Travelling

Oscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray - 1295 Words

It is apparent that vanity, sin, and beauty are the key elements found in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. But, where do these elements originate from? What is the reason behind man’s internal need to pursue sin or his ideal sense of beauty that, on occasion, leads to his vanity? In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde explores naturalism through the use of symbolism and the tools of characterization, such as speech, action, interiority, the narrator, and the actions of other characters towards the protagonist, to illustrate how humanity’s perception of vanity, sin, and beauty are an inherent part of man’s nature and a blinding disillusion to the meaning of life. Naturalism is the objective study of human behavior in literature. The idea of naturalism is that all humans are animals with natural instincts and passions, but their behavior in life can be molded by the environment they are subjected to. While Dorian Gray was sitting for his portrait he w as constantly bombarded with compliments regarding his aesthetic beauty by the two most prominent people in his life, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. It is this type of recurrent action and environment that steadily groomed Dorian’s perception of beauty and elevated his ego, which eventually lead to the development of his self-destructing vanity. At one point, Lord Henry tells Dorian â€Å"You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray. And Beauty is a form of Genius---is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needsShow MoreRelatedOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1544 Words   |  7 Pagescelebrity I find that it is inevitable to avoid being a part of some sort of controversy. At the height of Oscar Wilde’s career is where he found himself in just that. Although Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray is praised today, in the late 1800s it was seen by others as a negative shift in society and literature. In the film â€Å"Wilde†, after the release of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde’s wife Constance and his mother Jane have a conversation in regards to the novel that gives insight toRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pagesin connection with Dorian demonstrates how he tries to live surrounded by exquisite sensations. As Oscar Wilde once said, â€Å" Beauty is above genius, because it does not require understanding.† This shows that beauty is everything no matter who it s towards. Oscar Wilde was a well known author for his brilliant wit, his style in writing , and infamous imprisonment for homosexuality. He shows his great works in the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is about how Dorian Gray meets Lord Henry WottonRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1656 Words   |  7 Pagesstill embraced some radical views that today we would associate as prudishness and repression. In 1890, author Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray and submitted it to Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. The magazine’s editor, J.M. Stoddert, immediately declined the novel and determined that it would offend the sensibilities of his readership (Wilde x). It was believed that Oscar Wilde’s book contained explicit sexual, especially homosexual, content which contradicted the time period of theRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1040 Words   |  5 PagesCorruption can do many things. It can lead to unstable lifestyles, pollute minds and bring on the downfall of just about anything or anyone. One of the best examples would be from the story, Dorian gray by Oscar Wilde. This story showed a young Dorian living his innocent life, only to be surrounded and influenced by the corrupt society around him and would ultimately lead to his demise. It is not easy to define corruption as a whole. But to narrow it down, corruption is mainly associated with briberyRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1049 Words   |  5 PagesKevin McElroyIn The Picture of Dorian Gray, the author Oscar Wilde relays the message to the reader that youth decays with age but value and beauty does not. The character Dorian Gray mourned his stage of youth through the portrait instead of having cherished the times he experienced. This use of symbolism through the portrait is Wilde s way of expressing this theme. This main symbol is the portrait itself as the author uses it to gradually reveal Dorian’s true identity. Dorian Gray is an attractiveRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1644 Words   |  7 PagesLooking back on Oscar Wilde s life, there are many realizations that he struggled finding something that suited him best with his type of work. A man of the 19th century, who is best known for his only novella The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play The Importance of Being Earnest as well as his infamous arrest, imprisonment and being a gay author leading to his downfall. Oscar Wilde who was known as a playwright, author, sometime poet, and also a not very motivated school student, still came toRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray2021 Words   |  9 PagesMcNeight English Lit II 3/1/15 Dorian Gray: A Battle With One’s Self Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"The Picture of Dorian Gray† is a story that focuses on the journey of an innocent and pure man, and his downward spiral of giving into temptation and committing crime, and living a life of pleasure. The story is centered around the idea of aestheticism. Everything is beautiful, the thought of something having any kind of â€Å"moral† meaning is just absurd. â€Å"The Picture of Dorian Gray† by Oscar Wilde both honors and condemnsRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1998 Words   |  8 PagesRackshana Sithirasenan Mr. Cimetta ENG4U1-01 24 November 2014 Dorian’s Pursuit Towards Hedonism Dorian Gray once told Henry The soul . . . can be bought, and sold. It can be poisoned, or made perfect (Wilde 213). Likewise, it would not be beneficial for one to sacrifice their soul with an exception of exchanging it in order to attain perfection. Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray explores the themes and ideologies of Hedonism and Aestheticism. Hedonists believe that pleasure is the mostRead MoreAnalysis of Oscar Wilde ´s The Picture of Dorian Gray590 Words   |  2 Pages The Picture of Dorian Gray The difference between art and life is quite simple, art is created and imagined by an artist and life is a representation of the living and the actuality of experiencing situations. Conversely, in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde demonstrates how the main characters mistake art for life, and life for art. Through The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde reveals the proper perspective for life and art, art has the ability to stand alone in society withoutRead MoreLiterary Criticism Of Oscar Wilde s The Canterville Ghost And The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay2157 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of characters, plot and literary criticism of Oscar Wilde’s Novel â€Å"The Canterville Ghost† and â€Å"The Picture of Dorian Gray† Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. He is viewed as one of the best dramatists of the Victorian Era. Besides literary accomplishments, he is also famous, or perhaps or notorious, for his intelligence, showiness, and affairs with men. He was tried and imprisoned for his homosexual relationship (then considered a crime)

Trashed Free Essays

Largest Landfill in the World Soon going to the will no longer be a vacation option unless you do not plan to swim. There will probably be a huge amount of plastic and trash in the water. This is due to the Pacific trash vortex. We will write a custom essay sample on Trashed or any similar topic only for you Order Now All of the plastic that has accumulated over the years had either eended up in a landfill or in the ocean. It is however, more likely that the trash has ended up in the ocean. Trash that people just toss in the water ends up in the ocean. Americans fail to realize that bodies of water connect to larger bodies of water which eventually leads to that onee fun special vacation spot. A trash vortex is a big lanfill of garbage and plastic that ends up in the water. It is also known as a garbage patch. Sometimes the vortex is hard to see because the materials sink down to the bottom of the ocean floor. There has been much more garbage placed in the ocean than most people realize. Until you actually research this understanding how much trash ends up in the ocean is not possible. â€Å"Because of its durability and our increased use in recent decades, scientists estimate that plastic makes up 60 to 80 percent of marine debris worldwide. ( â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") This essay will further summarize what the pacific trash vortex is, describe the impacts the trash vortex has on the environment, talk about some of the biggest controvesies around this issue, and give my point of views on the issue. A trash vortex is a large area of garbage in the ocean. This area of garbage in the ocean takes up a large amount of space in the ocean. â€Å" It is roughly the si ze of Texas, containing approximately 3. 5 million tons of trash. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean†). This area is so very large that it can not be hidden. Sometimes the materials just float, but then there are several types of materials that sink into the water and are not very visible by humans. â€Å"The expedition easily spotted some types of plastic. But a larger problem may lurk below the surface. †(â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented-A First 5). Most of the trash that has been found in the ocean are things such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, old household materials, etc. There is more than just one trash vortex around the world. â€Å"The Pacific Vortex isn’t the only one. The Atlantic and Indian ocean, which have different current patterns, have plastic gyres of their own†(Walsh, Bryan 1). About ten percent of all the plastic produced in the world ends up in the ocean. â€Å" Perhaps ten percent of the two hundred and sixty million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year end up in the sea-much of it in the swirling currents of the North Pacific Gyre and other ocean vortices. ( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first 2) Plastic can not be broken down so if there is nothing done about it over a period of time the ocean will just accumulate more plastic. Most of our waste today is comprised of plastic. Plastic, which is made from petroleum, is a material that the Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") If there is more plastic accumulated there will be more animals in the ocean that die. No one knows exactly when trash started becoming a proble m in the ocean or why it became a problem. The trash vortex has been known to kill several animals in the ocean. The trash gets into the ocean a few ways. One of the ways that the trash gets into the ocean is by people throwing trash on land and the rain washing it into things such as sewers. There are several different sizes of garbage that have been thrown in the ocean. â€Å"A single one litre drinks bottle could break down into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the entire world. These smaller particles are joined by the small pellets of plastic which are the form in which many new plastics are marketed and which can be lost at sea by the drum load or even a whole container load. (â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). Not all of the things that are thrown in the ocean are large. â€Å"While large pieces are common, the garbage patch is not an island of plastic, the team found on their 19-day expedition in August. Much of the debris is in the form of countless thumbnail-size scraps. †( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first†1) Sewers and rivers all lead to the ocean. All the garbage tha t ends up in the sewers eventually end up into the ocean. Another way that garbage ends up in the ocean is by us directly throwing things into the water. The trash vortex has a very unknown impact on the community. There is an unknown impact on the community because not many people know that all this trash exists in the ocean. Some of the people that know the trash vortex exist do what they can to help stop the issue. The trash vortex has a very negative impact on its environment. All the garbage in the ocean has killed several marine animals. Birds are dying because they are mistaking the trash in the ocean for food and an animal can not digest plastic materials. So this leads to the death of several marine animals such as birds and turtles. It has become such an issue to the point where there may not be many marine animals if there is more plastic put into the ocean â€Å"In the ocean, plastic waste accumulates in swirling seas of debris, where plastic to sea life ratios are 6:1; where birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration with bellies full of plastics; where fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat. â€Å" (â€Å"Garbage Patch. â€Å") There has also been an issue with the plastic because of an essiential organic compound called zooplankton. They have been finding more trash in the ocean than zooplankton and that is not good because zooplankton is essential to the ecosystem. Zooplankton are little tiny organisms that are important because they feed the animals in the water. Algae is a type of zooplankton. The trash in the water has also been known to absorb organic pollutants which are there for a reason. When they are gone it will be hard to acquire more. People will not realize the full effects that this issue has until it becomes a very severe problem and leads to the death of many marine animals. It can also become a severe problem by effecting the way we have a great time at the beach or on a river trip. The trash vortex in the Pacific ocean is a big issue mainly because it is starting to be a lot more trash than is needed. Trash in the ocean can not be broken down and it does not decompose. â€Å"The very thing that makes plastic items useful to consumers, their durability and stability, also makes them a problem in marine environments. †(â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). That means that the animals that eat the trash will eventually die. That also means that the number of marine animals will decrease tremendously. That also means that the trash will begin to pile up worse than it is now. That can also affect our water supply because the water we drink on a daily has to come from somewhere. Our water has to be kept clean or it could become a problem to the environment around us and the ecosystem. I believe that this issue does not have to stay an issue. The trash vortex can be handled over a period of time if we all work together to take care of the water. If we clean up and recycle more the garbage patch will not be as big as it is now. The things we can do from our location are make sure that others recycle more and to make sure that we do not become apart of the issue by throwing things in bodies if water. There are a few organizations that try to help by going to some of these areas and cleaning up the land around them. It is not easy to clean up once the plastic has drifted to the bottom of the ocean floor. The issue has not become a huge problem yet, but people have not begun to look at the long terms affects to the environment. If the issue does not stop I feel that it will most certainly become a problem. It will have a negative effect on the marine animals. It is very possible that if the problem does not get any better that we could possibly be looking at some future endangered species. In conclusion, there are so many unknown things floating in the ocean you will be amazed at what people find floating in the ocean â€Å"shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles too numerous to count are only part of what can be found in this accidental dump floating midway between Hawaii and San Francisco. (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. †). The Pacific trash vortex is still an unknown mystery. There are still things that scientist can not figure out about this garbage patch they are actually still trying to figure out all the details. â€Å"Researchers are keen to learn how the massive influx of plastic pieces in recent decades affects area animals from larger creatures such as fish and bird s- which swallow toxic plastic- to tiny organisms such as bacteria and plankton. This plastic may also be hosting invasive bacteria or other species researchers say†( â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented- A First 3). Trash vortex have been slowly killing birds and other types of animals. This is something that needs to be stopped as soon as possible if we want to help save our animals and our land. Everyone can help in the process whether it is realized or not. The land is something that should not be taken for granted. If we want future generations to have a land then it is our job to protect the land. Work Cited â€Å"Garbage Patch. † Think Beyond Plastic. â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented -A First. † National Geographic News. 28 Oct 2010 â€Å"Planet100: The Pacific Trash Vortex Explained. † Online Posting. Youtube, 7 June 2010. Silverman, Jacob. â€Å"Why is the worlds biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean? † How stuff works. â€Å"The trash vortex. † Greenpeace International. â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. † Ocean Portal. 2010 Walsh,Bryan. â€Å"Expedition Sets Sail to the Great Plastic Vortex. † Time Science. 01 Aug 2009 . How to cite Trashed, Papers

