these advances and changes have also expanded the modern London outside the limits of coherent perception making the city unfathomable and too intricate for people to figure out. The enormity of the modern society and how it has become incomprehensible is repeatedly expressed in the essay. The narrator’s encounter at the second-hand bookstore conveys how she finds it

New business challenges in the Saudi market Thesis

New business challenges in the Saudi market - Thesis Example The objective of this research is to acquire a better insight business challenges in the Saudi market. Many emerging economies have been turning to their new businesses for economic growth. This has been the primary drivers of economic growth for most of the emerging and developing economies. Also, majority of the businesses in many countries worldwide are dotted with these new businesses. However, in Saudi Arabia, the performances of their new businesses have been very dismal. In fact, despite accounting for over 90% of their industries, these start-up companies only manage to employ less than a quarter of their labor force. As such, this situation has been believed to be a strong contributor to the high unemployment rate in the country. However, it seems that problems beyond entrepreneurship drives are pervasive in the country. In fact, there are many foreign workers in the country and statistics show that foreign male workers hold an even bigger chunk of employment than their Saud i counterparts. This has shown a more systemic problem in the country involving the education system of Saudi Arabia. Also, there should be an increase in the contribution to the economy from the private sector and the paper will attempt to explain the underlying problems affecting the new businesses in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, there policies of the country such as the Nitaqat and Saudization will be explored so as to shed more understanding into the possible solutions to the wanting contribution of the private sector in the country’s economy. ... The country is governed by a monarchy system of government and is a predominantly Muslim country. It is among the richest nations among the Arab states and this is mainly due to the oil that it exports. In 2010, the country’s oil fields churned out approximately 10.5 billion barrels per day (bbl) and so far, this has been the greatest source of revenue for this Arab state (CIA World Factbook, 2011 and Library of Congress, 2006). However, there is a growing need to diversify the sources of income for the government and basically, the country cannot forever rely on the public sector and its oil to be the only revenue generators for the country. Therefore, the country needs to encourage the strong growth of the public sector, especially the new businesses that will have to provide the necessary diversity to the Saudi economy as well as the needed boost for its economic growth. Although the country enjoy a relative prominence among its regional neighbours, the economic weakness of the country is seeping out reflected by the increasing unemployment in the kingdom. According to the ILO (2010), the global crisis that emanated from the deep recession among the advanced economies has adversely affected Saudi Arabia’s economy. Being among the world’s most voracious oil consumers, it is easy to see why the deep downturn in the advanced economies has greatly affected the economy of oil producers, most notably Saudi Arabia. The adverse effect of the economic turmoil that deepened the problem of unemployment in Saudi Arabia clearly demonstrates the lack of diversity in its economy since it is heavily reliant on oil. This commodity has been largely controlled by the state therefore it is easy to see why the public sector has been

The Introduction To What Is Learning?

The Introduction To What Is Learning? Philosophy is taking a theory on what one believes and why s/he believes, and these beliefs are based on ethics. It is also based on how and what one thinks about something. In short, philosophy is ideas that create reality and makes ones view clear. In this paper, in order to address my philosophy of education with regard to the Zambian education system, the purpose of education, what learning is, and what teaching is, will be discussed. Thereafter, my educational philosophical statement shall be discussed to summarize my final paper on Teacher Education. In the first place, this paper will look at the purpose of education for Zambia, at its different stages of development to what it is and serves at the moment. Purpose of Education: Education, in the Zambian scenario, has moved from indigenous, pre colonial, colonial, post colonial and after independence to the present times. It has also continued to move through the three political republics and economic phases the country has experienced. In all these periods, the school system and the education at large have tried to answer to the demands of the prevailing trends and were tailored to satisfy the needs of society at that time. This is because political changes define the purpose of education when a particular party is in power or leadership. From time immemorial, before formal education came into existence, Africans and Zambians in particular, had their indigenous form of education, which usually stressed on communal and social aspects of life rather than on individual and competitive aspect. This was true as everyone in the community took responsibility in making sure that certain values in the community were preserved. This was also part of each community members social responsibility for the common good of all. This, therefore, made this kind of education meaningful, unifying, holistic, effective, practical and relevant since it was meant to address immediate social and communal concerns. In todays education system, these characteristics can still create meaning though with a broader view of addressing both immediate and long term problems. The education offered must possess the above characteristics if it has to promote healthy democratic societies of this century. Indeed this kind of education is relevant as it addr esses the whole human being in his/her entirety. During pre colonial and colonial times, schools did not take into consideration various needs of the people, especially indigenous locals. Colonial masters and settlers gave minimal education to Zambians, which later proved to be a source of economic inequalities and social stratification, as well as an instrument of imperialism. This kind of education was not just inadequate but was also largely irrelevant to the needs of the locals (Kelly, 1999). On the other hand, missionaries introduced some kind of formal education to Zambians. This education condemned the African indigenous ways of teaching and learning to the strongest terms and labeling it as paganism or worship of idols. In their quest to introduce some form of western education, missionaries faced difficulties converting the elderly Africans. This made them target young people so that they could teach them how to read in order to help spread the gospel messages to the locals. However, this formal education given to Zambians was also just limited to learning literacy and numeracy, while other missionaries tried to develop locals skills in the vocational type of education, that is, Agriculture, Carpentry, Black smith, and many other skills. This was said to be a better way of improving the living standards of the African locals. To the contrary, the skills imparted in young Africans were meant to serve the colonial masters and missionary interests. With all the efforts missionaries put in to bring some form of formal education, colonial masters did not support the idea. Instead, the Northern Rhodesia government pursued an education policy designed to foster a rural school system biased toward education of the masses, preparing them to work in a rural setting and consolidating a conservative social order, based on tribal authority, in the interest of a settler class (Camody, 1992). This type of school system was meant to keep the Zambian locals under developed even when natural resources, such as Copper, earnings and taxes were being collected form Northern Rhodesia. The colonial government made sure that if education was to be provided, it did not go beyond primary or elementary level. It was believed that locals with this kind or level of education would carry out clerical and vocational kind of jobs for the white settlers and colonial masters with less difficulty. After independence, Zambia realized the importance of formal education to its locals. This had to be done by constructing more Primary and Secondary schools. From that time to the present, most locals look at schools as liberators and a stepping stone to a brighter and better future life. During pre colonial and colonial times, locals that received good education also got some good jobs. With good education and good jobs, living standards of some people was seen to be changing for the better as they could afford basic necessities when they got their pay. With this clear view of what education could do, Zambians realized the need for their children to go to school and get jobs that they could not get before independence. The school today is seen as a window toward economic independence for a family as one member gets a good paying job. It is believed that going to school is the best chance Zambian children have to take control of their lives. This is because an educated population wi ll help tackle the overwhelming problems of poverty. For a Zambian child today, the opportunity to stay in school and obtain a secondary education can mean the whole world to a young student. This is surely the chance to keep learning, developing and dreaming, as the gift of education is one that really never stops giving. As Young (1971) stated that, for children from disadvantaged homes, active participation in school may be the only opportunity that they have to acquire