William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream and L....

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream and L. Frank Baums The Wizard Of Oz L. Frank Baum is the author of one of the most magical fairy tales ever brought to our screens. A series of books were written and in 1939 created into a film. It was a masterpiece that was to be one of the biggest films ever made, enjoyed by children and adults all over the world. There are many reasons why this film has the element of magic, one of the reasons I found when researching was that this film did not only have one director, but several, Victor Fleming was the main director but for personal reasons other directors were bought in, Richard Thorpe and King Vidor. With the three imaginations of these†¦show more content†¦As I said the book isnt a book read by younger children, but when like The Wizard Of Oz it was brought to the big screen, a world of magic and fairies was open for children to jump in and dream. In the play, the worlds of the mythological Greece, Elizabethan England, and the fairy kingdom are united. In another writers hands, the transition from T heseus Greek empire to the fairy forest would seem jarring, but time and again audiences have willingly suspended their disbelief to follow Hermia and Lysander, Oberon and Puck, Titania and Bottom on a journey through the pitfalls of love, the power of magic, and the miracle of dreams. Although there are no fairies in The Wizard Of Oz, we desperately wanted an air of magic throughout, we decided to do this through the use of music, this is done in both films, (The Wizard of Oz and A Midsummer nights dream) In The Wizard of Oz it is done through the characters singing, in A Midsummer Nights dream its done through mystical music, we had each character singing, as a way of introducing ourselves to the children; after all not EVERYONE has seen the play before, this was a hard assumption to live by, as everyone seems to know the theme of The Wizard of Oz, a little girl dreams up a fantasy world, where dreams really do come

Dante s The Divine Comedy - 866 Words

Dante’s Divine Comedy illustrates one mans quest for the knowledge of how to avoid the repercussions of his actions while alive so that he may seek salvation in the afterlife. The Divine Comedy establishes a set of morals that one must live by in their life in order for them to reach ‘paradiso’. These morals are precedented in Dante’s Inferno where each level of Hell has people facing atonement for their respective sins during their life. As Dante gets deeper into Hell the sins that are being atoned for get progressively worse (as does their punishment). With that in mind, one can look at the Inferno as a handbook on what not to do during a lifetime in order to avoid Hell. In doing so, Dante creates a moral lifestyle that must be followed in order to have both a successful life, and after life. The moral system Dante creates is comparable to that of which Aristotle creates in Nicomachean Ethics. Dante uses Hell as a negative reinforcement for the liv ing to understand that their actions will lead to repercussions in the after life creating a moral code that one must abide by in their life in order to reach Paradiso— the highest good— which is similar to the code Aristotle creates in Nicomachean Ethics by describing the ultimate function of man. Through this, Dante dictates that in order to reach ‘paradiso’ one must behave rationally in accordance with God’s will making Hell a personification of the characteristics Aristotle advises people to avoid in NicomacheanShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Dante s Divine Comedy 1362 Words   |  6 PagesMrs. Bauerle English 12 22 December 2016 Purgatory Purgatory is part number two in Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. This was written in 1300. Although the story is rather ancient and rare, when looking at the spiritual story with a logical mindset it has the ability to connect with today. The connection I was able to find behind Dante’s work of art was the psychological and geographical impact. ‘The Divine Comedy’ contains real life morals; Dante’s work is far more than just a spiritual afterlife poem seriesRead MoreAnalysis Of Dante s Divine Comedy 1201 Words   |  5 PagesChampion Dante’s Divine Comedy PSYC 455 12 April 2017 Hell and God’s Love Dante Alighieri lived during the late 13th and early 14th century in Florence Italy. It was during a time when the Guelphs and Ghibellines were rivals and the Guelphs split into two different groups known as the Whites and Blacks. Dante was part of the Whites and was later exiled from Florence. During Dante’s life he had many friends and foes, which he places in his Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is based on his loveRead MoreDante s The Divine Comedy1908 Words   |  8 PagesIn the Divine Comedy, more specifically Inferno, Dante as a person changes. Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy in the early 1300s in his early 30s. In the beginning of the book Dante mentions being midway through his life. Now, Dante is a religious man, and has read the entire Bible. In the book of Psalms within the Bible, God says that a man’s life is three score and a decade, or seventy years. Using this information, we can gather that Dante is 35 years old at the start of Inferno. In hisRead MoreThe Reward Of Souls By Dante s The Divine Comedy1892 Words   |  8 PagesThe Reward of Souls There are three books in Dante’s The Divine Comedy to illustrate the three worlds. They are Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Throughout all three books of The Divine Comedy, Poetic Justice can be found easily: all souls get what they deserved. In Dante’s description, Inferno has a shape of a funnel with nine circles. The greater the sin, the lower someone is the greater penalty they get after they die. Poetic Justice can be found in the Inferno everywhere. The souls in the InfernoRead MoreAnalysis of Dante ´s Divine Comedy845 Words   |  3 PagesWhen Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, a trilogy detailing Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven in three separate poems, he was separated from his home town of Florence due to his exile. Dante wrote The Divine Comedy during his exile as an epic where all of the elements in the story could be taken as their literal meaning, but he also wrote all of the elements as religious, psychological, political, and literary allegories. T he religious allegories illustrate Dante’s view about sin and God. The psychologicalRead MoreDante s Inferno And The Divine Comedy1208 Words   |  5 Pagesessay will discuss the issues in Dante’s Inferno and The Divine Comedy that are still true to this day as they were back when Dante wrote this comedy. Some views Dante considers are not the same to everyone, but some views are still apparent in today’s society. With these views being common it can be said that Dante’s views are common for people in today’s society. Many people do not understand the journey that Dante describes in this comedy. Finally, many of the sins considered by people today, wereRead MoreInterpretation Of The Translation Of Dante s Divine Comedies1296 Words   |  6 Pagesinterpretation, we run the risk of the translator assuming that the author used certain word choices to convey a specific meaning, which could lead to an incorrect interpretation of the work based on the translator’s bias. In reference to Dante’s Divine Comedies unless we can read the original Italian words, we are dependent on the translator’s interpretation of Dante’s words to guide us on the correct path of analyzing the literature. This leaves lots of room for error and miscommunication which couldRead MoreCritical Interpretation On Dante s Divine Comedy1596 Words   |  7 Pages Within the last century or so, much of the critical interpretation on Dante’s Divine Comedy has been part of what is sometimes called symbolic literature. Symbolistic literature usually contains superimposed ideas conceive by the writer’s imagination, which is based on a collection of religious and culturally opinionated ideas that the poet used to fashion the story but does not literally invent. The poet’s view of the world is skewed by the time in which they live, the way they were brought upRead MoreSaint Augustine And Dante s Divine Comedy1275 Words   |  6 Pagespractices. Readings such as The Confessions and The Divine Comedy both touch on atonement of sins, but they do not seek out penance in the same way. Both Saint Augustine and Dante place themselves in their novels as both are going about a journey of salvation. Augustine uses The Confessions to address his earlier sins and organize proper perspective on theological issues he himself and the Catholic Church have disputed over. Dante uses The Divine Comedy to tell of a journey through Heaven, Hell, and PurgatoryRead MoreThe Divine Comedy Illustrates Dante Pilgrim’S Heroic Journey1230 Words   |  5 Pages The Divine Comedy illustrates Dante Pilgrim’s heroic journey that is commonly displayed in numerous other epic poems of his time. However, Dante cannot begin his journey through his starting place in Hell, which is where his beloved Virgil comes into the text. Inspired by Virgil’s writings, especially the Aeneid, Dante willingly accepts to follow Virgil on a journey into an unknown world. Dante as a character develops his personality as he nears Heaven, which makes him consider Virgil to be less

Incessant Desire

Incessant Desire -Symbolism Of A Poem, Painting And Song Essay When I was younger, I lost my boyfriend in a terrible car accident that could not be avoided. I tried to convince myself that I was only dreaming ; but the truth was he wasgone and id never, ever see him again. Dante Gabriel Rossetties,?Beata Beatrix?, bringsback awful memories I would rather leave in the past. The woman takes up the majorityof the painting .A vision of beauty , but also of death, love but most of all despair. Christina Rossetties,?Echo? relats to Dantes painting because they both deal withthe same feelings of hope and despair. Toni Braxtons ?Unbreak My Heart ? can bedescribed as a combination of Rossetties ?Echo? and Dantes ?Beata Beatrix? because allthree works show the same feelings of despair. Poetry is a way a poet expresses his or her feelings and beliefs. Christina Rossettiwants him to come back any way possible. She starts her poem with ?Come to me in thesilence of the night? followed by ?in the silence of a dream? . She needs him, she misseshim. She wants to feel him next to her , so she can hold him and stare into his eyes. Onecritics opinion is that,? Christina Rossetties songs of love are nearly always of loves loss.?The character is so devastated that she would rather die than be without herbeloved,.?Pulse for pulse, breath for breath.?She would give her own life again thoughcold in death than live with all the pain. A critc says that,As she sinks her poetry rises , and gushes pu out of ehrheart to heaven . It stains sad, sweet, tender and musical that a saintmight envy. Paintings are art that is used to express lost feelings for lost loves. By usingconspicous objects, a painter can forshadow what is to come without actually showing it. Dante uses a bird as a symbol for a messanger of death, as if it has come to take her awayforever. He uses a poppy-flower that is used to induce sleep. The woman looks as if shesfinally at peace; she can finally rest. She does not have a care in the world. Dante GabrielRossetti painted this intensley spiritual portrait as a memorial to his wife (Lizzie) who diedthe year of 1862. Her death left the Italian poet and painter griefstricken. Many artists perfer to use music to make their feelings and expressions come tolife. Toni Braxton feels helpless, she thinks the world is unkind , that life is so cruelwithout her companion next to her. Braxton is heart-brocken because hes gone. She feelslike dying . The only thing she does is keep crying. She needs him beside her , to hold her,to make her happy. She says she needs him to ,?take back the sad word goodbye -to bringback the joy to her life?. The poem , song , and painting come together in a special way . That is wantinglost lovers to come back , but knowing it is not possible. Even now , not a day goes bythat I dont think of John , and what happened and if somehow I could have stopped it, butlife goes on and time may pass maybe even years, but you never forget your first love,ever. You just keep thinking its only a dream adn when you die , you will have actuallywoken up from this nightmare that we call life , and he will be there once again , this timeforever.

