Assignment; Bias, Rhetorical Devices, Argumentation

An example of bias within this speech would be: â€Å"to point out and make public the dishonesty, the downright villainy, of Boss Jim W. Gettys' political machine — now in complete control of the government of this state! One example of fallacies that I found in this speech was; â€Å"Now, however, I have something more than a hope. And Jim Gettys — Jim Gettys has something less than a chance. Every straw vote, every independent poll shows that I'll be elected. Now I can afford to make some promises! † Some rhetorical devices found in this speech were: †¢Alliteration: â€Å"Now, however, I have something more than a hope. And Jim Gettys — Jim Gettys has something less than a chance. Every straw vote, every independent poll shows that I'll be elected. Now I can afford to make some promises! † †¢Alliteration: †The working man — The working man and the slum child know they can expect my best efforts in their interests. The decent, ordinary citizens know that I'll do everything in my power to protect the underprivileged, the underpaid, and the the underfed! † †¢Alliteration: â€Å"Here's one promise I'll make, and boss Jim Gettys knows I'll keep it:†¦Ã¢â‚¬  †¢Hyperbole: â€Å"with one purpose only: to point out and make public the dishonesty, the downright villainy, of Boss Jim W. Gettys' political machine — now in complete control of the government of this State! † †¢Paradox: â€Å"Well, I'd make my promises now if I weren't too busy arranging to keep them. † The speaker addressed arguments in the first paragraph of the speech by stating that because of Jim Gettys â€Å"control† he had no hope of being elected. In the second paragraph however, he reinforces that he is being elected by stating, â€Å" Now I can afford to make promises! † By doing this, he is preparing to address any potential counterarguments by shaping his speech to combat what the opposition might say.

The Effects and Implication of Mentoring for Beginning Teachers in the Philippines

Research Problem:The Effects and Implications of Mentoring for Beginning In-service teachers in Western Mindanao State University – Philippines Statement of the problem Teachers face many challenges during the first years of teaching, such as planning and implementing curriculum and instruction, conducting assessments, motivating students, managing student differences and behaviour, and generally feeling overwhelmed (Roehrig et. al. 2006).They are being asked to teach technological and analytical skills to students from a broad range of backgrounds, prepare them to read and write scholarly, to think critically, and to apply their knowledge to solving real-world problems. In other words, the skills teachers need to develop are both complex and demanding (Borko & Livingston, 1989). To reduce the challenges that new teachers face and to improve the quality of their teaching a popular approach was introduced purposely to provide support via mentoring which is prevalent in the US ( Roehrig et. l. 2006). In fact, beginning teachers are being required to participate in mentoring programmes, often as part of the process for permanent certification in some states in America. Unlike in some developing countries, like the Philippines wherein its department of education has been under-performing for years, and has no clear cut policy on mentoring program, professional advancement and in-service training to improve the teachers’ competence once hired (Luz, 2008).Hobson (2008) defines mentoring as the one-to-one support of a novice or less experienced practitioner (mentee) by a more experienced practitioner (mentor), designed primarily to assist the development of the mentee’s expertise and to facilitate their induction into the culture of the profession. Mentoring can have a variety of purpose or goals, can involve a variety of practices and strategies to achieve these purpose and goals, and can take place at different stages of a mentee’s profess ional development and over different durations.Based on this assumptions and preconception of mentoring, the primary purpose of this research is to determine the possible effects and implications of mentoring to novice teachers in my institution. Research Questions: This research project aims to develop insights into the mentoring process and seeks to explore how mentoring can assist beginning in-service teachers in my home institution in developing their confidence, teaching competencies , skills in motivating students as well as classroom management. Moreover, it seeks to examine my own lived experiences as a mentee.Furthermore, it aims to answer the following research questions below. ?As a mentee, what were my experiences that made me recognized the worth of mentoring scheme provided by senior teachers. ?How did these experiences assist me in becoming a more reflective and dynamic teacher? ?How can these experiences assist me in mentoring new teachers? Methodology: This research is an auto-ethnography that focuses on my own lived experiences as a teacher and as a mentee and the connection of my life story with the experiences of other teachers from my home institution.According to Ellis and Bochner (2000), an auto-ethnography is a form of study that makes the researcher’s own experience a topic of investigation in its own right. It utilizes data about self and its context to gain an understanding of the connectivity between self and others within the same context (Ngunjiri, et. al. 2010). The intended purpose of this study is to provide a detailed, in-depth description of my mentoring experiences, its effect and implication on my practice as a teacher. This methodology is suitable for this research because, according to Chang (2007), auto-ethnography is a qualitative research.As a research methodology, it takes a systematic approach in data collection, analysis, and interpretation about self and social phenomena involving self. This systematic and i ntentional approach to the socio-cultural understanding of self sets auto-ethnography apart from other self-narrative writings such as memoir and autobiography. Moreover, Ngunjiri (2010) explicitly emphasized that auto-ethnography is distinctive from other research because it is self-focused and context-conscious. The esearcher is at the centre of the investigation as a â€Å"subject† (the researcher who performs the investigation) and an â€Å"object† (a participant who is investigated). Auto-ethnographic data provide the researcher a window through which the external world is understood. Although the blurred distinction between the researcher-participant relationship has become the source of criticism challenging the scientific credibility of the methodology (Anderson, 2006), access to sensitive issues and inner-most thoughts makes this research method a powerful and unique tool for individual and social understanding (Ellis, 2009).Lastly, auto-ethnography is context -conscious, which means it intends to connect self with others, self with the social, and self with the context (Wolcott, 2004). The focus on self does not necessarily mean â€Å"self in a vacuum. † A variety of others, â€Å"others of similarity† (those with similar values and experiences to self), â€Å"others of difference† (those with different values and experiences from self), and â€Å"others of opposition† (those with values and experiences seemingly irreconcilable to self), are often present in stories about self (Chang, 2007).This multiplicity of others exist in the context where a self inhabits; therefore, collecting data about self ultimately converges with the exploration of how the context surrounding self has influenced and shaped the make-up of self and how the self has responded to, reacted to, or resisted forces innate to the context. Research methods To answer my first two research questions, I will use personal reflection and narrative inquiry as my research methods. Personal ReflectionPersonal Reflection as define by John (2004), is being mindful of self, either within or after experience’, as though looking through a window which will enable the practitioner ‘to view and focus self within the context of a particular experience, in order to confront, understand and move toward resolving contradiction between one’s vision and actual practice’. It is a process of examining and evaluating the impact of personal values, culture and beliefs in relation to certain issue.My own retrospection allows me to recount the support, assistance and emotional as well as intellectual guidance that were provided to me from my senior colleagues and how these support made me traverse the obstacles that were on my path during the first few years of my teaching. In addition, my personal reflection will enable me to envision the possible mentoring that I will provide when my opportunity to become a mentor com es. Advantages/Strength As it is about you it requires you to be honest and open about your life and feelings about a specific thing ?It is often used by the person researching and writing to explain how they have felt during the process and their reaction to the topic ?Allows people to learn from experience Limitations ?Should be used in conjunction with others ?Very difficult or Impossible to quantify ?Some topics could cause friction within the family Narrative Inquiry Narrative inquiry is my main methods to represent my voice and engage readers in my text.This method focuses on studying a single person, gathering data through the collections of stories, reporting individual experiences, and discussing the meaning of those experiences for the individual (Creswell, 2008). The use of stories, discourse and my personal history will be my way of describing my mentoring experiences as a teacher and as a mentee and critically reflect on its effect and implications in my teaching practi ces. Although my personal narratives will be the major component of my data, other individuals’ life experiences and stories will be also considered (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990).Strengths ?No need of comprehensive procedure to follow for it is just my own experiences. This means no standard formality involved. It is a matter of my availability of time and retrospective mood. ?Ability to present data accurately as I have a good long term memory. Limitations ?Risk of missing information due to memory fatigue. ?Some experiences may not be presented as it may have harm to third party. Although the stories are my experiences, by telling them may have an impact on the life of a third party. Thus to be ethical I may not be able to tell every story (Cohen et al, 2000). Limited ability to present emotional stories. I am not a confident writer, therefore my limited writing skills will be a limitation. Quality standards Any educational paper regardless of which paradigm the researcher p osition himself should have some quality standards associated with it. In the context of auto-ethnographic research, the standard use in judging the quality of any research needs to be considered carefully. Member checking Is basically what the term implies – an opportunity for members (participants) to check (approve) particular aspects of the interpretation of the data they provided (Doyle, 2007).It is a â€Å"way of finding out whether the data analysis is congruent with the participants’ experiences† (Curtin & Fossey, 2007). The usual practice is that participants are given transcripts or particles from the narratives or written stories they contributed and are asked to verify their accuracy. Participants may be asked to edit, clarify, elaborate, and at times, delete their own words from the narratives; although Creswell (2008) stressed that member checking is best done with â€Å"polished† interpreted pieces such as themes and patterns emerging from the data rather than the actual transcripts.Member checking can be an individual process or can take place with more than one person at a time, such as in focus group settings, as a discussion with the researcher (Doyle, 2007). Member checking is often a single event that takes place only with the verification of transcripts or early interpretations. Sometimes though, it is done at a few key points throughout the research process with some scholars recommending it be done continuously (Doyle, 2007). As the researcher I will regularly provide my other participants with their nterpretations of the narratives for the purpose of verifying plausibility (Curtin & Fossey, 2007) and asking: Am I on the right track? Did I understand this in the same way you meant it? Authenticity Refers to the reliability and verifiability with which the account of the event corresponds to the â€Å"real† details of the event (date, time, place, people, and words spoken). Truth claims can be made only if certain procedure has been followed to guarantee to the greatest extent possible that the researcher’s account matches or corresponds to the event.A study is authentic when the strategies used are appropriate for the true reporting of the participants’ ideas, when the study is fair, and when it helps participants and similar groups to understand their world and improve it. It means that there is new insight into the phenomenon under study (Holloway & Wheeler, 2002). I can only achieve this in my research through member checking. The data should be continually revisited and scrutinized for accuracy of interpretation and for meaningful, coherent conveyance of the participant’s narrative contributions (Creswell, 2008).Moreover, fairness is one of the standards under authenticity to make sure different constructions are presented, clarified, checked, and taken into account in a balance manner (Cohen et al, 2000). To ensure fairness, I will certainly involve all stakeholders in constructions and interpretations of data. I will make sure that the data collected are accurate in terms of a vis-a-vis agreement with participants. Transparency Is the benchmark for the presentation and dissemination of findings, the need to be explicit, clear and open about the assumptions made and the methods and procedures used.Seale, et. al (2004) recognizes the researcher’s need to be transparent and reflexive about conduct, theoretical perspective and values. The credibility of any qualitative study lies in the transparency of its specific paradigm assumptions. In planning, designing, and carrying out qualitative research there must be a conscious examination of research strategies, selection of participants, and decisions made in collecting and interpreting the data (Duarte, 2007). Methods of inquiry, which includes he procedures of data collection and data analysis and interpretation must be clear enough for others to replicate, and therefore must be transparent. This is possibly the important difference between qualitative and quantitative inquiry, the emphasis is on the procedures being replicable, and not the findings (Sparkes, 2001). Qualitative inquiry requires a thorough critical self-exploration of the researcher’s assumptions, presuppositions, decisions, and self-interests. It is important to stress that reflexivity must be applied to the entire research process, and is not merely a consideration of potential sources of bias.The researcher has a crucial participatory role in any inquiry. Transparency and reflexivity therefore go hand in hand, since without transparency, reflexivity is impotent, and in return, reflexivity effectively promotes transparency (Bruce , 2007).

