Monday, September 30, 2019

Oregon Wildlife Conservation Policy

Wildlife is a barometer of the health our environment. Meager diversity of wildlife, or relatively smaller wildlife populations in any geographical region, is usually an indication of something seriously wrong in the environment. In the United States and Canada, early settlers indulged in unrestricted hunting for food and sport. As these territories were settled, the game species gradually dwindled.The westward movement of people took its toll in terms of loss of habitat for diverse animal species. In the latter half of the twentieth century, it began to be widely realized how important it was to manage, preserve and conserve wildlife prudently.Over the decades, more and more conscious efforts have been directed towards wildlife conservation, though they do not seem to be adequate yet. Today, almost every national government across the globe has laws to maintain wildlife. North American governments, especially, perceive the urgency of the need of intense efforts to conserve and prote ct game and non-game species.Federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and their counterparts in Canada share in the management of wildlife. In almost every state and county of the U.S. and Canada there are wildlife agencies responsible for the protection of fish and animal species.Oregon’s varied geology, soil, and climate support a vast collection of species and habitats, which also influence the state’s culture and economy. In 2001, for example, wildlife-related activities such as fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching generated a revenue of $2.1 billion for the state’s economy.However, the expanding impact of human development has left much of Oregon’s wildlife at different levels of risk. Nearly all native grasslands and prairies have been lost since European settlement. Ninety-six percent of the original coastal temperate rainforests have been logged. Oregon has 32 federally listed threatened and endangered s pecies.Oregonians still feel much closer to nature than people in most other parts of the United States. They deeply appreciate and are proud of Oregon’s rich natural and wildlife heritage, the state’s strong ties to fish, birds and animals. However, it is common knowledge that the wildlife scenario is not so upbeat within the state’s territory. Oregon’s state bird, the western meadowlark, for example, has become a rare sight in Willamette Valley, though it is not yet placed in the endangered species list yet.The meadowlark needs some conservation attention, as do dozens of other bird and animal species in this land of nature’s bounty. Habitat conditions have to be improved significantly to let Oregon’s wildlife assert its natural resilience and thrive in abundant numbers.There are major challenges in maintaining Oregon’s many fragmented or degraded wildlife habitats. The construction of towns and roads, alteration of river systems, o r intensive land management practices have all contributed, in the natural course of things, to the loss of habitat. Land conversion often results in diminution or total disappearance of habitats. At the very least, it impacts the quality of habitats and adversely affects the ecosystems.However, in the more recent decades, environmental awareness has led to improvements in land management practices. Better concerted efforts by Oregonians to sustain the state’s fish and wildlife are showing promising results.

Computer Generations Essay

The IC (Integrated Circuits) technology was used in third-generation computers. In a small IC chip (5 mm square size) a circuit is designed having large number of electronic components like transistors, capacitors, diodes, resistors etc. Initially, an IC contained only about ten to twenty components. Thus the IC technology was named as Small Scale Integration (SSI). The third-generation was based on IC technology and the computers were designed using this technology. IBM 370, PDP 11 are among examples. Advantages The main advantages of third-generation as compared to previous generations of computers were: Smaller in size Production cost was low Many input/output devices were introduced such as mouse and keyboard etc. Very fast in computational power More reliable Low power consumption Maintenance cost was low because failure rate of hardware was very low. Easily portable Easy to operate Upgraded easily Totally general purpose. Widely used for various commercial applications all over the world Lower heat generated Magnetic disk used for external storage More storage capacity High-level languages were commonly used Disadvantages The main disadvantages of third-generation computers were: Air-conditioning required. Highly sophisticated technology required for the manufacturer chips. 4. Fourth Generation Computers (1971 to Present) Microprocessors The microchip technology was introduced in this generation of computers. With the advancement in IC technology, LSI (Large Scale Integration) chips were developed. It was possible to integrate over 30,000 or more components on to single LSI chip. After LSI, the VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) was developed and the development of microprocessor possible. It is expected that more than one million components will be integrated on a single chip of VLSI. Using VLSI technology, the entire CPU is designed on a single silicon chip. The use of microprocessor as CPU introduced another class of computers called the microcomputers. Thus fourth-generation may be called Microcomputer generation. The Intel 4004 chip was the first microprocessor. In 1981, IBM introduced the first computer for home use. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh. Advantages The advantages of fourth-generation as compared to previous generation computers are: Smallest in size because of high component density. Production cost is very low Very reliable Hardware failure is negligible and hence minimal maintenance is required. Easily portable because of their small size Totally general purpose Air conditioning is not compulsory Very high processing speed Very large internal and external storage capacity Used advanced input & output devices such as optical readers, laser printers, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives etc. Heat generated is negligible Minimal labour and cost involved at assembly stage Disadvantages The main disadvantages of fourth-generation computers are: Highly sophisticated technology required for the manufacturer of microprocessor chips 5. Fifth Generation Computers (In process) Artificial Intelligence The main drawback of first to fourth generation computers is that the computers have not their own thinking power. These are totally depending upon the instructions given by the users. Computer devices with artificial intelligence are still in development, but some of these technologies are beginning to emerge and be used such as voice recognition. AIl is a reality made possible by using parallel processing and superconductors. Leaning to the future, computers will be radically transformed again by quantum computation, molecular and anon technology. Fifth generation computers are supposed to be the ideal computers, but do not exist. The scientists are working to design such computers that will have the following features: Having their own thinking power Making decisions themselves Having capabilities of learning Having capabilities of reasoning Having large capacity of internal storage Having extra high processing speed Having capabilities of parallel processing In these computers following technologies will be used: ULSIC (Ultra Large Scale Integrated Circuits) technology Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology also called the knowledge Processor. The AI means automatic programs that let the machines to think and decide themselves. The programming languages LISP (List Processor) and PROLOG (Programming with Logic) are used for artificial intelligence. The scientists at ICOT in Japan use the PROLOG to develop the Artificial Intelligence software.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Eleven Minutes

