Monday, September 30, 2019
The Stranger
The Stranger Chris Drusbosky 3/5/12 Professor Krauss In the story â€Å"The Stranger†by Albert Camus, the belief that the themes of loss and retrieval are at the core of Mersault’s mythology, and that they illumine the notion of exile to which he returns so often is widely discussed. I however do not believe that either one of those themes has anything to do with the Mersault and the exile to which he returns to so often, rather I believe that Mersault’s own attitude is the reason for the exile he experiences in the story. The first theme that is said to play a role in Mersault’s exile is the theme of loss.Though Mersault does lose his mother in the beginning of the story, it does not affect how he acts throughout the rest of the story and he continues on like nothing ever even happened. â€Å"Then there was the church and the villagers on the sidewalks, the red geraniums on the graves in the cemetery, Perez fainting, the blood red earth spilling over Ma man’s casket, the white flesh of the roots mixed in with it, more people, voices, the village, waiting in front of a cafe, the incessant drone of the motor, and my joy when the bus entered the nest of lights that was Algiers and I knew I was going to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours. The Stranger page 18. Normally when someone’s mother dies, you are filled with grief and sadness and you cannot help but to think about how much you miss her and love her. In this quote, Mersault shows no type of sad emotion whatsoever. He seems to be completely unmoved and unchanged emotionally by the death of his mother. Not only does he not show any emotion at his mother’s funeral, the very next day he meets with his mistress Marie Cardona and spends the day with her going swimming, seeing a movie, and spending the night at his house with her.Both of these examples clearly show that Mersault is unmoved by the death of his mother and it plays no role whatsoever in the exile th at he encounters throughout the story. The second theme that is said to play a significant role in Mersault’s exile is the theme of retrieval. If there is one thing in my eyes that Mersault never did throughout the course of this story, it would be that he never retrieved anything and that he always stayed the same throughout the story. Mersault seems to maintains the same attitude towards everything that happens in the story, the â€Å"I don’t care or believe in much†type attitude.One example that proves that Mersault possesses this attitude was after he was arrested for shooting the Arab 5 times. The magistrate asks him if he believes in God. â€Å"But he cut me off and urged me on one last time, drawing himself up to his full height and asked me if I believed in God. I said no. He sat down indignantly. He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who have turned their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he were to ever doubt it, his life would be meaningless. †The Stranger page 69.This quote is a perfect example that even after he has murdered a man, Mersault still maintains that same attitude towards everything and he remains unchanged. You would think that especially after the fact that he murdered someone, he would have changed his attitude a little bit or that maybe he would have had some kind of revelation and he would realize that he has done something terribly wrong. However none of this occurs with Mersault and he continues to be himself and does not change anything about himself and that he retrieves nothing from his actions and that it plays no role in his exile.Though both of the themes of loss and retrieval may seem like they play a role in Mersault’s exile in the story, I do not believe they do. I believe that Mersault’s attitude is the cause of the exile he experiences. When one has a â€Å"I don’t care or believe in much†, you can easily be separated and apart f rom the world. Had Mersault cared more about certain things or had he shown more interest in them, I believe he would not have encountered any type of exile in the story.But when you constantly see phrases like: I don’t know, I don’t care, I don’t believe etc. you get the idea that the person saying those phrases is in some kind of exile from everyone else. Mersault is clearly responsible for his own exile in this story due to his attitude towards things. Loss and retrieval do not play a role in the exile that Mersault experiences and everything that he encounters and endures is because of his attitude and nothing to do with the thought of whether or not he lost something and retrieved something.If Mersault were to ask himself: Why are these things happening to me and why do I seem to be separated form everyone else? All he would have to do is look in the mirror and he would see the cause of everything that he has gone through. While Mersault is in prison, he ta lks about how he misses certain things of life on the outside of prison and how he feels separated. My response to Mersault would be: If you had a sense of caring or interest in things, maybe you wouldn’t be here in prison in the first place and maybe you also wouldn’t feel exiled and separated from everyone else.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Requirement I
G51REQ Coursework 1 REQUIREMENTS ELICITATION REPORT Group: Authors: Muhammad Khidhir Hein Min Htike Ang Rhu Zen Date: 10/11/2011 Part 1 Report Summary The report is about the activities done and observed before, while and after the trip to Zoo Negara. The main activities were deciding where and when to go, making the trip, arriving at the place and doing a visit, returning from the trip and activities after the visit. Initially, we were planning to visit A’ Famosa in Malacca, but it was canceled as Malacca was a big distance away from the campus, and the travelling will take most of our time.After searching on the internet about places to visit in Kuala Lumpur, we decided on visiting Zoo Negara on Saturday, which is much closer compared to Malacca and almost none of us had visited the place yet. On Saturday morning, we met at the SA building and drove to the zoo. Having a driver who knows the routes in Kuala Lumpur, we reached Zoo Negara in about an hour. However, we had a har d time finding parking spots as it was the eve of Hari Raya. In the end, we had to park our car a long distance away from the entrance, but at least we have arrived at the zoo.Inside the zoo, we saw different kinds of animals and there were several centers that function as a sanctuary for famous local birds, reptiles and fish. We collected data by taking pictures and interviewing a few individuals while having a break at one of the train stops. After we went to see the tigers and lions in the Mammal Kingdom, we finally left the zoo from another entrance, which was not far from where we parked. On the way back, we stopped at a Burger King in Damansara for late lunch before heading back to Nottingham. When we got back to our own home s, we saved the pictures hat were taken and started on writing the report. In the end, the problems we had on that trip was based on finding places within the zoo and wasting our time seeing some of the same attractions. Part 2 Approach to requirements el icitation Requirements elicitation is also known as requirements gathering, which is part of the process upon enquiring the requirements of a particular system from users, customers and stakeholders. In other words, it can also be considered as consul tation with the people who are involved in the process as mentioned above.Stages of elicitation include objective setting, background knowledge, knowledge organisation and stakeholder requirements collection. There is various specific approach of requirements elicitation which includes interviewing, soft systems methods, prototyping, scenarios, and requirements reuse and participant observation. These are some of the familiar approach to requirements elicitation. Firstly, the requirements engineer will talk about the system with numbers of stakeholders and boost the understanding of their requirements.Therefore, an interview will be conducted in order to get the necessary information. This can be done in two different ways, either thro ugh closed interviews or open interviews. Closed interviews will be conveyed by looking for answers from a pre-defined number of questions which has been set by the requirements engineer. Unlike closed interviews, open interviews let the requirements engineer to dispute with the stakeholders in an open-ended way about what they want from the system. Interviewers can never approach the interview with disapproving ideas about what is needed and must be open-minded.Besides that, stakeholders must be given an idea about the discussion by requirements proposal or show examples of an existing system. Secondly, scenarios technique is used for elicitation which explains the way a system is being used through stories description. It starts with an introduction of the system before the scenario starts, then the usual flow of events with some exception and information about coexisting activities. At the end of the scenario, a description of the system is being stated. Scenarios describe how a user communicates with a system.Participant observation is observing people at work because they find it difficult to tell what they do because it is normal to them. Moreover, ethnography method also has proved to be precious in understanding actual work processes. An ethnographer can observe people at work and create an image of how work is done. Furthermore, another method in requirements elicitation is requirements reuse. It involves taking a developed system and uses them in different system. These reused requirements have already been checked and validated in other system, thus saves time and effort.But, currently it is an informal process but through this, it could lead to bigger cost savings. By reusing, it could lead to a consistency of pattern through applications. While being at the zoo, we walked throughout the whole area of the zoo to get a better view and some first-hand experience on how things work there. We could see that, the signage doesn’t really give accur ate direction to the place we wanted to go. The signage tells us to go towards the direction they give but in the end we were in a different pathway from the one we were supposed to be at. They should provide a clearer signage for people to understand it better.Additionally, I think there should be more staffs in and around the zoo to explain further information on the kind of animals we are looking at and provide some interesting details on how they eat or the kind of food that they eat and many more. These are the things that they should focus more on, and who wouldn’t like list ening to interesting stories of animals? Likewise, I can also observe the backgrounds of people who were there, so that a wider view can be seen on the people who we can put more focus on. I must say that, most of the visitors were foreigners and only a nu mber of Malaysians were there.This might be because of the past experience they had at the zoo. Therefore, I conducted interviews and ask them a few questions related to the zoo to know exactly what they think of the place and get some opinions and ideas from them. In my opinion, the interview gave us a lot of useful information on what the zoo can improve on and the things that should be maintained for them to get a better experience of the zoo. And hopefully, this will result in an increase in the numbe r of visitors and a better review from everyone Part 3 Practicalities of field study Anonymous1 Nationality: Malaysian Age: 42Gender: Male Race: Malay Date of Birth: 12/05/1979 Occupation: Teacher Location: Ampang Marital Status: Married Anonymous2 Nationality: Malaysian Age: 18 Gender: Male Race: Chinese Date of Birth: 06/12/1993 Occupation: Student Location: Kampung Pandan Marital Status: Single Our group went to the National Zoo for up to almost 6 hours, including the journey of going to the zoo and coming back from the zoo. Later on, we went for a late lunch in Burger King which took us about half an hour to get there a nd left at approximately 30 minutes later. Then, we went back to our campus which took us another 40 minutes.In total, the duration of the whole trip was about 8 hours. There are a few data that we gathered which includes photos, informal interviews and field notes. From the informal interview, we interviewed two different people from completely different background, thus the answer from both of them gave us the idea of how people in their respective age think. When we did an interview with anonymous1, he complained about the number of staffs who were working in the zoo. It results in a poor service and maintenance of the place and also dirty cages and walkways that are fu ll of leaves.In addition, anonymous also complained