Communicating Using Social Media Essay

Technology has developed tremendously the past decade, more so than it has in the past, and a variety of businesses are being challenged in this area. People from all over the world are constantly innovating new ideas, brainstorming on how to interact more efficiently, than and as fast as they or it possibly can. In order to do this, individuals must communicate with one another, using resources and updated tools to drive out the competition. Technology has changed business in many ways, but its affect on communication is arguably the most significant (Morley, 2013). Also, the skill to speak plainly and supportive is one of the talents that businesses look for in employees. The use of technology can assist students, companies, and computer gurus with communicating, which will lessen the time it takes. The use of social media in the workplace has elevated concerns about loss of time and productivity. However, our study reveals that at the workplace, social media is being increasingly used by professionals for multitasking and for better time management. (Revathy, 2012) Technology can also have penalties that diminish relationships without the tool as a mediator. There are positive, negative, and gray areas when discussing social networking, social media, and how it has affected businesses or the populace in general. Technology and communication are what make up social networking, which has become a â€Å"norm† for Generation X & Y. The findings came just a few months after the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend on average 7 1/2 hours a day using some sort of electronic device, from smart phones to MP3 players to computers — a number that startled many adults, even those who keep their Blackberry’s within arm’s reach during most waking hours..(Stout, 2010) These generations are leading our country globally, internationally, and locally. Because it has been more recent that Smartphone’s and Apple products have flooded the market, there have not been a lot of comprehensive studies done on the impact it is having and I will alleviate on my findings. Social networking can lessen costs, make communication better, and is beginning to assist greatly with marketing departments all over the world. Digital technologies swiftly transform our communication style, the way we purchase and industry interactions in several departments. Compared to older technologies, new technologies have been adopted and implemented more quickly by individuals and businesses. Organizations that use social media are able to reach their consumers promptly, effortlessly, and receive quick responses. The ability to have questions answered immediately allows customer support staff to work faster without irritating the customer. The downside is that employees are less likely to engage in social activities away from their computers (Webster, 2010). While information and communication technologies influence brand loyalty and brand awareness, there is a secure relationship between demanding market-oriented configurations and improving customer loyalty, recognition, and satisfaction. When the influence of social media-focused information & communication technologies on the costs was determined, it was revealed that these technologies reduce administrative costs, supplier/partner costs, internal communication costs, and customer management costs, which in turn positively influences the business performance (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). It is a lot cheaper to do business in a social media environment when regarding promotions, expenses, and revenue made. Marketing, sales, and promotional activities done in social media environments provide businesses an opportunity to act independently of their physical environments (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). This article also spoke of employees having better relationships with one another, being able to conne ct online has helped their line of communication drastically; so their attitudes and work environment has improved as well. It was enlightening to see that these technologies definitely affect brand recognition of the corporation and customer devotion to services and products. Large and small companies seek to form a connection between their customers, products or services; particularly through advertisement and other creative activities. When sudden transfer of information, instant feedback, and broad areas of influence are considered especially in social media environments, businesses execute marketing-focused activities in these environments (Gecti & Dasan, 2013). The latest technologies guide the way; facilitate a new perspective, and guarantee positive and negatives for the nations’ wealth and businesses’. This brings to mind the surfacing of new applications for many telecommunications, companies, and individuals. Social media is exceptionally significant in viral marketing and in the encouragement of new products. Consciousness and successful use of social media has produced ample solutions in these areas and has generated a novel line of work for the information technology industry. As information travels faster and faster and more reliably, barriers of distance disappear, and businesses are realizing how easy it is to outsource jobs overseas (Mcgrath, 2013). There are additional positions being implemented daily into social networking and the people that are already in place in this segment are constantly growing. Someone is responsible for collecting the responses made by consumers and interpreting them so that they can pr omote â€Å"liked† items. By using Face Book and Twitter, generally you can determine whether a product is going places or not. Comments, news, or shares about products or companies in social networks, blogs, and news sites so on are constantly monitored through specially developed software to collect information and to provide instant response. In this way, businesses have a chance to store and manage the unstructured information (Kietzman, 2011). Traditionally, consumers used the Internet to simply expend content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it to buy products and services. Increasingly, however, consumers are utilizing platforms—such as content sharing sites, blogs, social networking, and wikis—to create, modify, share, and discuss Internet content. This represents the social media phenomenon, which can now significantly impact a firm’s reputation, sales, and even survival. Yet, many executives eschew or ignore this form of media because they don’t understand what it is, the various forms it can take, and how to engage with it and learn (Keitzmann, 2011). As all these positive aspects of social media can and is changing the way we think and buy. The major concern is that is moving so fast that the leaders making huge decisions that can affect our daily lives are reluctant in catching up with the new ways. This hesitance will cause a negative influence on communication in business and technology. Hopefully, eventually these two extremes will coincide and all generations can find a way to join together in moving forward at the same pace. Until then, future leaders of America will have to step up and find innovative ways to implement training in these areas. I believe that the more important thing to remember through all of the â€Å"change† is that we are doing it together and to be open minded to the idea that there may be a more efficient way to do something. Whether it is gain feedback or to simply get a shift covered, technology is changing fast and if he/she does not get on the fast train with the rest of the world, then companies may suffer extraneously. The negative sides to social media and technology in business communications consists of the obvious: misunderstood messages, misinterpreted texts, email, IM, etc., isolation, no actual social life, too public, and simply too difficult to comprehend. It’s worth noting, however, that today only 5 percent of communications occur on social networks. Moreover, almost all digital human interactions can ultimately become â€Å"social,† and jobs involving physical labor and the processing of transactions are giving way, across the globe, to work requiring complex interactions with other people, independent judgment, and the analysis of information. As a result, we believe social technologies are destined to play a much larger role not only in individual interactions but also in how companies are organized and managed. While the adoption of social technologies is growing rapidly, a huge untapped potential for them to create value remains (Bughin, Michael, James, 2012). That statistic was from last year and it was only five percent that companies actually engage in social media. I am positive the numbers have grown significantly, but I am also sure that there is a large percentage that does not want anything to do with this world. Some employers may feel social is inappropriate for the office because its name implies socializing rather than working (Poluck, 2012). There are many different ways that people can misunderstand emails or texts, especially when you cannot see the person. There are a lot of emoticons and symbols used to replace emotions, but without being able to look into someone’s eyes or see their body language, it is almost impossible to tell if they meant what they said the way that you think you should have interpreted it. People could waste valuable time trying to encrypt these messages when they could have picked up the phone. Having a pleasurable conversation with our family, friends or significant others, we lock our eyes to our computer and mobile device screens instead of listening and giving feedback. Technology has its advantages, but we should take a footstep back and grasp what it is doing to our skills, talents, and relationships. The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends — or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time (Stout, 2010). Our children will be educated in a completely different era than we were, than our parents, and their parents which can be intimidating when you look carefully at how fast all of this happening. Also, another disadvantage that Morley says, â€Å"Instant communication can make it harder for workers to deal with one task at a time when their work is constantly being interrupted by comments and questions that relate to other projects or even personal issues. In fact, some employees must make an effort to turn off communication devices while they work to meet deadlines (Morley). Maybe companies are strategically planning ways to welcome new technologies or implementing training programs so that employees are aware of how to communicate effectively online. In my experience, I have not been in an organization that implemented a training program for communication, let alone a training of how to â€Å"tweet† professionally. If a company already has policies on misconduct, then mostly they could enforce the same rules when applying to social networking in the workplace. I did work for one hotel that took one of its sales persons and gave her the title of coordinator over social engagement. As I was leaving last summer, she was handling all trip advisor comments and applied them to the employees when it was good or bad. If there were good comments on particular employees, she would recognize and reward, which did motivate them. Through my research, I found limitless articles, journals, CDs, books, etc. that offered training on communication individually, group settings, and in the workplace. If I were to choose, I would definitely choose one that focuses on communicating respectively, but that also starts with the basics so that all ages and cultures can catch up to speed. Start with different departments and treat it as any training session, make it fun and interactive. If people are not given the knowledge, we cannot expect them to act any differently. People are representing their companies when they are working and when they are not. If those individuals are â€Å"connected† to people at work and you put your entire personal life online, then you can expect co-workers at your job to know the details of your weekend. Human resource department can also use these open networking sites to look up your page and see if you will be a good candidate or not. Whether it is positive or negative, the use of social media with technology in business communications is happening, regardless who likes it or who is not â€Å"ready† for it. References Bughin, J., Chui, M., & manyika, J. (2012). Capturing business value with social technologies. McKinsey Quarterly (4), 72-80. Geà §ti, F., & Dastan, I. (2013). The impact of social media-focused information & technologies on business performance via mediating mechanisms: An exploratory study on communication and advertising agencies in Turkey. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(7), 106-115. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1357565373?accountid=32521 Jan H. Kietzmann, Kristopher Hermkens, Ian P. McCarthy, Bruno S. Silvestre, Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media, Business Horizons, Volume 54, Issue 3, May–June 2011, Pages 241-251, ISSN 0007-6813, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681311000061) McGrath, Jane. (2008). How has technology changed the way we conduct business? HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved from http://money.howstuffworks.com/technology-changed-business.htm Morley, Amanda. (n.d). Effects on Technology in Business Communications. Chron. Demand Media. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-technology-business-communications-23045.html Pollack, J. (2009, May 23). ‘Something’s got to change’; social media the internet’s moving too fast for companies to not keep up with it – old traditions, such as memos, don’t work in the age of mass and immediate communication, tech executive says. Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/423358594?accountid=32521 Revathy, L. N. (2012, Mar 26). Business communication shifting to social media. Businessline. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1321923181?accountid=32521 Stout, Hillary. (2010, April 10). Antisocial Networking? New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Webster, Shannon. (n.d.). What are the positive and negative effects of using technology to communicate? Chron. Demand Media. Retrieved June 16, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/positive-negative-effects-using-technology-communicate-21241.html

