Is There Really a Heaven Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is There Really a Heaven - Research Paper Example Christians believe that Heaven is the place where God and his angels reside (Bunyan 56). The life in this world is temporary and human beings will be able to continue their eternal life only after leaving this world. Heaven was taken from human beings because of disobedience of Adam and Eve and human beings will be able to be a part of Heaven after they spend a life on this earth by doing good deeds. Bible gives a detailed account of the presence of Heaven and Hell and as per the book, both Heaven and Hell exist and human beings will be placed in both as per their deeds in this world. Overall, it is stated that God keeps the whole right as to decide who is to go to Heaven and who to Hell. The decision depends on His mercy on humankind (Bunyan 68). Therefore, Christianity speaks of existence of Heaven. Like Christian religion, Islam also speaks about the existence of Heaven. There are a number of instances in Quran, where the readers can find mentioning of ‘Jannah’, the A rabic word for Heaven, which is indicative of the fact that Heaven exists as per Islamic religion (Masumian 129). Muslims believe that Heaven will be rewarded to those Muslims who will do good deeds and they will be able to enjoy the bounties of the Garden of Heaven while unbelievers will be thrown in the fire of Hell as a punishment for their ill doings. As per Islamic religion, human beings will be allowed to enter Heaven based on the comparison between good and ill deeds, if good deeds are more, the Muslim will be able to enter Heaven while if bad deeds are more, the Muslim will be sent to Hell. There are detailed physical representations of Heaven in Quran as a happy place, where there will be no sorrows (Masumian 134). Jewish religion gives a little account about Heaven and this information is not as elaborative as in Islam and Christianity. The readers can find the mentioning of an immortal soul that will be able go back to its Creator after leaving this earth (Moody 114). Tor ah, the Jewish book talks about resurrection and immortality but in actuality, there are no straightforward descriptions about the fate of people after vanishing from earth. There is no apparent or comprehensible assistance to the followers as what is the coming destiny as an afterlife (De Lange 85). However, the belief in the afterlife exists as well as in Heaven. Therefore, there is no negation of the concept of Heaven in Judaism as well. So, as per Jewish religion, Heaven exists. Human beings can never be perfect but God being forgiving and gracious allows them to enter Heaven forgiving their wrong deeds to some extent. Kvanvig (2008) says, â€Å"human beings are sinners, and that God justifies such human beings, i.e., grants them heaven in spite of their not deserving it.† A Heaven exists where human beings will be assessed in terms of their performed deeds and God will decide for their destiny in Heaven or Hell. According to Kvanvig (2008), Heaven is a place of reward wh ile Hell is a place for punishment. The existence of Heaven as well as Hell cannot be negated. People if asked about their belief in Heaven give mixed opinions and it can be seen that those who prioritize religion mostly believe in existence of Heaven (Moody 64). However, those having shaking belief in religion or having no belief at all, think that Heaven is an imaginary place, which cannot exist in reality. Even critics have mixed

Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay Example for Free

Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay Unlike other explorations insinuated in the context of research, marriage counseling has been one of the unspecialized fields emerged with theoretical assumptions and practice (Stuckert, 2003). This however, has been the challenge to psychologists and practitioners in defying the thought that marriage cannot be taken into research since its hypotheses and results of practice have been acclimated, nevertheless the volume available for study is accumulated. Everett L. Worthington Jr. , a psychology professor and the proponent of over 150 articles tackling issues on marriage, forgiveness and reconciliation was able to find standard procedures on how to keep marriages anchored on Christianity based marital therapy. More specifically, through the light of his year 1999 published book, Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, couples are to be taken to a self rehabilitation which will give hope to individuals who are living in a room full of skeptic viewpoints about marriage and eventually open a realization that his substantial research shall lead them to a path where â€Å"miracles do happen in the real world. † (Worthington, 1999) Overview Marriage is a shadow of the relationship that we are expected to have with Jesus—permanent, loving, committed. (Eph 5:32) Everett L. Worthington begins his book with a verse in the bible which depicts the meaning of marriage in the most moral and Christian way thus giving a connotation that helping troubled couples is not an easy task. However, she points out the fact that the extent of healing relationships is through developing a character of Christ embodied in every individual’s personality and manifest such with one’s relationships to his or her social network as well (Worthington, 1999). Further, he stresses that when a relationship has Christ as vanguard, life will be inhabited with the verity of love, faith and hope and that then is the start of a bright thing. Strengths What makes his book amazing falls on the grounds of analytic and realistic situations as the core of the gist of the whole scenario. Initially introducing theories then later putting the theories into practice makes readers able to divulge their selves in the dimension that the author intends them to live with. His strategies (advices, so to speak) draws out a hysteria which will make readers know their respective state in life at first, hence, for having been given the momentum to realize what is happening in their lives, they will seek for answers on how to save them from their presumed agony. Further, his approaches through exercises which are efficient to exhibit (Worthington, 1999)—drawing fundamental values, the promotion of confession and forgiveness, communication intensification, aiding conflict resolution, alterations of the pattern of thinking, intimacy development, and the cementing of commitment—gives grandeur to the book as readers can implement these exercises with their partners or core groups. Realistically crafted, he gives marriage counseling a twist by inculcating his own experiences which gives conviction to the statements and recommendations written in his book. One fascinating fact on the book is its distinctiveness in course, since unlike other books on marriage counseling, typically establishing manuals which synonymously suggest divorce or annulment so as not to complicate the situation, this book thinks otherwise. Though the author admitted that is hard and rarely possible in the contemporary society—divorce is legal and other forms of law that allow couples to â€Å"live† without the need of marital rites—still, he fervently believes that the sacred matrimony must be preserved even if others no longer accept as true the tradition and the essence of spiritual intimacy. These ideas represented in the book will coin back the integrity, accountability, prudence and proper teaching among couples. Weaknesses â€Å"Hope-focused rather than problem-focused† (Worthington, 1999) this is the toweringly hopeful campaign of the author. Thus, because of globalization, cultural diversity and the differences of every individual, there may be some who may not appreciate the book for reasons that inhibit the issue on dissimilarity of character, viewpoint in life, tradition and environmental influences. It is evident that the target audiences of the book are Christians—although optimistic individuals would also be interested in reading the book—hence this leads us to a remorseful realization that it will not drive â€Å"naysayer† or a pessimist to read it. Still, fingers are crossed on the intent of the book, and that is to spread the thought that â€Å"change is possible† and in the long run, every couple will be given a new outlook on their marriage for the benefit of their family. Conclusions and further remarks The functions of the husband and the wife bear a multifaceted blueprint of expectations of the responses which are to come from one another. Hence as humans, challenges and trials are inevitable aspects in life and must therefore be taken with full accountability after having vowed under the sacred matrimony and under the blessing of the church. However, in the present era, where several factors influence every person’s character and personality, asking for help and intervention from one who truly understands the quintessence of love and marriage is a an ideal act to do (Stuckert, 2003). Communication mostly is the main problem of couples and Worthington is able to help by producing a masterpiece which, with confidence, he believes will save troubled marriages. Forgive. Reconcile. Change can happen if one will listen while the other speaks. References Stuckert, R. P. (2003). Role Perception and Marital Satisfaction. A Configurational Approach. Marriage and Family Living, 25(4), 415-419. Worthington, E. L. (1999). Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling: A Guide to Brief Therapy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

lord of the flies :: essays research papers

The novel Lord of the Flies was full of challenges that the boys overcame in order to survive. Conflicts within themselves, with nature and with each other constantly test the children’s ability to endure. Struggles against the natural elements of the island, rival groups or fear of the unknown continually appear throughout the story. Some of the boys on the island did not survive the quarrels that they faced. They perished because they were lacking something that the surviving boys did not. The survivors had a natural primal instinct or a physical or mental advantage over the boys who did not make it. ‘Only the strong survive’ is an important element that runs through the novel Lord of the Flies because in order to survive the boys must turn to their primitive instincts of physical strength and savagery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the three children who did not survive the island was the mulberry colored birthmark boy. He represents the weaknesses and insignificance of all the littluns that are on the island. The littluns are younger, less developed and less experienced compared to the older children. As a result the littluns are at a disadvantage to the other boys. The mental weakness of the littluns is evident when they talk about their fear of a monster on the island: â€Å"He still says he saw the beastie. It came and went away again an’ came back and wanted to eat him.†(35). As most young children do, the littleuns confused fantasy with reality and as a result a monster was believed to live on the island. The littluns lack of maturity and concentration is shown when Ralph and Simon are building the shelters and Ralph says, â€Å"I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they’d come running. Then we’d be, you know, very solemn, and someone would say we o ut to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set. When the meeting was over they’d work for five minutes then wonder off.†(51). The death of the mulberry colored birthmark boy clearly shows that the littluns are insignificant to the other children on the island. When the children built the fire on the mountain and the flames caught on the canopy below Piggy realizes that the mulberry colored birthmark boy was not with them. Piggy shows the littluns’ insignificance when he says, â€Å"That little ‘un-‘ gasped Piggy-‘him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him.

