Al Gore’s Speeches

Al Gore Speaks on Global Warming and the Environment Beacon Theater, New York January 15, 2004, Noon Thank you, Carol, Joan and Peter. And thanks to all of you for coming here today. lt was an honor to work with Carol Browner on environmental policies in the last administration and I am grateful for her leadership of Environment 2004. I want to thank Peter for his leadership as Executive Director of MoveOn. org Civic Action and I appreciate all of those who have worked in the trenches with both of these organizations that are co-sponsoring today’s speech.I want to say a special word about Joan Blades, who traveled from California for this event and who, along with her husband, Wes Boyd, co-founded Moveon. org. She has been from the beginning a moving force behind the emergence of this dynamic new grassroots movement in American politics and public policy. I have made a series of speeches about the policies of the Bush / Cheney Administration towards the major challenges that c onfront our nation: national security, economic policy, civil liberties, and today: the environment.For me, this issue is in a special category because of what I believe is at stake. I am particularly concerned because the vast majority of the most respected environmental scientists from all over the world have sounded a clear and urgent alarm. The international community – including the United States – began a massive effort several years ago to assemble the most accurate scientific assessment of the growing evidence that the earth’s environment is sustaining severe and potentially irreparable damage from the unprecedented accumulation of pollution in the global atmosphere.In essence, these scientists are telling the people of every nation that global warming caused by human activities is becoming a serious threat to our common future. I am also troubled that the Bush/Cheney Administration does not seem to hear the warnings of the scientific community in the sa me way that most of us do. Here is what we are talking about: PICTURES 1 THROUGH 8 Even though the earth is of such vast size, the most vulnerable part of the global environment is the atmosphere – because it is surprisingly thin – as the late Carl Sagan used to say: like a coat of varnish on a globe.PICTURES 9 THROUGH 12 I don’t think there is any longer a credible basis for doubting that the earth’s atmosphere is heating up because of global warming. PICTURES 13 THROUGH 65 So the evidence is overwhelming and undeniable. Global Warming is real. It is happening already and the anticipated consequences are unacceptable. But it is important to understand that this crisis is actually just a symptom of a deeper underlying cause: PICTURES 66 THROUGH 126Yet in spite of the clear evidence available all around us, there are many who still do not believe that Global Warming is a problem at all. And it’s no wonder: because they are the targets of a massive a nd well-organized campaign of disinformation lavishly funded by polluters who are determined to prevent any action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, out of a fear that their profits might be affected if they had to stop dumping so much pollution into the atmosphere.And wealthy right-wing ideologues have joined with the most cynical and irresponsible companies in the oil, coal and mining industries to contribute large sums of money to finance pseudo-scientific front groups that specialize in sowing confusion in the public’s mind about global warming. They issue one misleading â€Å"report† after another, pretending that there is significant disagreement in the legitimate scientific community in areas where there is actually a broad-based consensus.The techniques they use were pioneered years earlier by the tobacco industry in its long campaign to create uncertainty in the public’s mind about the health risks caused by tobacco smoke . Indeed, some of the very same scientific camp-followers who took money from the tobacco companies during that effort are now taking money from coal and oil companies in return for their willingness to say that global warming is not real. PICTURES 127 AND 128In a candid memo about political strategy for Republican leaders, pollster Frank Luntz expressed concern that voters might punish candidates who supported more pollution, but offered advice on the key tactic for defusing the issue: PICTURE 129 The Bush Administration has gone far beyond Luntz’ recommendations, however, and has explored new frontiers in cynicism by time and time again actually appointing the principal lobbyists and lawyers for the biggest polluters to be in charge of administering the laws that their clients are charged with violating.Some of these appointees have continued to work very closely with the outside pseudo-scientific front groups even though they are now on the public payroll. Two Attorneys Ge neral have now publicly accused officials in the Bush White House Council on Environmental Quality of conspiring with one of the outside groups to encourage the filing of a lawsuit as part of a shared strategy to undermine the possibility of government action on Global Warming.Vice President Cheney’s infamous â€Å"Energy Task Force† advised lobbyists for polluters early in the new administration that there would be no action by the Bush White House on Global Warming and then asked for their help in designing a totally meaningless â€Å"voluntary† program. One of the industry lobbyists who heard this pitch later made an unguarded speech to his peers about the experience and said the following: â€Å"Let me put it to you in political terms. The President needs a fig leaf. He’s dismantling Kyoto, but he’s out there on a limb. The White House has routinely gone out on a limb to involve large contributors representing companies charged with violating environmental laws and regulations in the drafting of new laws and regulations designed to let their clients off the hook. The story is the same when it comes to protecting the American people from pollution. The Bush administration chooses special interests over the public interest, ignoring the scientific evidence in favor of policies its contributors demand. Consider Mercury, an extremely toxic pollutant causing severe developmental and neurological defects in fetuses.We know its principal unregulated source is coal-fired power plants. But the Bush Administration has gutted the protections of the Clean Air Act, revoking an earlier determination by the EPA that mercury emissions from power plants should be treated as hazardous air pollutants. Even Bush’s own FDA issued warning about mercury in tuna. Are you all right with that – the President saying that Mercury shouldn’t be treated as a hazardous air pollutant? Consider toxic wastes. The Superfund has gone fr om $3. 