Fall on your Knees themetic essay essays

Fall on your Knees themetic essay essays Fall on your knees, one of the worlds greatest novels, is written by Ann-Marie Macdonald who inspires many people. Macdonald is able to approach the readers using her endowed ability of writing. She uses many elements in her writing effectively to make the reader gain a more significant understanding of her works. Her endless descriptions helps readers understand complicated plots. The novel examines abnormal family bonds, birth and death, prohibited love, and dreadful secrets. Each character is pitied, sometimes hated and eventually loved. Macdonald accomplishes the presentation of a dysfunctional family through her own views and her own particular style of writing. There are many reasons for a family to be dysfunctional and there is not one definition that describes what a dysfunctional family is because each family is different in a lot of ways and families are not all dysfunctional for the same reason. In this case, the parents, James and Materia, Mercedes, and Frances have all c arried with them their own essence and integrity which in many cases have destructively affected their family. James and Materia had a great negative influence on their children. The parents of the Piper family contribute in ways that lead them to sustain a dysfunctional family. The absence of the parents had a great influence on their family. Materia and James relationship was unconstructive. At the outset, the parents themselves were raised in dysfunctional families. Materias family, the Mahmouds, were not capable of raising Materia well which resulted in a break up of the family. The Mahmouds were strict and traditional people. Materia was forbidden to see guys outside of school, however, when she did, she was locked in her room and was not allowed to see James. The Mahmouds narrow-mindedness and overprotectiveness forced Materia to become a rebel and run away with James. James, conversely, was raised without parents most of h...

Nominal Versus Real Quantities

Nominal Versus Real Quantities Real variables are those where the effects of prices and/or  inflation have been taken out. In contrast, nominal variables are those where the effects of inflation have not been controlled for.   As a result, nominal but not real variables are affected by changes in prices and inflation.   A few examples illustrate the difference: Nominal Interest Rates vs. Real Interest Rates Suppose we buy a 1 year bond for face value that pays 6% at the end of the year. We pay $100 at the beginning of the year and get $106 at the end of the year. Thus the bond pays an interest rate of 6%. This 6% is the nominal interest rate, as we have not accounted for inflation. Whenever people speak of the interest rate theyre talking about the nominal interest rate, unless they state otherwise. Now suppose the inflation rate is 3% for that year. We can buy a basket of goods today and it will cost $100, or we can buy that basket next year and it will cost $103. If we buy the bond with a 6% nominal interest rate for $100, sell it after a year and get $106, buy a basket of goods for $103, we will have $3 left over. So after factoring in inflation, our $100 bond will earn us $3 in income; a real interest rate of 3%. The relationship between the nominal interest rate, inflation, and the real interest rate is described by the Fisher Equation: Real Interest Rate Nominal Interest Rate - Inflation If inflation is positive, which it generally is, then the real interest rate is lower than the nominal interest rate. If we have deflation and the inflation rate is negative, then the real interest rate will be larger. Nominal GDP Growth vs. Real GDP Growth GDP or Gross Domestic Product is the value of all the goods and services produced in a country. The Nominal Gross Domestic Product measures the value of all the goods and services produced expressed in current prices. On the other hand, Real Gross Domestic Product  measures the value of all the goods and services produced expressed in the prices of some base year. An example: Suppose in the year 2000, the economy of a country produced $100 billion worth of goods and services based on year 2000 prices. Since were using 2000 as a basis year, the nominal and real GDP are the same. In the year 2001, the economy produced $110B worth of goods and services based on year 2001 prices. Those same goods and services are instead valued at $105B if year 2000 prices are used. Then: Year 2000 Nominal GDP $100B, Real GDP $100BYear 2001 Nominal GDP $110B, Real GDP $105BNominal GDP Growth Rate 10%Real GDP Growth Rate 5% Once again, if inflation is positive, then the Nominal GDP and Nominal GDP Growth Rate will be less than their nominal counterparts. The difference between Nominal GDP and Real GDP is used to measure inflation in a statistic called The GDP Deflator. Nominal Wages vs. Real Wages These work in the same way as the nominal interest rate. So if your nominal wage is $50,000 in 2002 and $55,000 in 2003, but the price level has risen by 12%, then your $55,000 in 2003 buys what $49,107 would have in 2002, so your real wage has gone done. You can calculate a real wage in terms of some base year by the following: Real Wage Nominal Wage / 1 % Increase in Prices Since Base Year Where a 34% increase in prices since the base year is expressed as 0.34. Other Real Variables Almost all other real variables can be calculated in the manner as Real Wages. The Federal Reserve keeps statistics on items such as the Real Change in Private Inventories, Real Disposable Income, Real Government Expenditures, Real Private Residential Fixed Investment, etc. These are all statistics which account for inflation by using a base year for prices.