Using QQ to Teach Kids English free essay sample

Importance of using technology in promoting language learners’ ability to effectively use language can not be ignored. Nowadays there are numerous number of technology-based language materials that a language learner might use dependently or independently. One of the technologies which is widely used by language teachers is CALL. The area that we are discussing in this paper is the use of internet for the sake of language teaching and learning. The technology which specifically is used in this research is QQ. QQ is an IM, like MSN or Gtalk and is very popular in China. So far no study has been conducted among the primary students at private language schools in China using internet to evaluate the teachability and learnability. In the network classroom, teacher assumes the role of facilitator of learner activity (Harasim, 1986: p. 65, referenced by Ken Beatty in his book Teaching and Researching CALL). In the following study, I tried to play the role of facilitator to help students communicate effectively and use their English to negotiate meaning as much as possible. As mentioned by Ken Beatty, one might use technology to establish a field of courseware known as edutainment. According to Bill Anderson, instructors must examine the affordances and features of the technologies of communication and use them to support the educational goals of students. Traditionally, much research on CALL has focused on whether or not students learn better with a computer. But, the question is no longer whether or not computers should be used in the classroom. Questions now include how computers should be used and for what purpose (Teaching and Researching CALL, Ken Beatty, P. 190). We might consider using technology-based teaching to improve students’ language abilities, and to use it effectively, we should think of how it can do the improvement. If any kind of technology is being used by a teacher, the teaching method should change accordingly. Besides, role of teacher is more significant and might be shifted from an instructor to a facilitator. Chapelle and Jamieson (1991) summarized ten studies from 1971 to 1986 and suggested that they do not provide strong empirical evidence for the superiority of CALL over classroom instruction (p. 37). However, a more recent review by Meich, Nave and Mosteller (1996) in an examination of 22 empirical CALL studies conducted between 1989 and 1994 concluded the opposite: CALL can â€Å"substantially improve achievement as compared with traditional instruction† (p. ) (referenced by Ken Beatty, Teaching and Researching CALL, P. 197). In an experiment conducted by Hema Rosheny Mustafa, Noridah Sain and Noor ZainabAbdul Razak called â€Å"Using Internet for Learning Vocabulary among Second Language Learners in a Suburban School†, it has been investigated that whether using computer assists the learning of vocabulary among second language learners in a suburban secondary school i n Malaysia. Their findings suggested that the experimental group showed great result in learning vocabulary using computer. In the following study, use of text-mode QQ will be assessed among the New Oriental School Language Learners in China. DISCUSSION At the time of doing the experiment I was in China, Wuhan city, and to do my experiment I asked one of the famous private language schools’ manager, to let me keep in touch with a number of students for a few sessions to practice what they have already been taught at school. It should be mentioned that my cooperation with the school was temporary and for the sake of the experiment. Actually, the students already had their own teacher. I explained to the responsible teacher that I want to use QQ to enhance students’ ability to communicate effectively; besides to work on one of the class weak points to see if I can facilitate teachability and learnability and make improvement. At New Oriental School, the students’ age range differs from 5 to 14. I asked the responsible teacher to choose the older students who can use chat skillfully and meaningfully. At the time of thinking about the research design, I was reading a research article by David Coniam and Richard Wong, â€Å"Internet Relay Chat as a tool in the autonomous development of ESL learners’ English language ability: an exploratory study†, and noticed that authors have used a carefully screened number of students in their pilot study. So I followed their lead in case of the student selection and asked the school to select students based on the below criteria: 1. Student should know how to use English typing properly 2. Student should have used QQ for at least one year . Students should possess and have used computer for at least two years 4. Students’ age range should be between 10-14 After about one month, the responsible teacher contacted me and informed that because the parents are so strict and do not let their children use computers so often and also because they are assigned to do homework at home, she could arrange with 5 students only to partici pate in my study. However, to justify the parents, the responsible teacher had been mentioned that the online class is one of the requirements assigned by school. I carried out my research using QQ on Jan 15, 2013. The teacher had arranged 3 online sessions each lasting 1:30 hours; totally four and half hours. The teaching content was â€Å"pattern practice† which was part of the students’ book, Junior New Concept English. Based on what the teacher had been told me before designing my teaching plan, â€Å"pattern practice† part is one of the most difficult parts both for teaching and learning. In this part students should use the given patterns to compose their own sentences. As I had been told, because of time shortage and students’ lack of concentration, occasionally the tasks’ aims can not be appropriately fulfilled in the class; irrespective of how hard the teacher tries in the class. Nature of such a task requires students’ full consciousness and attention. My assumption was that, probably if the students are being situated in front of the computer individually, by the given instruction, their learnability might be enhanced. The teaching method that I employed in this study was task-based language teaching. Task-based approaches to network-centered learning are seen as being particularly suited to fostering learner autonomy and collaborative effort. Soh and Soon (1991) found that in a cross-cultural project based in Canada and Singapore, learners writing skills were enhanced through exchange with learners from a different cultural background. Such approaches are also viewed as leading to a renegotiation of the teachers role in the electronic classroom (Bump, 1990) (Referenced by Mark Peterson, Language Teaching and Networking). In a networked classroom, learners not only read and write; they are constantly reacting to writing, thus fostering the sense of personal engagement and discovery is essential to successful language learning (Mark Peterson, Language Teaching and Networking). By asking students to do the online discussion I had the following motives: 1. To assess the students’ writing ability and do an occasional corrections, if possible 2. To create an environment in which students could freely interact with each other. It might be argued that students may share incorrect language input to one another, thereby reinforcing the language errors. Research findings suggest, however, that students may learn equally well from their peers as from their teachers (Referenced by David Coniam and Richard Wongs, see, e. g. , Long and Porter, 1985; Lightbrown and Spada, 1999). 3. To create an authentic situation for the students to use their knowledge of English language practically and to build-up their confidence Organization and Setting of the Online Sessions To begin the online discussion, I organized the sessions by assistance of the responsible teacher. The students were asked by their teacher to add my QQ number in their list. I had already informed them a few days earlier about the time of our sessions and the content of discussion. Meanwhile they already knew about the time, they could primarily arrange for their own schedule. Also I had asked them to avoid using Chinese language while they are discussing in the public chat room. I told them that they are free to negotiate with each other in Chinese out of the public chat room and privately. I gave them the â€Å"Google translate† online link, so that in case, they can use it to translate Chinese to English. They have been asked to use â€Å"yahoo image search† whenever they faced with difficulty to express their ideas in English. They could easily find the correct image and send it to others. As far as their age and language level, they were not able to use English easily in every occasion, so the best option was to show their feelings and ideas through images. We started the first session at 7:00 o’clock in the evening. Lesson one was about practicing how to tell time in English and in different ways. Here are a number of questions and answers we had: What time is it? 8:45 Answers: quarter to 9 eight forty five What time is it? 2:30 Answers: two thirty half past two What time is it? 7:22 Answers: seven twenty two twenty two past seven I used two methods to practice with them. 1. Giving them the time (not in number but in letters) and asking to search Google for the relevant picture or to draw a picture in QQ and send 2. Sending pictures to the, and asking to tell me the time (in letters) After assigning any single task, I have waited for a while to receive response. By receiving the first correct answer, I have asked the rest of them to decide if the answer is right or wrong; then I have confirmed the answer to them while displaying a happy image expressing my positive feeling for their efforts. Sometimes they shifted to Chinese language to tell others about their feelings; I tried not to interrupt them and not to ruin the magic moment which had been created within the discussion. Additionally, they were asked to create full sentences based on the given pattern. 10:30 â€Å"Is it half past 2. No it isn’t. It’s half past 10† Is it 3:45? Yes, it is. It is quarter to four. Is it half past nine? No it isn’t. It’s 8:30. In the second session, we practiced how to tell the locations in English, â€Å"under†, â€Å"on† and â€Å"in†. Again I used images to practice. I gave them a single instruction. â€Å"I will show you a picture; you should tell me where the objects are†. A number of our online practice: Where is the rabbit? Students’ answer: in box Where is the boy? Students’ answer: under tree What do you see? Students’ answer: cat on table I asked them to create a sentence based on the given model. Where is the boy? The boy is under the tree. So they just needed to replace the subject and adverb with the new ones. In the third session we discussed about the comparative adjectives â€Å"longer†, â€Å"shorter†, â€Å"bigger†, â€Å"smaller†, â€Å"thicker† and â€Å"thinner† First I have shown them the pictures and then asked them to follow the given pattern to compose a correct sentence. Where is the thicker pencil? It is on the desk Is the thicker pencil under the desk? No it isn’t. The thinner pencil is on the desk. CONCLUSION In this paper we have examined kids’ use of online chatting through QQ and accordingly the effect of using this technology on their language learning and communicative skills. As mentioned by Gill Valentine and Sarah L. Holloway in â€Å"A window on the wider world? Rural children’s use of information and communication technologies†, the Janelle’s (1973) concept of extensibility, which refers to the ability of people to overcome the barriers of physical space through technology is totally confirm the use of technology. In this paper we could overcome three barriers. First helping students practice their language learning without leaving home (time barrier). Second, we did not need to occupy a class (place barrier). Third, students’ lack of concentration improved as the result of being detached from the class environment. Findings of the paper come from two interviews from the teacher before and after the research. Based on the interviews, the teacher found improvements in case of students’ active participation in the class and besides, the students’ accuracy have been raised. It can be concluded from the results of this study that online chatting has positive effects on the learning process. Using such technologies outside the classroom results in better motivation and facilitates the learning process of children and their cognitive achievement. The learning process becomes much more enjoyable and by engaging children in such online classrooms, the stresses and lack of concentration involved in the learning process are drastically reduced.

