Development of an Employee Training Program

The development and implementation of an appropriate Training Program for Culbreth & Associates’ new client will undergo three major phases. The three phases will include the preparatory activities, actual implementation of the training program, and post-training activities to measure the impact of the training on both organizational and participant levels. Clearly, the type of the training program that will be developed is an Employee Training Program. The specific type of program will depend on the goals of the requesting organization and the learning needs of the employees in terms of â€Å"attitudes, behaviors, competencies, or skills. † (Brady, 2005, p. 1) Thus, the training program could address a variety of concerns, from improving employee-management relationships, enhancing the work environment, improving departmental communications, or fostering cultural competence in the workplace. Preparatory Activities: Planning and Designing the Training Program The first step that will be taken in the development of the training program is to consult with the client to clarify the objectives and expectations that the organization wishes to achieve for the entire program and to determine the extent of support that the management is willing to extend to facilitate and reinforce the changes that could arise from the training. The next step will involve identifying the existing strengths and problem areas in the organization. This will be done through the conduct of training needs analysis on three levels: the organization, tasks, and the individual person/employee. Arthur, et. al. (2003) notes that a systematic needs assessment can guide and serve as the basis for the design, development, delivery, and evaluation of the training program. † (p. 236) In particular, a knowledge of organizational environment, needs, and resources vis-a-vis employee capacities would help determine the goals of the training program. McNamara (2008) suggests that â€Å"it is important that goals be designed and worded to be â€Å"SMARTER† (an acronym), that is, specific, measurable, acceptable to you, realistic to achieve, time-bound with a deadline, extending your capabilities and rewarding to you. The goals of the training will influence the kind of input needed by the participant and match the training methods to their interests and skill levels. After the data from the training needs analysis has been assessed, the training design and module development will commence. This activity will involve searching, choosing, and combining the most appropriate and most effective training strategies and activities based on identified training needs. It would also involve the formulation of the benchmarks for learning or improvement that would be used to measure and evaluate the success of the training. After the training design and module have been completed, the training program will be subjected to pre-testing activities to determine whether the content is appropriate and if it utilizes the most effective approach based on the learning needs of the participants. Training Program Implementation The actual conduct of the training program will after the training design, modules, and participant preparation have been completed. During the actual training, participants will be involved in a variety of activities, from lecture-workshops to simulation and role-playing performance designed to facilitate the necessary changes in attitudes, behaviors, and skills while building on existing strengths and knowledge. The training program will also be structured in such a way that both the trainers and participants have feedback mechanisms to improve the over-all training design and to track their progress in achieving the goals of the training. After the training, an evaluation of the training will be conducted wherein the trainer, participants, and requesting organization will assess training effectivity based on the critierias for learning that were previously developed vis-a-vis the output of the training. Post-training Activities: Training Transfer Monitoring and Evaluation The last step in the training program is the monitoring of training transfer in the actual workplace to determine the impact of the training conducted. This is important since the real effects of the training can only be measured based on positive impact on the actual work environment that can be directly attributed to the learning outcomes of the training program. (Lim & Morris, 2006, p. 85) Hence, the Human Resource Department of the client will be asked to keep records of the training goals and to conduct timely assessments of employee progress in terms of desired workplace attitude, behavior, and capabilities that could provide the basis of more intensive employee development and training programs. Works Cited: Arthur, W. Jr., Bennett, W. Jr., Edens, P. S., & S. T. Bell (2003). Effectiveness of training in organizations: a meta-analysis of design and evaluation features. Journal of Applied Psychology 88(2): 234–245. Brady, Kathleen. (2006) Designing effective training programs. NALP Bulletin. Lim, Doo Hun & Michael Lane Morris (2006). Influence of trainee characteristics, instructional satisfaction, and organizational climate on perceived learning and training transfer. Human Resource Development Quarterly 17(1): 85-115. McNamara, Carter (2008). Complete guidelines to design your training plan. Retrieved August 6, 2008 from http://www.managementhelp.org/trng_dev/gen_plan.htm

Why I Want to Become a Radiologic Technologist

I would like to know if this essay is okay. Please give me some feed back. I wrote the letter double space. Should it be single space? I also have my name and the desired program on the top left hand. I am not a great writer and my grammar sucks. My Purpose in Life It is not hard to write about why I want to be a radiographer. Some people may tend to sit in front of the screen thinking for minutes or hours to write the first sentence. It was simple for me I want to help people. Throughout my life, I was always interested in helping people and fascinated with the medical field. I was not certain in what I wanted to do in the medical field, but I knew whatever it was it was going to make me a better person. A few years back I was in a car accident and injured my back. I had an MRI and some basic x-rays done. While in the care of these highly trained and friendly technicians, I came to realize this is what I wanted to do. I believe that our soul purpose in life is to help others. Since my car accident, I realized how I could accomplish my main goal in life. I can help people by being a radiographer. It may sound a little cliched my story, but it is the truth. Since I have been attending college I thought about being a nurse then a dental hygienist, but I never had that feeling that most people get when something is right. The feeling when you find that special or right thing. Like buying a house, car, or even finding that special someone. The sensation is a warm enthusiasm feeling that consumes the heart. It is a feeling that takes all control of all emotions. When I realized and was introduce into the field, I knew it was love at first sight. I wanted to know more about radiology. Before I joined the military, I did some observation in the E. R. in a hospital on Long Island, New York. I observed and spoke to a few radiology technicians and the more I discovered about the field the more I knew it was for me. I enjoy being active and being on my feet. In addition, it is very physical and I enjoy having a job that can keep me in shape and is not lways putting me behind the desk. After I left the military, I moved down to Fl to be closer to my family. I miss my family from all those days away from either being in another state or from being deployed. I was looking into colleges that provide a radiology program and only found University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College. I am currently attending Valencia Community college and taking classes to get into their radiology prog ram. I started to do volunteer work at Florida hospital. While volunteering I was introduce to a few radiology technicians. Before long, I found out that Florida Hospital is a teaching hospital. They gave me information and I talked to a few students that are in the program. They told me that their experience in Florida Hospital is great and that the teachers are phenomenal. Also being a Christian I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more about my religion. Also, I feel that being in a Christian institution I can better understand people and life. I know that being a radiographer is challenging and demanding both physically and mentally. I accept the challenge because challenges are what make us who we are. When overcoming any challenges it gives me a sense of accomplishment and gives me more self-confidence that I can do much more. I know someday I will be a radiographer because I am determined and very focus on accomplishing my goal, my dream. I am outgoing and big on teamwork. I work hard and take pride in what I do and what I believe in. I just hope that I can inspire people as those friendly radiographers inspired me.

Peaceful Islam Essay

The strategy outlined in â€Å"Fighting the Long War† is a good one. There are, of course, other options. One is to flee and do nothing more than we have already done. Yet, as the presentation’s authors suggest, this would almost certainly lead to the ruin of America. Stopping action now will not clear away centuries of hate and rage, nor will it erase the religious and political goals of a long committed enemy. Those who are less patient and less willing to lose men to a war, might suggested a shorter war, brought about by greater use of force. The military has been tied back and prevented from executing its full power in the Middle East. The United States could, if it wished, use its nuclear weapons against the enemy. Yet it does not. This may be a good thing. Using nuclear weapons would be unquestionably risky. Other countries which boast nuclear technologies might be tempted to retaliate, which could lead to the eventual destruction of American cities. It could also lead to chaos with unpredictable outcomes. Therefore, the best strategy seems to be to follow the long war approach of the presenters. Perhaps the most important point made in the presentation, was that Americans need to understand the nature and necessity of a long war and that they need to be able to trust their leaders. The main objection to involvement in Iraq was not that Sadam Hussein did not need to be stopped – it was that President Bush went in with the wrong motives. Whether the president’s motives were benevolent or malevolent, much of the American public distrusted him and this hurt the war effort substantially. Also of great import is the section on promoting the good points of peaceful Islam. Criticizing a person’s religion often triggers hostility. Those who have already been provoked by maltreatment by non-Muslims are much more likely to be converted violent extremism than those who have lived peacefully among their peers for many years. Promoting Islam’s peaceful movements, then, is a good counter-measure. Likewise, promoting assistance in rebuilding and democratizing Iraq is an excellent idea. Japan has certainly come a long way. It would be nice if Iraq could too.

Strategy Formulation United Way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategy Formulation United Way - Essay Example Two possible strategies for United Ways would include an integrated marketing communication strategy and a control and monitoring mechanism in the area of corporate governance that would involve appointment of independent auditors as well as implementation of strict code of conduct. The following sections would largely show how these two strategies could be used to counter the issues faced by the organization. The issues and advantages for the two strategies would be specifically analyzed in the following sections. The recent financial crisis had a major impact on the accessibility of funds as disposable income dried up following job cuts. It was becoming difficult for United Ways to sustain itself in the market. Certain alternative strategies for the organization would include going international and seeking funds from across the world. The company could use Americans living in other nations to generate funds for the organization in nations where the effect of financial crisis is le ss severe (Norris, 2007, p.218-220). In addition to this the organization should also use an integrated marketing communication strategy based on social networking and internet to raise funds from international sources.