Importance of Criminal Justice Administration

Class: Criminal Justice Administration Date: 9/10/2012 Importance of Criminal Justice Administration The role of a Criminal Justice Administrator is to manage a criminal justice system. She/ He direct the administration of the day-to-day operations, participates in administrative decision making, enforce policies and procedures, and sets work flow priorities. Criminal justice administrators also oversee agencies’ budget, policies and program requirements. Each public agency, according to its primary function, has a support team.The criminal justice administrator is in charge of supervising all agency staff; which can include lawyers, judicial clerks, secretaries, investigators and line officers. He/ She review and approve their reports, as it is his responsibility to make sure all information is accurate and prepared in accordance with established policy and procedure. The United States criminal justice system is a system that acts to enforce the criminal laws of the country. In the United States, the criminal justice system is divided in three categories: federal, state and military.In addition to these three categories, each state has separate divisions that deal with adult and juvenile cases. Each of these systems is comprised of three major components. The first component of the criminal justice system and perhaps the most important and dangerous is law enforcement. This includes the local police department with all of its police officers and detectives. These people head the criminal justice system because they are the ones responsible for finding and capturing individuals who break the laws set forth by the state, federal government or the military.The second component is the court; the court system includes prosecution and defense lawyers, judges and juries. These individuals make sure offenders are given fair trails. Judges, also known as finders of facts, hear the cases and preside over the participants to make sure that all laws are followed wh ile the cases are being tried. Some cases are tried in front of a judge only, while others have a jury of 12 citizens who determine the guilt or innocence of a defendant based on facts brought forth during a trial.The last but not least is corrections. The correction system, which is tightly intertwined with the previous two components, is very important and quite large. The correction individuals ensure that a defendant’s punishment and all of its stipulations are carried out. Like any organization, state and local criminal justice agencies must deal with issues of organizational management and employ the management styles that best allow them to achieve their objectives of crime prevention, adjudication of criminal offenses, and punishment of offenders.In today’s world we have developed different styles of management that could apply to law enforcement agencies, criminal courts, and correctional facilities and departments. In my opinion managers are more important th an supervisor because they have more responsibilities under their shoulders. Systems management requires a complete approach to organizational leadership, which involves not only management of personnel, but also of organizational knowledge. A systems approach to management recognizes the complexity of modern organizational processes.In this perspective, organizations function based on the information and data that employees can access. A successful agency must properly manage all of these elements. Features of systems management include specialization within components of a large system and coordination among different components. System management could serve criminal justice agencies well, and some organizations exhibit elements of this approach. For example, many large law enforcement organizations have specialized divisions, such as homicide, gang enforcement, vice, and others, but with cooperation among these different units.In general Criminal Justice Administration it is imp ortant because in order for law enforcement agencies to work properly a Criminal Justice Administrator needs to be in charge. Law enforcement agencies and organizations devoted to research in the field of criminal justice administration sometimes need professional researchers to perform ongoing work. Examples might include research into the most effective ways to run criminal justice agencies and how budgets impact the administration of criminal justice.Administrators may have tasks that can include mathematical models and other methods in order to assess policies so those in the administrative side can make informed decisions. I personally believe that Criminal Justice Administration is not failing it just have its ups and downs. We have to keep in mind that in order for a criminal justice administrator to be successful he/she has to have a good working idea of the legal system and the role they play in it.

Entrepreneur: Small Business Management

Small Business Management 1. I think that entrepreneurship can be taught, because many of us exactly students had no experience with business and wish to learn about it, not the fact that all people will work on the specialty, but all of them need money to live, and one way to reach this goal is entrepreneurship. When it is taught, we already know from what to begin and we study on another's examples as it is possible to avoid some problems. On the other hand it depends on the person how he can use this knowledge from lesson more efficiently for his firm. . It seems to me that our collegiate entrepreneurs face a lot of barriers with schedule or time management, because they need to pass their course while they control their own businesses. Also when person launching his own business and it’s connected with producing product, he need demand for his product, but nowadays a lot of customers do not wish to take if the goods are not so known and many of them have got used to take t he checked up goods. Another point of barriers is stuff of employees it should be very responsible people. Of course every collegiate entrepreneur faces some financial obstacle because many of them invest their money, and they want to recover their money quicker, hence many of them look for new highly paid job as they want to be independent. 3. One advantage that collegiate entrepreneurs can do it’s very useful experience for future because they need to analyze will be this project profitable, use knowledge involving accounting, finance, management, marketing and so on also at the beginning it’s interesting will be a boss. As a student entrepreneur can take suggestion from teachers who provide to him advantageous information. Also lots of young people is very risky and they don’t afraid of launching business and their mind more creative and more fashionable. 4. I think that university can organize some special club for those people who want to begin their own business and invite people who really work as entrepreneurs, who can share their own experience with the other people

McDonald going to Russia Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

McDonald going to Russia - Coursework Example The company does this by itself and in consideration of the communities around which they operate. One major factor that has made the company going is that, they have been a focused on doing the right thing just from the beginning. This has made their values define who they are, what they do and how they operate (McDonald, 2010). If McDonald would like to take its restaurant services to Russia, there are various considerations that the company management should take into consideration before doing the launch. The considerations are on the marketing issue of the company. After carrying out an adequate environmental analysis of the companys external environment, it would be wise for the company to include an analysis of how the possibility of launching its products and services in Russia. To be able to do this, the company can consider the analysis around communication, consumption, country culture, and consumer behavior. These are issues in marketing that re usually categorized under 12Cs of marketing. However; for this kind of assignment, just the five Cs are found more appropriate and will highly count when trying to launch McDonalds products in Russia. This report will majorly dwell on the discussion of the consideration of McDonalds entry into Russia and the extent to which part of the 12 Cs mention above will influence its entry into this market. The first C that McDonald would mind thinking about before deciding to enter into Russia will be on Communication. Communication in this sense will mean a lot as communication usually means a lot in any form of business. McDonald, to begin with, will have the task of knowing the major language that is being spoken u the Russians. This would be important as it is a language that facilitates communication. The essence of this is that, it is usually necessary that the company staff communicates with the customers on various issues of concern so that most of the business can be solved. The

The Theory of Static Trade-off Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Theory of Static Trade-off - Case Study Example This theory of static trade-off presumes that subsequent to expense, debt benefits may be received. Benefits of utilizing debt includes that a challenge of free cashflow gets minimized and as well payments of interest may be deducted from taxation. As a result, a taxation gain from debts may be received. Furthermore, the bigger the rate of taxation, the greater will be the motivation to borrow. Such theory of static trade-off has for a long period subjugated the thinking concerning the capital structure; conversely it contains a few drawbacks. Maybe the major disadvantage involves that numerous huge, financially complex as well as highly productive companies make small utilization of debts within their funding. That’s contrary to the theory of static-trade-off that presumes that those companies employ comparatively mainly debt. The idea underlying the theory of static trade-off involves that those companies experience small threat of becoming insolvent and hue high tax benefit s exist from the taxation shield that is expected.The likely existence of this theory of static trade-off within the decisions of capital structure in Diageo firms will further be explained by employing frequently employed company specific factors. The logic underlying a negative association connecting the debt-free taxation shield as well as the ratio of debt and capital involves taxation reductions on such as depreciation as well as taxation credits get presumed as alternatives in favor of tax gains expected from debt funding.

Performance within Community by BMW Group Research Paper - 2

Performance within Community by BMW Group - Research Paper Example BMW Group was founded in 1917. Its chief operations were entitled to the production of an engine for airlines. In 1923 the company first produced motorcycle and in 1928 with the acquisition of â€Å"Eisenach Car Production†, they developed a new market. The company was involved in the production of airplane engine along with other car activities during the Second World War. After this period the company has been recorded to witness continuous growth. In 1951 they first entered the luxurious automobile division and launched BMW 501 (Ploen and Olesen 2010). Another model with a V8 engine, the 502 was one of the best creations of BMW. From 1954 onwards numerous versions were available but the sale was not sufficient to reach their profits. Despite facing financial problems they opted to build sports versions of 502 in 1954 (BMW n.d.) After realizing the great potential in the car manufacturing industry, BMW solely focused on manufacturing cars in different innovative designs. Per petually, the acquisition of Robert Group was initiated by the company with an expectation for its development which resulted in great failure. Again in 2003, the company acquired Rolls-Royce and extended their brand portfolio. Presently, BMW has become a house of brands comprising of BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Mini (Ploen and Olesen 2010). BMW was listed at the top of the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI) in the year 1999 and 2000, as the world’s leading automobile industry in sustainable development. The increase in the value of companies as recorded on the DJSGI clearly surpassed the Dow Jones Global Index. At the same time in 2000, the value in the C-DAX Automobile Index was decreased by 21 percent and the share price of BMW was raised by 13.4 percent in the same period (BMW Groups 2002). Most of the roads of the world are populated by BMW with its firmly engineered and reliable cars. In spite of these two aspects, BMW is also known for its car with high performance as it is built based on production vehicles. They have provided their best efforts for highest-performance road cars (Cohen 1996). 2.2. Role of Business towards Community BMW possess various goals and objective towards the community. They are involved in increasing the road safety, creating awareness among people, opposing the violence in the community, fighting against HIV/AIDS, developing educational projects related to schools as well as kindergarten, creating mutual trust within the communities (BMW Group 2008). BMW encourages the exchange of ideas along with the understanding of intercultural aspects by applying a variety of cultural initiatives. For the BMW Group, cultural engagement has been an integral part of the corporate communications activities for more than 30 years.