Consumer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer Behavior - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that once the target market has been identified, the next step is to devise an appropriate strategy. Through, Operant conditioning which draws out the link between the behavior and consequence, individuals can be made aware that their behavior of divorce can result in severe consequences for themselves, their counterparts and the children in cases where they have been born. Operant conditioning is the most suitable strategy here mainly because it accentuates the consequences of a broken marriage that can greatly help individuals in understanding that divorce is a major step that should not be undertaken in response to meager issues. As the study stresses advertisements which portray such consequences can be used as a marketing tool. Celebrities who have born such consequences can be interviewed and they can give out a message to these individuals to think before making such a big decision. Furthermore, for busy individuals, it is important that peaceful cafes in central areas are utilized. This way working couples can take time out for lunch and meet up at these cafes. This will allow them to spend more time with each other. Moreover restaurants, cafes cinemas and hotels should be encouraged to introduce couple deals and discounts which will allow more couples to spend some quality time with each other. Since positive reinforcement is necessary to ensure a health marriage, in addition to providing outdoor entertainment to couples, it is important to encourage the use of marriage counselors. ... Celebrities who have born such consequences can be interviewed and they can give out a message to these individuals to think before making such a big decision. Furthermore, for busy individuals, it is important that peaceful cafes in central areas are utilized. This way working couples can take time out for lunch and meet up at these cafes. This will allow them to spend more time with each other. Moreover restaurants, cafes cinemas and hotels should be encouraged to introduce couple deals and discounts which will allow more couples to spend some quality time with each other. Since positive reinforcement is necessary to ensure a health marriage, in addition to providing outdoor entertainment to couples, it is important to encourage the use of marriage counselors. This will allow them to come across each other’s strengths more often making them less reluctant to end their marriage. Sometimes couples fail to communicate with each other properly which results in misunderstandings and intense disagreements. Marriage counselors can help couples in instilling in themselves some qualities and characteristics that are necessary for a successful relationship. Hence in order to reduce the divorce rates, marriage counselors should be advertised and promoted through television, radio and print media (Daft, 2001). Also organizations should be encouraged to conduct events where employees are invited with their counterparts. This way it will allow both individuals to be part of each other’s professional lives as well allowing them to understand each other better. An employee who has a good marriage is less likely to face any personal problems and therefore will fully concentrate on work. This will help organizations in improving their productivity. The

News Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

News Article Analysis - Essay Example As asserted, due to the apparent higher expected supply of corn in the current year, the FAO index was reported to have exhibited an average of 199.1 points for the month of September; which was measured to manifest a 1 percent decline from the average points reported in the month of August. The more prominent change was reported to be a significant 5.4% decline from the average points reflected at the start of 2013. These trends were accurately pinpointed to be sourced from the significant level of production or supply of corn; of which the United States was reported to contribute as much as 348 million tons, or a 27% increase, from the production level in 2012. The favorable weather conditions this year, in conjunction with the greater expanse of acreage allotted to corn production were instrumental in the increased supply for corn in 2013. The article is related to the economic topic of demand and supply, particularly how markets respond to changes in demand and supply. From the e xplanation that was provided, there is an apparent impact on the increase of supply of corn to the world prices of food. With greater supply, and assuming a constant demand, the impact would evidently mean a decrease in prices of commodities affected by the abundance in supply of the mentioned product. In this situation, the global cereal production, composed of wheat and corn, was projected to manifest an increase in supply. It was clearly revealed that â€Å"global cereal production, which includes wheat and corn, is expected to be 8% higher over 2012’s level, at 2.49 billion tons. The U.S., the world’s largest corn producer, is responsible for the bulk of the increase, expected to harvest a record crop of 348 million tons—that’s 27% higher than the previous year† (Rai, 2013, par. 4). Likewise, another international agency, the International Grains Council corroborated the trend through their own projections that indicate production of corn to in crease to 943.2 million tons; while wheat supply would reach 692.6 million tons. Therefore, given that the demand remains on a fairly stable level, with no significant or considerable increase, the impact of the increase supply would be an evident decrease in prices of food, which is measured through the FAO index. The article provided greater insights in terms of the repercussive effect of economic components of demand and supply from one market or economy to another market or to the global market, in general. The incident could actually be evaluated as macro-oriented in terms of the supply of corn and wheat being instrumental in impacting other food products that uses them as their raw materials or main ingredients. Evidently, the impact is not restricted in the domestic market, such as the United States where the supply or abundance in production was seen to rise to significant levels. The fact that the U.N. FAO regularly monitors demand and supply of basic commodities only confi rm that there is a stronger repercussive effect as markets are seen to be closely correlated through economic activities and movements of economic indices. Since the United States has an overpowering impact as a powerful nation to other international economies, any significant changes in basic raw materials would have important effects to other economies in terms of prices of commodities. It would therefore be crucial to anticipate these changes to prepare other