Foreign Policy Formulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Foreign Policy Formulation - Essay Example Gambia got independence in 1965 , and renamed the country to â€Å"The Gambia† to avoid the confusion with the country â€Å"Zambia†. Gambia is mainly surrounded by the country Senegal and it is one of the two countries surrounded by another. The river of the country called Gambia has been a bench mark for the country since it provides means for transportation and commodity provision. This river has given a unique identity for the country and it flows from west to east through the country and meets up with Atlantic Ocean. Gambia has historical ties with many other West African nations in the matter of slave trade. In 1816 British established a colony in Gambia .The first British settlement was termed as Bathurst, and it was known as the capital of the colony. It was in the year 1906, the slavery was completely abolished from the country. The economic policy of Gambia largely depended on the production and export of peanuts. Since Gambia was the smallest colony in Britis h rule, it was ignored and remained underdeveloped in infrastructure, manpower and institutional capacity. 1 According to Mwakikagile (2010,pg17) â€Å"When the country won independence, it lagged behind in many critical areas and could not function as truly independent nation†.... In 2005, Gambia accepted its willingness to establish full diplomatic relation with Turkish Republic. As per USA International (2007,pg 59)â€Å" The Gambia’s foreign policy is carved within the framework of the purpose and principles of the charters of both the United Nations and the African Union , on the basis of mutual respect for the sovereign equality , independence and the territorial integrity of the states.†. The main aim of their foreign policy is to maintain international peace and security and promote friendly relation among other foreign nations. The Gambia’s foreign policy is also committed to the doctrine of non alignment. Despite the developments in world affairs the foreign policy principles of Gambia has remained unwavering. The Gambia’s Foreign Relations The country Gambia has active involvement with United Nations and this acts as a cornerstone for its foreign policy. The main mission of United Nation is to strongly uphold international peace and security and to overcome underdevelopment and poverty among various nations across the world. In order to achieve this mission a close relation with individual countries is mandatory. The traditional and neutral approach of Gambia has given it a credible stand in its dealing with international organizations and developing partners. The foreign policy objective of the country is advanced due to its active participation in African Union affairs. The country also has a bilateral relation with The Republic of China as there had been many official visits between both the countries. Gambia established a diplomatic relation with Russia in 1965, and has an embassy situated in Moscow. The United States also intent to hold a improved relation with Gambia considering its historical ties,

The last year (1935) in the life of Huey P. Long (Louisiana Senator) Essay

The last year (1935) in the life of Huey P. Long (Louisiana Senator) - Essay Example Parker won the primary, and Long insisted that it was his doing. In that era before the advent of radio and electrical sound-amplifiers, a candidate's effectiveness was usually proportional to the lustiness of his voice at open-air rallies. Long's lungs were strong. Long perfected his oratorical technique in these campaigns. He spoke in terms of "we'": "We are a-goin' ter do this -- we done that." He eschewed polysyllabic words; he exaggerated his "hillbilly" accent; he reveled in the idioms of his native hills. Long's apologies were somewhat disingenuous. His formal education had been spotty, of course, but his ignorance was a pose. He was an able lawyer. Once when he was drunk, he uttered a franker appraisal of his own abilities. 1 Soon after the election, Long broke with the new governor, nominally because Parker was reluctant to levy higher taxes on Standard Oil. On August 30, 1923, his thirtieth birthday, Long announced his own candidacy for the governorship. The campaign began at once. Some opposition candidates might offer money for votes, Long predicted to his audiences. "So take the money and then vote for me." He cited his teachers as Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Almighty God. He assailed Governor Parker as "a damnable demagogue." He charged the New Orleans Item and the Times-Picayune with being journals of Wall Street. A heavy rain fell on Primary Day, January 15, 1924. Long's rural followers were kept at home. A second cause of his defeat lay in his inability to attract votes in the French parishes. The ambitious railroad commissioner soon found opportunity to appeal to Catholic Creoles and Cajuns of southern Louisiana. In 1926 United States Senator Edwin S. Broussard came up for reelection. Long set out to sell Broussard a French Creole Catholic, an advocate of a protective-tariff on sugar, and "as wet as Lake Pontchartrain" on the prohibition question to his Anglo-Saxon Protestant, low-tariff, "dry" followers in northern Louisiana. He stumped the state, told the Creoles that French blood flowed in his own veins, and referred to Broussard as "Couzain Ed." He assured his own disciples of his complete loyalty to the senator. Broussard squeaked through the primary with a 4,000-vote margin. Opposing Long in the gubernatorial primary of 1928 was Congressman Riley Wilson, candidate of the New Orleans "Old Regular" machine, which controlled much of the state through an alliance with the rural courthouse cliques. Long ridiculed Wilson as a "babe," although Wilson was twenty-two years older than himself and had already served seven terms in Congress. Governor O. H. Simpson also filed in the primary. Long's irrelevant and crudely humorous talk amused his followers. 2 Long provided his campaign with a slogan: "Every Man a King but No Man Wears a Crown." Long said he borrowed the vote catching words from that perennial Democratic-Populist seeker after the presidency, William Jennings Bryan. In a speech on "Imperialism," delivered in the campaign of 1900, the Great Commoner spoke of a "republic in which every citizen is a sovereign, but in which no one cares or dares to wear a crown." Henceforth, "Every Man a King" was to be Long's battle cry. Long's candidacy was considerably strengthened by

WORLD LITERATURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WORLD LITERATURE - Essay Example of various aspects of life; yet it is through literature that we learn the main pillars of life – situations, examples, and lessons learnt and taught by the characters and heroes of various epics in literature. They take us through the course of and pessimism of oneself, war, rage, anger, rebelliousness, power, wealth, slavery, death, stolen human rights, greed, hatred to the extreme ends of romance, wild imaginations of seduction and erotic wishes between loved ones, and how they conquer all possible; yet unpredictable boundaries that would arise along the way in order to always protect, save, and live with one another no matter how impossible it might have been for them to unite and re-unite, but they were the heroic characters who taught us what love, devotion, loyalty, and sacrifice without thinking twice was truly all about – basically being the original edition. How the love grew much more between them during their hardest moments; when it would have been consider ed acceptable to some extent to fall apart and give up due to their difficult situations that obliged them to live apart from one another whether it was because of social class differences, religion, family standards, war, etc. It is through literature where we learn to expect the unpredictable whether good or bad. After all, nothing in life could ever be perfect even in literature; there were ups and downs of hardship that they experienced along their journeys, yet their lives; in terms of the stories and epics of their time that we still read, learn, and further enlighten our knowledge with until today are always going to be kept under a special umbrella of everything being creatively, beautifully portrayed and depicted. In my literature research paper, I will introduce, explain, and elaborate on various personalities, and situations, and how the characters and heroes acted and reacted in different incidents, and furthermore; I will; discuss differences and similarities throughout my

Individual Business proposal for electronic and communications Essay

Individual Business proposal for electronic and communications engineering - Essay Example Hospitals are busy places where people are on call all the time. Hospitals have a number of paging systems today which attempt to reach doctors and staff. These range from pagers, which are based on walkie-talkie and two-way communications technologies from the 1960’s, overhead sound signals, which use a public address system, and even lights which send a coded page to specific people or departments. In answering a page or a summons, a staff member must normally call a number or look at a short paging message; usually, the message is â€Å"call your paging service.† There are several problems with the current systems in place. First, it requires too much work on the part of the staff member. If he/she is in the midst of tending to a patient, she must stop and look at the pager, or go to a phone to follow up on the page. He or she must then talk with a dispatcher or listen to a message. The communication is one-way; if he/she has questions about the page, there is no way to get an immediate answer. Each staff member in a hospital needs to be able to communicate with everyone else in a way that does not interrupt their workflow. If a nurse is tending to a patient, for example, he/she must be able to talk to someone without having to step away from the bedside, or use one or two hands for communication. In addition, the person must be able to reach a ‘live’ person on the other end when something is needed, in order to request immediate information or action. The communications system must be transparent to the user, and take little or no training. It should be applicable throughout the institution, but also offsite. If, for example, a physician is visiting with a patient in his offices, and would like to enquire about the availability of a bed at a local hospital, he/she should be able to immediately contact the appropriate hospital staff

The Cuba-Soviet Unions Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Cuba-Soviet Unions Relations - Essay Example Various conflicts have been witnessed in history between nations in the world. During such conflicts, the other nations that are not directly involved in the war often take sides and support their allies against the enemy nations. The situations often lead to further enmity among the rival groups and develop into social and political unrest in the whole world. Such wars led to research and subsequent developments of deadly weapons by nations that could destroy the whole world. Various crises in the world have been seen that follow a period of conflicts between rival nations especially if the rivalry has erupted between two or more industrial powers that are key drivers of the world economy. There are different types of war that can be experienced between two or more nations. These are Hot War, Warm War, and Cold War. A Hot War occurs when there is a complete disagreement between nations and all the attempts to have a peaceful dialogue have failed. It is characterized by physical confrontations between the armies of the rival nations. Warm war is a situation where there is room for dialogue and it is actually being carried out. Meanwhile, the defense of each side is undergoing preparation for the possibility of war that might break. Cold War occurs between two nations that are actually rivals but do not want to face each other one on one as was witnessed between USSR and US catalyzed by the Cuban revolution, more so when U.S refineries refused to process Soviet Union’s oil . Instead, the nations support their allied conflicting nations through weapons and manpower during the wars. The Cold War As has been pointed out earlier, this type of war occurs silently betwe en two nations through other nations that they support. The Cold War refers to the relationship that America and the Soviet Unions had after the World War II until late 1980s. During the Second World War, both the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and America appeared to be on one side probably due to their common enemy, Nazi Germany2. It would be thought that there would be a good relationship between the two industrial powers after the end of this war. However, it turned out that the two nations were not friends anyway. Their postwar relations and the ideological differences would result into the Cold War. The difference between the foreign policies of the United States and the policies of Soviet Union led to war3. Despite the two nations have such differences, they have never engaged each other in combat war4. The distrust that grew stronger and stronger between the two nations was due to the difference in leadership and governance that was practiced by the two nations, a nd which led to their ideological differences, as either nation flexed muscle to dominate the world5. America was a capitalist state while Soviet Unions was a communist state and this determined their allies and the differences6. The American government was democratic and characterized by free and fair election whereas that of Soviet Unions was autocratic with restricted or no elections. There was a lot of freedom of speech and expression in America compared to the censored moves in the Soviet Unions. The anti-communist states would then be allied to America while pro-communist states would side with the Soviet Unions. During the Cold War period (1945-1991), America would supply weapons to the nations that were invaded by Soviet Unions or other countries supported by the Soviet Unions. Countries like South Vietnam were against the communist culture and received support from America during the war whereas North Vietnam supported communist states and received support from the communis t states like Russia. The government of the United States authorized the support of various anti-communist movements in the countries that were likely to be influenced by the communist movement of