‘’Eleven minutes â€Å"– Paulo Coelho It took many years gruelling quest before I found author whose style of writing is natural and real. Paulo Coelho is my favorite writer and like nobody else knows a way how to grab my attention. He is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. His books have been translated in 71 languages. Critics identify him with phenomenon of mass culture. He is rated among the best writers of all time. For me he became a true authority and I dare say that for many also.I read almost all his works but especially one exerted a huge impression on me. ‘’Eleven minutes’’ originally â€Å"Onze minutos† was published in 2003 in 39 languages and until 2005 sold in 6 million copies. It is one from this books which has a powerful magnetizing effect on me. The novel tells a story about young woman Maria, her beauty attracted to men. She lives in the Brazilian province. We meet her as a child who dreams of a prince from fai ry tale and a quiet house overlooking the sea. Her first innocent contacts with love leave her heartbroken.As a teenager she already knew what suffering is and was living in the belief that love brings only pain and is not worth to worry about. She is confident that will never find true, pure love. After graduating school she found a job in a store with fabrics. Owner fell in love with her but these unpleasant experiences from the past cause that she was only guided by a desire to hold money. This contributed to the fact that Maria has used him and then went to Brazil. There she met a rich guy who offered her a job as a dancer at a nightclub in Switzerland.Excited girl thought that the fortune had smiled upon her and this trip will help her make a career and earn the money she has always dreamed of. But Maria soon discovers that the work is different than she had imagined. The salary was low and working conditions below her expectations. Also, the employer was a completely different man. She decided not to give up because only her stubbornness could help her achieve the desired success. She entered into an affair with a rich Arab. She began to neglect her duties as a dancer, which led to job losses.Unfortunately, as it used to be in the life of Maria her lover dumped the girl and with this left another deep wound in her heart. This unpleasant experience cemented her belief that love is nothing. She wanted to become a model but she didn’t succeed it because the man who had to take care of her career turned out to be only a man seeking a woman for one night. Deprived of all hopes and dreams were not wondered long and with the adoption of a proposal from a stranger a part of Maria’s soul died. After that fateful night she has been meditating on her life.She could not go home with nothing therefore she decided to follow the path she chose. Maria borrowed many books about sex and bought clothes that seemed relevant to her profession. She began looking for work which proved to be very easy. After the first, actually the second night she didn’t feel like her, she hasn’t thought about it and started to do it automatically like someone who is devoid of all feelings. She tried to explain why she was doing but she couldn’t. Maria wanted to become the best in her profession to earn in the short time a lot of money.After six months she was unrivalled. She had high expectations of her customers which helped her keep respect for herself. She wanted only to survive the next 6 months and with a sizeable sum in the account return to Brazil where she will buy a small farm, animals and parents will take under her roof. She moved to a more comfortable dwelling and was careful to not fall in love. One day, when she had free afternoon went for a walk when she met a painter named Ralf Hart. Maria felt by him as the friend whom she had known for a long time.Girl for the first time told someone the whole truth because she felt s afe with him. At all meetings the man showed her true life reminded her that prostitution did not lead to anything besides money that has no value. Maria guided by an impulse decided to abandon the present life and return to the country. She did not intend to ask Ralf to go with her. She was grateful that he made that she was capable to love again. The end of her stay in Geneva was approaching. In two weeks, she had to leave Europe. She decided that the day before departure, she will say her lover about her plans.He tried to persuade her to not leave but she was adamant. Last night they spent together and then she went to the airport. All the time Maria believed that Ralf will show up at the last moment, like in the movies, take her in his arms and never let go. But that has not happened. When she flew to Paris, was still a lot of time until the next plane. She thought about it, or not spend one day in Paris, explore, contemplate about what had happened, but it turned out that the t icket does not allow for departure the next day.Suddenly she heard a voice. It was Ralf. He said that he had seen her at the airport in Geneva and flew to Paris to make her a surprise. She did not care about what will happen in the future, the present was the most important at this time. I stood before choosing to describe the entire book or just a fragment. I decided to describe everything not only a part because a whole novel and its message had a great influence on me. Novel’s language engages the attention – it is specific to the style of Coelho.On the one hand we find a metaphor, rich symbolism, subjectivity and emotion marked by language, which is perfectly adapted to the philosophical sense of the whole work. But this is not a reason to worry about because philosophical doesn’t mean something difficult. Coelho want to get closer to his readers, he isn’t inventing his own, an abstract style. On the contrary – often uses colloquial words and p hrases, so readers can easily identify with this book and its characters as human as he is. Even Maria is close to us – the script of her life could be a scenario, each of our lives.Her reflections are forcing the reader to his own reflection and try to answer questions like: what is for us sex nowadays? Or how much of our lives can change the case, for example the reading of boring books about the science in an exclusive cafe? These and other questions will also find the answer in the discussions of Mary with her customers, Ralf and the librarian. As I already mentioned the book contains many quotations. Especially one is impressive for me: â€Å"Everybody wants absolute love, and is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it.But in order to do that, we need the other person. The universe only makes sense when we have someone to share our feelings with. † With these words comes a great moral, if we will be love ourselves with our shortcomin gs and weaknesses, we will be immensely happy. It's not about loving ourselves unconditionally and did not notice our own faults but try to work on them as far as possible and then keep a distance to ourselves. If we would satisfy our own needs then we will be able to love others, because each of us is dying for love, even if we try to defend against it.And I think that everyone has a moment in your life when he opens up for this feeling, it happens when we meet our true love. This book will inspire you to find the â€Å"light† that Ralf saw in Maria that she didn’t know she have. It awakens your senses and sensual side, allowing passion and love to take you to different heights. The novel not only shows us how to realize our dreams, but also how to follow your heart and love without being selfish because we cannot own anyone. Our love should be free as we want to be free. No words can talk about this book†¦. just wonderful.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Capstone Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Capstone Project - Research Paper Example However while eBay is a consumer-to-consumer trade platform, Amazon.com relies mainly on the producer-to-consumer trade model and also offers many own products and services. The other two main competitors for Amazon.com from the books/publications field and the multimedia provision field are Barnes & Noble and Netflix respectively. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and employs more than a hundred thousand people. The company was founded by Jeff Bezos who remains its chairman, president and chief executive officer. Vision and Mission The self-stated mission of the company is to â€Å"be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavour to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.† And while there is no articulate vision, given by the shareholders or founder of the company, to be followed by the staff, there are several references in the official publically available d ocuments of the company to the drive towards technological innovation. There is no doubt that of all the businesses aiming or claiming to provide customers a wide variety of choice of products or services, Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, is the truest to its mission statement. While it started off as an online bookstore, Amazon.com soon started offering multimedia products such as videos, films and music and later on got into the markets of various consumer products such as software, video games, electrical appliances, garments, cutlery, decoration items, sports goods and eatables etc. In the present day, Amazon.com offers many products and services of its own such as the market leading e-book reader (Kindle) and cloud networking services. The focus on customary offerings of Amazon.com can also be realized by the fact that the company operates specialized websites in Japan, Canada, United States, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Mexico, France, Australi a, Brazil, China and Spain and has plans for such websites in Sweden, Holland and Poland as well. E-commerce is a an extension of physical trade over the internet and e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com do not reflect the kind of technological innovation that is generally appreciated of a web-based enterprise such as an internet social network. That is because the focus is still on trading of tangible goods and hence the trading represents the area of business rather than technology or the internet which is just a conduit for the trade. Neither Amazon.com’s strategies nor its staff are known to be technologically advanced or innovative in the contemporary sense. Similarly while the focus on low pricing is highlighted by the mission statement of Amazon.com, just as it is in the written objectives of innumerable businesses, there is no special initiative that offers a cost advantage to customers or targets the lower classes of consumers other than the need-based policy of c ompetitive pricing. There is however a recently launched program that incorporates the ideas of both innovation and financial advantage for the customers called the â€Å"Subscribe & Save† program. The subscription offered by the program is open to consumers in most of Amazon.com’s operating regions and includes all household and other bulk-purchasable goods. Through this program consumers are offered up to a fifteen percent discount and free

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business ethics - Research Paper Example How should one live?† (Megone & Robinson quoting Allen, 2002: 23). As corporate management practice is primarily normative many of the examinations of how an organisation should act toward Third World Countries prompts the question how it should and can do better in ethical terms. In academia descriptive approaches to analyze and compare practices are taken as a means of judging how best those practices can be customized or altered to better suit the organization’s quest for more ethical ways of doing business. The extent of business ethical issues, how many we can come up with, in any given assessment largely reflects the degree to which the business may be at odds with social values. These values may or may not have anything to do with the economics of the situation. â€Å"...much of what masquerades as business ethics is nothing of the sort, having little to do with either business or with ethics† (Megone & Robinson quoting Sternberg, 2002: 25). Academic approaches to business ethics often get caught up in this distorted â€Å"reality,† using a directive approach that only appears to reflect what is actually going on in the organization and the environment in which it operates. Interest in business ethics came to the forefront during the 1980s and 1990s both within major corporations and within academia. â€Å"The involvement of multinational companies in the elaboration of a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda during the 1990s imbued investment considerations with a more political profile. A plethora of initiatives expressed the increased salience of the private sector to debates over the respect for basic rights in the developing world† (Youngs, 2004: 85). More than a few corporate web sites place a good deal of emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values as part of their business ethics program. They publish ethics codes as seen on

To whom should I listen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

To whom should I listen - Essay Example I have also picked up many traditions from all over the world and refused many because they do not go along with my religion or culture. For example, just like the Minnesota University student, Walter Hanson, the protagonist in the short story, The Undeclared Major, written by Will Weaver (2006), I have also learned to shake hands with people when we meet them, from the Euro-American tradition that I assimilated when I lived in England (p.364). In my native place, people embrace each other or just smile when we meet each other. I am experiencing the state of mind of Walter Hanson not only with respect to such simple things, but also by having a concern about how much my family and people will understand me as I continue to grow accepting new traditions from new cultures. Hence, when I am back in Saudi Arabia, I shift back to embracing people and smiling at them and never try to shake hands with them. At home, I try to behave as close as possible to how a Saudi youth of my age would b ehave so that I do not alienate my family members, friends and acquaintances. When I am back in America, I leave behind those culture-specific behavioral aspects and shift myself into a set of behaviors that is expected of me as an American Muslim. My family has a tradition of valuing education above all and it is this tradition that I also got into myself, and became crucial in my life choices. When I read Keizer (2006), writing that â€Å"I give thanks for my family, my church, the Supremes†, I also realize that it was my family and my religion that gave me confidence in becoming what I have become today (p.413). This reverence for family and religion has been a trait that I inherited from the culture and tradition that I was born into. When I think of old age, I always visualize myself as an old man living with my children and grandchildren as any other Saudi citizen would do. I also see myself as becoming more and more religious as I become older. This is so because in my native culture, the community (that is defined by family and religion) is important than the individual. For Keizer (2006), the conflict that he experienced regarding making a decision on what vocation to choose, was something that was to be answered by God himself (416). In such matters, I have grown to be a person, different from him to the core. I feel that regarding such worldly matters, I need to take up the responsibility of my own destiny. This approach, I have taught myself more from my host culture, that is, the Euro-American, individualistic culture. Keizer (2006) has said, â€Å"I wanted God, no one less, to make the decision for me. Believing that vocations were made in heaven, I wanted the matchmaker to speak from that height.† (p.416). In a similar situation, I would rather explore what interests me or what is my real passion. I will not want to bother God on such small choices of life. I feel that this is my Euro-American side. Also when Amy Tan (2006), in her novel, Two Kinds, discusses the element of obedience between a parent and an offspring, I feel empathy with the daughter in several aspects (p.370). Obedience to parents has been a tradition that I assimilated from my Muslim culture and also a tradition that I broke partially when I began to live as a student in England and later in America. As a child, I was not a rebel. I