powerful knowledge and be able to move, intellectually at least, beyond their local and the particular circumstances. Most schools in Zambia have provided this service to many as they have rekindled the urge to learn and abilities imbedded in most people who might not have realized their potential without the current school system or education. The current Zambian government has developed a policy of universal free primary education. This has allowed enrollment of about 95% primary school age children with about 2 0% continuing to secondary school level and 2% of the 20 to 24 age group in tertiary level (www.unicef.org/zambia/children). This shows that drop out rate is very high and only about one third of children enrolled at first grade reach the anticipated levels at grade six. Without schools, Zambia would not have seen the current development and economic growth. The school system has helped tap talent and skill in most young Zambians who have in turn contributed to the economic and social being of our country. For sure the knowledge acquired in school may not have been acquired at home. So, we see that the purpose of education is to make sure that learners gain access to different specialist fields of knowledge, thus uplifting their social economic status in life. However, the school in Zambia needs to do more as many reasons why it existed in pre colonial and colonial times are still evident that only a few rich are able to access high and tertiary education. The poor have had difficulties realizing their dreams as they cannot afford the expensive education, which can easily change their social economic status in a short time once acquired. Only a selected few and their families achieve or attain this purpose. The curriculum seems to promote the interests of the rich and powerful citizens of our time. Politicians and ministers send their children to good schools, which are well funded and with qualified teachers while the poor people will send their children to mostly public schools, which are also poorly equipped and lack teachers. Higher education is equally very expensive making it only accessible by the few rich people. It is like a school is not, truly, just a place where everyone is special. Therefore, it is important that education is given to all regardless of their social and economic status. Government must provide equal access and same conditions to all public schools. Boyer, in his book The Basic School says that, a school is a place where everyone comes together to promote learning. If everyone is allowed to come to any school of choice in terms of specialty, then sharing of ideas will cater across all sections of life. These ideas put together would bring about national development for the good of our country. Above all, the purpose of education for the future of Zambia should be to create democratic citizens. Democracy is mentioned and stated in various forums and is documented but is also less practiced or not put into practice at all. The effective democratic principles need to be imparted in each and every learner so that the political climate and values are protected in our nation. Since the school is a disciplined place, students begin to understand that everyone lives within limits, along with free dom, and that the rights of others must be sensitively respected. Therefore, it is true to say schools have a unique role to reproduce human societies and in providing the conditions which enable them to innovate and change. Society must change as times change and try to be innovative with new ideas to ease human conditions of survival, in order to be at par with latest demands and changes in the education system. Without schools, life would have been as difficult as the world would have been fragmented and underdeveloped. Without schools, each group of people would have had difficulties to begin doing things, thus making life for each generation difficult. This is because education is there to assure coherence or continuity from one generation to the next. Schools are important for each generation as we live in a world of new developments. However, this education can only be meaningful if the learning that goes on the schools has meaning. So, what students learn, help in defining what the purpose of education is for a country like Zambia to develo p, but the question may be asked as to what really is learning? What is Learning? Learning is a wider term that may not have one specific meaning. However, it can easily be defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, or study or by being taught. This knowledge acquired is usually new or the modification of existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types. Websters Dictionary also defines learning as the act or experience of one that learn; knowledge of skill acquired by instruction or study; modification of a behavioural tendency by experience. Basically, from an educators perspective, learning involves helping people along the learning process, and learning includes all of the things that we do to make it happen. As an end result, we know that learning occurs when people take newfound information and incorporate it into their life. Munsaka (2011) defines learning as a relatively permanent change that happens to behaviour and/or knowledge due to experience. So, learning m ust bring some form of change in one in order to be meaningful and qualify as learning. Children learn in many ways, as can be confirmed through the many theories of learning that notable scientists and researcher have devised, such as Humanist, Behaviorism, Social Learning, Cognitive, Critical Reflection and/or Constructivism. Humanists believe that learners will naturally progress toward increased competence, autonomy, freedom, and fulfillment, while Behaviorism emphasizes on changes in observable behaviors. Social learning theorists explain that most of what children learn is through observation and interactions with other learners in a social context. Cognitive learning is a process occurring inside the learner in an attempt to make sense out of the world and give meaning to experiences, while Critical Reflection refers to learning that is deeper, more fundamental, relating to values, philosophical, and worldview and the nature of knowledge itself. Constructivists look at the importance of active involvement of learners in constructing knowledge for themselves. Cons tructivism, therefore, emphasizes top-down kind of learning, that is, begin with complex problems and teach basic skills while solving these problems. In todays learning, how children learn is just as important as what they learn. They are taught the basic skills in all the fundamental areas and also to be active seekers of information and constructors of knowledge. This is accomplished through learning activities that emphasize problem solving, communication, collaboration, seeking connections, technology, and engaged learning as children are actively involvement in the learning process. This is opposed to the current system where it is expected that learning goals should be achieved by a certain age, (Medina, 2008: 67). So, one of the first things a teacher must do when considering how children learn is to acknowledge that each child does not learn in the same way. This means children develop at different rates even when they are of the same grade or at the same age. Therefore, un derstanding the learners before they learn is inevitable. Because of this, some will learn better by modeling others, while some learn better when either positively or negatively reinforced or motivated. On the other hand, many children will learn well when they do things for themselves. This has not been the case in many instances as children are usually viewed as blank slates, meaning people who do not know anything until the teacher has imparted something in them. Since learning refers to changes in the learners knowledge that arise from experience, learners should not be viewed as passive receivers of information, but rather as active participants in the process of generating knowledge (Munsaka, 2011). Learning can, therefore, be viewed from the perspective of the changes that take place in behaviour and/or the changes that take place in knowledge through learners own initiative to create their own content or information to learn. Our role as teachers is to make sure that as ch ildren learn; they gain knowledge in the learning process and actually implement the new skills over a long period of time. For learning to take place, learners must be actively involved in the learning process. Some interaction of some kind between a learner and his/her environment should happen. This means the learner determines the course of learning as s/he tries to solve problems and constructs ideas to answer to the questions at hand. In this case, the teacher acts as a guide who assists the learners to make sense of the information recorded in order to create meaning through correct interpretation. Resnick (1989: 2), states that, learning occurs not by recording information but by interpreting it. It is very true that learning occurs when the students are confronted with something new or different from what they already know. Learners learn when they respond by incorporating new ideas, adapting to the new environment or even rejecting what is new. As learners attack or respond to new ideas, it is the duty of the teacher to help out as learners are not the sole players in the constructivist learning process. Other players, such as tutors, lecturers, and friends are very important if meaningful learning is to take place. Since learners are allowed to build their own understanding from various sources and make this learning a very personal construct, I believe constructivism is the way to go if learning has to be relevant to learners. For instance, in my teaching of Art and Design, learners are at liberty to determine what they want to know and how they want to learn, especially with their practical learning, which