What is the role of war poetry Essay Example

What is the role of war poetry Essay How has it performed this role through history?Throughout the years war poetry has played a big part in English literature. Any British library will contain piles upon piles of books containing the stories of heroes and fiends of the British people dating right back to before the coming of Christ. But why? What is the reason for so much poetry to be focused on war? War poetry has been used for many reasons within history. Its been used to tell others of the battle, to influence others for the future, to tell the poets ideal of truth. But these roles have differed and evolved through time, partly because of different decorum and because of new technology taking over poetries use in the modern world.To proof this statement I will be analyzing 4 different war time poems from different parts of British history. To start with Ill look at the 1st World War poem My Boy Jack By Rudyard Kipling then work back towards one of the earliest forms of British war poetry, the Anglo-Saxons.Rudyard Ki pling was one of the most popular writers in English literate, his life and works within the late 19th and early 20th century. When the great war came about he was already in his late 40s and a very strong patriot, and using his influence as an acclaimed writer and journalist he put forward his ideals of nobility and honor to the British public. He also used his contacts from high up in the government and army to get his son John into the Irish guards. John had very bad eyesight and had been refused from fighting times before, because he would be a liability to himself and others if he lost his glasses. Sadly John was one of the many to die in battle. After this devastating tragedy in his life, Kiplings writing changed dramatically.My Boy Jack was written in 1916, its about Kipling coming to terms with the death of his only son and the part he played in it, the guilt he felt.My Boy Jack by Rudyard Kipling:HAVE you news of my boy Jack?Not this tide.When dyou think that hell come back ?Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.Has any one else had word of him?Not this tide.For what is sunk will hardly swim,Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?None this tide,Nor any tide,Except he did not shame his kind-Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.Then hold your head up all the more,This tide,And every tide;Because he was the son you bore,And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!I feel that out of all the poems Im going to look at, this one is the most personal, being used to express Kiplings deep emotional feelings about the loss and pain war gives you. But even though Kiplings has been through the loss of a child, he still is a patriot towards the war. I feel that part of kipling stayed a patriot because he wanted a reason for Johns death, he must have something to cling on to. gave to that wind blowing and that tide! he still believes that it was a sacrifice that had to be made, for England. For a future of freedom. U sing tides and the elements to show a time moving on adds the ideal of something growing or healing, something thats eternal and immortal, which in turn changes the poems atmosphere, almost makes it nobler in the readers eyes.The ideal of immortally is a big role in war poetry. The ideal of men fighting and dieing for the people back home and there country is a big motivation for soldiers. But the ideal of living forever as a hero to people is something that is not as easily achieved, but probably craved for more. Its that glory and nobility factor that has been used and abused by many war leaders throughout history. Being still at war when the poem was written and facing two more years to fight with, I feel that Kipling will have wanted to give something to the public, to give some hope, some reassurance that there sons and husbands and brothers and fathers werent dieing for nothing, that they would live forever and be glorified in good peoples eyes. As his son was in his.But it co uld also have an undercurrent to this meaning, Kipling was comforting the bereaved by pointing out the soldiers heroism, but by doing this he was persuading other men to go out and fight. To go and earn there share of the glory by getting themselves blown up for King and Country. except he did not shame his kind his son did what he had to do, he did his duty to his country and has been immortalized for it, now what have you done? Thats what I feel Kipling is saying with this quote. Hes trying to persuade others to do the right thing. To be like jack, to be the perfect British hero.Its a very clever use of guilt. By saying that if you didnt fight you were shaming not just yourself, not just Britain, but your kind. You would be lower than the enemy because you werent doing your duty, and duty in those days meant everything. Its one of the main factors of British war history, the way we lived. In any wartime situation duty became the main reason to be born; you were placed on this eart h to do your duty. If you didnt you were the lowest of the low. This sense of duty arises in all of the British poems Im looking at.Duty is in all of the poems Im looking at, but each in different doses and ways, with different angles on duty. This is particularly noticeable in the next war poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alford Tennyson. The Charge of the Light Brigade was a terrible mistaken cavalry charge on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. A light brigade of 600 horse and men charged at a heavily armed enemy camp, around 100 men survived. When this news was relied to Britain, Lord Tennyson responded with composing this famous poem of the bravely of the men and the idiocy of the order.As I stated before, a lot of war poetry is about duty, especially British war poetry and the charge of the light brigade is no exception. This is shown best in the second stanza:Forward, the Light Brigade!Was there a man dismayd?Not tho the soldier knewSomeone had blunderd:Theirs no t to make reply,Theirs not to reason why,Theirs but to do and die:Into the valley of DeathRode the six hundred.There duty was to do and die as Tennyson puts it. The charge was a great mistake of British war history, and a terminal one for a lot of men. And Tennyson portrays them as true British lions. They didnt question the order, they didnt complain or argues. They did what they were told, they did there duty and in writing of this perilous act Tennyson has also immortalized these brave men. He has turned them into heroes, Boldly they rode and well these men werent just the victims of somebodys mistake; they were true soldiers to Tennyson! They had the courage to face such a terror, and they were also good at what they did, well trained if not well guided.This attitude of Tennyson is also an indicator of the Victorians own attitude to war. When the Crimean War was fighting, Queen Victoria was in her final years on the throne. As I mentioned before, Britains have a unique demeanor and resiliences to war, you must do your duty and play your part and get on with things. Follow the crown and the nation in defending our blessed isles, so though Tennyson gives us a rather bad picture of the order itself, which it was in no doubt a fatal and terrible mistake, he portrays the soldiers as heroes, as the true British citizen. This is also a main role in the poem My Boy Jack. One of the main roles in war poetry it seems.But Tennysons poem also immortalizes the men who died for theyre country and this is also a main role in most war poetry. As over 450 men died in the charge, and not making a lot of difference in the situation on the war, there sacrifice seems minuscule when we look back on it today. Of course when they joined the army and the war they would have done it and planned to make a difference, to help defend and fight for Britain. But sadly they didnt achieve this at all with this one attack, there charge of the light brigade was more of a sacrifice then an a ssault on enemy forces. So if Tennyson had not written this poem, then the charge of the light brigade would probably just be a little mishap in British warfare.The authorities might have tried to covered it up, seeing as it is a shameful and unclean portray of the British army commands. But Tennyson changed all this by noting down his thoughts and view for the future to behold, he set down the truth as he saw it of this event and by doing this he made history, he immortalized the men and theyre courage and deaths in the poem, into the literary world he made them almost divine with there bravely and fearlessness. This is something a lot of war poetry does, and has done for years. It is a main role in war poetry to immortalize the poets heroes and there deeds. And the Charge of the light brigade also shows Tennysons own view on the truth, he hears of this mistake from the caverle and finds it repusive that so many brave men died for nothing, this role is evedent wihtin Tennysons poem through the laugage he use. Honour the light brigade, Nobel 600!.The next poem, however, is rather different to the others. Its a retelling of the Battle of Agincourt 1415, but written nearly 200 years after the event itself by the greatest playwright of all time, William Shakespeare, in his adaptation on King Henry V life. The poem is really a speech made by Henry just before the English battle against the French. At the time the soldiers are fighting to get home from battling and capturing many north-French cities but are blocked by an overwhelming army of fit and strong French soldiers, while Henrys men are depleted in numbers and exhausted. The speech is all about fighting for your country and for the brother next to you; its used really to boost the means morale as they turn to face what seems as an impenetrable force.To do this Henry speaks of pride and honor bestowed upon them as gifts for there bravery and, for a lot of them, there lives.But if it be a sin to covet honour,I am the most offending soul alive.He makes it sound as if they will be honored and given an almost divine status if they fight with him, whether they die or survive. So already the roles of war poetry has changed in different priority, it isnt so much our duty to do this, you may not have been born for this but you will be honored for it, you will be rewarded for giving your life to the King. This change may well be an indicator of the different attitude and decorum in that time (but being a fictional retelling it reflects upon the Elizabethan view) when Britain were at war with the catholic country of Spain and the had a very hostile attitude from France as France is and are a catholic country. Elizabeths foreign policy then was aggressive and defending, so at this time when an Elizabethan went to see a play they wanted to see victorious Englishmen and Kings against the evil Catholics, Spain and France in particular. And so Shakespeares writing reflects this need and creates for us this perfect scene of they low and despicable French soldiers against the powerful and noble English in a victorious and awe-inspiring battle for Britain and Home.But not only is Henry seen as a noble and brave man in such circumstance but also as a powerful fighter, a strong figure for the Elizabethan people to latch onto and idolize in the dreary circumstance at that moment in time. Henry is a man how would rather run than fight, telling them to go if they see themselves so low to do so, he is the hero in the story and he also pressures and persuades the men to fight by demanding all the cowards to run now, just like Kipling did in My Boy Jack. He that hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart using the phrase stomach to fight really emphasizes how cowardly those few would be if they ran. Hes playing really with the mens own manhood and pride. Which was also a ploy used in Kiplings My Boy Jack and in a lot of war poetry on the whole.The last poem Ill be looking at is from on of the earliest forms of Poems itself. The Battle of Maldon is the only war poem Ive looked at that was a genuine account of a battle, this is because the poet was actually writing the poem while the battle was raging. This is how the Angelo-Saxons would relay news, like our newspapers and news night we have today. It was also used for warriors, who would hire poets to come and write about their deeds (and in some causes there heroic death) so that there brave doings and courageous death could be retold again and again by others, thus making the warrior immortal in history.This has been a main role for all of the other poems, so the idea of immortalizing soldiers and fighters who die in war has been used since before Christ. Evidence for this in The Battle of Maldon is when the poet is writing about the King, Byrhtnoth.Can you hear seamen, what we say on our side?Indeed weve something to send you spearsdeadly darts and durable swords,Byrhtnoths speech (of which the quote above come s from) is defiant, mighty and has a strong sense of for our people and country for example, Keep this country safe Describing their action as defensive and not attacking shows a noble view of Byrhtnoth, the reader gains this from the single word safe, the king and his army are protecting the helpless. The poets meaning for this is to show Byrhtnoth as this Nobel but Fair King, he is not the one attacking, he never asked or provoked the invaders to attack there peaceful home. Hes only fighting for the people and for his own honor. Such a heroic display of a model and powerful king is just what is found in Henry Vs grand speech.In both instances the reason behind the gallant folly of words is to raise moral, and as both poems are used to entertain (as war poems in Angelo-Saxon time were used as entertainment and Henry V is a play) they would also have been used to raise the heart and souls of others who read, saw or hear them too, making these historic facts and people into unfading immortals within the realms of human literature. This is one of the reasons for war poetry and has had a main role to play in all of the poems Ive looked at.Another role of war poetry is to flaunt the poets country as being truly amazing, with strong moral duty and brave men. (This role changes slightly in Tennysons poem, he does show British men as brave and noble, but doesnt support the actual government, or higher archly that controls the solders) this particular role is a main feature within The Battle of Maldon perceiving the Angelo-Saxons as mighty and strong Warriors protecting the innocent against the evil and foul Viking invaders. The reader can perceive this from the descriptive language used for the enemy.For example the Vikings speech includes lots of s sounds send quickly sliver for safety this prolonged sound in the line provides an image of a slippery and slimy tongue an s sound is also the sound associated with snakes, which adds to the characters slimy voice. This contrast in language between the invaders or enemy and the fighters or protectors shows the poets proud feelings for their people and king. Even though the Angelo-Saxons lost to the ruthless Vikings they came over as the true heroes in The Battle of Maldon against Blood-wolves (a kenning used to describe the invaders) making it seem that the Angelo-Saxons fought bravely against ruthless savages. A role that has been replayed and retold in many different types of war poetry- that the poets country is really the best whether they won or lost.So the role of war poetry has been an ever-changing and constant thing, its been used for countless reasons from every nation in the world since before Christ. Having looked into the meanings of the poetry above and what roles they played I was surprised by how the poets pen can be so powerful to people. How they have played there part in history to tell us the truth, or the facts or simply what they saw.

Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories Childhood Memories Any age our life is full of events. However, there are events which are like bright flashes. These are flashes of our feelings. They instantly illuminate the life and fill it with new meanings. With them the soul of a man is growing and changing, but sometimes we manage to notice just how our body grows. Hence, the brightest moments happen in our childhood, when being small we perceived the whole world completely differently. My earliest childhood memories are about my mother the most precious person to me in the world. I remember when we were walking through a park, eating ice-cream and candies. Smiles, stories, good humor, lots of toys and sweets this is what my childhood means to me. I remember how we waited for family New Year's and birthdays. A human being is escorted with holidays, with its beauty and solemnity, from early childhood. They make life more colorful, diverse and joyful. Of course, I associated my childhood with gifts. Some of them I am still keeping, because they are dear to me as a memory of unforgettable fun and happy days. I remember how we, being small children, were well-dressed and happy to be in the first class. We considered ourselves adults because were students. I was escorted by all my family and wished a good journey. I remember the first lesson and my teacher's words: Good afternoon, children! From lesson to lesson, from class to class, we opened and mastered the supreme values of life at school every day. Now, seeing little first-graders, I remember my own first days at school and compare myself to them. I was just as restless, confused and sometimes moderately curious. Each of us has different memories about the childhood years, but it brings us to our carefree and happy childhood.

5 Minute Activities for Elementary School Teachers

5 Minute Activities for Elementary School Teachers Every elementary school teacher dreads that point  of the day when they don’t have enough time to start a new lesson, but yet, they have a few extra minutes to spare before the bell rings. This â€Å"wait time† or â€Å"lull† is the perfect opportunity for a quick activity  for the class. And,  what’s great about this type of  time-filler activity is that it requires little to  no preparation and the students tend to think of them as â€Å"play† time. Check out these ideas:   Mystery Box This five minute filler is a terrific way for students to develop their thinking strategies. Secretly place an item into a covered shoe box and ask the students to figure out what is inside without opening it. Allow them to use all of their senses to find out what is in the box: touch it, smell it, shake it. Suggest to them to ask â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† questions such as, â€Å"Can I eat it?† or â€Å"Is it bigger than a baseball?† Once they figure out what the item is, open the box and let them see it. Sticky Notes   This quick time filler helps students build their vocabulary and spelling skills. Write compound words in advance on sticky notes, dividing each half of the word into two notes. For example, write â€Å"base† on one note and â€Å"ball† on the other. Then, place one sticky note on each student’s desk. Then students can go around the classroom and find the peer who owns the note that  makes the compound word. Pass the Ball   A great way to reinforce fluency is to have the students sit on their desks and pass a ball while saying anything, from rhyming words to naming the capitals of the United States. This is a fun time filler where students will enjoy playing while reinforcing important learning concepts. The act of passing a ball engages students and keeps their attention, and encourages order within the classroom by limiting who is speaking and when. Should students get out of hand, use this as a  teachable moment  and review what it means to be respectful of each other.   Line  Up This is a great five minute activity to take your time lining the students up for lunch or a special event. Have all of the students remain in their seats and each student stands when they think you are talking about them. An example is, â€Å"This person wears glasses.† So all of the students who  wear glasses would stand up. Then you say, â€Å"This person wears glasses and has brown hair.† Then whoever has glasses and brown hair would remain standing and then line up. Then you move on to another description and so on. You can modify this activity to last two minutes or even 15 minutes. Line up is a quick activity for children to reinforce their listening skills and comparatives. Hot Seat   This game is similar to Twenty Questions. Randomly select a student to come up to the front board and have them stand with their back facing the white board. Then choose another student to come up and write a word on the board behind them. Limit the word that is written to a site word, vocabulary word, spelling word or anything that you are teaching. The goal of the game is for the student to ask his/her classmates questions in order to guess the word written on the board.   Silly Story   Challenge students to take turns making up a story. Have them sit in a circle, and one by one add a sentence to the story. For example, the first student would say, â€Å"Once upon a time there was a little girl that went to school, then she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then the next student would continue the story. Encourage children to stay on task and use appropriate words. This activity is the perfect opportunity for students to develop and use their imagination and creativity. This can also be turned into a longer project in which students collaborate on a digital document. Clean Up   Have a clean-up countdown. Set a stopwatch or alarm and assign each student a specific number of items to clean up. Tell students, â€Å"Let’s beat the clock and see how fast we can clean up the classroom.† Make sure that you set rules ahead of time, and every student understands exactly where each item goes in the classroom. As an extra incentive, choose one item be the â€Å"trash of the day† and whoever picks up that item wins a small prize. Keep it Simple Think of the skills you want your students to grasp and prepare activities that correlate with that, then use those five minutes to practice those skills. Younger children can practice printing or coloring and older children can practice journal writing or do math drills. Whatever the concept is, prepare for it ahead of time and have it ready for those awkward in-between moments. Looking for more quick ideas? Try these review activities, brain breaks, and teacher-tested time savers.

Explication of a poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Explication of a poem - Essay Example wen presents a poem which through its rich imagery, use of sounds and literary allusions, creates a picture of the soldier that is extremely different from the conventional portrait of the soldier. The most important contribution of this poem to one’s understanding of war is the fact that it breaks down the notion of war as an honorable occupation for men. Such accounts of war are almost always premised upon the masculine prowess of the people involved in the war. This poem, however, significantly, alters the view of the soldier as a masculine person. What the poem does is to introduce images of the soldier as a helpless weakling who is trapped in the hostilities between two nations. The sight of the soldier is that of a man â€Å"guttering, choking, drowning† and immersed in pain. The â€Å"desperate glory† (Owen) that he seeks turns out to be a mirage, something that is unattainable in modern warfare. What Owen seems to be indicating is the fact that the older forms of warfare that led to lesser numbers of casualties had given way to more dangerous and more impersonal forms of warfare that led to the numbing of the soldiers in question. One of the most important techniques that the poem uses in order to undercut the rhetoric of war and patriotism is the very rhyme pattern that it follows. The rhyme scheme is abab. This resembles the marching pattern of an army. The pattern, however, in the poem, only symbolizes death and decay. It represents the impossibility of progress and the boredom that accompanies a life as a soldier. Even instances of urgency and vigor are followed and accompanied by the clumsiness of wearing one’s â€Å"helmets just in time†. This is an example of a transferred epithet where the characteristics of one object are transferred to the other. The very basic act of marching is undercut and parodied in the poem, something that locates it in a canon of anti-war poetry. War is thus, something that stunts the growth of one human being and of the

Story Response #3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Story Response #3 - Assignment Example He fell in love with her reasons beyond her schoolwork and the fact that he thought she knew much despite her tender age of thirteen. At first, the story seemed confusing. Why was it that Hannah chose on this boy and not any other in the class? It is not clear that they are close friends in as much as he was willing to bend down rules so as to please Hannah who had caught his attention. It would be best preferred if the central character explain to him what the makeup kit entailed and to whom he was to take to. It was shocking when he later came to realize the Mick guy in the B-building was Hannah’s boyfriend. He realized he is an innocent culprit whom the teachers would not suspect quickly. Next time, if the boy would fall in love with a woman, I find it useful to lay down the intentions first and let the lady decide. These could best come out if only he told Hannah the real feelings, she would not have taken him for a friend been used to do dirty business in the name of a boyfriend who got arrested

Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices FD Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Restaurants and Healthy Choices FD Essay

The Celebration of the Lizard Essay -- Analysis, Jim Morris

It was 1968's album Waiting for the Sun that marked the appearance of a new aspect of Morrison's image, the Lizard King. A poem entitled â€Å"The Celebration of the Lizard,† in which he pronounced â€Å"I am the Lizard King,† was printed on the album jacket. Morrison later claimed that this poem was meant to be partly in jest, but it took on a life of its own and would play an important role in Morrison mythology. In a 1970 interview, Morrison respond to a question about being called a Lizard King: Stevenson: How do you feel about some of the magazine articles that used to come out calling you the Lizard King and things like that? Morrison: Oh, I liked it! I enjoyed it! I thought it was, you know, I always liked reptiles, I always had a fondness for them . . . We did evolve from reptiles . . . I used to see the universe as a mammoth peristaltic snake and I used to see all the people, objects and landscapes as pictures on the facets of their skin, their scales. I think the peristaltic motion is the basic life movement: swallowing, digestion, the rhythms of sexual intercourse. Even your basic unicellular structures have this same . . . Stevenson: Fluidity and motion? Morrison: Yeah!14 Morrison used the attribution of Lizard King to expand on his image, as seen in this interview, by molding it to his ideals of proximity to the earth, suggesting that the motion of a reptile mimics the basic motion of all life. He further used the Lizard King image in the theatricality of his on-stage performances and, whether consciously or sub-consciously, to contribute to his own, as well as the band's, image. At best, it is possible to distinguish between Morrison as shaman and Morrison as the Lizard King,... ... difficult to confirm the cause of his death. Was it suicide? Murder? This uncertainty may have contributed to a Morrison-like image and myth. Now, that his physician has been convicted of negligence, the uncertainty is reduced. We will have to wait and see what develops. It is the public discourse, after the death of a celebrity, which results in the emergence of an icon. In books, films, and other media content about the celebrity, various narratives and central values become associated with the celebrity. After several years of continued public interest in the dead celebrity, the image and values associated with the celebrity become more significant than, and transcend, the factual details about the historical existence of the individual. The following section will outline elements contributing to the construction of the image of a celebrity, after their death.