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

American Revolution Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Revolution - Term Paper Example The American Revolution, which took place from 1775 to 1783, can be considered as a remarkable event in the United States history (Fiske 2009, p. 26). The revolution played a significant role as it brought the United States into existence. As a result of the revolution, the United States gained independence from the oppressive British rule. During the political upheaval that accompanied the American Revolution in the second half of the 18th century, thirteen colonies from the North of America joined together. These colonies broke from the British Empire and combined to become the United States of America. First, the colonies turned down the authority of the Great Britain Parliament, which aimed at governing them overseas and denied them representation. This lack of representation made the states condemn the oppressive British rule, and they worked extremely hard to get rid of it (Wood 2002, p. 34). The introduction of new taxes can be regarded as a significant cause of the revolution. Since the British government wanted to come up with ways of generating income, it made a decision to levy new taxes on the colonies. These taxes could be used to offset the high costs of defense incurred by the Great Britain. For example, the Sugar Act of 1764 introduced a three pence tax for every gallon of molasses. The act also included a list of the goods that could be exported to the Great Britain. Contrary to other previous acts, this act had to be strictly enforced; this placed a heavy burden on the colonies and led to enormous economic downturns (McNeese 2003, p. 42). The â€Å"taxation without representation† triggered the onset of the revolution as colonial leaders complained of lacking members of Parliament to represent the interest of Americans. Further, the implementation of the currency act worsened the situation 2in the United States; the act prohibited the printing of paper money by the colonies. A number of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Just-in-time (JIT) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Just-in-time (JIT) - Research Paper Example According to Helle (1988), integrating the concept of JIT scheduling with the MRP-II could not only preserve the simplicity of MRP-II design but also enables the end-users to easily understand the purpose of using the MRP-II (p. 100). Even though both the concept of JIT and MRP-II aims to reduce the bottle-necks that could hinder the flow of production, the success of JIT scheduling is still highly dependent on the capabilities of the MRP-II. In general, the application of MRP II can lead to management problems related to inaccurate information entered in MRP II software, the absence of proper skills necessary for the implementation of effective production planning and control system, the absence of top-management support, and the probability wherein the MRP II report will be by-passed by staff (Sheikh, pp. 190 – 192). Since manufacturing and control system is complex by nature, problems related to the use of MRP-II could negatively affect the success of implementing an efficient JIT scheduling. For example: Staff of Manufacturing X does not support the implementation of MRP-II system. Since JIT scheduling and MRP-II has been integrated to improve the flow of production, the lack of employee support over the use of MRP-II system could still result to inefficient JIT scheduling

Monday, September 23, 2019

Supply Chain and Operations Management Assignment - 1

Supply Chain and Operations Management - Assignment Example According to the AIMS' Institute of Supply Chain Management, it is a management of a global network used to deliver products and services from raw materials to end customers through an engineered flow of information, physical distribution, and cash.Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management of the relationship between the supplier's supplier and the customer's customer through the supply chain participants (Distributor/Wholesaler and Retailer) between them, mainly using information flow and logistics activities to gain Competitive advantage and customer satisfaction.A supply chain, as opposed to supply chain management, is a set of organizations directly linked by one or more upstream and downstream flows of products, services, finances, or information from a source to a customer. Supply chain management is the management of such a chain.[7]In many cases the supply chain includes the collection of goods after consumer use for recycling. SCM is a cross-functional approach that in cludes managing the movement of raw materials into an organization, certain aspects of the internal processing of materials into finished goods, and the movement of finished goods out of the organization and toward the end consumer. As organizations strive to focus on core competencies and becoming more flexible, they reduce their ownership of raw materials sources and distribution channels. These functions are increasingly being outsourced to other firms that can perform the activities better or more cost effectively.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Far from the madding crowd Essay Example for Free

Far from the madding crowd Essay Although this may portray him as being practical, he does not wear any clothes that are flamboyant. He is also foolishly and naively presumptuous, expecting Bathsheba to say yes the instant he asks her to marry him. He thinks that the pursuit of love is a simple and straightforward affair; but in this novel he discovers the opposite is true. However, Oak is a young man of sound judgement, being honest and hard working. For example, he immediately discerns Bathshebas character that of being vain. He even knows about Troys character, warning Bathsheba of this, but she takes no notice. He is very practical and trustworthy, being able help out in a crisis like that of Bathshebas where there her hayricks were on fire. Unfortunately, she does not realise that Troy is tricking her and that Oak is the right one for her through his ways. She is too vain to realise this and that is why she falls into Troys trap. She refuses to marry Oak because she wants excitement and, therefore, she marries Troy who is just tricking her. Otherwise, Oak is the right one overall out of the three men. Oak has a high social status and receives respect because he is a farmer. If we look at Oaks history we will find that he has never experienced love or a sort of relationship similar to that of Bathshebas and Troys. However, he is in a way wise in this case because he advises Bathsheba not to marry Troy. We, as the readers, know that what Oak is saying is right because we have seen what Troy was like with Fanny. However, because Oak has never had a relationship like this before, Bathsheba feels that it would be foolish listening to Oak. Therefore, she refuses to listen to Oak in chapter 29 and continues to marry Troy. Oak does warn her that he is not good enough for her and tells her not to trust Troy due to her not knowing Troy very well. She knows what he says is right, but she does not want to hear it. Bathsheba also likes the fact that he is very well educated and that he is a soldier where she likes his looks I must say that Sergeant Troy is an educated man and quite worthy of any women. We can see from this that Bathsheba is deluding herself. Troy is extremely wealthy and as a consequence he enjoys throwing money around. This is another factor that Bathsheba likes. However, little does she realise is that Troy has had relationships with many other women, including Fanny, and upholds a bad reputation. When having the conversation with Oak she mentions that she likes the fact that Troy goes to church He is very particular, too, about going to church yes he is! However, Oak mentions that nobody has ever seen Troy at church before, but Bathsheba says that Troy told her that he goes in privately and sits at the back. This shows that Troy lies to her a lot, but because he had lured her into his trap she will believe anything that she tells her. When Bathsheba tells Oak this, she tells him eagerly, showing that because she loves Troy so much she is really trying to back up Troy. So we can see that there is no way where Oak would be able to persuade Bathsheba that Troy is not the right one until she sees for herself. Due to Bathshebas fondness for Troy the relationship between her and Troy deepens into romance where they both marry. The relationship is deepened by some of the things that Troy does as discussed earlier such as the time when he shows off his sword skill to Bathsheba, when he kisses her and when she helps him put on the veil. Her relationship declines with Oak, however, thus leaving him out of the picture. Her relationship with Boldwood is quite weak too. We notice this through various ways, one of them being their actions. The actions that actually do occur between Boldwood and Bathsheba are out of mere duty when she moves into Weatherbury Farm. It his duty to welcome new comers just like Bathsheba, not because he is interested in her. This shows that they do not have any physical attraction between each other. However, the relationship between her and Troy declines rapidly once they marry. There are several factors that cause this rapid decline in the relationship. One of the factors is that he often borrowed money from her to spend at racehorse tracks and almost always lost. Another was his drinking problem, which led to his irresponsibility. On return to the farm as its new owner, he organised a wedding celebration at which he got himself and all the workers drunk. He had a love of women. As Liddy has told Bathsheba, he was a womaniser who had countless women under his thumb and didnt care a bit about how they felt, as long as he got what he wanted, especially when it came to leaving them. It became apparent later in the novel that his one true love was indeed Fanny Robin, the girl he had left for dead. When he tried to pay back the debt he felt he owed her by buying a gravestone for her, as well as laying flowers by her graveside, the weather destroyed what he had done, leaving him to believe that because of his abandonment of her he had been damned forever, and even worse he now abandoned a second woman, his wife Bathsheba. When he disappeared after he had been presumed dead, he did not return for at least seven months and this shows his lack of concern for Bathsheba. At one point before this, he had become bored with her, and even said this to her face: You are nothing to me nothing, showing that he was not serious enough about their marriage. Her relationship with Oak, however, increases because he helps her whenever there is a crisis, thus allowing Bathsheba to trust him even more. This also helps her to realise that she made an unwise decision in marrying Troy, especially because he abandons her. Oak sees the weakness of Bathshebas relationship with Troy and realises how incompetent at running the farm Troy is. Troy ends up controlling most aspects of the farm and ignoring Bathshebas wishes even though he is uncertain of what he is doing. Bathsheba married Troy between jealously and distraction and it is clear that she is discontent with him as a husband. With a storm brewing and the men drunk Oak covers the hayricks with Bathsheba helping him but when lightning strikes they are in the barn, together as they should be. She knows that Gabriel Oak will always love her, be there for her, and she thanks him for his devotion. Bathsheba is now able to see that Oak is the right one to marry and so she does when he is the only one left as discussed at the beginning. She also married him because she doesnt want to be left alone until she dies. This shows that she has matured now because she makes a right decision of marrying Oak, realising that she should have married him in the first place instead of marrying Troy. At first we see Bathshebas immaturity, which is seen when she sends a valentine to Boldwood as a joke. She is also seen as being capricious where she goes from one man to another: hearts were imagined as lost and won. She gives the impression of not being wise enough to discern Troys character. However, Bathsheba soon becomes mature and wise towards the end of the novel where she eventually realises that Oak is the man she should marry. From all the above we can see who of these three male suitors was right for Bathsheba and why he was. That man is Gabriel Oak, who loved her genuinely, tenderly and patiently from the moment he first saw her to the very last line of the book. He had never given up on her, had never let her be harmed in anyway and always gave her advice which was sound and right, even if she refused to accept it. In the end, Bathsheba admitted to him that if he had only been more forward then he would have been the first choice if it had even come to that. Troy was obviously the worst possible husband for her because of his gambling, drinking and womanising vices, but mainly because he still loved Fanny Robin. Bathsheba had just been a passing fancy whom he quickly got tired of. Boldwoods relationship with Bathsheba was much more genuine and acceptable at the start but tragically it became a fatal obsession for poor desperate Boldwood. Gabriels relationship with her was a lengthy one, tried and tested, totally unselfish. Bathsheba was indeed very fortunate that Gabriel was patient enough to wait until she matured enough to recognise his good qualities. As in most good stories, the best man wins in the end.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Importance Of Coaching Management Essay