requires them to produce artifacts. At the moment, the students use sketch books to draw and come up with artworks of their choice and ideas. However, to design effective environments, one needs a very good understanding of what learners know when they come to the classroom. Constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge or experience. In other words, learning involves constructing ones own knowledge from ones own experiences. (Devries Zan, 2003) Constructivist learning, therefore, is a very personal endeavor, whereby internalized concepts, rules, and general principles may consequently be applied in a practical lesson. Regardless of the variety of content, constructivism promotes a students free exploration within a given framework or structure. Learners have to construct and do what they want to learn since Constructivism demands that learning be an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. This knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment and learners continuously test these hypotheses through social negotiation. Each learner has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process. The learner therefore is not a blank slate (tabula rasa) as other theories might suggest but brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation. The teacher acts as a facilitator who encourages students to discover principles for themselves and to construct knowledge by workin g to solve realistic problems. Aspects of constructivism can be found in self-directed learning, transformational learning, and experiential learning. I strongly believe that learning makes sense when learners determine what they want to learn. Learning also brings meaning when learners discover for themselves and can learn from even unexpected sources. If all teachers can give room for learners to decide what and how they want to learn, then learning will make meaning, be exciting and also relevant to the learners. This, however, does not rule out the importance of teaching. A teacher remains important in the learning process, thus the need to look at what teaching really is and what it does to complete the whole process of learning. Though learning can take place without a teacher, guidance is cardinal in order to be systematic in the learning process of students. What then is teaching and what role does it play in the education of students? What is Teaching? Teaching is a term that one may not be so clear if in its definition learners are not mentioned anywhere. Most importantly, the two cannot be separated as they go hand in hand. Teaching, in my view, is learning, challenging, trying in great ways, and is caring for the learners as it involves helping them. Anderson and Burns (1989) defines teaching as an interpersonal, interactive activity, typically involving verbal communication, which is undertaken for the purpose of helping one or more students learn or change the ways in which they can or will behave. So, we see that teaching is a process which is designed and performed to produce change in behaviour of students. It is however important to realize that the purpose is not to teach students how to memorize information, or how to know all the correct answers, but it lies in getting students to truly understand the concepts being put across for their benefit. If well handled, teaching is a profession that can produce something amazin g when the right ideas and beliefs are implemented in the classroom. Therefore, teaching refers to the teachers construction of environments for the students that are intended to foster changes in the learners knowledge and behaviour. (Gagne, 1974) As a strong supporter and believer of constructivist theory, I always acknowledge that no one learner learns the same way as the other. Each learner learns in his/her own way and understands things differently. Hence, careful selection of styles or methods of teaching would be of help for better comprehension in learners. This means if a teacher chooses just one style of teaching, the students will not be maximizing their learning potential. However, in my style of teaching, I have in many times believed that students can construct their own learning and that all students have something to contribute to the classroom environment. By connecting students learning to something they know, they get involved in their works with the seriousness it deserves and are motivated more than ever before. My job solely remains as a facilitator, where I clearly guide and assist the students through their tasks and their own discoveries. As a guide, I provide access to information rather than acting a s a primary source of information. This allows students to search for knowledge through the artifacts they make, thus answering to the questions on their minds. So, for students to construct knowledge, they need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in real situations. Providing students access to hands on activities and allowing adequate time and space to use materials that reinforce the topic being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery and construction of knowledge to take place. I take learning in a direction relevant to students interest by asking them to come up with their own practical projects. In this way, students generate ideas and set goals that make for much richer activities than I could have created or imagined myself. Therefore, I view teaching as a process of encouraging students to make links between their real world experiences and the subject being studied. In Art and Design, it is important to provide students with hand s on activities because it makes students have ownership in the project or activity. They are motivated to work hard and master the skills necessary to reach their potential and/or goals. Being clear, however, about my expectations and communicating them clearly helps my students to learn more and perform better. Teaching is not just telling and supplying students with facts and information in much the same way that an empty glass is filled or a plain paper is filled with writings or even as though they were blank slates, as convinced by most of the behaviorists. These educational practices have been successful at producing proficiency in the lower order skills measured on many tests, but have generally met with little success in developing the kind of knowledge and abilities that students need in real life situations (National Assessment of Education Progress, 1981). Newer understanding of how people learn present a formation of teaching that focuses on developing thinking students who understand and can use what they learn. This idea is what is termed as constructivist because it sees learning as an active internal process in which learners actively create knowledge by connecting new information to what they already know, rather than as a process in which learners are passive recipients of information transferred to them from external sources. Teaching in this way emphasizes on developing students capacities for analysis and problem solving, rather than on having them cover the curriculum in the most efficient manner possible. It is rooted in the assumption that all human beings have a deep drive to make sense of the world (Carini, 1987). Constructivist classrooms function on the basis that learning in school should not be different from the many rich natural forms of learning that students have experienced before they have ever entered the school. Real life situations form the basis for learning and teaching is based on the confidence that in the course of trying to solve practical problems, students have continual opportunities to organize and reorganize their understandings and to develop various access routes to their knowledge. In my teaching, students are allowed to do practical activities, which are mainly hands on type of artworks. My teaching style, based on the constructivist theory of learning, allows students to use their own imaginations and personal experiences to come up with artifacts. As students interact socially, their learning is supported by multiple exposures since they bring into one place various experiences. In this way, they determine their course of learning. They are also allowed to copy and learn from other prominent artists and craftspeople in the community. This gives them an opportunity to learn from other people other than the teacher or lecturer and peers. This kind of learning remains natural as it does not alter the usual form of learning, which the community has always embraced. Although in most cases the choice of a teaching strategy depends on the topic being covered and the availability of teaching resources, the use of materials and tools is definitely inevitable in order to motivate the learners to develop their manipulative skills and to be creative students. Lessons guided by constructivist understandings provide opportunities for the students to actively explore, inquire, discover, and experiment with the materials provided. The learning and teaching materials, which are so essential in the teaching of Art and Design, provide students with insights and practical realities of concepts and theories they are learning. On the other hand, some students l earn well through observation and curiosity. They are able to reproduce artworks of others after learning by observation. In my teaching, I emphasize on the use of a critical eye, asking students to go beyond just looking at things but to see things with an extra eye. Some students learn faster while others learn slower, but the fact is they are able to use their curiosity to learn and do well on what they see. As a teacher who is always there to facilitate teaching and learning, I give more time to the students so that they can perfect their curiosity. Above all, I should know how to employ the most effective teaching and learning strategies to enable students make progress. The whole process of teaching using the constructivist ideas, as a teacher, is to help the students