The Effects of Facebook and other Social Media on Group Mind and Social Pressure

Human Skill Essay Example

Human Skill Essay Example Human Skill Paper Human Skill Paper Abstract Now, more than ever, businesses or organizations have begun to focus on the important role of Employer and Employee relationships. In review of Stalemates Organizational Management Leadership, Human Skills are noted as the second fundamental characteristic that a manager needs to possess besides Technical and Conceptual Skills. Human Skills are needed so that communication can be delivered and received effectively with positive results. Communications must be clear, concise and understandable by all parties involved. The reasoning for this is: the better the communication is delivered, the better the feedback will be. All messages that are transmitted either verbally, written or non-verbal has a meaning; the vocal tones, writing or the way a message is presented can convey a good or bad feedback from the receiver. Overall, communications plays a very important role in business and personal lives; therefore, how it is relayed depends solely on the delivering party. Human Skills In todays society, peoples communicate with one another In different ways. These ways may be mobile to mobile, chat to chat, Instating, Social Networking Sites I. E. , Twitter, Backbone; all of which may be verbal, written or non-verbal, However, when e communicate, it must be clear and understandable in order to receive proper feedback. In the day to day routine of friendly casual conversation (person to person), one doesnt really to the extreme for communication to reach its fullest potential because we too often use the slang approach whether vocally or in writing, In the business or employment area, communication skills are a much needed asset and then, how we relate as humans is essential to position status, ambitions, achievements and employment development; this Is where Human Skills come Into play. What Is the Meaning of Human Skills According to Easterlies Organizational Management Leadership, Human Skills are the managers ability to interact and work well with others, (Easterlies, Pig. 12). Managers must be able to relate with others, including their subordinates, in a way that is very clear, concise and understandable. When a manager does not understand something that is communicated to him or her in writing, verbal or non- verbal form, questions should be asked for clarity. Clarification stems for the top (Corporate-Executive Level), Middle (Management Leadership) and the Bottom (Subordinate-Blue Collar) Level. What are the Fundamentals of Human Skills The greatest asset of good leadership or management is when a person has the ability to get along with another entity regardless of the circumstances or situations. He or she should be able to Interact well with another. However, when a leader communicates with other Individuals, the statement or message should be thought upon first. Why Is this? Hastiness and outbursts are follies for negative feedbacks. By phone, and of course in person. I have heard it said that the most common word used in conversation is the word I. We speak highly of ourselves, and to our shame, e have slandered anothers reputation with our choice of speech. We literally speak thousands of idle words each day, (Articles. Com 2009). This particular saying doesnt necessary pinpoint how communication should be handled between the one sending the message and the receiver of the message, but, it does implies that one needs to be selective in his/or choice of words because what we say and how we say things can and will demean ones character to the extent that feedback may be received negatively or not at all. Therefore; managers must also have a good understanding of what is or should be communicated and how it should be incommunicado to others. To ensure that communication is clear and understandable, by both parties, for positive feedback to be warranted, these steps should be initiated: a) Make sure your non- verbal communication matches your message that is being delivered?this clearly states that one should consider their tone(s), facial expression or body movements. These elements can lead one to believe or think the opposite of what is actually being delivered. For example, a frown can mean you are angry when you are not or a nod, taken to mean k when you had the inclination to move your head. B) Remove or avoid barriers-attractions are considered things that causes interference, so, try and stay clear of noisy equipment-noise in general. A quiet surrounding would be the applicable place to hold meeting or communicate with others. This will prevent the likelihood of one having to repeat themselves because someone was unable to hear. C) Consider using powerful words and words that have specific meaning?do not use words like might or think which leaves room for unclear communication. Be specific, give an exact timeshare or date and be very confident in what is being delivered. -Know the facts. D)Ask questions when you have delivered your message?this is to ensure that everyone understands and does not leave room for negative results. If someone has problems with what was said, it doesnt hurt to reiterate and explain exactly whats unacceptable and acceptable or what is expected and what is not, (Anderson, Blobs to Communication, Copyright 2011). The Importance of Human Skills Many businesses or corporations hire peoples that are skillful in the use of computers, technical skills, training and communication but there are other concepts to interpersonal relationships between the leader and employee: a) Being a Good Listener does not apply to only the subordinates but it to the Managers as well. A company cannot operate off of the ideas of only one person; so when an employee has something to say, Management should be attentive. When a conflict or disagreement arises between two employees, both parties reasoning should be heard. When Management and an employee disagree and it cannot be resolved at their level, a Superior Staff should be notified and then both sides heard for a resolution. B) Be a Team Player: Managers and employees should be able to function as a TEAM. At church, we are taught that each auxiliary (Mother Board, Deacon Board, Ministerial Staff, Choir, Ushers, Custodial Staff, Sunday School, Bible Class) cannot function on its own, assistance is needed from all bodies. Take for instance, the human body. The hand cannot move with the help of the arm, the foot organization, get to know your employees-, their behaviors, attitudes, weakness and strengths. Be able to provide motivational techniques, encouraging words to help then accomplishment a particular task when he or she thinks the odds are against them. Do not say what you will or will not do to your employees. Lead by example, for positive, productive and nourishing working environment. C) When a group of individuals work together on a day-to-day basis, eight or more hours a day, confusion and disagreement is will show its ugly head sooner or later. This is where being a Good Listener manifest itself (subtopic A). Do not show favoritism or partiality. No two individuals are the same and therefore, he or she should not be treated as such. The Manager should be fair, firm, flexible, yet attentive, in all matters. In Psalms 73, ASAP trusts God, yet he is somewhat disturbed about life (world) being unfair. God is fair and always will be. Yet, in society, situation occurs when the sinful man profits and it seems at naught for the Christian, (Relevant Bible Teaching. Com). But, God tells us that it rains on the Just as well as the unjust-here God in showing no partiality. The world in His and the fullness thereof and be blesses whom He may. Being carnal minded and looking at how the wicked is fairing can cause a stumbling block, if not rooted in the word of God. It may make one wonder, Can I do the same as him or her and reap the benefits. Yes, you may but there is a price for disobedience. One may think he or she has gotten away but in Hebrews 9:27 and Romans 2:6, it is stated that God will render the Just reward for all deeds done in this body, whether good or bad. In this world, we pay a penalty, if caught and when one dies there is a Judgment that me must meet with God alone. So, it behooves, us as Christian and even those who knows, to be fair or impartial, whether in business or personal experiences, (Relevant Bible Teaching. Com). Human communication skills are a broad field. There are many dos and dont to consider. Interpersonal skills, how you communicate with others, is a key to success. As a manager, you just be aware and knowledgeable of your shortcoming in communication. If you have weakness, it will not hurt to practice with a colleague to provide pointers or gesture on the areas that need improvements. It is also beneficial to watch others that delivery good, effective communication. You can learn by incorporating some of their techniques in your presentation; but, always remember that you can only be you and not anyone else. Be yourself, and works on what motivates you and your subordinates. If you have problems with what you should reflect upon or say, make notes and study what you write-this will help prevent a loss for words. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work, (The Holy Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible states that we are to study the scriptures for ourselves and get a clear understanding so that we cannot be lured into the wrong direction or presented misleading advice. It will correct us and convict us. So, for a manager to decisively notate their weaknesses; it will help him or her to make corrections and be better prepared in the works of communications. Commitment is a requirement to be an effective communicator when interacting with others. A manager or leader must be committed and time has to be employed communicate with others, verbally or non-verbally; yet, it stills requires putting forth effort. Just as a singer is gifted with the talent of signing, it is necessary to invest time in training to further develop his or her vocals and to keep the current vocal capacities active. Peoples change Just as trends, so managers need to know their employees, what makes them a self-starter, what agitates them. As an effective manager, one must not speak in double meaning; say one thing ND their actions state another. Managers but be honest and truthful in expressing himself or herself and look for the well-being of their subordinates. When an employee has determined that the management, under which they are assigned, is ethical is the employer-employee relationship, morale will increase in the workplace because a bond of loyalty, (the willingness to remain faithful to the interest of others and concern for followers), (Easterlies, Pig. 8) and trust,(the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other ill perform a particular action important to the trust or, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other part as a positive expectation that another will not act opportunistically) (Easterlies, Pig. ) has developed. It also motivates the employees to perform at their best level of achievements and standards. In this relationship, the manager is direct the employees in a positive way. In-service training will be provided when deemed necessary and when problems occur on and off the boundaries of the worksheet, the manager should still possess a positive attitude and rye to provide any ways of assistance or referral to help resolve the situation. The achievement of a business or organization depends upon management and the employees. Good leadership leads to good employees when all negative facets are cast or removed from within the relationship. Employees respect sound Judgments and support from their employers. A leader or manger that show a lack of respect for other positions, causes division among employees, shows a lack of interest for others concerns or problems and will not support or stand behind what he or she communicated, will not be respected by employees nor will employees work at their least potential. The working environment will not be friendly and compassionate. Friction develops and soon hostility and resentment will surface also. Managers must deter all unethical practices or choices. Employees must not be allowed to take down on other employees. Employees cannot be made to like another individual but they must show respect to one another in the workplace. Employees should not be allowed to leave a task unfinished, when time has permitted, for another employee to complete. Employees should not be permitted to disrespect others by using name calling, using derogatory comments or profanity. Managers should follow the same attributes. In the workplace, when managers and employees are on one accord, unity will abound. Rules and regulations will be adhered too and following the managers specified lines of communication will be understandable and honored. However, in supervision of subordinates, both parties must realize that there are barriers that cannot be crossed or broken. Managers have specific tasks and functions to carry out differently from those of employees; and employees have specific tasks and functions to carry out differently from those of their leaders or managers. When this is understood by both, the employee and employer, it helps to establish a good communicate. It should then be evident that the leader or manager is only as strong, efficient and productive as the employees. The manager needs the support of the followers as well as the followers need the support of their leader or manager. A manager left to make all the decisions or ideas without input from others will create confusion. The confusion comes when there is no outside input because the manager will see whats only best for him or her, not realizing that others ideas plays n important part in establishing a business and epitomizing an emerging workforce.