Principles of Modern Finance Sample Midterm

Principles of Modern Finance Spring 2013 Sample Midterm February 22, 2012 Instructions †¢ You have 1 hour and 40 minutes. †¢ The exam is out of 25 points. †¢ There are 22 multiple-choice questions. 19 questions are worth one point, 3 questions are worth two points and are marked as such. †¢ If you get stuck, move on and come back later. 1 1. A stock is expected to pay a dividend of $10 next year, and this dividend is expected to grow by 5% each year thereafter. What should the price of the stock be if instruments of similar risk are paying 12%? (a) $83. 33 (b) $142. 86 (c) $150 (d) $200 2. A project has the following cash? ows: Year 0 1 2 Cash? w +12000 ? 7080 ? 6654 The IRR of these cash? ows is 9%. Assets of similar risk pay 5%. Should you accept this project? (a) Yes (b) No 3. I am considering buying a Greek government bond that promises to pay $1210 in two years’ time. However, there is a possibility that the Greek government will default between now an d the promised payment. If the government does default, the bond will only pay $500. The probability of default is 0. 5. What should the price of the bond be if instruments of similar risk are paying 10%? (a) $1000 (b) $706. 62 (c) $413. 22 (d) $303. 68 4. I am enrolled in a 2-year MBA program, and have just started classes.To pay the tuition and living expenses, I borrow $50,000 per year (paid at the start of the year). The interest rate on the loan is 5%. I am certain to get a job at the end of the two years of study. That job will be guaranteed for ten years (from the date I start work), at a constant salary which will be paid at the end of each year of work. There are no taxes. I estimate that I will be able to save 1/4 of my income, whatever my income is. What is the minimum salary the job must have to allow me to pay o? my loans within ten years? (2pts) 2 (a) $43,050 (b) $50,000 (c) $55,752 (d) $61,339 5. A credit card company o? rs me a card with 20% APR, compounded daily. I make purchases of $3,000 on the card, and allow interest to accrue on those purchases for a year. Assuming each year has 365 days, the amount I will have to pay back is: (a) $3,315 (b) $3,600 (c) $3,664 (d) $3,901. 30 Answer the next two questions with reference to this information: Analysts argue that two things can happen over the next year: the economy can continue as it is or it can go into recession. The returns of two stocks: General Electric (GE) and Cisco (CSCO) in each possible state are given below: State Return on GE Continue as-is 15 Recession ? 5 Return on CSCO 5 -1 The analysts estimate the probability of continuing as-is to be 0. 8 , and the probability of a recession to be 0. 2. 6. What is the expected return on a portfolio which is 120% in GE and ? 20% in CSCO? (a) 10. 04% (b) 8% (c) 2. 55% (d) 0% 7. What is the variance of CSCO? (a) 1. 96%2 (b) 5. 76%2 (c) 13%2 (d) 23. 04%2 3 8. Alice can get a one-year loan at 5% at her bank, while no bank is willing to give Brad a one-year loan for less than 10%. Brad has just had surgery, and must pay the hospital $10,000 immediately, but he has no money today, though he will have money in one year. So Alice o? rs Brad a proposal: she will borrow $10,000 from her bank for one year on her own account, and Brad will repay this loan. In addition, he will pay Alice a sum of money today. What is the maximum amount that Brad should be willing to pay Alice up-front under this arrangement? Alice is not willing to consider borrowing more than $10,000. (2pts) (a) $454. 54 (b) $377. 18 (c) $476. 19 (d) $500 9. The risk-free interest rate today is 7%. One year ago, you bought an asset which is risk-free and would pay $100 two years from the date of purchase. The risk-free interest rate on the date of purchase was 10%. You sell the asset today.What is the rate of return (HPR) that you made? (a) 13% (b) 10% (c) 7% (d) 15% 10. The correlation between Alcoa (AA) and American Express (AXP) is 0. 3. You want to form a portf olio, investing 50% in each stock. What is the variance of your portfolio’s return? You have the following information: AA AXP 10 12 8 16 Expected return Standard deviation of return (a) 85. 76%2 (b) 99. 2%2 (c) 121%2 (d) 144%2 11. If you can get an 8% return (annual e? ective) on a ten year CD from your local bank, would it be wise to invest in a 10 year bond which promises to make a single payment of $1000 at the end of its life? Assume both are equally risky). This bond costs $475 now and will pay $1000 in ten years. 4 (a) Yes, the bond is better. (b) No, the bond is worse. (c) Can’t tell from information given 12. You are given the following information about portfolios of two risky assets, A and B: Weight in A Weight in B Std. dev. of portfolio 0 1 12 0. 5 0. 5 14 1 0 16 What is the covariance between A and B? (a) 192%2 (b) 168%2 (c) 224%2 (d) Cannot be determined 13. A ? rm in a well-functioning capital market has the following projects available. The risk-free r ate is 10%. Which should it invest in? NPV IRR X 10 15% Y 0. 3% Z -5 22% OCC 22% 5% 6% (a) X only (b) Z only (c) X and Y (d) X and Z (e) All three 5 14. You are considering investing in a bond. This bond costs $300 now and pays $550 in ten years. What is the IRR of this investment? (a) 1. 06% (b) 6. 25% (c) 8. 33% (d) 9. 01% Answer the next two questions using the following information: A project has the following expected cash ? ows. Year 0 1 2 Expected cash? ow ? 370 814 ? 447. 7 The IRR of these cash ? ows is 10%. 15. Which of the NPV functions on the following page best describes this project? (2pts) (a) Graph A (b) Graph B (c) Graph C (d) Graph D 16.Given your answer to the previous question, what is the range of discount rates for which you should accept this project? (a) 10% only (b) Greater than 10% (c) Less than 10% (d) Always accept, except at 10% (e) Always reject 6 NPV NPV 10% Discount rate 10% Discount rate Graph A Graph B NPV NPV 10% Discount rate 10% Discount rate Gra ph C Graph D 7 Answer the next six questions using the following information: Boeing is a very pro? table aeroplane manufacturer. It is considering building a facility to manufacture 747s on 10,000 acres in the Nevada desert. It is not considering any other sites.To encourage Boeing to set up the facility, the local chamber of commerce has bought the land and has o? ered to rent it to Boeing at a rent of zero dollars per year. Assume that this â€Å"gift† has no tax implications for Boeing. If Boeing were to try to rent the land in the open market, the rent would be $1,500 per acre per year, payable at the end of each year. Building the factory will cost Boeing $800M (800 million dollars), of which $200M is payable today and $600M will be need to be paid as soon as the factory begins production. It will take one year to build the factory and start production.The IRS says that the $800M cost can be depreciated (straight-line to zero) over the ? rst twenty years in which the fa ctory produces aeroplanes. However, Boeing expects that the demand for the 747 will eventually dry up, and so they plan to scrap the plant after the ? rst ten years of production. They expect the scrap will be sold for $100M. Boeing expects the facility to produce and sell three Boeing 747 aeroplanes a year, with the ? rst batch ready by the end of year 2. Raw materials cost $100M per plane, and labour costs will be $120M a year. Labour costs will be paid at the end of the year in which they are incurred.Raw material will be paid for one year late (i. e. , raw material costs incurred in year 2 will be paid at the end of year 3). Sales will be paid for two years late. Inventory is always 0. The price Boeing will receive for each plane is uncertain. It might be as high as $500M, or as low as $200M. Most likely, the price will be $400M. On average, the price they expect to receive is $350M. Boeing’s corporate o? ce is located in Chicago. Currently the CEO and his sta? make 120 ? ights a year in the corporate jet. Each ? ight costs $200,000. If the Nevada facility is built, the CEO will have to make ten more ? ghts a year, starting in the ? rst year of production, with the cost per ? ight being the same. The cost of the ? ights is incurred at the end of year in which the ? ights are made. The salary of the CEO will remain ? xed at $12m per year. However, the corporate o? ce has decided to allocate $1m per year of this cost to the Nevada project, should it be built, starting at the end of year 2. This allocation has no tax implications. Boeing has another project which they wanted to start today. This project has a single after-tax cash in? ow of $20 million one year after it is started (and no other in? ws or out? ows). Building the factory in Nevada will occupy executive time, and mean that Boeing will have to delay starting this project until the Nevada factory begins production. Taxes are expected to be 30%. The discount rate is 8%. 8 17. When calculatin g cash ? ows for NPV, the revenue in the income statement at the end of each year of production will be (a) $600M (b) $1050M (c) $1200M (d) $1500M 18. The expected cash ? ow the ? rm obtains from scrapping the plant after ten years of production is (a) $70M (b) $90M (c) $100M (d) $190M (e) $280M 19.The cost that you will show in the income statement for each year of production will be: (a) $420M (b) $422M (c) $423M (d) $438M 20. What is the working capital at the end of the second year of production? (a) ? $300M (b) $750M (c) $1050M (d) $1800M 21. What is your net cash ? ow two years after the plant has stopped producing, that is, at the end of year 13? (a) $0 (b) $735M (c) $750M (d) $1050M (e) $1800M 9 22. The PV today of the opportunity cost from delaying the other project is: (a) $20M (b) $18. 52M (c) $17. 15M (d) $1. 37M 10

Sammy will definitely feel this event all his life

The basic plot of John Updike’s A & P is that Sammy clerks in a grocery store.   Stokesie is a young man who also works at the store, but he is there to support his family.There are some bold girls that come into the store and are frowned upon by the management.   The girls are dressed in beach attire and when Lengel (the manager) refuses to serve them, Sammy quits his job.   Lengel warns him â€Å"You’ll feel this for the rest of your life,† (Updike) and Sammy agrees.Sammy will definitely feel this event all his life.   By quitting his job, he is rejecting Lengel and his middle-class, uptight attitude.  Ã‚   In Sammy’s mind, the girls should be able to come in dressed in beach ware and not be judged.   Frivolous behavior should be tolerated and not frowned upon.  Ã‚   If they are dressed to scantily and cause people to look at them, that’s okay.   They’re young.   If men look at them, that is okay too.   It’s okay to look at pretty girls without feeling guilty.Sammy really grows up throughout the course of the story.   As Sammy walks away from the store he realizes â€Å"how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike).   Sammy realizes that much of the world is filled with people who think like Lengel, and that he will be the one to buck the system.   He is not willing to go along with the status quo, and that will make his life difficult.The Lengels of the world are just too narrow to simply enjoy watching a pretty girl.   Sammy will be able to enjoy those simple pleasures without condemning them.In rejecting Lengel’s values, he is also rejecting the values of his family or his circle of society.   He decides that he wants more in life than vying for a manager position in an A & P.   He refers to the shoppers as â€Å"sheep† and decides that he does not want to be a sheep.The girls in their swimsuits simply help bring about that epiphany.   Sam my has really won according to his own values, but in the minds of many others, he has lost.   Everyone will know that he quit.   His parents will most likely be disappointed and might think his reasons frivolous.   It is only the beginning of bucking the system for Sammy.Works CitedUpdike, John.   A & P.