Examining a Business Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Examining a Business Failure - Essay Example Two other recruitments to follow were that of Rebecca Mark and Jeff Skilling, both of whom were close accomplices of the CEO, and both of them strong enough to head new business lines of Enron. The CEO’s strong political back-up also helped the cause. While these new executives helped Enron spread its wings internationally into the energy market and energy financing, there was an unhealthy inter-personnel rivalry going on in the organization. The exit of Kinder as President fuelled the rivalry further, after Skilling was promoted as President of Enron. Mergers and acquisitions were a part of life at Enron, and soon the conglomerate, which started as a gas pipeline company, ventured into energy trading, and subsequently launched into new markets such as metals, paper, water and bandwidth. Enron was known as a â€Å"Takeover Tycoon† with a â€Å"Midas-touch†. However, most of these merger and acquisition decisions were taken not professionally, but for personal interests of the top executives who wanted to flex their own muscles within the organization to out power the other. Much to the surprise of the corporate world, the Enron ‘bubble’ burst in the year 2001, and investigations into this matter opened a can of worms, revealing that it was not only the Enron executives, but also the legal advisors, their accounting firm and security brokers were a part of the scandal. Keep a fair distance between political influence and business. Too much of political influence on business could prove hazardous. As for Enron’s case, their proximity to the political system helped them easily garner deregulations and other macro issues in their favor, much to the agony of the workers, pensioners and other stakeholders. Professional service providers such as that of accountants, lawyers, stock brokers, etc. should keep themselves away from ‘personal interests’ gained

Literacy and ESOL Theories and Frameworks Essay

Literacy and ESOL Theories and Frameworks - Essay Example The learning theories and frameworks can in another way be termed as the philosophical or conceptual orientations that seek to explain the ways of human learning. One of the popular and applicable theories of teaching English is known as the Behaviourist Theory, and was influenced European empiricism around 1914. In this theory, [English] writing, which includes both writing and speaking, occurs as a response to environmental stimuli (Harasim, 2012, p. 13). This means that it can be observed, described, and manipulated. As an English instructor, one can apply this theory in ensuring effective learning is achieved. In explanation, teaching can be perceived of as a process that involves practice, repetition, and rewards. In practice, the instructor should ensure that the teaching they give is put to use such as in writing compositions or oral reading. In repetition, learning can be effected by going over what is being taught over and over again. Finally, rewards should be applied by me thods such as testing what has already been taught. These tests determine the level of learning that has been influenced. The second effective learning/teaching framework in an ESOL language is defined by the Cognitive Theory. This theory has been applied in this context since the 1950s. In its application, the Cognitive Theory defines learning as complex and deep psychological phenomena such as schemas (organized patterns of thought or behaviour), processes for learning, and motivation. In short, English learning can be effectively taught through phases occurring with gradual complexity. In a good way, linguistic learners learn English from playing an active role in the process as well as making their own mistakes. In applying such, memory and problem-solving skills are put into consideration. Instructors apply this theory by subdividing it into three variables, namely

Geothermal Energy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geothermal Energy - Case Study Example ates electrical power by utilizing the thermal energy from earth and converting it to the electrical energy by utilizing the methods utilized in a thermal power plant. To generate the power, long alloyed pipes that have higher resistivity against the corrosion and high temperatures and pressure are bored deep down into the earth’s crust to make the geothermal energy usable. When water is allowed to run into theses pipes, the geothermal energy makes the temperature of the water to shoot to a level where it converts into steam. Several geothermal power plants are working in the world to provide an uninterrupted power to different locations in the world. Geothermal grounds are parts where two tectonic plates meet. However, the energy can also be gathered without having the geothermal grounds by boring the pipes into the earth crust and marinating a heat exchange. Geothermal energy can be utilized for the majority of energy application like electricity generation, heating the water to be supplied to the homes and industry (DeGunther 2008). If considering the economic aspect of the energy source, it has enough potential to provide the energy to the world. It is type of green power and has a potential that cannot be counted but it has more than the potential to meet the all the energy requirements of the world (Mock, Tester & Wright 1997). In hotter regions it can also be utilized to maintain the temperature of home lower to certain degrees, as the temperature of the earth remains constant to 20-25o C. The operational cost associated to the geothermal power plants is comparatively low. While having so much advantages of the geothermal energy, there are some disadvantages of utilizing the geothermal energy. As the geothermal energy is made usable by digging deep down into the earth, the cost of the digging sometimes rises to an unmanageable way. Sometimes the expected amount of geothermal energy differs to the actual amount due to the lack of technology. Sometimes

Contemporary management issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary management issues - Essay Example In addition, the rapidly altering conjugal as well as worldwide environment augmented the call for associations in addition to their managers to uncover fresh ways to take action in order to uphold plus boost their performance. One of these novel strategies has been the increasing use of worldwide outsourcing of information technology, services, as well as manufacturing works to countries abroad in order to trim down the working costs that have shown the way to the loss of millions of jobs within the United States along with the panorama of additional major job losses. Also, to amplify their worldwide competitiveness, there has been increasing pressure on managers to put together new-fangled information technology into each and every one of the features of organizations processes to perk up the elements of efficiency as well as client receptiveness. As a final point, the growing multiplicity of the worldwide workforce has made it very important for managers to appreciate how with why public diverges, so that they can efficiently administer in addition to harvesting the remuneration of diversity. The responsibilities that managers have got to carry out professionally as well as successfully have become more compound and demanding than ever before.( George , 2007) The Challenges for Management in a Global Environment For the reason that the world has been varying more speedily than ever before, the managers along with other employees all the way through an association have got to achieve at higher as well as senior levels. Within the last 20 years, antagonism among associations contending nationally (inside the same country) as well as internationally (within countries overseas) has augmented noticeably. The increase of international organizations, organizations that function as well as struggle within more than one country, have put stern pressure on many other associations to progress their performance as well as to recognize better ways To use their resources. The accomplishment of the German chemical companies Schering in addition to Hoechst, Italian furniture producer Natuzzi, Korean electronics companies Samsung and LG, Brazilian plane maker Embraer, in addition to Europe's Airbus Industries are laying pressure on association within other countries to hoist their echelon of performance to contend productively with these international companies. Even in the not-for-profit sector, international antagonism is provocative change. Schools, universities, police forces, in addition to government agencies are re-examining their processes because of looking at the way things are done in other countries. For example, many curriculum and teaching changes in the United States have resulted from the study of methods that Japanese and European school systems use. Similarly, European and Asian hospital systems have learned much from the U.S. system-which may be the most effective, though not the most efficient, in the world. Today, managers who make no attempt to learn and adapt to adjustments within the international environment find themselves respond rather than innovating, and their organizations often become uncompetitive and fail.53