All American Hero!

Large wars were a normal occurrence in my home. Men would fight the forces of evil using their plastic weapons and toy tanks. My G.I. Joes and I would combat the evil C.O.B.R.A. for hours making me forget everyday hassles like my chores and homework. I never thought about why I played with my action figures, but I was hooked by G.I. Joe's concept of honor and pride. My obsessive play with these toys revealed much about myself as a child. As a child G.I. Joe was my life. School provided me a chance to show off my G.I. Joe lunch box before I would run in my G.I. Joe sneakers at recess. After school my best grade for the day would be posted on the refrigerator with my special G.I. Joe magnet, which I sent away for in the mail. Weekends provided me with chores that, upon their completion, allowed me to finance a new G.I. Joe figure. There was no time when G.I. Joe was not in some way involved in my life. I still remember seeing my first G.I Joe on the shelf in the store. These figurines were often sold in packaging that had comics on the back recounting heroic stories of G.I. Joe victory. The first time I saw a G.I Joe, I went over to the shelf and pulled it off the peg, flipped the package over and read the cartoon on the back. Everytime I read the comic for a different character, it made me want that toy more and more. However, I believe my fondest moment with G.I Joe was when I saw my first G.I. Joe cartoon on television. Every episode contained dozens of different characters and vehicles all of which could be bought in toy form. G.I. Joes lived up to their definition as the real American hero by fighting evil terrorists in defense of their country. Each episode even ended with a moral about duty or virtue. Eventually, my fantasy became a when the G.I. Joe cartoon television series was made into a movie. The movie introduced new characters, new vehicles, and new story lines for me to enjoy. Unfortunately, as I got older, I began to realize that the whole G.I Joe scheme was just a way for the company producing them to make money. The marketing power of G.I Joe was further subsidized during the television series by advertisements that aired during the shows commercial breaks. Images of plastic figures fighting on elaborate battlefields were designed to grab children's imagination. I was often shown in the ads creating elaborate scenarios in which G.I. Joe would combat the evil C.O.B.R.A. This melding of the show and commercials bombarded me with the visuals of desired toys. The toys were the basis for an exponential marketing strategy that forced me or my parents to buy more and more products for me. The thought behind this strategy was very simple in that if I bought one G.I. Joe that I would most likely buy another. Not only that, but if I already had a few G.I Joes then I would probably buy a vehicle for them. Eventually, it led to me buying other paraphernalia such as clothing and even lunch boxes. Furthermore, I even remember going to different stores and seeing different marketing campaigns set up. For example, I remember Sears only selling the command center for the bad guys Toys â€Å"R† Us selling a special figurine that came with an audio cassette that is now a valuable collector's item. These special toy sets appealed to me who desired to have all of the rare G.I. Joe items. What does this say about America? It reveals that capitalism was present in nearly everything made in America. No matter how much I loved my G.I. Joe, I was still the puppet of corporate executives who merely desired to make money. Though honor was emphasized on the show to sell toys, it only contrasted the dishonorable marketing scheme of the companies. Personally, my childhood love for G.I. Joe was therefore created by a company solely to profit from. And yet I don't care. After realizing that I was merely being used I still love my G.I. Joes because they were a part of me regardless of how much money I spent.

Work force Up-skilling

Organisations usually view its work force as their driving force. The work force is believed to be the determinant of how far the company will go in terms of achieving its objectives. Organisations usually formulate strategies aimed at upskilling this workforce. This is usually done through methods aimed at improving the skill possessed by its workers. Organisations usually formulate strategies, which are aimed at achieving their workforce level objectives (Argyris, 1976p. 34-56). Since the organisations are required to try and create a team that possess high skills the process of coming up with a workforce of higher skill need not be universally accepted. The companies are supposed to adopt a way of moving towards higher skill that fits its requirements (Terry, 1960p. 104-109). This method of creating a workforce of higher skill should be formulated the best way possible an organisation can manage considering its requirement in terms of organizational strategy (Torbert, W. 2004p. 41-42). Workforce structure. Work force in organisations is usually composed of two categories depending on the type of workers. These categories are: – (i) Skilled workers (ii) Unskilled workers Skilled workers refers to workers of organisations who are believed to possess qualities such as possession of a certain level of good education in their field of specialisation. The Skilled workers are also believed to have acquired experience in their fields of specialisation. Skilled workers are required to have other features that enable them to be termed as efficient in their duties. Examples of these features include good communication skills and also interpersonal skills which aid incase one has to work in a group. Skilled workers are also termed as having broad level of general knowledge which is a factor in efficiency in their duties. Examples of skilled workers include Mechanical engineers, doctors, management accountants, finance officers and also civil engineers. Unskilled workers are workers in organisations who do not need to have any educational (formal) background. These workers need not have any experience to get jobs in an organisation. Unskilled workers are believed to have no skill for the jobs they carry out for organisations. These are the workers in an organisation who are believed to be at the bottom under the consideration of the level of qualifications. Most of the employees who are unskilled in organisations include cleaners and also loaders in stores. According to statistical data in the UK the skilled workers usually get the task of seeking employment easy. This is because most of the employment vacancies available are skilled occupations. It has been found that out of every 1,000 skilled job seekers, 75% end up succeeding. The statistical data has also revealed that the organisations in the UK give better working conditions to the skilled employees. It has been found that this preference in terms of better working conditions to skilled workers is usually an attempt by the organisation to maintain skilled teams in their organisation. This is not the case with unskilled workers. These workers find it hard to get good working conditions in organisations (Bass, & Avolio1995p. 100-123). The reason deducted for this occurrence is the fact that unskilled workers are readily available and incase their turnover tends to be high, there is no actual loss to the organisation. Human resource management refers to the process of handling matters concerning work force in an organisation. Each organisation usually has a department overseeing the efficiency of its work force. The human resource management is done by application of various models such as the goal Management Model. This human resource management model emphasizes on the need for organisations to handle their human resource in a manner likely to lead to the goal achievement. In the even of workforce upskilling a company should create a team of higher skill through assessment of the company’s goals. The organisations should use strategies likely to incorporate the needs of the organisation in terms of employee level of skills. The organisation should apply a strategy based on the level of skills required in achieving given goals. Another example of these models is the Culture change Model this is a model in human resource management which emphasizes that organisation changes their culture (House, 2004p. 23-31), and therefore the employees / workers should be upskilled to match the changes. Kurt Levin developed this model. Open systems Model is another model, which emphasizes that the human resource in an organisation should be managed as per the open system concept. This concept views systems as units that exchange requirements. The model argues that in employee upskilling the organisations should be able to get new employees from outside but not just develop the existing workers (Lowman, 2002p. 54-61). This model gives an organization option of acquiring workers of higher skills. All the three models described above show that there is no generally accepted way of upskilling an organisation workforce. The models suggest that an organisation should adopt a movement, which will be in agreement with the events at the organisation. For example when the organisation is faced with a change in its organizational culture, Lewin’s human resource management model should be adopted. When an organisation finds out that it cannot get the level of skill in the current workforce the open system human resource management model should be adopted, or just develop the existing workers to the level required, a characteristic of the Path Goal leadership model. Organisations usually emphasise on employee development in the attempt to reach a higher skilled work force. Employee development refers to the process in which employees of an organisation are involved in training in the organisation. Employee development involves a programme whereby the employees participate in their own will, the employees schedule their learning hours, the content to be learned is usually extra of what the job training requires and the workers select the content to learn without the influence of the organisations. Most companies in the UK emphasize on employee development since it is believed to give higher skilled employee workforce. Some of the companies in the UK, which emphasize on employee development, include Siemens UK and also Roll Royce Cars. These companies give a given level of provision in terms of sponsorship for employee training in the employee. The personal development theory in employee development argues that workers should be in a position to enhance the programme of employee development. The workers are required to be willing and interested in developing as employees of a given organisation. The employee motivation theory argues that the organisations should put efforts in the process of employee development. The organisations efforts should be in the form of programmes likely to boost the morale of employees (Stacey, 1992p. 31-39). The Benziger theory also provides directions on the employee development programmes in an organisation. In the process of employee development the organisations can create programmes bearing in mind that workforce usually consist of skilled and unskilled workers. The organisations should create programmes likely to give formal education, experience, skills and also general knowledge to the unskilled workforce. This is likely going to improve the skill of employee team hence likelihood of a success towards organizational strategy. The organisations should create programmes which will enable the skilled workforce improve their efficiency and also make them acquire certain level of vital attributes such as confidence and self-initiative (Warneka, 2006p. 23-29). Employee development should be structured in a way likely to make the organizational strategy give desired results. The employee development should be done in a way likely to put all the levels of the work force at a higher level of skill (Burns, 1978p. 65-71). Organisations should not copy the programmes adopted by their competitors or other comparable organisations. Copying of employee development programmes would not help organisations in the process of up-skilling its workforce since it might not suit the organisation. The organisations should structure these programmes as per their workforce requirement bearing in mind that the best workforce is that which is at a higher level in terms of suitability to a specific organization. Conclusion. Organizations should try as much as possible to avoid the perception that, workforce up-skilling is standardised (Heifetz, 1994p. 12-19). Organizations should formulate organizational strategies aimed at effective teams’ suited to the needs of specific company. The above is only possible if the right human resource models are applied and practiced.