about the lack of choices when it comes to food. There were only one restaurant inside the zoo and the price of the snacks is more expensive than outside. I think they should provide better facilities all around the zoo and increase the number of restaurants or j ust improve the quality of the restaurant that is inside there. There should be more places where people can sit and r elax in an airconditioning environment especially when time comes noon, it would be very hot in Malaysia nowadays.Other than that, we experienced the bad condition of the toilet where the water were flushing out from the floor and clogged sinks and toile t bowls. This issue should be resolve for it to be a better place. Part 4 Activities observed and their sequential orders The main activities involved in visiting places are finding a place to visit, planning the trip, performing the journey or going to the destination, doing the actual visiting, leaving and returning home, and after visit. The activity of finding a place to visit is composed of not only deciding where to go but also when to go. This activity is closely related to planning the trip.As a product of this activity, we will get a confirmed destination of visit and confirmed time-frame for the visit. The activity of performing journey is the process of actually going to the decided destination. This activity has to be carried out as planne d in the first activity. The product of this activity is that, we actually reach to planned destination. The processes in the activities of doing actual visiting are the processes carried out at the planned place. In our case, the processes like going ar ound and seeing the zoo and conducting the interviews are the processes that form the actual visiting activity.Data for ethnographic analysis can be obtained as the product of this activity. The activity of leaving and returning trip is the processes in volved in returning home from zoo. The product of is that, we get back home. The processes that made up the activity â€Å"after visit†are like transferring the pictures from cameras and writing the report base on the experiences from the above activities. T he products are saved pictures in pc and a report to submit. Sequential order of a ctivities –Deciding and planning the trip Performing Journey Doing the visit Leaving and returningAfter Visit Part 5 Work Practice 1 (Deciding where and when to go and planning the trip) The work of visiting places begins by deciding where to as a group. We sat down in SA and decided where to go by using information from the internet. The first suggestion by Khidhir to choose as a visiting place was â€Å"D-paradise and A’ Famosa in Malacca†. But we the main problem with going to Malacca was the distance from our places. Malacca is 130 km from our place and the driving time to get there is 2 hours with no heavy traffic . The round trip will take approximately 4 and half hours.So, with the time frame we got, we will not have much time to do the actual visiting in Malacca. So, we decided not to go to Malacca and the other option is to visit a place near Kuala Lumpur. We s earched on the internet for places to see in KL. We got 3 options to visit in KL, namely, Bat u Caves, Aquaria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, and Zoo Negara. We chose zoo Negara because two of the group members have not been there and thought it would be int eresting to see Malaysia major zoological park. We decided to go there on Saturday and to depart from Nottingham at around 9am.One of the group members own a car, so we decided to go with his car. Then, we discussed about the time allocation for the trip and what to do during the visit. Zoo Negara is only 43 km from Nottingham and can be reached within an hour drive. So, we will be at the zoo at around 10, and then we planned to do visiting and stay at zoo until after 3 pm because there is animal show at 3 pm. We planned to do some interviews at the zoo for the ethnographic analysis. We also discussed about what should be interview questions and we finally agreed for ten questions which will be stated in â€Å"Work Practice 3†.The products of this activity are that, we have definite idea of where to go and we have a plan for what to do during the trip. Work Practice 2 (Undertaking the journey) We met up on Saturday as planned and went on to have breakfast at the SA building. Then, we departed for zoo at 9:35 am. Khidhir was driving and Rhu Zen took the front seat beside him and Hein Min Htike was at the back seat. The driver knows KL routes insi de out, so, we didn’t need to any work of way-finding. We went to zoo directly except one pit -stop for fuel. It took us 50 minutes to get there and we were at zoo at 10:30.The problem when we reached zoo was that we could not find a parking space easily. Since we visited there on Saturday which was not only normal public but also eve of Hari Raya, there were so many visitors’ cars. We have had to park our car six streets away from entrance. The product of this activity is that, we really reached the zoo. Work Practice 3 (Arriving at the zoo and doing the visit) We took some photos at the entrance and then bought tickets and entered zoo. The ticket price for Malaysian is 20RM and for foreigner is 30RM. We first went to visit the â€Å"hornbill center†where they keep many hornbill species, monkeys and hippopotamus.Then, we visited the â€Å"bee museum†. Bee museum is a Kiosk selling honey and other bee related souvenirs. It also features displays of all the integrated honey industry activities from bee breeding to honey extracting. Then, we went on to see the Indian cows and the bears’ complex. Then, we took the Savannah Walk and saw a variety of African animals like Sable antelopes, Scimatar oryx, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, and white rhinoceroses. At the end of Savannah Walk road, we sat down at train stop 5 to give a rest to our legs and to make some interviews.We firstly interviewed â€Å"Anonymous1†from KL who was there with his family. Khidhir conducted the interview in Malay Language. We then interviewed â€Å"Anonymous2†who also lives in KL and he was there with his fri ends. We will write the main points of those interviews in â€Å"Question and Answer†format to save word count and to avoid repetition. Question: With whom you came here today and how many peop le are there with you? Is there any particular reason to come here? Anonymous1: I am visiting here with my family and there are total of 4 people with me, my wife and my two kids and myself. We are just having our week-end day out.Anonymous2: I am here with my friends and there are total of 5 people in my group. We have not been here for very long time, so we just wanted to see the changes inside the zoo. Question: How did you come here? Was there any problem getting here like parking problem? Anonymous 1: I drove here and there was not any particular problem to get here. We arrived here really early and so, we could manage to find a parking space easily. Anonymous 2: We came here with LRT and taxi. We reached Wangsa Maju station and we took taxi to get here. This place is easily acce ssible and there was no problem to get here.Question: Any comments about the animals in zoo? Anonymous1: Quite a lot of varieties of animals are kept in this zoo and the animals seem happy. Anonymous2: We have been walking around the zoo for only 2 hours and we have been to almost all the places inside the zoo. There are not much interesting animal in here except penguins. I have not seen penguins before. Question: How do you think of animal show available in this zoo? Anonymous1: The animal show at 11 am was quiet good, they spoke in Malay, so my kids could understand very well, and they really enjoyed it. Anonymous2: We arrived here at around 11 am.So we missed the morning show. But we really are not into seeing the animal show as there will be a lot of people at the show. Question: Any comments about staffs? Anonymous1: I didn’t see much of staffs. Only staffs I saw were at the entrances of zoo and aquarium world, and the staffs conducting the animal show. I th ink the num ber of staff is inadequate compare to the size of zoo because the animal cages are dirty and walkways are full of dry leaves and did not see anyone cleaning them. Anonymous2: I have nothing special to say about staffs from here. I rarely see the m inside the zoo.Question: How do you think of food shops and souvenir shops inside zoo? Anonymous1: As things inside the zoo are very expensive and I did not buy anything. Moreover, there is only one restaurant to have lunch or breakfast. Anonymous2: We were just discussing to go and have lunch. There are quite a lot of snack shops, but there is only one restaurant for lunch. I think there should be more restaurants, so that, visitors can choose their favorite meal. And drinks here at the snack shops are slightly expensive than outside. Question: Transportation inside zoo? Did you use it?Anonymous1: We preferred to walk to get closer look at the animals. Anonymous2: We planned to stay here until evening, so we are not in hurry. We decided t o walk around the zoo. Question: How do you describe your overall experience at zoo? Things you like most? Things you like least? Anonymous1: We are having a fun time; especially for my children. It has been a good day out so far. What we liked most is Savannah Walk, which is like a small version of African landscape with the animals roaming freely, especially giraffes. Anonymous2: There is nothing much for adults to do in zoo.For sure, this is not one of our best days out. The good point inside the zoo is the tall, shady trees which provide shade for leisure troll. Things I do not like here are that, animals are kept in very dirty environment. The worst thing is aquarium where you cannot even see the fish clearly because of the dirty water and grubby mirrors. Question: What should be done to improve the overall quality of zoo? Anonymous1: More staffs should be stationed inside the zoo, to p rovide information and interact with visitors. And they should also prioritize the cleanline ss of zoo.Anonymous2: There are so many rooms to improve in this zoo. Zoo maps are available for 2RM, which should be given free to every visitor. The signages ar e not around every corner, and even when you see them, they are not quite clear in their pointing direction. With no free map, and no clear signage, I am pretty sure that, visitors will get lost quite often. Moreover, there are no staffs to be seen inside the zoo to ask information or to ask direction. Another important thing there is that they should focus more on the cleanliness of environment. Everywhere inside the zoo is stinking.The toilets are very dirty. Question: Do you plan to visit the zoo again or would you recommend this to your friends? Any tips to organize a good day out to zoo? Anonymous1: My kids would like to come back here, so we might be coming again like 2, 3 months later. I would definitely recommend this place for a family day out fo r those with small kids. I would advise anyone to bring along their own food and drinks as things inside are twice the price outside. Anonymous2: No, we are not coming back here anytime in the future. And we will never recommend a friend to visit here.As a tip, don’t come here. Even when they come, come here early, to avoid extremely hot temperature inside zoo and to avoid heavy crowd. After the two interviews, we continued our visit inside the zoo. We went to mammal kingdom and then went on to see the tigers and lions. After that lion place, we went inside the reptile house and spent around thirty minutes inside. Then, we went inside bird house where so many species of birds are kept inside different compartments. We then sat bough some cold drink and sat down under the shade for about 15 minutes.Then, we went to see the aquarium world which is very dull and boring place. Fishes inside are nothing much interesting. Then we watched the animal show for a while because there were so many people and we could not see or hear the show very well fr om our place. We then went to penguin house and we have completed visiting the whole zoo. We made our way out from entrance B and found out that it was not far from the street where we parked our car. The products of this activity are that, we could enjoy the zoo, we could manage to finish the interviews and we got data for ethnography.Work Practice 4 (Return and getting home) We left zoo at around 3:50 pm and we drove to Damansara Burger King to have a late lunch. Damansara Burger king was 25 km far from zoo and it took us around 30 minutes to get there. Then, we have had lunch until around 4:50 and then we left for Nottingham University. It took us around 30 minutes to reach school and the distance was around 30 km. Once we reached Nottingham, we parted our ways to our houses. The products of this activity are having lunch, and