Improving Organizational Performance Research Paper

Improving Organizational Performance - Research Paper Example Hence, there had been no more creativity and adventure that was against the nature of a risk-taking stunt performer. I would recommend a solution that there is a dire need to ensure job flexibility and creativity that would not only reduce additional burden over employees, but reduce their stress. The phase 2 described the situation in which Cesley allocated the fund of $150,000 to develop intervention that would ensure organizational flexibility, improvement in performance and productivity. Indeed, the solution that I chose were the improvement in job design thereby making it more flexible, initiative of physical / mental training and training in other stunts. Indeed, this would have helped in enhancing the skills, proficiency level, capabilities and specialties of stunt performers as well as helped in making their job more challenging. This would have motivated stunt performers as they had perceived the changes in existing rigid job design. Obviously, the theory worked and most of the stunt performers welcomed the changes and pledged that they would be working harder to produce optimal performance. The phase 3 explained the situation in which the top management suggested to form an informal consultancy group of 3 stunt performers who could work with each other and would be responsible in providing consultation services to potential customers about Airdevils capabilities and strengths. Also, the group was supposed to provide services to Airdevils whether there was enough scope that company could induct new line of stunts and benefit from their talent. I recommended making a group of stunts namely Amanda, Charlie and Marty Columbus who shared similar personalities and resemblance in attitudes and behaviors. Indeed, this would not only result in group’s harmony and unity but also in accomplishment of organizational goals and ambitions. On the flip side, some conflicts had been observed

Graphic design is the branch of visual art Essay

Graphic design is the branch of visual art - Essay Example By effectiveness, we mean how much power a design has to motivate people or help them identify a company. For example, where a one or two letter sign may be effective in identifying a company such as BP, it is not effective for another company simply identified as B. Plus; presentation of an idea does not necessarily mean it was communicated accurately. A scribbled "keep off grass" sign is not as effective as a neatly designed "keep off grass" sign with an appropriately designed logo. Also, just because a sign communicates effectively does not mean what it communicates is good. Governments have become masters at influencing citizens with graphic design by communicating messages sometimes to support darkly political objectives. Graphic design is the branch of visual art dedicated to communicating messages. It is most used in marketing and brand recognition strategies. Having watch and listened to a video of a talk about design given by David Carson, I walk away with certain understandings about graphic design.

Chicago-style pizza Essay Example for Free

Chicago-style pizza Essay Pizza is a very common food Item you can find anywhere in New York, it can provide a quick fix if you are hungry but it can also have another purpose. The two most commonly found would be thesis Deep dish1 and New York style2 pizza but I believe the best pizza is home made3 since to me it promotes family togetherness. There are specialties shops like UNO’s that prepare pizza â€Å"Chicago style† which is basically deep dish pizza and has a thicker crust. Deno/des I find the pizza to be doughy and personally I am not too fond of chunky tomatoes in my sauce. In my opinion it seems to fill the pizza more than anything else. Pizza hut and Dominos also provides a deep dish option made differently without the chunky tomato sauce that I find more appealing to my taste that is not Chicago style. While they all can be a family night out for dinner this can at times become routine and boring. The common pizza shop makes a typical pizza pie we are all used to in New York, the â€Å"slice†. deno/des Some make pizza soggy, crunchy, or oily we all have our preferences and typically are drawn to those shops that make it the way we like it. This to me is a quick sit down lunch or dinner with your family, children or child then you are off again to continue your activities. There is no fun to it just becomes routine to grab a quick bite and carry on. In my opinion my personal favorite is making it at home with fresh dough purchased at my local supermarket. Deno/des My daughter helps roll out the dough on the pizza pan with a little flour so it does not stick to the pan. She also helps me shred the mozzarella cheese constantly reminding me to watch my fingers as to not get cut on the shredder. My three year old has already mastered putting the sauce on the pizza, sauce out of the can that is. We place it in the oven and wait. I have to say the bonding that takes place making pizza is priceless and the pizza we create is better than anything you can find anywhere in NYC. This also reminds me of my own childhood making pizza in the same manner with my father, these are the memories you carry on forever. To this day the pizza I made with my father only comes second to the pizza I make with my daughter. Des In conclusion I believe being a single parent myself and raising my 3 year old little girl, I would prefer making homemade pizza. The bonding that comes from the interaction of making a pizza with my daughter from scratch brings back memories of when I was a child making pizza with my parents. Those memories are everlasting. To those who do not have such memories or traditions this is an opportunity to create them while creating memories your child will always remember. The bonding and togetherness from this interaction with your child is something you cannot get from going to your local pizzeria.