Work and leisure patterns and globalisation Essay Example

Work and leisure patterns and globalisation Essay Example Work and leisure patterns and globalisation Paper Work and leisure patterns and globalisation Paper Societies among the world have undergone drastic changes throughout the years; these changes may be political, social, economic, demographic, or even environmental. Also under these several changes is the way we value our time- our time for work as well as our time for leisure and recreation. Social and technological changes have changed our way of life. Some opted to stay almost the whole inside their work place while some prefer having more time for recreation and leisure. Economic factors and dictations may also be a factor on what option should an individual would take. Logically speaking, more time for work would mean less time for leisure and recreation and vice versa. In the past, we have witnessed individuals giving much priority to the required time of the work place. The society dictates then the importance of being economically stable ignoring the importance of having leisure and recreational activities. Undeniably, there is a connection between work and leisure; regarding the wide aspects of the term â€Å"work†, people can be divided into two groups: leisure oriented and work oriented. Unfortunately, amidst the busy environment of the world, some people ignore the importance and benefits of having time to relax or spending a little time for leisure’s sake. Some forget that leisure is not just mere wasting one’s time but it is an opportunity to â€Å"re-charge† your energy after spending mush time to work or at home. Spending time for leisure is actually a preparation for a more productive self in the future. â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#2 Leisure and Recreation Leisure can be defined as those activities done for pleasure purposes only which do not involve family and work responsibilities. Leisure activities are usually done to break free from the stressful environment of the workplace as well as of the home. Recreation is basic need of all humans despite different ages and interests which is important to the social, psychological, and physical being of man (National Recreation Statement, 1987). Thus, a day or more are devoted to activities which spell fun and break. Leisure and recreational activities also serve as time to relax and the â€Å"re-charge† after the stressful environment of the workplace and home. We usually consider out-of-town trips as a form of relaxation, leisure or recreation. Unconsciously, leisure and recreation activities bring benefits not just to the group involved but to the society as well. Leisure and Recreation among societies Particular nations around the globe put much importance of having leisure and recreational activities. Several international studies have been made in support of the benefits of having leisure and recreational activities. Studies have been conducted on the effects of recreational and leisure activities among students. Their study revealed that these kinds of activities surprisingly make the rate of school dropouts to decrease (Mahoney and Cairns 1997). â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#3 In Ireland, a study investigated the supports and barriers as well as the opportunities of having recreational and leisure activities. Their survey involved 2, 260 young individuals with ages between 12 and 18 (de Roiste and Dinneen, 2005). Some of the activities that the respondents are involved with are listening to music, watching television, and hanging around with friends. Most of the respondents believe that there is a little opportunity within their area to conduct recreational and leisure activities. Meanwhile, respondents who have financial difficulties are most likely to avoid recreational and leisure activities; while those living in rural areas complain that they transportation difficulties thus serve as a barrier in the recreational and leisure activities. Moreover, a study was conducted on the dependency of recreational and leisure activities on poverty and social exclusion (Daly and Leonard 2002). The research study involved 30 Irish urban and rural families who are cloaked in poverty. Findings of the study showed that respondents who are 12 to 16 years of age are usually engaged in recreational and leisure activities which are not structured. Only two out of the 25 adolescents are engaged in structured recreational and leisure activities. â€Å"Hanging around with friends† is the usual activity of the respondents. In Canada, citizens are tasked to do their own planning of their leisure and recreational activities. The changes happening in the society of Canada has also brought changes in the Canadian workforce. Unemployment and underemployment may cause serious effects among other people; others view these situations as opportunity to have more challenges. Studies show that there people who actually opt to work less for them to have more quality time with their family and to spend some time with their own personal interests. â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#4 Disappointingly, such a social order is not yet fully accepted by the society as it is viewed as something that is not in line with our social norms. The exiting â€Å"social institutions† are perilously not apt to the current needs of the citizens. The individuals within the society must learn how to adapt to certain social conditions for us to be able to achieve social change (Toffler 1983). In Canada focusing on the recreation needs and the behavior of the unemployed persons, based on a study, and some of the conclusions are as follows: Rather than working alone, people seem to feel their own personal meanings during recreational and leisure activities. Given the current social order and the economic environment that we have, the recreation delivery system has not responded to our needs adequately (Reid, 1987). â€Å"Free time† refers to the time which remained after accomplishing tasks related to â€Å"paid labour,† â€Å"unpaid household chores† and other â€Å"personal care† (Goodin, 2005). Some people tend to work longer for them to veer away from poverty. Hence, their time for leisure and recreation suffers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducted the 1992 Australian Time Use Survey which was aimed to evaluate the â€Å"time pressures† made by the concurrence of paid and unpaid household labour. The survey involved 7,056 individuals who are 15 years of age and older. The survey focused on nuclear families as to avoid conflicts on how do responsibilities on the household and income is shared. The respondents of the study were asked to keep of a written account of what they do everyday. Their account should indicate the starting and ending points of each activity within five minutes. â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#5 In cases where there are respondents who are practice â€Å"multi-tasking† or they are doing tasks simultaneously, they are asked to list their â€Å"main activity† and â€Å"what else they were doing. † The respondents involved in the study were also interviewed for the researcher to know their basic background information like age, employment, sex, income, and so on. The answers of the respondents pertaining to their activities were actually grouped into different categories. The categories include: â€Å"time spent in paid labour,† â€Å"time spent in unpaid household labour,† and the last, â€Å"time spent in personal care. † The remaining times were under â€Å"free time. † Work Patterns Much has been written about the sociology of leisure and work. The usual definitions of work revolve around paid labour and employment with wage. During the 1970s, there were almost the same average working hours for the persons in the United States and in Europe. However, after some decades, the trend had drastically changed as the average working hours of individuals in Europe became only the half of the average working hours of the people in the United States (Alesina, Glaesar, and Sacerdote, 2005). These differences may be brought about by the â€Å"enormous† differences between the labor supply of Germany and France and the United States (Prescott, 2004). Economies may be categorized into sub-categories which involve paid labor or simply, work (Pahl and Gershuny, 1980): â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#6 Formal economy- a kind of economy which is recognised by the government with work recorded in official statistics. Informal economy- this is usually called the black market economy. People working in this kind of economy evade tax that the government imposes. They are not also declaring earnings. Household economy- this kind of economy pertains to the work accomplished within the household by its members. Communal economys of the occupations under this are: social works, business, and teaching. Work is more prioritized than any other else including family and leisure. Individuals with an extended work pattern usually do not have much time for leisure intended for their personal development. On the other hand, individuals with a neutrality pattern of work ha a clear understanding or distinction between leisure and work. Their time for their family and leisure are equally the focus of their lives. Their occupations usually are usually of low autonomy and their job satisfaction is with wage and conditions not in the work itself. Their occupations may be into clerical worker or any semi-skilled manual job. Individuals who have this kind of work pattern have longer hours from recreational and leisure activities intended for relaxation. Meanwhile, those individuals who have an opposition work pattern put recreation and â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#7 leisure at the center of their lives. Their work is vividly different from mere leisure. Their occupations usually have a very low of autonomy which makes them hostile toward their jobs. Their hours devoted for leisure and very long. Their occupations may involve the usual unskilled manual work. Work pattern may refer to the concept of being part time or full time in work; or to the number of hours an individual devote to his work. Work patterns may vary among individuals and societies as there are different natures of jobs. Among the known working patterns are: Short-time work Regular day time hours Regular night time hours Week end work Shift work Flexible working hours Work with deferred work periods Also, there are circumstances in which working hours are divided in a day by long pauses or termed as the â€Å"split shift. † This situation is usual among countries with a relatively hot climate and among individuals who are into social care and even public transport. As industrialisation is becoming more evident around the globe, changes in the work patterns are also becoming evident just like in Japan. In Japan, the usual office hours is nine to six and their overtime is between two and three hours. These working patterns in Japan led to crowded trains and made the women â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#8 from their career tracks because of their family. Publication companies based in Japan that have obviously tight deadlines to follow cannot afford to pay the over time pay of their employees. Employees in publication companies practically have to work non stop to comply with the deadlines that they have. But because the budget of the majority of the companies is not enough, they have resorted lately to let their employees work using â€Å"flexible time models. † These flexible time models will allow each employee to make up for their over time before the deadline that has to be met on days after. Thus, the company will only pay as if the employees only worked for eight hours each day. This serves as one of the austerity measures of the private companies in Japan. This seems disadvantageous on the side of the employees. While they are underpaid and overworked, their time for recreational and leisure activities are eaten up by their work. However, this flexible time model turned out to be illegal in Japan. In the present Labour Law Standards Law enacted in 1946, during the time when workers are into manufacturing, the work and leisure are clear-cut. The time spent in the work place should be equal to the output of the employee. There is an average of fourty hours of overtime among civil workers in Kasumigaseki and for the majority of the companies, the over time is even higher. If these companies would actually pay for the time spent in the work place of their employees, they are most likely to face financial problems (Nikkei Shinbun, 2006). Because of the labour law that is no longer applicable to the current situation, the Labour Policy Advisory Council is now deliberating the â€Å"White Collar Exemption† just like what has been adopted in the United States. The executives working in offices â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#9 will be able to set their flexible hours in work for them to be able to compensate for their overtime. Tourism and Globalisation Tourism increases decreases our reliance on local resources like food, technologies, among others. Also, tourism increases the dependence of the local economy to the global market. People of the locality will also be pushed to sell out and the prices of the services, as well as the commodities, may rise. We have witnessed different groups that are formed protesting the concept of â€Å"globalization. † Globalisation mainly pushes for free trade and the regional agreements like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT and the European Union. Organizations against globalisation claim that promoting expanded economy units will just result to urbanization which in essence, will destroy the wilderness and rural communities of the world. Meanwhile, proponents said that globalisation will bring us â€Å"global cooperation† and prosperity in the long run. However, according to the International Society for Ecology and Culture, what the proponents are saying are much far from the reality. Expanding the economy units and increasing the level of world trades would mean and greater gap between the rich and the poor. More so, it could lead to environmental degradation, and progress of big corporation in expense of the citizens of the world. Tourism is a vital factor in international relations. Tourism serves as a huge business for private companies as well as for the government. â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#10 Work, Leisure, and Globalisation Globalisation may be defined as the â€Å"global connectivity† among nations which concerns technological, ecological, social, economic, political, and cultural spheres. The term â€Å"globalisation† originated way back in the 20th century when there no still consciousness among the nations of the world about the concept. Despite its other concerns, globalisation is mostly being related to the economic interdependency of nations. Some economic factors that are usually related with globalisation are: goods and services, capital, labour, and technology. Globalisation promised the nations of the world more employment opportunities, economic progress, and social development, among others. Several debates and arguments have been heard from the opposing groups who are pushing and taking stand against the globalisation. In the long run, globalization may affect the work and leisure patterns of the societies around the globe. We have seen how globalisation affected the work patterns in the different parts of the world. We know that globalization mainly talks about economic development. Hence, this may mean more job opportunities and more load of work for the citizens of the world. Our time will be spent more in the work place than in having more recreational and leisure activities. Globalisation would mean less time to relax. In the context of globalization, less recreational and leisure activities would mean more work and money. Conclusion As expected, globalisation has an adverse effect on our work and leisure patterns. â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#11 Though proponents of globalisation argue that globalisation is the betterment of each nation in the world, we cannot deny the fact that it has also negative effects. Often neglected by some societies, work and leisure patterns truly affect our productivity as a nation. We have heard arguments from the anti-globalisation groups that extending the economy units if each country would only harm the countries that do not have stable economies yet. Also the political and cultural aspects of each nation in the world will be greatly affected. Globalisation not only intervenes in the economic autonomy of each country but also in the political and cultural characteristics of a nation. Although some may not be conscious of the changes that have been or would soon be taking place due to globalisation, we must remain watchful of these changes that would soon effects us as individuals. By this, it means that certain social practices will be affected by globalisation. We do not know up to what extent does globalisation will â€Å"invade† each nation. What is evident is that globalisation will make the norms and usual activities of a nation will be subjected to change. As leisure tourism is connected with the political and cultural landscape of a nation, globalisation will also have adverse effect on it. On the political aspect, the policies that will be implemented will have higher risks of having provisions that will only benefit the â€Å"outsider nations† rather than its inhabitants. Profit will the main concern of the policymakers since it is the primary concern of the proponents of globalisation. The welfare of the citizens of the country will be neglected. Although globalisation may indeed give more employment opportunities within the locality â€Å"WORK ANDLEISURE PATTERN AND GLOBALISATION† Page#12 of leisure tourism, we cannot deny the possibility of higher prices of commodities and degradation of the localities’ natural resources. On the cultural aspect, meanwhile, the cultural orientation of the localities might change because of globalisation. Leisure tourists’ spots might be adopted according to the needs of the foreigners while serving their interests instead of the locality. This means that globalisation, later on, will greatly influence the work and leisure patterns of each citizen around the world. Leisure, indeed, has been ignored by some as they opt to have a higher earning. But then, leisure is a â€Å"way of being†; it is of great help for us to be more productive as we go back to work. The quality of the â€Å"free time† that we could get mainly depends on the individual and the society- in a larger scale. In the end, we should not let globalisation â€Å"eat† much of our time. We should put importance to the vitality of having some time for relaxation and leisure. References: _________ (2006) â€Å"Leisure for Pleasure†¦How to Take Charge of Your Leisure Time† [Online] Available at: warrenshepell. com/WCMS/EN-CA/Employees+and+Families+Home/Wellness+Articles/HealthQuest+Newsletter/_Leisure+For+Pleasure+How+To+Take+Charge+Of+Your+Leisure+Time. htm __________. (2005) â€Å"East and Brighton Hove Structure Plan† [Online] Available at: eastsussex. gov. uk/NR/rdonlyres/5EA74603-5D38-4140-9FB7-33B267A3230E/0/Section_A_10Leisureandtourism. pdf ______. (2005) â€Å"Globalization: Saving Thailand’s other languages. † [Online] Available at: iht. com/articles/2006/10/23/features/lang. php ________. (2005) â€Å"Recreation and Needs Study† [Online] Available at: geelongaustralia. com. au/Services_In_Geelong/Planning/Strategic_Planning/Recreation_and_Leisure_Needs_Study/ ________. (2005) â€Å"Leisure, Work, and the Use of Time. † [Online] Available at : http://eric. ed. gov/ERICWebPortal/Home. portal? _nfpb=true_pageLabel=RecordDetailsERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED037626ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accnoobjectId=0900000b800ced5d _______. (2006) â€Å"Tourism† [Online] Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Tourism ________. (2006) â€Å"What is Leisure? † [Online] Available at: whywork. org/about/faq/leisure. html _______. (2006) â€Å"Leisure† [Online] Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Leisure _______. (2006) â€Å"Globalization. † [Online] Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Globalization ALESINA, A. , ET. AL. (2005) â€Å"Work and Leisure in the US and Europe: Why so Different? † [Online] Available at: nber. org/papers/W11278 BYRNE, TINA. (2006) â€Å"Free Time and Leisure Needs of Young People Living in Disadvantaged Communities. † [Online] Available at: cpa. ie/research/seminars/presentations/2006-04-26_TinaByrneEtAl. pdf CAIRNS, J. M. A. R. (1997) Do extracurricular activities protect against early school dropout? Developmental Psychology, 241-253. CHAPLIN, DAVINA. (1999)  « Consuming work/productive leisure: the consumption patterns of second home environments. † [Online] Available at: http://taylorandfrancis. metapress. com/content/7de26lxpu11pgmkh/ COUNCIL, I. S. A. R. (1987) National Recreation Statement. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES. 2002. â€Å"Alternative Work Patterns Policy. † [Online] Available at: uwm. edu/Dept/HR/refmaterial/htms/alt_work_policy. html DEUTSCH, MARIA. (2006) â€Å"Changing Work Patterns in Japan. † [Online] Available at: focusjapan. com/0210_105_focus_japan DINNEEN, A. D. R. A. J. (2005) Young Peoples Views about Opportunities, Barriers and Supports to Recreation and Leisure. National Childrens Office. GOODIN, R. (2005) The time-pressure illusion: Discretionary time vs. free time. Social Indicators Research 73, 43–70. HULME, B. (2000) Definitions of work, non work, and leisure. [Online] Available at: le. ac. uk/education/resources/SocSci/defwork. html LEONARD, M. D. A. M. (2002) Against All Odds: Family Life on a Low Income in Ireland. Dublin, Combat Poverty Agency. MCLAREN, DEBORAH. (2003) â€Å"Rethinking Tourism and Ecotravel†, Kumarian Press, Inc. MERG, MIKE. (1999) â€Å"Tourism, Globalisation and Sustainable Development. † [Online] Available at: untamedpath.com/Ecotourism/globalisation. html NATIONAL STATISTICS. (2005) â€Å"Employment/Related Employment concepts/Work Pattern† [Online] Available at: statistics. gov. uk/about/data/guides/LabourMarket/concepts/employment/aspects/pattern. asp J. GERSHUNY, R. P. (1980) Britain in the decade of the three economies. New Society. UNECSO Courier. (2006) â€Å"The Globalization of tourism. † [Online] Available at: unesco. org/courier/1999_08/uk/dossier/txt13. htm UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER. (2005) â€Å"Definitions of work, non work, and leisure. † [Online] Available at: le. ac.uk/education/resources/SocSci/defwork. html REID, DONALD. (2005) â€Å"Tourism, Globalization, and Development. † [Online] Available at: press. umich. edu/titleDetailDesc. do? id=114303 SCHNEIDER, PAIGE. (2005) â€Å"Leisure Activity Patterns and Household Composition: the Changing Household. † [Online] Available at: http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:7Gmg7sQw_roJ:www. fs. fed. us/ne/newtown_square/publications/technical_reports/pdfs/2006/341%2520papers/schneider341. pdf+leisure+patternhl=tlct=clnkcd=27gl=ph TOFFLER, A. (1983) Previews Premises, New York, William Morrow Co.

Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin

Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin Hashtag: #MexicansProblemsAtSchool Revealing Clothes and Show of Skin There are numerous #MexicansProblemsAtSchool but the most interesting in this circumstances are not the usual funny but noisy classmates, the  inadequacy of school facilities, and others but teacher’s inappropriate physical appearance. In particular, the negative impact of a â€Å"mucho caliente† or â€Å"very hot† English teacher and obese physical education teacher on students’ learning and individual belief on the health benefits of physical education. Many will agree that teaching is an ethically challenging profession as it involves satisfying social and cultural expectations. Normally, since young people are considered the most vulnerable to the effect of power imbalances, their teacher as both professional and social model is bound to follow well-defined moral behaviors, dress code and assume a certain personality. Moreover, since people in most cultures judge a person’s morality in the way he or she behave, dress, and physical looks, teachers dress conservatively and avoiding flirty or provoking sexy looks and dresses. Many schools have dress codes for teachers in order to maintain a professional demeanor and achieve a level of classroom decorum helpful to student achievement. In reality, it can be very difficult to young male students to focus on schoolwork if their teacher is dressed seductively. In order to maintain a favorable learning atmosphere, dress codes commonly restrict wearing revealing clothes and limit the amount of skin a female teacher can show. Want to know more? Go here: Learning from Budget Books The Scientific Basis for Defining Seasons Are Plagiarism and Censorship Having Something in Common? Yasar Kemal is a Master of Word Who and What Deserve Respect Practicing What You Preach Most physical education teachers are athletic but not in Mexico. Obese physical education teachers are in fact #MexicansProblemsAtSchool that need to be addressed. Obesity, in essence, is a lack of professional development and since students’ acceptance of their teacher as a source of health information or one with admirable wellness status they can emulate; an obese physical education teacher is undoubtedly useless. Similar to dress code, teachers are expected to epitomize good health so that by examples, students will be encouraged to mimic their behavior and attitudes. How can an obese teacher promote health and well-being in school when he is unconcerned about the danger of obesity and living an unhealthy lifestyle? Similarly, since it will be difficult for students to accept that there are health benefits in physical education. A physically fit PE teacher according to study is a model that promote a positive attitude toward physical education and physical activity. This is because overweight/obese students with non-obese PE teacher are more enthusiastic about physical education, more concern about their health, and confident about the positive effect of physical activity on weight loss. It is thus important for teachers to practice what they preach and become a good model for students to emulate. There is nothing wrong with being fashionable but teaching is an ethical profession that demands self-restriction and observance of socially and culturally acceptable norms. Since teachers are expected to maintain a professional demeanor and create a learning atmosphere, distractions such as seductive clothing or looks must be avoided at all cost. Similarly, as the credibility of the source of health information is critical to the development of students’ positive attitude towards physical education and activity, a physical education teacher must be mindful of his own health and credible enough to demonstrate the health benefits of physical activity.

Slave trade and the black race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Slave trade and the black race - Essay Example With the markets of slaves being on high demand in the African continent, the methods of capturing the same slaves intensified to an extent whereby the children were enticed with sweets so as they can add up to the list of slaves. The children were visualized as persons who would carry out simple chores, for instance, cleaning the houses of the masters. In line to this argument, it is evident that the extent to which the blacks were demoralized to the trade is simply unspeakable. This can simply be discussed as an inhuman activity, that could have kept the escalating trend were it not for the intervention of the humanitarians and economist who argued against the entire concept of the slave trade. Regarding a human being as an object, and enslaving the same to a later supply in the market signifies the extent to which the Blacks were visualized. On another angle, other analysts and researchers in Black history argue that slave trade is one of the appalling crimes that have taken place in the history of the Blacks. The extent to which the Blacks experienced horror and undermine from the whites is astonishing. Diouf questions the reasons behind the continuity of the vice for a very long time and on such great extent (xiv). Additionally, questions why the same did not happen in other parts of the world, especially the new world, and why the horror had to demoralize the lives of poor Africans have always lingered in the minds of historians.