getting back home. Work Practice 5 (After Visit)When reach our houses, we rested for some time. At night, we copied the pictures from camera memories cards to PCs. And we all started writing the report to submit. The products are the saved pictures and the report. Part 6 The Requirements Problem During our trip, we had a hard time navigating the zoo as we did not bring a map and also there were occasions that we had to use some of the facilities that were not well maintained. Another problem while doing the trip was that we may have missed some of the attractions because we did not have a map in the first place.We decided we need a system to be keeping track of what we had seen, what attractions we may have missed, and because there were not many staff members seen inside the zoo to maintain the facilities, which places to avoid. It should also update the group about any show times inside the zoo and keep a watch handy to check how long we were visiting some of the attractions. As a task scheduling system, it should be able to display some main attractions that we should see within the zoo itself, although the place itself is sm all, and not just simply walk around and attempt to understand what every animal is or does.Any group would definitely get bored walking under the hot sun only to see that the animals are sleeping during the mid-day. It should also be able to sort and notify the user or users of any events or shows that are going to start. That way, the group could plan on which places to visit in the zoo before walking back to see the animal show. This will also prevent the group from rushing around as the zoo has some very odd placement of some of the facilities, including toilets. Besides that, it hould have a mapping system so that it will display the locations of all the main attractions, the bus stops, resting spots and the toilets within the zoo as it was difficult to find a sign with the entire map of the zoo easily and therefore avoid wasting time going rounds inside the zoo. Other than that, because there were many places that had the same attractions, which eventually made one of our group mem bers bored, the ta sk scheduling system should also have a notepad for any individual in the group to write their own comments about the zoo.This is to avoid having to see the same attraction under the very hot sun the next time he visits the zoo. Lastly, for any group members who were not familiar with the animals and find the description beside the animal cages confuse them even further, there should be a translator or encyclopedia to make it more understandable. It will also help other tourists who were busy looking for directions from us as they could not read some of the signs.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Reflection on Kon-Tiki and The Concept of National Cinema Essay
Reflection on Kon-Tiki and The Concept of National Cinema - Essay Example In this regard, the Concept of National Cinema which was advanced by Andrew Higson is relevant to this film in its entire creation, editing and production (Andersson, 2010). The concept of National Cinema asserts that a film reflects the culture of a given country of its origin. This explains the varied dress codes, languages and overall production techniques of movies across the world. Taking the instance of Kon-Tiki, the film gives a narration of the cross cultural experience of the sailor through America and learning important aspects of cultural diversity as far as the role of art is concerned (Williams,2002). The filming industry as indicated by Higson need to observe the role of culture in influencing the audience size of the film viewers. Even the source of funding of a film dictates the cultural domination in it. In the case of Kon-Tiki, the film was created from a book that already had massive demand in various parts of the world before being acted through United States funding. It is therefore worth to conclude that the ideas expressed in Higson’s Concept of National Cinema are significantly captured in the techniques and mode of production of the
Friday, September 27, 2019
Unit 2 discussion board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Unit 2 discussion board - Essay Example The cost of healthcare as it stands, remains one of the largest components of the economy of the United States of America, and the alarming aspect is that it is rising faster than the rate of inflation. Through Medicare and Medicaid the healthcare systems aims to provide relief to certain disadvantaged segments of citizens of the country. This responsibility of the government is only going to increase in a huge manner due to two factors that will have a severe impact on the finances required. The first is that the population in the country is aging, and the number of people above the sixty-five years barrier is increasing, as a result of the increased life expectancy. Coupled with this is the dramatic advances in medical technological and medical treatment procedures, which comes at a high economic cost. Finding the financial resources to meet the rising demand, and escalated costs of medical treatment is going to be challenging for the governments involved. (Ericson, G.) The government has tried to address the issue of finances facing the healthcare system by a two-pronged effort, which has led to its next two challenges. To reduce the financial burden on itself, the government has tried to increase the insurance coverage among the population. Nearly two-thirds of those that have no medical insurance are from low-income families. A large percentage of these are from either minority communities or are young adults. In addition it is seen that employers do not provide medical insurance to many low-income workers. Business enterprises are averse to taking on additional financial burdens in terms of medical insurance for all their employees, as they believe that their competitive edge is blunted by the burden of these extra financial commitments. The challenge that the government faces is to motivate and encourage the private industry to
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Language Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Language Portfolio - Essay Example It is always within my reach. My native country in Russia is where it all started. I became conscious of my existence in a place where the struggle for social steadiness is of great importance. It is the place where I became oriented with a cynical outlook in life while at the same time it enabled me to anticipate and understand any difficulties I encounter in life. Because of such view point, moving to Istanbul a few years ago became a welcoming experience for me. The shift in adjusting from Russian to Turkish culture became a needed challenge for me. Living in Turkey opened my doors to the convergence of cultures between the East and West. It allowed me to reflect on the hybrid between Western and Eastern influences. It opened my eyes to the cultural differences I have witnessed around me. Eventually, I decided to move into the United States only to immerse myself in a multi-cultural surrounding. While I experienced various intercultural encounters from my global travels, I sought to find a place where my love for culture and the arts will be satisfied. Because of this intense interest to retrace my European heritage and culture, I have looked up to the French language to equip me with better understanding of human creativity that I see in French cinema, literature, and arts. My various trips to France were always field with memorable moments that fueled my interest and love for humanities. As such, my motivation to learn French is deeply rooted from my appreciation of the country and its culture. As my future journey to live in France awaits me, I never cease to continuously the language. A Question of Identity: What it would mean for me to be a fluent speaker of French Learning French has always entailed a more personal than practical reasons to master the language. It cannot be denied that my motivation to learn French mainly comes from my appreciation of the culture in general. I learn French not only because it entails various opportunities in working fo r international organizations abroad, but also because it means that I am able to associate myself with French culture. Many might wonder why I exhibit such love for the language, but I can only tell them that I have been to many places around the world and while each country showcases a unique cultural heritage, I would say that in terms of music, architecture, movies, and literature, the French culture exhibits a more lively appreciation for the arts. Perhaps the word I should use in describing the French is sophistication. My various travels to France have always been memorable as I was able to appreciate the heritage and the undying affinity of the French people towards arts and literature. Personally, I want to live in this kind of setting where I could revel on the French countryside and associate with the like-mindedness I shared with French people. For these reasons, becoming a fluent speaker of French allows me to understand and penetrate in French society. A lot of friends whom I treasure deeply are French and to be able to gain more meaningful experiences with them, I am determined to hone
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Truth in Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Truth in Politics - Essay Example For Machiavelli, 'virtu' or skill as wielded by a ruler would make for a state that would thrive and protect itself from the machinations of enemy-states. War for Plato is essentially unjust and the only justification for it is for defending the state, while for Machiavelli a state exists to wage war against other states - thus, war, is a natural condition in a state's existence. Plato and Machiavelli also lived in different eras. For the former, philosophy is concerned with the truth, as embodied by principles and how things should be, and this concern would naturally result in a perfect society. For the latter, philosophy is allied with the realities of power, in how things are as they are. Philosophers in Plato's Republic are the only ones ideal to rule (and become kings) because they love and search for the truth - as opposed to the other two classes, the people who are mainly concerned with honor, and the masses, who are concerned with money and the indulgence of physical appetites. The philosopher-kings possess the quality of truthfulness who "will never intentionally receive into their minds falsehood, which is their detestation, and they will love the truth." Truth as conceived by Plato is absolute, dealing with the eternal and the unchanging, the "forms" opposed to the fickle, the merely seen and experienced.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Undertake An Analysis Of The Strategic Position Of Tesco In The UK Assignment
Undertake An Analysis Of The Strategic Position Of Tesco In The UK Using Concept & Tools Of External And Internal Strategic Analysis - Assignment Example Undertake An Analysis Of The Strategic Position Of Tesco In The UK Using Concept & Tools Of External And Internal Strategic Analysis. Additionally, Tesco provides both online and offline financial services with a personal touch. The total revenue received by Tesco PLC as on February 2004 added up to ?33,557 million translating in a rise of approximately 18.7 % from the preceding year’s revenues that ranked ?28, 28 million (Humby et al, 2008). 1) Analyze its task environment Using PESTEL to categorize key issues which management need to respond to, focus on 6 CURRENT issues using evidence to substantiate them, for example: current Horse meat issue Tesco operates in a globalised environment with stores worldwide, including six European countries. These include the Ireland Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia and Poland. The Asian stores are located in South Korean Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and Taiwan. However, Tesco’s performance relies heavily on the mother country’s political and legislative structure (Henry, 2008). Legislation requires the government to supply the populatio n with a wide range of job opportunities, including the extremely skilled, high paid and centrally located chances. The population demands students, senior citizens and working parents to be considered in terms of job availability for varied groups of individuals. Tesco comes in play as a challenge to local businesses, which include the cutting of costs and declaring the company’s products obsolete. This results in driving the companies out of the market completely (Nathan Rao Consumer Affairs, 2013). Tesco tries to work against the problems named by providing a labor market to diverse employees including students, disabled and the elderly in the society with relatively lower pay rates. Therefore, the employees depict a significant level of loyalty to organizations with the increased level of staff turnover currently in the community (Ringland, 2006). Economic factors Tesco takes matters relating to economic factors with a considerable level of seriousness as the factors dire ctly affect the demands, costs, prices, and the profit levels of the organization in place. The high unemployment levels in an economy results into decreased levels of effective demands for varied goods. The production level of goods lowers with a decreased profit levels, which, adversely reduces and affects the profit levels. In as much as the operating company cannot control the factors, they adversely affect the performance, and marketing mix of Tesco. Despite the growth levels that are evident in the international markets, Tesco substantially relies on the UK market for its survival. Therefore, decreased demand of UK’s foodstuffs can expose the company’s market to face risks of making losses (Nathan Rao Consumer Affairs, 2013). The social and cultural factors The British customers tend to adopt bulk shopping from their previous one stop shopping criteria. The situation prompts Tesco into additional production of food pre-cuts in the country. The increased rate of t he â€Å"ageing population†and participation by women in the employment sectors result, in an increased demand for Tesco products and services. Additionally, Tesco tends to gear most of its focus on its own label of business blend, supply chains and various operational improvements with the capabilities of driving costs out of business. Consumers purchase