Family assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family assessment - Coursework Example This structure is gradually changing, even though here we have considered father as the main provider and mother second authority for the decision making with father. Family assessment is the act of collecting data of a sample of a family and organizing the information derived from the data. However, the main purpose of the assessment is to find out the type of the environment that a child is brought up in. It also tries to find out the challenges that face a certain family and the factors that lead to the challenges. The assessment is done to come up with solutions that can be applied to create a better environment for the family. Through these family assessments, factors behind family failures have been realized and possible measures taken. Now we want observe and explore the idea of evidence based family assessment, which has significant influence on the mental health of the family members as well as the children. As many different researches has been published on this concept, ha ve harnessed here with detail analysis. Description of Family The assessment conducted was in a family made up of a father (49 years), mother (46) and two daughters one 22 years old years and the youngest is 12 years. The father is the provider of most of basic needs. However, the father, mother, and elder daughter make key decisions concerning the family’s financial issues and welfare like school fees and farming expenses. The father works as a salesperson while the mother is a farmer and a homemaker. The eldest daughter is a university student while the young girl is in a primary school. Both the mother and the father are college graduates. The language used by the family is primarily English. The only person available at home all through is the mother. The younger daughter is a day scholar in a nearby private primary school. There are three cats and one dog in the household. The dog is the best pet for the young girl. In this family, the father cannot make a decision witho ut informing the wife and the children. Developmental stage Developmental Stage – Evelyn Duvall has developed 8 stages for a family which is ; Stage-1 Married Couples yet to have children, Stage-2 Family with infant child, Stage-3 Families with pre-school children, Stage-4 School –going children within families, Stage -5 , Families where teenage children Stage-6 , where last children leaving home, Stage-7, -Middle age parents and Stage-8 Aged parents. These are the stages based on the age and the life cycle of the family member. Some may come up with the idea of power differentiation like mother as main decision maker or father, which is frequently appearing in current society. Family Structure- According to the theory of Development by Duvall, this family is in the fifth stage of development. The major issues are balancing of freedom with responsibility as teenagers mature and become increasingly autonomous, refocusing the marital relationship between the parents and communicating openly between parents and children. Child Development According to the theory by Erickson, the two children are in the stage of Fidelity: Identity vs. Role confusion. For one to reach this stage, development mainly depends on what a person is done for. However, at this stage, ones development is dependent on what one does. An

Define hero. Why does our society insist upon elevating people to the Essay

Define hero. Why does our society insist upon elevating people to the rank of hero Is John Bradley a hero despite his insistence that he was not - Essay Example James Bradley writes the book after stumbling upon a letter written by his father John Bradley to his parents describing the event as one of the happiest moments of his life (Bradley & Powers 4). The letter caused John to embark on a research that resulted in the book. John Bradley as the corpsman got tasked with trying to save the lives of the marines who fought the bloody battles in the field. As one of the three surviving men, John struggled to return and live a normal life as possible by choosing to become a funeral director and raise his family. John Bradley’s participation in the flag raising and war is in every angle a mark of true heroism despite his insistence that he was not. John Bradley should be viewed and elevated to hero status as a result of his show of courage and sacrifice in representing his country in a risky and bloody battle that would have resulted in his death. Upon the death of his little sister Mary Ellen, Bradley enlisted into the navy as a funeral director with the hope of evading land battle. A quote from the book summarizes the sacrifice that was undertaken by these flag-raisers â€Å"behind them, in safe America, Bing Crosby sang of a white Christmas, just like the ones he used to know. Ahead lay a hot island of black sand, where many of them would ensure a long future of Christmases in America by laying down their lives† (Bradley & Powers 122). This proves the sacrifice that Bradley along with other participants of the war undertook to ensure the greater good of a future America. This show of devotion in representing his country in the slightest way possible shows that he was ready to die for his country. Not many people are willing to undertake such an act of heroism. To knowingly place one’s life under the direct threat of death requires guts, spirit, and strong will from an individual. To display such character often calls for unconventional thinking and acting.

Child developmental Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child developmental Psychology - Essay Example One glass was tall and skinny and the other was short and fat. I filled both glasses with chocolate milk, pouring more milk into the short fat glass. Then I gave the tall skinny glass to Christopher and placed the short fat glass in front of myself. Before allowing him to drink, I asked him, "Who has more milk, you or me" He eyed the glasses and then confidently said, "I do," referring to his tall skinny glass of milk, whose height of milk was taller than that seen in my short fat glass. I urged him to take a second look at the glasses of milk by asking, "Are you sure" He furrowed his brow and eyed the glasses once again. "Well," he said, "maybe there's more in your glass, since it's wider." I continued with the lesson by placing another short fat glass on the table and asked Christopher to pour his tall skinny glass of milk into the empty glass to find out who really does have more chocolate milk. He slowly poured his glass of milk into the empty short fat glass. Once he was done pouring, he bent down so he was at eye level with the milk levels of the glasses. His eyes widened and he said, "Your glass had more than mine!" Christopher showed classic signs of Piaget's pre-operational stage of cognitive development.