8 billion to a shortfall of $175 million.The result is fewer cleanups, slower cleanups, and a toxic mess left for our children. That’s because the Bush administration has let its industry friends off the hook; the tax these polluters used to pay to support the Superfund has been eliminated, so that you, me, and other taxpayers are left holding the bill. Are you all right with that – the country’s worst polluters getting off the hook while you and I pay? And consider the enforcement of environmental laws. For three years in a row, the Bush administration has sought to slash enforcement personnel levels at EPA.Offices were told to back off cases, leaving one veteran EPA servant to say, â€Å"The rug was pulled out from under us†¦You look around and say, â€Å"What contribution can I make here? † Are you all right with that – the EPA being stripped of its ability to protect our air and water? I’ll tell you who’s all right wi th that. A recent review of contributions to the Bush campaign from utility industry executives, lawyers and lobbyists showed that 15 individuals were Bush Pioneers – those who raised at least $100,000 for the Bush campaign.We’ve seen this radical change in our parks too. Just ask the coalition of more than 100 retired career park service employees who wrote a letter saying that their mission to protect parks’ natural resources has been changed to focus on commercial and special-interest use of parks. These are not small shifts in policy – they are radical changes that reverse a century of American policy designed to protect our natural resources. Here’s what America used to be. Yellowstone Park was created in 1872, in part to preserve its forest, mineral and geothermal resources.Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 championed this philosophy, setting aside millions of acres of forest reserves, national monuments and wildlife refuges. This balanced approach – combining use of needed resources in the short term with conservation for future generations — has been honored by Roosevelt on down the line, president after president – until this one. In preparing this series of speeches, I have noticed a troubling pattern that characterizes the Bush/Cheney Administration’s approach to almost all issues. In almost every policy area, the Administration’s consistent goal has been to liminate any constraints on their exercise of raw power, whether by law, regulation, alliance or treaty – and in the process they have in each case caused America to be seen by the other nations of the world as showing disdain for the international community. In each case they devise their policies with as much secrecy as possible and in close cooperation with the most powerful special interests that have a monetary stake in what happens. In each case the public interest is not only ignored but actively undermined.In each case they devote considerable attention to a clever strategy of deception that appears designed to prevent the American people from discerning what it is they are actually doing. Indeed, they often use Orwellian language to disguise their true purposes. For example, a policy that opens national forests to destructive logging of old-growth trees is labeled â€Å"The Healthy Forest Initiative. † A policy that vastly increases the amount of pollution that can be dumped into the air is called the â€Å"Clear Skies Initiative. And in case after case, the policy adopted immediately after the inauguration has been the exact opposite of what was pledged to the American people during the election campaign. The promise by candidate Bush to conduct a â€Å"humble† foreign policy and avoid any semblance of â€Å"nation building† was transformed in the first days of the Bush presidency, into a frenzied preparation for a military invasion of Iraq, complete with detailed plans fo r the remaking of that nation under American occupation.And in the same way, a solemn promise made to the country that carbon dioxide would be regulated as a polluting greenhouse gas was instantly transformed by the inauguration into a promise to the generators of CO2 that it would not be regulated at all. And a seemingly heartfelt declaration to the American people during the campaign that he genuinely believed that global warming is a real problem which must be addressed was replaced after the Inauguration by a dismissive expression of contempt for careful, peer-reviewed work by EPA scientists setting forth the plain facts on at global warming.These and other activities make it abundantly clear that the Bush White House represents a new departure in the history of the Presidency. He is so eager to accommodate his supporters and contributors that there seems to be very little that he is not willing to do for them at the expense of the public interest. To mention only one example, w e’ve seen him work tirelessly to allow his friends to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Indeed, it seems at times as if the Bush-Cheney Administration is wholly owned by the coal, oil, utility and mining companies.While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors he is a moral coward – so weak that he seldom if ever says â€Å"No† to them on anything – no matter what the public interest might mandate. The problem is that our world is now confronting a five-alarm fire that calls for bold moral and political leadership from the United States of America. With such leadership, there is no doubt that we could solve the problem of global warming.After all, we brought down communism, won wars in the Pacific and Europe simultaneously, enacted the Marshall Plan, found a cure for polio and put men on the moon. When we set our sights on a visionary goal and are un ified in pursuing it, there is very little we cannot accomplish. And it is important to recall that we have also already succeeded in organizing a winning global strategy to solve one massive global environmental challenge: PICTURE 130 AND 131Instead of spending enormous sums of money on an unimaginative and retread effort to make a tiny portion of the Moon habitable for a handful of people, we should focus instead on a massive