Police scandals are an untallied cost of the drug war Essay Example for Free

Police scandals are an untallied cost of the drug war Essay The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and even the Coast Guard have had to admit to corruption. The gravity of the police crimes is as disturbing as the volume. In New Orleans, a uniformed cop in league with a drug dealer has been convicted of murdering her partner and shop owners during a robbery committed while she was on patrol. In Washington, D. C. , and in Atlanta, cops in drug stings were arrested for stealing and taking bribes. New York State troopers falsified drug evidence that sent people to prison. And it is not just the rank and file. The former police chief of Detroit went to prison for stealing police drug-buy money. In a small New England town, the chief stole drugs from the evidence locker for his own use. And the DEA agent who arrested Panamas General Noriega is in jail for stealing laundered drug money. The drug war is as lethal as it is corrupting. And the police and drug criminals are not the only casualties. An innocent 75-year-old African-American minister died of a heart attack struggling with Boston cops who were mistakenly arresting him because an informant had given them the wrong address. A rancher in Ventura County, California, was killed by a police SWAT team serving a search warrant in the mistaken belief that he was growing marijuana. In Los Angeles, a three-year-old girl died of gunshot wounds after her mother took a wrong turn into a street controlled by a drug-dealing gang. They fired on the car because it had invaded their marketplace. The violence comes from the competition for illegal profits among dealers, not from crazed drug users. Professor Milton Friedman has estimated that as many as 10,000 additional homicides a year are plausibly attributed to the drug war. Worse still, the drug war has become a race war in which non-whites are arrested and imprisoned at 4 to 5 times the rate whites are, even though most drug crimes are committed by whites. The Sentencing Research Project reports that one-third of black men are in jail or under penal supervision, largely because of drug arrests. The drug war has established thriving criminal enterprises which recruit teenagers into criminal careers. It was such issues that engaged law-enforcement leaders most of them police chiefs from fifty agencies during a two-day conference at the Hoover Institution in May 1995. Among the speakers was our colleague in this symposium, Mayor Kurt Schmoke, who told the group that he had visited a high school and asked the students if the high dropout rate was due to kids being hooked on drugs. He was told that the kids were dropping out because they were hooked on drug money, not drugs. He also told us that when he went to community meetings he would ask the audience three questions. 1) Have we won the drug war? People laughed. 2) Are we winning the drug war? People shook their heads. 3) If we keep doing what we are doing will we have won the drug war in ten years? The answer was a resounding No. At the end of the conference, the police participants completed an evaluation form. Ninety per cent voted no confidence in the war on drugs. They were unanimous in favoring more treatment and education over more arrests and prisons. They were unanimous in recommending a presidential blue-ribbon commission to evaluate the drug war and to explore alternative methods of drug control. In sum, the tough-minded law-enforcement officials took positions directly contrary to those of Congress and the President. One hopes that politicians will realize that no one can accuse them of being soft on drugs if they vote for changes suggested by many thoughtful people in law enforcement. If the politicians tone down their rhetoric it will permit police leaders to expose the costs of our present drug-control policies. Public opinion will then allow policy changes to decriminalize marijuana and stop the arrest of hundreds of thousands of people every year. The enormous savings can be used for what the public really wants the prevention of violent crime.