Questions on International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Questions on International Marketing - Essay Example Again, remember to support your answer. (25 marks) 3. Analyse the extent that you believe Country of origin effect (COO) influences consumer perception of your chosen global brand. Justify your answer. (20 marks) A maximum of 5 marks are awarded for presentation - (5 marks) Overview of Standardization and Adaptation in Marketing Mix Marketing mix, as defined by Jain (2009), refers to the combination of the product, the distribution system, the price structure and the promotional activities. The author (Jain, 2004), has further been of the opinion that it is a term that is used to denote a specific combination of marketing variables that are controllable by an enterprise and that are used to appeal a particular market segment. Both Marketing standardization and marketing adaptation of the marketing mix encompass opposite characteristics. Marketing standardization has been defined as â€Å"the offering of identical product lines at identical prices, through identical distribution syst ems, supported by identical promotional programs, in several countries (Buzzell, 1968). On the other hand, marketing adaptation or localization has been identified as having marketing mix satisfying specific needs of the local market (Alimiene and Kuvykaite, 2008:36). Internationalization has necessitated either to strategically implement standardized marketing mix or adaptation marketing mix. The concept of foreign markets and the subsequent removal of trade and custom barriers along with the aid of technological advancements, various companies were required to decide whether they would use standardized or uniform marketing mix strategic in all current and potential countries or they would adapt to and pursue and implement different marketing mix strategy. With the presence of these two options, Toyota was also required to determine a particular marketing mix strategy or a combination of both strategies. Toyota Background Toyota is one of the foremost automobile firms in the world. It has been operational for more than 75 years and has expanded base all over the world. One of the first car makers to come up with world class cars from the Japanese stable, the organization has indeed created a name for itself all over the world. With increasing sales slowly spreading to all over the world, production facilities also disseminated to other parts of the world. Gradually, the company has grown to become one of the largest multinational companies the world over. With production as well as assembling plants in US, UK, China and France, and present in over 170 nations, the Japanese company has come a long way in making a name and sizeable market share for itself. Over the years the company has launched one great car after another and above all the company is guided by sustainable development for its present as well as future course of actions (Toyota website, 2012). So far as their global presence is concerned, in order to make their ventures profitable, they operate from 27 countries and have 50 manufacturing companies working together to make Toyota what it is (Toyota, 2012). They have R&D facilities in key markets such as USA, Japan, China, Australia and Europe. Japan being their headquarters has extensive production sites and dealer networks. Toyota’s Global Presence Courtesy: Toyota-global.com Discussion Toyota has a pursued a combination

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example The essay starts by outlining the essence of the law of separate corporate personality. This will be followed by an outline of the case of John who is an employee of Diamond Car Sales as well as application of this law to the case. The essay will also look at the circumstances under which the corporate veil can be pierced. The main body of the paper will give a critical analysis of the facts that can lead the court to pierce the issue of corporate veil in certain instance. Essence of separate corporate personality Cillers et al (2004), state that an association of persons or an organised body can acquire legal personality by way of separate Act. Thus, when the company is formed as a separate entity, it acquires the capacity and authority to have its own rights and duties (Gibson, 1988). Thus, once the company has been incorporated, it can be viewed as a separate or independent person with rights and liabilities that it chooses for itself. This is reflected by the case of Salomon v Sa lomon& Co [1897] AC 22 (Hl). Salomon is the sole owner of the once glamorous company and he decides to turn the business venture into a limited company having realised that it had great potential. As such, Salomon got ?10Â  000 in debentures from the shareholders which were acquired through a bond of the company’s assets. ... This may involve creating a brand name for the company that is used as a source of identity which makes the company different from other enterprises. In as far as the aspect of corporate personality is concerned, it can be noted that the aim of the law is concerned with protecting the interests of the company since it is treated like an individual person with legal rights. For instance, Diamond Car sales built a strong corporate personality where it even went on to categorically state that there was no person who would directly compete with it after leaving the company within the first six months of termination of the contract. Situational analysis John is works for Diamond Car Sales and his contract states that upon termination of his employment, he cannot start a business that directly competes with Diamond Car Sales for a period of six months after the termination of his contract. Apparently, John’s contract is terminated and he decides to go into business straight away des pite the provisions of his contract. Fearful of the provisions of the principle of "Separate Corporate Personality" John wants to know if he can operate a business. John decides to set up a company with his son and it competes with Diamond Car Sales. However, John is neither a director nor shareholder of the new company, but he runs the business and everyone refers to him as "the boss." Against this background, this paper seeks to critically analyse the authenticity of Diamond Car Sales’ warning to John to cease trading or they will opt for legal action in order to stop him from trading in direct competition with the company. Case analysis In this