The Importance Of Coaching Management Essay This chapter will include recommendations following the analysis and findings of the last chapter. Suggestions about the coaching function of PMS will be further elaborated so as to help the organisation. A conclusion will also be included so as to sum up this study. Importance of coaching First of all, it is crucial that all the employees of the organisation are provided with the opportunity to learn more about coaching. Even though the majority of employees and managers opted for the definition of coaching as per Parlsoe (1999), we can still notice that a few seem to define coaching as counseling or others. Therefore, they should be sensitised. This can happen through focus group or creating more awareness about the function of the PMS. Managers should especially have an in-depth knowledge about coaching as they would be the one to coach other employees. Also, coaching should not be imposed on employees as this may create negative feelings and they might not appreciate it when they are being coached. Instead, they should be given the chance to know more about the benefits of coaching. Coaching Process Without a proper process, coaching cannot be fully exploited and thus would not bring the expected result which is to improve performance. A coaching process is used to guide both the coach and coachee during the coaching process. Each stage is important as it allows a good flow if information in both directions and allows both the coach and the coachee to determine whether coaching is bringing in results. In this context, the establishment of a coaching process is essential. HR can in collaboration with the managers devise a most appropriate coaching process which could be used. This process will include well designed stages that managers would have to follow while coaching. Coaching Culture As pointed out in the previous chapter, the coaching culture of the organisation is at the tactical stage (Megginson and Clutterbuck, 2006). From the findings, it is clear that organisation is aware of the importance of setting a coaching culture but however, the level of understanding of what would be involved remains low. For coaching to be embedded in an organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s culture, just recognising its importance is not enough. Everybody has to play their respective roles. For instance, the HR professionals are at the best position to develop strategies for coaching to occur and also aligning it with the objectives of the organisation. Therefore the intervention of HR is essential. They could set up the structure for coaching to take place. Additionally since coaching requires a 360 feedback, HR could work in this direction to enable such process to run smoothly. But the intervention of HR only is also not sufficient; the participation of top management is required. Leaders and managers need to embrace coaching. They should be the one to build coaching accountability. Furthermore, the participation of employees is mainly required. Employees should recognise the importance of coaching of a coaching process as well as accept it. Employees should be willing to be coached. Training Managers It is vital that managers are trained so that the can be good coaches. From the findings, it is seen that 40 % of managers do not even agree that coaching form part of their duty. As such, it should be made clear to the managers whether they need to coach their subordinates or not. These managers should be more exposed to coaching and its benefits. By understanding more about coaching, the managers would have a clear view of what is required on from them. When a manager engages himself to coach, he needs to be clear about the procedure to be undertaken. He ought to follow certain well defined and meaningful stages of coaching. Besides, managers can be trained to be coaches. In this context, the help of external coaches could be required. During the training sessions, they would increase their knowledge about coaching and know more about all the aspects of coaching. Moreover, the managers would learn how to tackle each stage of the coaching process. They should also be empowered with particular coaching models and techniques that they would be able to use to coach their subordinates. However, coaching is not only about processes and models or techniques. There are certain soft skills that coaches need to acquire to be able to coach. These skills would help them to better communicate with their coachees. It should also be noted that managers should adopt certain roles while coaching. 83.3% of managers agree that they do not adopt any role while coaching and this may hinder coaching. Managers need to be acquainted with the roles of facilitator, assessor, supporter and advisor as this would highly be beneficia l for them. Alongside, while adopting these roles, managers may better communicate with their subordinates. If a manager is only following a certain process without engaging himself, the results may not be as expected. As a coach, a manager additionally needs to build a relationship of trust with his coachee. As stated by Ulrich (2008), coaching is a relationship ultimately. Therefore, there should be a two-way communication which would allow a good flow of information. This information would in turn be helpful in knowing the following. Where the employee stands for the time being? What are the areas where the employee needs to improve? Is coaching being helpful and the right approach? Whether the employee wants to improve? What are the actions to be taken to improve performance? Coaching style As seen in the analysis chapter, even though a PMS is implemented, coaching is not being carried out at all the levels. Some employees state that they are not being coached. Additionally, the question raised to know more about the coaching culture of the organisation brought mainly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“neutralà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  as answers. This shows that there is not really a coaching culture at the CEB. In an organisation, where coaching culture is at such a stage, there need a lot of improvement to reach a point where coaching occurs naturally. In this context, am appropriate coaching style should be adopted. When we talk about inexperienced individuals, a hands-on style is best suited. But if we are talking about highly experienced individuals, a hands-off style is more appropriate. But since we noticed that managers have not totally acquired the skills needed to coach, they first of all need to enhance their skills and find a coaching style which is appropriate for them to deliver coach ing. Summary This chapter concludes all the recommendations. There are certain areas that need particular attention for coaching to take place and to be carried out well. Finally, we can say that for coaching to be successful and consequently bring in positive results, the contribution of each and everyone in the organisation is vital. 6.0 Conclusion In the light of the above, we can deduce that coaching can have a significant impact on employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ performance. Literature shows that coaching should be carried out in a certain way and includes a process which is constituted of several stages. Organisation can benefit from coaching when the organisational culture fosters coaching and when managers are good coaches. In the analysis and findings, we saw that coaching is being carried out partially at the organisation. A certain percentage of employees firmly state that they are not being coached but also say that coaching can improve their performance. This indicates that employees are aware that coaching can help in improving their performance. Also, some managers who coach their subordinates mentioned that they did not adopt any role while coaching other employees. Furthermore, a number of managers also said that they did not make use of the soft skills needed to coach. This point to the fact that they are not totally prepared to be good coaches. Nonetheless, they agree that these skills should be developed so that they can play their role of coaches. Recommendations were then made following the findings. The main points included in the recommendations were, the importance of coaching and raising awareness among employees. Also, more awareness should be raised about the coaching process, the coaching culture, coaching style and training of managers. This research enabled us to know how coaching was being carried out at the CEB and where should the organisation focus even more to be able to use coaching as a tool to improve performance.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Every child has the right to a mainstream education