In the instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In the instruction - Essay Example The trans-Atlantic trade was based on the need for raw materials in Europe, the ability of Africans to provide slaves and the productivity of the American continents (Gunn 102). Through the trading contacts between America and Europe, settlers gained a stronghold of the American continent and consequently became the primary producers. When they eventually sought independence, they relied on European technology to establish themselves (Gunn 113). In addition, since they came from Europe, the spread European culture and introduced European religion. Therefore, Europe played a key role in determining the course of the American history, hence the validity of the propositions of Eurocentrism. With the emergence of the age of enlightenment, there was a shift in human values and slave trade was no longer acceptable in Europe. However, slave labor was a primary source of income in other places such as in sugar cane plantations in America. However, Columbian Exchange implied that Americans relied on European values (Brown 26). Therefore, the slave trade was increasingly banned in many places. The relevance of the European values was so great that the plight for abolishment was a leading reason for the outbreak of the American civil war. This shows the dominance of European values in the rest of the world, despite the existence of differences (Brown 35). Therefore, the concepts of Eurocentrism are valid because changes in Europe produced changes in the rest of the world. The implication is that Europeans determined, and continue to determine, the course of history It is true that the world history from the 18th century is centered on the impact of the Europeans on the rest of the world. From the 18th century, Europeans became colonialists and spread European culture and values to the rest of the world (Vanhaute 76). In many parts of the world, there

Key Ideas of Liberalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Key Ideas of Liberalism - Essay Example Political liberalism Liberalism supports constitutional democracy. Liberalism advocates for the protection of human and individual civil rights as well as their freedoms. Under political liberalism, every human being should be fairly and equally treated under the rule of law. Political liberalism seeks at preventing tyranny by supporting constitutional forms of democracy where power becomes vested upon individuals elected by people being governed (Hobhouse 2009, p.19). Liberalism advocates that representative democracy is the best form of government as there is balance between the rule and rights of minority. Liberalism ideally stipulates that power of government should be limited through decentralization. Liberalism vests the power of the government in the ability of people to choose their leaders through free and fair voting systems. Through constitutional democracy, liberalists postulate that the rule of law should be limited. People should be able to govern themselves by voting in their preferred lea ders. The church and government should be separated and treated differently. Political liberalism advocates for competitive politics through multi-party politics (Hobhouse 2009, p.19). Individuals become allowed to freely choose political parties that represent their ideologies. Governments’ sole aim becomes to protect the rights of its citizens by following a constitution designed by its citizens. The government should be distinguished from society according to political liberalism.... Trade should be designed to be free, fair and open within a state or between states. Liberalists argue that free, open and fair trade allow for economic expansion and promotes international peace. Economic liberalism also argues for economic freedom where individuals take part in economic forms they desire. Liberalists also stipulate that the state should provide equal economic opportunity for all. All human beings should be provided with economic freedom such as to trade. Social liberalism Social liberalism concerns itself with protection and expansion of human rights as well as civil liberty (Hobhouse 2009, p.14). Liberalism stipulates that governments should protect the rights of its individuals. Liberalist ideals argue for human rights such as those to speech, religion and association. Human rights and freedom should be accorded to everyone without the use of force. The freedom of speech allows for individuals to express their ideas freely without force or violence. Freedom of re ligion states that an individual has the freedom to worship whoever he or she desires. Under liberalism, individuals have the right to assembly or association. This allows for individuals to gather and associate with whoever they please. Social liberalism advocates for freedom and strength in a civil society. Social liberalism stipulates that individuals should be allowed their freedom unless it infringes on the rights of others under which they can become curtailed. Everybody is allowed the same equal rights not limited to their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality or sexual orientation. Social liberalism ideals also allow for social inclusion and tolerance of different lifestyles unless they infringe on the rights of others.

Literature Review Outline on Improving Reading Fluency in Elementary Essay

Literature Review Outline on Improving Reading Fluency in Elementary Students - Essay Example i. Definitions and Benefits of Constant Time Delay – Citation of Reference by Aldemir & Gursel (2014): These are teaching techniques that build reading fluency by increasing word recognition. Teaching utilizes procedures that entail observational learning groups such as pronunciation of letters and spelling lessons. b) Objectives: The ambition of the study was to use a multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects on taped numbers intervention and constant time delay on number identification accuracy among kindergarten students. bb. Criticisms: The absence of response data change during intervention sessions that would aid in designing responsible mechanisms for behavior change. Elements related to peer influence such as group and choral responding were not accounted for in the study. dd. Instruments: Formative evaluation process implanted on time delay procedures involving taped interventions such as sounds, texts, video, and animations. Using multimedia computer program inserted to a 5-second constant time- delay procedure was effective in teaching sight words mm. Criticisms: Students with low mastery levels face a high chance of lagging behind in such procedures and thus would not be favored. In addition, the chorus method does not necessary entail memory retention of words that might affect students negatively. Aldemir, O., & Gursel, O. (2014). The effectiveness of the constant time delay procedure in teaching pre-school academic skills to children with developmental disabilities in a small group teaching arrangement. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 14(2), 733-740. Begeny, J. C., Krouse, H. E., Ross, S. G., & Mitchell, R. C. (2009). Increasing elementary-aged students’ reading fluency with small-group interventions: A comparison of repeated reading, listening passage preview, and listening only strategies. Journal of Behavioral Education, 18(3), 211-228. Begeny, J. C., Daly III, E. J., &

Future of Modernization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Future of Modernization - Essay Example The citizens would also enjoy higher standards of living. This paper will look into various aspects of modernization in the United States and also around the world. The paper will also look into the consequences of modernization and various theorists of the idea of modernization. There are four different concepts that modernization manifests itself in the United States. One of the concepts is that is the diversification that the society is undergoing through. Another concept is that people are making more abundant choices while at the same time the concept of smaller communities is also a manifestation of modernization in the United States. The other concept is that the aging people are becoming more and more future conscious that it was witnessed a number of years ago. Manifestation of the modernization in the United States can be said to be following the theories of Emile Durkheim. Durkheim concentrated on how the society should uphold their virtues and integrity in the modern times and how the societies would share such things as religion and ethnicity in a very constrained manner (Wagner, 2008). To this effect, Durkheim with the assistance of Herbert Spencer sought to come up with a scientific approach to study the society and various phenomena that would be associated with the society. This was done in reference to the function the individuals played in quotidian maintenance to explain different elements of the society existence and hence Durkheim is seen by many as the precursor of functionalism. Thus he was involved in the study commonly referred to as Social Facts. Social Facts is the study that tries to prove that there is the existence of a phenomenon which is not bound by the actions of the individuals and how the individuals that make up a society adapt to some changes but which is precipitated by a social fact. To this effect, some of the most subjective and individualistic phenomena that include such things as suicide would be described by Durkheim as an example of social facts which are objective (Macionis, 2006). Hence, modernization in the United States is manifested by the society adapting some new social changes which can be attributed to the theory of Social Fact a theory that is credit to Emile Durkheim. This means that the society in America is experiencing these changes due to modernization and this means that the reality of modernization in America has manifested itself due to the changes that the society is undergoing through and how these changes are positively and negatively affecting the society (Tyrer, 2008). Modernization development in the United States Right now, the United States is undergoing through many changes that can be said to be political, social, economical and cultural. This means that the United States will have many more developments as far as modernization is concerned. Politically, the society is looking for more freedoms and rights and the government is forced to comply with the requirements of the citizens. This means that modernization in the political outlook of the United States have more room for development. It is important to note that the country is the most democratic country in the world but the people feel that they need to