effort to ensure that the Earth is habitable for future generations. If we make that choice, the U. S. can strengthen our economy with a new generation of advanced technologies, create millions of good new jobs, and inspire the world with a bold and moral vision of humankind’s future. PICTURES 132 THROUGH 138 We are now at a true fork in the road. And in order to take the right path, we must choose the right values and adopt the right perspective.PICTURES 139 THROUGH 142 My friend the late Carl Sagan, whose idea it was to take this picture of the Earth , said this: â€Å"Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know. Everyone you ever heard of, ever y human being who ever WAS lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering , thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child inventor and xplorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every â€Å"superstar†, every â€Å"supreme leader†, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds , Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light†¦ The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes.Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand†¦ There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known Here are some excerpts from Al Gore's Nobe l Prize acceptance speech, as transcribed by the Toronto Star: Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be.One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life's work, unfairly labeling him ‘The Merchant of Death' because of his invention – dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace. Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name. Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken – if not premature.But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose. Unexpectedly, that quest has brought me here. Even tho ugh I fear my words cannot match this moment, I pray what I am feeling in my heart will be communicated clearly enough that those who hear me will say, ‘We must act. ‘ The distinguished scientists with whom it is the greatest honor of my life to share this award have laid before us a choice between two different futures – a choice that to my ears echoes the words of an ancient prophet: ‘Life or death, blessings or curses.Therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. ‘ We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency – a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst – though not all – of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world's leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler's threat: ‘They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent. ‘ So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun.As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising. The experts have told us it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And the consistent conclusion, restated with increasing alarm, is that something basic is wrong. We are what is wrong, and we must make it right Earth's Fate Is the No. 1 National Security Issue By Al Gore Friday, October 12, 200 7 11:05 AM Editor's note: The following article appeared in the Post's Outlook section on May 14, 1989. HOW CAN WE possibly explain the mistakes and false starts President Bush has been making on environmental policy?His administration's decision to censor scientific testimony on the seriousness of the greenhouse effect — and initially to oppose an international convention to begin working out a solution to it — may well mean that the president himself does not yet see the threat clearly. Apparently he does not hear the alarms that are awakening so many other leaders from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev. Humankind has suddenly entered into a brand new relationship with the planet Earth. The world's forests are being destroyed; an enormous hole is opening in the ozone layer.Living species are dying at an unprecedented rate. Chemical wastes, in growing volumes, are seeping downward to poison groundwater while huge quantities of carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofl uo-rocarbons are trapping heat in the atmosphere and raising global temperatures. How much information is needed by the human mind to recognize a pattern? How much more is needed by the body politic to justify action in response? If an individual or a nation is accustomed to looking at the future one year at a time, and the past in terms of a single lifetime, then many large patterns are concealed.But seen in historical perspective, it is clear that dozens of destructive effects have followed the same pattern of unprecedented acceleration in the latter half of the 20th century. It took 10,000 human lifetimes for the population to reach 2 billion. Now in the course of one lifetime, yours and mine, it is rocketing from 2 billion to 10 billion, and is already halfway there. Yet, the pattern of our politics remains remarkably unchanged. That indifference must end. As a nation and a government, we must see that America's future is inextricably tied to the fate of the globe.In effect, the environment is becoming a matter of national security — an issue that directly and imminently menaces the interests of the state or the welfare of the people. To date, the national-security agenda has been dominated by issues of military security, embedded in the context of global struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union — a struggle often waged through distant surrogates, but which has always harbored the risk of direct confrontation and nuclear war. Given the recent changes in Soviet behavior, there is growing optimism that this long, dark period may be passing.This may in turn open the international agenda for other urgent matters and for the release of enormous resources, now committed to war, toward other objectives. Many of us hope that the global environment will be the new dominant concern. Of course, this national-security analogy must be used very cautiously. The U. S. -Soviet rivalry has lasted almost half a century, consumed several trillion s of dollars, cost close to 100,000 American lives in Korea and Vietnam and profoundly shaped our psychological and social consciousness.Much the same could be said of the Soviets. Nothing relieves us of our present responsibilities for defense or of the need to conduct painstaking negotiations to limit arms and reduce the risk of war. And yet, there is strong evidence the new enemy is at least