Phase 3 DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phase 3 DB - Essay Example These include potential product failure when customers use them and customer dissatisfaction because the widgets do not address their needs. By emphasizing what this issue could bring the company such as dissatisfaction that could impair the relationship with the customers thus affecting long-term profitability of the business, costly product repairs and reimbursements, and negative word of mouth that damages the company’s public image, the issue would come into the CEO and other managers’ attention. However, it would not be so clever a move to put the blame on sales immediately. As discussions about this issue go on, tracking the root of this problem and coming up with a solution can be the subject in the meeting. With this, other managers could be encouraged to give their inputs and what the possible reasons could be the root cause of this problem. Perhaps the problem can be broken down into pieces—firstly the selling process, the customer orders, then the product manufacture process, then distribution to customers. By laying out the process from the time the customer places an order to distribution of the order, potential causes can be spotted as well as areas for improvement and where value can be added can be recognized. Since it is never proven whether this issue is caused by intentionally selling wrong widgets to customers or due to poor knowledge of sales representatives, these issues will suffice along the discussion. In any case, two sets of recommendations can be provided for each scenario. If the company intends to sell wrong widgets to customers just for short-term profitability goals and rapid expansion: it could be communicated to the CEO that such practices by the company, given the sophistication of the market place will lead to the eventual downfall of the company. A company that does not put its customers’ welfare in the heart of its operations will

Migration in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Migration in United Kingdom - Essay Example However, asylum seekers cannot be mistaken for refugees. In the year 2002, it was found that from 84, 130 applications 10 percent were refugees, 24 percent were granted exceptional level and the remaining amount were refused both.( McConnachie 2005) This paper would seek to analyze the role of the immigration policies in regard to the asylum seekers. At present, the United Kingdom is facing a major crisis in regard to illegal immigration. In fact, from the year 19991 to the year 2001 alone, immigration made up more than half of Britain's population growth. An institute for Public Policy Research study of the 2001 census calculated a 2.2 m rise, including 1.14 m born abroad. Westminster is recognized as the official law making authority regarding matters such as immigration and asylum issues in regard to Britain and those that happen outside the European Union enabling control and allowing control over the borders. The United Kingdom provides an automatic right to asylum as it has signed the UN convention. A lengthy legal process has to be initiated in order for the determination of the status of application. However in order to ensure that the process becomes more simpler and allows the honest applicant s to actually gain the right to have the status of asylum seeking, this automatic right has to be waived or done away with. An important distinction as to be made between asylum seekers and refugees- Refugees are those people who have be granted this special status by the country in which they have sought asylum. The current population in the United Kingdom alone of refugees is about 2 percent of the total world refugees. These people have UN traveling documents and have the same basic rights as the U.K. citizens in terms of traveling and the basic service. Hence, it is quite difficult to figure out exactly how many are at present in the U.K. Another type of immigrants are illegal immigrants who at presently are several thousands according to a survey by carried out recently. These people are those who are employed in the unregulated economy of U.K. Besides encouraging the international human traffickers and smugglers, it is resulting in pushing down the lower skilled jobs wags due to an excess supply. Hence, creating cultural cases as the British feel that their jobs are being threatened by the influx of these illegal immigrants. An Act; the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 regulates the ways of tackling these illegal immigrants. Those employers who would hire these people would be severely fined and a smart card provision is being considered in order to remove the chances of illegal immigrants being allowed to work. However, whether this has been a successful policy can be seen from the number of cases which are reported daily as deported ones. U.K. needs to review its current policy and make it much more stringent in order to make it so unfavorable that no immigrant would consider U.K. a safe haven. While it has been generally notified that asylum seekers are those people who are victims of crime and injustice-however, in several cases that has not been the case. There are many people who come to U.K. illegally, seek work in the unregulated circles and when are discovered, claim to be asylum seekers. Others are those

Sodium thiosulphate investigation Essay Example for Free

Sodium thiosulphate investigation Essay What is the middle of the atom called? The nucleus. 2 What two types of particle are found here? Protons and neutrons. 3 The electrons are arranged in shells (also called energy levels). How many can be held in the first shell? Two. 4 How many can be held in the second shell? Eight. 5 How many can be held in the third shell? Eight. 6 Where are the non-metals located in the periodic table? In the top right-hand corner. 7 What are the horizontal rows in the periodic table called? Periods. 8 What are the vertical columns called? Groups. 9 What is the name of Group 1? The Alkali Metals. 10 What is the name of Group 7? The Halogens. 11 What is the name of Group 0? The Noble Gases. 12 Elements in the same group have the same number of what? The same number of outer electrons. 13 Do elements in the same group have similar chemical or similar physical properties? Similar chemical properties. 14 Elements in the periodic table are arranged in order of what? Increasing atomic number. 15 Which of these elements has the greatest atomic number? Element B. 16 What is the electron arrangement of element C? 2. 8. 7 17 What is the electron arrangement of element E? 2. 8. 1 18 Which of the elements are very reactive metal and why? Elements D E they are in Group 1 (The alkali metals). 19 Which of the elements is a very unreactive non-metal and why? Element F it is in Group 0 (The noble gases). 20 Name the first four halogens. 1. Fluorine 2. Chlorine 3. Bromine 4. Iodine 21 What happens to the reactivity of the halogens as you go down the group (increasing atomic number)? They become less reactive. 22 What happens to the colour of these elements down the group? They become darker in colour. 23 What happens to the boiling point of these elements down the group? Their boiling points increase. 24 What does fluorine look like? A pale yellow gas. 25 What does chlorine look like? A green gas. 26 Name two uses for chlorine. 1. Killing bacteria in water. 2. Making bleaches. 27 What does bromine look like? A red -brown liquid (which evaporates easily to make an orange-brown gas). 28 What colour is bromine dissolved in water? Orange-brown. 29 What is the name of the compound formed when potassium reacts with bromine? Potassium bromide. 30 What colour is this compound when dissolved in water? Colourless. 31 What does iodine look like? A shiny grey-black solid (which produces a purple gas when gently heated). 32 What colour is iodine dissolved in water? Brown. 33 What is this iodine solution used for? An antiseptic. 34 What is the name of the compound formed when sodium reacts with iodine? Sodium iodide. 35 What colour is this compound when dissolved in water? Colourless. 36 What is the name of compounds of the halogens? Halides. 37 List two observations when sodium reacts with chlorine. 1. The metal burns with a yellow flame. 2. A white solid is produced. 38 What is the name of the product of this reaction? Sodium chloride. 39 What is its chemical formula? NaCl 40 List two observations when iron wool reacts with chlorine. 1. The metal glows red. 2. A brown solid is produced. 41 What is the name (and chemical formula) of the product this time? Iron chloride (FeCl3). 42 What is formed in this reaction: bromine + potassium iodide? potassium bromide + iodine 43 Which of these compounds will NOT react with chlorine: a) sodium fluoride; b) potassium bromide? sodium fluoride (Chlorine is less reactive than fluorine and so cannot displace it from fluorides. ) 44 What is a compound? A substance made by chemically joining two or more elements together. 45 Compounds have similar properties to the elements they are made from. Is this true or false? False they have completely different properties, eg sodium chloride is nothing like either sodium or chlorine. 46 What is the name for the substances on the left of a chemical equation? The reactants (or starting materials). 47 What is the name for the substances on the right? The products. 48 What do the symbols (s), (l) and (g) stand for in chemical equations? Solid, liquid and gas 49 What does the symbol (aq) stand for in chemical equations? Aqueous (which means dissolved in water). 50 What is meant by reaction rate? How fast a reaction goes. 51 List four ways of increasing the rate of a reaction. 1. Increasing the temperature. 2. Increasing the concentration of a reactant. 3. Increasing the surface area of a solid. 4. Adding a catalyst. 52 What is a catalyst? A chemical which speeds up a reaction but which does not get used up. 53 Does the catalyst appear in the chemical equation for the reaction? No (because it does not get used up). 54 What are enzymes? Catalysts produced by living things. 55 Why dont enzymes work if the temperature is too high? They become denatured (damaged) by the heat. 56 What two things about line A show that it represents a faster reaction? 1. It starts more steeply. 2. It levels off sooner. 57 How can you tell that both lines A and B were obtained using the same amounts of the reactants? They both produced the same amount of product in the end. 58 Increasing the temperature makes the particles move around more quickly. Give two reasons why this makes the reaction faster. 1. The collisions occur more often. 2. More of the collisions have enough energy to lead to a reaction Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Beer Economics - Supply and Demand Essay Example for Free