Treatment and Outcomes of Paediatric Asthma in New Zealand

Treatment and Outcomes of Paediatric Asthma in New Zealand Inequities are present in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in New Zealand (NZ). A sound body of literature and research confirms these inequities, and associates them with various axes, including socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity. A conceptual framework, Williams model, is proposed to explain how basic and surface causal factors have resulted in such inequities in paediatric asthma in NZ. Finally, this essay articulates two evidence-based interventions which have been devised with one potent aim: to reduce the unfair disparities in the health status for different population groups. Asthma can affect people of any age, yet is much more common in children than adults. On one hand, studies have suggested that the prevalence of paediatric asthma is similar between Maori and non-Maori (Holt Beasley, 2002). Conversely, there is evidence that Maori boys and girls are 1.5 times as likely to be taking medication for asthma than non-Maori boys and girls (Ministry of Health, 2008). Yet, medicated asthma as a proxy for paediatric asthma prevalence may not be desirable as it fails to include those who should be medicated but are not currently due to barriers such as cost, access and education. This may have the effect of underestimating the true ethnic disparities. However, using asthma symptoms as a better indicator of asthma prevalence, evidence from the ISAAC study (2004) conclude that there are, in fact, significant ethnic variations; that the prevalence of recent wheeze is higher in Maori than in non-Maori children, and is lower for Pacific children than for other eth nic groups. These finding are consistent with an earlier study on paediatric asthma prevalence in New Zealand, suggesting that the pattern of interethnic differences have persisted over time (Pattermore et al., 2004). Perhaps the greatest difference in the prevalence of paediatric asthma between ethnic groups is the presence of more severe symptoms among Maori and Pacific children when compared with Europen children. Both Maori and Pacific children had symptoms suggesting more severe asthma; findings from the ISAAC study (2004) indicated that they reported a higher frequency of wheeze disturbing sleep reported than Europeans. Moreover, Maori and Pacific children are hospitalised more frequently and require more days off school as a result of their asthma than their European counterparts (Pattermore et al., 2004). Although asthma admissions among all children in NZ have remained relatively stable over the last decade, this not the case for all ethnicities (Craig, Jackson Han, 2007). NZ European children have experienced a steady decline for hospital admission rates due to asthma, but this decreasing trend is not the case for Maori and Pacific children, of whom Metcalf (2004) found asthma hospitali sation rates for children under 5 to be four times more likely than that of NZ Europeans. Similar ethnic disparities in hospital admission rates for asthma have also been recognised in the United Kingdom, where children of African and South Asian origins have an increased risk of hospitalisation when compared with the majority European population (Netuveli et al., 2005). Furthermore, it seems worth noting that hospital admissions for Maori compared to non-Maori are not distributed equally: a geographical analysis found the difference in asthma hospitalisation rates between Maori and non-Maori to be more significant in rural areas than in urban areas, despite the fact there was no consistent association between rurality and the prevalence of paediatric asthma (Netuveli). As asthma is a chronic disease with no cure, the goal of asthma treatment is, instead, to control its symptoms. There are two key areas in asthma management: self-management (by the caregivers of children) through asthma education and knowledge; and management via medication. In a trial of a community-based asthma education clinic, Kolbe, Garrett, Vamos and Rea (1994) reported greater improvements in asthma knowledge among European than Maori or Pacific participants. A more recent study found that, compared to children of the European ethnic group, Maori and Pacific children with asthma received less asthma education and medication, had lower levels of parental asthma knowledge, had more problems with accessing appropriate asthma care, and were less likely to have an action plan (Crengle, Robinson, Grant Arroll, 2005). Thus, it can be inferred that ethnic inequities in asthma education and self-management have been maintained throughout the years. Despite medication being a critical component of effective asthma management, studies have shown that Maori and Pacific children with severe morbidity may be less likely to receive preventative medications than NZ European children (Crengle et al.). Where reliever medications bring immediate, short-term relief for acute asthma attacks (an indicator of poor asthma control), preventers (or inhaled corticosteroids) prevent symptoms from occurring and is used in the long-term management of asthma (Asher Byrnes, 2006). The ratio of reliever to preventer use is higher in Maori and Pacific than European children, implying a disproportionate burden; that despite a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, Maori and Pacific children are more likely to have sub-optimal asthma control. (â€Å"Asthma and chronic cough†, 2008). Death from asthma remains a relatively uncommon event, and most are largely preventable. Yet, ethnic inequities are also present: Maori are four times more likely to die from asthma than non-Maori. Asthma deaths in Maori are higher than non-Maori for every age-group, including children from 0 to 14 years old (Asher Byrnes, 2006). There have been many studies attempting to evaluate the relationship between SES and paediatric asthma in NZ; yet, evidence is conflicting on such an association. In terms of prevalence, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (1990) argue that the SES of families has no impact on the prevalence of childhood asthma. There are many studies, however, that demonstrate that socioeconomic disadvantage adversely affects asthma severity and management. Damp, cold and mouldy environments are probably more frequent in houses of families with lower SES, and there is some evidence of a dose-response relationship with more severe asthma occurring with increasing dampness level (Butler, Williams, Tukuitonga Paterson, 2003). Moreover, due to such barriers as cost and location, children of lower SES families have less frequent use of asthma medication and less regular contact with medical practitioners, which, in turn, results in higher rates of asthma-related hospital admission s (Mitchell, et al. , 1989). It is important to note that evidence exists to show higher proportions of Maori and Pacific ethnic groups living in more deprived socioeconomic decile areas with poorer housing, having household incomes of less than $40,000, and having caregivers with no high school qualification (Butler et al., 2003). If the gradient of increasing severity in asthma morbidity is steeper for Maori and Pacific children than Europeans, it seems likely that this could also be a manifestation of the influence of socioeconomic deprivation on childhood asthma. Socioeconomic deprivation is therefore is not only more common, but has a stronger effect on health for Maori and Pacific Islanders. Why, then, should such inequities be identified and addressed? Health inequities are, by definition, differences which are unfair, avoidable, and amenable to intervention. The basic human right to health guaranteed under the international human rights law affirms health – the highest attainable state of physical and mental health – as a fundamental human right; as a resource which allows everyone, including children, to achieve their fullest potential (United Nations, 2009). Ought such potential to be hindered by less than favourabe health outcomes due to familial socioeconomic status or the ethnic group to which a child belongs to is a breach of human rights and is simply unjust. Thus, dealing with childhood asthma inequities is, for Maori and Pacific children in particular, reflective of their high need due to an unacceptable contravention of rights. Morever, it is important to address Maori and non-Maori inequities because, as tangata whenua, Maori are indigenous to NZ. Kingis (2007) report states that the Treaty of Waitaingi has a role in protecting the interests of Maori, and it is, undoubtedly, not in their interests to be disadvantaged in health. There is therefore a strong ethical imperative, on the basis of both human and indigenous rights, for addressing inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in NZ. Williams (1997, adapted) model conceptualises the determinants of inequities as being of two kinds: basic causes and surface causes. It makes explicit the key drivers of inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of paediatric asthma in NZ; as in, what has created, and maintains, the inequities between ethnic and socioeconomic groups. These are referred to as the basic causes, or those factors which necessitate alteration to fundamentally create changes in population health outcomes and therefore address inequities (Williams). Surface causes are also related to the outcome but, where basic causes remain, modifying surface factors alone will not result in subsequent changes in the outcome; that is, health inequities persist (Williams). As can be seen with paediatric asthma, ethnicity is strongly associated with SES in NZ. Yet, both ethnicity and SES are not independent factors; they have themselves been shaped by underlying basic causal forces. Inequities in the distribution of prevalence, morbidity and mortality of paediatric asthma seems to resonate with an undervaluing of Maori and Pacific lives and health in NZ. Using Williams model, this undervaluing of Maori and Pacific people, and subsequent inequity, is deeply rooted in our colonial history (for Maori) and economic recession (for Pacific Islanders), as well as the scourge of institutional racism. Churchill (1996) argues that colonisation is based on the dehumanisation of indigenous people. Central to colonisation is the belief among colonisers of their superiority and the creation of a new history, with indigenous Maori knowledge relabelled as myths, the traditional landscape renamed, and land alienation. On the other hand, the economic downturn from the 19 70s to early 1980s, which coincided with the significant arrival of Pacific peoples to NZ, resulted in a shortage of jobs and a tightening of immigration policy (Dunsford et al., 2011). Pacific paoples were now labelled as overstayers, which culminated in the infamous dawn raids (Dunsford et al.). Both indigenous Maori and Pacific migrants became ethnic groups defined by exclusion and marginalisation, which has been embedded in NZ society (thus, institutionalied racism). In other words, they have been removed from a sense of place and belonging which is an entitlement of all New Zealanders. The effects of the basic causal forces introduced unnecessary challenges and has led to disparities in the social status of Maori and Pacific peoples when compared with Europeans. This is manifested in the distribution of socioeconomic deprivation, where Maori and Pacific peoples are overrpresented in the most deprived areas (Mare, Mawson Timmins, 2001). This is largely the result of the inequitable distribution of socioeconomic factors stemming from the basic causes; that is, below average educational attainment, high rates of unemployment and reduction of income among Maori and Pacific Islanders. Ethnicity, deprivation and social status all give rise to what Williams model labels as the surface causes. The amalgamation of low socioeconomic status alongside less than favourable desterminants of health and being marginalised has exacerbated to produce a quagmire in which inequities in health are a given for many Maori and Pacfic peoples. This provides part of the explanation of the inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes in paediatric asthma, as Maori and Pacific peoples are less likely to have routine visits to their GP, access to regular preventive medication, and to live in sufficient housing (therefore more susceptible to house dust mites and damp envrionments) – all of which seem to be due to cost constraints (Pattermore et al., 2004). However, this is unlikely to explain the full picture, as poor outcomes are also evident for children aged under six, in whom the provision of care is free of charge. Thus, other surface causes could be a lack of cultural ly appropriate services as well as differences in the quality of care received (Rumball-Smith, 2009). Next in the causal pathway of Williams model is biological processes, where the cumulative impacts of the basic and surface causal factors together with social status manifest themselves as diseases, such as asthma, via the notion of embodiment (Williams, 1997, adapted). In the case of paediatric asthma, the immune responses of Maori and Pacific childrens may be compromised, making them more susceptible to complications in their already vulnerable health (as Maori and Pacific children with asthma are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms). These biological processes, in turn, determine health status (health, morbidity and mortality) and where we all sit on the spectrum. The issue with paediatric asthma is that many children are on the wrong end of the spectrum, and too many of these children are of Maori and Pacific ethnic groups. One way in which inequities in the prevalence, treatment and outcome of paediatric asthma has been addressed is through housing improvement intervention programmes in NZ, such as the randomised controlled trial examining the effects of improvements in housing on the symptoms of asthma. Parents of children in the intervention group allocated a non-polluting, more effective replacement heater in their homes reported fewer days of school, and fewer visits to the doctor and pharmacist for asthma (Howden-Chapman et al., 2008). Through increasing warmth, and reducing dampness and mould in households, housing intervention programmes directly improve the health status of all children with asthma. Moreover, fuel poverty is common in NZ; as in, unaffordable fuel and unsafe heating are a significant issue for many families, especially for Maori and Pacific peoples in whom higher rates of paediatric asthma prevalence, severity, hospitalisation and mortality occur (Asher Byrnes, 2006). Thus, int erventions of this kind, which prioritise socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and poorer quality housing (where there are a higher proportion of Maori and Pacific families), have the potential to reduce not only inequities in health status among ethnic groups, but also the inequitable distribution of adequate housing, a key social determinant of health. After the Maori asthma review (1991), which contended that improving outcomes from asthma among Maori required promotion techniques that incorporated Maori visions and values, a trial of an asthma action plan was devised and undertaken by Maori from Wairarapa with the aim of increasing interactions between Maori community groups and the health sector, reducing inequities between Maori and non-Maori, and improving asthma in the Maori community. Over a period of six months, Maori with asthma were educated in asthma control, seen at marae-based asthma clinics, and were provided with credit card sized asthma action plans (Beasley et al., 1993). In addition to improvements in asthma morbidity (via improvements in asthma control), the programme was found to have benefits extending beyond the effects of asthma, including greater cultural affirmation and increased access to other healthcare services among the Maori community. These successes were largely due to the involvement of the Maori c ommunity in the programme. For Maori, by Maori interventions target the surface causes of Williams model, which identified a lack of culturally appropriate care as a driver of inequities in paediatric asthma. Moreover, there is international evidence to show that similar interventions for other minority ethnic groups have also had beneficial effects (La Roche, Koinis-Mitchell Gualdron, 2006). By taking into account the needs of groups which have historically been margnalised in NZ society, these interventions allow for a more culturally meaningful engagement with regard to the experience of asthma, and serves to reduce inequities in the differential access and receipt of quality care among Maori and Pacific peoples. There is a myriad of evidence to suggest that ethnicity and SES are intrinsically linked to the inequities in the prevalance, severity, hospitalisation rates and mortality with regards to childhood asthma in NZ. Williams model may explain this relationship: the negative effects of colonisation, the economic recession and institutional racism, especially on the key determinants of health, impact differentially on population groups, resulting in the disparities in outcomes of asthma among Maori and Pacific children when compared to their European counterparts. Based on this discussion, it can be seen that approaches to develop strategies need to both prioritise those with the greatest need as well as proceed in partnership with Maori and Pacific peoples in order to address the inequities in childhood asthma in NZ.