Every child has the right to a mainstream education Every child has the right to a mainstream education. This is an entitlement for the parents of special needs children, for them to be able to access this, if they believe it to be the correct decision for their child. Many things need to be considered when doing this such as whether the individual child will be able to cope in this type of school environment and whether their ability will allow them to progress along with their peers. This is something which I believe is not the correct decision for every child as I have witnessed pupils who struggle day in day out with issues such as the playground environment, forging relationships with peers and some who are unable to cope with the unpredictability of what can be the normal school day. Inclusion is important, though it is not necessarily the right choice for every pupil. Inclusion is regarded as successful education of all students (whether with or without disabilities, disadvantages) in the same schools and classrooms, celebrating the resulting diversity, including various abilities and cultures (DFES). The era of mixed ability groupings means teachers need to include every child regardless of need and ability through differentiated work, extra support and with a range of activities to suit all needs. The Governments aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. Every child matters and they do within the classroom and school environment. (Every Child matters). Education needs to be personalised so every child can learn to the best of their ability and access resources and materials in lessons, and for most cases this happens. There are many occasions in which I have witnessed, however, where special needs pupils fall short of being included all of the time and are given activities which neither stimulate nor challenge them. These are the pupils which perhaps need the most help to progress. They need to be suitably challenged so they may progress in some way, however big or small. Ofsted (2004) suggested that schools should make sure that pupils with SEN in mainstream schools are able to play a full part in school life, and receive a curriculum and teaching relevant to their needs (p.9). Pupils can often get lost in large mixed ability groupings and this is where a child may feel excluded as the teaching is not always relevant to their needs. This paper shall focus upon inclusion and the experiences of pupils on the autistic spectrum in mainstream schools. Significance for my Practice Every school I have been in has at least one child on the autistic spectrum. This is inevitable now in mainstream schools due to inclusion. Each child I have seen has Aspergers syndrome, high functioning autism. These children are clever and generally are placed in good sets. Educationally these pupils can advance and do well. Socially, however, these pupils struggle and they face difficulties on a daily basis. I am involved with some of these pupils at my present school so the significance for my practice will be vast. Understanding the research in this area and carrying out my own research will allow me to draw conclusions which I can then apply in school, to help these pupils and to in turn make other teachers aware, to allow benefit for these pupils across the school as a whole. Historical Background The Education Act (1944) established the grounding that a childs ability should be measured on age, aptitude and what they are capable of. SEN children were categorised by their disabilities. Although the act was groundbreaking for the whole education system, it was the 1970s that the focus of the individuals own need began to be addressed (Parsons, 1999). Research into special educational needs occurred more frequently in the 1970s after the Warnock Report (1978) which found that 20% of children could have SEN but 2% may need support above what mainstream schooling could offer them. Since then a great deal of research and investigation has been done in all areas of special needs. The government has made a number of acts over the years to ensure this happens, the most recent one being the Special Needs and Disabilities Act (2001) which protects students against discrimination. In 2005 however, Baroness Warnock criticised SEN in the UK and has suggested that small specialist provision is needed and that the bullying of SEN children in mainstream schools is inevitable. The claim fails to include that small specialist provision is still available should parents seek this. Specialist provision is now also within some mainstream schools which have specialist units within to cater for more complex needs. Further literature, which is discussed later backs up this claim to some extent. Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are a range of related developmental disorders that begin in childhood and persist throughout adult life (NHS, 2010). It causes problems and difficulties with social interaction, impaired language and communication skills and unusual patterns of thought and physical behaviour. There are three main types of ASD; autistic disorder, aspergers syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. The National Autistic Society (NAS) claim that 1 in 100 pupils have ASD and that all schools should be autism friendly with fully trained teachers. This I believe should be the case but with numerous policies and an extensive range of needs within SEN alone, it is difficult to ensure all teachers are trained in everything. This is perhaps where there should be a number of specialist teachers, rather than have all teachers specialise in everything. This however, suggests that in a typical secondary school there could be more than ten children with this disposition. Aspe rgers (high-functioning autism) is common in most secondary schools and the experiences of some pupils are difficult ones. ASD was first identified by Kanner (1943) as a specific pattern of abnormal behaviour. He identified this as being rare but made no attempt to define the amount of people who may have had this. Though the study is very dated, it is still highly influential today and has been a steeping stone for all future research. It is still also relevant to society today as people show the same symptoms as identified and therefore is still of huge importance. Other studies have shown differing prevalence rates of this, including Lotter (1966) who identified a frequency of 4.5 per 10,000 children with autism in an empirical study that was carried out which was epidemiological in nature. This developed the findings from Kanners research, nevertheless further research by Wing and Gould (1979) identified a rate of 15 per 10,000 of children who had social interaction, communication and imagination difficulties. This was the triad of impairments. Patterns of a repetitive nature were also identified whi ch is common today in most children was ASD. The children in the study were not that of the autism Kanner had described. Wing and Gould identified these being part of a broader spectrum of needs. These needs together were identified in 20 per 10,000 children. The prevalence rate is difficult to trust as many people portray elements of ASD yet are not defined as such. Experience has shown this. With prevalence rates, not all of the population can be tested and therefore the rate should be taken as an estimate. Asperger (1944) focused on a group of children who had similar behaviours to what Kanner (1943) had described as autism, but whom had enhanced abilities.   Asperger presented four case studies of children.   In these children he identified some patterns of behaviour and abilities and consequently named these autistic psychopathy.   These behaviours resulted in a lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special interest and clumsy movements.   Asperger went on further to explain how these children displayed a great understanding and depth of knowledge on their favourite subject.   These claims are great and wholly unjustified on merely a study on only four boys.   Further research is hinted at within the text but as the paper only identified four case studies it should be regarded as a small scale study. It is common now also for girls also to be associated with being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which is a s ignificant point that Asperger missed. The behaviours identified are some which I have witnessed and which are consistent with my experience. Children with Aspergers syndrome can talk in depth on their favourite topic and can completely change the course of a conversation they are in to talk about this. They can often have one sided conversations on this and are not necessarily talking to anyone in particular on their specialist subject. The limitations of this research lie with the time, these were studies that were done during World War II and therefore behaviour due to trauma from the war could have indeed impended the true behaviour that matched the child.   It could be argued though that there were indeed many other children who presented with these behaviours and abilities, but an in-depth study of just four ensured significant detail and strengths in assessing a range of behaviours over a period of time, which consequently could be later relayed onto other children with a similar disposition.   The considerable delay in the translation of this paper led to Western understanding decades later; his finding are now regarded and accepted worldwide.   Aspergers syndrome is indeed a social construction and the paper should be taken as such but noteworthy research which will be discussed later now backs up the claims made in this paper. What could be regarded as another influential study is done by Wollf (1995). Having studied Asperger syndrome for over 30 years the findings are most definitely worthy to a great degree. The studied children were of average or high ability who were impaired in their social interaction but who do not have the full picture of the triad of impairments. However, these children represent the most subtle and most able end of the autism spectrum; are higher functioning. The majority become independent as adults, many marry and some display exceptional gifts, though retaining the unusual quality of their social interactions. There is great debate on why to even include these children in the autistic spectrum. Wolff suggests that these children often have a difficult time at school and they need acknowledgment, understanding and acceptance from school staff as well as parents. Is this the best option for these children though? To identify them as different and therefore facilitate them to a l ife of indifference as they live with this brand upon them. This makes the research lose some credibility as there should be more justification than they have a difficult time at school. Other children have difficult times at school, for many other reasons. Research Theories and Findings A good proportion of studies have been completed on including pupils in a mainstream school with autistic spectrum disorders. These studies differ in terms of their methodologies and findings. With a huge proportion of pupils in the UK facing difficulties with communication, social interaction and imagination, studies for mainstream schools focus upon high functioning autism in the form of Aspergers syndrome. It is more common to find pupils with Aspergers syndrome in mainstream schools as their intellectual level is greater than those with pure autism. Inclusion and Autism; Pupil Experience Humphrey and Lewis (2008) looked into the views and experiences of a pupil with ASD in a mainstream school. Through a small scale study it found that the inclusion of pupils with Aspergers syndrome in mainstream schools presents challenges and opportunities for the various stakeholders (e.g. teachers, pupils, parents and peers) in this process. The study was purely the views of pupils and their experiences though it is often witnessed by teachers that issues at home equate to problems at school. As a result, it may have been appropriate to include teachers views to ensure the participants were portraying behaviour that was usual. Inclusion is fraught with difficulties, with the whole range of needs that exist in mainstream schools at present. A report shows 1000 examples of inclusion in education from members of NAS, Barnard et al (2000). The findings claim that parents with a child in an autism specific provision were twice more likely to be very satisfied than those who had a child in a mainstream school. It shows that views decline through the later school years, the older the child becomes. The survey was completed by over eight hundred respondents, with half of the children being in a mainstream setting. A majority proportion of these children had statements. Findings are primarily based on opinions of parents but the views could be contested as they do not attend school with their child. The parental opinion on what they think their child should have may exceed the needs that their child actually holds. In a mainstream school I am working in children with ASD are supported in a variety of ways and are making good progress. There are issues that these children struggle with but they are guided through these with help from staff in school and through external agencies support. Humphrey is a leading researcher in the field, with a number of studies looking into the effects of inclusion for pupils. Humphrey (2008) identifies that the number of students with ASD being educated in mainstream schools is growing, though educational experiences of these students are unfounded. Whats more, the article found that pupils with ASD are more than twenty times more likely to be excluded from school than those without special educational needs. This implies that pupils are unable to cope suitably in this setting yet reasons for the exclusions are not explored. The paper identifies strong strategies for behaviour and such, yet without the reasons of why these people are excluded the suggestions on improving behaviour are speculative. Literature also draws upon the debate of whether inclusion in mainstream education is the best route for all special needs children. Wang (2009) identified through a critical analysis that certain difficulties may occur by allowing ASD childr en into mainstream education. It also notes on how inclusion is worth striving for and how disadvantages can be resolved by training educators appropriately. Much research in this area pertains that it is teachers who need to understand more and in turn need to implement different strategies. This shall be discussed further later. Tobias (2009) found that by providing students with a mentor figure and by meeting the needs of the individual rather than applying blanket policies to groups of students with ASD, that these were strategies to support and aid in inclusion which worked well and were consequently perceived as such. This on the other hand, is one isolated example and was a small scale study of just fifteen participants and research in this respect is limited. Most studies seem to take the view that experiences could be improved; bullying was found to be a major issue within literature. Peer Understanding and Bullying A significant number of researchers have identified the need to ensure peer understanding to allow ASD students to be included in the activities associated with school life. Many reports account for many students with ASD being bullied by peers, either because they know they are different and have ASD or because they are seen as different and cannot handle social situations as well as others may. Humphrey and Lewis (2008) identified the fact that much research had suggested these pupils make easy targets for bullies. The symptoms associated with ASD make these pupils stand out from their other peers