Comparing LBJ AND JFK essays

Comparing LBJ AND JFK essays John F. Kennedy and Lindon B. Johnson were two of the united states presidents during the cold war although neither was is office very long each had lasting impact on the United States. John was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Mass., the second of nine children. As an infant he lived in a comfortable but modest frame house in that suburb of Boston. As the family grew and the father's fortune increased, the Kennedys moved to larger, more impressive homes, first in Brookline, then in suburbs of New York City. John had a happy childhood, full of family games and sports. He attended private elementary schools, none of them parochial. He later spent a year at Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn., where he was taught by Roman Catholic laymen, and four years at Choate School in Wallingford, Conn. John seemed to grow up in the shadow of his oldebrother Joseph, who dominated family competitions and was a better student in school. Encouraged by his father to take part in school athletics, John, wiry but thin, played in half a dozen sports without making the varsity. When John graduated from Choate in 1935, he ranked only 64th in a class of 112. His classmates, howev er, voted him "most likely to succeed." And its a good thing they did because in 1960. During his presidency he had to dal with many foreing problem retaining to the cold war. The first was the By of Pigs. This plan wasnt even Kennedys it was Eisenhowers but Kennedy was forced to go through with it. This pan was for the U.S. to train the Cuban rebels how to fight and to help them revotlt against castro but when it came time to invaid Castro was ready and it turned out to be a huge blounder. Kennedy also had to deal with one of the most scary incidents of the Cold war this incident was when the Soviets sent Cuba nuclear warheads to point at the U.S. for finacial aid. Kennedy however dealt with this well and got the soviets to remove the we ...

Henry sy and gokongwei case study Essays

Henry sy and gokongwei case study Essays Henry sy and gokongwei case study Paper Henry sy and gokongwei case study Paper Statement of the problem * Henry Sy and John Gokongwei continuity. II. objectives * To determine the way on how their business well continue without breaking the very large company. * To mark out few possible causes of action that will lead to the down fall of business. Ill. are of consideration Henry Sy and John Gokongwei have both family members who are capable of running the business. They both have children who are very inclined to business. Since their arly aged , they saw how their fathers work hard. They knew their fathers hardship , from being nobody to somebody. They know how their parents , specially theyre father work hard for their business to grow. Having seen , and experience the luxury of their fathers successful business , they will surely treasure I like how their father take care of it. The education , which Henry Sy and John Gokongwei provided to their children are how fruit bearing. They do have a very smart children which will someday inherit their family business. They do have the knowledge and the guts. Yet a single decision can make or break it. IV. alternative courses of action Henry Sy and John Gokongwei introduce their heirs to already solid and full founded dynasty of business. Both tycoons share their ideas and decisions to their children. even they make decision , a big part of it , which influence them very much , are still heir fathers who made thousands of critical decision before. Such great tycoons knows exactly what to do, Henry Sy and John Gokongwei introduce their children to the world of business , but not to the world of nothingness, there children is the smallest worker of the big dynasty of the company , but they already have something to start up with. Both tycoons started with Just their minds , aspiration and goals . they started to work of nothing but themselves . henry sy and gokongwei case study By camilleandynno

How to Deal with Unprepared Students

How to Deal with Unprepared Students One of the facts that every teacher faces is that each day there will be one or more students who come to class without the ​necessary books and tools. They might be missing their pencil, paper, textbook, or whatever other school  supply you asked them to bring with them that day. As the teacher, you need to decide how you will deal with this situation when it arises. There are basically two schools of thought about how to deal with a case of missing supplies: those who think that students should be held responsible for not bringing everything they need, and those who feel that a missing pencil or notebook should not be the cause of the student losing out on the days lesson.  Lets take a look at each of these arguments.   Students Should Be Held Responsible Part of succeeding not only in school but also in the real world is learning how to be responsible. Students must learn how to get to class on time, participate in a positive manner, manage their time so that they submit their homework assignments on time, and, of course, come to class prepared. Teachers who believe that one of their main tasks is to reinforce the need for the students to be responsible for their own actions will typically have strict rules about missing school supplies.   Some teachers will not allow the student to participate in the class at all unless they have found or borrowed the necessary items. Others might penalize assignments because of forgotten items. For example, a geography teacher who is having students color in a map of Europe  might reduce a students grade for not bringing in the required colored pencils.   Students Should Not Miss Out The other school of thought holds that even though a student needs to learn responsibility, forgotten supplies should not stop them from learning or participating in the days lesson. Typically, these teachers will have a system for students to borrow supplies from them. For example, they might have a student trade something valuable for a pencil that they then return at the end of the class when they get that pencil back. One excellent teacher at my school only lends pencils out if the student in question leaves one shoe in exchange. This is a foolproof way of ensuring that the borrowed supplies are returned before the student leaves the class.   Random Textbook Checks Textbooks can cause a lot of headaches for teachers as students are prone to leaving these at home. Most teachers do not have extras in their classroom for students to borrow. This means that forgotten textbooks typically result in students having to share. One way to provide incentives for students to bring their texts each day is to periodically hold random textbook/material checks. You can either include the check as part of each students participation grade or give them some other reward such as extra credit or even some candy. This depends on your students and the grade you are teaching.   Larger Problems What if you have a student who rarely if ever brings their materials to class. Before jumping to the conclusion that they are just lazy and writing them a referral, try to dig a little deeper. If there is a reason that they are not bringing their materials, work with them to come up with strategies to help. For example, if you think the issue at hand is simply one of organization issues,  you might provide them with a checklist for the week for what they need each day. On the other hand, if you feel that there are issues at home that are causing the problem, then you would do well to get the students guidance counselor involved.

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Research Paper Example (â€Å"Smith et al†). Many organizations feel irritated by the changes which they have to make in order to be compliant. Even when many companies carry out the required changes and achieve compliance they usually feel that there is no more need for change. Basically most organizations see compliance as an imposition. However compliance is only the bear minimum level of competency and organizations should ideally never tire in making improvements upon this. 3. The City of Scottsdale has initiated many environmental leadership policies. What are the City’s two most well recognized (nationally and internationally) initiatives? What is the next planned step to enhance one of the policies? Please cite your sources. 50 words or less. In 1997 Scottsdale initiated the EPA EMS municipal pilot proframme.In 2001 the Scottsdale environmental management system (EvMS) was implemented in five continents: North America;Europe;Africa;Asia and South America.(Scottsdale, 2008) Their next objective is to create a â€Å"greener Scottsdale†(OEIS) There are three pillars to creating a workable environmental management system (EMS).These are: compliance; improvement and prevention. The organization must be compliant with existing legislation and guidelines. Furthermore there is no perfection in EMS so there must always be a movement towards improvement and regarding prevention it is far easier to protect the environment through prevention rather than through a clean up operation. Also it is important to build a set of objects and targets based upon the three pillars but geared around the unique circumstances presented by your organization. These must be regularly reviewed. (â€Å"Stapleton and Glover†) Wilcox and Theodore quote Carter’s ( Wilcox and Theodore,xxviii) point out that in order for people to do the right thing they need not only be honest, rather they must have integrity and this integrity must be combined with social

Implementing Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Implementing Quality - Essay Example It has come to the notice of the management that sufficient headway has already been made in the quality control process and it is commendable that the quality issues have been taken seriously by all concerned. However since a quality audit by the clients AA of all the processes is due in the next four months, the process of ensuring a Total Quality Control should be given a top priority and hence this memorandum. The company should be fully equipped with its quality control measures not only to satisfy the Quality Audit by the client but also to ensure that our product meets the highest quality standards not to land the client in a disastrous situation as has been done by the previous supplier of the client. As first step to review the quality standards of the products and processes, the R& D conducted an analysis of the existing quality control measures and it is disheartening to note that several mistakes have been committed in the past by the various departments/processes of the company. Especially there were mistakes that happened in the packing, storing and shipping processes which were serious enough to make the product totally unusable in the hands of the client. Definitely we would have had serious troubles with the client even in the first shipment of our product had this study been not undertaken. Hence R&D has been advised to undertake similar studies in all the departments/processes to identify the inefficiencies/weaknesses associated with the processes. Past Mistakes and Improvements effected: To point out some of the mistakes, there were wrong labeling, spelling mistakes and incorrect expiration dates on labels; products were stored in wrong refrigerator, wrong warehouse and there were no proper records for the product locations; this led to shipping incorrect quantities to incorrect locations and products too close to expiration dates were shipped. Several quick steps like studying the staffing requirements of these processes and providing them with adequate education and training were taken immediately. In the packing process, various quality measures like random checking by the supervisor of the correctness of the labels, recording of the number of mistakes being committed by the worker to pull up the erring workers were implemented. To remove the problem of spelling mistakes in labels the company has procured a new software for printing labels and the company has organized a training programme for the executives, supervisors and staff of the various processes concerned with the labeling and packing. This training is being coordinated by Sharon from R&D. In the Storing process quality control measures like prominent display of stores and refrigerator locations, classification of warehouse locations and marking the locations on the store inward documents by the supervisor has already been implemented. In the shipping process, control measures like final inspection of the consignments before shipment for identifying the quality issues and making possible