Beer Economics Supply and Demand Essay The laws of Supply and Demand may be a simple concept except when it comes to beer. Two large beer companies have formed an Oligopoly and have taken the power from the people. Income high, or income low, beer will be purchased even if the price is not always right. A social gathering is not social without the presence of beer. Beer has been a growing industry year after year. The craft, or microbrewery industry, has grown tremendously since the early 1980s, and the Brewers’ Association reckons that there are now over 1,500 brewing companies in the country, a level not seen since Prohibition was introduced in 1919 (Krafoff, 1). Pabst Blue Ribbon, in 1890 the most popular beer in the U. S. , has seen its market share drop to 2. 8%, but it has enjoyed a resurgence due to its cheap price, decent taste, and new-found cachet among urban hipsters (Krafoff, 1). The beer market is a completely open market. Anyone with a marketing idea and a recipe can get a contract brewery to make the product (Krafoff, 1). Almost every bar has a dozen taps with independent and local brews, but there are two definite brands you won’t ever have to look hard for: Coors and Budweiser. As recently as 2004, 64 percent of the global beer market ownership was fragmented among ten beer corporations (Anderson, 5). In 2008 the merger of Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and global giant InBev created the world’s largest brewer: Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), followed by SABMiller (second-largest) and Molson Coors Brewing Company (fifth-largest) (Anderson, 5). To better compete with ABI’s growing world beer market share, SABMiller and Molson Coors combined their U. S. and Puerto Rico operations to establish their joint venture, MillerCoors LCC (Anderson, 5). With these massive consolidations, the two beer giants (ABI and MillerCoors) now have combined control of more than 40 percent of the world beer market and 80 percent of the United States beer market (Anderson, 5). MolsonCoors operates in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Their products include Coors Light, Coors, Keystone Light, Blue Moon, MGD 64 and many other recognizable beers. Their number one competitor is Anheuser-Busch. Their products include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Shock Top and many others. The beer market has formed into a classic oligopoly: a market with just a few firms dominating the industry. Both MolsonCoors and Anheuser-Busch have substantial market power and control over beer prices. They are mutually interdependent. MolsonCoors can’t raise the price of Coors Light unless Anheuser-Busch raises the price of Bud Light. Both companies are forced into the game theory. They have to play a guessing game of what the other company is going to do and lower or raise their prices based upon their assumptions. It may seem easy for them to just agree to the same price and share the market. Unfortunately, that is called a cartel, and is illegal in the United States. Their products have few substitutes and complements. A substitute of beer is wine as the cross-price elasticity is . 23. A complement to beer is hard liquor as the cross-price elasticity is -0. 11. Beer is an elastic product because it is not a necessity. Demand is highly affected by price. An example of this is highly popular discount brands such as Keystone Light. MolsonCoors products are equally as elastic as their competitor Anheuser-Busch. They offer discount beers as well as microbrew style beers. Beer is an inferior good. As income falls, quantity of beer demanded falls. Beer has a negative income elasticity of demand of -0. 09. This is because when society becomes richer (income rises); things such as fine wines and spirits are substituted for beer. Beer has a couple factors working in its favor. First, the United States is in a recession, thus income is low, and the quantity demanded of beer is high. Second the marginal utility of beer increases as more is consumed. The utility of one beer is high but increases with every added beer. This is a major advantage to the two beer giants and their profits. There is not an infinite supply of a given beer. This seems unimportant when no one wants said beer, but is important when it is in high demand. Ideally, the amount of beer will meet (or come close to meeting) the desire for it, meeting a market equilibrium. It may not taste like it, but our beer is actually in danger. The popularity of corn-based ethanol has already caused a tight market for malt, one of beers three critical ingredients, as farmers increasingly forgo the barley crops used to make it in favor of more profitable corn (Boyer, 1). This has caused a worldwide shortage in hops, thus a large increase in price. Barley has risen from $157. 6 USD per metric ton in March 2007 to $202. 53 USD per metric ton. The other key ingredient in beer (along with water), hops is a flower that gives beer flavor and aroma (Boyer, 1). The shortage comes after a decade-long surplus discouraged farmers from planting the crop, which grows on trestles and can take years to mature (Boyer, 1). Since 1994, the amount of farm acreage planted in hops worldwide has declined by about half (Boyer, 1). Together, the two mean the beer industry now faces a 10 to 15 percent shortage (Boyer, 1). On the upside, water, aluminum and yeast are widely available and have stable prices. According to MolsonCoors financials, their total revenue (p x q) is $3,254,000. We can assume that they sell every beer at about $3 which would make their quantity sold at approximately 1,084,667 cans. That’s billions! This business model seems to be working. Molson Coors is currently earning economic profits. Their current net income is 670 million dollars. The stockholders’ equity is currently 7,779. The current prime rate is 3. 5% so by multiplying that by the stockholders’ equity we can assume the owner’s implicit costs are approximately 272. 7 million dollars. MolsonCoors generates profits of about 397. 03 million dollars per year. Beer is a profitable product because it is widely sold in many markets and, despite rising costs, fairly inexpensive to produce. Since MolsonCoors has been a company for many years, they have low long run average total costs. Over the years they have been able to decrease their operating costs and increase production and in doing so, reaching a point of economies of scale. Below is a fictitious example of how as quantity rises, total costs only rise a little bit.

Examining the Factors affecting Successful Strategic Management

Examining the Factors affecting Successful Strategic Management Todays an organization want to achieve success, they should consider all aspects for reaching the desired ends and how to avoid difficulties to help plan successful strategies. When an organisation has a strategy it enables them to ensure that decisions made on a day-to-day basis fit in with its long term interests. Strategies are also important as any decisions an organisation makes today can have a negative impact on its future results. A strategy will also help encourage employees, departments to work together to achieve common goals. In this essay I will concentrate on three schools, including design school, planning school and positioning schools. Furthermore, I will clarify some points in others schools of thought by particular looking at the overall, key issues and assumptions of this theory. According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998), they suggest that there are a lot of influential factors affect strategy. The schools will help organization to evaluate their macro and micro dynamics of a company. The first three schools that is design, planning and positioning schools of thought are prescriptive in nature. Those schools discuss how a strategy should be formulated. Accordingly, organization based on current situation and its environment to identify directions actions. The next six schools, entrepreneurial, cognitive, learning, power, cultural, and environmental are concerned with a specific aspect of strategy formation rather than prescribing an ideal strategic behaviour, it may be characterized as descriptive, emergent and subjective. Whereas, the configuration school alone constitutes the third group that integrates the various elements of strategy formation from all the previous schools mentioned. The first of the prescriptive schools is the Design school. The value of this strategy formation is that it seeks to establish a fit between an organizations strengths and weakness and its internal potential and external possibilities. This school also considers the role played by managerial values and social responsibility as important in the process of strategy making (Shekhar, 2009). Therefore, the CEO has a responsibility for a strategy formation. On the other hand, the strategy should be individualized, simple and explicit. According to his framework, a strategy formulated should be consistent in its goals as well as policies. Moreover, it must be adaptive to the changes in the organizations environment, provide and maintain competitive and should be feasible. The advantage of this type of school is that it forces consideration of external factors and will be more appropriate in organisation that needs reorientation. In the assignment 2, I will concentrate on how both internal a s well as external factors impact strategy of organization, and also according to this theory to provide some evaluation, selection, using SWOT analysis and Porters Five Force to descript how organization can fit between strength, weakness and the opportunities. The next school that I will discuss is a Planning school. It is a member of the prescriptive schools and a strategy formulation also mention as a formal process. The principal of this school has a separation between strategy formulation and strategy implementation. According to this school, strategy is a plan, a direction, a guide or a course of action into the future. The planning school consent with most of the premises in the Design school. However, the execution of strategy became formalized. The CEO takes the responsibility for the formulation of the whole process. By applying powerful analytic tools such as rigorous strategic planning methodologies, scenario analysis, managers can forecast the future of their business and can be accurately enough to let them to choose a suitable strategic direction. I will discuss these issues in the next assignment. The Positioning school also is part of the first group of schools. This school is different from other schools, it also known as an analytical process. In the positioning school, there are only a few key strategies or positions in the market place, which is economic and competitive, while there are no limits to strategies in some schools, for example the design and planning schools. The process focused more narrowly on calculation and on the close-ended selection of strategic positions than on the development of integrated and unusual strategic perspectives or on the specification of coordinated sets of plans (Marko, 2004). Strategies developed under this school are generic, specifically common, identifiable positions in the marketplace. In addition, when compared with other schools, it is less emphasis on political effects, including internal and external on the strategy formation in an organization. In the next assignment, I will focus on tools, methods such as BCG matrix, Michael Porters Generic Strategies, Profit Impact of Market Strategies and some other tools to clarify how to analysis and calculate in order to support the process of developing the strategy. In the next assignment, I will highlight some of the critical aspects of strategy formation in ten schools of through. In detail, the entrepreneurial school views strategy formation as a visionary process and visions can be set by a single or multiple founders of a company. The power school views strategy formation as a process of negotiation, the power refers to political power or the political relations surrounding an organization. The cognitive school views strategy formation as a mental process, it analyses how people perceive patterns and process information. The learning school views strategy formation as an emergent process of trial and error learning within an organization. The cultural school views strategy formation as a collective process, based on beliefs and understandings shared by the members of various groups and departments in organization. The environmental school views strategy formation as a reactive process, it described the relationship between particular dimens ions of the environment. Thereby reacting to the challenges imposed the external environment. According to configuration school, this strategy formation is seen as a process of transforming the organization from one state of decision-making structure into another. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (1998) stated the key to this strategy if for the organisation to recognise the need for the transformation, however to be able to do this without damaging the organisation. From this assignment I have learnt the importance of implementing strategic management into an organisation to gain competitive advantage. Applying Mintzbergs schools could help an organization about evaluation, development and transformation. Using the schools, organization can be able to identify their objectives, its strengths and weakness, to help expand on potential, developing on their opportunities and strengths. The key point to the schools is finding which strategy making technique best fits into an organisation, and developing further on it. Having successful achieving these goals, it will transform and give an organisation higher strategic competence. (1090 words)

Human Trafficking vs. Prostitution: Is There a Difference? Essay

In today’s modern society, prostitution is defined as the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations, especially for money. Trafficking can be defined in terms of dealing or trading in something illegal (Merriam-Webster). In many cultures, prostitution is indeed illegal. So, is there a difference? Are there variances that set prostitution and human trafficking apart, or are they just different forms of the same industry? In order to answer this question, it is important to first understand the histories of both prostitution and human trafficking. Often dubbed â€Å"the world’s oldest profession†, prostitution can be found in the records of most major civilizations throughout human history. The first known reference to prostitution comes from the ancient Sumerians, dating back to roughly 2400 B.C. They spoke of prostitution as a religious endeavor, describing how it was used in their temple services. Prostitution began showing up in other societies as time went on. In Greece, they were called pornes. In Asia, they were referred to as orian. In Rome, depending on their registration status, they were either a meretrix or a prostibulae. For a time, this world wide practice of exchanging sexual favors for money was legal in all corners of the globe. In 590 A.D., however, the King of Spain decided to outlaw the practice in his country. He decided that women who engaged in the practice of prostitution were to be whipped and forced into exile. Soon after, many other countries began implementing their own regulations concerning the governing of prostitution. In 1161, England set up regulations requiring that all those who engaged in the practice of prostitution must be single. England also required that all brot... ....discovery.com/investigation/prostitution/prostitution-history-04.html>. "The Campaign to Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking: Fact Sheet: Human Trafficking." Administration for Children and Families. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. . Jenkins, John Philip. "Prostitution." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. . Masci, David. "Human Trafficking and Slavery: Are the World's Nations Doing Enough to Stamp It Out?" The CQ Researcher 14.12 (2004): 275-94. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. . PBS. PBS. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .

Attitude Towards Love in Valentine and The Flea Essay -- Poetry Poems

Through Close Analysis of Language, Structure and Theme, Compare and Contrast the Poet's Attitude Towards Love in Valentine and The Flea. The two poems "Valentine" and "The Flea" are about the two different ways in which the poets portray their views about love, however the poems are still linked in a few ways. "The Flea was published in the seventeenth century and was written by 'John Donne'. "Valentine" was published in 1983 and was written by 'Carol Ann Duffy'. Both poems are addressed to an unknown lover. The poem "Valentine" is written in free-verse form. Carol Ann Duffy could have used this irregular pattern because of the irregular present that she is giving to her lover. "Not a red rose or satin heart. I give you an onion." When you first read the poem you think that an onion is an absurd present to give to a lover but after analysis, you realise that she is trying to portray a message to us: It is not what is on the outside that counts. Duffy uses quite a lot of imagery in her poem to explain her message to the reader. "It is a moon wrapped in brown paper." This could be referring to the moon as a pure object that you first have to unwrap and explore before you can find the real meaning of it. It is also linking back to her point that it may look a bit unromantic from the outside but it is really what is inside that counts. She could be saying this because of her lover's attitude towards women. Maybe the lover only thinks about what the people look like, not what they really are is like inside. Duffy then comments on the emotional feelings that love could bring into a relationship. "It will blind you with tears like a lover." When you cut an onion it makes you cry, and usually... ...lood from his lover and that is what all fleas do. Donne then again emphasises the idea that now because of the flea's death some life has been taken from his lover. "Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee." This puts forward the idea of some life being taken from his lover because part of her was contained inside the flea. At first the two poems appear very different but after close inspection links can be established between the two poems. I think Carol Ann Duffy's poem is the more serious of the two as she is using an unusual item to portray her feelings for her lover. John Donne is just worried about getting his lover into to bed using the idea of the flea instead of wanting to portray his feelings towards his lover. He is too overconfident with himself that he will get the girl into bed with him when in the end he doesn't succeed.

Exemplification Essay

Exemplification Essay I once heard a story about a restaurant manager named Jerry. Jerry was the type of guy that always was in a good mood no matter what. He was a natural motivator. When one of his employees would come in hating life he would be help them to look on the positive side of the situation. One of his other employees was curious, so one day he went up to Jerry and asked, â€Å"I don’t get it man, how can you be in a good positive mood all of the time. How do you do it? † Jerry replied, â€Å"Each morning I get up and I have a decision to make: to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good one. Every time something bad happens I can choose blame it on myself or I can choose to learn from the situation. † â€Å"It’s not that easy. † The employee protested. â€Å"Yeah it is. † Jerry said. â€Å"Life is all about the choices that you make and how you handle them, you choose to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. Bottom line: Attitude is everything. † The employee reflected on Jerry’s example. Later he left the restaurant business to start a business of his own. He lost touch with Jerry but would often use his teachings in his everyday choices in his life. A number of years later he heard that Jerry had left the back door open to his restaurant and he was robbed at gunpoint. While Jerry was opening the safe he was shaking and he slipped. One of the robbers, on edge, shot Jerry and they scurried away. Luckily, he wasn’t lying out for too long for an ambulance to come rush Jerry to the hospital; Jerry survived. Six months after the robbery the old employee met up with Jerry and had asked him about the incident. Jerry replied, â€Å"The Paramedics in the Ambulance were great. They kept on telling me that I was going to be fine until they handed me over to the doctors, that’s when I got worried. The doctors and the nurses eyes read that I was a dead man, not likely to survive. A nurse asked, â€Å"Do you have any allergies? †. I had a choice to make, to live or to die, to be in a good mood or a bad mood. â€Å"Yes† I replied to the nurse. The doctors stopped what they were doing waiting for my answer. â€Å"Bullets! † During their laughter they I told them â€Å"I’m not dead yet, make sure I don’t die. † Jerry lived by the outstanding skill of the doctors, but also due to his attitude. On July 19, 2011 my dad taught me the greatest lesson that I could ever be taught. Every year my paternal side of the family has a reunion in Capitol Reef National park, Southern Utah. My dad came up with the idea that we should leave a couple days earlier and ride our road bikes ahead of the rest of the family. Knowing me, he knew I was â€Å"in†. I just had had a friend move in with me because his family moved to Kentucky and he wanted to finish his senior year at our high school. He joined us on the ride. We started to do some training rides to get ready for the two hundred mile trek of which we were about to embark. July 19: woke up, ate a banana and oatmeal, got dressed in biking gear, took the first pedal and off we went. There were two different routes we could have taken: east of the lake or west of the lake. We chose to go west to avoid the traffic and the higher risk. When we reached the west side of the lake there was a head wind, so we started to draft off of each other. Every five minutes we would rotate who was in lead. It was my turn to lead, my dad following me, and my friend Kallen following him. Kallen’s headphones fell out of his ears and got wrapped up in his front wheels. While drafting he reached down to clear the remains of his headphones and his arm got sucked into the spokes which made him flip over the handle bars. I didn’t notice over the sound of my music that he had crashed but my dad did hear the accident and waved me down to go back. We frantically signaled a car down. A nice lady stepped out and offered to take Kallen to the hospital. My dad and I continued on our way. We reached the other side of the lake and I got a flat tire, which was my second for the day and I was already upset that we lost Kallen. We patched the flat and continued on our ride. Anger was just bottling up inside of me as we entered the next town. When we arrived we sat down to eat. It was about 3 o’clock and we still had seventy miles to go which added to my anger. After lunch we rode over to a park to use the public bathrooms. I take a short cut through a little dirt field. I used the restroom and hopped back on my bike to begin riding again and my tire was flat, again. â€Å"AHHH! †, I screamed. We went and sat on the grass to patch it. My attitude has not only has affected me, but has affected my dad too. â€Å"You better get in a better mood† he said†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦because you are acting like a little baby. You have a choice to make; be in a good mood or a bad one, because we are going to finish this ride whether you want to or not. † I was shocked. My dad had never talked to me like that before. I realized that attitude is everything. We rode into the dark that night till we reached one hundred and twenty miles and the next day we biked the remaining 80 and made it to Capitol Reef. July 19 is my birthday. It had to have been the worst but also the best birthday that I have ever had. Your attitude towards something can change your life. Whether it is as big as saving your life or as small as changing your mood such as finishing a biking trip with your dad. It will stick with you and make you a better person and a happy person. Bottom line: Attitude is Everything. Exemplification Essay Exemplification Essay I once heard a story about a restaurant manager named Jerry. Jerry was the type of guy that always was in a good mood no matter what. He was a natural motivator. When one of his employees would come in hating life he would be help them to look on the positive side of the situation. One of his other employees was curious, so one day he went up to Jerry and asked, â€Å"I don’t get it man, how can you be in a good positive mood all of the time. How do you do it? † Jerry replied, â€Å"Each morning I get up and I have a decision to make: to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good one. Every time something bad happens I can choose blame it on myself or I can choose to learn from the situation. † â€Å"It’s not that easy. † The employee protested. â€Å"Yeah it is. † Jerry said. â€Å"Life is all about the choices that you make and how you handle them, you choose to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. Bottom line: Attitude is everything. † The employee reflected on Jerry’s example. Later he left the restaurant business to start a business of his own. He lost touch with Jerry but would often use his teachings in his everyday choices in his life. A number of years later he heard that Jerry had left the back door open to his restaurant and he was robbed at gunpoint. While Jerry was opening the safe he was shaking and he slipped. One of the robbers, on edge, shot Jerry and they scurried away. Luckily, he wasn’t lying out for too long for an ambulance to come rush Jerry to the hospital; Jerry survived. Six months after the robbery the old employee met up with Jerry and had asked him about the incident. Jerry replied, â€Å"The Paramedics in the Ambulance were great. They kept on telling me that I was going to be fine until they handed me over to the doctors, that’s when I got worried. The doctors and the nurses eyes read that I was a dead man, not likely to survive. A nurse asked, â€Å"Do you have any allergies? †. I had a choice to make, to live or to die, to be in a good mood or a bad mood. â€Å"Yes† I replied to the nurse. The doctors stopped what they were doing waiting for my answer. â€Å"Bullets! † During their laughter they I told them â€Å"I’m not dead yet, make sure I don’t die. † Jerry lived by the outstanding skill of the doctors, but also due to his attitude. On July 19, 2011 my dad taught me the greatest lesson that I could ever be taught. Every year my paternal side of the family has a reunion in Capitol Reef National park, Southern Utah. My dad came up with the idea that we should leave a couple days earlier and ride our road bikes ahead of the rest of the family. Knowing me, he knew I was â€Å"in†. I just had had a friend move in with me because his family moved to Kentucky and he wanted to finish his senior year at our high school. He joined us on the ride. We started to do some training rides to get ready for the two hundred mile trek of which we were about to embark. July 19: woke up, ate a banana and oatmeal, got dressed in biking gear, took the first pedal and off we went. There were two different routes we could have taken: east of the lake or west of the lake. We chose to go west to avoid the traffic and the higher risk. When we reached the west side of the lake there was a head wind, so we started to draft off of each other. Every five minutes we would rotate who was in lead. It was my turn to lead, my dad following me, and my friend Kallen following him. Kallen’s headphones fell out of his ears and got wrapped up in his front wheels. While drafting he reached down to clear the remains of his headphones and his arm got sucked into the spokes which made him flip over the handle bars. I didn’t notice over the sound of my music that he had crashed but my dad did hear the accident and waved me down to go back. We frantically signaled a car down. A nice lady stepped out and offered to take Kallen to the hospital. My dad and I continued on our way. We reached the other side of the lake and I got a flat tire, which was my second for the day and I was already upset that we lost Kallen. We patched the flat and continued on our ride. Anger was just bottling up inside of me as we entered the next town. When we arrived we sat down to eat. It was about 3 o’clock and we still had seventy miles to go which added to my anger. After lunch we rode over to a park to use the public bathrooms. I take a short cut through a little dirt field. I used the restroom and hopped back on my bike to begin riding again and my tire was flat, again. â€Å"AHHH! †, I screamed. We went and sat on the grass to patch it. My attitude has not only has affected me, but has affected my dad too. â€Å"You better get in a better mood† he said†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦because you are acting like a little baby. You have a choice to make; be in a good mood or a bad one, because we are going to finish this ride whether you want to or not. † I was shocked. My dad had never talked to me like that before. I realized that attitude is everything. We rode into the dark that night till we reached one hundred and twenty miles and the next day we biked the remaining 80 and made it to Capitol Reef. July 19 is my birthday. It had to have been the worst but also the best birthday that I have ever had. Your attitude towards something can change your life. Whether it is as big as saving your life or as small as changing your mood such as finishing a biking trip with your dad. It will stick with you and make you a better person and a happy person. Bottom line: Attitude is Everything.