so this statement could be suggested from observations, the research needs to identify why this is as it found almost all pupils reported being bullied at different levels of severity and frequency. This also seemed to occur regularly. Research on this suggests that it is boys in particular who suffer in school settings. Granzio et al (2006) confirm that the oddness of pupils with Asperge rs syndrome led to verbal abuse and social exclusion on a daily basis from peers. From this it may be reasonable to suggest that social exclusion could lead to other problems in a child such as the child becoming depressed due to social rejection as around one-third of school time is spent outside the classroom (Nelson, 2004). This therefore is an area where more research needs to be done; in particular in that of social integration. Norwich and Kelly (2004) recognise that those with special educational needs are more likely to be bullied than other pupils. When thinking of the difficulties faced by children with ASD; particularly that of social and communication difficulties it is not surprising the rate and frequency that bullying occurs. The World Health Organisation (2007) suggests that social difficulties are exacerbated if dyspraxia or developmental clumsiness is present, which is often the case. Students therefore need to develop an understanding of ASD pupils to allow them to develop some compassion to how they must feel on a day to day basis. Humphrey (2008) established from previous research that students need to understand a little about why students with Asperger syndrome have such quirky behaviours. A little understanding and knowledge can go a long way to show other students how to assist easily, rather than ignore or taunt this student. Most research in this area suggests that more knowledge is nee ded, whether it is for the pupils or school staff. A further study looks into the relationships with peers and the use of the school environment. Wainscoat et al (2008) found through a case control study that Aspergers pupils, in comparison with controls engaged in fewer social interactions, spent breaks and lunch times in adult supervised areas of the school, reported having fewer friends and therefore likely to be the targets of bullying. This once more shows recognition in the fact that experiences of these pupils within mainstream education are not all good. This is one of the few quantitative studies yet provides little understanding into reasons behind the findings compared with the qualitative studies. It provides strong evidence to support these claims through statistics but the structured interview could have included some open questions to allow participants to elaborate. The literature discussed shows pupils are isolated, often bullied and somewhat unhappy. This suggests mainstream education is perhaps not the best place f or all students. There also seems to be a social stigma attached to these pupils as research suggests quirky or odd behaviour. With up to 1 in 270 students at secondary mainstream schools having SEN related to an ASD, Barnard et al (2002) this accounts for a huge proportion of pupils who may be having the same difficulties. This calls out for a greater need for more research in this field to ensure ASD pupils are getting the support they need to deal with these issues and how these issues are dealt with in mainstream schools. Teachers Perceptions Ashburner et al (2010) compare teachers perceptions of students with ASD to their perceptions of typically developing students with regard to their capacity to perform academically and to regulate emotions and behaviour in mainstream classrooms. This was a case control research design and participant bias, in respects to the participating teachers is highly prominent in this research. It was based on teachers ratings from teachers whom already possessed views and opinions on the childrens aptitudes, abilities and more importantly temperament. This, on the other hand, means they had a truer perception of the child that a researcher would not have had and therefore results are plausible. Ashburner et al propose the research findings were concurrent with prior research which suggests that students with ASD exhibit significantly higher levels of behavioural and emotional difficulties at school than their typically developing peers. Jordan (2008) claims that teaching pupils with ASD is hard. It is hard for just the same reason that students with ASD find it difficult to learn in our current school system. Just as these children have no natural intuitive ways to understand their teachers, teachers, in turn, have no natural intuitive ways of understanding students with ASD. Teaching is made more difficult by the fact that no child with ASD is the same and strategies that work on occasions, may not do on every occasion. This is what I have found in my practice. This is where Every Child Matters comes into play and is particularly important, where each child needs support to enjoy and achieve. Jones et al (2007) conducted a review of needs and services for young people with Aspergers syndrome. It identified that within education many children, parents and carers will meet people in their school lives whom have no knowledge of Aspergers syndrome, teachers included. Thirty five children took part in the review and the majority (68%) would have liked their school to be different. Although this is based on ASD children, it goes without saying that most children would like school to be different and therefore more specifics need to be recognised. Within the survey bullying was also identified, yet this was something which school staff failed to mention. Research in regards to teacher understanding comes across not only in research that is based solely on the teacher, but also from research on peers and pupils themselves with ASD. This shows there is a greater need for teachers to be more aware of the whole range of need associated with ASD, not just Aspergers syndrome which is commonly found in mainstream setting. Conclusions from the research The general consensus from the research identified is that inclusion and autism is improving, but improvements still need to be made. There is limited research into social integration of pupils into mainstream schools, which considering the estimated prevalence rate is quite alarming. A significant number of researchers have also identified the need to ensure peer understanding, as well as a greater awareness of ASD for teachers. The majority of the research identified bullying as an experience within school. The percentages of this are soaring and it is something which I believe schools needs to research promptly. Bullying is identified in the research from accounts by the pupils, yet teachers perceptions on this seem somewhat different. Research falls short of statistical evidence and a lot of it is qualitative, but this provides in depth explanations and good quality accounts of experiences within mainstream schools. Part B In analysing the different research studies it seems appropriate to start from near the beginning and look at where new and relevant research stems from. In this respect there will be a focus on Aspergers syndrome (Asperger, 1944). The paper by Asperger (1944) is highly pertinent in understanding a range of autism that may occur in a person. It continues on from the work done by Kanner (1943). A great deal of evidence is collected, including that of family history. The research methods, however, are somewhat lacking. The testing that Asperger conducted on these children often failed in providing any useful analysis and was therefore disregarded. Intelligence tests were conducted where these included construction tests where the child would copy from memory, rhythm imitation, memory for digits (repetition for six digits was expected at the age of ten, one boy who was six thus proved to be above average), memory for sentences (this could not be evaluated) and similarities between different things were tested. Analysis focused on memory for digits, along with observation and parental examples of abilities. The latter is a difficult one to reprehend as parents often believe their child to be above average of other children of a similar age and this for that reason is only their opinion. It is essentially qualitative data in the respect that most of the research is carried out through observations and opinions. The data is essentially more rich with lots of detail and therefore of good quality. The justifications for the intelligence tests were on the basis that the child carrying out these tests were observed and therefore judged on communication and ability. This fundamentally enhances the reliability of the tests as there was a plausible reason behind carrying them out, rather than just purely to measure intelligence. The tests however were adapted to the personality of the child so conclusions from these as a whole need to be somewhat justified more. This was essential in terms of ethical issues to put the child at ease but each of the data sets collected are detached from each other, as each case study had a different method. The research is highly subjective and researcher bias is great due to the nature of the observations. The case studies, however, provide enough detail through comprehensive descriptions to justify the claims made. Overall, this paper has provided a good grounding for all research conducted today in this field and is highly important. The research methods conducted are limited but further research and advancements in technology since 1944 have allowed a greater picture of Aspergers syndrome to be developed over time. In contrast, a recent paper on the views and experiences of Aspergers children in a mainstream school moves away from looking at how these children behave to focusing on how they feel and what their experiences are like. This links to the last paper discussed on what Aspergers is but looks at their perceptions of what Aspergers is, so is not purely from the side of the researcher. Humphrey and Lewis (2010) provide an in-depth analytical paper on how these children cope in school. This is a small scale qualitative study on twenty pupils in North West England. It looks at four mainstream high schools. The research is phenomenological where interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to explore how pupils made sense of their educational experiences. The research was qualitative in its methods; the study incorporated semi-structured interviews and pupil diaries. The diaries were used for a month which made possible vast amounts and quantities of detail from each participant in the st udy. This is difficult to analyse and researcher bias will occur to decide which points are valid and are worth mentioning above others. The diaries were also conceived via different methods; either written, orally or electronically. This could yield different results. The participants had a choice but this may not have necessarily been the correct method to enable them to explain in the greatest amount of detail. All participants did not fill in the diary for a whole month period but a number of participants stopped at differing intervals. This led to varying amounts and different quantities of data sets from each participant. The research should have perhaps been carried out on a smaller time scale to allow for full participation. The diaries, on the other hand do provide good detailed responses as opposed to purely using interviews. For example, a participant proceeded to draw images and diagrams depicting his school life which gave a more rounded picture on his feelings and emot ions. This level of detail allows for greater understanding of their experiences and therefore enables the research to be reliable due to the high quality that it portrays. The semi-structured interviews then back up thoughts and feelings from the participant which also enables prompts from the researcher, to allow greater explanation on why they think or feel this particular way. The paper is high in terms of validity and there is a small chance the participant may be lying as issues were recorded in the diary and discussed further via this route. The study also adds to input from its participants by allowing them to provide commentary on the findings, which were then incorporated into the paper. This ensures the theme on their views is completely adhered to, again adding to the consistency of the methodology. The visual representation of results both allowed for the pupil understanding when they were providing commentary on the paper but it also identifies strong categories and th emes in an area where research is wholly limited. Furthermore, this will provide a strong grounding for further and future research in this particular area. Another study, Wainscot et al (2008), looks at experiences in a mainstream school of participants with Aspergers syndrome, but this focuses more specifically on the relationship with peers and the use of the school environment. Research methods included a case control design where pupils undertook a structured interview on their social interactions that day, at the end of school. This method was justified entirely by suggesting the alternative approach of using a cohort study could result in an unbalanced sample based on the kind of prevalence observed. By justifying the method the paper gains credibility and warrants why the method it chose was to all intents and purposes best for this particular research. Structured interviews provide limited scope for the participant to respond and as a result there was a lack in the depth and quality of answers. For example, a question posed was did you have a good day at school today? This is a yes or no question and reasons behind this answer c ould be vast. A pupil may not have slept well or simply was not in a good mood, but in terms of the research conducted it could be interpreted as the participant not liking school or anything the researcher interprets it as. This is a quantitative study and as such responses were entered into SPSS database and analysed. A snowball sampling strategy was used which was again justified as the characteristics required of participants are rare. The control participants were chosen with dyslexia to further investigate SEN as a risk factor for social isolation. The overall number of dyslexic pupils in the study however, turned out to be just three. The research therefore focused primarily on those with Aspergers syndrome and those without. The case-control dyad matched a whole range of variables; age, gender, academic ability, physical size, lessons attended, socio-economic background and ethnicity. The variables were matched where they could be but not all of the case control dyads were. This implies the amount of variables was perhaps too complex to allow for all true matches. The data was collected at different times, in different years to be specific. This implies a lack of reliability as data was collected over a year apart and therefore the researcher did not allow the research to be consistent; this may well have influenced the second data collection period more notably than the first. The study provides a number of limitations but in essence provides good substantial evidence, with a clear comparison between two groups. The researcher could have had more control over the study as opposed to allowing case-control matches by the schools. Again, as with the previous study discussed a need for more research in this field has been acknowledged and suggestions of peer bullying are further recommended. Barnard et al (2000) carried out a large scale study focusing on examples of inclusion in education from the National Autistic Societys members. Although this is slightly dated, it is one of a few large scale studies on inclusion and autism that has been conduc