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation - Essay Example Thus, it is in line with this that KFC should understand further everything about its strategy development. It should understand the necessary things it needs to know as product of its strategy process. Finally, it should be able to define and understand the specific contexts in which its strategy should be embedded. Global operation is one of the modern trends applied in modern operations strategy (Waters, 2006). This is the reason why Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation (KFC) had become so aggressive with its global expansion strategy. This strategy enabled KFC to become the world’s largest chicken restaurant chain and in general the third largest food chain in the world (Krug, 2004). In fact, it is known to have around 14,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries including China, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Philippines. Franchise and joint ventures are integrated with the whole business system of KFC in order to allow local business people to handle since they know better the external and internal environments of their respective markets. This paper tries to understand more about the strategic operation of KFC Corporation by incorporating various analytical concepts in strategic development and management. The entire analysis is placed in the context of international fast food industry. ... This paper tries to understand more about the strategic operation of KFC Corporation by incorporating various analytical concepts in strategic development and management. The entire analysis is placed in the context of international fast food industry. SWOT and Porter’s value chain SWOT technique SWOT stands for strength, weaknesses, opportunity and threats in which it is a simple management technique which draws information together prior to decision-making process (Murdock et al., 2003). A SWOT analysis is composed of understanding both internal and external factors within an organization prior to knowing its major advantages and disadvantages. It is a non-complex way of identifying specific details in the business operation in order to understand the extent in which an organisation holds its competitive advantage or knowing the necessary steps to be taken further for improvement of the operation. This technique is very relevant in the case of KFC especially among its strate gic planners because they will be given opportunity to outline the internal and external factors affecting the whole operation of the business. Shown in figure 1 below are internal and external factors within the present environment of KFC. This is a good evaluative technique prior to formulating effective strategies because the strategic planners in this case seek to understand both the internal and external factors affecting the business environment of KFC. Figure 1. SWOT Analysis KFC (Internal and external factors) Internal factors Strengths Weaknesses Product offering Brand image/good-tasting and highly accepted recipes Many substitute products in the market Competitive advantage High market share Not culturally

Reflective Journal Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective Journal Assignment - Essay Example The success of this stage in growth leads to the virtue of hope which often goes a long way in determining how a person would view the world and/or tackle real life crises and problems that are ever existent. Being of a middle age compared to the other of our siblings, I was never accorded the utmost care that the others had and this I believed strengthened my resolve greatly. I become more independent and assertive and this enabled me too to recognize my abilities and skills. Taking part in groups, organizing class events at schools, sorting out fellow children quarrels and disagreements enabled me to recognize my special talent in counseling at a tender age. Ages 10-20, regarded by most scholars as the age bracket that makes or breaks an individual were rather hectic for me. This is where self actualization occurs when one starts to learn the roles he would want to play as an adult. At an adolescent age, I got to learn a lot about myself and the surrounding. This is the age where I got to re-examine my identity and who I really was both in our family and to the society at large. This period came to pass with a lot of challenges that defined who I became. I decided to set myself on a career path and developed a greater sense of fidelity and tolerance. My later advanced ages presented to me the worst times I ever had. Before making any considerations on the need and motives, I decided to have a partner in my early 20’s. As described in the eight stages of development by Erikson, this is the period in the lifespan of an individual when one yeans for intimacy and a certain level of commitment. I got married at a comparatively younger age and this came with its share of problems. I had a marital relationship that that took turns at every face of difficulty and disagreements. This stage gave me a lot of insight into the issues that couples face on a daily basis and opened me up more to the counseling profession. At the

Review of the Service Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Review of the Service Setting - Essay Example The organization also sells various types of confectionary as well as pastry items along with equipment for coffee such as coffee beans, travel mugs and other such coffee related items. The company has further grown and ventured into several other options such as selling its coffee beans in retail stores operated under the name of Starbucks. Moreover, Starbucks also produces premium quality ice cream along with Frappuccino as a labeled specialty drink through its subsidiary parties. In addition, Starbucks has a sister concern by the name of Tazo Tea Company that sells premium quality tea products in retail. Starbucks works under the premise that each country and each neighborhood should know the name of Starbucks and associate it with positive feelings particularly towards the food products that the company sells. The paper will focus primarily on the customer service elements of Starbucks coffee retail outlets that focus on selling hot and cold coffee drinks along with food items su ch as pastry items (History of Starbucks, 2003). Review of the Service Setting Starbucks is a global organization with its retail outlets in a large number of countries across the world. The root of success for Starbucks has primarily been the quality of service it provides to its customers, which has helped the company to gain loyal consumers in the longer term. The channels that Starbucks uses are critical in developing a holistic customer experience thus gaining the company loyal customers (History of Starbucks, 2003). As a customer, the service experience that I had with Starbucks included several elements including a greeting, listening to my order and noting down the details about what I specifically wanted, and providing me with the service and my coffee with a smile wishing me a good day. As a customer I believe this was very important because it made me feel that they were taking time out to understand my order and make me feel involved and a part of Starbucks. Verheof et a l. (2009) believe that retail stores particularly service related retail stores consider service quality towards consumers extremely important because it helps in keeping customers involved, allowing for a stronger customer base that can bring in larger amounts of revenue. Management of customer experience is now becoming part of organizations’ longer term vision and mission because products, channels and services can become brands with their own personality through effective management of this customer experience (Michelli, 2007; Badgett, Boyce & Kleinberger, 2007). Frow and Payne (2007) suggest that the effective management of customer experience is through exceptional customer service and this can only be done if the correct touch points of the customer are managed effectively. At this point, the Starbucks staff tried to greet me nicely and wished me a good day which I felt was important as not many people are inclined towards it; as most people are too busy with their wor k. Thus I feel that Starbucks did cover some of the touch points which are important to a customer. The key touch points of the customer’s experience have to be noted for each scenario in case of a service setting and then targeted in such a manner that the customer experience can be enhanced positively towards the service or retail brand. Starbucks is one such popular example that many scholars and authors (Enquist et al., 2007; Fang & Yu, 2009) try to

SWOT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SWOT - Essay Example The patriarch of the firm had built a culture of intricate customer service; they went deeper by understanding their customer’s needs completely Culture of intricate customer service; Through innovative means of handling their customers such as the delivery service Evergreen established its pedigree in customer service compared to its competitors. Customers and market: Their market comprised of highly educated, upper income, health conscious and informed; this means that they were able to sell easily their natural and organic foods to them. The company prided itself on immaculate service and superior and fresh products, meaning that were able easily convince their target market to buy those goods from them. The market for natural products in Rocky Mountain States had the highest rates of growth in terms of market expansion, given as 11.4 percent against a Midwest rate of merely three percent. Original marketing expertise: Their marketing technique even though simple, but it ha s been effective over the years, as the customers have grown accustomed to it. The quirky, original hand painted signs displayed both outside and indoors had a remarkable success in imprinting the company’s brand name. Strong brand and reputation: The founder had built a strong brand name through provision of quality products over a long period luring many people to the image of the brand; this in fact aided the company in the process of acquisition. Effective and efficient management: Their acquisition strategy and general management style and decentralized system of control had achieved considerable results for the firm. Their style of management was very sophisticated for such a relatively small firm; as such, styles were typical of large firms, the company introduced comprehensive appraisal of their operations. The firm holds on to their staff especially those who occupy important decision-making roles. The overall strength of the stores and the firm itself is the company ’s CEO; she is the rock of the company making important decisions that have propelled the company to its heights from the humble beginnings that it was founded upon. Norton oversaw acquisitions that contributed to a considerable degree to the company’s overall gross profits; the growth in the company’s profit is the foundation of its growth. Weaknesses: Risky acquisition style: The Company has lost money before in its mergers and acquisitions in the past three years; this process of investing in loss making enterprise was not properly thought out. Non-prime Location of the company stores: The company was located in areas that were lower in prime compared to rival supermarket chains in the same region; this might affect its level of comparability and growth potential. Lack of superior access to distribution channels compared to competitors: Larger competitors in the same area had the advantage of own branding of their own goods unlike the case study, whose produc ts were perishable and therefore unlikely to be branded. Opportunities: Political/Legal A new cross regional market: By moving out of the Rocky Mountain West region, the company had expressed its thirst for a market far away from the region of its establishment. The acquisition of the Arugula Grocers is