Effects of Music on Teenagers Essay

Every teenager who listens to music interprets the lyrics in a different way. Some people take out a deeper meaning from the lyrics, even going to the point of saying that music â€Å"saves their lives†. Music holds a powerful effect on an individual because it can stimulate and provoke multiple responses—physiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. But, every genre of music gives its own message to teenagers. Some may enforce positive actions, while some condone negative actions. Rap has the negative status of objectifying women and promoting gang violence. On the other hand, rock has a positive reputation because it helps people cope with their problems and identify with their peers. Everyone, teenagers included, is susceptible to internalizing the messages they hear over and over again. The degree of those messages determines the effect on the teenager. Every genre of music effects teenagers in a different ways. In some genres, like rock, the positive effects outrun the negative, and in some genres, like rap, the exact opposite happens. Structurally, the rock and rap genres has noticeable differences between them. Generally, the sound of rock music rotates around guitars, bass, drums, and the keyboard. There is a large tendency to focus on instruments, especially the guitar, which requires considerable skill to play. For example, the rock band Fall Out Boy consists of four members who each play their own instrument while one member does vocals and plays an instrument. Alternatively, rap’s main focus is free styling and looping words to create a â€Å"story† in a flowing rhyme, keeping it in sync with the beat. In most cases, like the rapper Machine Gun Kelly, the artist preforms by themselves with the assistance with a DJ or MC to play the musical tracks for the songs. Rap displays a larger emphasis on lyrics, while ro ck likes to have a variety of sounds. In the rock genre, it’s all about expression. Rock music can speak about all kinds of topics, from love to some not so pleasant. Many rock musicians sing about real issues that teens are going through, which helps teens find motivation. Adolescents sometimes find it difficult to communicate with older people, most of the time because of ideological differences. This often makes teens with problems shy away from seeking help and guidance. Teens find hope and encouragement when they listen to music that talks about problems they are going through. The identification they are experiencing with the rock song  lyrics can also help teens to become more tolerant and open-minded. A study published for the 9th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition reported that mood regulation is one of the most important reasons why people listen to their favorite music (McCammon). Rock music can help mood regulation in teenagers, especially females who are prone to mood swings and depression. For example, the song Eye of the Tige r by Survivor can cause teens to associate with the underdog. The song provides a positive message, while keeping an uplifting tone throughout the whole song. The music provides depressed teens with a mode to forget their problems and participate in healthy activities, such as dancing. While rock has been given a positive reputation for allowing teenagers to express themselves, some have given it a poor reputation because it can intensify emotions. While those people who are naturally happy and cheerful are less likely to have effects from the negative lyrics, other, less fortunate teens might not be the same. Adolescents who are susceptible to negative, violent, or depressive thoughts are more likely to have those feelings, and act on them, after listening to rock music. At the same time, if a person is not experiencing those negative thoughts, the music can act as a catalyst, causing the teen to have these thoughts and urges. The rap genre is often given a negative reputation for the way it effects teenagers. Critics of the genre say that the music objectifies women and promotes drug use. For example, the song 9 Problems by Jay-Z, repeat edly refers to a woman as a â€Å"bitch.† This song allowed women to be categorized under the vulgar name â€Å"bitch†, because of the high reception the song received in the media (The Portrayal of Women Within Popular Music). A recent study by WebMD reports that teenagers who listen to rap music are more likely to have babies and engage in risky sexual behavior (Kirchheimer). Apparently, this behavior is because the lyrics in many rap songs promote the idea of women as nothing more than sexual objects. Correspondingly, it was shown that youth who listened to rap songs were more likely to get involved with drugs. This is because in some songs, the artists refer to drugs that the person has not heard of, which sparks their curiosity to learn and most likely try the new drugs. The rap genre can also give teenagers a false sense of belonging. When they hear about, or see in the videos, expensive possessions, they feel that if they spend their money to buy that stuff, they can be just like the  people in the videos. The media then uses this to their advantage to market products to the younger, naà ¯ve generations. Even though rap is seen as a vulgar music genre by a large population, it can be positive for teenagers. It makes a person feel good about who they are because even if they may not live a good life, they can relate to the lyrics in a particular song. This is different than the false sense of belonging because instead of the individual trying to fit in, they are finding the place where they fit in, while not changing themselves. Rap lyrics also help youth feel free and powerful. They are free to express what they want to express. Listeners of the music have even gone to the extent of calling the rap genre â€Å"a religion for troubled youth† because it provides them with an outlet to express themselves and something to believe in. It is evident that rock and rap are very different genres that expose different messages to teenagers. But, no matter the genre of music, studies have shown that the use of music videos show an increased open-mindedness to deviant behavior among teenagers. The music videos reinforce what is being heard in the lyrics with the use of visuals. They usually exhibit sexual innuendo, acts of aggression, and gender stereotypes. Research has shown that, after watching videos, men said it was necessary to pursue the women to an inappropriate extent, while women thought it was annoying and/or disturbing. Men scored higher in relations to attitudes for sexual overtones, while women scored higher on the acceptance of interpersonal violence. The results of the study also showed that women who were often subjected to violent music videos were more accepting of violence. Also, men had a greater acceptance of sexual stereotyping and rape myths after watching the videos (The Effects of Violent Music Content On Teens). Over time, people have stereotyped genres of music. Sometimes the music is seen as positive and uplifting. But other times it is seen as negative and downgrading. In the end, the way that music effects teenagers all depends on how the tee n acts and interprets the music. Depending on their emotional and mental status, they can have different reactions to the music than someone who has different feelings than them.