The Oral Corrective Feedback English Language Essay

The Oral Corrective Feedback English Language Essay The focus on errors made by second language (L2) learners and Corrective Feedback (CF) _ called as negative evidence, repair, negative feedback and focus-on-form by linguists, discourse analysts, psychologists and those who work recently on classroom Second Language Acquisition (SLA) respectively _ had been exist on almost every movement that had took place in the area of language teaching and learning (Lyster Ranta, 1997). In 1950s and 1960s behaviorists believed that errors can damage learning and should be corrected immediately. Recently, those working within the interactionist framework (e.g. Long, 1996) maintain that since CF enables learners to make connections between form and meaning in the context of communication, it is important for acquisition (Golshan Ramachandra, 2012, p. 120). The role of feedback is also evident in structural and communicative approaches in which à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ feedback is viewed as a means of fostering learner motivation and ensuring linguistic ac curacy (Ellis, 2009, p. 3). Owing to such attention given to error treatment, scholars were interested to know how they could respond learners errors which results in effective teaching of L2 and how they should behave in different contexts to have a long lasting effect on learners language. Review of related literature Making the nature of CF clear many studies had done and researchers investigated different questions aroused around this issue, for example Lyater and Ranta, in 1997, observed four French immersion classroom to find the different types of corrective feedback, their distribution in communicatively oriented classroom and the distribution of uptake following different types of corrective feedback. Four years later in 2001, Lyster reviewed the recordings again. This time he tried to find the answer to two other questions that were not discussed in Lyster and Ranta (1997): 1.what types of learners errors lead to what types of corrective feedback? 2. What types of corrective feedback lead to the immediate repair of what types of learner errors?(Lyster, 2001, p. 275) Samar and Shayestefar (2009), in Iran, analyzed their database made from observing two EFL classrooms to find how EFL teacher error treatment in terms of CFs vary across these classrooms and what type of CFs leads to learners u ptake and successful repair. Related to this issue Balighizadeh and Abdi (2010) mentioned that language learning and corrective feedback bound up together and make an appropriate language learning environment. They believed that the function of feedback is more apparent in EFL contexts which teacher is the only source for answering students questions and feedback giving. Corrective feedback Ellis (2009) wrote that corrective feedback takes the form of a response to a learner utterance containing a linguistic error (p. 3). This erroneous utterance could be delivered in the form of an oral production of L2 or a piece of writing that means teachers can give feedback to both writing and speaking of L2 learners. Bitchener (2008) points out to this issue that there may be prominent differences between SLA work in oral and written feedback in second language acquisition writing studies( as cited in Soori, Kafipour soury, 2011, p. 497). Therefore this paper only focuses on corrective feedback which is given to oral erroneous utterances. According to previous study done by Lyster and Ranta (1997) these utterances consist of nonnative-like uses of L2 which they classified them to phonological, lexical or grammatical errors and in some cases when more than one type of error occurred in a student turn (e.g. phonological+ lexical) this is called multiple (p. 45). The response can c onsist of (1) an indication that an error has been committed, (2) provision of the correct target language form, (3) Metalinguistic information about the nature of the error or (4) any combination of these (Soori, Kafipour Soury, 2011, p. 495). Six types of CFs first reported by Lyster and Ranta (1997), therefore, divided into two categories by Soori, Kafipour and Soury based on the way they treat learners errors. This kind of classification established on the basis of information-processing model à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which describes skill acquisition as a gradual change in knowledge from declarative to procedural mental representations (Ding, n.d., p.88). Therefore giving the correct form helps learners to boost their declarative knowledge_ knowledge of a language system_ but giving metalinguistic information helps learners to increase control over their already internalized declarative knowledge which means to increase their procedural knowledge (Ding, n.d.). Types of corrective feedback Lyster and Ranta (1997) distinguished six different types of feedback in their study and Ding (n.d.) added English examples to these CF types Explicit correction refers to the explicit provision of the correct form. As the teacher provides the correct form, he or she clearly indicates that what the student had said was in correct. (e. g. Oh, you mean, you should say). (1) L (learner): and three pear (sounds like bear). T (teacher): not beer. Pear. Recasts involve the teachers reformulation of all or part of the students utterance minus the error. (2) T: when you were in school? L: yes. I stand in the first row. T: you stood in the first row? L: yes, in the first row, and sit, ah, sat the first row Clarification requests indicate to students that the utterance is ill-formed in some way and that a repetition or reformulation is required. This is a feedback type that can refer to problems in either comprehensibility or accuracy, or both. (3) L: why does he fly to Korea last year? T: Pardon? L: why did he fly to Korea last year? Metalinguistic feedback contain either comments, information, or questions related to how well-formed the students utterance is, without explicitly providing the correct form. (4) L: I went to the train station and pick up my aunt. T: Use past tense consistently. L: I went to the train station and picked up my aunt. Elicitation refers to techniques that teachers use to directly elicit the correct form from the student. Teachers can elicit completion of their own utterance by strategically pausing to allow students to fill in the blank, or use questions such as How we do X in English? to elicit correct forms, or directly ask students to formulate their utterance. (5) L: once upon a time, there lives a poor girl named Cinderella T: once upon a time, thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ L: there lived a girl. Repetition refers to a teachers repetition, in isolation, of a students erroneous utterance. In most cases, teachers adjust their intonation so as to highlight the error. (6) L: Mrs Jones travel a lot last year. T: Mrs Jones travel a lot last year? L: Mrs Jones traveled a lot last year. Two other strategies that are used in L2 classrooms are clarification request and paralinguistic signals (Ellis, 2009). Paralinguistic studies most of the time accompanied with recasts in order to make them more explicit for students. Uptake A construct closely related to provision of CF is uptake (Samar Shayestefar, 2009, p. 110). Lyster and Ranta(1997) introduced uptake as: Uptake in our model refers to a students utterance that immediately follows the teachers feedback and that constitutes a reaction in some way to the teachers intention to draw attention to some aspect of the students initial utterance (this overall intention is clear to the student although the teachers specific linguistic focus may not be). (p. 49) The data revealed that uptake of students could have two types, sometimes their errors repair completely and sometimes uptakes need repair and the students may produce the utterance with another type of error which it is the teacher that should give CF again. Classification of corrective feedback types Explicit feedback vs. implicit As it is written in Ding (n.d), a popular classification of CFs is to divide them according to their explicitness and implicitness. Yang asserted that In the case of implicit feedback, there is no overt indicator that an error has been committed, whereas in explicit feedback types there is (as cited in Ding, n.d., p. 86). Long (as cited in Ding, n.d.) asserted that recast is a form of implicit feedback and can be easily neglected, especially in a meaning-focused context. Balighizadeh and Abdi (2010) had mentioned that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because they are not explicit, do not isolate the features of language form that are the focus of feedback, and do not interrupt_ even briefly_ the flow of meaningful interaction (p.59). Lyster (2001) had found a different result. He found that recast most of the time accompanied with another strategy such as repetition or paralinguistic signal or raising stress on the part that error occurred which make the recast less implicit. Other researchers which compared the effects of recasts and metalinguistic information on delayed performance of L2 learners proposed that interactional feedback in the form of metalinguistic informationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦might have been more effective than recasts because learners might be more likely to perceive it as overtly corrective (as cited in Balighizadeh Abdi, 2010, p.64). Ding (n.d.) stated that this dichotomous classification of feedback can be problematic (p. 86). Another classification which tried to prevent such vagueness and was the focus of Ding paper is dividing the CF strategies into recasts and prompts. Recasts vs. prompts Lyster (2001) introduced the term negotiation of form which he placed four Cf strategies (i.e. elicitation, metalinguistic clues, clarification requests, and repetition of error) under its rubric. All of these strategies lead to peer- or self-repair and therefore lead to a high rate of uptake. While recasts and explicit correction provide the correct answer and therefore they do not lead to peer- or self-repair. This distinction is clearly expressed by Lyster (2001): recasts and explicit correction are thus distinguishable from the negotiation of form in that the former supplies correct forms that learners may or may not repeat, whereas the latter provides signals to facilitate peer- and self-repair (p.274). Negotiation of form is called prompt according to Dings (n.d.) studies. Because recasts provide language learners with target-like reformulations and exemplars, they account for a significant part of language input in L2 classrooms, while prompts encourage learners to produce the ir own target-like output (p.87). Researchers findings Lyster and Ranta (1997) analysed their database in order to find the relationship between feedback type and learner uptake. According to them the most popular feedback technique used by teachers in their project was recast which turn out to be a technique that results the least uptake of any kind (i.e. repair and need-repair). Clarification request, metalinguistic feedback, and repetition are similar in eliciting uptake from students, and it should be mentioned that metalinguistic feedback was more successful than clarification request and repetition. The most successful technique for eliciting uptake is elicitation: All learner utterances following elicitation involve uptake with an almost even distribution between repair and need-repair (Lyster Ranta, 1997, p.54). From these results it can be concluded that the techniques that lead to peer- or self-correction should be used more in form-focused activities. The more students notice the feedback and the more they involve in processi ng the language items the more uptake results. In order to answer two questions proposed by Lyster (2001) that was mentioned in this paper, Lyster examined the relationship among error types, feedback type, and repair. He found that grammatical and phonological errors tended to invite recasts, whereas lexical errors tended to invite negotiation of form more often than recast (Lyster, 2001, p. 287), And the majority of phonological repairs were learner repetitions following recasts and the majority of grammatical and lexical repairs were peer- and self-repairs following negotiation of form (Lyster, 2001, p. 288). Lyster stated that although the majority of the feedback following grammatical errors involved recasts, the majority of grammatical repairs followed the negotiation of form. Conversely, lexical and phonological repairs resulted, for the most part, from the different feedback types that these error types tended to invite. (Lyster, 2001, p. 285) Samar and Shayestefars (2009) finding was in accordance with Lyster. According to them the recast the most employed feedback (i.e. recast), is the most likely to lead no uptake. Metalinguistic and explicit corrections are the most successful types of feedback leading to successful uptakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with metalinguistic more successful at eliciting repair (Samar Shayestefar, 2009, p.125 conclusion Although the findings of different researchers are the same, but it cannot be said that these results are conclusive (Tedick, 1998). Tedick (1998) offered four suggestions for teachers based on the experiences of her colleague_ Ms. De Gortari. According to her an English language teacher shoul (1) consider the context, (2) become aware of his current practices, (3) practice a variety of feedback techniques, and (4) focus on the learner _ it is important to let the learner self-correct. Therefore it is important for teachers to become aware of different techniques of Cf and use the findings of researchers in order to gain the best result from their action. If they are working on form, negotiation of form is preferred and suggested, if they are working on fluency and meaning it is better to correct them unobtrusively.

An Economic Analysis of Oregon’s 2007 Road User Fee Pilot Program Essay

I. Introduction and Background The gasoline tax has provided revenue for the Federal and State Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for decades; however, the tax rates have remained stagnate leading to the funds depletion. The HTF is responsible for funding highway and mass transit projects and also maintenance of those projects at the Federal and State level. In 2005 around 80 percent of funding for all projects came from the gasoline tax (Kim, Porter, Whitty, Svadlenak Lareson, Capps, Imholt & Person 2008, pg. 37). Thus, it is vital for the HTF to be a revenue collecting system that can replace the gasoline tax. Oregon has recently begun testing an alternative revenue collection program to fund their HTF. Currently, State gasoline tax is set at 24 cents per-gallon and that is on top of the Federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents, which only, 18.3 cents is used for roads, the total tax equals to 42.4 cents per-gallon (McMullen, Zhang, & Nakahara, 2010, pg. 360) (Austin & Dinan, 2012 pg.2). The gasoline tax has not been raised in years and is unable to keep up with fuel-efficient technologies. Consequently, the Federal government has had to allocate funds to States HTF for projects along with States having to borrow money form their other accounts. Therefore Oregon proposed the 2007 Road User Fee Pilot Program to test if a vehicle mileage traveled (VMT) tax is a feasible solution to the gasoline tax. Oregon’s propose program is in response to new fuel-efficient vehicles and corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that have forced the automotive industry to rise miles-per-gallon in new vehicles to help combat climate change. It is estimated that CAFE standards have lower the gasoline tax revenue around twenty percent (Austi... ... Evaluation of Oregon's Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Revenue Collection System." Transportation Research Board 2079: 37-44. Print. McMullen, Starr, Lei Zhang, and Kyle Nakahara. "Distributional impacts of changing from a gasoline tax to a vehicle-mile tax for light vehicles: A case study of Oregon." Transport Policy 17: 359-366. Print. Rufolo, Anthony, and Thomas Kimpel. "Responses to Oregon's Experiment in Road Pricing ." Transportation Research Board 2079: 1-7. Print. Thomas, Michael , and Kevin Heaslip. "Technological Change and the Lowest Common Denominator Problem: an Analysis of Oregon's Vehicle Miles Travelled Fee Experiment ." Journal of City and Town Management 2: 1-23. Web. 6 May 2014. Whitty, James. "Oregon's Mileage Fee Concept and Road User Fee Pilot Program: Final Report ." Oregon Department of Transportation 1 Nov. 2007: iv-92. Print.