Monday, September 23, 2019
Undergraduate Essay on Teaching and Education Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Undergraduate on Teaching and Education - Essay Example Utilizing brief video clips of both children and adults to support its premise. This report e will outline and discusses relevant aspects of observation for understanding and introduce the concept of the vindictive as a powerful resource for revisiting and analysing documented observations. It will analyse and critically evaluate the multi-faceted role of the teacher and critically assess the importance of education on the life of a child. This is because teachers affect eternity and they never tell where their influence stop. This paper makes a conclusion that developing a high-quality system of teacher preparation requires the coordination of human and financial resources so that there is equity and quality in the programs offered by institutions within a state. This coordination is particularly critical in preschool education because the workforce is extraordinarily diverse in qualifications, knowledge, and experience, and the workforce is located in a range of settings that have historically been regulated differently. Most states probably have the leadership and much of the expertise needed to develop high-quality programs, but without coordination and support, it is unlikely that states will be able to transform the early childhood workforce in the way that research indicates is necessary. Education is often used to refer solely to formal education. However, it covers a range of experiences, from formal learning to the building of understanding through day to day experiences. Ultimately, all that we experience serves as a form of education.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Corporate Social Responsibality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words
Corporate Social Responsibality - Essay Example The need for organizations to undertake socially responsible activities has been discussed in literature and has been a topic of academic study for a number of years. The main objective of business is to produce the goods and services that society needs. But at the same time there is a mutual dependence between business and society so as to have a stable environment with an educated workforce. A business or enterprise only contributes fully to a society if it is efficient, profitable and socially responsible. That is the basic idea of CSR is that business and society are interwoven rather than distinct entities (Galbreath, 2006). There are various definitions of CSR. The ethical behaviour of a company towards society, management acting in a responsible manner its relationships with other stakeholders who have a genuine interest in the business and CSR is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while enhancing the quality of life of its employees and their families as well as of the local community and generally towards the society at large' are some of these definitions. The areas touched upon by advocates of CSR includes issues such as employee relations, corporate ethics, plant closures, human rights, community relations and the environment. According to CSR Europe, a membership organisation of large companies across Europe, in their guidelines emphasize on the following areas: community, workplace (employees), environment, marketplace (customers, suppliers), ethics and human rights. Whether or not business should undertake CSR depends upon the financial strength of the company that is adopted. Those who adopt the neo-classical view of the company would believe that the only social responsibilities to be adopted by business are the provision of employment and payment of taxes. A different view of the company following the behavioural theorists might look at corporate social activity from a viewpoint that looks at the political aspects and non-economic influences on managerial behaviour. Some of the key CSR principle areas that have been cited in recent times are: To carry out organizational functions ethically and with honesty. To treat all employees fairly and equally so that they become efficient. To help protect the environment for future generations. To be concerned about the surrounding community. To respect basic human rights. (02). Analysis 2.1. Stakeholder Theories The Stakeholder Theory of a company is used identify those groups to whom the firm should be responsible. The responsibility includes a responsibility for the natural environment. Decisions should be taken in the wider interest and not just the narrow shareholder interest. The company can be defined as a series of connections of stakeholders that the managers of the firm try to manage. That is any group or individual who can have an impact or is affected by the achievement of the company's goals (Clarkson, 1995). Stakeholders are normally categorised into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are the ones whose participation is vital for an organization to sustain as a growing concern. They include the likes of employees, suppliers, investors, customers and shareholders together with what is
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Comparison of the discrimination Essay Example for Free
Comparison of the discrimination Essay To conclude this comparison of these two groups, the Dalits in India and the Indigenous Australians, I believe their situations can be linked and related to. The Dalits in India are regarded as the lowest of the low and are treated like rats. They are not given proper education and healthcare and not allowed to mix with non-Dalits. The IA on the other hand had there numbers decline mostly due to the European diseases brought to the country and also due to cultural genocide (the process of taking the aboriginal children and breeding them with non IAs, thus killing off the IA population). These two groups are closely related however in the case of the IAs they were the first natural inhabitants of Australia. This is the opposite to the Dalits, they were originally from India however the caste system in India has forced them into poverty. What has forced IA into poverty is the massive presence of the white population and has made the IA into a minority. However there have been recent apologies by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia to the indigenous Australians, which I would say is respectful. However there has been no sympathy towards the Dalits from the upper classes, they want the Dalits to stay in this low status for as long as possible. To conclude I believe the Dalits suffer more than the IAs, not just because of the way they are treated but the sheer number of them as a whole. Bibliography: Research on Dalits: Internet (www.wiki.com, www.dalitnetwork.org) Research on IAs: Internet (www.wiki.com, www.indigenous.gov.au, www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2008/speech_0073.cfm Research using class notes on IAs and Dalits.
Friday, September 20, 2019
The School Community Relationship
The School Community Relationship Education is an important tool in the development of communities and nations at large. The provision and management of quality education lies not only at the heart of central government but remains a shared responsibility of all stakeholders and the building of good working relationship among these stakeholders with particular emphasis on improving the school-community relationship . This stems from the fact point that education is seen as a social enterprise requiring the support of all stakeholders so that its contribution can benefit the entire society. (Addae-Boahene et.al,2001). For the attainment of quality education, there is the need for the community in which the school is situated to work in collaboration and harmony with the school not only in the upbringing and welfare of the pupils but must go beyond that to offer support in the provision and maintenance of the school infrastructure as well as playing a critical supporting role in the effective management and administration of the school. The school, similar to other facilities such as the community market, community borehole, is situated in the community belonging to the entire community members. The community therefore has a role to play in shaping the policies and finances of the school just as the school in turn must function to meet the social needs of the community by turning out a literate population and transmitting culture of the community to the youth. Improving the school-community relationship is key because both bodies are interdependent and failure on the part of either body to play its role can lead to a collapse of the education system with its consequent effect on the society as a whole. Again, though formal education is said to have been introduced in Ghana by the Europeans who provided not only the curricular but the infrastructure inclusive, the schools were not cited initially enough to cover all the communities in Ghana. It is against this background that some communities desirous of having formal education took it upon themselves and established basic schools, willingly recruited teachers and contributed to support them with the resources needed for their work including remuneration. As the process continued these schools were later absorbed into the public school system. (Addae-Boahene, et.al.2001).The management and financing of these schools then shifted from the communities to the central government; this created a situation that witnessed less community involvement in the management of schools, hence the beginning of poor school-community relationship. The Ministry of Education (MOE) and The Ghana Education Service (GES) recognized the importance of reciprocal partnership of school-community leaders and local school authorities in effecting changes in the school. Under the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (fCUBE), MOE, and GES, who have committed themselves to building a systematic approach assisting community organizations (SMC and PTA) to play a major part in the regeneration of their schools. It is the belief of the MOE and GES that communities have an important role to play in enforcing standards, developing and maintaining school infrastructure, and creating partnership between teachers, pupils and the district authorities to bring about needed changes. In conclusion the school and the community rely on each other for mutual benefit. The need for both to operate on a cooperative atmosphere cannot therefore be overemphasized. (Addae-Boahene, et.al.2001). RESEARCH PROBLEM It is very necessary that in all communities, both the community and the school operate closely and co-operate with each other as the ownership and management of the school is gradually becoming community-based, a situation in which the head teacher and the circuit supervisor should see the members of the community as partners in the educational development of the child. The significance of this relationship includes: The motivation of the school to function with the interest of the wholesome development of the society. Both the school and the community working in the same direction for the proper development of the children and the community supporting the school financially, among others. However, the central government control and management of education delivery system over a long period has had an adverse effect on the relationship between the school and the community. The kind of relationship in which the school and the community exist as separate entities. Both are seen as performing different functions and hence need not interfere with each other. The school officials run the school while the Community look on. What happens by way of development or information flow in the community is not the concern of the school and vice versa. Members of the community do not care to find out what goes on in the school nor does the school develop interest in what goes on in the community. Each of them feels the other has nothing to offer, and no effort is made for cooperation. (Amofa, 1999). This kind of relationship also called the Closed System, is very prevalent in rural areas, (Annoh, 2003). This has contributed to less community involvement and commitment in the quality m anagement of education in Ghana and the Tolon/Kumbungu District of Northern Region in particular. These poor school-community relationships in the Tolon/Kumbungu District manifest itself in several ways including; On August 1, 2009, the head teacher of Gbrumani Primary School was beaten by some community members citing the head teachers effort at settling a quarrel between two pupils in the school as interference in community affairs. May, 2010, Nyankpala community members turned Nyankpala D/A Junior High School classrooms into community toilet facility. Again, Chirifoyili community encroached on the school land, turning it to a farm land in 2008 with the argument that they will not spare their land to the school and suffer insufficient farmland.