How Effective Are Drip Irrigation Systems

How Effective Are Drip Irrigation Systems The article evaluates the efficiency, effectiveness, social, economic and environmental impacts of the drip irrigation system. The drip irrigation system has the potential to increase the agricultural productivity and also to reduce water usage required for irrigation. It is a system of pipes and tubing located under the soil. Water is passed through these pipes which end at near the roots of the plants. This makes the water loss minimal. Initial stage is designing the system and its installation follows it. The article states the advantages and disadvantages of the system and also cites evidence with regard to the social, economic and environmental aspects. Poverty is one of the primary concerns the world faces in its road to development. Eradication of poverty tends to be the prime aims of governments worldwide. Lack of proper nutrition is a major cause contributing to poverty. Improving agricultural standards can help in producing more food and thus counter the lack of food factor. One way to improve agricultural standards is to develop the irrigation methods used. Irrigation is closely related to poverty. Irrigation benefits the poor through higher production, higher yields, low risk of crop failure and higher and year round farm and non-farm employment. Irrigation leads to high value market oriented agricultural production [1]. However, in developing countries like India, the agricultural sector is heavily dependent on the south-west monsoons. In view of the rising temperatures worldwide due to global warming and changes of weather patterns associated with it, dependence on rains is not always a possible solution. Failure of proper rains can cripple the agricultural sector which can lead to an overall rise in poverty. Thus efficient methods of irrigation need to be developed. The drip irrigation system is one such method of irrigation that is being utilised. Drip irrigation is water saving, efficient and effective watering system .The article focuses on the different aspects of the drip irrigation system, its contribution in poverty alleviation and the social economic and environmental impacts of this technology. Subsurface drip irrigation or SDI is another way of terming a drip irrigation system. As stated by C. Shock, drip irrigation is the slow even application of low-pressure water to soil and plants using plastic tubing placed near the plantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ root zone [8]. Water is supplied to the soil at very low rates from the system of the plastic tubing pipes which are fitted with emitters at the ends. Therefore loss of water through evaporation, water run-off and percolation is minimized to a great extent. Also water contact with the stems, leaves and fruits of the plant is reduced which helps in prevention of formation of disease on the plant. Since the tubing is buried under the soil, it is less at risk of damage due to weeding and cultivation activities. Designing a subsurface drip system requires an experienced qualified designer. As G. Harris has stated, proper hydraulic design is the initial step in installing a successful SDI system [5]. This will ensure that the system effectively deals with the constraints imposed by the crop and soil characteristics, field size, topography, water supply and shape. The system must be capable of meeting the crop water need during the peak water demand times. A block or zone, which is the portion of the field that can be watered at the same time, is determined by the characteristics of the drip tubing selected. The optimal tube spacing is determined by the soil characteristics and the depth of tube placement. If the installations are too deep it will restrict the availability of surface applied nutrients limits the effectiveness of the system for crop germination. Adequate flushing velocities must be allowed for in the design to remove sediments from the emitters. This helps to prevent the SDI sy stem from getting clogged and increases the systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life. Following the designing comes the installation part of the SDI system. Proper installation ensures that the system performs optimally and it also determines the life of the system. Installation is done in sites which have not been cropped recently as insect activity or weedy areas could destroy the pipes within days of installation [6].Initially location of the tubing is marked out. A subsoiler can be used or if more accurate positioning is needed, GPS can also be used. Specialized injectors are available for installation of the SDI pipes. The power and water source limitations are to be considered during the installation of the system. Filters are also used which helps in removing particles and keeps the emitters from getting clogged. The major feature of this system that makes it highly desirable is that the water use efficiency will be better compared to other systems or methods of irrigation. Evidence put forward by C.R. Camp show that drip irrigation systems implemented in Virginia require 30% less water compared to sprinkler irrigation for cultivating corn [3]. For cotton, the water usage was reduced significantly by 40%. Implementation of the system in Hawaii helped the farmers to get a greater yield than when using sprinkler irrigation system [4]. Additional advantages include: Drip irrigation systems are suited to farms having uneven topography or soil texture. Precise application of nutrients is possible. Timely application of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides is possible. The drip irrigation system can be automated. Irrigation can be carried out day and night regardless of the wind, daylight availability or other cultivation activities [7]. The SDI system can be used for fertilizing. Nutrients can be supplied in a sustained way, and regulated in rate and composition, according to the crop requirements [7]. The hydraulics help in easy water control the number of points provides excellent uniformity of supply. There are a number of disadvantages for the drip irrigation system. Initial investment is quite high for this system. Root development is limited and hence resulting in root rot and dust problems [7]. The emitters can get clogged frequently and cleaning it is a costly and time consuming process. Accumulation of salts might occur at the interface between the wet and dry zones of the soil. It is generally accepted that irrigation can transform society as well as land and landscapes. Drip irrigation has brought about a number of positive and negative social impacts. It helps in alleviating poverty in irrigated areas, minimizes the differential distribution of benefits across farmers and increases the social benefits [7]. The positive effect it has brought on the demographics of the Waitaki valley has helped arrest the population decline [9]. The additional population would not only strengthen the social structure and networks but also increase economic growth. Thus services such as health and education would become more viable. On the other hand, automated drip irrigation systems tend to require less labour and in low wage economies, where job opportunities lag behind growth in labour force owing to rise in population, reducing hired labour can be socially problematic [10]. This leads to further unemployment. Considering the economic aspects, drip irrigation systems have helped farmers to attain better profits due to higher yield. Farmers can conserve water more and also increase the productivity of their farms. The yield of cotton increased by 21% in Dalby and Moree while in Lucerne, yield improvement was between 13-34% [5]. The profits obtained in tomato cultivation in California were about 867 to 1493 dollars more [12]. Water usage was reduced by 45% for corn cultivation in the Great Plains in USA [13]. In spite of all these a major hindrance in the implementation of the system is the high initial cost. Designing and installation requires qualified people and moreover the cost and time for maintenance of the system is also on the higher side. However in the long run farmers can make up for the high initial costs with the higher amount of yield they obtain. The drip irrigation helps in improving the soil surface and the environment. It allows pre treated coalbed methane waters to flow into the root zone of an agricultural field which minimized environmental impacts by storing detrimental salts in the vadose zone [11]. It reduces off-farm movements of fertilizers and pollutants and improves the water use efficiency of irrigated agriculture [3]. It offers potential for increased water and nitrate fertilizer efficiency and decreases ground water contamination by NO3 [14]. The certain negative traits that the system has on the environment are that root rot may occur and levels of salinity rises. Root development is affected leading to insufficient protection against lack of water and poor root anchorage [7]. Overall, the drip irrigation system is an effective way of irrigation. It saves on water usage and allows farmers to increase their farm output. The increased outputs helps counter the rise in food demand and helps the poorer sections of the society with more food at cheaper prices. Evidence presented in the article show the increased crop yield. Even thought the technology comes at a higher price, the effects of implementing it will be long lasting and positive.

No title :: essays research papers

Market volatility and volume may delay system access and trade executions. In addition, there is a risk that system outages may interfere with your ability to access your online account. If you experience difficulties, please contact client services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (excluding market holidays). Past performance of a security does not guarantee future results. † Offer valid for new individual and joint accounts opened with $1,000 or more by 05/31/05. Not transferable and not valid for IRAs, internal transfers, current Ameritrade clients, or with other offers. Qualified commission-free Internet equity orders must execute within 30 days of account funding. Limit one offer per client. Account must remain open with minimum funding for 9 months, or Ameritrade may charge the account for the cost of the free trades used. Ameritrade reserves the right to restrict or revoke this offer. This is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where we are not authorized to do business. Normal account opening, or margin account, requirement is $2,000. Accounts open more than 6 months with a value below $2,000 are subject to a $15 quarterly maintenance fee. Accounts with at least four executed trades in the previous six months and Beneficiary accounts are excluded from this fee. *Ameritrade subscription fees apply to NASDAQ Level II access. Access to real-time market data is subject to acceptance of the exchange agreements. Access differs for professional users. Professional subscribers can access real-time services for the following monthly fees: options quotes $32.25, NASDAQ Level I $20, NASDAQ Level II $50 (includes Level I data), AMEX quotes $43.80, NYSE quotes $127.25 and Streaming News for $99. Ameritrade is not responsible for the quality, accuracy and suitability of third-party financial or investment information or services, including market data provided by the exchanges. **Median trade time is derived from data provided by Market Systems, Inc., an unaffiliated third party vendor and dated 4th quarter 2004. Data is limited to Ameritrade market and marketable limit orders for at least 100 shares and up to 9,999 shares of NASDAQ National Market and Listed securities executed from 9:45 a.m. ET until 4:00 p.m. ET. Data excludes orders for OTCBB securities, options and any security trading in locked or crossed markets. Data may be derived from orders as measured on the first partial fill, exclusive of subsequent partial fills on the same order. Because market centers report execution time in whole seconds, many Ameritrade orders, which are executed in a fraction of a second, are calculated as taking zero seconds.

Memorable Moment Essay

Growing up I’ve had many memorable and important experiences. A lot of these situations have led me to become a better person. I can say that I have had my share of bad experiences as well, but all have led up  to making me the person I am today. One experience that sticks out among them all is one a little over nine years ago. when I learned a valuable lesson. The most memorable childhood experience I have recalled is when I was nine years old. I grew up with my mom, dad, two sisters and a brother. Being the oldest, I always played as a babysitter for my parents .  One day my parents were getting ready to take my brother and baby sister to the doctor. They went through their precautionary measures before they left like ; locking all the doors, windows, leaving their numbers on the fridge, and so on. before walking out the door my dad told me to do my homework and watch my sister. As they left I decided to disregard everything said and not do my homework or even keep an eye on my sister. I started playing Playstation, I got the new Ratchet and Clank game a week earlier and didn’t want to waste any time in beating it. As the day progressed and I was getting further in the game, I started thinking about when my parents were going to get home. So I paused the game for a little to call them. Getting a hold of them was pretty hard considering my parents never answer their phones, but I eventually got through to my mom. During our conversation my mom asked if I did my homework, tensing up and scared to say no, I replied yes, then she asked about my sister. I had no clue where she could be but I again I replied with a hesitant,† y-y-yes mom she’s in her room sleeping†. Already at lie number two, I swiftly rushed to my sisters room. Slamming the door open in urgency, I quickly scanned the room for any sign of my sister. nowhere to be found, I yelled out â€Å"CELINE! † multiple times. Getting no response, I ran down stairs hastily in search for my sister, thinking about the worst possibilities. Coming to a conclusion she’s not in the house, I hurried to the backward. seeing no sign of her I decided to get my shoes on and go outside. ith still no clue to where she could be, I started knocking on the doors of my neighbors and asking in desperation. ironically my aunt lived a couple houses down, and when I asked her she got a little worried, and replied â€Å"no, why?! Is everything alright?! â€Å". I answered with a simple â€Å"yeah khalte, every thing is good. My mom said she was going to bring Celine over to play with Zeinab and I was wondering if she was still here. â€Å". Lie number three. My aunt being her usual self called my mom as soon as I left, to see what was really going on. Heading back home a while later I saw three missed calls from my mom and I didn’t know what to do, what to say that would get me out of this day trouble less. I called my mom back, wasting no time she started questioning me and asking about my sister. I told her everything was fine and it was just a misunderstanding, lie number four. she bought it, but said they are leaving the doctors. running around frantically I didn’t know where to look and what to say to make this all end. making another round through the house, I noticed my parents just pulling up. y dad walked in first calling my name. I threw in the towel, with nowhere to turn and no one to blame but myself, I went to my dad crying. Taking none of it, he asked â€Å"where is Celine? â€Å", not being to answer with a definite answer I told him, â€Å"I don’t know where she could be baba, I looked everywhere†. Yelling at me for being so irresponsible we both started looking for while my brother, s ister(Adina), and mom were just walking in. my dad went straight to the second floor, looking through room after room, closest after closest, with no luck. On our way down the stairs we saw my baby sister in my mom’s hands sleeping. Awed in belief, I asked my mom where she found Celine? She answered with a calm, â€Å"under the kitchen table†. My dad asked, why I seemed so worried, if I was supposed to have everything under control. Explaining to him, I lied to mom and that I’m really sorry. He then asked if I finished my homework, seeing what the lies did to me before, I answered with an honest, â€Å"No Baba†. He then told me, â€Å"yallah baba, finish it so I can take everyone out to get some ice cream†. This has become a life lesson and an important milestone in my childhood. Up until this point I would lie unconsciously to get my parents, teachers, friends off my back. Thanks to this experience I stopped all the unnecessary lieing. Realizing that first lie I told my mom was putting my sister in jeopardy and not my self. If something had happened to her I would never be able to live that down. that’s why I have tried to implement a strict â€Å"No lying† policy in my life. This is only one of the many memorable experience I have had from my childhood. All making me the man I am today.