Love vs Infatuation

Love Vs. Infatuation There are plenty of differences between being infatuated with someone and being in love with someone. A person knows in their heart what they feel but most of the time the two can be confused. Usually it takes a little while to know whether or not you’re infatuated versus being in love. You won’t know overnight but sometimes you have to figure it out for yourself. Both love and infatuation are crazy things, They are both led by something other than your brain which is why it’s so hard to distinguish the two. Love is led by your heart and infatuation, by the chemicals released in your body.Infatuation may have some similar â€Å"symptoms† of love but the differences overrule the small similarities. I myself still have trouble separating the two. It would be an amazing thing if a guide book just dropped down to help you figure out just what you were experiencing. Unfortunately that does not exist so I will distinguish the difference betw een love and infatuation in the next few paragraphs, with some help from some people experienced in the area. â€Å"Love is friendship that has caught fire; it takes root and grows, one day at a time†, Ann Landers of the Chicago Tribune says.I love this quote because it really gives you an idea of how love should start. Love takes time to grow, it does not come overnight. It isn’t something like a fairytale. For instance in Cinderella, Cinderella leaves her glass slipper behind and the prince searches for her and they fall in love and get married in what seems like less than a month. Yes there may be some out there that do get married or â€Å"fall in love† in such a short time span. Usually those are the relationships that don’t last long or work out. â€Å"When you’re in love, you feel strong, full of life, and happy.You feel Secure and beautiful†, S. E Jones, Yahoo contributor beautifully puts her version of love. With love you donâ€℠¢t feel as if you have to worry about your mental state of mind; you feel great, like as if nothing can bring you down or get in your way. You might feel as if anything that comes your way you can handle. With love comes trust, you trust them quite literally with your heart. Some people may even trust their partner with their life, they would give their own life to save the other if it came down to it. Lastly I believe love is taking each other mperfections; every single one of them and saying wholeheartedly that you accept them. No matter how horrible they may be you can say that you still accept them, love them, and want to spend the rest of your life with them. You should not have really try when you’re in love. Love is mature, it is effortless. Infatuation I feel is fairly, easily confused with love because when you think of love you think of this intense, strong feeling. Infatuation is a strong, deep feeling as well but there is a big difference between the two.The reaso n infatuation can feel so intense and strong feeling is because with infatuation it all comes at once, sort of like a bomb. However, unlike love the â€Å"bomb† goes off after a short time and does not last as long as love does. Infatuation does not grow over time because when you’re infatuated you need instant gratification. Also, when you are infatuated you are constantly wondering. Wondering if your partner is doing something behind you back to hurt you, if they like you as much as you like them, and simply what they think of you.To sum it up with infatuation come constant worrying and anxiety. Unlike love you do not feel secure or safe. â€Å"Infatuation lacks confidence†, Ann Landers simply puts it. In an infatuated relationship you fell as if disaster is around the corner. You feel like your partner is going to disappoint you or even that you are going to lose your partner at any point. In which most cases things are fine and you are just overthinking but that’s what comes along with infatuation, being in that obsessive state of mind.With infatuation there is no trust, just hope. Again using S. E Jones creative words â€Å"Infatuation is getting through today and hoping tomorrow will be good too†. Infatuation is a very interesting experience, fun to some. It is bound to happen at some point. Infatuation is the â€Å"evil twin† it’s nice looking on the exterior but it ends up being a little less than horrible when looked at a little closer. Now as you can see there are big differences between love and infatuation. On the other hand see how easy it may be to mix up the two.It’s sort of like infatuation is the kid in you while love is the adult. It’s important to know sometimes it is inevitable to be infatuated with a person but once love comes around you’ll see just what you were missing out on. Love lasts and is sometimes quite literally your best friend; a lot of people in love view th eir partners as their best friend which is an amazing thing in itself. Unfortunately Infatuation can be compared to that friend you were best friends all throughout middle school but lost touch with when you entered high school.Some things just aren’t meant to last but that’s mostly because better things like love are waiting to happen. References * Jones, S. E. â€Å"The top ten differences between love and infatuation. †Ã‚  Yahoo Voices. Yahoo, 15 Sep 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2013. . * Landers, Ann. â€Å"Love Vs. infatuation: Telling the difference. â€Å"Chicago Tribune A&E. Chicago Tribune, 01 Dec 1990. Web. 1 Apr 2013. .

Curriculum Evaluation Essay

The report included a deterioration of performance in reading, language and arithmetic due to poor instructional methods, large class sizes, and inadequate supervision Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) 1. Analyze performance of the educational system and its relevance to national developmental goals 2. Ascertain the efficiency of the system 3. Identify areas which need more detailed investigation. 4. The report included findings on : a. Mismatch between educational services and manpower requirements b. Mismatch between education priorities and the national development priorities c. Inequitable distribution of educational facilities and resources across the regions d. Lack of systematic planning and evaluation SURVEY OF OUTCOMES OF ELEM EDUCATION (SOUTELE) 1. Battery of achievement tests designed to measure the outcomes of elementary education 2. General mental ability test of non-verbal type designed to measure association 3. Student’s attitude inventory aimed to measure affective objectives 4. Questionnaires in order to establish the profiles of pupils, teachers, school heads, etc. 5. The study revealed deficiencies of elementary education in terms of inputs (resources), processes (curriculum and instruction), and outputs (students’ achievement). These are affected by socio economic, school types, quality of teaching. The Household and School Matching Survey (HSMS) 1. The survey hypothesized that learning is predicated on the antecedent academic, social, physiological variables. 2. The findings of the investigation showed that home-related and community related variables have greater influences on learning than school related factors such as cost per pupil and numbers of textbooks per students. The Congressional Commission on Education Study (EDCOM) 1. Enhancing the internal capability of the system to satisfactorily implement the constitutional provisions on education 2. Providing the system with necessary financial and other infrastructure support 3. Strengthening the system’s linkages with all sectors concerned in human resource development 4. Assisting the system to achieve its sectoral goals and targets through strategies that are consistent with the nation’s development goals. The National Evaluation and Impact Study of PRODED 1. Teacher factor is crucial in the success of the teaching-learning process 2. There is a need to improve the pre-service and in-service training of teachers that should include the development of skills in classroom management, teacher-pupil interaction, and the use of instructional aids, etc. Monitoring and Evaluation of RBEC 1. Defines what levels of learning students of schools and divisions meet at various stages of the basic education cycle based on the national curriculum. 2. Setting of minimum national standards for capabilities, structures, processes and output based on a template for school improvement processes from planning to implementation to monitoring and evaluation 3. Nationally standardized student assessment, outcomes measurement and reporting of basic school statistics Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER) 1. Created through E.O. in 1988 to define a budget feasible program of reform, and identify executive priority policy recommendations and items for a legislative agenda on education. 2. Comprised of multi sectoral group 3. Proposed the establishment of National Education Evaluation and Testing System (NEETS) that assumes responsibility for educational assessment of all levels, including technical and skills development CURRENT TRENDS AND ISSUES BILINGUAL EDUCATION 1. Article 14, sect 7 of 1987 constitution – â€Å"for the purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and until otherwise provided by law, English.† 2. DECS Order 52, s. 1987 – the policy of bilingual education aims to make every Filipino competent in both Filipino and English at the national level 3. DECS defines bilingual as â€Å"separate use of Filipino and English as media of instruction in specific subjects.† Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) 1. Art 15, Sec 2, 1987 Phil. Cons. – recognizes the â€Å"right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.† 2. UN Convention on the Rights of Child 3. Education for All (EFA) agenda of DECS, 1990 envisioned 90% in 2000 of early childhood care and development either home-based services or kindergarten / nursery classes Other issues 1. Access to pre-school education 2. Private Pre-school education 3. Global education 4. Environmental education The K to 12 Program The K to 12 Program covers kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship. The adoption of the program is in response to the need to improve the competitiveness of our country’s graduates as the ten-year basic education cycle is seen as inadequate for work and higher education. In fact, overseas Filipino workers are not automatically recognized as professional in other countries that view the ten-year education program as insufficient. The Philippines is the only country in Asia and is one of only three countries in the world with a ten-year basic education cycle. 1. Universal Kindergarten Education. 2. Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. 3. Core Academic Areas 4. Specializations. TYPES OF CURRICULUM (PHILIPPINE SETTING) Overt, explicit, or written curriculum Is simply that which is written as part of formal instruction of schooling experiences? It may refer to a curriculum document, texts, films, and supportive teaching materials that are overtly chosen to support the intentional instructional agenda of a school. Thus, the overt curriculum is usually confined to those written understandings and directions formally designated and reviewed by administrators, curriculum directors and teachers, often collectively. Societal curriculum As defined by Cortes (1981). Cortes defines this curriculum as: the massive, ongoing, informal curriculum of family, peer groups, neighborhoods, churches organizations, occupations, mass, media and other socializing forces that â€Å"educate† all of us throughout our lives. The hidden or covert curriculum That which is implied by the very structure and nature of schools, much of what revolves around daily or established routines. Longstreet and Shane (1993) offer a commonly accepted definition for this term. The â€Å"hidden curriculum,† which refers to the kinds of learning’s children derives from the very nature and organizational design of the public school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes of teachers and administrators. Examples of the hidden curriculum might include the messages and lessons derived from the mere organization of schools — the emphasis on: sequential room arrangements; the cellular, timed segments of formal instruction; an annual schedule that is still arranged to accommodate an agrarian age; disciplined messages where concentration equates to student behaviors were they are sitting up straight and are continually quiet; students getting in and standing in line silently; students quietly raising their hands to be called on; the endless competition for grades, and so on. The hidden curriculum may include both positive or negative messages, depending on the models provided and the perspectives of the learner or the observer. The null curriculum Those lessons learned through searching the Internet for information, or through using e-forms of communication. (Wilson, 2004) From Eisner’s perspective the null curriculum is simply that which is not taught in schools. Somehow, somewhere, some people are empowered to make conscious decisions as to what is to be included and what is to be excluded from the overt (written) From Eisner’s perspective the null curriculum is simply that which is not taught in schools. Somehow, somewhere, some people are empowered to make conscious decisions as to what is to be included and what is to be excluded from the overt (written curriculum. Since it is physically impossible to teach everything in schools, many topics and subject areas must be intentionally excluded from the written curriculum. But Eisner’s position on the â€Å"null curriculum† is that when certain subjects or topics are left out of the overt curriculum, school personnel are sending messages to students that certain content and processes are not important enough to study. Unfortunately, without some level of awareness that there is also a well-defined implicit agenda in schools, school personnel send this same type of message via the hidden curriculum. Phantom curriculum The messages prevalent in and through exposure to any type of media. These components and messages play a major part in the enculturation of students into the predominant meta-culture, or in acculturating students into narrower or generational subcultures. Concomitant curriculum What is taught, or emphasized at home, or those experiences that are part of a family’s experiences, or related experiences sanctioned by the family. (This type of curriculum may be received at church, in the context of religious expression, lessons on values, ethics or morals, molded behaviors, or social experiences based on the family’s preferences.) Rhetorical curriculum Elements from the rhetorical curriculum are comprised from ideas offered by policymakers, school officials, administrators, or politicians. This curriculum may also come from those professionals involved in concept formation and content changes; or from those educational initiatives resulting from decisions based on national and state reports, public speeches, or from texts critiquing outdated educational practices. The rhetorical curriculum may also come from the publicized works offering updates in pedagogical knowledge. Curriculum-in-use The formal curriculum (written or overt) comprises those things in textbooks, and content and concepts in the district curriculum guides. However, those â€Å"formal† elements are frequently not taught. The curriculum-in-use is the actual curriculum that is delivered and presented by each teacher. Received curriculum Those things that students actually take out of classroom; those concepts and content that are truly learned and remembered. The internal curriculum Processes, content, knowledge combined with the experiences and realities of the learner to create new knowledge. While educators should be aware of this curriculum, they have little control over the internal curriculum since it is unique to each student. The electronic curriculum Those lessons learned through searching the Internet for information, or through using e-forms of communication. (Wilson, 2004) This type of curriculum may be either formal or informal, and inherent lessons may be overt or covert, good or bad, correct or incorrect depending on ones’ views. Students who use the Internet on a regular basis, both for recreational purposes (as in blogs, chatrooms, listserves, through instant messenger on-line conversations, or through personal e-mails) and for research and information, are bombarded with all types of media and messages. Much of this information may be factually correct, informative, or even entertaining or inspirational, but other information may be very incorrect, dated, passive, biased, perverse, or even manipulative. The implications for educational practices are that part of the overt curriculum needs to include lessons on how to be wise consumers of information, how to critically appraise the accuracy and correctness of e-information, as well as the reliability of electronic sources. Also, students need to learn how to be artfully discerning about the usefulness and appropriateness of certain types of information. And, like other forms of social interaction, students need to know that there are inherent lessons to be learned about appropriate and acceptable â€Å"netiquette† and online behavior, to include the differences between â€Å"fair usage† and plagiarism.