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Dominic Chianese :: Actor Biography Biographies Chianese Essays

Dominic Chianese Today, Dominic Chianese is best known for his role on the television series "The Sopranos," but he has a career that spans decades and includes theatre, movies, and music. Dominic Chianese was born on February 24th, 1931, in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. Dominic’s grandparents emigrated to American in the early 1900’s from Naples and Sorrento, Italy (Internet Movie Database, 2005). Dominic’s theatre career began in 1952 with ‘The American Savoyard’, which was a small Gilbert and Sullivan company of singers, actors, and musicians. Several years later, he began taking acting lessons at HB Studios in Manhattan, New York. Dominic has a great love for theatre and has performed in numerous Broadway and off Broadway shows from the 1960’s to the present. His first on Broadway show was ‘Oliver’ in 1965 (Dominic Chianese’s Biography, 2003). On his website, Dominic tells a story of his audition for the Gilbert and Sullivan repertory company. He was working as a bricklayer in 1951 for his father. On the way home one day, he saw an ad in ‘The New York Times’ which called for singers for a new Gilbert and Sullivan company. He explains: "The Bronx bus was approaching Manhattan, when I closed the newspaper, and walked to the front of the bus, where my father sat, arms crossed. The bus was rolling down Second Avenue, rapidly approaching 74th St. ‘Pop, is it okay if I get off the bus at 74th St.’, I asked. ‘What for?’ asked my father. ‘An audition’ I replied... ‘What's that?’ ‘It's singing.’ My father thought about it for a long five seconds, and finally said: ‘O.K.’ I got off the bus, knocked on the door of the church basement and walked in. Near the end ... I sang a song — I think it was "That Old Devil Moon". I was asked to come back the next day with a song sheet and a Gilbert and Sullivan piece. I did and was hired on the spot for the tour of "The Mikado and Patience" (Dominic Chianese in the Theatre, 2003)." The tour lasted about 10 months and was the beginning of Dominic Chianese’s professional career. His first major role in a motion picture was in Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Godfather Part II" as Johnny Ola. In 1971 while performing in a play in Boston, Dominic’s agent called him to meet Coppola to read for "The Godfather.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Deepest Wreck :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A deep-sea salvage company claims to have discovered the deepest ancient shipwreck ever found- a 2,300-year-old Greek trading vessel found nearly two miles under the surface of the Mediterranean. The discovery of the shipwreck between the classical trading centers of Rhodes and Alexandria adds to the collection of evidence that is challenging the long-held theory that ancient sailors lacked the navigational knowledge and skill to sail large distances across open water. It is believed that they were restricted to following the coastline during thier trips. Four other possibly ancient wrecks were discovered nearby.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the spring of 1999, the deep-ocean exploration firm Nauticos Corporation conducted a survey in the eastern Mediterranean in an attempt to locate an Israeli submarine that had mysteriously disappeared in the area 31 years before. Their sonar system detected five closely spaced clusters at a depth of almost 10,000 feet on what is known as the Herodotus Abyssal Plain. Visual inspection of these clusters with a remotely operated vehicle revealed five shipwrecks of possible archaeological significance. There was only enough time to permit the collection of a detailed video and sonar imagery of only one site. This information was sent to the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University to determine the ships origin and importance. The shape of several amphoras or containers from the site date back to the end of the third century B.C. or the beginning of the second century B.C. making this the deepest ancient shipwreck yet discovered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite its depth, the site is typical for an ancient shipwreck. The vessel came to rest on the bottom and eventually flipped over onto its side. As its wooden hull lost structural integrity, the ship’s side flattened out under the weight of the containers that had tumbled over it. The opposite side of the hull was held upright, unburied by the containers or sediment, succumbed to erosion and decay, and were mostly rotted away. This wreck’s amphora cargo forms a mound approximately 80 feet long and 50 feet wide and tapers in height and width from the center of the ship to the bow and stern, or front and back. At least six or more types of wine amphoras have been identified, including containers from the islands of Rhodes and Kos, there may be as many as 2,500 containers present at the site.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ship’s bow area or the front area of the ship, can be identified by the presence of at least five lead anchors.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Human Resource Management in Business Essay

ââ€" º Hand out date: 1st June ââ€" º Hand in date: 15th June P5 explain how employee performance is measured and managed M3 explain how the results from measuring and managing performance inform employee development D2 assess the importance of measuring and managing employee performance at work. For your final task in your new role as recruitment consultant of ‘Dave’s Management’ you have been asked to investigate and write a report on how different organisations measures and manages the performance of their employees. They would also like you to explain how the results from measuring and measuring performance help with employee development. To conclude the report they would like you to assess the importance of measuring and managing employee performance at work Further Guidance: Measuring performance: ââ€" ºPerformance indicators (achievement against targets); ââ€" ºGoal theory; ââ€" ºSMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) ââ€" ºTargets eg sales targets, growth targets, financial targets, waiting times, pass rates, punctuality, attendance ââ€" ºBenchmarking Managing performance: ââ€" ºprobation; ââ€" ºappraisal; ââ€" ºsupporting employees eg mentoring, monitoring, buddying; ââ€" ºoccupational health; ââ€" ºmanaging workloads; ââ€" ºdelegating authority; ââ€" ºresponsibility; ââ€" ºcapacity; competence; ââ€" ºautonomy; ââ€" ºlinking rewards to performance; ââ€" ºdiscipline; ââ€" ºemployee development (training, learning, job rotation, accelerated promotion, personal, professional) To achieve a PASS: You will need to appreciate that the maximum contribution is required from each employee at work. Jobs often have specific performance criteria associated with them, so sales staff may have to generate  £50,000 of sales per month. This may be because there is a business objective showing a sales target of  £6 million for a sales team of 10 people. Individuals need to be monitored to ensure they are working effectively and meeting targets and standards set for them. Both above par and below par performance must be managed. To achieve a MERIT: You must be able to identify suitable performance indicators to use with individual employees and show how the individual’s performance can be improved through the use of performance management. Experienced teachers may be judged on examination pass rates and might be used for them passing through a pay threshold may be the reward. Chefs may be judged on good reviews, gaining Michelin stars or the gross profit margin of dishes and maybe used as a way of deciding whether they will gain a pay rise. Not all employees are judged in the same ways as, so different performance indicators are used to manage them. Attending a course maybe needed to remedy poor performance. Employees may have good punctuality and attendance monitored as these are basic requisites for working satisfactorily for a majority of occupations. To achieve a DISTINCTION: You must make judgements about the value of monitoring and managing employees. The benefits of performance management should be contrasted with the consequences of failing to manage performance.