Tupac Shakur Is Still Alive Essay -- essays research papers

Tupac Shakur Is Still Alive   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On September 7, 1996, Tupac Amaru Shakur was riding in the passenger side of a black BMW driven by Marion Suge Knight, president of Death Row Records. Tupac and Suge had just finished watching Mike Tyson defeat Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tupac was standing up through the sunroof while the car was stopped at a traffic light. The Cadillac containing the gunmen passed an entourage of Tupac’s allies, many of them bodyguards. Four unidentified men pulled alongside Suge’s car, fired 13 rounds, and sped away. No one gives chase and there were no witnesses on the street. How come? Why not, especially after a heavyweight fight? Tupac was shot in multiple places including his pelvis, hand, and torso. Suge was grazed in the head w/ a slug of a bullet fragment. On Friday, September 13, 1996, he was reportedly pronounced dead at 4:03 p.m. at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. But, did he really die? There are many suspicious deta ils about his departure that contribute to this theory. It is supposed that Tupac is still alive b/c of things said before and after his death, actions done before and after his death, and other reports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I got a big money scheme, and you ain’t even wit’ it,† 2Pac states in the song â€Å"I Ain’t Mad At Cha.† 2Pac certainly earned a lot of money by faking his death. His LP All Eyez On Me (1996), rap’s first 2 disc album, shot back up to the Billboard top 10 in the weeks following his death. His latest CD, The Don Killuminati: The Seven-Day Theory, recorded under the alias Makaveli, debuted on the Billboard charts as the number one album in the nation. By selling 664,000 copies, it surpassed the â€Å"gold† plateau in one week and is now a multi-platinum hit. Sales of his other CD’s also increased dramatically, w/ his third solo album, Me Against the World (1995), actually climbing back onto the Billboard charts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Las Vegas is a payoff city, meaning all sorts of folks have been known to be on the take, like lawyers, doctors, press, etc. When Tupac was in the Las Vegas hospital and one of his lungs was removed, the doctors were tight-lipped about his condition. One nurse made the public statement that Tupac would live and that she was positive of it. The fact that a trained medical professional state... ...ere canceled in Los Angeles and Atlanta, both of which were open to the public.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One counterargument that may mislead people into thinking that Tupac is still alive is the fact that an autopsy picture and report were released. Have you ever been standing in a grocery line and happen to see The National Inquirer? Well, if so, then you know how pictures can be altered, right? Also, on the autopsy report, it states that he weighed 215 pounds when he only weighed 168. Not only that, but it also declares that he was 6’ 2† when he was only 5’10†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another counterargument that is trying to disprove his still being alive is that his mother is going around the country speaking of her son’s death. Of course she or anyone for that fact, that knows that he is still alive isn’t going to admit it. He supposedly faked his death, then why would anyone blow his cover by admitting that he is still around?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once one summarizes all the evidence, the things said before and after his death, actions before and after his death, among other reports, it becomes obvious that Tupac Amaru Shakur is not dead.

Leadership Profile Essay

When examing what makes a good leader you can ask a very simple question, what I believe to be a very important factor, which is, do they have passion in what they do? Leaders in business today have to have a passion for what they do in order to make a successful and influential leader. The success of any company is only as great as the employees on the forefront make it. Transformational leadership is a form of leadership that occurs when leaders ‘broaden and elevate the interests of their employees, when they generate awareness and acceptance of the purposes and the mission of the group and when they stir their employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good of the group† (Bass, 1990). Transformational leadership has the ability to generate a higher commitment to the company from its’ employees. I believe that Sam Walton, the Founder of Walmart had this ability. Walmart as we know it today evolved from Sam Walton’s goals for great value and great customer service. â€Å"Mr. Sam,† as he was known, believed in leadership through service. This belief that true leadership depends on willing service was the principle on which Walmart was built, and drove the decisions the company has made for the past 50 years. So much of Walmart’s history is tied to the story of Sam Walton himself, and so much of our future will be rooted in Mr. Sam’s principles† (Walmart, 2012). You can see this principle the moment that you walk in to any Walmart store. There is a greeter there to meet you everytime. Sam Walton made sure that from the time that you walked in the door that you had great customer service experience. Not only will it make the customer feel welcomed, but it will also help repeat business. To obtain this type of customer service level, the leader behind the scenes needs to create â€Å"buy ‘in† from their employees. The employees need to believe in what they are doing and understand the goal of the company. One of the towering strengths of Sam Walton was his unique ability to gain the trust and support of the people around him. He called his customers â€Å"neighbors† or â€Å"guests† and he referred to the managers in his company as ‘coaches’† (Bergdahl). The first Walmart was opened in 1962 and by 1970, the company went public because of how much it had grown. This is a true testament of a good leader having a clear vision of what he wants for his company and what he expect from the employees. His vision alone is what makes him so effective. He believed that offering lower prices and greater customer service can make all the difference to a business. Seeing the success of Walmart proves this theory. Employees easily understand the goal of the company. They too benefit from the lower prices. According to Michael Bergdahl, author of The 10 Rules of Sam Walton, Sam Walton was a man who had a vision, never gave up, and was optimistic. These are just a few of the characteristics of Sam Walton that have affected many people. â€Å"Walton also a leader who close to the employees. Often vanity top executives has led to the collapse of a company. They tend to build a distance (gap) with front-line employees. The bigger of the company, usually the greater the possibility of these leaders have lost contact with the front-line employees. But not so with Sam Walton, he was a leader who humble and modest. Throughout his life, he often visited the front lines of every store. Sam Walton’s leadership style is close to the employee coloring corporate culture of Wal-Mart today† (Bergdahl).