as real as the old. For the general public, the shocking images of last year's drought, or of beaches covered with medical garbage, inspired a sense of peril once sparked only by Soviet behavior. The U2 spy plane now is used to monitor not missile silos but ozone depletion.Every day in parts of southern Iowa, where it hasn't rained for more than a year, National Guard troops are being used to distribute drinking water. In the not too distant future, policies that enable the rescue of the global environment will join, perhaps even supplant, our concern with preventing nuclear war as the princi pal test of statecraft. However, it is important to distinguish what would — in military jargon — be called the level of threat. Certain environmental problems may be important but are essentially local; others cross borders, and in effect represent theaters of operations; still others are global and strategic.On this scale, the slow suffocation of Mexico City, the deaths of forests in America and Europe or even the desertification of large areas of Africa might not not be regarded as full-scale national-security issues. But the greenhouse effect and stratospheric ozone depletion do fit the profile of strategic national-security issues. When nations perceive that they are threatened at the strategic level, they may be induced to think of drastic responses, involving sharp discontinuities from everyday approaches to policy.In military terms, this is the point when the United States begins to think of invoking nuclear weapons. The global environment crisis may demand res ponses that are comparatively radical. At present, despite some progress made toward limiting some sources of the problem, such as CFCs, we have barely scratched the surface. Even if all other elements of the problem are solved, a major threat is still posed by emissions of carbon dioxide, the exhaling breath of the industrial culture upon which our civilization rests.The implications of the latest and best studies on this matter are staggering. Essentially, they tell us that with our current pattern of technology and production, we face a choice between economic growth in the near term and massive environmental disorder as the subsequent penalty. This central fact suggests that the notion of environmentally sustainable development at present may be an oxymoron, rather than a realistic objective. It declares war, in effect, on routine life in the advanced industrial societies.And — central to the outcome of the entire struggle to restore global environmental balance — it declares war on the Third World. If the Third World does not develop economically, poverty, hunger anddisease will consume entire populations. Rapid economic growth is a life-or-death imperative. And why should they accept what we, manifestly, will not accept for ourselves? Will any nation in the developed world accept serious compromises in levels of comfort for the sake of global environmental balance?Who will apportion these sacrifices; who will bear them? The effort to solve the nuclear arms race has been complicated not only by simplistic stereotypes of the enemy and the threat he poses, but by simplistic demands for immediate unilateral disarmament. Similarly, the effort to solve the global environmental crisis will be complicated not only by blind assertions that more environmental manipulation and more resource extraction are essential for economic growth.It will also be complicated by the emergence of simplistic demands that development, or technology itself, must be sto pped for the problem to be solved. This is a crisis of confidence which must be addressed. The tension between the imperatives of growth and the imperative of environmental management represents a supreme test for modern industrial civilization and an extreme demand upon technology. It will call for the environmental equivalent of the Strategic Defense Initiative: a Strategic Environment Initiative.I have been an opponent of the military SDI. But even opponents of SDI recognize this effort has been remarkably successful in drawing together previously disconnected government programs, in stimulating development of new technologies and in forcing a new analysis of subjects previously thought exhausted. We need the same kind of focus and intensity, and similar levels of funding, to deal comprehensively with global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, species loss, deforestation, ocean pollution, acid rain, air and water and groundwater pollution.In every major sector of economic act ivity a Strategic Environment Initiative must identify and then spread increasingly effective new technologies: some that are already in hand, some that need further work, and some that are revolutionary ideas whose very existence is now a matter of speculation. For example, energy is the life blood of development. Unfortunately, today's most economical technologies for converting energy resources into useable forms of power (such as burning coal to make electricity) release a plethora of pollutants. An Energy SEI should focus on producing energy for development without compromising the environment.Priorities for the near term are efficiency and conservation; for the mid-term, solar power, possibly new-generation nuclear power, and biomass sources (with no extraneous pollutants and a closed carbon cycle); and for the long term, nuclear fusion, as well as enhanced versions of developing technologies. In agriculture, we have witnessed vast growth in Third World food production through the Green Revolution, but often that growth relied on heavily subsidized fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and mechanization, sometimes giving the advantage to rich farmers over poor ones.We need a second green revolution, to address the needs of the Third World's poor: a focus on increasing productivity from small farms on marginal land with low-input agricultural methods. These technologies, which include financial and political components, may be the key to satisfying the land hunger of the disadvantaged and the desperate who are slashing daily into the rain forest of Amazonia. It may also be the key to arresting the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa, where human need and climate stress now operate in a deadly partnership.Needed in the United States probably more than anywhere is a Transportation SEI focusing in the near term on improving the mileage standards of our vehicles, and