The Influence of Media on Perception of Beauty Essay Example for Free

The Influence of Media on Perception of Beauty Essay Defining beauty is not without its challenges: look up the definition of beauty in any english dictionary and one will be met with an ambiguous description similar to this: A combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense (Newman 2010) acknowledges the dilemma in asking what beauty is. She maintains we grope around the edges of the question as if trying to get a toe-hold on a cloud. We know it when we see it, or so we think. Philosophers construct beauty as a moral equation (Newman 2010). Plato once said that what is beautiful is good. Poets reach for the lofty, according to (Newman 2010). Jean Pullman wrote true beauty is how she acts, true beauty is inside. Others are more definite in their definition. When people approach plastic surgeons and announce make me beautiful what they are asking for are high cheekbones and a stronger jawline (Davis 2011). Scientifically beauty is seen as health. According to (Newman 2010): Its a billboard saying I am healthy and fertile, and I can pass on your genes. Our personal perceptual process plays a large part in what we deem to be beautiful. Perception refers to the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses (Merriam-Webster 2010). The sensory receptors that are involved are skin, mouth, ears, nose and eyes and they inform our sense of touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight. The media has brought with it wonderful advantages in certain aspects of peoples lives but it has also brought with it a very alarming detriment, and this is a change and influence in societys perception of beauty. Through the media unrealistic images of western ideals of beauty are transmitted out all over the world. Advertisements, magazine articles and modern hollywood are the driving force behind the influence of the publics perception of ideal beauty (Hoffman 2004). From magazines and billboards to film and television advertisements, it is fair to say that images of unattainable body ideals are everywhere for all to see. The age of technology has meant that there is more access and exposure to these images. According to (Tornambe 2010) movie icons in the 1950s and 1960s that appeared on the silver screen were admired and adored, but never copied like today. Because it was understood that they lived a life far different from the average person. Fast forward to the present, where people are bombarded by images of the daily life of celebrities thanks to online social media websites like twitter and facebook, blogs and online magazines. This has created an intimate relationship between celebrities and the public (Tornambe 2010). This relationship has changed societys view on beauty because now that celebrities are on our level, doesnt that mean we can be like them? Women in particular experience the brunt of media pressure. From reading magazine articles and advertisements that feature women that are models who are underweight and beautiful, they feel that they need to look like that to be happy and successful (Hoffmann 2004). This can create an unhealthy body image for women. Body image is the perception that one has about oneself (Martin 2009). This perception can be either positive or negative.The average height of a female fashion model is 5 ft 10 inches and weighs 110lbs (Waltz 2004). The average woman is 5 ft 4 inches in height and weighs a healthy 145lbs, yet the media glorifies the former as ideal. The perception that to look like a model will make one happier and confident has led to an increase in eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, as women starve themselves or make themselves sick to aid in faster weight loss (Waltz 2004). Unsurprisingly, eating disorders are a growing epidemic and since 1970, the number of those with eating disorders has increased by a staggering 400% (National Eating Disorder Organisation 2011). Eating disorders account for more fatalities than any other psychological illness (National Eating Disorder Organisation 2011). Genetically some women are not meant to be very thin. The death of American singer Karen Carpenter shocked the world in 1983 when it was found that her death was caused by complications due to anorexia. Her death essentially opened the eyes of the world to this disease, because many had not heard of it as it was rarely talked about (Schmidt 2010). Karen became the first celebrity victim of anorexia. As one half of the band The Carpenters she was a regular in the spotlight and felt the pressures from the media to be thinner. Naturally curvaceous and weighing a healthy 140lbs, she began extreme dieting and starvation in 1967. Her body suffered from the lack of food and many doses of laxatives and thyroid pills and she had fainted many times on and off stage. Her heart, weakened from the stress she placed on her body, eventually gave up and she died from cardiac arrest.The dark side of beauty is apparent. But according to (Newman 2010), studies suggest that beauty is regarded as more than a confidence booster: attractive people make more money, get called on more often in class, receive lighter sentences, and are perceived as friendlier Evidently beauty is so highly regarded that there is an immense expectation for women to conform to impossible standards. According to (Chapman 2011) women are made to feel ugly and ashamed if these standards are not met. For years the ideal beauty in women was considered to be white skin, light eyes and blonde hair, as dictated by the media. Superior race is the most oppressive of beauty ideals which continues to dominate the media (Stephens, Hill and Hanson 1994). According to (Kite 2011) images of white women dominate the media, which creates a negative impact on women who are not of a white ethnicity. Celebrities such as Beyonce Knowles and Aiswarya Rai who are successful actresses in their own right, have experienced what is known as the whitewashing of the media (Beauty Redefined 2011). In advertisements and magazine features these women have been subjected to this harmful media representation where their dark skin has been noticeably whitened before publication. See Figure 1 and 2 where you will see two photographs of both women, one of before each were whitewashed and one afterwards.The media digitally lighten both the skin and hair colour. The transformation of both women is very disturbing. The actresses are considered beautiful women but when they are respresented as beauty icons in the media, they fit the white ideal – light skin, light-colored hair and lightened eyes (Beauty Redefined 2011). In Killing Us Softly, a documentary made by Jean Killbourne in 2010, Jean confirms this. In it she says that women of colour are considered beautiful only if they fullfill the white ideal that is light skin, hair, eyes and caucasian features (Kilbourne 2010). In Asia beauty is often equated with white skin. In fact it has spawned a lucrative and dangerous industry of skin-bleaching products (Hwang Lynch 2011). According to (Hwang Lynch 2011) the preference for pale skin is equivalent to the American obsession with tan skin. 70% of the Asian cosmetic and skin care market is made up of bleaching and whitening products aimed at women who want to artificially lighten their skin(Hwang Lynch 2011).Whilst most products perform safely, they have been linked to the death of a 23 year old Cambodian woman in 2010 (The Guardian 2010). The coined phrase dying to be pale rings true. The search and pursuit of ideal beauty spans centuries and countries. Cleopatra famously wore black kohl made from minerals around her eyes to accentuate them. In the court of Louis XVI, women drew blue veins on their necks to emphasise their noble blood (Newman 2010). In the 18th century women used vermilion rouge that was made of a dangerous chemical compund made up of sulfur and mercury. So dangerous, it caused women to lose their teeth and some to lose their life from being poisoned. The pursuit of ideal beauty is also very costly. According to (Kilbourne 2010) what is most important to women is how we look and that we make the effort to look good: The media surround us with images of the ideal female beauty and we learn from an early age that we must spend enormous amounts of time and money striving to achieve this look and feeling ashamed when we fail. Failure is inevitable because it is impossible to attain this ideal (Kilbourne 2010). Advertisments for cosmetic and skincare products contain models that have been made to look flawless via digital enhancement. The advertisments base their ideal on complete perfection. There are never any natural lines or wrinkles on the models that would be clearly visible without artificial enhancement. The flawlessness advertised by these cosmetic companies simply cannot be achieved (Kilbourne 2010). Nobody looks like these models, not even the models themselves. Kilbourne (2010) discusses female sexuality in her documentary. She says that from an early age girls learn that appearance and sexualised behaviour are rewarded by society. Whilst she claims there is nothing wrong with wanting to be sexy, she believes it is wrong that this is emphasised for women to the omission of other important attributes, such as having a genuine personality. (Wolf 1991) summed up the insecurities felt by young girls: Their [girls] sexual energy, their evaluation of adolescent boys and other girls goes thwarted, deflected back upon the girls, unspoken, and their searching hungry gazed returned to their own bodies. The questions, Whom do I desire? Why? What will I do about it? are turned around: Would I desire myself? Why not? What can I do about it?. Defining beauty is not without its challenges but according to (Englis, Solomon and Ashmore 1994) people actively look for it based on what is thrusted to them by the media. Female consumers are on the lookout for the latest products that will help them look beautiful. Marketers capitalise on this with advertisments depicting unattainable beauty that tricks consumers into buying their product. In the USA in 2011 six billion dollars was spent on fragrance and another six billion on makeup (Newman 2010). Hair and skincare products amounted to eight billion dollars each. 20 billion dollars was spent on diet products and services, and this is in addition to the billions spent on health club memberships and not forgetting cosmetic surgery. Conclusion It is clear that we live in a society and culture that values appearance, and the media bombards us with an array of images of ideal appearances for both men and women on a daily basis. This isnt helped by the fact that we live in the digital age and images are thrusted in our purview through more mediums. The media is such a consistant member of our lives and is so dominant that we consciously do not understand the strong influence and control it holds over our perceptions of beauty. With every passing year and decade our perception of what is ideally beautiful changes as a result of what we are being fed by the media (Salome 2009) No doubt many women will continue to suffer because of it and strive to try and achieve it. Of course there are many of us who will sooth ourselves with cliches like its only skin deep and beauty is in the eye of the beholder but for better or worse beauty matters and has always mattered. The media need to completely change their input in influencing our perceptions. They need to advertise women with realistic and healthy bodies that are beautiful. They must stop featuring unhealthy, underweight models in advertisements – they are not beautiful, they need help and it is wrong. Yes, beauty will always matter. But lets appreciate and embrace being different and renounce any ideal. The media sends out messages to women that beauty is a central aspect to their identity and their sex (Salome 2009). It is extremely damaging for young impressionable women that attach easily to this notion. A genuine personality does not sell a product it seems and instead sex sells. The notion that in advertising and also in the film industry that sex sells, is a powerful force that keeps us trapped in crippling defintions of femininity and masculinity (Kilbourne 2010). According to Jean Kilbourne (2010) what is at stake in this debacle is a womans ability to have an authenthic and fr eely chosen life.