learn as much as their potential permits (Travers et.al, 1993). Using the four practical starting points in Art and design, the teacher makes sure that performance based teaching provides opportunities for real world experiences in which the student can apply prior knowledge, create new understandings and extend their skill in practical ways. Perkinson in Muzumara (2011) also emphasizes that as teachers we need to involve our pupils in the lessons we teach through practical work where they can use their knowledge, manipulative skills and apply their different senses to learn new ideas and develop knowledge and understand. Much of the art lessons are practical, where students usually learn by doing, which helps to enhance and promote the development of processes, manipulative skills, attitudes, as well as the acquisition of knowledge. The available literature, however, reveals that there is not any theory of teaching at all. There are only models or paradigms of teaching. Teaching theory takes a wider viewpoint. Thus, teachers and students are the major variables of teaching theory. It is based upon learning theory, learning conditions and learning mechanisms. Constructivists, therefore, provide students with flexible schedules and lots of time to explore a variety of issues and topics. This gives them the opportunity to temporarily shift their attention, if they want, and their work to focus on other studies and to return, at later dates, to previously unfinished projects or interests. Even if this theory is integrated around a theme and generally consists of more active assignments than written tasks, the ideas in it are developed and organized by someone other than the student, who in this case, is the lecturer or teacher of Art. In contrast, curricula developed through constructivist teaching are not only driv en by students pursuits of their own questions but also are built to include opportunities for students themselves to connect, organize, and integrate their understandings from the information they encounter in the course of their various experiences. As a teacher or lecturer, I act as a guide, a mentor, and an advisor, building bridges between my students individual interests and understandings and the common skills and knowledge society expects them to acquire. Falk (1994) affirms to this fact that constructivist teachers help students understand that there is a place for everyone in the classroom and the school. My philosophy of Education In order to define the purpose of education, what learning is, and indeed what teaching is, it is important also to state my philosophy of my involvement in education, thus my philosophy of education. In my teaching of Art and Design to the students, I have come to believe that my students have something to offer in my art classes. In order to foster critical thinking in my students, my teaching philosophy is to make sure students learn by discovery, do things with their own minds and own creativity. I believe this kind of teaching and learning brings true meaning of what education must be like or is like. By doing things for themselves and directing their learning, students truly understand the concepts for each topic under study. Art and design is a practical subject. In its practicability, it allows me as a lecturer to give guidance and facilitate students learning as they discover relevant information. The practical nature of the subject I teach allows every learner, slower or faster, to give in their best abilities even as I give guidance. Through encouraging students in what they do practically, students are connected to the real world as they produce things they see in the environment through hands on activities. I also believe that as a guide and as an educator, I must accord a fertile ground for my students to meet their fullest potential in their construction of knowledge through the artworks they make. I do this well by providing access to relevant knowledge that will help them develop emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually. The use of a variety of strategies due to a number of topics which require diversity in teaching will be/is considered but students do more of discoveries and construct their own knowledge, thus constructivist theory. A variety of material used in Art and design accords my students a chance to improve their manipulative skills and creativity. As I provide these materials, the students take this opportunity to experiment and discover answers to the questions that puzzle their minds. With the materials provided, students discover information relevant and of interest to their lives, thus self motivation in their own course of study. This also creates ownership of the artifacts for the students. As an educator, my role is to instill the desire to find out more by students as they discover and re discover new information and knowledge through their various artworks. My role as lecturer is to give students the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge. To accomplish this goal, I will teach to the needs of each student so that all can feel capable, competent and successful. I will present the curriculum that involves the interests of the students and makes learning relevant to life. This is easily done when students are directly in hands on learning in order to make them active learners. This ensures learning is tied into the world community to help students become caring and active members of the society, who will also function effectively in a dynamic world. The acquisition of knowledge for long life skills is d

Table Tennis

Table Tennis Table tennis, also known as  ping-pong, is a  sport  in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using  table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allow a ball played toward them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions.A skilled player can impart several varieties of  spinto the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent's options to great advantage. Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization  International Table Tennis Federation  (ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 217 member associations. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Since 1988, table tennis has been an  Olympic sport  with several event catego ries. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles.Since 2008 a team event has been played instead of the doubles. In 2007, the governance for  table tennis for persons with a disability  was transferred from the  International Paralympic Committee  to the ITTF. History The game originated as a sport in England during the 1880s, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. It has been suggested that the game was first developed by British military officers in India or South Africa who brought it back with them.A row of books were stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other. Alternatively table tennis was played with paddles made of cigar box lids and balls made of champagne corks. The popularity of the game led game manufacturers to sell the equipment comm ercially. Early rackets were often pieces of parchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of â€Å"wiff-waff† and â€Å"ping-pong†.A number of sources indicate that the game was first brought to the attention of Hamley's of Regent Street under the name â€Å"Gossima†. The name â€Å"ping-pong† was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901. The name â€Å"ping-pong† then came to be used for the game played by the rather expensive Jaques's equipment, with other manufacturers calling it table tennis. A similar situation arose in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the â€Å"ping-pong† name to Parker Brothers.The next major innovation was by James W Gibb, a British enthusiast of table tennis, who discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and found them to be ideal for the game. This was followed by E. C. Goode who, in 1901, invented the modern version of the racket by fixing a sheet of pimpled, or stippled, rubber to the wooden blade. Table tennis was growing in popularity by 1901 to the extent that table tennis tournaments were being organized, books on table tennis were being written,[8] and an unofficial world championship was held in 1902.During the early 1900s, the game was banned in Russia because the rulers at the time believed that playing the game had an adverse effect on players' eyesight. In 1921, the Table Tennis Association was founded in Britain, and the International Table Tennis Federation followed in 1926. [5][10] London hosted the first official World Championships in 1926. In 1933, the United States Table Tennis Association, now called USA Table Tennis, was formed. In the 1950s, rackets that used a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer changed the game dramatically, introducing greater spin and speed.These were introduced to Britain by sports goods manufactur er S. W. Hancock Ltd. The use of speed glue increased the spin and speed even further, resulting in changes to the equipment to â€Å"slow the game down†. Table tennis was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Olympics in 1988. After the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the International Table Tennis Federation instituted several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator sport. First, the older 38 mm balls were officially replaced by 40 mm balls in 2000.This increased the ball's air resistance and effectively slowed down the game. By that time, players had begun increasing the thickness of the fast sponge layer on their rackets, which made the game excessively fast and difficult to watch on television. Second, the ITTF changed from a 21-point to an 11-point scoring system in 2001. This was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce the server's advantage.Variants of the sport have recently emerged. â€Å"Large-ball† table tennis uses a 44 mm ball, which slows down the game significantly. This has seen some acceptance by players who have a hard time with the extreme spins and speeds of the 40 mm game. There is a move towards reviving the table tennis game that existed prior to the introduction of sponge rubber. â€Å"Hardbat† table tennis players reject the speed and spin of reversed sponge rubber, preferring the 1940–60s play style with no sponge and short-pimpled rubber. Defense is less difficult by decreasing the speed and eliminating any meaningful magnus effect of spin.Because hardbat killer shots are almost impossible to hit against a skilled player, hardbat matches focus on the strategic side of table tennis, requiring skillful maneuvering of the opponent before an attack can become successful. Equipment’s Ball The international rules specify that the game is played with a light 2. 