encouraging and enabling Americans to drive less. In the mid-term come questions of alternati ve fuels, such as biomass-based liquids or electricity. Later will come the inescapable need for re-examining the entire structure of our transportation sector, with its inherent emphasis on the personal vehicle. The U. S. government should organize itself to finance the export of energy-efficient systems and renewable energy sources.That means preferential lending arrangements through the Export-Import Bank, and Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Encouragement for the Third World should also come in the form of attractive international credit arrangements for energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable processes. Funds could be generated by institutions such as the World Bank, which, in the course of debt swapping, might dedicate new funds to the purchase of more environmentally sound technologies.Finally, the United States, other developers of new technology, and international lending institutions, should establish centers of training at locations around the world to cr eate a core of environmentally educated planners and technicians — an effort not unlike that which produced agricultural research centers during the Green Revolution. Immediately, we should undertake an urgent effort to obtain massive quantities of information about the global processes now under way — through, for example, the Mission to Planet Earth program of NASA.And we also must target first the most readily identifiable and correctable sources of environmental damage. I have introduced a comprehensive legislative package that incorporates the major elements of this SEI: It calls for a ban, within five years, on CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals, while promoting development of safer alternatives; radically reducing CO2 emissions and increasing fuel efficiency; encouraging massive reforestation programs; and initiating comprehensive recycling efforts.Although Congress is recognizing the challenge, there remains a critical need for presidential leadership, fo r President Bush to show that as a nation we have the vision and the courage to act responsibly. And in order to accomplish our goal, we also must transform global politics, shifting from short-term concerns to long-term goals, from conflict to cooperation. But we must also transform ourselves — or at least the way we think about ourselves, our children and our future.The solutions we seek will be found in a new faith in the future of life on earth after our own, a faith in the future which justifies sacrifices in the present, a new moral courage to choose higher values in the conduct of human affairs, and a new reverence for absolute principles that can serve as guiding stars for the future course of our species and our place within creation.

Linguistic history on punjabi family Essay

My family’s linguistic history is a main role of one person from each family that represents to reflect others. My family’s linguistic history project is based on my mom’s history and how that reflects me. While my mom was growing up, she didn’t loose any language but only gained a language. She gained a language because of her movement, which reflected on me a lot. Most of my mom’s history while growing up did affect me and changed my life too. Her background information spoke the difficulty she had between different languages, which affected me in many ways. These following paragraphs are about my mom’s history and how it flows to reflect me. Starting of with my mom, her name is Manjeet Kaur and her side of the family is from India, Punjab- Amritsar. This country and place reflected on my life because if my mom’s side of the family did not come from India- Punjab, I wouldn’t know the wonderful culture that I represent right know. She was born in 1978, August 5, which did reflect me because if she weren’t born at that time, I wouldn’t be here at this time. She learned to read and write in India when she was 6-years old. Her first language was Punjabi with no problem speaking it but when she transferred to the United States of America, she learned speaking and writing English slowly by slowly. She had hard time speaking English when she transferred to the United States of America but still tried her best. This statement about my mom learning English actually reflected herself because when school had started for the first time, my brother and me more often speak English at home rather than Punjabi. She had learned English by just hearing me and my brother talk in English but she didn’t just stop their to learning English because she knew she was missing out a lot of the main information so she started asking many ELA related question for example, she would ask (How do we say our names in English or How do we greet others and more). While learning English, my mom didn’t really lose her Punjabi language but while teaching my mom English, I learned that for once I am teaching an adult something important which did reflected me. My mom feels strong and robust about her primary language because she is pretty sure that she is not going to forget her primary language. Also, she would not forget her Punjabi language she talks Punjabi with her relatives. My mom feels strong and robust about her primary language because she says â€Å"with her primary language, she has gotten this far to learning English†. My mom says that because I know her primary language well and she knows it too so we translate through that language to get my mom to know English much better. When she uses her primary language, it would most likely be with her relatives using her own language. In the future, she would not forget her primary language because she would be using it with my brother, my dad, and me and so forth with her relatives. In my conclusion, I state that my mom’s linguistic history affects me too in many ways. This also would affect me because I have a main role to conduct and support my mom that she could accomplish her goal to learn English and not to forget her primary language. These interviews really help me gather information on her history and answered all of my questions the way I asked. Language learned or lost both was answered and completed her feeling and thinking’s on the specific languages. The future of her language helps me conduct this essay in a good way too but the main part on how these question and answers reflected me.