Review of the Service Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Review of the Service Setting - Essay Example The organization also sells various types of confectionary as well as pastry items along with equipment for coffee such as coffee beans, travel mugs and other such coffee related items. The company has further grown and ventured into several other options such as selling its coffee beans in retail stores operated under the name of Starbucks. Moreover, Starbucks also produces premium quality ice cream along with Frappuccino as a labeled specialty drink through its subsidiary parties. In addition, Starbucks has a sister concern by the name of Tazo Tea Company that sells premium quality tea products in retail. Starbucks works under the premise that each country and each neighborhood should know the name of Starbucks and associate it with positive feelings particularly towards the food products that the company sells. The paper will focus primarily on the customer service elements of Starbucks coffee retail outlets that focus on selling hot and cold coffee drinks along with food items su ch as pastry items (History of Starbucks, 2003). Review of the Service Setting Starbucks is a global organization with its retail outlets in a large number of countries across the world. The root of success for Starbucks has primarily been the quality of service it provides to its customers, which has helped the company to gain loyal consumers in the longer term. The channels that Starbucks uses are critical in developing a holistic customer experience thus gaining the company loyal customers (History of Starbucks, 2003). As a customer, the service experience that I had with Starbucks included several elements including a greeting, listening to my order and noting down the details about what I specifically wanted, and providing me with the service and my coffee with a smile wishing me a good day. As a customer I believe this was very important because it made me feel that they were taking time out to understand my order and make me feel involved and a part of Starbucks. Verheof et a l. (2009) believe that retail stores particularly service related retail stores consider service quality towards consumers extremely important because it helps in keeping customers involved, allowing for a stronger customer base that can bring in larger amounts of revenue. Management of customer experience is now becoming part of organizations’ longer term vision and mission because products, channels and services can become brands with their own personality through effective management of this customer experience (Michelli, 2007; Badgett, Boyce & Kleinberger, 2007). Frow and Payne (2007) suggest that the effective management of customer experience is through exceptional customer service and this can only be done if the correct touch points of the customer are managed effectively. At this point, the Starbucks staff tried to greet me nicely and wished me a good day which I felt was important as not many people are inclined towards it; as most people are too busy with their wor k. Thus I feel that Starbucks did cover some of the touch points which are important to a customer. The key touch points of the customer’s experience have to be noted for each scenario in case of a service setting and then targeted in such a manner that the customer experience can be enhanced positively towards the service or retail brand. Starbucks is one such popular example that many scholars and authors (Enquist et al., 2007; Fang & Yu, 2009) try to

Illegal immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Illegal immigration - Essay Example However, such immigrations adversely affect the economy and society of the United States. The thesis statement for this paper is, ‘economics and social costs of illegal immigration outweigh the number of associated benefits’. Social and Economic Cost of Illegal Immigration Illegal immigrations put a damaging impact on the economy of a country. Some of the main effects on the economy of a country due to large-scale illegal immigrations include increased poverty, less job opportunities for local people, and decreased foreign investment because of increased fear of crimes in immigrant-populated areas. Immigrants are cutting down the wage levels for local Americans (Porter, n. p.). Reports show that many companies in the United States prefer to hire illegal immigrants because they are willing to work for low salaries as compared to the salaries that local people demand. Such situations result in decreasing the number of job opportunities for local people because companies fi ll many job positions with people who demand less money in exchange for job and confidentiality about their legal status in the country. Such situations also cause an increase in the graph of poverty in a country because when local people will not have jobs, they will face shortage of money, and their spending power will decrease as well. Overpopulation in the host country is also an effect of illegal immigrations. The demand and supply system also gets affected due to illegal immigrations because economic analysts cannot count the presence of illegal people accurately. In the United States, increase in the number of crimes is also associated with large-scale illegal immigrations. Some percentage of illegal immigrants start engaging in criminal activities when they do not get proper job opportunities even in the developed countries. Increased drug trafficking in the United States is also associated with large-scale illegal immigrations. As Go states, â€Å"the US suffers an annual loss of about 70 billion dollars due to drug-related illnesses, death, and drug related crimes.† Along with high economic impact, crimes and violence also affect the society. Crimes cause threat and terror in the minds of local people because of which they start thinking negatively about all immigrants. Benefits of Illegal Immigration Although there are no apparent benefits of illegal immigrations, if we analyze the positive effects of presence of illegal immigrants deeply, we come to know that they do play a little part in keeping the system running. For example, they do low profile jobs from which legal citizens usually keep themselves away, such as, sanitary jobs, waiter jobs, and petrol filling worker jobs. Illegal immigrants do such jobs to earn their livings by hiding themselves from the law enforcement agencies. As Mauriello states, â€Å"one of the perceived benefits of illegal immigration is that of filling in of low wage jobs that a regular American would not be wil ling to accept.† Rights of Illegal Immigrants Basic rights of a person remain the same wherever a person lives and in whatever way a person arrives to the other country. In the U.S. constitution, the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments protect the basic rights of all individuals living in the United States. The law grants protection to every individual and applies law for illegal immigrants. Although illegal immigrants

Absalom Absalom and Love Essay Example for Free

Absalom Absalom and Love Essay Many of the novels we have read this semester contain prevailing themes that provide insight into American society. One of these themes that we have closely examined throughout the semester is a person’s right to love. Love is undoubtedly a powerful force in one’s life. As we have seen through our readings, however, this force is often obstructed by the need to conform to social standards. Whether or not a couple is ALLOWED to be in love says a lot about what is socially acceptable for that particular area and time period. Although love is technically a right given to all, American Literature shows how it is often denied by social standards and therefore ceases to exist. William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! tells Rosa Coldfield’s version of how Thomas Sutpen was the demise of her and her family. As the story progresses, it becomes known that Thomas’s son, Henry, kills Charles Bon to prevent him from marrying his sister, Judith. One would infer that Henry’s reason for his desperate need to prevent their marriage was because Charles was their half-brother, and therefore their marriage would be considered incest. We come to find out, however, that this is not exactly the case. In Chapter 8, in response to whether or not Judith will marry Bon she says â€Å"Yes. I have decided. Brother or not, I have decided. I will. I will (283). † As the chapter progresses, however, Quentin and Shreve accept that â€Å"it’s the miscegenation, not the incest, which (they) can’t bear (285). †In this case, two socially unaccepted taboos prevent Judith from pursuing her relationship with Bon. The fact that it is worse in the eyes of her family that Judith may be marrying a man with black blood than a man who is her relative, however, says a lot about how strong racial prejudices were in the south during the 1800s. Judith’s right to love Bon is forcefully obstructed by social norms, and is a perfect example of Southern culture during that time period. Another instance of love being obstructed by social standards is seen in F.  Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby, a resident of West Egg and a symbol of new wealth, falls in love with Daisy, a resident of East Egg and a symbol of established wealth. Daisy and her husband, Tom, are described to have lived in â€Å"†¦a rather distinguished secret society (17)† to which members of old money had often tried and failed to become a part of. Throughout the novel, it is clear that Daisy had married Tom for his â€Å"†¦person and his position (151)† rather than for love. Yet when Daisy finally accepts that she had never loved Tom and was currently in love with Gatsby, the class divides remain too prevalent for her to pursue a relationship with Gatsby. Tom quotes â€Å" Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white (130). † From this quote and the happenings throughout the novel, the force obstructing the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is the social condemnation of new money marrying old money. The Great Gatsby shows how in our society, is often difficult for people of different economic backgrounds to pursue a relationship. T. S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is an examination of a typical man’s psychological struggle to express himself emotionally and conform to social standards. Throughout the poem, the narrator shows insecurity in almost everything he does, fearing that his moves will be frowned upon. He says â€Å"There will be time, there will be time to prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet† and often asks â€Å"Do I dare?  Ã¢â‚¬  and thinks about what â€Å"they will say. † His insecurity prevails in an encounter with what seems to be a woman he loves. He seems afraid that the woman will deny him because of his balding hair and thin composure, and thinks about what he should say in order to impress the woman; â€Å"And how should I then presume? How should I begin? † In the end the narrator concludes that â€Å" It is impossible to say just what I mean,† and he drifts into a fairytale by the sea until â€Å"human voice wake us, and we drown. † Eliot’s poem is an example of a man’s love for a woman being obstructed by his own need to conform to what is socially acceptable of a man. He refuses to open up and share with the woman his feelings in fear that he will be mocked and denied. â€Å"The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock† shows the struggles of maintaining masculinity, and the fear a man has of loosing his composure. While the last stories had similar circumstances and outcomes, love doesn’t always have to be between a man and a woman, and social norms aren’t always successful at obstructing love’s powerful force. In Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, the love shared between Huck and Jim leads to a powerful revelation in Huck’s life and a groundbreaking relationship considering the South’s intrusive social standards. When Huck begins his journey with Jim, he is overcome by an instilled guilt for assisting in the runaway of Miss Watson’s slave. Huck says â€Å" It would get all around, Huck Finn helped a nigger get to his freedom; and if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame (226). †As their adventure progresses, however, Huck begins to realize how much he enjoys Jim’s company, slave or not; â€Å" But somehow I couldn’t seem to strike no places to harden me against him, just the other kind (227). † Huck struggles internally with this realization, but cannot get over the feeling in his heart telling him to keep Jim around. Finally, Huck decides that he would not turn in Jim, and that he would go to Hell if that were what it meant. In this instance, Huck valiantly goes against what is socially acceptable, and the force of love prevails. Huck and Jim remain friends even though it is extremely frowned upon. Although love is a freedom, one can see how easily and often this freedom is taken away due to what is acceptable in the eyes of others. The circumstances involved in the obstruction of love shows a lot about the society in which these characters live, and the values held by the people who lived there.