7 gram, 40 mm diameter ball. [16] The rules say that the ball shall bounce up 24–26 cm when dropped from a height of 30. 5 cm on to a standard steel block thereby having a coefficient of restitution of 0. 89 to 0. 92. The 40 mm ball was introduced after the 2000 Olympic Games.However, this created some controversy as the Chinese National Team argued that this was merely to give non-Chinese players a better chance of winning since the new type of balls has a slower speed, while at that time most Chinese players were playing with fast attack and smashes. A 40 mm table tennis ball is slower and spins less than the original 38 mm (1. 5 inch) one. The ball is made of a high-bouncing air-filled celluloid or similar plastics material, colored white or orange, with a matte finish. The choice of ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings.For example, a white ball is easier to see on a gre en or blue table than it is on a gray table. Stars on the ball indicate the quality of the ball. Three stars indicate that it is of the highest quality, and is used in official competition. Table The table is 2. 74 m (9 ft) long, 1. 52 m (5 ft) wide, and 76 cm (30 inch) high with a Masonite (a type of hardboard) or similarly manufactured timber, layered with a smooth, low-friction coating. The table or playing surface is divided into two halves by a 15. 25 cm (6 inch) high net.An ITTF approved table surface must be in a green or blue color. Concrete tables with a steel net are sometimes available in public parks. Racket Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides depending on the grip of the player. The official ITTF term is â€Å"racket†, though â€Å"bat† is common in Britain, and â€Å"paddle† in the U. S. The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the â€Å"blade†, commonly features anywhere between one and seven plies of wood, though cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and Kevlar are sometimes used.According to the ITTF regulations, at least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood. Common wood types include Balsa, Limba, and Cypress or â€Å"Hinoki,† which is popular in Japan. The average size of the blade is about 6. 5 inches (16. 5 cm) long and 6 inches (15 cm) wide. Although the official restrictions only focus on the flatness and rigidness of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles. Table tennis regulations allow different surfaces on each side of the racket.Various types of surfaces provide various levels of spin or speed, and in some cases they nullify spin. For example, a player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side of his racket, and one that provides no spin on the other. By flipping the racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a player distinguish between th e rubber used by his opposing player, international rules specify that one side must be red while the other side must be black. The player has the right to inspect his opponent's racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what color it is.Despite high speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the ball. Current rules state that, unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another racket at any time during a match. Rules Starting a game According to ITTF rule 2. 13. 1, the first service is decided by lot, normally a coin toss. It is also common for one player (or the umpire/scorer) to hide the ball in one or the other hand (usually hidden under the table), allowing the other player to guess which hand the ball is in.The correct or incorrect guess gives the â€Å"winner† the option to choose to serve, receive, or to choose which side of the table to use. (A common but non-sanctioned method is for the players to play the ball back and forth four times and then play out the point. This is commonly referred to as â€Å"play to serve† or â€Å"rally to serve†. ) Service and return In game play, the player serving the ball commences a play. The server first stands with the ball held on the open palm of the hand not carrying the racket, called the freehand, and tosses the ball directly upward without spin, at least 16 centimeters (approximately 6 inches) high.The server strikes the ball with the racket on the ball's descent so that it touches first his court and then touches directly the receiver's court without touching the net assembly. In casual games, many players do not toss the ball upward; however, this is technically illegal and can give the serving player an unfair advantage. The ball must remain behind the endline and above the upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, at all times during the service. The server cannot use his body or cloth ing to obstruct sight of the ball; the opponent and the umpire must have a clear view of the ball at all times.If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service they may first interrupt play and give a warning to the server. If the serve is a clear failure or is doubted again by the umpire after the warning, receiver scores a point. If the service is â€Å"good†, then the receiver must make a â€Å"good† return by hitting the ball back before it bounces a second time on receiver's side of the table so that the ball passes the net and touches the opponent's court, either directly or after touching the net assembly.Thereafter, the server and receiver must alternately make a return until the rally is over. Returning the serve is one of the most difficult parts of the game, as the server's first move is often the least predictable and thus most advantageous shot due to the numerous spin and speed choices at his or her disposal. Let A let is a rally of which the result is not scored, and is called in the following circumstances: The ball touches the net in service, provided the service is otherwise correct or the ball is obstructed by the player on the receiving side.Obstruction means a player touches the ball when it is above or traveling towards the playing surface, not having touched the player's court since last being struck by the player. When the player on the receiving side is not ready and the service is delivered. Player's failure to make a service or a return or to comply with the Laws is due to a disturbance outside the control of the player. Play is interrupted by the umpire or assistant umpire. When time is an issue, some competitions only count a let if a player has over 10 points. If they have less, it counts as a fair shot. This can significantly increase the pace of game.Scoring A point is scored by the player for any of several results of the rally: Opponent fails to make a correct service or return. After making a service or a return, the ball touches anything other than the net assembly before being struck by the opponent. The ball passes over the player's court or beyond his end line without touching his court, after being struck by the opponent. The opponent obstructs the ball. The opponent strikes the ball twice successively. Note that the hand that is holding the racket counts as part of the racket and that making a good return off one's hand or fingers is allowed.It is not a fault if the ball accidentally hits one's hand or fingers and then subsequently hits the racket. The opponent strikes the ball with a side of the racket blade whose surface is not covered with rubber. The opponent moves the playing surface or touches the net assembly. The opponent's free hand touches the playing surface. As a receiver under the expedite system, completing 13 returns in a rally. The opponent has been warned by umpire commits a second offense in the same individual match or team match.If the third offence happens, 2 points will be given to the player. If the individual match or the team match has not ended, any unused penalty points can be transferred to the next game of that match. A game shall be won by the player first scoring 11 points unless both players score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games. In competition play, matches are typically best of five or seven games. Alternation of services and endsService alternates between opponents every two points (regardless of winner of the rally) until the end of the game, unless both players score 10 points or the expedite system is operated, when the sequences of serving and receiving stay the same but each player serves for only 1 point in turn. Player serving first in a game shall receive first in the next game of the match. After each game, players switch sides of the table. In the last possible game of a match, for exa mple the seventh game in a best of seven matches, players change ends when the first player scores 5 points, regardless of whose turn it is to serve.If the sequence of serving and receiving is out of turn or the ends is not changed, points scored in the wrong situation are still calculated and the game shall be resumed with the order at the score that has been reached. Doubles game Service zone in doubles game In addition to games between individual players, pairs may also play table tennis. In doubles, all the rules of single play are applied except for the following. A line painted along the long axis of the table to create doubles courts bisects the