Battered Praise

Kneel on a worn leather cushion, ease into a creaky wooden pew, and stand on tired but restless legs. For what? Even with all of my praise, all God did was throw me onto the corner ropes of the ring and deliver a sharp jab with the left, then the right, right again, and finally a roundhouse kick that shouldve stopped all of the pain but never did. God didnt deliver the real blows, he let a swaggering drunk do his work for him, also known as my stepfather. From the time I was four, I carried around fresh pink, swollen welts and indigo-violet bruises blooming quickly beneath my delicate skin. While other little girls neat hair was pinned back to reveal a bright, shiny face and toothy grin, my jagged homemade haircut hung to hide the new fleshy welt on my cheek. I firmly believed God had let this happen. I never questioned the reality of God, but I questioned his righteousness. I existed to God as a punching bag. I blamed the ever-so-righteous God for all of my problems. I blamed him for the hot tears that streamed from my cerulean blue eyes, for the crippling nightmares that plagued my nights, and for the screams of my brothers that rang through the hollow halls of that broken house. God never seemed to hear my desperate prayers each night or my withered cries of pain as Warren repeatedly smacked my tiny body with a wooden spoon, or an aluminum baseball bat, or even the time he broke a glass plate over my head. The loud sound of breaking glass must have drowned my pleas. I was all alone in my suffering. It took eight long years to finally be rid of the brutal man who beat my body, crushed my hopes and dreams, and demolished my self esteem. Thats 2,920 days of endless tears, 70,080 hours of countless bruises, 4,204,800 minutes of praying for salvation, and 252,288,000 seconds of pur e hatred toward God and toward myself. Then one day it ended. Warren had thrown a swing at my mother and hit her square in the jaw. The police showed up for the hundredth time, but this time I left in my dads car with my three brothers, my mom left in an ambulance, and Warren left in handcuffs. Since that day six years ago I have lived with my wonderful father and stepmother. They strive to give me every opportunity to help me create the life I have chosen. Im growing to appreciate the person I am. My stare pierces the girl looking back at me from the mirror, and I still see a broken, terrified child cowering behind two miniscule hands. I see something else in that same reflection, I see a strong, independent woman who loves friends, family and life passionately throughout every moment of the day. A woman running toward a shining future. Now there are times where I see every flaw in myself, but who doesnt? Im human. Im allowed to have imperfections. Ive grown to trust God and to believe he is an ever-loving God. He wasnt torturing me, he was building me into the original, gorgeous, tenacious woman I am today.

Transformers movie & comic book PowerPoint Presentation

Transformers movie & comic book - PowerPoint Presentation Example But this never renders the comic books inferior, because despite the effect of cinema impact, the comic books are still hot cakes when it comes to sales. The major differences that one can identify in the cinema and the comic book medium would be the effects and the attention they grab. It can be further noticed that though the comic lacks some elements that a cinema typically possesses, it succeeded winning over the hearts of many readers but however there are some major differences and some interesting aspects that have to be attributed to the cinema medium. The comic medium at some point fails to carry the emotions as much as a cinema does, since with reading one restricts himself to his scope of imagination. This scope has been amplified with all the technical effects comprising the sound, music, modulations of speech and adding a sense of our presence, making cinema a more interactive medium. Ang Lee’s â€Å"The Hulk† has seen great success both as comic and cinema and he had combined both these media with great art and articulate understanding of the story. The comic, as one reads draws close attention and maintains a breath taking suspense throughout the book and this in fact shows up in the cinema as well, with impeccable narration and Ang Lee ensured that every character that he portrayed in the cinema was of no less awe that he depicted in the comic.