Hidden Themes from Homer’s Odyssey Essay

Homer uses the idea of spiritual growth as one of his underlying themes in the Odyssey. He relates this message through various characters and their adventures or actions. Spiritual growth is brought on by rough times, temptations, long travels, and even good times. Homer does a good job of hitting on all of these factors. Odysseus’ adventures and growth are much more prevalent in the Odyssey than those of any other character. He begins on Calypso’s island, where he has everything, except happiness. His spirit is low as he longs for his homeland. Homer introduces Odysseus at a low point to emphasize the growth of Odysseus’ spirit from beginning to end. If Homer had shown Odysseus in a good spirit first, then the growth would not have seemed as prevalent. Odysseus seems to see the light when he finds out that he will be sailing home. He is tested first when Poseidon nearly kills him off the coast of Scheria, the first island he reaches. The Odyssey says, â€Å"an d trapped within that backwash of the brine, Odysseus would have died before his time had not gray-eyed Athena counseled him† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 109). Athena allows Odysseus to experience the storm, but not die. She knows that it will make him stronger for it. There is an old saying, which goes along with this situation, â€Å"what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.† Odysseus is also tempted when he and his crew pass the Sirens. He is the only one to hear their song and must be tied to a post in order to keep himself restrained. Odysseus’ spirit is still weak as he is engrossed with the Sirens ability to foretell the future. He says, â€Å"So did they chant with their entrancing voice. My heart longed so to listen, and I asked my men to set me free† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 243). The restraints allow him to struggle with the challenge and become stronger without being entangled with the evil. The suitors entice Odysseus when he returns home disguised as the beggar. But now, he has the strength and will power to reject those spoken words. Homer expresses his ideas about pride and spirit when Odysseus encounters the Cyclopes. After out-smarting Polyphemus, Odysseus shouts out his own name in search for â€Å"kleos.† These were his words to Polyphemus, â€Å"if any mortal man should ask about the shameful blinding of your eye, then tell him that the man who gouged you was Odysseus, ravager of cities† (Odyssey by Mandelbaum, 185). Instead of being humbled by the experience, Odysseus tries to brag about what he has done. In reality, it was the gods who blessed him with the ability to escape his situation. Odysseus pays for this action as Poseidon makes his journey back more difficult than it should have been. We see later in the Odyssey how Odysseus grows from this experience when he returns home. He is angered by the suitors and has the composure to keep his name secret until the right time. His spirit is more humble now with the idea of pride than it was on his journey home. Telemachus also experiences spiritual growth, but Homer displays it in a different manner. Whereas Odysseus’ growth is concerned with situations, Telemachus’ is dependent upon a journey. He is sent away from home in search of his father. It seems as though the prince was so dependent on his father that he never really got away from home on his own. It took his father’s disappearance to force Telemachus into a leadersh ip role. He visits friends of his father’s and experiences â€Å"xenia† as the normal head of households do. Through his journey, he learns to depend on the gods and returns home a more spiritually inclined man. Telemachus learns how to make decisions and trust the instinct that the gods give to him. Many can â€Å"talk the talk,† but Telemachus had to â€Å"walk the walk† in order to grow spiritually. And his maturity is displayed toward the end of the Odyssey. Homer shows many different types of spiritual growth throughout the Odyssey. But, he has one main idea: the spirit with the most growth and strength is the one that is tested and weakened through the process. Telemachus’ spirit grows, but cannot compare to that of Odysseus because he was not weakened and tested as much as Odysseus. The weakening allows a person to grow stronger, not just grow. There are many layers of meaning in the fantastic world of Odysseus’s tale. Loyalty has to be seen as a major theme in The Odyssey and can be seen as having a significant meaning to Odysseus’s story. This section will discuss the idea of how Odysseus’s loyal supporters still remain devoted to him even after he has been away for nearly two decades as well as pose a question pertaining to Odysseus’s own actions of infidelity. When reading The Odyssey three main characters stand out that show their trustworthiness to Odysseus while he is away fighting in the Trojan War and trying to make his way back to Ithaca. It seems to me that the most loyal of all these characters could, somehow, easily be overlooked, but it would definitely have to be Odysseus’s wife Penelope. Even after nearly twenty years apart from her husband, she still remains faithful to Odysseus and refuses to marry one of the awaiting suitors that hassle her day in and day out. There even came a time when Penelope told the suitors that she would wed once she finished Laertes’ shroud, but stated, ‘I would weave that mighty web by day; but then by night, by torchlight, I undid what I had done (Odyssey 384). This only proves her complete and utter devotion to Odysseus. Along with Penelope, Telemachus and Odysseus’s loyal swineherd Eumaeus were committed to the King of Ithaca. Telemachus, in one regard, shows his loyalty to Odyssues by going on a voyage to learn more about his father,Odysseus, and Eumaeus speaks highly of his king when Odysseus questions him upon returning to Ithaca saying, ‘I call him my lord, although he is not here† (Odyssey 278). But the main way in which I see the two of these characters remaining loyal to Odysseus is when they stand by him and take on the feisty suitors to win back Odysseus’s palace. It would have been extremely difficult for Odysseus to do it on his own and either one of them could have not participated in the bout, but instead decided to stand by their king and put him