The Impact of Terrorism on Immigration Essay -- Exploratory Essays Res

The Impact of Terrorism on Immigration    Always on the lookout for opportunities to press their case, anti-immigration advocates lost no time after the attacks of September 11. As one of them pointed out in testimony before the Senate, It seems clear that the 19 terrorists of September 11 were all foreign citizens and entered the United States legally, as tourists, business travelers, or students. This was also true of the perpetrators of previous terrorist acts . . . While it is absolutely essential that we not scapegoat immigrants, especially Muslim immigrants, we also must not overlook the most obvious fact: the current terrorist threat to the United States comes almost exclusively from individuals who arrive from abroad. Thus, our immigration policy, including temporary and permanent visas issuance, border control, and efforts to deal with illegal immigration are all critical to reducing the chance of an attack in the future".1 On a more extreme note, Pat Buchanan urged an immediate moratorium on all immigration, an expansion of the Border Patrol to 20,000, a radical reduction of visas issued to nationals of states that harbor terrorists, and the expedited deportation of "the eight-to-11 million illegal aliens, beginnings with those from rogue nations." Moreover, "President Bush's amnesty proposal" - a reference to ongoing negotiations between the United States and Mexico for a new immigration program, which might include legalization of unauthorized residents - should be quietly interred".2 In the country at large, the attacks unleashed a spate of aggressions against people who were seen as resembling the terrorists or believed to sympathize with them, occasionally with tragic consequences. Overall, Washing... ...d in Newsweek, November 12, 2001. 6 John Torpey, The Invention of the Passport: Surveillance, Citizenship, and the State (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999). 7 These figures are taken from Annual Reports of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; I am grateful to Fred C for his assistance in gathering the appropriate data. 8 "Longer Visa Waits for Arabs," The New York Times, Nov. 10, 2001: B5. 9 The Washington Post, Oct. 30, 2001: A1. 10 "In Sweeping Campus Canvasses, U.S. Checks on Mideast Students..." The New York Times, Nov. 12, 2001: B8. 11 The Washington Post, Oct, 25, 2001: A24. 12 Christian Science Monitor, September 19, 2001, 1. 13 The San Diego Union-Tribune, October 25, 2001. 14 The New York Times, September 27, 2001: B3. 15 National Post, October 10, 2001. 16 The New York Times, Oct. 26, 2001: A18.

Hoot

Edexcel International General Certificate of Secondary Education and Edexcel Certificate June 2012 – FINAL TImETAbLE International GCSE and Edexcel Certificate Examinations 1. The normal starting time for morning sessions is 9. 00 a. m. and for afternoon sessions 1. 30 p. m. 2. Wednesday 22 August 2012 – restricted release of results to centres only 3. Thursday 23 August 2012 – release of results to candidates www. edexcel. com Edexcel Certificate Examinations are only available to UK centres. Week 1 Date monday 7 may morning Length Afternoon LengthTuesday 8 may 4Cm0/01 4TU0/01 4Hb0/02 Commerce Turkish Human Biology Paper 2 2h 3h 4GN0/01 4Hb0/01 German: Listening Human Biology Paper 1 Bangladesh Studies Paper 1 Pakistan Studies: The History and Heritage of Pakistan Arabic (Classical Arabic) 30m + 5m reading time 2h 1h 30m 1h 30m 3h Wednesday 9 may 1h 4bN0/01 4PA0/01 Thursday 10 may 4AC0/01 Accounting 2h 30m 4CA0/01 Friday 11 may 4bN0/02 4PA0/02 Bangladesh Studies Paper 2 Pakistan Studies: The Land, People and Resources of Pakistan 1h 30m 1h 30m 4mA0/1F & KmA0/1F 4mA0/3H & KmA0/3H 4mb0/01Mathematics Specification A: Paper 1F Mathematics Specification A: Paper 3H 2h 2h 1h 30m Mathematics Specification B: Paper 1 Week 2 Date monday 14 may morning 4GN0/02 German: Reading and Writing Length 1h 30m Afternoon 4AR0/01 Arabic (First Language) Length 2h 15m inc. 10m. reading time 3h 2h 30m 2h 30m 4bE0/01 4IS0/01 Bengali Islamiyat Religious Studies Tuesday 15 may 4bI0/01 & KbI0/01 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(ESL) Paper 1: Reading and Writing Physics Science (Double Award) Physics Paper 1 Wednesday 23 may 4PH0/1P & KPH0/1P 4SC0/1P & 4KSC0/1P 4SP0/02 4AR0/02 4SP0/01 Arabic (First Language) Spanish: Listening English Literature (Poetry) 1h 30m 30m + 5 m reading time 1h 30m 45m 2h 15m 3hThursday 24 may Spanish: Reading and Writing 4ET0/02 & KET0/02 4ES0/02 English as a Second Language (ESL) Paper 2: Listening English Language (Specification A) Friday 4GE0/01 Geography 2h 45m 4EA0/01 & KEA0/01 4IT0/02 25 may Information and Communication Technology: Practical 1 week window ends Week 4 Date monday 28 may morning 4GU0/01 4SI0/01 4SW0/01 4TA0/01 Gujarati Sinhala Swahili Tamil Chemistry Paper 2 Length 3h 3h 3h 3h 1h Afternoon 4HI0/01 History Length 2h 30m Tuesday 29 may 4CH0/2C & KCH0/2C 4EA0/02 & KEA0/02 4Eb0/01English Language (Specification A) 1h 30m 3h 1h English Language (Specification B) Physics Paper 2P Wednesday 30 may 4CN0/01 Chinese: Listening 30m + 5 m reading time 1h 30m 3h 4PH0/2P & KPH0/2P Thursday 31 may 4CN0/02 4mG0/01 Chinese: Reading and Writing Modern Greek 4IT0/01 Information and Communication Technology 1h 30m Friday 1 June International General Certificate of Secondary Education and Edexcel Certificate Subject/Unit Title Human Biology Human Biology ICT ICT – Practical Number 4HB0/01 4HB0/02 4IT0/01 4IT0/02 June 2012 Timetable – FinalSubject/Unit Title Accounting Arabic (Classical Arabic) Arabic (First Language) Arabic (First Lang uage) Bangladesh Studies – Paper 1 Bangladesh Studies – Paper 2 4BN0/02 4BE0/01 4BI0/1B & KBI0/1B 4BI0/2B & KBI0/2B 4BS0/01 4CH0/1C & KCH0/1C 4CH0/2C & KCH0/2C 4CN0/01 4CN0/02 4CM0/01 4EC0/01 4ES0/01 4ES0/02 4EA0/01 & KEA0/01 4EA0/02 & KEA0/02 4EB0/01 4ET0/01 & KET0/01 4ET0/02 & KET0/02 4FR0/01 4FR0/02 4GE0/01 4GN0/01 4GN0/02 4GU0/01 4HI0/01 2h 1h 2h 2h 1h 30m + 5m reading time 1h 30m 2h 2h 30m 2h 45 minutes 2h 15m 1h 30m 3h 1h 45m 1h 30m 30m + 5m reading time 1h 30m 2h 45m 30m + 5m reading time 1h 30m 3h 2h 30m 3h 1h 30m Bengali Biology – Paper 1B Biology – Paper 2B Business Studies Chemistry – Paper 1 Chemistry – Paper 2 Chinese – Listening Chinese – Reading and Writing Commerce Economics English as a Second Language Paper 1: Reading and Writing English as a Second Language Paper 2: Listening English Language – Specification A Paper 1 English Language – Specification A Paper 2 English Language – Specifica tion B English Literature (Drama and Prose) English Literature (Poetry) French (Listening) French (Reading and Writing) Geography German (Listening) German (Reading and Writing) Gujarati History 4BN0/01 1h 30m 4AR0/02 1h 30m 4AR0/01 2h 15m including 10m reading time 4CA0/01 3h 4AC0/01 2h 30m Number Length Date 10/05/2012 10/05/2012 14/05/2012 23/05/2012 09/05/2012 11/05/2012 14/05/2012 15/05/2012 18/05/2012 22/05/2012 21/05/2012 29/05/2012 30/05/2012 31/05/2012 08/05/2012 18/05/2012 22/05/2012 24/05/2012 25/05/2012 29/05/2012 29/05/2012 22/05/2012 24/05/2012 16/05/2012 17/05/2012 25/05/2012 08/05/2012 14/05/2012 28/05/2012 28/05/2012 am pm pm pm pm am pm am am pm am am am am am pm am pm pm pm pm am pm pm am am pm am am pm am/pm Islamiyat Mathematics – Specification A: Paper 1F Mathematics – SpecificationA: Paper 2F Mathematics – Specification A: Paper 3H Mathematics – Specification A: Paper 4H Mathematics Specification B: Paper 1 Mathematics Specification B: Paper 2 Mathematics (Further Pure Mathematics) Paper 1 Mathematics (Further Pure Mathematics) Paper 2 Modern Greek Pakistan Studies – The History and Heritage of Pakistan Pakistan Studies – The Land, People and Resources of Pakistan Physics – Paper 1 Physics – Paper 2 Religious Studies Science (Double Award) Biology Science (Double Award) Chemistry Science (Double Award) Physics Sinhala Swahili Spanish – Listening Spanish – Reading and Writing Tamil Turkish Urdu 4IS0/01 4MA0/1F & KMA0/1F 4MA0/2F & KMA0/2F 4MA0/3H & KMA0/3H 4MA0/4H & KMA0/4H 4MB0/01 4MB0/02 4PM0/01 4PM0/02 4MG0/01 4PA0/01 4PA0/02 4PH0/1P & 4KPH0/1P 4PH0/2P & 4KPH0/2P 4RS0/01 4SC0/1B & 4KSC0/1B 4SC0/1C & 4KSC0/1C 4SC0/1P & 4KSC0/1P 4SI0/01 4SW0/01 4SP0/01 4SP0/02 4TA0/01 4TU0/01 4UR0/01 Publication Code: UG029320 BTEC and NVQ GCSE and International GCSE GCE The Diploma DiDA & other qualifications Online services including Results Plus, Edexcel online International customer s – all enquiries For more information on Edexcel qualifications please use the following contact numbers:Length 2h 1h 1h 30m 3h 2h 30m 2h 2h 2h 2h 1h 30m 2h 30m 2h 2h 3h 1h 30m 1h 30m 2h 1h 2h 30m 2h 2h 2h 3h 3h 30m + 5m reading time 1h 30m 3h 3h 3h Contact us www. edexcel. com 0844 576 0026 0844 576 0027 0844 576 0025 0844 576 0028 0844 576 0031 0844 576 0024 +44 (0)1204 770696 Date 08/05/2012 09/05/2012 31/05/2012 Please see Notes 14/05/2012 11/05/2012 16/05/2012 11/05/2012 16/05/2012 11/05/2012 16/05/2012 17/05/2012 21/05/2012 31/05/2012 09/05/2012 11/05/2012 23/05/2012 30/05/2012 15/05/2012 15/05/2012 21/05/2012 23/05/2012 28/05/2012 28/05/2012 23/05/2012 24/05/2012 28/05/2012 08/05/2012 17/05/2012 pm pm am pm am pm am pm pm am pm am am pm pm am am am am am pm am am am am Examination timetables are available in an electronic format: www. modernisationonline. org. uk/comptimetableJune 2012 Examination Timetable Final International General Certificate of Secondary Educatio n and Edexcel Certificate am/pm pm am pm Notes: 1. Conduct of Examinations †¢ STARTING TIMES OF EXAMINATIONS: Each examination must be taken on the day and at the time as shown on the timetable. The published starting time of all examinations is either 9. 00 a. m. or 1. 30 p. m. Candidates with more than one examination in a session should take these consecutively. A supervised break of 15 minutes may be given between consecutive examinations. †¢ Centresmaystartanexaminationearlierthan,orlaterthan,thepublishedstartingtimeforthesessionwithoutpriorapprovalfromEdexcel.However, in order to maintain the security of the examination all candidates must start examinations scheduled for a morning session no earlier than 8. 30 a. m. and by 9. 30 a. m. and for an afternoon session no earlier than 1. 00 p. m. and by 2. 00 p. m. , except where arrangements have been made for dealing with timetable clashes. Examination centres should refer to the JCQ publication ‘Instructions for Conducting Examinations’ in the first instance. †¢ Candidateswhotakeanexaminationearlierthanthepublishedstartingtimeshownonthetimetablemustremainundercentresupervisionuntilone hour after the published starting time for that examination. †¢ Candidateswhotakeanexaminationlaterthanthepublishedstartingtimeshownonthetimetablemustremainundercentresupervisionfrom30 minutes