The Medium is the Message Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Medium is the Message - Essay Example The first sign was from a Prudential magazine advertisement that appeared in the New Yorker. With this concept in mind it’s clear that the denotative intentions of the advertiser were to reach a more educated audience, who already has a general understanding of financial aspects and upper-level vocabulary and comprehension skills. In these regards, the extent the audience is clearly middle to upper class and educated. There are a great many visual techniques elements in the signification mechanisms in the advertisement. The first notable concept is that the advertising consists of a full page spread with an entirely dark blue background. The effect of this sign is such that it creates a juxtaposing effect in relation to the heavy text-based stories that constitute the majority of the magazine. In terms of specific pictures, in the upper-right hand of the advertisement a city backdrop is pictured in muted-tones. The signification of this imagery seems to indicate that Prudentia l has an urban feel, perhaps reminiscent of Wall Street. This is further indicative of an understanding of financial systems as being rooted in industrial or urban life. The very functions of the urban experience demonstrate the gear and wheels of the working economy; indeed, right next to the picture of buildings are pictures of gears in motion that connotatively demonstrate this point. Pictured even further to the left of these individuals is a small man in yellow. The implication of this signs seems to empathize with the potential customer or client. In essence, the advertising is situating the reader in the position of the small man in yellow, and the Prudential advertisement is saying that through going to Prudential for financial advice will result in the individual being able to navigate this challenging urban environment. The overall signification of the advertisement seems to indicate that through Prudential’s experience the reader will be able to navigate the challe nges of the contemporary financial environment. It implements contrast to bring out the heading ‘Bring Your Challenges’ which also signifies the denotative theme of the advertisement (New Yorker). It also displays this theme in connotative ways through the juxtaposition of the small man in yellow and the city backdrop. Ultimately, the advertisement sign has a denotative theme – ‘Bring Your Challenges’ – that is connoted through textual and visual ways as a means of appealing to the reader with the greatest possible emotional impact. The next advertisement considered is from ESPN the Magazine. The advertisement is for an online poker site, PokerStars.net. The denotative sign consists of an individual in the background sitting next to a poker table. The individual appears to be throwing grenades onto the table. In the foreground there is a picture of an individual’s hand holding two playing cards. Above the cards are the words ‘figh t or flight’ (ESPN the Magazine). Perhaps most notable about this sign in relation to the sign that was featured in the New Yorker is the drastically less amount of text that is implemented. One can make an ideological statement on this, indicating that it represents the decreased median education level of readers of ESPN the Magazine as compared to the New Yorker. In terms of the

Why do people term an illness to be physcial or psychological Is there Essay

Why do people term an illness to be physcial or psychological Is there a relationship between public causal attributions of functional somatic syndromes and h - Essay Example Cognitive structures such as illness schemata helps to organize information from internal sensations (symptoms) and disease-related information gathered from the external environment. Howard Leventhal and his colleagues (Leventhal et al. 1984) have proposed the most relevant model of symptom perception within the tradition of information processing. Their Common Sense Models of Illness approach is rooted in cognitive psychology and builds on the work on cognitive schemata and prototypes. In specific, Leventhal et al. propose that individuals tend to construct their own individual representation of symptoms or illness and that this idiosyncratic representation will, in turn, influence their behavior (e.g., help-seeking, adherence and compliance). In specific, they proposed that illness representations (or schemata) are a function of an individual's semantic knowledge about symptoms and disease and specific contextual factors such as the nature of somatic changes and the situations in which these occur. This semantic knowledge accumulates across the life span and is acquired through the media, through personal experience, and from family and friends who have had experience with the disease. Therefore, the perception of cause can have an effect on the behavior towards an illness, because the cognitive dissemination leads to the semantic knowledge of the disease. Understanding how a person views a disease can impact behavior towards the illness. People's common sense models of illness strongly influence which symptoms a person will search for and will ultimately perceive. Work by Meyer and his colleagues (Meyer et al. 1985) on hypertension illustrates this point. Hypertension disease holds one or a combination of disease models about high blood pressure. As Meyer and his colleagues demonstrated, some patients hold the belief that hypertension is a disease of the heart, others believe that it is an arterial disorder and a third group might associate hypertension with emotional upset. Importantly, the kind of belief patients' hold affects the way they monitor their body: Symptoms that are consistent with their specific illness belief are more likely to get noticed. The relationship between a person's cognitive knowledge of the cause is therefore directly related towards the symptoms and evaluation of 'cures' for the illness. This research study will incorporate that foundation of illness cause perception by quantitatively e xamining the differences between illness cause perception amongst participants. In addition to general concepts of illness, people also hold organized conceptions-termed disease prototypes-for particular diseases (Bishop 1991; Bishop and Converse 1986). Prototypes of specific diseases help people organize and evaluate information about bodily sensations that might otherwise not be interpretable. Thus, a person who holds the belief that he or she is vulnerable to heart disease is more likely to interpret chest pain in accord to his or her prototype of heart disease than a person who does not hold this belief (Bishop and Converse 1986). This latter person might instead regard the chest pain as signaling a gall