Secret River Context Essay Essay Example for Free

Secret River Context Essay Essay â€Å"There is some good in the worst of us, and some bad in the best of us. When we discover this, we become less prone to hating our enemies† once deliberated Martin Luther King jr, a key figure in the American Civil rights movement, and a man that constantly strived for equality in racial-fuelled disputes, a key aspect of that being understanding when to and when not to engage in such dissension. His teaching can be instilled into the majority of conflicts faced in day-to-day life, and how crucial the choice can be when deciding whether or not to interfere. Many people adopt the ‘avoid conflict at all costs’ stance, removing themselves from any discord no matter how large the consequences may be. Admirable as it may be to some, to completely avoid confronting conflict without first evaluating the seriousness of it is simply cowardice, and a complete disregard for the ingrained ethical code branded into humans. Some disputes are so significant, perhaps proving to be seminal for the development of history that neglecting involvement in them could be detrimental for, depending on the scale, mankind or as narrow as personal failure. Like many countries penetrated by colonial influences, Australia’s history has been marred by its handling the indigenous, the rightful owners of the land, and the failure to engage in the dispute by major governmental figures left a stain on the development of a nation that preaches equality and liberty. Sometimes, engaging in conflict doesn’t even mean expressing despotic actions on others as it is so often associated with, but instead could be as simple as confronting a home truth that was growing in significance as time went by, as is seen in the story of Vincent Lingiarri, member of the Aborigine tribe the Gurundji. As portrayed in Paul Kelly’s ballad â€Å"From Little things, Big things Grow†, Lingiarri and fellow members of his tribe worked on Wave Hill cattle station for an â€Å"English lord Vestey†. Yet the false claiming of sacred Aboriginal land propelled Vincent to lead a workers strike at â€Å"Wattie Creek† in August 1966, where the song depicts Lingiarri defiantly declaring to the English â€Å"We’re sitting right here/ Til we get our land†. Despite the valid plea to remove the terra ullis or ‘land of no-one’ brand from the country and return portions of it back to the original inhabitants, the Australian government refused to involve themselves, and looked the other way, hoping the issue would sort itself out. â€Å"Eight long years of waiting† transpired of defiant protest from the Gurundji, and despite Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s attempt at reconciliation, in which the iconic image of the white man passing the vibrant red earth into the leathery, black palm of Lingiarri was taken, it wasn’t until the Mabo decision of 1992 that the land was returned to the rightful owners. This gap of 26 years of pure ignorance and callousness has permanently stained the history of the proud country, due to the inability of the supposed leaders of the country to reconcile, and engage in conflict that they preferred to leave alone. Yet dispute between the Aborigines and the settlers have always been present, as seen in Kate Grenville’s didactic novel â€Å"The Secret River†, as she loosely explores the brutal perforation of English Colonists in the later 18th century. In her historical fiction, Grenville explores protagonist William Thornhill escape from a brutal, industrialized London to seek a new life in the apparently greener pastures of Australia’s east coast. Yet upon arrival, Thornhill discovers tension to be nigh in the desolate land, and a fear of the unknown permeates the frightened arrivees, as he admits that despite owning a hundred acre property, it â€Å"no longer felt quite his own†. His inner drive to provide unconditional safety for his wife and children ultimately pushes his into a state of immorality, as he complies with the group mentality and participates in the massacre of the Aborigines, failing to heed Blackwood’s thought that to coexist with the natives, one must â€Å"give a little, take a little†. While William does engage in conflict, it is the greater of two evils. Had he strayed from the norm, resisted the urge to keep all that he wanted and sided with Blackwood to protect the Aborigines, it would be the desired outcome for his inner being. Yet he conforms, aids in the mobs mass murders and the fate of his character is set to be defeated, his avoidance of the larger conflict at hand leaving him with the misunderstanding â€Å"why it did not feel like triumph†, and the loss of his youngest son Dick who â€Å"would not† look him in the eye anymore. As Thornhill discovers, the easy option to take, the one that only benefits a minority will prove to be the one that renders people worthless, yet it is the harder option, the one that will pave the way for others that will prove the strength of the mettle in one’s being. In the face of dissension, how one performs offers insight into their moral code, and should they resist the ill-fated temptations of easiness and self-satisfaction, they will end out on top. In conflict, the old adage â€Å"the pen is mightier than the sword† often proves to be true. Gao Xingjian, a Nobel Prize winner for Literature operated in a tense Chinese climate polluted by Communism, which he described as â€Å"question of survival†¦ The atmosphere was so poisoned. People even in your own family could turn you in†. His statement proved to be truthful, as when writing allegorical accounts of the toxic environment he lived in, he was forced to burn a suitcase of manuscripts during the ironically titled Cultural Revolution out of fear of prosecution, as art was seen to be a threat to the Communist concept. The sane thing to do, the simple thing to do was to stop his controversial pieces, yet he opposed this, and continues to wage his dispute with his own country and fled to France to continue writing stories of brave heroes fighting against a prejudicial and ignorant political system that still subjugates 2 billion people. Thus his courageous dedication to the occupation he loves, feeling obligated to provide the world with information on the oppressive times as he believed â€Å"under the mask of fiction the truth can be told†, a belief that Grenville acutely followed. The admiration of the one that stands up against the burning tension of conflict is magnified, especially in the case of Bant Singh, a man whose courage, trepidation and loyalty should be shared with everyone to display true morality. Singh, an Indian farmer from the Dalit tribe, commonly looked upon as less than dirt to the hierarchal social system of India, fought against forces seemingly unstoppable for familial love, demonstrating how conflict must be addressed in some circumstances. When his 14 year old daughter was raped by two wealthy landlords, Bant did not do as many Dalit’s before him would have done, accepted the monstrosity and moved on. Yet he did stand up, and went for legal action against the two men. They quickly offered him a bribe that would secure the financial future of the family, yet he refused, advocating e would â€Å"not put a price on [his] daughter’s honor†. Days later, Bant was set upon by men with axes and steel rods, who attempted to beat him to death. Yet he made it to hospital, where gangrene took both of his legs and left arm. Sing saw the two men responsible go to jail for life; his war waged proving successful as justice was restored and the social separation in the country is beginning to wane. Singh’s battle is testament to the fact that not every fight can be ignored; some are so imminent that they must be addressed or the results will linger and effect future circumstances. Conflict, the consuming beast will continue to claim the souls of those who cannot persevere its burning glare. Yet those who oppose it, confront it with the correct intentions will be exposed as true heroes of human society, as Bant Singh will forever be. As legendary war general Napoleon Bonaparte once promoted â€Å"The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree with you and are too cowardly to let you know†, summising that those who avoid dissension that must be addressed will never be respected.

Virgin on the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci

Virgin on the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci Featured in this gallery are the two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks (also known as The Madonna of the Rocks). These two altarpieces are being showcased in particular in this exhibition because they share a location in the same Milanese church, the San Francesco Grande, and most importantly the same artist (although this has been debated), Leonardo Da Vinci, painted both versions of the altarpiece. Further, another reason why they are being portrayed in this exhibition is due to the debates over their authenticity, even though they are 15 years apart in conception. Additionally, the two pieces share the same subject matter, imagery, iconography and pyramidal composition. In both altarpieces, the subject matter is unusual since the Biblical figures are placed in a mountainous pictorial backdrop; also, both paintings depicted were made for the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception. These two pieces were further chosen because they incorporate many stylistic features such as s fumatto (blurring of lines) and the exploitation of the gradation of light (chiaroscuro) that the painter had accumulated and learnt from previous experiments, and which he then applied in this peak period of his career. The two versions of the Virgin of the Rocks also represent the artists continuous growth in the art of Italian Renaissance; The Virgin of the Rocks set the base for Leonardo Da Vinci to grow and mature as an artist in his two following infamous commissions, the Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa. The two altarpieces share the same iconography of the plants painted. Leonardo Da Vinci was a botanist just as much as he was an engineer, or an artist. He paid close attention to details; for these paintings, rather than looking at images of the plants, he looked at the plants in real, and painted from there. The plants depicted in the paintings have been chosen because they symbolize and represent religious meanings. According to the biographer, Charles Nicholl: the columbine suggests the dove of the Holy Ghost, the cyclamen below Christ have heart shaped leaves which make it an emblem of love and devotion, and by his knee is a basal rosette of primrose, an emblem of virtue. Kneeling below St. John is the acanthus, considered to be a symbol of the resurrection because of its rapid growth; the hypericum which has small dots of red on yellow petals represents the blood of the martyred St. John. Other hidden symbols are religious in nature: the water, pearls and the crystal, which are used to fasten Marys robe, are symbols of her purity. This would make the connection with the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Further, the stone formations, eroded by natural forces are a metaphor for Mary, pointing towards her unexpected, virtuous fertility. Da Vinci wanted the viewer to feel as if they were seeing material Nature spiritually transmuted. In both versions of the altarpiece, Leonardo Da Vinci portrayed the Virgin together with the infant Christ and St. John, and with an angel. They have been placed amongst a rocky backdrop or a grotto. It is the setting of the Biblical figures against this pictorial background that gives the altarpiece its title, the Virgin of the Rocks. The Virgin has been placed in the center of the composition dressed in a blue garment. By having the Virgin as the focal point, the other figures have been placed in a pyramidal composition. Further, the Biblical figures are interconnected not only via the pyramidal composition but also via subtle glances and gestures. The rocky backdrop has caused some debate, as they are different in the style of the brushstrokes. According to the geologist, Anne Pizzorusso, Da Vinci has not painted the second version of the altarpiece, because the rocks which he would have been familiar with because of his obsession with nature have been painted incongruently in c omparison to the first version. Other than these evident similarities between the two versions of the altarpieces, there are also many significant differences between them. To start, both pieces are not in their original locations anymore. The first version is now in the Louvre in Paris, and the second version is currently in the National Gallery in London. Further differences lay in the iconographic and stylistic details of the paintings, which aid in making them individually significant and unique. Further, these differences in details are what raise the debate about authenticity whether Da Vinci was responsible for either painting, or just the first version currently in the Louvre. To extrapolate, if it were Leonardo Da Vinci who painted both, the altarpieces should share the same stylistic features, such as that of exploiting the use of light, which they do not. This raises the hypothesis of Leonardo not being the sole artist for the second version of the altarpiece. Rather, he most likely got help from his tw o Milanese assistants, the brothers Ambrogio and Evangelista de Predis, as evident in some aspects of the painting. The first version of the altarpiece is generally considered superior as revealing the more mature Leonardo Da Vinci than the second version. Hanging in the Louvre, the first version is thought to be solely by Leonardo Da Vinci, whereas the second is seen as overseen by the artist but having received assistance. Both paintings also share a different mood: where the Louvre version is vibrant, the National Gallery version is more austere; The different mood of the second version may be due to the numerous hands of multiple artists on the painting. Through further analysis of these criteria the symbolic iconography, stylistic techniques and the debate over their authenticity- we will see that although each altarpiece is unique and mysterious it is still intertwined with the other. Leonardo Da Vinci, Virgin of the Rocks, 1452-1519, oil on wood/panel transferred to canvas, 78in x 48.5in In the early 1480s, artists in Milan were beginning to finally prosper and were coming into the city from the rest of Italy due to its growing wealth and Ludovico Sforzas encouragement. Numerous artists were attempting to get commissions from the court; at the time, the most prominent artist and painter was Donato Bramante, who achieved success with his design of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. He was crowned as an architect of the court after he secured his architectural commission for the Basilica. Even though Bramante secured his position as the courts architect, Da Vinci did not give up and continued to toil in his early years in Milan to receive the title of the courts painter. Five or six years elapsed before the Sforza court recognized Da Vincis talent. It was with his first employment at court that Da Vincis career as a painter in Milan started off; the confraternity of the Immaculate Conception commissioned him for the Virgin of the Rocks, making this altarpiece his first artwo rk in Milan. With this altarpiece, Da Vinci took risks that worked to his benefit, by attempting to incorporate new ideas, and by introducing new themes to the art field. Before this altarpiece, the Virgin and Child were usually placed within an interior setting of a church or a chapel. Therefore, the altarpiece is emblematic of the flourishing of his career, as placing the Virgin and Child amongst a natural setting was a new theme in Italian Renaissance art. As with all other altarpieces, Da Vinci had to agree to a contract for the altarpiece, which was dated at April 25, 1483. According to the contract, the patrons asked for a triptych with the Virgin and Child in the midst of a host of angels attended by two prophets, while the side panels were to feature four angels each, singing or playing musical instruments. Although contracts are written in stone, and followed, Da Vinci diverged from the clients specifications. Apart from the Virgin and Child, none of the other requirements are met. The composition is comprised of the Virgin, the infant Christ, one angel, no prophets, and an unstipulated infant St. John, a divine quartet organized by a pyramidal structure with the Virgins head at the vertex; the side panels are also deficient, having only one angel each. The Virgins right arm is draped over the shoulder of St. John, and her left hand poised over the figure of the infant Christ. On the lower right portion of the panel, the kneelin g angel is pointing toward St. John. Other than the subject matter, the contract also specified details concerning the composition and choice of colours, which Da Vinci did not completely adhere to: Our Lady is at the center, her cloak [is to] be of gold brocade and ultramarine blueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the gownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦gold brocade and crimson lake, in oilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the lining of the cloakà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦gold brocade and green, in oilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Also, the seraphim done in sgrafitto workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Also God the Father [is] to have a cloak of gold brocade and ultramarine blue. The mountains and rocks shall be worked in oil, in a colourful manner. A possible reason for this may be that Da Vinci was already working on some kind of painting, and just carried on with the composition regardless of the details of the contract. This may be because the deadline allowed them only 9 months, so to save time; Da Vinci may have taken this path to complete the painting on time. The Virgin is depicted as a young woman in this version of the altarpiece. The introspective solemnity that Da Vinci used to express the Madonna in his earlier works (The Adoration of the Magi, The Benois Madonna) develops delicately and gracefully, making evident Da Vincis concern with the intermingling of spiritual and devotional qualities with human feelings of tenderness in the Virgin in this altarpiece. Although there are inconsistencies with the Virgins face, such as in the bulging slanted eyes, the outline of the face of the Virgin has been regularized and lengthened (in comparison to his previous attempts to drawing Virgins), giving Her a more naturally unified appearance. A stylistic feature that develops from this starting point is the artists new treatment of light. In the present altarpiece, light exists and an independent and mobile part of nature. The surfaces of the painting vibrate gently through the subtle interpenetration and gradation of lights and shadows. Therefo re, by using the technique he used to exploit the quality of light, he was able to achieve the tranquil, fluent, delicate, and tender emotions conveyed by the Virgins face. The angel in the painting is compelling and looks out at the viewer. The goal of placing the angel in such a way was to use the angel to catch the viewers attention, and to draw it to the center of the painting specifically towards St. John- by means of pointing his finger. The pointing of the finger has many other functions other than to point out the infant St. John: it fills the interval and clarifies the vertical accent that result from the foreshortened hand of the Virgin, which she extends to crown the Christ Child. This helps to reestablish the prominence that Christ is in danger of losing by his subordinate location in the composition. Leonardo Da Vinci was highly influenced by Verrocchio, his trainer, and by Flemish styles and techniques. These influences are evident in the infant Christ and St. John, whom are in round and fleshy forms. The infants have been directly taken from Donatello and Verrocchios sculptural style. Da Vinci continued to take from his early predecessors and teachers, and apply their stylistic forms to his works. Version 2: The second version of the Virgin of the Rocks is the painting that had to be created due to a lawsuit against the previous version of the altarpiece. The patrons bestowed a lawsuit on the previous altarpiece because it had not been completed within the timeframe given to them of 9 months. While the lawsuit was in progress (lasted for 10 years), the Confraternity asked for another painting, which would follow the same contract; thus the second version of the Virgin of the Rocks was born. The fact that Da Vinci was not able to complete the first version was not surprising, because he had difficulties meeting deadlines a childhood problem that matured with him into his adulthood. The second version was commissioned to be painted for the same chapel of San Francesco Grande in Milan. Due to many inconsistencies throughout the painting, there have been debates on whether Da Vinci painted the altarpiece wholly. Many scholars believe that due to the lack of attention paid to the exploitatio n of light, the different moods and due to the changes in the softness of lines, Da Vinci received help from his assistants Ambrogio and Evangelista de Predis. The Virgin of the second version of the Virgin of the Rocks is in most ways facial features, arrangement of hair, and set of her head similar to the previous version in the Louvre. Although Da Vinci usually does not repeat himself in this way, it may have been necessary because the London painting was meant to replace the Paris painting in the ancona of the Confraternity. The Virgin in the second version of the altarpiece looks older because her facial forms are heavier and larger, and she has a serious expression. The Virgin in this altarpiece is also much more voluminous, occupying a greater area of the panel; lacks crispness and spontaneity in execution. Further, the Virgins drab and lusterless hair and sharp-edged forms, the mechanical way light and shade are distributed in separate areas, the loss of radiance in the light and the loss of the atmospheric veil suggest that the Virgin was not painting by Da Vinci, but by Ambrogio de Predis. The head of the angel may be the only part of the altarpiece where Da Vincis artistic hand is evident, although it was not solely him responsible for it. It has some of his vivacity and sensitivity of handling, and the spotted light over the delicate curls in the angels hair is surely his invention. Ambrogio de Predis hand is evident in the head of the angel as well, as there is a lack of crispness in the facial expression. In this altarpiece, the angel is no longer pointing to the infant St. John. This collaboration between the two artists is clearly identifiable and comparable to the first version in which Da Vinci was the single artist.