Everything You Need to Know About Writing Great Reviews

Everything You Need to Know About Writing Great Reviews Does a career spent reviewing movies, music, books, TV shows, or restaurants seem like nirvana to you? Then you’re a born critic. But writing great reviews is an art, one that few have mastered. Here are some tips: Know Your Subject Too many beginning critics are eager to write but know little about their topic. If you want to write reviews that carry some authority, then you need to learn everything you can. Want to be the next Roger Ebert? Take college courses on the history of film, read as many books as you can and, of course, watch lots of movies. The same goes for any topic. Some believe that in order to be a truly good film critic you must have worked as a director, or that in order to review music you must have been a professional musician. That kind of experience wouldn’t hurt, but it’s more important to be a well-informed layman. Read Other Critics Just as an aspiring novelist reads the great writers, a good critic should read accomplished reviewers, whether it’s the aforementioned Ebert or Pauline Kael on film, Ruth Reichl on food, or Michiko Kakutani on books. Read their reviews, analyze what they do, and learn from them. Don’t Be Afraid to Have Strong Opinions Great critics all have strong opinions. But newbies who aren’t confident in their views often write wishy-washy reviews with sentences like â€Å"I sort of enjoyed this† or â€Å"that was okay, though not great.† They’re afraid to take a strong stand for fear of being challenged. But there’s nothing more boring than a hemming-and-hawing review. So decide what you think and state it in no uncertain terms. Avoid â€Å"I† and â€Å"In My Opinion† Too many critics pepper reviews with phrases like â€Å"I think† or â€Å"In my opinion.† Again, this is often done by novice critics afraid of writing declarative sentences. Such phrases are unnecessary; your reader understands that it’s your opinion you’re conveying. Give Background The critic’s analysis is the centerpiece of any review, but that’s not much use to readers if she doesn’t provide enough background information. So if you’re reviewing a movie, outline the plot but also discuss the director and his previous films, the actors, and perhaps even the screenwriter. Critiquing a restaurant? When did it open, who owns it and who’s the head chef? An art exhibit? Tell us a little about the artist, her influences, and previous works. Don’t Spoil the Ending There’s nothing readers hate more than a film critic who gives away the ending to the latest blockbuster. So yes, give plenty of background information, but dont give away the ending. Know Your Audience Whether you’re writing for a magazine aimed at intellectuals or a mass-market publication for average folks, keep your target audience in mind. So if you’re reviewing a film for a publication aimed at cineastes, you can wax rhapsodic about the Italian neo-realists or the French New Wave. If you’re writing for a wider audience, such references might not mean much. That’s not to say you can’t educate your readers in the course of a review. But remember – even the most knowledgeable critic won’t succeed if he bores his readers to tears.

Essay On Speech To The Virgina Convention essays

Essay On Speech To The Virgina Convention essays Although most may only remember the Speech in the Virginia Convention by its quotable line Give my liberty, or give me death! Patrick Henry convinced the Virginia Convention to fight the British by use of sensory details, facts and statistics, examples, and his own options. First of all he convinced them by the use of sensory details. He used three forms of theses details for his speech, rhetorical questions, repetitions, and allusions. The first rhetorical question was Has Great Britain any enemy, in this corner of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? Bringing to the attention of the Convention that if Great Britain is not against us then why do they keep calling for navies and armies to be formed around us. The second rhetorical question was What terms shall we find which have not been already Exhausted? Meaning that what compromises and boundaries could they find to keep with Britain that they didnt already have and argue over. The third and final rhetorical question was But when shall we be stronger? Because he is asking them if we are not strong enough today then when will we be stronger?, he is showing them that, that was not a logical excuse for avoiding the war. Repetitions such as Peace, Let us fight, a nd Let it come, are used for emphasis of his points. Because in the repetition of these subject matters he is showing that they are very important to the speech. Allusions in this speech are important because they made the convention see and relate other instances when situations similar to these arose and how they unfolded. Such allusions are like Suffer not yourself be betrayed with a kiss. Which is a allusion to the Bible in the story of Jesus when Judas betrayed him to the soldiers with a kiss. Like wise Henry is warning the colonists not to become ...

Sarbanes-Oxley and Enron Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sarbanes-Oxley and Enron - Research Paper Example The accounting profession is self-regulated and its practitioners are supposed to follow the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The GAAP framework was created in 1973 by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB). In order for accounting to function properly the practice requires compliance of high ethical standards. Back at the beginning of the 21st century there was an avalanche of accounting scandals with the most notorious one being the Enron case. At the time investor confidence went down a lot as the credibility of the accounting profession came into question. In order to raise investor confidence the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in alliance with the US congress passed a law called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Enron case and to provide a detail analysis of the different aspects included in the Sarbanes and Oxley Act of 2002. The Enron Corporation is one of the worst cases of corporate corruption Ameri ca has ever seen. The situation was very odd due to the fact that Enron Corporation was regarded as one of most respected companies in the energy industry in the late 1990’s and at the beginning of the 21st century. ... e its collapse the firm was the 7th largest company in the United States with over 21,000 employees on payroll including an international operation that spread across 40 countries (Bbc). On December 2, 2001 Enron Corporation file for bankruptcy which at the time was the biggest bankruptcy in the United States history. The demise of Enron occurred due to a lack of corporate ethics. The unethical behavior started at the executive management level and spread throughout the organization like a virus. An example of how unethical the employees had become is the actions of the energy traders. The traders would intentionally shutdown power grids leaving entire towns without energy with the sole purpose of driving the price of energy up once the energy was turned back on. A lack of ethics and corruption was more evident at the executive management corporate level. The managers of the company were cooking up the accounting numbers of the firm. The corrupt managers colluded with its auditor, Au thor Anderson, so that they would look the other way and not revealed the fact the accounting numbers did not add up. A technique the firm used to hide losses and its debt was designing a complex web of partnership which used off-balance sheet accounting to alter reality. The firm completely mismanaged the pension fund of the employees. Instead of saving the pension money and using a sound diversification strategy the managers decided to use the pension fund to finance the firm’s illicit activities. The fund was depleted and invested solely in Enron common stocks. The managers of Enron prior to the full scandal being revealed decided to sell all their shares of Enron stocks at full market value; a few months later the Enron stocks became junk penny stocks. Insider trading is an illicit

Funding in singaporean health system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Funding in singaporean health system - Essay Example The funding also enables competition between the different private health care facilities. The funding also encourages individuals to choose between the public and private health care facilities. Singapore uses the 3M health care financing and services provision. The first 'M' is the Medisave introduced in 1984, the second 'M' is the Medishield introduced in 1990 and the third 'M' is the Medifund introduced in 1963. These 3M form the centerpiece of Singapore health care financing. The 3M medical strategy was designed to curb the reliance of the public on fee for service, third party reimbursement. New medical schemes have been added to the 3M, these include the Eldercare and Elderfund. The Singapore government offers subsidies to public health, outpatient services, hospital services and preventive care. Classes B and C are highly subsidized accounting for the higher costs of running private hospitals. This is practiced at the private sector. It is done individually or through an employer. It is popular among professionals and companies. It is practiced in the private sector. With this type of funding, the companies control the health care expenditure. The system is not used at a national level in Singapore. Widely practiced in Singapore's private sector. ... Fee for service Widely practiced in Singapore's private sector. It is practiced at a family medicine and specialist level. This form of financing for the private sector is growing rapidly in Singapore. It is based on free to choose basis. It is personal and very efficient. However it cannot serve the Singapore entire population as it is expensive. The sector progress as the economy grows (Toh, 2008). Cost containment In the Singapore method of health care financing the health care cost do not pose any problem so long as the rising national income is matched with the health care costs. This means that as the GDP increases, the health care costs should also plummet. This however is problematic due to the fact that the health care cost might increase faster than the GDP. As hospitalization cost increase the cost of the premiums are bound to increase. In the 3M system, all the money spent on the health care is directly the money earned by the health facilities. This system makes the health care providers lack any incentive to contain costs. The system thus limits health care providers from practicing entrepreneur skills. The 3M scheme has resulted in the cutting back of the government spending on healthcare but not to the private spending. Government promotion to the private sector Singapore is striving towards becoming a regional medical hub. This initiative is funded by the government and aims at promoting the private health care sector. The government has spent millions of dollars in attracting foreign based biotechnology and pharmacetucal companies. Some multinational drug companies operating in Singapore include Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Schering-plough and Pfizer. (Taylor & Blair,