back in the position that he once held. Through each of these three character’s commitment and devotion to Odysseus, it can be expressed that loyalty has a major meaning in the world of Odysseus’s tale, but I would like to end this section by posing a question to be thought about. Penelope is shown as the most loyal of all by staying faithful and true to her husband even though they are not together. She resists time and time again the attempts of the suitors for her hand in marriage. So, why is it that Odysseus is so unfaithful to his wife? He is unfaithful with at least two characters Circe, whom he stays with for a year and Calypso, where he is held captive for seven years but sleeps in her bed. Of all the characters that are so loyal to Odysseus, why is he so unloyal in return? Perseverance By Jeremy Fine The topic of our group is layers of meaning in the fantastic world of Odysseus’s tale. There are a lot of different layers of meaning for each tale and the Odyssey itself, and there is more than one interpretation. In this perspective, the theme of the Odyssey is perseverance. Perseverance is an important theme and is one that is seen throughout the whole play and by more than one character. First, there is Odysseus. Odysseus was greeted with perseverance at the very beginning of the epic. He was being held captive by Calypso on an island, and after being visited by Athena, he had the notion and the strong desire to get home. Despite Calypso’s insistence, he decided to leave. He also had an encounter with Circe, and was presented with temptation of all kinds. Odysseus with his wife and son still in mind took the sea once more and proceeded home. Also, Odysseus and his men came in contact with the lotus-eaters. The lotus plants provided an excellent, relaxing feeling for all of the crew, and no one wanted to leave except for Odysseus who stayed his course. Perseverance is also displayed in his way of thinking, his desire to survive and at times conquer, are qualities that promote his perseverance. For instance, when Odysseus finally returns home, he plans to kill all of the suitors that have been courting his wife and he did so. He also earns his place as the basileus of his home again. Odysseus however isn’t the only person to present this theme throughout the story. Penelope is another example of this theme. Penelope lived for years without Odysseus and everyone told her that he was most likely dead and then she should move on. Penelope however never lost hope. She often cried and was sad thinking of the notion that he was dead, but she never moved on. Penelope was visited by many suitors and often housed the suitors. She would feed them and the suitors would take full advantage of her hospitality and her kindness. She persevered over all the years that Odysseus was gone, and when he returned to her, she had no reason to feel guilty and was still fully his. Finally, Telemacus also displayed perseverance. He was in very much the same situation that Penelope was, except that he wasn’t a believer until after Athena visited. He could have ignored what Athena said and just given up right there, but he created his course and stayed, going on voyages and discovering the truth about his father and also grew as a person at this time. Perseverance appears to be one of the strong themes of this story and also a strong characteristic of Odysseus and his family. The fact that they all have this characteristic and that they all display it at different times and apart from each other shows that they each mean a lot to one another. It also displays the importance of the family in ancient Greek history. Hospitality By John Kelley Odysseus’s journey takes place in a world very different than ours. Civilizations are separated by vast uninhabited land where both natural and unnatural obstacles are always present. Hospitality is what makes travel even possible in a world like this. It allows people to rest from their far journeys and escape from looming troubles. Because of the extreme importance of hospitality, those who break this code of conduct are severely punished by the gods. When people follow the code of hospitality they are generally rewarded. There have been many situations throughout the Odyssey where both Odysseus and Telemachus were shown great hospitality. Early in the story when Telemachus sets off on his journey to find out about his father he is shown great hospitality by Nestor and Menelaus even before they know his identity. Meanwhile, back at home, the suitors at his house plot their host’s death upon his return. Here, the Odyssey shows the great contrast between good and evil, using hospitality as the comparison. Odysseus is also shown great hospitality when he arrives at the shores of Scheria and is welcomed by the Phaeacians. After his visit, the Phaeacians load up a boat for Odysseus to travel on, and send him off. Soon Poseidon learns of this and turns the boat into a stone, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. This is an example where hospitality is not rewarded. This shows that Zeus will reward hospitality as long as it does not interfere with the other gods. Zeus did not want a confrontation with his brother Poseidon, therefore allowing Poseidon to punish the Phaeacians. There have also been situations where hospitality was not shown and punishments were provided. One example was when Odysseus and his men went to Ismarus and met Polyphemus. He, at first, showed signs of hospitality but soon turned hostile and killed several of Odysseus’s men. The rest of the men were locked away, but the gods gave Odysseus the cunning ability to escape and blind Polyphemus. Telemachus was also protected by the gods from the evils of the suitors, who had plotted his murder. When both Telemachus and Odysseus had returned home disguised, Arnaeus, another beggar, challenged Odysseus to a fight but Athena gave Odysseus extra strength and stature to win the fight. The gods then help Odysseus and Telemachus kill the suitors and once again take charge of their home. In the Odyssey, it is the gods that rule over the mortal. This caused a fear that drives mortals to behave in a way that they feel will be rewarded by the gods. Perhaps the mortals in the Odyssey are not great gentlemen that love their fellow men, but show hospitality in fear of punishment.