table.This line's only purpose is to facilitate the doubles service rule, which is that service, must originate from the right hand â€Å"box† in such a way that the first bounce of the serve bounces once in said right hand box and then must bounce at least once in the opponent side's right hand box (far left box for server), o r the receiving pair score a point. Players must alternate hitting the ball. For example, if A is paired with B, X is paired with Y, A is the server and X is the receiver. The order of play shall be A > X > B > Y. The rally proceeds this way until one side fails to make a legal return and the other side scores.At each change of service, the previous receiver shall become the server and the partner of the previous server shall become the receiver. For example, if the previous order of play is A > X > B > Y, the order becomes X > B > Y > A after the change of service. In each game of a doubles match, the pair having the right to serve first shall choose which of them will do so. The receiving pair, however, can only choose in the first game of the match. When the first server is chosen in the second or the latter games of the match, the first receiver of the game is the player who served to the first server of the game in the preceding game.For example, if the order of play is A > X > B > Y at beginning of the first game, the order begins with X > A > Y > B or Y > B > X > A in the second game depending on either X or Y being chosen as the first server of the game. When a pair reaches 5 points in the final game, the pairs must switch ends of the table and the team that receives the service must switch receiver. For example, when the last order of play before a pair score 5 points in the final game is A > X > B > Y, the order after change shall be A > Y > B > X if A still has the second serve.Otherwise, X is the next server and the order becomes X > A > Y > B. Singles and doubles are both played in international competition, including the Olympic Games since 1988 and the Commonwealth Games since 2002. In 2005, the ITTF announced that doubles table tennis only was featured as a part of team events in the 2008 Olympics. Expedite system If a game is unfinished after 10 minutes' play and fewer than 18 points have been scored, the expedite system is initiated. The umpi re interrupts the game, and the game resumes with players serving for 1 point in turn.If the expedite system is introduced while the ball is not in play, the previous receiver shall serve first. Under the expedite system, the server must win the point before the opponent makes 13 consecutive returns or the point goes to the opponent. The system can also be initiated at any time at the request of both players /or pairs. Once introduced, the expedite system remains in force until the end of the match. A rule to shorten the time of a match, it is mainly seen in defensive players' games.

Express Yourself Through Music Essay

It is clearly the most powerful tool used for expression. It doesn’t judge or discriminate, and there’s always a piece for you. This, of course, is music, which might be the greatest invention known to humans. Music has become an important part of society throughout the world as people use it to express themselves. All it takes is to listen to the very different and contrasting genres of music we have today. Each different type of genre conveys different meanings. Jazz is associated with relaxation, the blues with sorrow, and so on. Whatever instrument it may be, your voice, or a piano, you are expressing yourself. Music provides a great source of communication. For example, if speech was the only form of communication, and there was no smiling, sign language, or music, life would prove to be very dull and unfulfilling. Most music has a purpose, in which the composer/performer is trying to relay a message to their audience. This is especially noticed on the radio, with song after song, each displaying its very own message. Some artists use lyrics in their songs to express explicit messages or to make people think about life and its various lessons. Others want to inspire people, invoking the emotions within, while others are use their demeanor and emotions to relax their listeners. Many songs I have heard have accomplished their goal of seizing the listener. No other song I’ve been in touch with has taken hold of me like Billy Joel’s â€Å"Piano Man†. I believe it to be a classic song and never tire from listening to it. The magnificent and captivating vocals and the smooth flow of the piano brings a sense of happiness and joy about me that is incomparable. Expressing yourself through music can help you keep in touch with how you are feeling. It can also release a lot of tension that you may be carrying around with you. Music can help prevent your feelings from bursting out in situations or ways that are embarrassing and inappropriate. This happens when people get out of touch with their feelings, something that music can help solve. Everyone needs some time to themselves to reflect on their feelings, which can easily be done while listening to music. Being able to express how you feel through music may help you make better decisions about what is right for you now. Your feelings and expressions are closely associated with music. I personally don’t know of anything else (outside of first hand interaction with other human beings) that can affect me the way music does. You can either express the way you feel and get out of that trap, or you can just drown in your problems by playing the sorry blues. All my life I’ve been involved with music and I also realize that music is a difficult, but beautiful thing that people should take more time to appreciate. It is often overlooked as being unimportant, but I know how useful it can be in expressing oneself. In fact, in life, there’s nothing that makes me feel more at peace than music.

Death Of A Salesman Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays

Death Of A Salesman Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Death Of A Salesman On one spring day four black widow spiders (two begin male and 2 begin female) went up a tree in couples of the opposite sex. One couple was foreign to America, the other was not. They were all at their sexual prime and to do a mating ritual called sex. When the foreigners were done the male became very tired and all he wanted to do was sleep, but the much larger female spider flighty and talkative. She wanted to talk of their recent sexual experience, but the male was far too tired and told her to shut-up. Like all women she became emotionally scared and in retaliation she killed her much smaller spouse. Not exactly the June Cleaver type of spider is she? On the other side of the tree lie the American Widows. The female does not feel that sexually active, but she spreads her eight legs and submits herself in honour of her idea of a greater male cause. The fact of the matter is that the American woman never had the chance to fulfill their mission (which is inborn in all of man) to prosper in life, but they cannot do this seeing that they are confined in the kitchen, busy doing the dishes and saying . . .yes dear. Would you like another beer? The role of the American woman (which was to look after the man of the house and the house itself) is vividly exemplified through Linda Loman in Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman. Of course Arthur knows all about the role of women in American society, how do you think his dishes got done when he was writing this play. Before we start to delve in the juicy core of this essay, lets get one thing straight. An aggressive and eager woman makes a powerful difference in the evolution of society. Take Lady Macbeth from William Shaksperes Macbeth. She did wonders for both Scotland and Macbeth. Its really ashame that hes own people decapitated him at the end of the play. Look at Eve from the Bible in the book of Genius. Good old Adam couldnt screwed it up for the rest of mankind without Eves guiding hand. And look at the Mrs. Ramsay from Robertson Davies Fifth Business. Without her, poor Dunny probably wouldnt have joined the army and he would still had his leg that he lost in the war. On a more serious note, women have been deprived to excell in such things as politics for example. I believe the world would be a better place if the women were running it. Oh ya, there would be no war, the estragon of a woman would take care of that, well, except when there PMS-ing or the older ones are having hot flashes. But there is a way around that problem. If the women organized it so there would be at least five to six female Presidents and the one thats in power thats PMS-ing would resign and go have visits intern - Monty Lewinsky while another President takes over. Furthermore there would be no world famine, except when the women are pregnant and there emotional session with Richard Simmons is over and he is out of there sight. It is indeed a fact that if the American Woman were to be treated equal to men (as they should be) I definitely believe that the world or America at least would have been a better place to live in, for the women would be the missing gap in most American situations that spaned outside the kitchen. Although they are not perfect like Lady Macbeth, Eve, and Mrs. Ramsay either are us men. Linda Loman from Death Of A Salesman is one of those women that would have been an excellent as asset to her family and others around her. She was disheartened housewife which fulfilled all the tasks of the usual American housewife - that which is central to accomplish the American Dream(which was a family with a financially success for a father figure, a caring wife that is responsible for cooking, cleaning, support, sex whenever the man demands it, children minimum of two which are of the opposite sex, a nice house, a nice car and of course that white picket fence.) To follow Lindas example as she lives her life is to be considered to most Americans a prime example to go by.