Bottled Water

When the children have lunch at school or buy a drink, the kids choose bottled water to make the right choice. Imagine a case where you can not access bottled water because all children are forbidden. Children go to sugar and unhealthy drinks. This makes the children obese and the health care of the children will go up. Then the US obesity rate will rise and our economy will be destroyed. So do not ban the bottled water, it plays an important role for us. Water is one of the most useful resources in history. You have two different types of mineral water: mineral water for city water supply and mineral water from natural hot spring. Bottled drinking water from municipal water sources will be supplied by local municipal supplies of the city. It is cleaned and bottled by the manufacturer. Because this type of mineral water is often surface water, it certainly contains several contaminants. In other words, urban water may come from open canals, reservoirs, snow melting water, or any wate r coming from the ground. The basic elements of our own brand mineral water are of course water, there are many differences in the quality of mineral water. Ultra pure water produced by the distillation / filtration / ozone combination process does not contain minerals, pollutants, bacteria, so many people think that it is of the highest quality. A tag is an element indicating a message, and the message must be transmitted in the strongest and clear way. Labels should be developed by graphic designers or technologies so that consumers can develop high quality images themselves. Printing is particularly important, and the printing process should ensure that the label has the same quality as any top brand of your grocery store or luxury grocery store.

Everday Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Everday Negotiation - Essay Example More often than not, we are expected to keep the peace, acquiesce be the first to make concessions and not make waves. It is important that in everyday negotiations, we learn how not to easily and naively buy into such self-defeating expectations. There are a myriad of reasons why some of us get less or more salary or wages than others, get better or worse deals that other; one of these reasons is because they either reject terms first offered to them and negotiate, or accept terms first offered to them without negotiating. According to Kolb and Williams (24), the effects of failing to negotiation or bargain smart and hard accumulate over a period of time and that this leads to the widening of the gap that cannot even be measure in monetary terms. This may result in the involved person not being able to get the best deal, authority, or resources that would enable them to succeed. Especially in business and in the work place, the effects of failing to negotiate and acquiescing instead of holding down the opposition’s feet and bargaining hard and smart can increasingly become negative with time and result in failed business deals or bad careers. Good everyday negotiation, according to M. R. Carrell, M. Carrell, and Heavrin (46) is a matter of understanding the basic techniques, which include bringing together all your insights and observations about the party that one is negotiating with, practicing, speaking and standing up for oneself on a daily basis, irrespective of how small or big a negotiation is. Most of our day-to-day interactions essentially, are a series of negotiations; thus, not knowing the simple basics is doing a great disservice to ourselves. Every day, we negotiate with our friends about what we would like to do or want done, we negotiate with our families regarding what to eat, who to pay bills, and who does the dishes; we negotiate with sales personnel on the price and cost

How Will Retail Look like in 2020 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

How Will Retail Look like in 2020 - Essay Example Consumer changes, preferences, and tastes are constantly changing giving the retail sector a new look. By 2020, the retail sector will have more connected consumers, increased trust and transparency, buying will be frictionless, a change in-store experience, and will be more challenging to retailers.Considering the ostensible fact that the 2020 consumers will be more tech-savvy than the present, they will be more connected through wearable technology. While laptops, tablets, and smartphones will undoubtedly have their place, digitally connected contact lenses, earpieces, and watches will imply that the consumers will be permanently connected. Consequently, customers will straightforwardly blunderbuss online marketing thus living in a world where their buying decisions will be influenced by personalized recommendations. The unwarranted staff costs attributable to property leasing and gratuitously lengthy trading hours will be eliminated as wholesalers and manufacturers will have recog nized how lucrative and simple it is to make undeviating online sales. Apparently, this will bring consumers close to the manufacturers thus jettisoning the middlemen who often hike the prices of retail goods.Additionally, buyers will buy by a single command without having to click severally. Chatting with retailers, choosing products, trying samples, and getting endorsements will be fast and proficient. This will also be bolstered by the mixture of frictionless imbursement systems and virtual currencies such as the Bitcoin Mark 5 that will be in circulation. More contactless technologies will be in existence particularly considering the speed at which the US and UK consumers are embracing the technologies. A good example is the NFC (Near Field Communications) technology which is presently making it a realistic to pay for a myriad of products ranging from bus tickets to chocolate with merely a tap of the credit card. The PayPal and Visa.me services will be extremely advanced. The 20 20 customers will simply use their mobile phones to make and implement pay arrangements (Kare-Silver 72). Similarly, retailers will concentrate more on the use of social forums such as Twitter and Facebook plummeting street shopping. The number of retailers running ‘real’ shops will, thus, be enormously abridged. However, as the intrinsic need to touch and feel will still be high, consumers will still visit stores maintaining the resilient social component connected with shopping as asserted by Meng (N.p).

Lorenzo de Medeci and the Renaissance Research Paper

Lorenzo de Medeci and the Renaissance - Research Paper Example Through a combination of skill, capability and the Medici family’s dominant position in the Florentine government and society, Lorenzo was able to impose his secular views on the Italian society, changed its politics, help create a spurt of renaissance art and engage and influence the church and its role in the Italian community. Collectively these developments spilled over the rest of Europe, in effect, making Lorenzo’s influence far-reaching. Secular Views One of the defining concepts of the Renaissance is the humanist movement. Here, Italy started to veer away from the religiosity that typified the medieval tradition and focused more on creating art or works of literature, materialism and wealth (Romano 31). Lorenzo is crucial in this area because these are the very concepts that he believed in, promoted and supported. He was the quintessential Renaissance ideal who believed that the ancient Greece and its mythologies could teach and educate people in Renaissance Ita ly on important ideas that include beauty, way of life, values, among others. This is the reason why Lorenzo was a generous patron of the arts and that he saw fulfillment in the humanist values. Poets and artists are welcome in the Medici palace and Lorenzo was known to have supported Renaissance artists like Michelangelo and Botticelli. He himself wrote poetry. This attitude towards humanism, which was deeply rooted in Lorenzo’s appreciation for the Greek mythology, has facilitated the humanistic movement in the Renaissance. The case of the poet and humanist scholar Angelo Poliziano demonstrates this point. Poliziano was taken into the Medici household after he caught the attention of Lorenzo through his epigrams. He studied in the extensive Medici library and was charged to educate Lorenzo’s eldest son. His most important work, however, was his contribution to Lorenzo’s compilation of the Raccolta Aragonese (Aragon Collection). Here, he aided Lorenzo in the re valuation of vernacular poetry which came to characterize the increasing use of the Italian vernacular in literature in addition to the Latin language. Poliziano eventually brought his humanistic works with him as he travelled and stayed in several Italian estates such as the Gonzaga court in Mantau where he wrote Favola d’Orfeo (The Fable of Orpheus) (Cirigliano 217). Political Influence When his father died in 1469, Lorenzo de’ Medici began a steady ascent to power. His family’s wealth enabled him to rule Florence in de facto capacity. The city council contained his surrogates and his domination of the polity was achieved through clever manipulation, coercion, bribery and even strategic marriages. Lorenzo’s excellent grasp of Florentine politics was attributed to an early grooming in his younger years. The influence of his grandfather, Cosimo de Medici, the man responsible for the maintenance of peace and balance among the northern Italian states, also did its part. There are several crucial events that displayed Lorenzo’s political acumen and cleverness but his altercation with the papal authority during the time of Sixtus IV demonstrated this best. The conflict stemmed from the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy, wherein members of the Pazzi family and their cohorts tried to assassinate Lorenzo in Florence (Najemy 352). They operated under the support of the Archbishop of Pisa and the reigning Pope Sixtus IV. When the attacked failed, the perpetrators of the attack