(circuit supervisors report).These incidents signal to the level of strained relationships that prevails between the school and the community in the district. These acts are impacting negatively on the delivery of education in the district. quality of education continues to fall in the district as reflected in the BECE results released by WAEC year after year. (GES Tolon, 2006,2008,2009). There is high illiteracy rate in the district, coupled with low enrolment and high drop-out rates in the schools. (Tolon/Kumbungu District profile; 2004). It is against this background that the researcher finds the research problem of this study being, the lack of improved school-community relationship in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of Northern Region, as very necessary and worth undertaken. MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION Arising from the research problem stated as, the lack of improved relationship between the school and community, the main research question for the study is; what strategies can be put in place in order to build an improved relationship between the school and the community? SUB RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the importance of building an improved relationship between the school and community? What is meant by improved school-community relationship? What are the causes of the lack of improved relationship between the school and community? What roles can both the school and the community play towards promoting an improved school-community relationship? What are the principles underlying school community relations? MAIN RESEARCH OBJECTIVE To recommend strategies that can be put in place to promote an improved school-community relationship. SUB RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To highlight the importance of building an improved relationship between the school and community. To explain the concept of improved school-community relationship. To identify the causes of the lack of improved relationship between the school and community. To identify the roles both the school and the community can play towards promoting an improved school-community relationship. To highlight the principles underlying school community relations. LITERATURE REVIEW Conceptual Framework In this study the concepts that will be reviewed include; school, community, the school community, school management, community stakeholders, relationship, and improved relationship. In the research process, the researcher will review literature from secondary sources as this will help the researcher to; Make use of results of existing studies that are closely related to the study being conducted (Croswell, 1998: 20). Locate methodologies previously used to conduct studies in phenomenon similar to this study and to identify contrary findings (Mcmillan, 1992: 44). The researcher will employ the use of literature review in conducting this study since it will provide an understanding of the phenomenon of improved school-community relationship. It will also help to provide an analytical and theoretical framework for analyzing the findings of the research. In this; textbooks, published papers, newspaper publications, containing subjects related to the research problem will be reviewed. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design This research design is basically qualitative in nature and to achieve the purpose of the study, the following methods have been employed; participant observation, interviewing, focus group discussion, review of secondary literature, interview guide, and purposive sampling. The tools that will be used to facilitate the data collection are field notes, tape recordings and manual recordings. The data analysis will involve the use of coding, transcribing tape recording, and decoding the data transcribed. According to Strauss and Corbin (1990), qualitative research is a type of research whose findings are neither arrived at by means of statistical procedures nor quantitative means. According to Nachmias and Nachmias (1996:28), qualitative approaches facilitates our understanding of behavior through knowing the persons involved and their rituals, beliefs, values, and emotions. Qualitative approach is necessary in this study because it allows the researcher to typically investigate an aspect, thus, the lack of improved relationship between the school and the community, as it pertains to the Tolon/Kumbungu district. Again, Mcmillan and Schumacher (1993), state that qualitative research presents facts in a narrative form with words and also concerned with understanding social phenomenon from the perspective of the participants. Furthermore, the researcher will be able to gain first hand information from the people involved including head teacher/teachers, School Management Committees(SMCs), Parent Teacher Association(PTA), circuit supervisors, chiefs and assembly members, on their knowledge regarding the lack of improved school-community relationship in the district, why there is lack of improved relationship between the school and the community, the role they can play to improve the relationship, and the strategies to put in place to promote and sustain improved school-community relationship. The use of multi-method strategies in gathering data is very necessary in qualitative research. For the purpose of this study, the methods to employ in gathering data are; interactive methods and non-interactive methods. A combination of these two approaches presents to the researcher an advantage of systematically observing, interviewing, and recording processes as they take place naturally. The appropriateness of these activities to the researcher emerges from the point as explained by Miles and Huberman (1994), that they are carried out in close proximity to the local setting for a sustained period of time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH METHODS TO USE FOR THE STUDY Participant Observation In participant observation, researchers join the group they intend to study and observe it from inside (Legewie, 1991). Subjects usually change their behaviors when they know that they are being observed, so researchers may take measures to prevent them realizing that they are being studies, and hence eliminate the effects of reactivity (sarantakos, 2005; 221) Unstructured observation will be used in the study. Unstructured observation is loosely organized and the process of observation is largely left up to the observer. Participant observation will be used in this study. The researcher will visit the community schools in the Tolon/Kumbungu District and participate in both school ceremonies and community ceremonies and note all issues that reveal the lack of improved relationship between the school and the community, including; SMC/PTA meetings. The school annual open day ceremony . The celebration of the annual Damba and Fire festival. This approach will provide an opportunity for open discussion during which certain challenging issues will emerge. Interviewing In the perspective of Maykut and Morehouse (1994;80), an interview refers to a discourse shaped and organized through the asking of questions and the supply of answers, through which the interviewer and the interviewee are able to talk about the study focus; and this brings out thoughts and perceptions. On the other hand, Gillham (2000; 1) describes interview as a conversation that usually goes on between two people, the interviewer asks questions and seeks response from the interviewee. Interviews can be conducted face-to-face, through the telephone, or other means, but according to Gillham (2000: 62), the overwhelming strength of face-to-face interview is its possibility of making the communication rich. Interviews, according to Bogdan and Bilklen (1992:96) are used to gather descriptive data in the subjects own words. Through this, the researcher is able to develop insights on how subjects interpret some piece of the world. The researcher will employ semi-structured interview method for this study. Semi-Structured Interviews This method has been chosen for use for a number of good reasons. According to Borg and Gall (1989; 452), semi-structured interview facilitates a more thorough understanding of the respondents opinion and the reasons behind such opinions than what could be achieved if mailed questionnaire is used. Also, this method is good because it makes it possible for the expression of opinions by the interviewees. Again Robson (1993;231) states that, when using semi-structured method, the interviewer has the advantage of being able to modify the order of questions based upon the context of the conversation, change the wording of the question, give explanations and can avoid particular questions that appear inappropriate with a particular interviewee. Semi-structured interview has been chosen by the researcher because it has the ability to provide in-depth, objective information that account for the lack of improved school-community relationship. Though semi-structured interview will be used, the interview guide will still be used to keep the interviewer and interviewee on focus. Focus Group Discussions Focus group research can best be described as a loosely constructed discussion with a group of people brought together for the purpose of the study, guided by the research and addressed as a group. Due to the use of interviewing techniques, it is also referred to as focus group interviewing (as e.g. Bergaddresses it because and ;( 1995, the group rather then specific members, it is also known as group discussion, (H. Kruger, 1983). Given that more then one group is usually included in the study, and each group constitute a separate sample of respondents, focus group can be seen as a multi-sample study. In most common application, this method entails, first the selection of people with a particular interest, expertise or position in the community, second, the formation of the group by bringing these people together in the same venue; third, the introduction of the discussion topic by the researcher, who acts as a facilitator and arbitrator, fourth, guiding the discussion so as to address the research topic, fifth, encouraging discussion among the members of the group rather than between them and the researcher, and sixth, observing and recording the discussion (sarantakos, 2005): The focus group method appears in two forms, the unstructured or semi-structured form and the structured form, which are employed by qualitative and quantitative researchers respectively (Stewart and shamdasani, 1990). Focus group discussing is employed to bring about changes in the group and its members, as a result of the direction and intensity of the discussion. It can further provide valuable information about group processes, attitude changes and manipulation, the attitudes and opinions of group members, the group or public, the effectiveness of certain methods and so on. It can also enable the testing of group strategies in solving problems (flick, 1998). Finally, the study of focus group can generate diversity and differences either within or between groups, and so