Cell Phone Use Should be Banned While Driving :: argumentative persuasive

Cell Phone Use Should be Banned While Driving In 2005 in the UK 13 deaths and over 400 injuries were attributed to accidents where drivers were using cell phones, deaths which could have possibly been avoided. There are 4 main reasons for banning cell phones at the wheel: Research has proven that it is difficult to concentrate on driving and talking at the same time. A recent British study showed that talking on a mobile phone while driving was more hazardous than operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Tests conducted by scientists for UK-based insurance firm, Direct Line, involved 20 subjects using a driving simulator to test reaction times and driving performance and compared this to when drivers had too much to drink. The results showed drivers' reaction times were, on average, 30 percent slower when talking on a handheld mobile phone than when legally drunk - and nearly 50 percent slower than under normal driving conditions. The tests also showed that drivers talking on phones were less able than drunk drivers to maintain a constant speed, and they had greater difficulty keeping a safe distance from the car in front. Speaking on a cell phone is an anti-social activity because it puts the lives of others at risk. It doesn't matter how well we drive, if another driver is not being as professional or as careful, especially using a phone and splitting his/her attention, we are put in danger by their actions. Talking on a phone while driving reduces the competence level to control the vehicle as well as increasing the response time to any danger. It is a huge responsibility to drive a car and one which should not be taken for granted because it is associated with the lives of others. By speaking on cell phones while driving, such a responsibility is treated with impunity and the dangers ignored. Cell Phone Use Should be Banned While Driving :: argumentative persuasive Cell Phone Use Should be Banned While Driving In 2005 in the UK 13 deaths and over 400 injuries were attributed to accidents where drivers were using cell phones, deaths which could have possibly been avoided. There are 4 main reasons for banning cell phones at the wheel: Research has proven that it is difficult to concentrate on driving and talking at the same time. A recent British study showed that talking on a mobile phone while driving was more hazardous than operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Tests conducted by scientists for UK-based insurance firm, Direct Line, involved 20 subjects using a driving simulator to test reaction times and driving performance and compared this to when drivers had too much to drink. The results showed drivers' reaction times were, on average, 30 percent slower when talking on a handheld mobile phone than when legally drunk - and nearly 50 percent slower than under normal driving conditions. The tests also showed that drivers talking on phones were less able than drunk drivers to maintain a constant speed, and they had greater difficulty keeping a safe distance from the car in front. Speaking on a cell phone is an anti-social activity because it puts the lives of others at risk. It doesn't matter how well we drive, if another driver is not being as professional or as careful, especially using a phone and splitting his/her attention, we are put in danger by their actions. Talking on a phone while driving reduces the competence level to control the vehicle as well as increasing the response time to any danger. It is a huge responsibility to drive a car and one which should not be taken for granted because it is associated with the lives of others. By speaking on cell phones while driving, such a responsibility is treated with impunity and the dangers ignored.

Cloned Meat: Its Whats for Dinner Essay -- Biology Essays Research Pa

Cloned Meat: Its What's for Dinner "[Cloning] first involves destroying the nucleus of an egg cell from the species to be cloned. A nucleus is then removed from a cell of an animal of the same species and injected into the egg cell. The egg, with its new nucleus, develops into an animal with the same genetic makeup as the donor." (1) Sounds yummy, huh? You may soon be dining on Grade A, prime cut cloned beef. Or pork. Or chicken for that matter. Is the thought alone enough to make you want to become vegan? The Food and Drug Administration has issued preliminary statements about the sale of cloned meat and dairy products becoming a reality. These statements are based on a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences. "Eating meat or drinking milk from cloned animals is probably safe, experts from the National Academies of Science concluded after reviewing what little research exists on the topic." (2) But is there truly enough research on this topic to draw conclusions that could affect millions of people's health? Will we even know if we are eating cloned meat or products? And will this cloned meat be used in a way beneficial for society, or simply for a money making purpose? Obviously, the FDA's main concern with the proposed consumption and sales of cloned meat and dairy products is how it will affect the people eating it. A possible negative effect the cloned products could have is allergenic consequences. A committee from the Academies has stated that the likelihood of these products having and allergenic effect is low.(2) Yet the committee also has cautionary words about the validity of their statements, claiming that the only way to actually find out the reactions to the products is to run multiple tests ... ...r of the Center for Food Safety. "I think overwhelmingly consumers would want that information and I think there's reason to give it to them." (7) Mendelson also added that many Americans do not even know that they are currently eating genetically modified foods. The use of cloned animals in the production of a greater quantity and quality of meat could be beneficial to society in so many ways. All food prices could go down so that low-income families could afford milk and meat. Meat could be produced to be shipped to third world countries, or those in war. Dying herds of animals in Africa and the jungles of South America could be jumped started. However, based on the price of the cloning process, and the payback that many farmers who endorse this process are expecting, more than likely meat from cloned animals will become some sort of weird, expensive delicacy.

Important Things in University Life Essay

It has already passed almost one year since I entered Kasetsart University. Now, I think that it is good for me to talk about something important in university life. I want to focus on an aspect this time. It is also relevant to my aim which I had had when I entered this university. It is the language study. I am majoring in faculty of Engineering, so almost of my friends are not good in English subject. But fortunately that in secondary school I was studied in English program school, so my English was slightly better than almost of my friends. In the first semester I did not have an English class because of my o-net score is more than the standard of foundation English two, so I was passed to study foundation English three. Many of my friends told me that they don’t like English subject. It’s naturally common in engineering student. But I think the second language such as English is very important in our everyday life. In the future when we have to work or have to communicate with the foreigner, the person who have better skills in English will get more chance and gain more advantage to those who have lower skills. So, I always pay attention to every detail in English class and always practice my English skills every time I can because of the reason I told before. In conclusion, I want to say that English subject is very important in University life and extremely important in the future life. One reason is because of the AEC or Asean Economic Community that allows the foreigner to get a job in our country and allow us to get a job at other countries. So, English skills will help us deal with the foreigner, help us have a chance to get a good job and even help us have a good future.

Interview of Friar Lawrence and Nurse Essay

Judge: John Henry Lawrence enter the dock. Put your hand on the Bible and say after me, I swear to tell the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Jury are now open to ask you questions, you are bound by the book to keep to the truth. Jury: What was you relationship with Romeo? I have been a great friend of Romeo ever since he was a little boy. He has always trusted me and he told me things he would not have told to anyone else. Romeo respected me and took my advice. I blame myself for his death and I am very sorry. Jury: What part did you play in this tragedy? I tried my best to unite two people who were very much in love. Yes, I did perform the marriage ceremony but I did it in good faith, I never knew what atrocities it would bring about. I also tried to help Romeo and Juliet when they were in trouble. After Romeo was exiled I helped arrange his escape to Mantua, for, you understand it might be possible for them to meet there. When I gave Juliet the drug I thought that I was doing the right thing. She was in a mess, she couldn’t tell her parents so with my knowledge of herbal remedies I supplied her with the draught. She would have taken her own life there and then if I had not. When Romeo was dead and Juliet would not leave him I deserted her. I could have saved her life I know but I was too cowardly to face up to my actions. Jury: What were your motives in this tragedy? I wanted to help a very good friend to be happy and preserve the marriage. I suppose I also hoped that performing this marriage ceremony would help unite the two sides from their conflict. Jury: Whose fault do you think the deaths are? I blame myself more than anyone else. I played the largest part, however, I suppose it would not have happened if there had not been many smaller things contributing. For example, if there had never been a conflict. Nobody was to know that it would end in death. Jury: What part do you think you were to blame for particularly? I was responsible for setting in motion a series of actions that lead to the marriage, the arrangements for the meetings and the drugs for Juliet. I didn’t save Juliet from herself. Judge:John Henry Lawrence please leave the dock. Anne Falton please mount to the dock. Put your hand on the Bible and say after me, I swear to tell the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Jury are now open to ask you questions, you are bound by the book to keep to the truth. Jury: What was your relationship with Juliet? Well, I was almost like a second mother to her, I was her wet nurse you know, she born at the same time as my daughter Susan who passed away God rest her soul. I have looked after ever since. Juliet was always a very nice young lady never doing anything naughty. I was her closest friend she used to tell me all her secrets but she didn’t tell me her plan before she died. Jury: What part did you play in this tragedy? I knew all the time that Juliet had gone off and married that Romeo, I never knew it would come to this. Romeo was a nice young chap as well. He wasn’t as good-looking or as clever as Paris though, not at all, no! The only other matter I was involved in was organising Romeo’s night with Juliet, that took a lot of organising that did. Jury: What were your motives in this tragedy? All I wanted was to see Juliet happily married with a nice young man. I wouldn’t have been persuaded to take part in this conspiracy but Juliet begged and begged me not to tell his Lordship. Jury: Whose fault do you think the deaths are? Not mine and that’s for sure, I always said that, that Romeo would lead her up to no good, he looked nice and all that but he had a look about him. I think Romeo lead her into it, he always was the bad sort, coming from a Montague family and all that†¦ Jury: What part do you think you were to blame for particularly? It wasn’t anything to do with me, if I had gone to his Lordship about the marriage she’d have killed herself sure as sure, like the good Friar said she was going to†¦ Judge: Anne Falton, leave the dock. The Jury will now leave to come to a decision. 1 hour later: Verdict: Death by Misadventure.