The Commercialization of Extreme Sports (X Sports) Essay -- X Sports

The Commercialization of Extreme Sports (X Sports) ABSTRACT For years, extreme sports had little to nothing in common with each other except for high risk, and an appeal to women and men from the ages of 12 to 34. Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN), realizing this age group was a prime viewing audience, brought together several extreme sports and created yet another commercialized sporting spectacle. Since 1995, this television network has produced the Summer X Games. After these summer productions proved to be successful television and live spectator events, ESPN expanded into the winter extreme sports. The Winter X Games have been produced since 1997. This paper, which commences with the rise of extreme sports, is an historical and sociological analysis of the creation and growth of the ESPN X Games. While these commercialized adventure and extreme sporting events have had some obvious growing pains, both the Summer and Winter X Games have grown into events which annually attract thousands of spectators and viewers while offeri ng fame and a few dollars to their participants. INTRODUCTION One need only take a quick glance at the daily news to discover that society in general is still in a state of constant change (Leonard, 1993). In the United States, this is especially true as the baby boomers begin to age and the new generation comes of age. In particular, social scientists define the emerging generation of youth, which has been labeled the X Generation, as extremists who at times defy both logic and protocol (Terrazas, 1998). Popular culture is a reflection of these attitudes, from the music of Marilyn Manson to the newly released video, There’s Something about Mary. Furthermore, this new gener... ...ents. (1996). [On-line]. Available: http://espn.go.com/editors/xgames/960925winterx.html Winter X Games facts. (1998). [On-line]. Available: http://espn.go.com/xgames/winterx98/facts.html X Games fact sheet. (1996). [On-line]. Available: http://espn.go.com/editors/xgames/fact.html X Games moving to San Diego. (1997). [On-line]. Available: http://espn.go.com/editors/xgames/0710sd.html X Games TV schedule. (1996). [On-line]. Available: http://espn.go.com/editors/xgames/0429pr2.html Youngblut, S. (Ed.). (1998). Way inside ESPN's X Games. New York: Hyperion. Zipp, J. F. (1997). Spring Training. In Noll, R. G. & Zimbalist, A. (Eds.), Sports, jobs & taxes (pp. 427-451). Washington: Brookings Institution. NOTES 1This quotation, and others like it, is from Internet web pages. These sources do not contain page numbers, as none appear on the site.

Ode To A Nightingale Essay -- English Literature

Ode To A Nightingale Choose a poem which you think could be described as a â€Å"quiet† or â€Å"reflective† poem. Show how the poet has achieved this effect and discuss to what extent you find it a suitable way of dealing with the subject matter in the poem. In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of mood; theme; sound; imagery; rhythm or any other appropriate feature. â€Å"Ode To A Nightingale† by John Keats is a poem which Keats wrote when he was dying. Due to this, the poem is extremely reflective on the things Keats considers important to him, namely life, death and his imagination. By using the nightingale to embody these aspects, Keats is effective, in my opinion, in attempting to deal with the matter at hand, and involving me in his struggle between life and death. One of the things which the nightingale represents to Keats is death. This is not surprising as he is near death and so it is influencing the way he thinks. At times Keats welcomes death and at other times is undecided, but always the nightingale is used as a representation for it. â€Å"That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim:† He is talking to the nightingale here, telling it that he will go with it, into the forest. Here the nightingale signifies death and Keats is wishing to follow it, to, in effect, die. Keats uses the metaphor of fading to show his transition into death. This use of imagery emphasizes the reflective nature of Keats, and I find it a very effective way to show how he is thinking. As the nightingale represents death, Keats embraces it and sees it as the only real painless way. â€Å"I have been half in love with easeful Death, Call’d... ...other groan; Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last grey hairs, Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;† Conversely, this shows life as a painful thing, from which Keats wants release. He has made his mind up as to what life is like for him and others. This contemplation shows where he is in his life and musings. It seems Keats is prepared to die, and this shows that. In conclusion, Keats makes the poem very reflective by reflecting on the meaning of life through a nightingale. For Keats, the nightingale represents, in essence, the cycle of life, and shows that death an exist along with life. The bird also represents Keats imagination, and this he also reflects on, along with the complexity of life and death. I think that Keats was very effective is achieving a reflective poem which deals with the intricacy of death and the agony of life.