revealà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. the dilemmatic nature of everyday arguments; (Lunt and Livingstone, 1996:96) This approach will be used to promote brainstorming and debate among the participants on key issues affecting school-community relationship in the district. Again focus group discussions promote the sharing and learning of new ideas among participants. The researcher will be part of the group discussion and moderating the process as well to keep the discussion on track. A total of 30 focus groups made of 15 people each will be engaged in the study (these are the PTA and SMC members of the 30 selected schools). How To Collect The Data For the purpose of data collection, the researcher will use the following tools; Interview Guide, Field Notes, and Recording. Interview Guide This will be very useful in this study. According to Borg and Gall (1989; 451), interview guide is a list containing questions mostly asked in a desired manner in the interview process. It serves as a guideline to the researcher on what to say, as the interview commences and ends. It is regarded as a checklist of topics to be covered by Dooley (1990:288), and it includes reminders of researchers interest arranged in an orderly manner to promote intercourse. In general terms, it is a guide but allowing actual questions to be framed during the interview to fit the natural tone of the intercourse between the interviewer and the interviewee. This helps to ensure that the interviewee remains unbiased in responses given. This also allows the researcher to select topics in advance but determines the sequence and wording of the questions during the interview process. (Mcmillan and Schumacher, 1993:426). The guide equally enables the researcher not to rigidly control the interview content such that the interviewee will not be able to tell the story in his own words. (Bogdan and Biklen,1992;97). For the purpose of this study, the researcher will promote flexibility by allowing the respondents to explain issues in their own words and language. Again, there will be instances in this study that the interviewer will not follow a specific order of the questions, but will rather link one response to another question not necessarily next in order as the need arises. Field Notes This will be used for noting information that may not be captured by the tape recording. This will serve as a buffer to remind the researcher during data analysis. According to Mcmillan and Schumacher (1993; 418), field notes are written at the end of each observation and describes in details the settings and activities of each subject. This will only be used for the participant observation. RECORDIING The most common methods of recording are: writing down information verbatim, in summary or in key words; tape recording conversations; video recording events; taking photographs, (sarantakoss,2006:229). For the purpose of this study tape recording, manual recording and coding will be used Tape Recording Tape recordings will also be used. Tape recordings are easier and certainly more efficient. The tapes can be listened to as many times as required, using more then one observer if desired, and this produces more accurate and more valid records (Sarandakos, 2005:229) The researcher will employ tape recordings during the interview process to record the intercourse that occurs between the interviewer and interviewee. The recordings will be played back later and the words transcribed for the purpose of data analysis. The interviewees permission will be sought by the interviewer before the use of tape recordings. The use of tape recording will help minimize possible errors that may result from forgetfulness on the part of the interviewer during the interview process. It can equally minimize the time spent in the interview. Manual RECORDIING Manual recording will equally be used, whereby two leaders will be used, with each of them taking notes in turn or one recording the data and the other acting as facilitator (sarantakos,2005). This will be transcribed later. Where circumstances do not allow for note taking, the observer will write down key words or phrases as a guide, and complete the notes after observation. CODING Codes serves as symbols, a shorthand recording, where actions and behaviors are replaced by numerals or keywords. This makes recording easier, particularly when there are many items to be recorded and many people to be observed. (sarantakos, 2005:230). SAMPLING Under qualitative designs for example where unstructured or participant observation is employed, the subjects are often chosen by means of purpose or theoretical sampling (sarantakos, 2005:224) The researcher acknowledges that the problem under study may be prevailing in other districts in the Northern Region; however the study will be limited to the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region because there is high illiteracy rate in the district, coupled with low enrolment and high drop-out rates in the schools. (Tolon/Kumbungu District profile; 2004). Sampling is used for the study because the district has a large population size of 132,338 inhabitants (2000 population and housing census), therefore a focus on a small distinct group of participants (SMC, PTA, head teachers, circuit supervisors, chiefs, and assembly members), will enable the researcher to get an in-depth understanding of the problem of lack of improved school-community relationship in the Tolon/Kumbungu district. Purposive sampling will be the main sampling technique to use in the study. It is also the expectation of the researcher that the selected participants will be information-rich, because they are knowledgeable in terms of the phenomenon being studied. Purposive Sampling The researcher will select and interview community stakeholders in education such as PTA and SMC members, head teachers, circuit supervisors, chiefs, and assembly members. Responses and contributions of these people can form a good basis for carrying out analysis and stating findings of study in the district. There has been consensus by Gillham (2000); Mcmillan and Schumacher (1993:378); and Patton (1990:169) that purposive sampling involves selecting people with in-depth knowledge of the problem being studied, while keeping the number of interviews to a minimum for adequate representation. The people that will be selected for this study should have good ideas regarding the problem being studied. (Mcmillan and Schumacher, 1993; 378). Sample Size The district has 150 basic schools (Tolon/Kumbungu District Profile, 2004). A total of 70 people will be interviewed. This includes; 30 head teachers drawn from 30 schools out of a total of 150 basic schools in the district, 30 assembly members of the communities where these schools are located and 10 circuit supervisors supervising these schools .Study Area Tolon/Kumbungu district is chosen as the study area. The district covers a land area of 2,741 square kilometers and forms about 3.9% of the total land area of Northern Region. The district is one of the 45 new districts created by the erstwhile Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) Law 207 in 1988 and has Tolon as the Capital. The district is characterized by high illiteracy rate, coupled with low enrolment rates and high drop-out rate in schools. (Tolon/Kumbungu District Profile, 2004). DATA ANALYSIS Unlike quantitative research, where analysis is conducted after data collection, in qualitative research the timing of analysis varies. In some cases it follows the same path as in quantitative research, but in most cases it is conducted during data collection. A combination of both models is also possible (sarantakos, 2005:344) For the purpose of this research, data analysis will be done both, during and after data collection. While collecting data, the researcher will conduct some basic analysis, record the data, and further intensify data analysis after completing the study and focusing on more specific aspects of the research question as contained in the research. In a number of cases, analysis during data collection serves to guide research in the right direction, and to facilitate a more effective treatment and coverage of the research topic. The actual analysis is conducted after data gathering is completed (sarantakos, 2005:346). Computer-Aided Data analysis (CADA) will be used to analyze data. Computers can be, and are being used in qualitative research in the context of both pure qualitative research, where analysis is done the traditional way, and the so-called enriched qualitative research (contrad and Reinharz, 1984; Fielding and Lee, 1998; Fisher, 1997, Richards, 1986; Richards and Richards, 1987,1994; Weitzman and Miles, 1994). Computer aided data analysis (CADA) is used in many forms and allows the qualitative research to process data in a way parallel to that in quantitative research (Huber, 1991; Madron, Tate and Brookshire 1987; Ragin, 1987), (Sarantakos, 2005:357) A major data analysis instrument that will be employed in this study is concepts and indicators. Indicators are concrete data, such as behavior patterns and social events, which are observed or described in documents or interview texts. They indicate the presence of a concept which the researcher develops, at first provisionally and then with more confidence. (Sarantakos, 2005:347). Analysis will be done by thoroughly examining the field notes of what will be observed by the researcher and the responses of every participant that will be interviewed. In line with Maykut and Morehouse (1994: 135), the following data analysis steps will be adopted for the study; Recording the interview conducted, making a reflection of the process, and carrying out further observations and writing notes, comments, as well as memos. Transcribing what has been recorded in the exact words. This will be done immediately after the interviews of the day. All additional comments will be placed in brackets. Reading through the data that has been transcribed and stating clearly in writing, the meaning of the transcribed data. Coding the data and identifying the code meanings in line with research question. All key items or categories (the main ideas, words,or phrases) will be listed. The researcher will then go through the literature to find out whether responses of interviewees bear common grounds with the research topic as well as other respondents conclusions in similar research works. This is done for the purpose of testing the validity of the study. Data presentation Certainly, tables and graphs are useful tools of presentation in qualitative research, but the structure of presentation does not seem to adhere to any strict rules and procedures. TIME FRAME The researcher plans to spend a period of 5 months in carrying out the study including the compilation and presentation of the report.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Radio Station Research :: essays research papers fc
Table of Contents Introduction     2 Scope of the Study     3 Methods Used     3 Results     5 Age     5 Time of Day     6 Location     8 Recommendations     10 Target Format     10 Target Location     11 Bibliography     12 Appendix     13 Introduction      Music is a general love of almost every college student. Many develop their personalities, profiles, and various other tastes based on their listening choices. In general, many college students acquire the same spectrum of listening values. If a radio station, one that wishes to target the college student population, can discover the musical preferences of the general population of students, they will be able to grow within the specific market.      Since the target market is of a personality of the student, generally a crowd that has the same likes and dislikes as his/her peers; the target musical format should be fairly easy to determine. Unlike the 25-33 crowd or 40 and up crowd, where their musical preferences range far and wide, each college student has almost the same understanding of their values. Possible reasons for this may be peer pressure or self-morale gains, yet it still exists among the college crowd. Thus, a common format may be simpler for a station targeting the college format.      The station will be able to gain knowledge for its possible advertisers by analyzing its target population’s needs and wants. Plus, they will be able to acknowledge the possible locations of the students, where they go and what they do. The ultimate goal is to find out where the students are spending their money, so advertising can be solicited into purchasing radio time. Advertisers wish to have some â€Å"concrete†data when analyzing which station they wish to spend their money on through airtime. The purpose of this study is to give the possible clients the facts placed in front of them as well as educate them as to where our target is going and the possibilities of gathering our target audience to their place of business.      Consumer behavior will come into play in the study, since part of the goal is to gather information on the needs and wants of the consumer, or radio listener. Analysis of behavior is more difficult to determine, because the data collected is based on values and personal judgment. Little data collected will be concrete, since the student will be revealing based on opinions, not facts. However, opinions sometimes hold strong enough to reach a borderline to fact. Scope of the Study      The study was a descriptive design with an emphasis on the listening preferences of college students. Data was acquired as to which brand of music, or radio format, is most appealing to college students, such as alternative, rock, country, R&B, etc.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw Essay -- Henry Jam
Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw â€Å"I saw my service so strongly and simply. I was there to protect and defend the little creatures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ The governess sees it as her duty to protect Miles and Flora. What do they need protection from and how does Henry James illustrate this in his novel â€Å"The Turn of the Screw†? Henry James’s ‘Turn of the Screw’ can be interpreted in many different ways. He constructed his novel in order to make allusions to sexual topics, (without stating anything explicitly) madness, ghosts and the Victorian society. In this essay I will be analysing each of the above in order to make a conclusion as to what I think the children need protecting from. As for the ghosts being present or not, this can be argued. A point arguing the ghosts are present is in the introduction of the story. The man telling the story said he knew the governess and he credits the story with being a real ghost tale and the governess as being a real hero. Another point suggesting the ghosts are present is that when the governess â€Å"sees†Peter Quint she is able to go back to Mrs Grose with a fairly full description of him, even though she had never actually met him whilst he was alive. Another aspect of the novel that shows the ghosts exist is the vocabulary used to describe Miles and flora. They are called ‘cherubs’ and have religious connections made saying they are ‘angelic’. The governess sees Flora as ‘so very remarkable’ and ‘the most beautiful child ever seen†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The children seem to be too perfect. Flora is described as being the most perfect child yet so many supernatural things occurs it is quite unbelievable that she is so very sweet and innocent. Going onto a point suggesting the g... ...s or over imagine, for example, when she sees Miles looking up she instantly is convinced he is not looking at her, but just above her and at a person and that person is Quint. Could the governess be 100% sure that Miles was looking above her and not at her? As I think the governess is mentally unstable, the next step I see her taking is protecting her sexuality and safety. The governess produces an â€Å"image†which is the female ghost of Miss Jessel. This allows Peter Quint and Miss Jessel to be sexually involved and the governess protecting herself. This leaves me to say, that the ghosts are a part of the governesses imagination. I think this because I do not find the governess a reliable narrator. If anything the children need protecting from it is from the governess and her unstability. I think this is what brought about her unbalanced behaviour.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Cell Injury and Cell Death
â€Å"Common biochemical themes are important to understanding cell injury and cell death regardless of the injuring agent†(Heuther & McCance, 2012). Cellular injury arises when a cell is unable to sustain homeostasis. The injury can be reversed if the cell can recover from whatever damage was done but if it does not recover the cell will die. The three common forms of cell injury are hypoxic injury, free radicals and reactive oxygen species injury, and chemical injury.The most common form of cell injury is hypoxic injury, or hypoxia, the deficiency of adequate oxygen. Ischemia is the most common cause of tissue hypoxia and is caused from a decrease in blood flow. Hypoxia can also be caused by a reduced amount of oxygen in the air, loss of hemoglobin, diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and decreased production of red blood cells. Cardiac ischemia is one of the most recognizable forms of hypoxic injury and is caused by a blockage in the coronary arteries o f the heart.Once the blood flow to heart tissue decreases or stops completely, the heart tissue is damaged and can lead to further complications including a myocardial infarction. Another form of cell injury is free radicals and reactive oxygen species. â€Å"An important mechanism of cellular injury is injury induced by free radicals, especially by reactive oxygen species (ROS); this form of injury is called oxidative stress†(Heuther and McCance, 2012). Free radicals are produced by cells and are crucial to normal cellular metabolism.Free radicals can form damaging chemical bonds with lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. The most commonly defined free radicals are the reactive oxygen species (ROS) which contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and are linked to many human diseases and the aging process. According to a holistic physician, Dr. Jill Marjama-Lyons, â€Å"oxidative stress is one of the leading theories as to what might cause dopamine cell death in Parkinson†™s disease†(2003). Chemical injury is the final form of cell injury.â€Å"About 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released per year in the United States. Of these, approximately 72 million pounds are known carcinogens†(Heuther and McCance, 2012). We are frequently exposed to xenobiotics, a variety of compounds that include toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic chemicals. â€Å"These chemicals can react with cellular macromolecules, such and proteins and DNA, or can react directly with cell structures to cause cell damage†(Heuther and McCance, 2012).Tissue damage caused by xenobiotics can lead to organ and systemic toxicity, mutations, and cancer. Lead , a heavy metal found in the environment, is a chemical highly toxic to children. The exposure primarily effects the nervous system, the hematopoietic system, and the kidneys. Lead exposure can result in learning disorders, hyperactivity, and attention problems if exposure is too high. Cell injury occurs when a cell is unable to sustain homeostasis. Maintaining homeostasis within the body is vital to prevent serious complications and death. Cell injury forms include hypoxic injury, chemical injury and oxidative stress.Hypoxia is the insufficiency of oxygen, without oxygen the body cannot keep its tissue healthy and that can lead to tissue death and organ system failure. Unfortunately, due to the 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals released into the environment each year, chemical injury is common and hard to avoid. Chemicals can be found the air, the food we eat and the water we drink. Exposure and a reaction to the exposure depends on an individual’s health. Cell injury can be reversed but it must happen quickly to prevent lasting complications or cell death.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Killing Animals for Food
#13 Fajardo, Jeanne Dagny ENGLCOM WC C39 Process of the Argumentative Essay Animals should have rights too. I do not mean the same rights and morals as a human being, but a right to be free from harm by human beings. Animals just like humans experience emotions and pain. In the wild, they must protect themselves, but when up against human beings, they do not have the power that we do, and often lose their homes or get killed without any other choice for survival. We should treat animals, as we would want to be treated.Animals cannot have the same rights as humans. They cannot enter our society or make moral choices. They do not know right from wrong, as we do. Killing animals for food is something we have practiced for many of years to survive. Many people like this is a part of our survival, just as animals do. There are several areas where there has been a lack of natural predators, to control the animal population, causing safety concerns by hunting. Many hunters feel they can con trol the ecosystem by hunting.Once hunters obtain a permit, there is no cost, they can hunt for food, or enjoy it as a sport without paying any money. However, humans are just another species of animals and should share the right of freedom. Animals are defenseless and we control them. Even if animals are being hunted or used in slaughter homes, they should be able to live a natural life during their limited lifetime. Animals do not volunteer to tests that can be done using alternative methods. Using an alternative method will also speed up the process, allowing drugs to be approved faster, as well as using fewer animals.Animals should be treated with love and compassion. Many people get pets for their children or maybe it just sounds like a good idea at the time. Animals that people receive for free are more likely to get abandoned because the people thinking they have nothing to lose. When you bring an animal home, you are bringing home a life, a living creature. This is a big com mitment that you should be willing to make. Animals require just as much love and attention as children do.When people leave their pets outside, this is unfair when people keep them locked up on chains outside, they cannot go and find a warm place to sleep when it is cold, or a safe place to stay, they cannot use their natural instincts when we restrict them. Animals are just like humans experiencing the same pain and emotions. They rely on us for the comfort and safety. We should not harm animals. They should have the right to freedom, just as we do. Animals should not be used in testing. They should not be hunted, and should be treated with love.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Balancing Penn Foster Studies Essay
Balancing Penn foster studies with work and family Being a full time working father of one, I have the responsibility of taking caring of my mother, wife and son. However this doesn’t hinder me to continue my studies, though it has some difficulties on adjusting the life in between my studies and family life. The hardest part for me in balancing my studies, work and family demands is just how to set up the time so everything is balanced out. I guess that we all must have to make personal sacrifices in order to be successful and have a fulfilling life. With proper planning however the balance between work, family, and collage studies is possible to obtain. Everyday I must make choices on how I will manage my time so I can keep the balance of my studies, work, and family demands. Maintaining the balance between everything is an everyday process. This is where the real task of balance takes place. While attending the Penn foster online courses and sitting time back for my studies, I also have a family to take care of, which requires most of my time. I also have  a full time job that requires me to work on the grave yard shift. Despite the fact that each of the responsibilities need more time on their own I have to set specific times up in a daily planner and discuss these set of specific times with my family and friends so that they can help me keep the balance between work, family demands, and my collage studies. I know that people struggle everyday to balance their studies, work, and family demands. However, I also believe that each person must come up with their own way of balancing things out in their life, so they are happy and successful. Keeping the balance between work, family demands, and college can be a very difficult process to do, but with the support from family and friends it can be done. Generally speaking, nothing is in possible in this world. Many people think that once they have their own family they ignore their studies and focus on their work. This is all because they think they will not get enough time to concentrate on their studies while looking after their work and family. I was also of such kind of people for long time until I got the advice from friends and families and got the courage to continue my studies. The difficulties of adjusting time cannot be denied however, managing ones time will solve all the difficulties. The idea of online studies has also contributed a lot in encouraging many working people who have family as well to continue their studies at their convenience time and place. Besides, going through the difficulties of attending your studies while taking care of your family and work is also worth as it will lead you to a better and successful life in the future.