Persuade/Learn to Swim Essay

Everyone should learn how to swim. Swimming gives a wide range of benefits for people of all age groups. It can help prevent calamities from happening and is a great way to stay active. It is a simple and affordable way to keep busy year round and have a great deal of fun. Many people begin swimming as a child and become very passionate about the sport as they grow up, and some even swim professionally. Knowing how to swim can avoid many injuries and accidents from occurring. Although there is lots of fun to be had in the water, it can be dangerous for those who are not capable to keep themselves afloat. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between the ages of one and fourteen, according to a document published by the Centers for Disease Control in 2003. Are these deaths preventable? Absolutely. Everyone should at least have a basic skill to keep their head above water and ideally the ability to help save someone else if they are in trouble. Swimming can be a great way to make friends and meet new people. Joining the local swim team is a popular activity among children and teens. While there, they are able to spend time with friends and even meet new ones while maintaining an active lifestyle. Many kids spend their summers at pools or beaches. These are wonderful ways to relax and have fun, but beaches and pools can be very dangerous for those who are unable to keep themselves afloat. It is not necessary to master difficult strokes. Knowing a simple freestyle or even the â€Å"doggie paddle† will be adequate to make the water a much safer place. Children from non-swimming households are eight times more likely to be at-risk of drowning, according to the USA Swimming Foundation as of 2009. Swimming is a common way to stay healthy and maintain an active lifestyle. Swimming has also become a major part of many physical therapy routines for those recovering from surgery or injuries. According to Livestrong.com, when  compared to running, swimming burns approximately 89 percent of the calories burned during running. Elderly people can also benefit from swimming and other water related exercises because it is a low impact activity which decreases their chance of injury or joint stress. Some might dispute that swimming is a waste of time or that it is an unnecessary pursuit but, they have the wrong impression. As swimming is not only a popular and enjoyable pastime, it also has numerous benefits. Learning how to swim is important for everyone and it should not be overlooked. The process of learning to swim is a great way for younger children to gain independence and confidence in their own abilities. It teaches them that if they try hard they can accomplish a task all on their own and gives them the ability to stay safe in the water at the same time. Everyone should give swimming a try at least once in their life. It might not become a lifelong passion for everyone but it will for a select few. And no matter how someone feels about swimming, they will at least have gained a valuable ability and can now safely enjoy the many other water sports and activities. So, to sum everything up, everyone can benefit from learning how to swim.

The differences between the business plan and lean canvas Essay

The differences between the business plan and lean canvas - Essay Example The lean canvas application, on the other hand, is a simple problem and solution approach that enables the entrepreneur to develop or advance on a step-by-step basis. Although both offer analytical approaches that are vital to the prosperity and success of the business, both have varied criticisms. The business plan fails to take into account the business model management and performance measurement both of which are vital in allowing the continued business success. On the other hand, the lean canvas fails to offer an expected approach in a situation where the solution that is given to the initial problem becomes difficult or unrealistic to attain on the ground. When and why an entrepreneur should use the business plan or lean canvas The lean canvas is a helpful tool that helps the entrepreneur's design businesses. It is an ideal tool since it enables the entrepreneur to define quickly a business without necessarily having to outline a full business plan. The lean canvas utilizes a o ne-page business model that facilitates and helps the early stage startup that will enable the entrepreneur to identify quickly and overcome challenges. It identifies a target market, defines a unique business value proposition, tests the assumptions put forward by the entrepreneur and ultimately arrives at their first iteration. The lean canvas is vital in helping the entrepreneurs to gain clarity about their business ideas that will translate into an approach that is well defined to their markets and potential end users and investors.

Lesson plan on Identifying Synonyms Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Lesson plan on Identifying Synonyms - Coursework Example 2. Prompt students to think of other pairs of words that mean the same thing. Write these synonyms on sentence strips, and cut them apart so that you have one word for each student in the class. If students are having difficulty thinking of synonyms, give them one of these words and prompt them to think of a synonym: big/huge, tiny/small, scared/afraid, cute/pretty, rock/stone, loud/noisy, sofa/couch, dinner/supper, store/market, lady/woman, rug/carpet, yell/scream, finish/end, start/begin, quick/fast. 3. Shuffle the words. Explain to students that they will be going on a synonym hunt and that each of them will receive a card with a word on it that they must not look at until they are told. The object of the game is for each student to move around the room and find his/her partner, who has a word that means the same thing. When students find their partners, they should sit down. The game is over when each student has found a partner. To begin, fold each word in half so that the word cannot be seen and give one word to each student. When each student has a card say, â€Å"Let the hunt begin!† 5. As a fun follow-up activity or one to incorporate into the lesson, have students make their own puppets with various facial expressions. They can create puppet skits with partners or groups and think of synonyms. I decided to get someone from the crowd and get to know their feelings. From the line, I encountered Sofia Contreras, a housewife. She was very excited to be part of the event and was sure that the beauty store is a good initiative for the whole town. Prepare sentences with words underlined, and have students select a synonym from a word box for the underlined word in each sentence. For example, have students choose from among the words huge, fast, couch, small, and large to select synonyms for the

Dunkins brands strategic performance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dunkins brands strategic performance - Article Example Dunkin Brands Group is the parent company of Dunkin Donuts (DD) and Baskin-Robbins (BR) that has its headquarters in, Massachusetts in the United States. Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins were initially owned by a French multinational corporation that was known as Pernod Ricard and afterwards they were bought purchased by the American Multinational company that is known as Dunkin’ Brands. Its history of offering breakfast meals that is supposed to be simple and straightforward has given it an edge over the competitors that are in the same industry such as Starbucks since the company targets the people who are modest and mind about how they spend their money. The company tries to grow in all the aspects so that it can be able to reach as many customers as possible and develop more products that will appeal to these clients in an effort to achieve proper retail placement which normally can be a delicate balance. The company partners with several grocery retailers but does not put its business in the store within a store concept that will include a grocery since they want to be within big places that are frequented by more consumers as the target more people. Dunkin’ donuts has not been left behind as far a technology is concerned since the have employed the use of software that if adopted is able to tell the location of their different stores that are to come up as the software called iSite from geoVue helps the company to analyze where it can put more restaurants that will better serve the people. In the fourth quarter of 2012 Dunkin’ Brands had a variety of highlights that included a 3.2 percent growth in the sales of its Donuts compared to the other stores that are in the United States. In the rest of the world the brand also posted significant success that was exhibited by the opening of 256 new restaurants that included 149 Dunkin Donut restaurants

Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the Essay

Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the main action (ONE single main action) of the film . Support your position by using Kant's moral philosophy - Essay Example Gone, Baby, Gone is a film directed by Ben Affleck which follows the case of a kidnapped girl, Amanda, whose family approaches the Boston-based private investigator, Patrick Kenzie, to follow up the case. Patrick, along with his partner, Angie Gennaro, discovers the perplexing and highly complex web of corruption as they go about investigating upon the case. As the case progresses along the length of the film, the lines between good and bad are nearly blurred due to interest and mysterious motives. Based on Kant’s moral philosophy, Amanda’s uncle was motivated by greed and a dishonest intention of freeing Amanda from her failing parents. Although the consequences would have been good for Amanda as well as her aunt, the action was immoral due to its immoral motives. As Patrick uncovers the corruption embedded in the case, it becomes clear that Amanda’s aunt and uncle are immoral. Their scheme to free Amanda from her neglectful parents would have had a good consequence as the girl would have escaped her parents’ neglect and would have come under the care of more responsible guardians. However, Kant’s theory of morality depends not on the consequence but on the motive which had undoubtedly been immoral and treacherous. Through a well-planned plot, her uncle was able to stage Amanda abduction and then approach Patrick for a fake investigation. Amanda’s uncle had been aiming to cleverly fool the investigators and obtain the traded drug money by involving many of the investigation police officials. In fact, man personnel from the police department had been involved including Captain Doyle who had hidden Amanda in his house along with his wife. The kidnap had been attempted with great planning and dishonest motive which in volved immense corruption from the reputed police department of Boston. Therefore, all the individuals involved in the staged kidnapping of Amanda had a bad motive for their immoral action. The

Following Military Orders That May Be Unethical Research Paper

Following Military Orders That May Be Unethical - Research Paper Example There are many legal and social standards through which an action is ethical, but these standards do not solve the contradiction that comes with the relativity in situations, individuals and societies. While soldiers pledge to obey their superior’s orders they do so in view of the uniform code of military justice and the constitution. As such, soldiers â€Å"should not† obey illegal commands. Establishing the legality or illegality of a command has over the years has raised controversial ethical issues. Under the UCMJ, articles 90 to 92 hold that willful or un-willful disobedience of lawful orders from a senior officer is a criminal offence (Mason, 2011). During war, article 90 further stipulates that such an action is punishable by death (Mason, 2011). Unlawful orders are those that are repugnant to the Constitution seeing as the constitution is the supreme law of the land. The constitution derives form societal ethics and religious doctrines. However, the constitution does not take into account all societal ethics and religious standings of a people (Mason, 2011). There are many examples of illegal or potentially unethical orders issued every day in the army and other military organizations. This paper examines two accounts of death orders. The first example is that of William Calley 1968 during the Vietnam War (Thomas, 2012). The then Second Lieutenant claimed to have received orders from his superior to open fire and subsequently kill civilians. He then passed these orders to his juniors who, like him opened fire on innocent, unarmed civilians in the absence of duress (enemy fire) (Thomas, 2012). In 1971, William received a life sentence with the charge of premeditated murder. The aftermath of the sentence aside, Lieutenant William was guilty of murder while following the orders of a superior (Thomas, 2012). With the rise of terrorism threats cases of inhumane, unconstitutional mistreatment of prisoners is on the rise. A second example is an i ncident that occurred in the year 2004 during America’s invasion of Iraq. The 343rd Quartermaster Company on 13th October refused to go on a mission as ordered by their superiors (Mason, 2011). The unit cited unsafe and insufficient equipment as their reason to disobey orders claiming that the order was a suicide mission. The consequences of their actions have negative far reaching effects on their careers. These consequences include detainment, dishonorable discharge and forfeit of pay (Mason, 2011). In 1986, the U.S army listed some values an organization should have considered to form the foundation on which ethics stems from. These values included integrity, loyalty, selflessness and duty (Mason, 2011). For the individual, the army listed courage, commitment, candor and competence. This proclamation spells out two things. The first is that the superior officer (representative of the organization) should give due consideration to ethical matters while giving orders. Second ly, the officer receiving the orders should follow them while maintaining an ethical approach. Military laws and courts hold military persons accountable if their actions are unlawful regardless of the situation (whether they were following orders from a superior or not) (Mason, 2011). There are various theories that one can apply to examine the above situations. These theories include utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics relativism, emotivism and ethical egoism. John Stuart Mill advanced Consequentialism, a