An Online Business Expansion Proposal Essay

Dancy’s Fancy Butter is a local, singly owned and operated butter/spread. This business is located in Jacksonville Michigan. The operation started out from a simple request from a friend who wanted to buy the Garlic butter for a party. It was then that Anna Dancy realized the family and friend’s favorite dinner addition was a possible money making venture. The actual business side was at first a bit taunting. Anna had never run her own business, nor had she worked in food service or distributing food. There was a lot to learn that went way beyond the product. She purchased a mobile kitchen unit, and started creating her butter spreads. It was not long before the Health inspector paid her a visit. She was fortunate that she was giving solid advice as to how to move forward with rules in running a food service business. The holdup was minimal and it gave her time to actually prepare for bring her product to a larger customer base then family and friends. Farmer’s markets are the primary selling place for Dancy Fancy Butter. The product is made and kept preserved in the mobile kitchen, and then Anna and family helpers travel thought out the Jacksonville region setting up at Farmers Markets. It has been a great success. Now that she has a year under her belt, and with family and friends living outside of Jacksonville and the state of Michigan Anna Dancy had decided that she wants to explore expanding her internet presences and move into selling and shipping her product to a wider market. The advantages in today’s market for placing access to your product and services online are numerous. For Dancy Fancy Butter being online will open up an opportunity for a larger population to see the products offered. There is an international customer base available into Canada with the location of the company in Michigan. The possible challenges to building an online presence for this company will be assuring there is up-keep for everything from the website through the social media outlets. The online presence is bound to bring in more clients, the significance will be made clear and the management of the online environment will align with the overall goal to be successful in this endeavor. Current Online Competition The online completers that come up in a basic search for butter, butter spread and organic are, Home Earth Balance (http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/), Melt Up! (http://www.meltdirectnow.com/), and Bryanna’s Vegan Butter (http://vegan.com/recipes/bryanna-clark-grogan/bryannas-vegan-butter/). Earth Balance is an off shoot of the Smart Balance products whose parent company is GFA Brands, Inc. so even though this is an natural butter spread, it is still a part of a large company. The website is well organized, and has several appealing features such as a Recipe section and Kitchen Tips. There is not a ecommerce or shopping cart, so the product is only available in stores. The next company Melt Up! is an organic butter spread. The website is very basic. It does have a shopping cart and ecommerce. The site offers a newsletter and runs and RSS syndication on its front page. This sight is a good set up if you are familiar with the product. The third website like or close as a competitor is Bryanna’s Vegan butter. This site is connected to Vegan.com (http://vegan.com). It is more of a blog site. If the site does allow you to buy products, however it takes you off to Amazon to complete your purchase. This websites do have similar products as Dancy Fancy butter, however they are not homegrown, home town products. The advantage to Dancy Fancy butter is it will carry a local feel to all who visit the website. Online Marketing Suggestions and Strategies Three online strategies that are planned for the rolling out Dancy Fancy Butter online expansion will be an email campaign, a Facebook group for the company and third will be content strategy of building Cooking Tips videos for the website.