Activity 2
SOCY 101 Nicole Cousin- Gosset 18 September 2012Activity Two *What would he or she find? Based on your knowledge of your hometown, list out the positive and negative things you think the ethnographer might find. Positive: * Good amount of private owned businesses * High value for education (successful rates of graduates) Negative: * Low rate of diversity * Hard to find a job nowadays *What are some things that strike you about your hometown based on census data? What might the researcher learn if only reviewing the statistical data from census records?What are some things that might be misunderstood about your hometown from only reviewing census data? Positive: * 88. 8% High School Graduates, % of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 * Median Household income 2006-2010 is $63,959 * Living in the same house 1 year & over, 2006-2010 is 86. 6% Negative: * Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2006-2010 is 27. 9 * Persons below poverty level, percent, 2006-2010 is 8. 1% * Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 is %35. Some of the things that surprised me by looking at the census data were the poverty level, number of foreign born persons and homeownership rate. They were each lower than what I had anticipated when I think about Baltimore County. The poverty level and homeownership rate struck me the most because they go hand in hand with showing how tough this bad economy has been on the county. I think the researcher would have only learned about the Business quick facts such as retail and merchant wholesaler sales because that isn’t something the average person living in Baltimore County would know.Something that might be understood just by viewing the statistical data on Baltimore County is that seeing as how we have a pretty large part of the population and a relatively high percentage of people below the poverty line, that we are mainly a lower-middle class region. When the fact is, that just like every other county, there a re places where that data might be true and places where it would be the exact opposite. * Discuss the utility of qualitative and quantitative research. How does one complement the other? Quantitative research is important to understand the core qualities something.No matter what we may like to think about a certain topic, the truth is a fact is the difference between an opinion and a statement. It can clear up any confusion that may arise when dealing with people and emotions. But likewise, the approach to understanding emotion can have its benefits as well. Quantitative research can be useful for getting into a deeper level of understanding, getting past the basic facts and taking a look as to the why, how, when, and what of the facts. The complement each other well because by using both research methods, you can completely understand each side of the topic in question.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Part Four Chapter VI
VI The next Parish Council meeting, the first since Barry had died, would be crucial in the ongoing battle over the Fields. Howard had refused to postpone the votes on the future of Bellchapel Addiction Clinic, or the town's wish to transfer jurisdiction of the estate to Yarvil. Parminder therefore suggested that she, Colin and Kay ought to meet up the evening before the meeting to discuss strategy. ‘Pagford can't unilaterally decide to alter the parish boundary, can it?' asked Kay. ‘No,' said Parminder patiently (Kay could not help being a newcomer), ‘but the District Council has asked for Pagford's opinion, and Howard's determined to make sure it's his opinion that gets passed on.' They were holding their meeting in the Walls' sitting room, because Tessa had put subtle pressure on Colin to invite the other two where she could listen in. Tessa handed around glasses of wine, put a large bowl of crisps on the coffee table, then sat back in silence, while the other three talked. She was exhausted and angry. The anonymous post about Colin had brought on one of his most debilitating attacks of acute anxiety, so severe that he had been unable to go to school. Parminder knew how ill he was – she had signed him off work – yet she invited him to participate in this pre-meeting, not caring, it seemed, what fresh effusions of paranoia and distress Tessa would have to deal with tonight. ‘There's definitely resentment out there about the way the Mollisons are handling things,' Colin was saying, in the lofty, knowledgeable tone he sometimes adopted when pretending to be a stranger to fear and paranoia. ‘I think it's starting to get up people's noses, the way they think that they can speak for the town. I've got that impression, you know, while I've been canvassing.' It would have been nice, thought Tessa bitterly, if Colin could have summoned these powers of dissimulation for her benefit occasionally. Once, long ago, she had liked being Colin's sole confidante, the only repository of his terrors and the font of all reassurance, but she no longer found it flattering. He had kept her awake from two o'clock until half-past three that morning, rocking backwards and forwards on the edge of the bed, moaning and crying, saying that he wished he were dead, that he could not take it, that he wished he had never stood for the seat, that he was ruined †¦ Tessa heard Fats on the stairs, and tensed, but her son passed the open door on his way to the kitchen with nothing worse than a scathing glance at Colin, who was perched in front of the fire on a leather pouffe, his knees level with his chest. ‘Maybe Miles' standing for the empty seat will really antagonize people – even the Mollisons' natural supporters?' said Kay hopefully. ‘I think it might,' said Colin, nodding. Kay turned to Parminder. ‘D'you think the council will really vote to force Bellchapel out of their building? I know people get uptight about discarded needles, and addicts hanging around the neighbourhood, but the clinic's miles away †¦ why does Pagford care?' ‘Howard and Aubrey are scratching each other's backs,' explained Parminder, whose face was taut, with dark brown patches under her eyes. (It was she who would have to attend the council meeting the next day, and fight Howard Mollison and his cronies without Barry by her side.) ‘They need to make cuts in spending at District level. If Howard turfs the clinic out of its cheap building, it'll be much more expensive to run and Fawley can say the costs have increased, and justify cutting council funding. Then Fawley will do his best to make sure that the Fields get reassigned to Yarvil.' Tired of explaining, Parminder pretended to examine the new stack of papers about Bellchapel that Kay had brought with her, easing herself out of the conversation. Why am I doing this? she asked herself. She could have been sitting at home with Vikram, who had been watching comedy on television with Jaswant and Rajpal as she left. The sound of their laughter had jarred on her; when had she last laughed? Why was she here, drinking nasty warm wine, fighting for a clinic that she would never need and a housing development inhabited by people she would probably dislike if she met them? She was not Bhai Kanhaiya, who could not see a difference between the souls of allies and enemies; she saw no light of God shining from Howard Mollison. She derived more pleasure from the thought of Howard losing, than from the thought of Fields children continuing to attend St Thomas's, or from Fields people being able to break their addictions at Bellchapel, although, in a distant and dispassionate way, she thought that these were good things †¦ (But she knew why she was doing it, really. She wanted to win for Barry. He had told her all about coming to St Thomas's. His classmates had invited him home to play; he, who had been living in a caravan with his mother and two brothers, had relished the neat and comfortable houses of Hope Street, and been awed by the big Victorian houses on Church Row. He had even attended a birthday party in that very cow-faced house that he had subsequently bought, and where he had raised his four children. He had fallen in love with Pagford, with the river and the fields and the solid-walled houses. He had fantasized about having a garden to play in, a tree from which to hang a swing, space and greenness everywhere. He had collected conkers and taken them back to the Fields. After shining at St Thomas's, top of his class, Barry had gone on to be the first in his family to go to university. Love and hate, Parminder thought, a little frightened by her own honesty. Love and hate, that's why I'm here †¦ ) She turned over a page of Kay's documents, feigning concentration. Kay was pleased that the doctor was scrutinizing her papers so carefully, because she had put a lot of time and thought into them. She could not believe that anybody reading her material would not be convinced that the Bellchapel clinic ought to remain in situ. But through all the statistics, the anonymous case studies and first-person testimonies, Kay really thought of the clinic in terms of only one patient: Terri Weedon. There had been a change in Terri, Kay could feel it, and it made her both proud and frightened. Terri was showing faint glimmerings of an awakened sense of control over her life. Twice lately, Terri had said to Kay, ‘They ain' takin' Robbie, I won' lerrem,' and these had not been impotent railings against fate, but statements of intent. ‘I took ‘im ter nursery yest'day,' she told Kay, who had made the mistake of looking astonished. ‘Why's tha' so fuckin' shockin'? Aren' I good enough ter go ter the fuckin' nurs'ry?' If Bellchapel's door was slammed shut against Terri, Kay was sure it would blow to pieces that delicate structure they were trying to build out of the wreckage of a life. Terri seemed to have a visceral fear of Pagford that Kay did not understand. ‘I ‘ate that fuckin' place,' she had said, when Kay had mentioned it in passing. Beyond the fact that her dead grandmother had lived there, Kay knew nothing of Terri's history with the town, but she was afraid that if Terri was asked to travel there weekly for her methadone her self-control would crumble, and with it the family's fragile new safety. Colin had taken over from Parminder, explaining the history of the Fields; Kay nodded, bored, and said ‘mm', but her thoughts were a long way away. Colin was deeply flattered by the way this attractive young woman was hanging on his every word. He felt calmer tonight than at any point since he had read that awful post, which was gone from the website. None of the cataclysms that Colin had imagined in the small hours had come to pass. He was not sacked. There was no angry mob outside his front door. Nobody on the Pagford Council website, or indeed anywhere else on the internet (he had performed several Google searches), was demanding his arrest or incarceration. Fats walked back past the open door, spooning yoghurt into his mouth as he went. He glanced into the room, and for a fleeting moment met Colin's gaze. Colin immediately lost the thread of what he had been saying. ‘†¦ and †¦ yes, well, that's it in a nutshell,' he finished lamely. He glanced towards Tessa for reassurance, but his wife was staring stonily into space. Colin was a little hurt; he would have thought that Tessa would be glad to see him feeling so much better, so much more in control, after their wretched, sleepless night. Dreadful swooping sensations of dread were agitating his stomach, but he drew much comfort from the proximity of his fellow underdog and scapegoat Parminder, and from the sympathetic attention of the attractive social worker. Unlike Kay, Tessa had listened to every word that Colin had just said about the Fields' right to remain joined to Pagford. There was, in her opinion, no conviction behind his words. He wanted to believe what Barry had believed, and he wanted to defeat the Mollisons, because that was what Barry had wanted. Colin did not like Krystal Weedon, but Barry had liked her, so he assumed that there was more worth in her than he could see. Tessa knew her husband to be a strange mixture of arrogance and humility, of unshakeable conviction and insecurity. They're completely deluded, Tessa thought, looking at the other three, who were poring over some graph that Parminder had extracted from Kay's notes. They think they'll reverse sixty years of anger and resentment with a few sheets of statistics. None of them was Barry. He had been a living example of what they proposed in theory: the advancement, through education from poverty to affluence, from powerlessness and dependency to valuable contributor to society. Did they not see what hopeless advocates they were, compared to the man who had died? ‘People are definitely getting irritable with the Mollisons trying to run everything,' Colin was saying. ‘I do think,' said Kay, ‘that they'll be hard-pushed, if they read this stuff, to pretend that the clinic isn't doing crucial work.' ‘Not everybody's forgotten Barry, on the council,' said Parminder, in a slightly shaky voice. Tessa realized that her greasy fingers were groping vainly in space. While the others had talked, she had single-handedly finished the entire bowl of crisps.
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