Radio Frequency Identification Essay Example for Free

Radio Frequency Identification Essay The literature review is a very important introductory task in order to gain adequate information and perspectives on the relevant area of the research. This review summarizes updated comprehensive and critical discussions of each and other material related to the topic. This literature review brings clarity, focus and it improves the conceptualization of the research problem making it understandable. The literature review also improves the methodology as it reveals a similar type of research, which recommends the procedures and methods to accommodate the problems. Foreign RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): Principles and Applications RFID is a complete system that is composed of important components: the RFID tags, the RFID readers or transceivers, and the database. The tags carry object-identifying data. RFID readers or transceivers can read and write tag data, while the database stores records that is used for tag identification. (Weis, S., 2007) RFID tags can be divided into three classes based on their power source: active, semi-passive and passive. Active tags have their own source of power source, such as a battery, and can initiate communication to a reader or other active tags. Semi-passive tags also have their own internal battery, but they are unable of initiating communication. This ensures that it is only active when readers query it. Passive tags have neither a power source nor a capability of initiating communication but are the cheapest among the three. (Weis, S., 2007) RFID systems can operate at a variety of radio frequencies. Each of these frequencies has its own operating range, power requirements and performance. Low Frequency, or LF, operates at 120-149 KHz and have a read distance of 10-20 cm. High Frequency, or HF, operates at 12.56 MHz and have a read distance of 10-20 cm. Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) operates at 868-928 MHz and has a range of 3 meters. Microwave operates at 2.45 and 5.78 GHz and can read up to 3 meters. Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) operates at 3.1-10.6 GHz and has a read distance of 10 meters.

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay Throughout many of his stories in his book Emperor of the Air author Ethan Canin explores the theme of happiness in relation to his characters. Depending on which source one uses, happiness ranges from the quality or state of being happy to a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy and according to the Oxford English Dictionary Good fortune or luck in life or in a particular affair; success, prosperity. Based on this, happiness is subjective to the individual. Every story in the book deals with the theme in its various forms but the three pieces I will examine each deal with this subject and its various definitions in their own ways, and I feel are the best representations of happiness. In his second story The Year of Getting to Know Us Canin introduces the idea of happiness directly and very matter-of-factly. Canin first questions the happiness of Lenny while he is at the counselors when he is asked You sound as if you dont want to let people near youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Right? and Lenny responds with Im a reasonably happy man (Canin 26). After reading this, we get a sense that maybe Lenny is lying, that he is holding something back. How can someone be happy, going through what he has, and will continue to go through? The events that are explained further in the story: his fathers death and his wifes affair, impose on this question further. On the very next page Lenny goes on to talk about his life saying I am struck by the good fortune of my life (Canin, 1988). Perhaps Lenny truly is happy, as he early states an exact definition of the word in his thought of good fortune. Despite all that has happened in his life, he remains optimistic, and believes himself to be happy, and maybe he is. The opposition to Lennys apparent happiness is the nearly constant nagging he receives questioning his emotions and ability to feel anything at all. Canin mentions such an instance immediately after mentioning Lennys good fortune in life when he states Anne says that I dont feel things (Canin 27). Lenny never questions whether or not if he is able to feel, but also never goes out of his way to show any emotion other than stating that he is indeed happy. Even after witnessing his wifes affair firsthand, the only way Lenny can express himself is by writing down on a napkin you are a 40 year old man with no children and your wife is having an affair (Canin, 1988). Lennys apparent lack of any emotion that would come naturally to anyone in the same circumstance is quite intriguing and leaves the reader questioning his feelings, if he has any. Another moment where Lennys feelings are under fire comes when he is a child and his mother asks him if he is angry and he responds with I dont know (Canin, 1988). This shows the reader that even though he was young, Lenny was indecisive about his feelings, and whether or not he felt anything. Canin leaves the decision of whether or not this character is happy or if he can feel, up to the reader. I believe that Lenny is and was happy, and just because a person may not show outward expressions of emotion, or whether they know exactly what they are feeling at a given time or not, does not mean they are not happy or unable to feel. Lenny has more than likely felt very conflicted about things as is stated by Canin near the end of the story after Lennys father has passed away But I didnt feel what I thought I would. Just the wind on my throat, the chill of the morning. (Canin 40). Given such circumstances it is easy to see why some may view him as being unhappy or without feeling completely, but with that being said, it is all subjective. Lies is the third story in Canins collection and unlike The Year of Getting to Know Us it does not introduce the concept of happiness quite as clearly. From the very first paragraph we see a certain sense of naivety about the character Jack, which is no more evident than when he says to himself Some guys my age are kids, but Im eighteen and getting married and thats a big difference (Canin, 1988). This thought alone says a lot about Jack, and what he must be telling himself happiness is, and what happiness can be. We do not yet know that Katy, his girlfriend, is pregnant, or that he is soon to be a father. Canin does not tell the reader this outright, but hints at it, and leaves the reader to question Jacks motives, and his state of mind. Jack is trying to convince himself that things are good, and that everything will be O.K. but the truth of the matter is, that things will probably not be good, and he does not want to acknowledge this. He chooses to live in the moment, and lies to himself to be happy. Jack has no problems lying and Canin gives us an example of this when Katy says that she loves him, and Jack says to himself I dont mind lying, but not about that as if to say that it is O.K. to lie about some things, but not about others (Canin 50). When Jack does tell Katy that he loves her, it comes at the end of the story and almost seems forced, as if even he doesnt believe it and the lies he has been telling himself are starting to fade through. For a while jack is happy, but it is only a false sense of happiness because he had to lie to himself, had to trick himself into believing it. He acted in ways he normally never would have, and had to compensate with the lies. A question one should take into consideration when thinking about Jacks situation is should he be happy? Does jack have the right to be happy by whatever means necessary, even if it means lying to himself with no mind of the repercussions? The answer to this is yes. Jack realizes his situation, as Canin states I think about how this bit with Katy started and how fast its gone, and it kind of stuns me that this is what happened, that of all the ways a life can turn out this is the way mine is going to go (Canin 52). Despite his circumstances Jack chooses to remain optimistic about his future, and goes about this by lying to himself, hence the title of the story; Lies. Pitch Memory is similar to The Year of Getting to Know Us in a couple of ways. Both of the main characters insist that they are happy, both have dilemmas they need to overcome, and both have people in their lives who believe they are not happy. Lenny had both his mother and wife, and the main character of PM, who is suspiciously nameless, has her klepto-mother. Canin gives us insight into why she may not be happy through a first person narrative perspective. Through this perspective it is not really necessary to know her name, and was a wise decision on Canins part because we are able to keep an objectionable distance from the character. Although we do not know her name, we do know about her family and her profession, as Canin states on page one-hundred Tessa is a heart surgeon and I am a waitress (Canin 100). From here we can see as to why she may be not as happy as what she says or thinks, but then again, does ones occupation really determine ones overall happiness? The answer to this is no, people can love their job but still be miserable and vice-a-versa. It does not matter that she is a waitress, but this is a fact that her mother cannot seem to comprehend. I have dealt with similar issues in my own life. I once told my mother that I would be perfectly happy with a career at Pizza-Hut, so long as I was able to live how I wanted. Granted this was a lie, but I was trying to make a point, and she understood this. Sometimes it takes people a little longer to come around, but if they truly care; they will. The first example Canin gives of her mothers thoughts occurs when she receives a phone call from one her fathers old acquaintances who said Your mother is concerned about what youre doing with your life. This shows not only that her mother cares about her life, but also that she is still somewhat confused as to how someone could be happy serving pancakes. She actually goes on to tell her mother directly that she is happy as Canin illustrates Im happy, Mother. I dont want another job, I dont need a husband. Im happy (Canin 107). With this Canin directly tells us that she is happy, as she lists reasons to her happiness, and gives her a uniqu e sense of logic about it. People make their own happiness, there is no standard as to what constitutes being happy. Thanksgiving dinner is when she proclaims her happiness yet again during dialogue with her mother: My Mother asks the waiter whether he minds working on Thanksgiving Day and he tells her that everybodys got to earn a living. Thats right, my mother says when the waiter leaves. Mom, I am earning a living. Are you going to serve pancakes the rest of your life? I think I will, I say, and this makes my mother start to cry (Canin, 1988). This is the most obvious declaration of happiness in the entire book, as she is able to firmly stand her ground and tell her mother that she is happy, and will continue to do what makes her happy, be it serving pancakes or cleaning the bathrooms at the restaurant. Canins theme of happiness in each of these stories takes on its own forms, and leaves the readers asking themselves questions about their own happiness. He addresses if one can be happy despite the gravest of circumstances, whether happiness can be attained by lying to oneself, and if someone can be happy despite not having the best standing in life and by doing what they love to do. He addresses each story with a realistic yet optimistic viewpoint on the subject, and is able to maintain it to the very last sentence in each.