Appraisal And Evidence Synthesis Of Two Reviews

Appraisal And Evidence Synthesis Of Two Reviews Select two reviews of your choice. One should be a Systematic Review and the other a Traditional Selective Review. Critically discuss the quality of your reviews with respect to a standard assessment tool suitable for reviews. The aim of a review is to give an overview of the primary studies of a particular subject and analyse them in a way, which is thorough, unbiased and reproducible, should it be repeated. about the gathering of the primary data that is being reviewed. A systematic review is a method of synthesising primary research and studies. It is based on having a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review (Cochrane Collaboration Glosasry, 2010). It also uses an objective and transparent approach for research synthesis, with the aim of minimizing bias. Statistical methods known as meta-analysis may or may not be used to analyse and summarise the results of the included studies (Wiesler McGauran, 2010). Systematic reviews differ from narrative reviews. A narrative review differs in that the question being answered is usually less specific and has a wider focus of interest (Cook et al, 1997). A narrative review may look more at the interaction of variables within a problem or the development and management of a problem, while a systematic review will usually focus on a specific and answerable question; therefore have a clear defined outcome that it is gathering evidence about. A narrative review summarizes different primary studies from which conclusions may be drawn in to holistic interpretation contributed by the reviewers own experience, existing theories and models with results having a qualitative rather than a quantitative meaning (Campbell Collaborative, 2001; Kirkevold, 1997). As with all types of research reviews both systematic and narrative need to be appraised for their relevance and value to the subject it relates. A number of tools have been developed to help with the process of critically appraising of research. For the purpose of this assignment, the tool that will be used was produced by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), defining questions and prompts to assess the review, based on questions developed by Oxman et al (1994). This is an appraisal tool that assesses three main issues; is the study valid? What the results are and whether those results help locally. The aim of this tool has been designed to answer these questions in a detailed and systematic manner. Furthermore, this tool has been selected as it has been specifically designed to support evidence-based practice in health and social care (Public Health Resources Unit, 2006) and therefore it forces the reviewer to also consider the perspective of the patient and it is of relevance to the articles that have been selected here. The systematic review to be used for this assignment is Gava et al (2009) Psychological Treatments Versus Treatment as Usual for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This review was chosen from The Cochrane Library, as the systematic reviews here have all been carried out using precise methodology, are updated in line with new research and are specifically intended to help anyone involved in healthcare, including patients (The Cochrane Collaboration, 2010). The narrative review to be considered will be Abramowitz et al (2001) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A review of the treatment literature. This review was found in a search on the CINAHL database. The CASP tool to be used is specific to systematic reviews (PHRU, 2006); however it will be adapted here to also appraise the narrative review. The ten questions asked in the CASP tool will now be considered. Did the review ask a clearly focused question? Liberati et al (2009) stated that authors should always identify their report as a systematic review or meta-analysis. Although sensitive search strategies have been developed to identify reviews, inclusion of the terms systematic review or meta-analysis in the title may improve indexing and identification (Montori et al, 2005). Furthermore, the title of a systematic review should be informative making key information easily accessible to the reader. This should include reflecting PICOS approach (participants, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study design) providing key information about the scope of the review (Liberati et al, 2009). The systematic review used for the purpose of this assignment was Psychological Treatments versus Treatment as Usual for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Review). This title failed to provide details of any participants or settings. The intervention and comparator are given as psychological treatments and treatment as usual, however, these had not been clearly specified and details of the outcome measure had not been provided either. Furthermore, the title simply stated review. Such terms do not enlighten the reader whether the review was systematic or whether a meta-analysis was performed (Liberati et al, 2009). Therefore, it has to be noted that the review failed to ask a clearly focused question. The narrative review of the Abramowitz et al (2001) study was Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A review of the treatment literature. As with the systematic review this paper also failed to use the PICOS approach, nevertheless, as a narrative review summaries the research more generally, these details may not even be appropriate (Cook et al, 1997). In this review the intervention was specified as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and it had been clearly indicated that this was a traditional review. Even though the question was not clearly focused, the author does provide the reader with an insight as to what the article contains. Did the review include the right type of study? The studies discussed in the systematic review included looking at any psychological treatment compared to any treatment as usual for adults with OCD, which appeared to be appropriate for answering the research question. All of the included studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which appeared to be an appropriate study design with the focus being on the effectiveness of interventions (Hill Spittlehouse, 2003). However, by including RCTs only and excluding other forms of research, this may result on limiting the conclusions drawn in the review. This appears of particular relevance to healthcare where qualitative forms of data, such as patients experience of an intervention, should be considered of great importance (Petticrew, 2001). The studies discussed in the narrative review also seem to address the question as research carried out on CBT for OCD was drawn upon. It also stated that the review focused particularly on exposure and response prevention treatment. This decision appeared to reflect the authors own interest rather than a thorough search of the available literature, which may lead to some form of bias being introduced. The review draws largely upon RCTs and meta-analyses, which may be appropriate as the focus of interest was effectiveness (Hill Spittlehouse, 2003). However, limiting to the inclusion of only this research design and in a narrative review, it would seem that a range of research could have been incorporated easily as this review appeared limited from not having done so. As explicit details of each study used were not provided, other methodology could have been included but not clearly described. Did the reviewers try to identify all relevant studies? To help identify all potentially appropriate research, a thorough literature search must be conducted in order to carry out a systematic review. This involves not only searching electronic databases, but also checking the reference lists of any selected articles in order to identify further research (Greenhalgh, 1997b), searching for non-English language research and unpublished research ( Centre for Reviews Disseminations, 2008). This helps to reduce any bias in research that is published in non-English languages, as research showing significant results tend to be published in English journals. Furthermore, by having English publications only may have a greater impact on the results than there actually was. By searching a number of various electronic journal databases, reference lists, unpublished and ongoing research and also research in non-English language indicated that Gava et al (2009) attempted to conduct a thorough literature research. There were no details or information provided to indicate how the studies were obtained or how the search was conducted for the narrative review. Even though researches from other countries have been referenced, no indication has been given whether this was taken from non-English language publications. Emphasis has been placed on research into exposure and response prevention therapy and the authors own work has also been cited. This however places some aspect of bias on the review as the reviewer has a clear interest in the topic currently being reviewed. Did the reviewers assess the quality of the included studies? The Gava et al (2009) systematic review describes rigorous quality assessment. A pre-determined scoring system was used which should help to reduce bias by making quality criteria objective and unrelated to the outcomes of the research (Greenhalgh, 1997b). To help reduce the chances of any bias emerging, quality assessments were carried out by two authors independently. However, it must be noted that all articles were included regardless of their quality standard. Furthermore, it has been suggested that not all the authors made the method of randomisation used explicit and they were not always blind to the allocation. Abramowitz et als (2001) review does not mention any formal quality assessment. It must be noted that some informal judgements have been made. Furthermore, it has been noted that some of the research discussed in the review failed to be conducted to a high standard as reference was made to the use of control groups where comparison treatments used was known to be of no benefit to sufferers of OCD. This is unethical as participants allocated to the control groups would have received ineffective treatment which would have had an impact on the results as participants in these groups would have experienced higher anxiety levels and frustration making gains in the experimental group appear much higher. As narrative reviews do not normally employ pre-defined quality assessment tools, research included is likely to be of inconsistent quality and is more at risk of bias (Cook et al, 1997). If the results of the studies have been combined, was it reasonable to do so? Results of each study used can be combined in a systematic review to increase the sensitivity to significant results (Crombie, 1996). However, this should only be done when the studies and their results are similar enough to make the combination of findings meaningful (Crombie, 1996). The Gava et al (2009) review did combine the results of all the studies reviewed. The results of each study were presented in a forest plot showing the mean, standard deviation and confidence interval for each. Heterogeneity was also considered both by eyeballing the data and also by statistical analysis, which found no significant differences in the main analyses, but did find significant differences on some of the secondary analyses. General reasons for heterogeneity were discussed at the start of the paper, but the specific heterogeneity found was not discussed in great lengths. Furthermore, a weighting system was used to combine the results. This means that in the analyses stages studies displaying lower level quality were then given a lower weight making this an effective method for including such studies. The Abramowitz et al (2001) review did not combine the results of all the studies reviewed. In general terms the CRD (2008) state that the intentions of a narrative review is generally to provide a summary of relevant research rather than to synthesis or re-analyse. Furthermore, they also state that this could lead to further biased conclusions based on the reviewers own opinions rather than on stringent analyses that could be recreated by other researchers. How the results presented and what are the main result? In the systematic review, the results have been presented in the body of the text and also as in forest plots. CRD (2008) state that results should be expressed in formats that are easily understood. The most commonly used graphic is the forest plot as it provides a simple representation of the precision of individual and overall results and of the variation between study results (CRD, 2008). The results indicated that psychological treatments led to more improvements in OCB symptoms than did treatments as usual. Improvements in dropout rates, quality of life, anxiety and depression levels in both psychological and treatment were also taken into consideration. Psychological therapy was broken down further to look at the variables being expressed, the mean differences being calculated for continuous variables, but it also took into consideration and reported on the individual effects of CBT, Cognitive Therapy and Behaviour Therapy. Abramowitz et al (2001) review also discussed results for each study reviewed. This indicated that exposure and response prevention were both effective therapies for OCD. However, since no statistics had been used then it was not possible to assess how large and significant the results were without referring to the original research. The research presented tends to be interpreted in favour of exposure and response prevention therapy, even with the results appear to suggest little difference (JÃ ¼ni et al, 2001). The conclusions drawn here are based on the authors own opinions and could have been subjected to biased interpretation of results or detection bias (JÃ ¼ni et al, 2001). How precise are the results? The use of confidence intervals in systematic reviews gives the reader an idea of how precise the results can be considered to be (Hopkins, 2001). Confidence intervals describe the range within which a result for the whole population would occur for a specified proportion of times a survey or test was repeated among a sample of the population. Confidence intervals are a standard way of expressing the statistical accuracy of a survey-based estimate (Young Bolton, 2009). The confidence interval expresses the uncertainty around the point estimate, describing a range of values within which it is reasonably certain that the true effect lies; wider confidence interval reflects greater uncertainty (CRD, 2008). Where a 95% confidence interval is reported then we can be reasonably confidence that the range included the true value for the population as a whole. Formally we would expect it to contain the true value 95% of the time (Young Bolton, 2009). Although intervals can be reported for a ny level of confidence, in most systematic reviews of health interventions, the 95% confidence interval is used (CRD, 2008). Eight studies (11 study comparisons) were identified, all of which compared cognitive and/or behavioural treatments versus treatment as usual control groups. Seven studies (ten comparisons) had usable data for meta-analyses. These studies demonstrated that patients receiving any variant of cognitive behavioural treatment exhibited significantly fewer symptoms post-treatment than those receiving treatment as usual (SMD -1.24, 95%, CI -1.61 to -0.87, 1Â ² test for heterogeneity was not significant at 33.4%) (Gava et al, 2009). Different types of cognitive and / or behavioural treatments showed similar differences in effect when compared with treatment as usual. Results obtained for CBT on OCD symptoms exhibited that the overall mean difference (fixed effects) was in favour of psychological treatments (WMD -7.73, 95%, CI -9.92, -5.55). The 1Â ² test of heterogeneity was not significant at 33.4%. Results obtained for cognitive therapy on OCD symptoms exhibited that the overall standardised mean difference (random effects) were slightly in favour of psychological treatments (SMD -1.20, 95%, CI -2.66, 0.25). The 1Â ² test of heterogeneity was not significant at 74.2%. The overall treatment effect appeared to be influenced by differences in baselin e severity (Gava et al, 2009). Within the Abramowitz et al (2001) paper, there does not seem to be any confidence intervals apparent within, thus leaving us unable to analyse how precise the results, which are described within the paper truly are. In comparison to the systematic review, this approach appears to be highly less open; the author is able to narrate the results in however way they please for example they could suggest that they are highly significant or interpret them as equal to their own theoretical standing but without the need of referral to the original case, however there is no way a certain conclusion as to whether this has occurred or not be drawn up. Can the results be applied to the local population? Within the Gava et al (2009) paper, population details and setting for each study do not seem to be clearly apparent. Although a high percentage are noted as outpatient, a number of settings were not highlighted as to their location or setting. Due to this lack of knowledge, and that some of the studies could have been carried out in a inpatient setting, it would not be possible to ascertain a generalised result to the local population with information found in the inpatient studies. It was stated that the statistical data, or demographics, of the participants were of a similar and consistent nature however there was no in depth analysis or description of them. Due to this small fact, therefore it would not have been possible to state that these were similar to the local population. The duration of treatments described when provided locally was usually shorter thus it can assume some of the methods could not be provided within the local settings. Therefore, the generalisation of the results requires some degree of accuracy and precision for there are often vast and clearly significant differences between the sample and the settings used, here and the local population. Once again, within the Abramowitz et al (2001) review, there was no description of the population meaning that it was not possible to ascertain a generalised collaboration of results. Furthermore, as one of the studies had been carried out in an inpatient setting, then it would not have been possible to generalise these results within such settings. The duration of these studies are described as being of 60-90 minutes on a daily basis which frankly could not have been possible locally. Therefore it is vital that care is taken when attempting to create a generalised result from this review as things that appear to be insignificant, as such small details can be inevitably crucial elements. Were all the important outcomes considered? The Gava et al (2009) review discussed various outcomes as well as improvements in OCD symptoms. Also considered were the outcomes for anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, dropout rates and quality of life. These elements were not only likely to be of a high degree of importance to the service providers but also to the service users themselves. Service leads, mental health commissioners and policy makers / government officials may also be interested in dropout rates and reasons for dropout i.e. at initial assessment or at follow up appointment. Details of each therapy session missed, cancelled, failed to attend would be important as well. The narrative review also discussed various improvements in OCD symptoms with each intervention. Consideration was given to the distress linked with exposure therapy, as it would be an important factor for all parties concerned i.e. patient and their families, and also taking into account the supporting role of the carer while patient receives therapy. Abramowitz et al (2001) review state that a relatively large number of clients refuse participation in exposure therapy because of anxiety evoking elements of treatment (i.e. confronting feared stimuli). This places emphasis on the importance of understanding the rationale for exposure therapy, demonstrating mastery of case conceptualization, and providing the client with a convincing explanation of why confronting feared situations will result in long-term abatement of obsessions and compulsions. Should policy or practice change as a result of the evidence contained in the review? The current use of CBT for OCD is supported by the Gava et al (2009) review. Despite this, any RCT or other psychological therapy was unidentifiable by the author whilst other types of therapy did not fit the required format needed in order to carry out a RCT to the same quality that a CBT does thus meaning it has more controlled research in comparison to other forms of therapy. One criticism of systematic reviews is their bias towards certain methodologies for important research may not be included thus leading to biased conclusions. Further research is therefore needed to make comparisons between CBT and other types of therapy; it may be that a mixed methods review would have been carried out in order to do this effectively (Dixon-Woods et al, 2004) A biased review is also present in Abramowtiz et al (2001). In this case it is towards studies in support of exposure and response prevention therapy. No decision can be reached from this review for a thorough search to identify all research in the area -quality assessment and the clear display of results was not completed. Conclusions are more likely to be biased and not be representative of all the evidence in the field within narrative views for they do not follow a predefined and set methodology thus, narrative reviews are less likely to influence policy and practise. Conclusion It is evident that both methodologies consist of advantages and disadvantages. Systematic reviews use pre-defined methodologies with the intention of reducing bias making the results to appear more robust. Nevertheless a critique appears to be the evident over emphasis of RCT which is argued to find less generalisable results. On the other hand, narrative review results appear to be more generalisable and tend to be more flexible in the incorporation of other methodologies. However within these reviews, the scientific, pre-defined strategies are not employed, thus considering them to have a higher risk of leading to bias. To conclude, it appears that both of these reviews can be of significant help and are easily justifiable for use, depending on the question that the researcher is trying to answer and the point at which the evidence base is at in its development.