Amy Tan Essay

Although the daughters know some Chinese words and the mothers speak some English, communication often becomes a matter of translation, of words whose intended meaning and accepted meaning are in fact quite separate, leading to subtle misunderstandings. †¢The first mention of this difficulty with translation occurs when Jing-mei relates the story of her mother’s founding of the Joy Luck Club. After attempting to explain the significance of the club’s name, Jing-mei recognizes that the concept is not something that can be translated. She points out that the daughters think their mothers are stupid because of their fractured English, while the mothers are impatient with their daughters who don’t understand the cultural nuances of their language and who do not intend to pass along their Chinese heritage to their own children. Throughout the book, characters bring up one Chinese concept after another, only to accept the frustrating fact that an understanding of Chinese culture is a prerequisite to understanding its meaning. †¢The Power of Storytelling Because the barriers between the Chinese and the American cultures are exacerbated by imperfect translation of language, the mothers use storytelling to circumvent these barriers and communicate with their daughters. The stories they tell are often educational, warning against certain mistakes or giving advice based on past successes. For instance, Ying-ying’s decision to tell Lena about her past is motivated by her desire to warn Lena against the pa ssivity and fatalism that Ying-ying suffered. Storytelling is also employed to communicate messages of love and pride, and to illumine one’s inner self for others. †¢Another use of storytelling concerns historical legacy. By telling their daughters about their family histories, the mothers ensure that their lives are remembered and understood by subsequent generations, so that the characters who acted in the story never die away completely. In telling their stories to their daughters, the mothers try to instill them with respect for their Chinese ancestors and their Chinese pasts. Suyuan hopes that by finding her long-lost daughters and telling them her story, she can assure them of her love, despite her apparent abandonment of them. When Jing-mei sets out to tell her half-sisters Suyuan’s story, she also has this goal in mind, as well as her own goal of letting the twins know who their mother was and what she was like. †¢Storytelling is also used as a way of controlling one’s own fate. In many ways, the original purpose of the Joy Luck Club was to create a place to exchange stories. Faced with pain and hardship, Suyuan decided to take control of the plot of her life. The Joy Luck Club did not simply serve as a distraction; it also enabled transformation—of community, of love and support, of circumstance. Stories work to encourage a certain sense of independence. They are a way of forging one’s own identity and gaining autonomy. Waverly understands this: while Lindo believes that her daughter’s crooked nose means that she is ill-fated, Waverly dismisses this passive interpretation and changes her identity and her fate by reinventing the story that is told about a crooked nose. †¢The Problem of Immigrant Identity At some point in the novel, each of the major characters expresses anxiety over her inability to reconcile her Chinese heritage with her American surroundings. Indeed, this reconciliation is the very aim of Jing-mei’s journey to China. While the daughters in the novel are genetically Chinese (except for Lena, who is half Chinese) and have been raised in mostly Chinese households, they also identify with and feel at home in modern American culture. Waverly, Rose, and Lena all have white boyfriends or husbands, and they regard many of their mothers’ customs and tastes as old-fashioned or even ridiculous. Most of them have spent their childhoods trying to escape their Chinese identities: Lena would walk around the house with her eyes opened as far as possible so as to make them look European. Jing-mei denied during adolescence that she had any internal Chinese aspects, insisting that her Chinese identity was limited only to her external features. Lindo meditates that Waverly would have clapped her hands for joy during her teen years if her mother had told her that she did not look Chinese. As they mature, the daughters begin to sense that their identities are incomplete and become interested in their Chinese heritage. Waverly speaks wishfully about blending in too well in China and becomes angry when Lindo notes that she will be recognized instantly as a tourist. One of Jing-mei’s greatest fears about her trip to China is not that others will recognize her as American, but that she herself will fail to recognize any Chinese elements within herself. †¢Of the four mothers, L indo expresses the most anxiety over her cultural identity. Having been spotted as a tourist during her recent trip to China, she wonders how America has changed her. She has always believed in her ability to shift between her true self and her public self, but she begins to wonder whether her â€Å"true† self is not, in fact, her American one. Even while a young girl in China, Lindo showed that she did not completely agree with Chinese custom. She agonized over how to extricate herself from a miserable marriage without dishonoring her parents’ promise to her husband’s family. While her concern for her parents shows that Lindo did not wish to openly rebel against her tradition, Lindo made a secret promise to herself to remain true to her own desires. This promise shows the value she places on autonomy and personal happiness—two qualities that Lindo associates with American culture. †¢Jing-mei’s experience in China at the end of the book certainly seems to support the possibility of a richly mixed identity rather than an identity of warring opposites. She comes to see that China itself contains American aspects, just as the part of America she grew up in—San Francisco’s Chinatown—containe †¢ Storytelling – Narrative Style, Symbolism, Figurative Language †¢She uses storytelling to in order for the different characters to understand each others struggles as well as the reader to understand the lives and emotions of both the mother and the daughters †¢The stories they tell are often educational, warning against certain mistakes or giving advice based on past successes. For instance, Ying-ying’s decision to tell Lena about her past is motivated by her desire to warn Lena against the passivity and fatalism that Ying-ying suffered. Storytelling is also employed to communicate messages of love and pride, and to illumine one’s inner self for others. †¢Another use of storytelling concerns historical legacy. By telling their daughters about their family histories, the mothers ensure that their lives are remembered and understood by subsequent generations, so that the characters who acted in the story never die away completely. In telling their stories to their daughters, the mothers try to instill them with respect for their Chinese ancestors and their Chinese pasts. Suyuan hopes that by finding her long-lost daughters and telling them her story, she can assure them of her love, despite her apparent abandonment of them. When Jing-mei sets out to tell her half-sisters Suyuan’s story, she also has this goal in mind, as well as her own goal of letting the twins know who their mother was and what she was like. †¢Storytelling is also used as a way of controlling one’s own fate. In many ways, the original purpose of the Joy Luck Club was to create a place to exchange stories. Faced with pain and hardship, Suyuan decided to take control of the plot of her life. The Joy Luck Club did not simply serve as a distraction; it also enabled transformation—of community, of love and support, of circumstance. Stories work to encourage a certain sense of independence. They are a way of forging one’s own identity and gaining autonomy. Waverly understands this: while Lindo believes that her daughter’s crooked nose means that she is ill-fated, Waverly dismisses this passive interpretation and changes her identity and her fate by reinventing the story that is told about a crooked nose. †¢ All the stories in her books are interlocking personal narrative in different voices. The narrators appear as characters in each other’s stories as well as tell their own stories, Tan does not have to fully develop the narrator’s voice in each story. While American daughters like Jing-mei employ personal narrative as a way of telling stories, the ’’ Because this indirect means is the only way Jing-mei’s mother c an interpret and express her experiences, she is shocked into silence when her daughter speaks directly about the daughters she abandoned in China years earlier. Point of View †¢In â€Å"Two Kinds† the perspective moves back and forth between the adult and then child. In this way, Tan tells the story through the child’s innocent view and the adult’s experienced eyes. This allows reader to make judgments of their own, to add their own interpretations of the mother daughter struggle. Figurative Language †¢This literary device also invites readers to think about the way memory itself functions, how we use events in the past to help make sense of our present. Literary critic Ben Xu explains that ‘‘it is not just that we have ‘images,’ ‘pictures,’ and ‘views’ of ourselves in memory, but that we also have ‘stories’ and narratives to tell about the past which both shape and convey our sense of self. Our sense of what has happened to us is entailed not in actual happening but in meaningful happenings, and the meanings of our past experience . . . are constr ucts produced in much the same way that narrative is produced. ’’ †¢In other words memory is a two-way street; it shapes the story as much as the story makes the memory. In Xu’s words, ‘‘memory is not just a narrative, even though it does have to take a narrative form; it is more importantly an experiential relation between the past and the present, projecting a future as well. ’’ Tan’s style is mainly composed of storytelling as a way for her characters to share their history and retell the significant events of their lives. The Chinese mothers find it exceptionally difficult to talk about their lives due to the language barrier; therefore Tan uses a strategy that is borrowed from Chinese folk tradition called talk story (Brent). E. D. Huntley defines talk story as ‘‘a narrative strategy for those characters whose ties to Chinese tradition remain strong. ’’ It allows these characters to ‘‘draw on traditional oral forms to shape their stories and to disguise the urgency and seriousness with which they are attempting to transmit to their daughters the remnants of a culture that is fading even from their own lives. ’’ This means that the mothers, ‘‘who have been socialized into silence for most of their lives,’’ learn to ‘‘reconfigure the events of hese lives into acceptable public utterances: painful experiences are recast in the language of folk tale; cautionary reminders become gnomic phrases; real life takes on the contours of myth (Huntley). † Story telling serves many different functions in the novel. Primarily, the mother’s use storytelling to communicate with their daughters about their past and better relate to their daughters. In Kitchen God’s Wife, Winnie and Pearl have a hard time understanding each other’s situation as they have had a disconnect since Pearl was a teenager. However, after Winnie tells Pearl the stories of the hardships she had to face living with her abusive husband in China and how that has made her the hard person she is today, Pearl is able to connect better with her mother and understand where she is coming from. Another purpose of storytelling is so the mother’s can teach their daughters important life lessons that can help them be happy as many of the daughters are struggling with their marriages. Thus, she knows that the only way to save her daughter is to tell her story, the story of how her submission to fate and other people’s wills led to discontent and even agony. In her novels, Amy Tan allows her characters to employ storytelling as a device for shaping their histories and making coherent sense of the significant events of their lives. For these characters, storytelling is a means of keeping the past alive and building a bridge between it and the present, of transmitting cultural codes and rituals, of subtly educating their daughters, and finally of somehow imprinting the essence of their selves on the next generation. Tan is especially gifted at weaving multiple stories with a variety of narrators into the intricate fabric of each book. Tan herself has recognized her own ability to construct distinctive and memorable narratives, commenting that her storytelling gifts are responsible in large measure for the ongoing popularity-with readers and critics alike-of her work. She has said that her childhood exposure to Bible stories as well as â€Å"tons of fairy tales, both Grimm and Chinese† (Wang) has made stories a significant element in her writing, and she credits her parents with both instilling in her the impulse to tell stories and providing her with models for unforgettable. In an interview with Gretchen Giles, Amy Tan reveals that she learned the craft of story construction from her father, a very busy Baptist minister who managed to spend quality time with his children by reading his sermons to them and then asking for their opinions on content and language. Citations Xu, Ben. ‘‘Memory and the Ethnic Self: Reading Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club,’’ in MELUS, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 3-16. Huntley, E. D. Amy Tan: A Critical Companion, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Brent, Liz. ‘‘Amy Tan Criticism Overview. ’’ Short Stories for Students. Ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 19–20: 288.

Critical Response Paper

The development of political thought was always close-knit with the author’s epoch and regime of governance he lived under; however, in spite of the ethical and technological limitations, associated with the temporal factor, the majority of political scientists sought to build a universalized framework of justice and legitimate state power.John Rawls is distinguished for his positivist, or â€Å"realistic utopian† approach to justice and principles of peaceful coexistence among individuals as well as peace between government and population. However, the proportion of utopianism is much higher in his writings, as compared to the realism ratio, given that he fails to address the challenges, related to diversity and class inequality which are dominating the modern North American society.First of all, it is important to pay attention to Rawls’s dynamic and positivistic model of justice. According to the article, instead of seeking the ideal of justice beyond the exis ting order of affairs, the scholar tries to enable reasonable and gradual improvements of the internal structure and situation: â€Å"We can see this idea through the rather well-worn metaphor of the difference between the efforts needed to fix a boat that is at sea one plank at a time rather than trying to rebuild it from scratch. Generally speaking, it makes more sense to engage the first sort of repair job than a complete rebuild† (Mini-lecture, p.4).Interestingly, the author focuses predominantly on the strong points of the current ideas of justice as articulated both in legal terms and through societal behaviours.However, this task might appear extremely challenging given the focus of diversity in most European and North American policies. Diversity is a delicate issue, since there is a number of conflicts among beliefs, interests and practices, underlying each cultural or social group. Obtaining true impartiality also turns into a difficult task, as the society, which l acks uniformity in certain vital political issues, is likely to encourage its groups to perceive and assess the objective reality from the intragroup value system; as a result, such judgments can seem neither objective nor neutral.According to the article, â€Å"He does not propose a vision of justice that would stretch our character too and tries to build a theory that is responsive to our current conditions† (Mini-lecture, p.5).However, taking into consideration the above provided chain of reasoning, one can assume that the existing disproportion and divergence of political values will inevitably result in the necessity of â€Å"stretching† the philosophies or ideologies of certain minority groups, either religious or cultural. However, for the purpose of maintaining/ establishing social cohesion, this step can be justified, since the vast majority is likely to benefit from it.This excessive pluralism is partially addressed in the reading: â€Å"Bearing this point i n mind, he tries to find a way to build an impartial model for deliberating about principles of justice that everyone can reasonably be expected to endorse despite holding different religious and moral views† (Mini-lecture, p.5).The statement is quite abstractive, whereas the particular scenarios of its realization point to the existence of disparities in core values of each group. For instance, in the United States, there are several large Muslim communities, whose polity greatly resembles the lifestyles of Middle Asian societies. The U.S.-based communities might engage with political activity and unite into a faction, requiring, for instance, the cancellation of women’s right to take certain jobs, and referring to the fact that the existing state-of-art offends their vision of gender morality.Surprisingly, this faction might be supported by other political groups, which also share this view on gender equality – as a result, the society might be torn by the deba te over the true justice. As one can notice, the representation of the core values of liberty might be uneven in our society, so both federal and state legislations necessarily challenge the beliefs of a certain minority.  Furthermore, Rawls’s concept of justice and stability is quite unrealistic, since it provides an abstractive picture, barely imaginable in the current world. According to the political philosophy article, â€Å"His core insight is that a stable and enduring society is one that is also just, that is, where citizens are considered to be free and equal. More importantly, citizens have to be able to see themselves and each other as free and equal† (Mini-lecture, p.6).However, inequality is inescapable, it is often referred to as an engine of social and political development, which motivates individuals to participate in political processes. The true equality, as articulated in the paper, consists in people’s outlooks and convictions, yet the for mation of â€Å"equality beliefs† is normally realized only partly, since there still exist economic, social, regional, gender and age boundaries which make people feel underprivileged or superior.In this sense, Rawls refers to Kant and observes that the greatest political ideas were realized from the personal to the public, i.e. if an individual considers certain pattern ‘fair’, this pattern is likely to appear to be ‘fair’ in the whole society.However, this logic of reasoning fails to take into consideration the fact that the idea of equality was first born in autocratic societies, bearing much higher uniformity within its aristocratic and power circles, as compared to the modern Western world. Given that Rawls himself states that the relevance of political ideas depends on temporal and spatial (regional) factors, so the ideas of liberty and equality, which existed in the ancient world and Enlightenment society, are not fully suitable in the modern North American society.Thus, given that the author implies a positivist approach o the development of political values and proposes that they be formulated â€Å"from within†, Rawls should have also looked closely at specific cases and considered the workability of his perspective in real macrogroup situations.Reference listMini-Lecture. A Brief Introduction to Rawls’s Project, pp.1-10.