Human Resource Management (HRM) Level 4 Assignment 1 Coursework

Human Resource Management (HRM) Level 4 Assignment 1 Coursework Human Resource Management (HRM) Level 4 Assignment 1 – Coursework Example Criticism of HRM Causes of Misunderstandings of the Roles of that HRM Performs There has been a lot of is misunderstanding of the roles performed by the HRM. Such misunderstandings, usually result due to various reasons, some of which are job related. In most cases, the roles performed by HRM are usually confused with the roles of other personnel in the HR department or in the organization as a whole. This ends in confusion and misunderstanding of the roles performed by the HRM. In as much as roles such as leading are usually left to the HRM, other human resource personnel also find themselves performing such roles, hence ending n misunderstanding of who really is to perform such duties (Trost, 2010). Secondly, as the HRM tries to execute his duties, it could easily be misunderstood that employees should confront them with confidentiality. However, when seeking the help of HRM, it should not be kept confidential. Instead, the HRM should protect the confidence of those who seek their help and only share the information with those who really need to know. The fact that HRM is an employee of an organization, it is usually believed that their role is to have the interest of the company at hand. However, HRM also ensures compliance o the human resource regulations in the company. This also causes misunderstanding of the roles that the HRM performs in an organization.Criticism of HRM and how to reduce themFirst, HRM is considered to be more rhetoric than a reality. Many supporters have created a lot of hype around this concept (Aswathappa, 2007). The term HRM in itself also lacks precision that anybody can use it to mean what they want. Secondly, there is money cost in the HRM functions, however, no attempt has been made to carry out a cost-benefit analysis. To reduce such criticisms, there’s a need for a precise definition of HRM including its functions, extensiveness as well as coverage. Every HRM function should also be subjected to cost-benefit analysis to enable the management to identify the functions with their costs and benefits together. ReferencesAswathappa, K. (2007). Human Resource and Personnel Management (4th ed.). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.Trost, A. (2010, November 23). Is HR Too Important tobe left to HR? Harvard Business Review, 1-2. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/11/is-hr-too-important-to-be-left