E Government Model Of Public Service Social Policy Essay Example

E Government Model Of Public Service Social Policy Essay Example E Government Model Of Public Service Social Policy Essay E Government Model Of Public Service Social Policy Essay E-Government theoretical account through ICT of public service bringing was started in South Africa first clip, for the preferable as channel for citizen-centered service bringing. It means to supply quality services to the citizens of its state. In this paper we will analyze the function of E-government within developing state in the South Africa with the aid of instance survey. First of all we will see what is E-government? E-Government E-Government ( short for electronic authorities, besides known as digital authorities, on-line authorities or transformational authorities ) is a diffused neology used to mention to the usage of information and communicating engineering to supply and better authorities services, minutess and interactions with citizens, concerns, and other weaponries of authorities. Delivery theoretical accounts and activities of e-Government The primary bringing theoretical accounts of e-Government can be divided into: Government-to-Citizen or Government-to-Customer ( G2C ) Government-to-Business ( G2B ) Government-to-Government ( G2G ) Government-to-Employees ( G2E ) Within each of these interaction spheres, four sorts of activities take topographic point: Pushing information over the Internet, e.g. regulative services, general vacations, public hearing agendas, issue Jockey shortss, presentments, etc. Bipartisan communications between the bureau and the citizen, a concern, or another authorities bureau. In this theoretical account, users can prosecute in duologue with bureaus and station jobs, remarks, or petitions to the bureau. Conducting minutess, e.g. lodging revenue enhancement returns, using for services and grants. These types of activities may be performed but non may be that all activities are performed by all the states. Some have greater but some have less Chiefly intent of presenting this theoretical account is to direct entree to the Government. So better the efficiency of public services bringing in South Africa. This theoretical account is based on instance survey research, focused on one of the authoritiess primary service bringing programmes societal grants, as mentioned in instance survey. South African Social Security Agency ( SASSA ) was established as an extension of authorities bringing arm that administers the bringing of societal grants to the poorest of the hapless in South Africa. SASSA s Vision and mission is aligned with several Batho Pele rules. Batho Pele which literally means people foremost . Introduction of this Model Batho Pele A ; Public Service Delivery in South Africa. Batho Pele is South Africa s constitutionally mandated public service bringing doctrine. This theoretical account ensures that all the citizens can keep public retainers accountable for the degrees of service receive from authorities. The expected transmutation in service bringing is better comprehended on the contemplation that South Africa has merely been a Democratic state since 1994. Here we look into background of this theoretical account. The way of service bringing transmutation officially began in 1995 with the release of the White Paper on the Transformation of Public Service. The WPTPS established the institutional model that could steer the debut of new policies and the execution of the new constitutional authorizations. It was shortly followed in 1997 by the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery, labeled as the Batho Pele White Paper. The Batho Pele White Paper specifically aimed at advancing incorporate and seamless public service bringing. This was on the footing of the Batho Pele doctrine. Batho Pele advocates nine rules to steer public Servants ; Consultation with citizens Puting service criterions Increasing entree to information Guaranting courtesy Supplying information openness and Transparency damages and value for money. On the other manus South Africa, through its Center of Public Service Innovation ( CPSI ) , places important Importance to initiatives to transform authorities s manner of working through ICT a impression normally known as E-government / e-governance. E-Government A ; E-Governance The footings e-government and e-governance are frequently used to depict a authorities s usage of Information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) to render services to its citizens. There is a argument in research community about these two footings of E-government and E-governance. E-governance can be defined as the usage of emerging information and communicating engineerings to ease the procedures of authorities and public disposal E-government can be defined as the usage of Information engineering to back up authorities operations, engage citizens, and supply authorities services . In the definition of e-governance, we see that it focuses on the usage of ICT to help the disposal and direction of Government. On other manus in the definition of e-government we see that it focuses on the usage of ICT to supply the services in the support of authorities operations for the public service bringing of people of that state. The dominant theoretical accounts for e-government find their roots in public direction theoretical accounts and e-business theoretical accounts. While research workers of e authorities differ on the rights, privileges and duties of clients, clients and Citizens. They by and large concur that e-government move through phases to make adulthood. Notwithstanding, the successful enterprises are difficult to come by. This realisation led to the really of import and implicit in concern: are authorities ICT technological inventions adhering to the rules of people first , so to state, are the authorities ICT technological inventions enabling the betterment of service bringing in South Africa? This instance survey besides tells us about the apprehension by concentrating on the authorities bureau duties for one of the cardinal service bringing plans the South African Social Security Agency, SASSA. A instance survey of a authorities section, the South African Social Security Agency ( SASSA ) , was adopted investigate the phenomenon of e-government will be studied in the context of Batho Pele. Since the each authorities service is measured against the same rules that are defined in Batho Pele. Applicability of this theoretical account can be drawn to other authorities units. In this instance analyze the information was collected by different ways, through structured face-to-face and telephonic interviews with people involved in presenting an ICT system to the concern units of the South African Social Security Agency ( SASSA ) . Pros/Advantages/Merits of this Model Any thing is non perfect in this universe except God. So every theoretical account is holding both features of virtues and demerits. Similarly here we are utilizing the E-government theoretical account which was used in South Africa for public service bringing. We know that it is really hapless state and non so developed. So many South Africans do non hold direct attack to public services which are supplied by the Government as stated in the instance survey. Following may be the major advantages of this theoretical account. Equally distribution of services Batho Pele aims to administer the services every bit among the populace. Not any distinction on the footing of race, gender, citizen, distance etc. its mean that every one has right every bit of public services . Access to information This theoretical account besides explains that the citizen has easy entree to the information about the Government public presentation and other activities so there may be answerability in such a mode. Quality services Access to information services empowers citizens and creates value for money, quality services. Decrease of Unnecessary outgo. When there will be e-government so easy information available about every thing of authorities and authorities establishment. It reduces unneeded outgo for the citizens. Questions that can by and large be answered during the interview can go around around what ICT enterprises are being used to increase the handiness of the service or merchandise and how accessible these enterprises are to communities who do nt hold the needed ICT substructure. Supplying information Availability of information with respects to merchandises and services should Not merely be at the service point, but should besides endeavor to increase the handiness of merchandises and services to the populace who are far off from those service points The chief country of focal point would be to increase the Availability of information to the populace who are far off From service points. ICT is used as a concern support tool, and since the concern of authorities is to