Monday, September 16, 2019

MedNet †Analysis and Strategic alternatives Essay

We are presented with a case where Heather Yates, vice president for business development at MedNet.com, a website delivering health information free to consumers, was losing one of their biggest advertiser ‘Windham Pharmaceuticals’. She along with the leadership team were on the task of convincing Mahria Baker, Windham’s CMO to continue advertising with them instead of investing their advertisement dollars on ‘Marvel’ which was essentially a large search engine with a huge audience. Mednet is also facing tough competition from several other websites providing expert information on therapeutic treatments and condition specific diseases like cholesterol. About MedNet: MedNet is an American corporation which provides health information services. The website was created with a mission of providing reliable and trustworthy medical information to consumer audience for free and to make profits through advertising from pharmaceutical companies. Two important aspects to be always monitored by MedNet to be on top of the things are it’s Visitors and Advertisers. What does an advertiser want? Sales, leads, brand awareness? What are the best metrics for measuring these? The advertisers here are pharmaceutical companies who buy onscreen advertising space from websites. Though branding in the form of promoting company’s logo, slogan, and their product’s name along with its features is paramount to any company, it is the ‘numbers’ in terms of Sales revenue that matters the most. The possible measuring metrics is the Banner advertising charging advertisers on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis where an impression means that one visitor actually saw an online advertisement. The second is Click through rate (CTR) method which counts each time a potential buyer clicks the advertisement seeking more product information. CPM accounts more for the brand awareness whereas the click through accounts more for the Sales revenue generated in general, however, the winning metrics greatly depends on the industry one is catering to. What specific consumer behaviors determine whether or not a business model produces the results an advertiser wants? MedNet is greatly financed by  advertising, selling online magazines and sponsorships. It has a business model that’s very much centered on advertising. MedNet is a go-to resource for basic health and diagnostic information. However, competitors like cholesterol.com and others emerged that offered tailored and condition-specific health recommendations to each visitor’s specifications for such chronic diseases. Though MedNet was known to post the most up to date and reliable health information which helped them enforce trusted relationships with their audience, it was important that they ensure that the customer returns back to them each time. Based on the CTR and the CPM, the advertisers can precisely analyze the consumer’s preferences and purchasing patterns. What is the best argument Yates can make to justify charging Windham for impressions in stead of click – throughs? Does she have acceptable alternatives? MedNet charges for cost per thousand impressions to Windham Pharmaceuticals while Marvel, the search engine is doing it for free. Yates, the VP, rightly argues that though the impression might not be an accurate measure of a sale of the product but it does have an assuring and positive impact about the advertiser on the consumer. It instills a belief of goodness of a product making it highly likely that the consumer buys it at a later point of time. She laid emphasis on the ‘trusted’ relationship which however, is not quantifiable. I think, the best argument she puts across is along the lines of the targeted audience. According to reports, more consumers seek health information than finance or health information online. ‘Health’ comes first and a diligent consumer would want to access only reliable diagnostic information which is guaranteed via MedNet which is an established well known website for its health information services. Thus, audience looking at the Windham’s ad through MedNet is more likely to buy the product. The alternative approach to this is as follows: 1) MedNet could charge Windham for click throughs only. However, this is NOT acceptable given the small audience that MedNet captures. It is less likely for this limited audience to actually go click an advertisement. This would affect their sales revenue. 2) Windham can wait to see the results of the Vesselia (prescription medication) coupons that were redeemable at the pharmacy. This way, Windham could know if MedNet was more promising and profitable than Marvel. What value to the customer does a general interest  site contribute that a niche site can’t? General interest sites like MedNet faced tough competition from the specialized niche sites like cholesterol. However, the following are a few aspects that give the general sites an edge over the niche ones. 1) They provide a wide source of information on different medical conditions. This way, they are running a business that attracts a larger audience. They are providing real value to these customers. 2) General interest sites are more ‘well known’ to the unprofessional and less sophisticated consumer base. They might not be aware of the niche sites. Thus, general interest sites provide a larger coverage of the general audience. 3) Because general sites cater to larger audience who are their regular visitors, they can afford to provide cheap services to their advertisers thus making their scheme much more attractive than the niche sites. 4) The niche sites providing Tailored recommendations were running a huge risk of providing the full diagnosed information violating the state and federal govt. regulations thus in turn, risking their customer’s integrity. What steps can MedNet take to address emerging competitive threats? MedNet is facing a tough competition from potential competitors like Marvel, Cholesterol etc. The major underlying issue being the limited visitor traffic. Most of the traffic gets diverted to Marvel. 1. In order to increase their popularity and generate more returning traffic, they can do the following: Retain the same content but add more value by using social media to create community groups to encourage group discussions, create forums and blogs that helps people learn from reviews and feedbacks. These community tools will make the site more interactive and encourage visitors to return to the site. MedNet is in the business of advertising where it is promoting its advertisers. But ‘self-advertising’ is important too. Promote and Publicize self, using conventional means of advertising like prints on paper like newspapers, Yellow pages and magazines. They should target advertisers of more common ailments like high blood pressure, allergies and depression/anxiety. Thus, in order to increase the value provided to Windham, MedNet needs to focus on the volume  of the consumer traffic and make sure these consumers return. 2. Target employer websites and private online health portals, which give employees a secure gateway through which they can access their personal health information, and insurance claims. This will help diversify revenues and maintaining existing consumers. Alongside, it would help in branding through Corporate Word of Mouth. Though there will be initial setup and marketing costs, but this will pay off in the long run. MedNet should also discuss with the employers to provide pharmaceutical ads in addition to these services they offer to the employees. 3. MedNet can broaden their pool of advertisers that currently focus only on pharmaceutical companies to others like professional high profile clinics, pharmacies, health insurance companies etc. There is a tough competition among these smaller advertisers because they are large in number and thus would need advertising to promote self-more than ever. So these are potential customers to MedNet. Thus above are a few alternative approaches that MedNet can take to have an edge over it’s competitors. References: About WebMD. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebMD. The official WebMD site to understand the look and feel of a health information service website. Retrieved from http://symptoms.webmd.com/default.htm#conditionView.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Decay of Faith in “The Enduring Chill”

Khaqhovia Lee Ms. Bolle IB Junior English October 5, 2012 Decay of Faith Heaven, earth, and beliefs of a superior being ruling the world are contradicted through Flannery O’Connor’s stories. â€Å"The Enduring Chill†, a short story by Flannery O’Connor, displays religious figures combined with the hypocrisy of Christian faith. â€Å"The Enduring Chill† is about Asbury, a male writer, who returns home to live with his mother due to his illness. Great conflict occurs between Asbury and his mother, so much that he would rather die and leave her in despair than to live with her, suffering life in a cage.Flannery O’Connor applies the motif of religion to express the contradiction of a Christian believer. Flannery O’Connor portrays religion through the use of animals, symbolism to religious figures, and Christian stories throughout â€Å"The Enduring Chill†. Flannery O’Connor uses religious animals to reveal the contradiction n ature of humans. When Asbury sees his sister, he tells his mother to, â€Å"let sleeping dogs lie† (O’Connor 358); the dogs could be related to Cerberus, the gate keeper to the underworld. Asbury sees his sister as evil.The quote also foreshadows Asbury’s illness, because he is lying in bed waiting for the illness to take his life, like the sleeping dogs. Flannery O’Connor also uses animals from different religions to foreshadow misfortunate events, such as â€Å"the dry cows were on one side and the milk herd on the other. She slowed the car and then stopped altogether, her attention caught by a cow with a bad quarter. † (O’Connor 362). The cow is a holy animal in the Hinduism religion, and the cow having a bad quarter is an omen of bad luck.It also foreshadows to the bad milk which is tainted with the stench of smoke, and causing Asbury to fall more ill. Another use of religious animals is â€Å"to find freedom, to liberate my imagination , to take it like a hawk from its cage and set it ‘whirling off into the widening gyre’ (Yeats) and what did I find? It was incapable of flight† (O’Connor 364). The quote reveals Asbury’s sense of freedom through the use of a hawk; hawks are known to be one of the most intelligent birds, as well as having a great vision.The hawk foreshadows Asbury’s realization, when Asbury discovers his illness wouldn’t kill him. Asbury is incapable of flying free from his caged life because he takes back the key to the drawers which held the letters, as soon as he discovers he would not die; caging himself in and stopping himself from gaining his freedom. A hawk also refers to a dove, which represents freedom and peace in the bible, and Asbury wants to live free and in peace. Animals are used to portray the progression of human life.Flannery O’Connor uses allusion to refer to bible stories, while using the stories to display the unfaithfulness of Christians. Asbury comes off the train and waits for his mother to come pick him up, and â€Å"Asbury felt that he was about to witness a majestic transformation, that the flat of roofs might at any moment turn into†¦some exotic temple of a god he didn’t know† (O’Connor 357). The majestic transformation alludes to Jesus on Mt. Sinai, where Jesus becomes engulfed in light, and radiates with the power of God.Asbury does not know the temple of God because he constantly turns away from God. The illusion he witnesses is common in the bible when God send’s a messenger and dreams to humans to warn and help them. Another example appears during the car ride to his mother’s home, and â€Å"the he turned and faced his mother grimly, irked that he had allowed himself, even for an instant, to see an imaginary temple in this collapsing country junction† (O’Connor 358). The temple of God is not a physical temple but the body of all the Chris tian believers, but Asbury does not understand God’s will.The collapsing country junction is an allusion to the destruction of the walls of Jericho. The walls fall from the undying faith of the Israelites. Asbury does not believe he sees the event and decides to continue in life waiting for his death to come without realizing God. The wall of Jericho symbolizes Asbury’s faith which is crumbling down. While Asbury lies in the hospital â€Å"a blinding red-gold sun moved serenely from under a purple cloud†¦ below it the treeline was black against the crimson sky† (O’Connor 382). The red-gold sun represents the death of Christ, as he is hanging on the cross.Jesus’s blood symbolizes the crimson sky. The black tree line forms the countless amounts of sinners which resent God and Jesus. The darkest days of the world are also on the day Christ dies; Asbury’s darkest days are also on the very same day he witnesses the scene. Each allusion displ ays the decaying faith of Christians and increase of human weakness. Flannery O’Connor displays the decaying faith of Christians by incorporating religious figures. Asbury describes his friend as being â€Å"as bland as the Buddha himself† (O’Connor 359).Buddha is usually seen as a cheerful and chubby man, who never falls into temptations, and not bland. Asbury’s knowledge of religion is very low by applying bland to Buddha. Buddha descends from a wealth family but he decides to follow the road of hardships, but Asbury is from a well off family but he decides to live the life of a metropolitan. Asbury fails in living the life and becomes overwhelmed with hardships; giving up the life he wished for and travels on a darker path. As Asbury wonders around his mother’s home he noticed the â€Å"water stains on the gray walls.Descending from the top molding, long icicle shapes had been etched by leaks and, directly over his bed on the ceiling, another l eak had made a fierce bird with spread wings† (O’Connor 365). A fierce bird with spread wings symbolizes the Holy Spirit which appears to the disciples as they are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, with flames floating above their heads. Instead of flames there is a long icicle, the exact opposite of a flame. A fierce bird also symbolizes the anger of God because he would show no mercy to though who go against his will.Asbury disobeys his mother’s rules and falls into a deeper illness. Asbury stunned by the fact he wouldn’t die, looks into the mirror and â€Å"the eyes that stared back at him were the same that had returned his gaze every day from that mirror but seemed to him that they were paler† (O’Connor 382). God is all powerful and all seeing, the eyes represent his presence in the room, but he realizes the eyes are paler. Asbury loses God and stays living in his life trapped in a cage, with is mother. Religious figures portray the weaken ing of Christian Faith.