5 Problems with Parallelism

5 Problems with Parallelism 5 Problems with Parallelism 5 Problems with Parallelism By Mark Nichol 1. â€Å"It was a serious distraction and threat to more meaningful reform efforts.† Something is wrong with this sentence. To diagnose the problem, remove one of the noun phrases from the beginning of the sentence and determine whether the remaining statement is still correct, then replace it and remove the other one. â€Å"It was a serious threat to more meaningful reform efforts† is correct, but â€Å"It was a serious distraction to more meaningful reform efforts† is jarring because the preposition is not idiomatically appropriate. The noun phrases are supported by different prepositions, so they cannot share the word to; assign the correct preposition to each one: â€Å"It was a serious distraction from and threat to more meaningful reform efforts.† Should the word threat be preceded by the article a to make it parallel with distraction? No, because serious applies to both nouns, and an additional article would isolate threat from the shared adjective. Also, the phrase â€Å"and threat to† appears to be parenthetical, but it’s not necessarily necessary to set it off by commas, parentheses, or em dashes. However, enclosing it in parentheses suggests a whispering insinuation, and using em dashes would signal a provocative interjection, so the context might merit either parenthetical strategy. In either case, though, threat should be assigned a repetition of serious â€Å"It was a serious distraction from (and a serious threat to) more meaningful reform efforts† or a distinct adjective (â€Å"It was a serious distraction from and a grave threat to more meaningful reform efforts.†) 2. â€Å"Elected officials and activists representing forty-five environmental groups attended the event.† When two or more nouns or noun phrases follow one or more adjectives (as in the previous example), the assumption is that the modifying word or words applies to each noun. In this case, however, the subject consists of the elements â€Å"elected officials† and â€Å"activists representing forty-five environmental groups† linked by a conjunction, not â€Å"elected officials (representing forty-five environmental groups)† and â€Å"(elected) activists representing forty-five environmental groups† joined by and. To clarify this distinction, recast the sentence: â€Å"Activists representing forty-five environmental groups, as well as elected officials, attended the event.† 3. â€Å"He has to be, if not the, one of the stupidest people in TV news.† The basic statement here is â€Å"He has to be one of the stupidest people in TV news,† but the writer has failed in an attempt to suggest the superlative as well, awkwardly implying also that â€Å"he has to be the stupidest person in TV news.† (The superlative is the ultimate form of an adjective, more extreme than the basic form stupid, in this case – and the comparative, stupider.) But â€Å"if not the† collides with â€Å"one of the†; the unstated and incorrect complete thought is, â€Å"He has to be the stupidest people in TV news.† To smooth out this disjointed sentence, introduce the superlative first in a complete thought, and then retreat to the milder criticism in a following modifying phrase: â€Å"He has to be if not the stupidest person in TV news, then one of the stupidest.† Note that a comma does not follow be, because doing so would imply that two commas are necessary to set â€Å"if not the stupidest person in TV news† off from the basic sentence â€Å"He has to be then one of the stupidest,† and that’s a faulty grammatical analysis. This sentence is constructed from a simple â€Å"if, then† foundation, so use a single comma to separate the two propositions. 4. â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and Miami.† This sentence implies that the subject kept three additional homes: one in Oxfordshire, one in England, and one in Miami. (It also incorrectly suggests that, as in the second example above, a single adjective applies to all nouns that follow.) What the writer meant, as we determine momentarily which is one moment too late is that one additional residence is located in Oxfordshire, England, and another is in Miami. When one or more â€Å"city, state† or â€Å"city, nation† constructions are associated with a â€Å"city† reference, the sentence must be revised to clarify the hierarchy of referents. One solution is to distance the two objects with proprietary prepositions: â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and in Miami.† Another, clearer choice is to do so but also place the simpler referent first: â€Å"He kept a house there as well as homes in Miami and in rural Oxfordshire, England.† 5. â€Å"The company was to be paid between $300 and $400 million.† This â€Å"you know what I meant† bungle is inoffensive but incorrect, and should be corrected on principle because a similar but more egregiously ambiguous construction would definitely merit revision, so why be inconsistent and excuse one but not the other? The two figures in question are $300 million and $400 million, and for the sake of clarity, the first instance of million should not be elided: â€Å"The company was to be paid between $300 million and $400 million.† The same principle applies if the range is separated by the word to: â€Å"The company was to be paid $300 million to $400 million.† However, when the sentence does not apply to orders of magnitude â€Å"Compliance ranged from 50 to 75 percent† the operative word need not be repeated, because no ambiguity about the relation of the first number to the second one exists. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the Future75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†When to use "an"

Short Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Short Report - Essay Example Hence, in the changing environment of business imperatives, the organizations need to opt for training their employees and staff in the emerging new skills to meet the challenges of the time. CQ Manufacturers must also incorporate necessary changes in their HR strategies and gain essential leverage through training and development of their human resource. The process of globalization has changed the dynamics of the business world. Change has become essential for development and organizations tend to adapt to the constantly evolving business environment through appropriate training and learning modules that promote better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. â€Å"Organizations must change because their environments change† (Bateman, 1990). They implement necessary changes in the organization to not only survive but compete with their rival with confidence. The basic objective of training programs for the employees and staff is not only to learn emerging new skills in the areas concerned but they are also designed to inform and develop better perception towards new technologies that encourage confidence building and innovation of ideas. In the emerging challenges of the changing business equations, when the labour deployment is undergoing quantitative and qualitative transformations, CQ Manufacturers also needs to redefine its HR strategy to create versatility and flexibility of the contemporary work environment. The rapid globalization and technological advancement of the recent time has greatly revolutionized the labour processes. There is a significant paradigm shift in the technical division of labour from direct to indirect model that is focused on regulation, administration, improvement and innovation to meet the challenges of the changing time. Sjostrand and Tyrstrup, in one of their article, have argued that managerial leadership needs to be approached as a relational, ongoing