Art Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Art Critique - Essay Example Although the miniature tea kettles are not strictly geometric in form, they are placed in such a way as to make the most of their geometric attributes. For example, the artist has placed a column of tea kettles vertically aligned along the bottom right edge of the piece to emphasize their circumference. Another squat tea kettle is placed with its bottom attached to the back piece so as to emphasize its round opening at the top. This large piece stands vertically aligned on the wall like a misaligned small coffee table. The artist works almost exclusively with found materials thus reflects the cast off detritus of society at the same time that he presents these pieces as shining new. The eye is kept moving through the piece thanks to strategic use of line. None of the straight lines created are permitted to exist in horizontal or vertical alignment with the exception of the underlying frame. Most angles are oriented on the diagonal and interrupted in some way by a circle. The composition suggests a haphazard tea table complete with tea cups, saucers and kettles with a few cubes available here and there for a suggestion of sweetener. However, the artist also plays with the aspects of dimension available in the medium, allowing some of these elements to protrude while others sink into the surface. This multi-dimensional piece thus encourages the level of activity and discussion one might expect to find at a t ea party. Kai Bob Cheng’s â€Å"Self-Portrait† is an undated mixed media piece that attempts to convey something about the artist’s interpretation of himself. The image is presented in the traditional form of a portrait complete with an aged and ornate frame and a golden-colored background. Within this frame, and even partially overlapping it, is the seated figure of the artist. This figure is created with the use of paint, wires and other found objects. A set of letters is stenciled across the middle of the image

Government Current Event Essay Example for Free

Government Current Event Essay Being one of the future teachers of Texas, it is important for teachers/students as well as parent to understand what their children are learning in school. It is most especially important for the parents to participate with their children at home. But at the same time all states shouldn’t be the same when it comes to a lot of things, one of them being education. The Common Core Learning Standards/Common Core approach sets ambitious goals for math, reading and writing skills as children move through school. The Common Core has already been adapted to 45 states; Alaska, Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, and Minnesota are not included. This means that these 45 states are now spending a ton of money on new books, new teachers/staff/principals, and some are implementing intense trainings for current staff. Both teachers and staff are going through the pressure of having to be constantly watched and monitored to make sure they are meeting the scores, otherwise they will get fired. In chapter 3 of The Struggle for Democracy, federalism is the division and sharing of powers between the federal and state government. The topic of Common Core and how it’s getting implemented to the school is a state government issue. But having put more thought into the issue, this is actually in some way a federal government issue. Yes the state government votes â€Å"for the people† on whether certain states should even implement the program, but the federal government is the one that will be funding the actual program. Which is a perfect example of what it talks about in our reading of Chapter 3 in The Struggle for Democracy of how the U.S government is a central government; we share powers between the federal/states government. The Common Core issue must be settled with not only the states government but also the federal government. This is an important topic because, as a future teacher and a future mother, in some way it relates to all everyone. Our education and how it’s funded is so poor right now because the people just aren’t informed. We must get informed in order to get educated. I do believe in the quote â€Å"The children of today are the people of tomorrow.†