present a public Service, ICT supports public service. The implementers of these ICT services will therefore be measured against the benchmarks of how good the public service was delivered. Therefore we should hold to carefully analyse the support of usage of ICT within the authorities section or bureau. This sensitiveness would greatly act upon the reading of the text collected during the interviews. Cost effectual It is convenient and cost-efficient for concerns, and the public benefits by acquiring easy entree to the most current information available without holding to pass clip, energy and money to acquire it. E-government helps simplify procedures and makes entree to authorities information more easy accessible for public sector bureaus and citizens. The awaited benefits of e-government include efficiency, improved services, better handiness of public services, and Transparency We see that due to utilize of this theoretical account transparence occurred. Due to the whole connected system through cyberspace engineering, every information is available for all. Accountability Study approved that due to E-government, there is greater answerability on each and every thing because all the information is available to every 1. So public knows the activities of authorities. So there is a answerability on authorities by public and other establishments and citizens. Democratization Through e-government the greater citizen can participation upon political issues. They can link themselves to politicians through cyberspace. This theoretical account gives the more crystalline authorities, leting the electors to see the consequence of their representatives. What they are making and what they are non making in right mode. Public can go more cognizant about the authorities activities and they can do best determination about their hereafter. Speed, efficiency, and convenience E-government allows citizens to interact with computing machines to accomplish aims at any clip and any location, and eliminates the necessity for physical travel to authorities agents sitting behind desks and Windowss. Improved accounting and record maintaining can be noted through cybernation, and information and signifiers can be easy accessed, bing quicker processing clip. Persons with disablements or conditions no longer hold to be nomadic to be active in authorities and can be in the comfort of their ain places. This theoretical account was accepted heartily, the immature people who were non take parting in political issues before but now they are excessively take parting is national degree issues due to e-government. Hazards There are many considerations and possible deductions of implementing and planing e-government, including disintermediation of the authorities and its citizens, impacts on economic, societal, and political factors, exposure to cyber onslaughts, and perturbations to the position quo in these countries. Hyper-surveillance Increased contact between authorities and its citizens goes both ways. Once e-government Begins to develop and go more sophisticated, citizens will be forced to interact electronically with the authorities on a larger graduated table. This could potentially take to a deficiency of privateness for civilians as their authorities obtains more and more information on them. In a worse instance scenario, with so much information being passed electronically between authorities and civilians, a totalitarian-like system could develop. When the authorities has easy entree to countless information on its citizens, personal privateness is lost. Cost Although a colossal sum of money has been spent on the development and execution of e-government, some say it has yielded merely a second-rate merchandise. The results and effects of test Internet-based authoritiess are frequently hard to estimate or unsatisfactory. Lack of secretiveness Although internet-based governmental plans have been criticized for deficiency of dependable privateness policies, surveies have shown that people value prosecution of wrongdoers over personal confidentiality. Ninety per centum of United States grownups O.K. of Internet tracking systems of felons, and 57 per centum are willing to waive some of their personal cyberspace privateness if it leads to the prosecution of felons or terrorists. Inaccessibility An e-government site that provides web entree and support frequently does non offer the possible to make many users including those who live in distant countries, are homebound, have low literacy degrees, exist on poorness line incomes, suffer from chronic unwellness, and are individual parents or older grownups. False sense of transparence and answerability Oppositions of e-government argue that on-line governmental transparence is doubtful because it is maintained by the authoritiess themselves. Information can be added or removed from the public oculus ( i.e. the Internet ) with or without public notice. For illustration, after the World Trade Center in New York City was attacked on September 11, 2001, United States federal functionaries removed a big sum of authorities information from its web sites in the name of national security. This act went comparatively unnoticed by United States citizens. To this twenty-four hours, really few Decision In decision we see that this E-Government theoretical account of public service bringing is really of import, adopted by authorities of South Africa. This theoretical account has advantages every bit good as disadvantages. This theoretical account has advantages of every bit information proviso, quality services, efficiency in public services bringing etc. but it has besides some drawbacks such deficiency of secretiveness, and so many other factors which may harmful for authorities through this system. The usage of e-government as a service bringing enabler will decidedly back up authorities s service betterment doctrine of Batho Pele, therefore seting people foremost. Now a twenty-four hours s engineering has become the every thing really easier, more enlightening, efficiency and cost effectual. Through this theoretical account of ICT can set people foremost, but merely if the usage of ICT is supported by the underlying concern procedures. For e authorities to be effectual, all e-government enterprises in South Africa should be integrated. E-government will merely genuinely be effectual if it is managed from a individual portfolio in authorities, and non from silos within each authorities section. Many other states have adopted this theoretical account such as United States. But degree of using this theoretical account may change. It means some are using higher degree and some states are using less degree of E-Government. In United States E-government theoretical account was used The United States Government under the Bush Administration has created a separate portfolio that manages the execution of e-government. The Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) is developing what it calls the Federal Enterprise Architecture that will pull off the manner in which the United States Government does concern and peculiarly through the usage of e-government ( US Office of Management and Budget, 2007 ) decelerate advancement in implementing a individual portal for Government services. It is clear from the instance survey that South Africa needs a portfolio within its authorities that drives the execution of e-government. This will include policy, statute law and execution criterions. This is where the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer ( OGCIO ) besides plays a function to smooth the advancement of the usage of ICT in Government. Components It consists of three constituents, viz. : ICT Programme Management Government Chief Operations Officer and E-Government Architecture and Integration. The instance survey was focused on merely one country of e-government within the public service of South Africa, viz. the Department of Social Development and its service bringing constituent, the South African Social Security Agency. Similarly there is demand to done this in the other sections of Government of public service bringing. Which are inefficient as compared to others? And guarantee that the usage of ICT is effectual at all authorities sections. It is proposed that there is demand to be studied at sections that come under the deficiency of service bringing similar surveies should be done with Other sections to guarantee that the usage of ICT is effectual at all authorities sections, such as the Department of Home Affairs ( ID book and passport applications ) Department of Transport ( license applications and vehicle enrollments ) South African Revenue services ( revenue enhancement returns ) Mentions: E-Government A ; Public Service Delivery: Enabling ICT to set Peoples First A Case Study from South Africa. By Wikus VISSER and Hossana TWINOMURINZI

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