What the Cinderella Story Has to Teach Young Girls Essay -- Literature

At first glance, what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale may seem obvious—some kind of magic, hidden symbols, repetition, and of course it’s evident it’s fiction—but fables are more than that. As Arthur Schelesinger puts it, it’s about â€Å"[expanding] imagination† and gaining understanding of mysterious places (618). While doing this, it also helps children to escape this world, yet teach a lesson that the reader may not be conscious of. A wonderful story that achieves all of this is Cinderella, but not the traditional tale many American’s have heard. Oochigeaskw, or The Rough-Faced Girl, and Ashputtle would be fitting for a seven-year-old because they get the gears of the mind turning, allowing for an escape on the surface, with an underlying enlightenment for children of the ways of the world. The Rough Faced Girl is the Native American variation of Cinderella. It was originally told in the language of the Algonquin, who resided in the Eastern Woodlands of the United States and greatly differs from all the other stories of Cinderella. This tale’s focus is of an invisible man who will marry the woman who can see him. His sister, who has the ability to view him, cares for him and brings different woman to the wigwam to test their sight of the â€Å"Invisible One† (639). Many woman tried as they might, are unable to see him except one, Oochigeaskw. This woman is the youngest of three siblings, and is treated the poorest—scars covered her body from where her sisters burned her (640). I prefer this story to the rest because there isn’t the use of magic†¦or magic for the woman’s own benefit. Instead, once the sister proves The Rough-Faced Girl can see her brother, she bathes her and all her scars disappear. My interpretation of this is tha t Ooch... ...on. Works Cited Behrens and Rosen. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum 11 ed. Longman, 2011. Print. Bettelheim, Bruno. â€Å"’Cinderella’: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts†. Behrens and Rosen 651-657. Cullen, Bonnie. â€Å"The Rise of Perrault’s ‘Cinerella’†. Behren and Rosen 645-650. Grimm, Jakob and Wilhelm. â€Å"Ashputtle.† Behrens and Rosen 628-633. â€Å"Oochigeaskw – The Rough-Faced Girl (A Native American ‘Cinderella’). Behrens and Rosen 639-640. Orenstein, Peggy. â€Å"Cinderella and Princess Culture†. Behren and Rosen 670-673. Panttaja, Elisabeth. â€Å"Cinderella: Not so Morally Superior†. Behrens and Rosen 658-661. Poniewozik, James. â€Å"The Princess Paradox†. Behrens and Rosen 666-669. Schlesinger, Arthur Jr. â€Å"What Great Books do for Children†. Behrens and Rosen 617-618. Thompson, Smith. â€Å"Universality of the Folktale†. Behrens and Rosen 619-622.

Apple Computer Case Analysis Essay

I. Executive Summary Apple was formed by two college dropout students: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs with the motto of â€Å"Think Differently†. Wozniak, the true technical mind behind the building process of Apple’s early computers, spent the summer of 1976 building the company’s very first computer, the Apple I.2 Meanwhile, Jobs began creating advertisements and found a buyer for the computer. The two Steves were able to build and sell fifty Apple I computers—all from within the confined space of the Jobs family’s single-car garage. This would mark the first of many successful products to come from the company. Later that time, Wozniak and Jobs began building the Apple II with the help of a few technically-savvy friends and classmates. It was at this time that Jobs first realized his true passion for the burgeoning computer industry. To fuel this passion, Jobs consulted with retired Intel Corporation marketing manager Michael Markkula regarding the possible future of Apple Computer. During this consultation, Markkula worked with Jobs in coming up with a solid business plan and even purchased one-third of the company for $250,000. After the success of the Apple I and Apple II, the company began work on the Apple III, which turned out to be their very first project failure. The Apple III proved to be an early sign of disagreements-to-come between the president Michael Scott and Steve Jobs. In fact, Scott laid-off 40 employees after the Apple III’s failure—without any consultation or approval from the Board of Directors. Because of his abrupt actions, Scott was demoted to vice chairman, while Jobs was promoted to chairman. Markkula, who had originally hired Scott, took over as Apple’s new CEO. Scott officially resigned from Apple in March of 1981. In the early 1980s, Steve Wozniak left the company and Steve Jobs hired John Sculley as the President of the company. After facing many failures, Apple launched its Macintosh computers for house hold users. With improvements in the GUI, the Macintosh became a â€Å"possibility box† for companies developing similar products.14 Enhancing some features from the Lisa, the Macintosh implemented a desktop, mouse, graphical file system, icons, bit-mapped graphics, menu bar navigation, applications running inside windows, and more. The Macintosh laid the foundation for the entire computer industry. The true look and feel of personal computers today can be attributed to the early design features of the Macintosh. The Macintosh, however, did not dominate the consumer market as the company had hoped. In mid 1980s, Steve Jobs had to leave the company because of his controversial relations with the president. At that time John Sculley rejected the offer of Microsoft‘s CEO, Bill Gates to license the Macintosh operating system to Microsoft. After this refusal, Gates developed DOS operating system and in late 1980s, thecompetition between DOS and Macintosh decreased Apple’s sale, workforce and resignation of John Sculley. So, Apple’s current CEO planned to purchase NextStep operating system of Jobs in order to improve the Macintosh operating system. In late90s Jobs again became the CEO of the company and be started surprising relations with Microsoft by developing a Macintosh version of office software. Apple also took cost saving measures like streamlining the product line, production of printers. Under Jobs, Apple again becomes the innovator of computer market. His leadership leads the company to USBand Firewire ports, introduction of iPod and iTunes website put Apple in the digital computing age. Apple manages its business on geographic locations. Apple’s sale is continuously growing. In the era of 2000, Apple made one bold move and that was to open retail stores in USA which somehow increased its sales. Its most impressive and fastest growing market is of iPod line of digital music players and iTunes music store website. The three major competitors of Apple are Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, however Apple also competes with Microsoft in software industry. Dell is the largest computer manufacturer with extremely low cost production strategy. Dell has entered the in the line of music against Apple by its Jukebox. Hewlett Packard is a big brand name and leading provider of technology. Apple combined with IBM enjoyed profit jointly but now Lenovo took over IBM and become a competitor of Apple. Overall, Apple is continuously growing and its future seems bright. With the slight change in their strategies, they can become giants in technology industry. II. Statement of the Problem * How Apple can provide differentiated products with low cost in order to maximize its market share? III. Alternative Courses of Action A. Continue without any change B. Go for strategic alliance for producing specific products especially microprocessors C. Go for customized products D. Product Differentiation IV. Discussions of Alternatives A. Continue without any change If Apple continues without any change, then they can still produce innovative products, offer a high quality and exceptionally elegant designs and personalized services and also, they maintain their patrons and loyal customers by satisfying them with their products. They could also focus themselves more in their ipod and desktop sales while formulating for a better PC unit that will outsale their major competitors. But the downside of this is that if they will continue with this, they will still have a low market share, high operation and marketing costs, lacks the emphasis on the marketing scene of the company and also the gap between the giant companies will still be evident and might be extended. B. Go for strategic alliance for producing specific products especially microprocessors If Apple decides to go for strategic alliance –specifically with intel– for producing specific products especially microprocessors, then they will have a chance to reduce their costs since intel microprocessors are cheaper, faster and had lower power consumption. This would be perfect for producing computers especially portable ones because this is one important element that a computer must possess. There would also be a reduction in the product development process because they will work hand in hand with their ally. This means that half of the development and production will be worked by your partner company. Of course, sharing of resources will be put into practice and this would definitely decrease cost. The only problem in working hand in hand is that there’s a possibility of contradicting cultures of the company especially with their workplace relationship, their differentiated norms and the like. Privacy of developing innovative products will be slightly affected as well since they are supervising each other freely. But in contrast to all of that, Compatibility issues would also be resolved since the partner company can develop a program that is compatible with Mac and other existing OS. In result to this, this would totally increase the profit margin of Apple. C. Go for customized products If Apple will decide on the alternative to go for customized product then the targeted niche will be highly satisfied. Customers will of course go to what they prefer so this would increase their market share. They could also understand the changing environment easily since they are giving focus on customers’ preferences and there would be no new channels need to be introduced for sales. Some disadvantages of this are that cost will extensively increase. It would also be difficult to cater all requirements of the customers along with innovation. Chance of ambiguity will increase as well and this would be a negative effect to the brand name and because of this ambiguity, chances of failure may tend to increase. D. Product Differentiation Product differentiation is a viable strategy, especially if the company exploits the conceptual distinctions for product differentiation. There is economic value in that strategy. The primary economic value of the said strategy comes from reducing environmental threats. The cost of product differentiation acts as a barrier to entry, thus reducing the threat to new entrants. Not only does the company bear the cost of standard business, it also must bear the costs associated with overcoming the differentiation inherent in the incumbent. Since the companies pursue niche markets, there is a reduced threat of rivalry among industry competitors. A company’s more differentiated product will appear more attractive relative to the substitutes, thus reducing the threat of substitutes. V. Conclusion According to the current situation, the best strategy or alternative for apple is â€Å"Go for strategic alliance†. Its reason is that no doubt Apple is going fine now but for future growth it is must to create something new and stylish while keeping the cost optimized. This does not mean that Apple start making whole product with the collaboration, instead they have to go for alliance in making high cost products. This will help Apple in optimizing cost and development process with innovation. Somehow, a problem of conflict will occur but manageable. Nowadays, to sustain and compete in the market companies go for strategic alliances just to reduce the cost and gain high profit margins. So, Apple should go for this strategy VI. Recommendations The Apple brand, the company’s innovative capabilities, the quality of its marketing strategy, and continued success in building strategic partnerships are likely to determine the outcome of the company’s forays into the music, mobile phone, and video-on-demand businesses. Apple’s commitments and actions should be integrated and coordinated to exploit the company’s core competencies, strengthen its competitive advantage, and maximize value. The analysis reveals that, to secure strategic success, it will remain important for Apple Computer to be fanatically protective of the Apple brand image and adequately invest in the company’s competitive advantages in innovation and marketing. Some suggestions for achieving this include: * Carefully manage brand exposure. * Continually invest in research and development to stay ahead of and lead radical product and technology discoveries. * Enhancement of existing products in all areas (computer hardware and peripherals, consumer electronics products, mobile communication devices, systems software, applications software, networking and communications software and solutions, and Internet services and solutions) will maximize the value and the life of products. However, Apple needs to know when to engage in planned obsolescence to take advantage of the company’s market leader status. * Maintain and upgrade design appeal to reduce the prospect of new entrants. * The company needs to constantly assess if it is moving away from internal strengths or extending its reach too far beyond its known and manageable markets. * Vigilant management of costs – to maintain pricing flexibility and improve competitive position relative to low-priced competitors. * Leverage Apple’s 70% share in the music market to strengthen the performance of other applications. * Develop the top management team and a succession strategy to reduce over-dependence on one individual to advance the interests of the company. With Apple’s growth strategy, it is likely that Jobs will soon be stretched too thinly, if he is not already.