Contract of Hire Purchase Answer

Contract of Hire Purchase Answer FOUNDLING FINANCE LIMITED Claimant and MISS DIANE DALY and MR DEREK DOBSON Defendant OPINION I am asked to advise Miss Diane Daly and Derek Dobson (â€Å"the defendants†) with regard to their contract of hire-purchase with Foundling Finance Limited for the purchase of a ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine from Saffron Supplies Limited. This contract is the basis of an action in the Dover County Court against Miss Daly and Mr Dobson for repayment of arrears, and interest thereon, for the period from 3rd January to 3rd April. I am asked to advise whether Miss Daly and Mr Dobson are still bound by the terms of the hire-purchase contract, and if not, what type of compensation they may recover by way of damages. Conclusions In summary, I would advise that the defendants were entitled to disregard the hire-purchase contract after they found out the representations of Mr Stone about the fitness of the ‘Nuffield’ for the intended type of work were false. That this right probably subsisted and was exercisable on the 16th January 2006 but can only be determined with further information. The compensation available largely depends on the success of the rejection action. If the defendants are successful then they will be able to recover their money that they have paid and hand back the knitting machine as if they had never been in the contract. If they are unsuccessful they will be left with the residuary claim in damages for the purchase price of the ‘Newmark’ knitting machine and breach of contract but will be liable to keep paying the hire-purchase contract. I have also advised that some more investigation may be required to ascertain whether any further losses have been incurred. Finally, I have been cognisant of Miss Daly’s concerns surrounding the high APR of the hire-purchase agreement and have therefore attached a consideration of whether the bargain may be considered extortionate. Contract On the 3rd October 2005 the defendants went to Saffron Supplies in Sandwich. They entered into a hire-purchase contract for the supply of a ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine for their fashion design business. According to Miss Daly, their business specialises in the knitting of thick wool garments. They took samples of their wool and made it clear to Mr Stone that the sewing machine had to be capable of knitting those types of fibres. Mr Stone replied that the machine was ‘man enough’ to handle such fibres and on the back of which the defendants entered the hire-purchase contract with Foundling Finance Limited. A matter of importance in the formation of this contract is whether or not you entered as a consumer. If you’re not then clause 12 of the hire-purchase contract may exclude any implied term of fitness for purpose. It appears as though the key matters are whether the contract is one which is regularly entered into by the buyer or bought for a distinctive business purpose (R B Customs Brokers Co Ltd v. United Dominions Trust [1988] 1 ALL ER 847). This will depend on the nature of the business and whether this particular sewing machine was integral to the defendants business. These are again facts which the Instructing Solicitors will need to ascertain in particular look at whether there have been any other sewing machines purchased? How was the ‘Nuffield’ used in the business? Was it used for any personal purposes? Breach of Contract The first issue is whether or not the hire-purchase contract was breached when it became evident that the ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine was unfit for knitting the type of fibres that the defendants use in their business. The difficulty will be whether or not we can establish the conversation between the defendants and Mr Stone as to its fitness for the knitting of the thick wool because it was purely oral. The evidence of both the defendants will be critical – Could instructing solicitors please ascertain more details of the conversation. Was Mr Dobson party to the conversation with Mr Stone? If so, what did he hear? How much was the issue of fibres stressed as important to Mr Stone? The obvious difficulty will be that the evidence of Mr Dobson could turn out to be hearsay unless he was party to the conversation. The strength of this argument will become clearer when we have an indication of Foundling Finance’s or Mr Stone’s stance on the issue; currently I only have Miss Daly’s statement as to the matter. It would seem pragmatic to assume that Mr Stone will be a difficult witness for two reasons; he presumably deals with many customers which may make his recall of a conversation that he had seven months ago rather vague and a fear of losing his job could cause him to be a completely useless witness for us. It isn’t clear from my instructions whether Foundling Finance have acknowledged this claim by the defendants but it seems safe to assume that they will deny it given that an admission would bar their current action in the County Court. However if we can establish the oral assurances by Mr Stone then breach of contract will be more likely. The Implied term of fitness for purpose under Consumer Credit Act 1974 will have been breached as long as the facts bear out consumer status, as I advised above. If we cannot establish consumer status we may have to rely on more general common law considerations .In particular Harlingdon Leinster Ltd v. Christopher Hull Fine Art Ltd [1991] 1 QB 564 which argues that even where the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 doesn’t apply the totality of the negotiations will be looked at and the exclusion of an implied term of fitness for purpose, as Foundling Finance Limited have done, maybe disregarded. The strength of this argument will largely depend on the oral evidence which is lead at trial and will depend on the information which I have requested above. Repudiation of Contract The success of maintaining the breach of contract will also rely on whether we can establish the defendants effectively rejected the contract by their letter of the 16th January. This is fundamentally an issue of fact which will need to be ascertained by the Instructing Solicitors. Short of an outright denial, as suggested above, Foundling Finance will likely attempt to argue that either the defendants accepted the breach through acting inconsistently with the ownership of the seller or through lapse of a reasonable time. In order to give my opinion on the strength of this argument could the Instructing Solicitors ascertain facts regarding the dates of the various repairs and more details about the communications between Saffron Supplies and the defendants regarding the repairs. What date was the third repair? Were the repair men’s concerns communicated to the defendants orally or in writing? Were both defendants present at all of the repairs? Was the Knitting machine used at any point between the third repair and the purchase of the ‘Newgate’ knitting machine? The ‘lapse of a reasonable time’ is the test for acceptance of a breach under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 therefore these factors will be critical. If there was a significant period of time between the third repair and the 16th January then I would advise that the Defendants attempt to argue rescission by misrepresentation under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 which is not subject to the same time-constraints as the rejection argument under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. However, I have some doubt as to the strength of this argument not least because it appears never to have been attempted in any reported cases. A critical issue for the success of refuting any defences by Foundling Finance will be the ability to prove that the letter was actually sent. Therefore could the Instructing Solicitors please find out whether Miss Daly has any proof of postage or proof that Foundling received the letter? The copy letter that I received looks as though it was word processed and it may be possible to establish postage through the creation date of the file. According to Miss Daly, she also telephoned the finance company to express her concerns; it would be extremely useful if the Instructing solicitors could ascertain more details about these telephone calls. Does Foundling Finance record phone-calls? When were they made? What exactly was stated in those telephone calls? In my opinion, in order to clarify the issues in dispute between the parties, we should contact Foundling Finance’s representatives to see whether they dispute either the letters or the telephone calls. It maybe that we could then avoid applying for disclosure of evidence Compensation There is a distinction to make between the situation where we can establish that the defendants effectively rejected the contract and where they failed to do so therefore I have treated the separately under this heading. Many of the grounds of damages will be interlinked between the various substantive claims in law. However, if we cannot realistically establish a breach of contract at all then as I am sure Instructing Solicitors will appreciate we have no defence or counterclaim to the current action. If the latter occurs my opinion is that you enter a defence and counter-claim in any case and attempt to settle and avoid some of the interest. (i) If rejection is effective The difference between the two grounds turns on whether or not the sums paid, by my calculation  £3194.57 (that being the November, December and January payments and the two-thousand pound deposit paid on 3rd October 2005), will be recoverable and whether the hire-purchase contract is at an end. I appreciate what a big difference this will make to the defendants. If the rejection is effective then the aim of the court is to put the two parties back in the same position so the money paid will be recoverable and there will be no obligation to continue paying the hire-purchase agreement. However, if rejection is not effective there is in most cases still an action for damages for breach of contract but there is no possibility of ending the contract other than the statutory termination powers in the Consumer Credit Act 1974. (ii) If rejection is not effective As the Instructing Solicitors will appreciate in these circumstances we are limited purely to claiming for purely breach of contract financial losses rather than any emotional losses. However, it is clear that there have been certain losses that will have been caused by the breach in contract. The defendants will remain liable to pay the instalments, including the arrears, if they fail to establish their rejection this is because all the express conditions of the contract will still be enforceable and as a result the defendants will be in breach of contract until they remedy the arrears, along with interest which has been contractually included. (a) Purchase of the ‘Newgate’ It is unclear whether the defendants can claim for the purchase of the ‘Newgate’. It certainly can be characterised as a cost of mitigating the loss which they had initially suffered by Foundling’s breach of contract (as per Bacon v. Cooper (Metals) Limited [1982] 1 ALL ER 397). However, the question of whether it is reasonable will depend on a number of factors which would perhaps require the opinion of an expert. It would be necessary to quantify whether the price paid was reasonable for the product? Whether there were cheaper alternatives available on the market? It seems likely that it would be possible to claim for the whole purchase price of the ‘Newgate’ despite the fact that it may be a better product and leave the defendants in a better position. It seems analogous to Bacon where the court held that replacement of a new item for an old item which became broken didn’t entitle the defendants to reduce the damages to the value of the old item. (b) Loss of Earnings / Damage to Wool. Aside from the purchase of the ‘Newgate’ Miss Daly is of the opinion that her business has not suffered through the breach of contract. However, with all respect to Miss Daly, she is not to my knowledge legally qualified and it would be a breach of professional ethics if we just accept her judgement on this issue. It would be useful if the Instructing Solicitors can check this. In particular: Did the machine not stop being workable for at least three separate twenty-four hour periods? Was there any wool damaged by the machine? What about wasted time waiting for repairmen? It is likely that we can claim these as damages and I am of the opinion that there will be something other than the replacement sewing machine which the defendants can claim for. (c) Extortionate Bargain According to Miss Daly, she feels horrified at the level of the interest that she had to pay for the knitting machine which naturally leads to concerns over whether this hire-purchase agreement could be considered extortionate under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. This could form part of the counter-claim if it can be established. The salient point of the credit agreement is the extremely high APR of 46.2%. In line with A.Ketley Limited v. Scott [1981] ICR 241 the correct approach is to look at whether the rate of interest is extortionate in comparison to other sorts of transactions. I am of course not an expert and thus not qualified but given that the amount repayed will be 161% of the value of the item and that the APR seems to be extremely high at a period of time when interest rates are relatively lower than they have been in the last couple of decades it certainly seems arguable. I think it would be necessary for the Instructing Solicitors to obtain some sort of expert evidence on this point or perhaps some diligent research. In particular – what level of risk is assumed by Foundlings Finance? What sort of experience and means did the defendants have at the time of the agreement? The purpose of arguing this would not so much be as compensation but if Miss Daly was unable to establish a rejection of the contract it could be extremely useful in making the remainder of the payments more equitable. In particular I could ask the court to alter the terms of the credit agreement under s.139 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. I am not overly confident about the success of this argument because generally the court have been reluctant to find bargains extortionate because of the ordinary principles of fair dealing and even where high APR’s have existed such as in Grangewood Securities v Ellis (unreported 23 November 2000) an APR of 35.4% on its own was not held to be extortionate. My largest reservation is that both Miss Daly and Mr Dobson will be construed by the court as business people who ought to have been more aware (this was a factor in A.Ketley). Next Steps I would advise that we enter a defence and counter-claim to the current action that Foundlings Finance has risen. However, before it calls I would suggest that a letter setting out the key elements of our case be sent to the other side because until now they haven’t appeared to have responded to our claims. I would hope that the Instructing Solicitors would be able to settle this case in the meantime. In that event I would be happy to advise on the terms of such a settlement or a Part 36 offer. In particular, it would put the defendants in a strong bargaining position if they can establish whether or not any other damages were sustained by the defendants such as loss of earnings or destruction of property. If you do wish me to advise then please could such instructions include further items of evidence that I have requested throughout this opinion. IN THE DOVER COUNTY COURT Case No. DV6/49215 BETWEEN FOUNDLING FINANCE LIMITED Claimant / Part 20 Defendant and MISS DIANE DALY MR DEREK DOBSON Defendants / Part 20 Claimants DEFENCE AND COUNTERCLAIM Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of the Particulars of Claim are admitted. Save that the Defendants admits that they have not paid instalments on all the relevant dates, it is denied that they are due to be paid as alleged in Paragraph 4 or at all. On 16th January 2006 the Defendant’s rejected the contract for breach of the implied condition of fitness for purpose under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 . A copy of the Defendant’s letter to the Claimants confirming the above is attached to the defence and counterclaim. Paragraph 5 is admitted. The defendants are and were at all relevant times a partnership carrying on business as fashion designers. The Claimants are and were at all relevant times a limited company carrying on business as a provider of consumer credit. The ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine was supplied to the defendants by Saffron Supplies Limited, 6 Shadwell Street, Sandwich (â€Å"the suppliers†) in terms of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Whereas it is admitted that a hire-purchase contract was entered into as set out in Paragraph 5 of the Particulars of Claim, prior to the signing of said contract, on 3rd October 2005, it was orally agreed by Mr Scott Stone of the suppliers that the said ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine would be capable of knitting specific thick wool as used in the Defendants fashion design business. A sample of said wool was exhibited to Mr Stone by the first defendant for the confirmation of the same. It is averred that in consequence of this conversation, the defendants entered the said contract and that it was implied term that the said knitting machine would be fit for the said purpose. On the 3rd October 2005 The Defendants paid a deposit of  £2000 to the Claimants and paid instalments on 3rd November 2005, 3rd December 2005 and 3rd January 2005. The amount of these instalments plus the deposit was  £3194.57 Between 3rd October 2005 and 16th January 2006 the Defendants complained on three occasions to Saffron Supplies Limited that the said knitting machine had broken. On the first two occasions representatives of the suppliers diagnosed the same as being due to minor problems which were rectified without charge. On the third occasion they diagnosed the breakage as being due to the inability of the said knitting machine to knit the said thick wool fibres. The Defendants refused to pay for the cost of repairing said knitting machine in consequence of which the suppliers thereafter failed and/or refused to repair the said knitting machine at the time. By various phone-calls to the Claimant in or about January 2006 the Defendants demanded the repair of the said knitting machine. Despite this, the Defendant thereafter unlawfully failed and / or refused to arrange repair of said knitting machine. By reason thereof the Defendant sent the said letter of the 16th January 2006 which duly informed the Claimants within a reasonable period of time of their intention to reject the said hire-purchase contract because they had breached the said implied condition and the Defendants are consequently not liable thereon, further the Defendant’s demanded (without prejudice to his claim for damages herein) return of the said  £3194.57 and stated that they would exercise a lien over the said knitting machine until the same had been done.. In the circumstances it is denied that the Claimant is entitled to the relief claimed or any relief for the reasons alleged or at all. Further or alternatively, the Defendants will seek to set off against the Claimant’s claim the matters set out in the Counterclaim below, so as to reduce it or extinguish it altogether. COUNTERCLAIM The Defendants repeat their Defence herein. The hire-purchase agreement has an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 46.2% which it is averred is much higher than hire-purchase agreements for other knitting machines and comparable items. In the Circumstances, the said hire-purchase agreement is extortionate pursuant to section 139, Consumer Credit Act 1974. By reason of the Claimant’s said breach of contract the Defendant’s were unable to knit their wool fibres and by reason thereof the Defendants have suffered loss and damage. PARTICULARS By reason of the Defendant’s said breach of contract, the Claimant suffered additional loss and damage, in that they were forced to purchase a similar knitting machine elsewhere, about January 2006 the Defendants purchased a ‘Newgate’ knitting machine at a price of  £9,500. Wasted Time during said repair visits. Cost of Wool Material damaged by said ‘Nuffield’ knitting machine.[1] Further the Defendants are entitled to and counterclaims interest on the sum found due to them for such period and at such rate as the court may think fit pursuant to section 69, County Courts Act 1984. The value of this action exceeds  £5,000 but does not exceed  £15,000. AND the Defendants Counterclaim: Refund of the said Deposit and three instalments of  £3194.57 Interest pursuant to statute as aforesaid. Further or Alternatively; Damages for breach of contract Further or Alternatively; An order that the said hire-purchase agreement is extortionate and that the APR be judicially altered to a more reasonable APR. Statement of Truth I believe (the Defendant believes) that the facts stated in this Defence and Counterclaim are true. Signed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ DATED thisDay of2006 Bibliography Atiyah, P.S., Adams, John MacQueen, Hector ‘The Sale of Goods’ 2005 / Pearson-Longman / 11th edition. Bridge, Michael ‘The Sale of Goods’ 2000 / Oxford University Press / 1st edition Doonan, Elmer Foster, Charles ‘Drafting’ 2000 / Cavendish Publishing / 1st edition. Inns of Court School of Law ‘Opinion Writing’ 2003 / Oxford University Press Marshall, Enid ‘Scots Mercantile Law’ 1997 W.Green / Sweet Maxwell Edinburgh / 3rd edition. Rose, William M. ‘Pleadings Without Tears: A Guide to Legal Drafting Under the Civil Procedure Rules’1999 / Blackstone Press Limited / 5th edition. 1 Footnotes [1] I have added these in the case that they can be proved as per my opinion.