Biographical Analysis of John Mcwhorter

Han Bin Kim Comp II, Class B Assignment 2, Draft 1 February 23, 2013 John McWhorter Interview Over the years I have interviewed a good number of people, but there has never been anyone quite like John McWhorter. Upon reading the article â€Å"The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English† as published in the 2009 Fall edition of World Affairs, I found myself delighted by the mellow but powerful tone and the writer who could use it with such ease. Here was a man with brains, consideration, and humor.Lost in my reveries about what McWhorter would be like, I didn’t quite realize that I had somehow dialed his office number until a deep voice filtered through the receiver. â€Å"Yes? McWhorter speaking. † With a tingling sense of nervousness I had forgotten since my rookie days, I introduced myself and asked if he could spare time for a brief interview. He replied, â€Å"Interviews, my dear sir, are rarely brief,† and I could almost hear his smile. There was that brilliant wit which had inspired him to state that there were â€Å"no feminine-gendered tables that talk like Penelope Cruz. (McWhorter, 251) After a turn or two of friendly wrangling, he gently suggested meeting Saturday afternoon at a quiet cafe we both knew. I agreed to the designated rendezvous and, unable to control the temptation, asked, â€Å"How long have you said cafe like that? † The way McWhorter pronounced the word was this: the ‘c’ was sweeter and lighter, in the way Italians and Spaniards speak, and the ‘f’ was said like a soft ‘p’—sounding simply foreign. He said simply, â€Å"Since I was very young. I already knew that he had â€Å"taught himself languages as a hobby since childhood† (McWhorter, 247), and unsatisfied as I was with his answer, I vowed that Saturday would be a new day. On Saturday afternoon I drove down a peaceful country road and walked silently into the cafe. A tall man stood wi th his back to me, gazing out the large French window, and without prologue asked, â€Å"Isn’t that a beautiful poem right in front of us? Anne Shirley said it a century ago, but I’ll take the liberty to repeat it.The lines and verses are only the outward garments of the poem; the real poem is the soul within them†¦ and that beautiful scene is the soul of an unwritten poem. † I smiled quietly at his analytical but sensitive analogy, reminded immediately of his description of the word ‘al— â€Å"an evergreen branch, a word whose final sound is a whistling past the sides of the tongue that sounds like wind passing through just such a branch. † (McWhorter, 247) I later asked him what his childhood nickname had been, and laughing, he confessed that he had most often been called â€Å"poet†.Small wonder for a man who could condense a long, everyday sentence—say, for example, â€Å"there are an innumerable number of books that c ould have summed up to no mean weight†Ã¢â‚¬â€into three pithy, creative, imagery-filled words: â€Å"Bookstore shelves groan. † (McWhorter, 247) He folded his long self into the armchair, crossing his legs, and leaning slightly forward he told me to sit down. As I sat, I remarked, â€Å"You look a great deal like I imagined you to be. † His quiet question and intelligent gaze compelled me to elucidate.I had gathered much of the premises from his writing. The contrasting thoughts â€Å"I hardly rejoice when a language dies† (McWhorter, 247) and â€Å"Would it be inherently evil if there were not 6,000 spoken languages but one? † (McWhorter, 252) could hardly have revealed themselves in a single piece of writing unless the writer was a man of exceptionally precise, cold logic. Thus I had already envisioned the deep-set, handsome eyes that flashed fire from under his brow, and the firmly set mouth. I had also imagined him to be a handsome man, and he was that, too.Humor saved the chin from tapering too sharply, the mouth from being dour: â€Å"Spanish speakers do not go about routinely imagining tables as cooing in feminine tones. † (McWhorter, 249) McWhorter laughed at my analysis, wryly telling me that I should have gone out for professional work in physiognomy, and handed me the menu which the waitress had left by his side. These little considerate actions which I had noticed during the phone call and the three minutes I had met him, inspired me to ask if he had always been so considerate. He looked surprised. I have never thought myself considerate,† he said slowly, â€Å"I am often told that I am too frank with my words. Before I make my opinion on something, I look at it from all perspectives to check that it is perfectly reasonable and logical. But once I make it, I say it without stopping to think if people who think otherwise will be hurt by my words. † I protested. I had already known that he was a considerate person just by reading his article; namely, the welcoming way with which he drew his readers in: â€Å"Most Americans pronounce disgusting as â€Å"diss-kusting† with a k sound. Try it—you probably do too. )† (McWhorter, 248) The tall man leaned back in the armchair and laughed. â€Å"My dear friend, every writer is obligated to welcome his readers. Readers are the laziest species that ever drew breath, and if they don’t feel welcomed, they won’t read. As for being patient in littler things—well, I don’t know if this is very relevant or not, but I read five versions of the Talmud, each one progressively harder, when I was in middle school. I’m pretty sure junior high was when my interest in Hebrew peaked.The Talmud was a pretty good source of linguistic and cultural knowledge, and some of the moral standards made pretty logical sense, so I adopted them as my own. † It was relevant. Being considerate in a gent lemanly way, however, was different from the deferential attitude that McWhorter always took on when dealing with other cultures. More curious was how completely he seemed to understand each language, from its origin to how the people felt about it—â€Å"Native American groups would bristle at the idea that they are no longer meaningfully â€Å"Indian† simply because they no longer speak their ancestral language. (McWhorter, 249) McWhorter looked a trifle annoyed at first, but gradually his well-shaped face took on more complacent, amused lines. â€Å"I am a writer, and I am a linguist,† he said. â€Å"Both have to do with words—their denotation, connotation, nuance, and power. Knowing the power each word can wield automatically inspires you to feel a certain reverence for the English vocabulary in general—I’m sure you’ll agree with me there, sir—and knowing the power each language can wield brings you on your knees before th e altar of all languages. † â€Å"But you don’t worship something you know absolutely nothing about,† he aid, gazing out at the sunlit scene again. â€Å"You first make sure that whatever it is, it is something that deserves to be worshipped. So you study the language. From then on, it’s rather like jumping into a river. Jump into the heart of the current, and you will be swept away like a stray autumn leaf. If you give yourself wholeheartedly up for the language to mold, the culture starts to mold you too. And as for the fact that I feel this way towards all languages,† and here a small frown creased his brow as he turned to me again, â€Å"well, it is a shame that this should be surprising, that is all.Each language has a rich legacy, albeit a legacy very different from our own, and they should be respected. † McWhorter’s eloquence touched me, and we talked for two more hours, vacillating from common everyday things I caught glimpses of from his article to fascinating facts I had never dreamed about him. I learned that he had mastered Socrates’ syllogisms at the age of six and Hegelian dialectics at the age of twelve, and that the value he respected most in humanity was its reason.Judging by the cold shoulder he gave his so beloved minority languages in his concluding paragraph—â€Å"We must consider the question in its pure, logical essence† (McWhorter, 252)—it was hardly surprising. More interesting was the fact that he had no less than four dogs at home, each named after a rare language he had specially enjoyed. The latest addition to the family was a darling slender little Chihuahua named Ket, with triple the uncertain grace of awkwardness found in dogs of his species. In the middle of hearing about Ket’s antics, I asked rather abruptly, â€Å"What art form is your favorite?Modernist? † McWhorter looked at me, surprised. â€Å"How did you guess? † I laughed. McWhorter, for a man of such clear-cut logic, enjoyed impossibilities as far as reality allowed— â€Å"The Ket language of Siberia is so awesomely irregular as to seem a work of art. † (McWhorter, 250) It was only natural that he should enjoy Picasso, whose pictures showed sharper intellectual insight, over David or Michelangelo, whose works were but excellent facsimiles of life’s appearance copied onto canvas and marble.Four hours passed by in the blink of an eye and time came for McWhorter to leave. He stood up and cordially shook my hand. â€Å"It was an honor meeting you, sir, though I dare say the interview was not short. † I shook my head. â€Å"No, it was an excellent interview. Thank you very much, Mr. McWhorter. † â€Å"Please, John,† McWhorter smilingly said. â€Å"If there’s one thing I learned from studying languages, it is that names are the essence of culture. I’ve seen many languages that are creative and fiendi shly difficult and random—but no language is ever simpler than the other.Each has rich names for the things they treasure most. Native Americans sometimes have odd names; did you know that they have to earn it? But in our culture, we place identification foremost—and thanks be, my name is John McWhorter; John for friends and Mr. McWhorter for editors who don’t like my articles. † â€Å"Aren’t there many Johns here? † I teased, laughing, as I pulled on my coat. McWhorter shook his head. â€Å"None like me, John McWhorter,† he smiled, and treaded lightly out the door.