Explosions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Explosions - Essay Example The Imperial Sugar dust explosion occurred four years after the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB)  had conducted a study into the risks presented by dust explosions after three prior severe accidents in 2004. Unfortunately, all the recommendations the CSB made to the  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had only been partially acted on e.g. the outdated methods and construction materials that added to the severity of the Port Wentworth fire could have been detected. On the other hand the BP Texas City Refinery disaster was the result of gross negligence on the part of its management and workers. Rigot (2007) clearly outlines the Baker Panel’s findings on the incident. BP’s US refineries did not comply with its own internal process safety standards, process safety leadership was lacking and the work environment encouraged procedural noncompliance (7-15). Southwest Industrial Gases and CAI Inc. may have not directly been culpable for their explosions b ecause of the difficulty to judge whether the causes were accidental or intentional. However, the Bastian Plating Company’s poisonous gas incident was unacceptable. The night-shift leader avoided all precautions. Secondly, it is unacceptable for a team leader in a chemical plant to unknowingly create hydrogen cyanide. With the level of expertise, technology and knowledge in the US, most industrial explosions are preventable. Rigot (2007) cites the major causes of explosion to be latent organizational weaknesses, lack of effective reporting and learning culture within organizations and focus on injury and illness statistics rather than on process safety by both organizations and OHSA. In conclusion, Davis and Hansen (2009) propose that companies need to perform consequence analyses for their facilities to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future

Critical analysis worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical analysis worksheet - Essay Example Low nutrition expensive food is in the market not because of farmers’ equipment prices have soared, the consolidation is the real evil behind it. When someone walks into a shop, they see a huge number of brands selling different food products. This might seem like a good thing as more players enter in a market, competition increases and hence the quality and price remain under control. However the reality is far from it, those thousands of brands represent only a handful of companies, their parent companies, their real owners. There is one major distributor of organic food in the country and United National Food Inc. (UNFI) and Whole Foods are its major customers (Breaking up the Foodopoly, 2013). Companies use food science to make people addicted to the processed food – fat, sugar and salt are put in perfect combination so that the brain reaches nirvana, and releases dopamine; the brain sets up a neuro-circuit of eating food as a reward. Consolidated companies and food quality boards control everything, even the nutrition requirements, politicians are involved in it too, but there is still hope as things are improving. While such news would not get spotlight on mainstream media channels but with the boom of social media people can talk and create awareness. Along with voting with fork, people also need to vote for better politicians that are interested in people’s health rather than corporate profits. 2. What questions would you ask the author (at least 2 questions) The two questions I would ask the author would be; 1) How can average American (or anyone in the world) create active awareness regarding foodopoly? What do you suggest people should do other than updating statuses on social media websites and liking news articles such as yours? 2) What can be done to develop a board or a committee that can keep an eye on the standard of food and food prices? The companies involved in this business are very strong and they can hire lawyers that can win them any case, so how do we fight on this platform that we need an independent board (independent of politics and corporate influence) that would make decisions about food pricing and quality solely on scientific and economic reasoning? 3. Do you agree with the main premise of the reading? Why or why not? What evidence or personal experience would you offer to? I completely agree with the premise of the article, there is consolidation; there is food-monopoly (foodopoly). One doesn’t need to be an expert to realize what is going on in the food market. A little search on the internet reveals the massive scale on which consolidation is being done in the food market. Corporates controlling food industry is devastating, people can’t avoid food, and it’s not a luxury. People get hungry and they need to eat. So controlling (or consolidating) the market means one controls people’s hunger and their wants and needs. Corporates can put up a television comme rcial showing a doctor telling the public how important it is to have an egg in the breakfast and some cereals and wash it down with milk. Everyone knows it’s just a commercial to sell milk, cereals and eggs, but the subconscious takes it all in, the brand name too. So when it comes to

Sports and society in ancient world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports and society in ancient world - Essay Example The athletes were usually covered completely in oil in order to magnify their physical attributes and at the same time keep off from gathering dust during competitions. The opinion of the Greek was that athletics differentiated them from those that were not of Greek origin. The aim of this paper is to analyze various athletic sculptures in a bid to determine conclusively the relationship between ancient Greece and sports. The figure depicts an athlete that is in the process of offering a sacrifice. The athlete has one hand outstretched and the other is held in a fist. The structure is made of bronze and has a shiny outlook to it. The outstretched hand is open as though to depict the process of offering something to a deity. The use of bronze in depicting the athlete is because bronze in itself is easy to mold. The use of Bronze includes making a sculpture that requires a lot of molding and curving (Hawhee, 93). It bends easily just as marble. Its use concerning the question is because athletes were to be flexible and the use of Bronze made this apparent. Ancient Greek was very religious, the sculpture, acted as an illustration of blessings for sports. The sculpture illustrates the desire of the athletics to attain divine blessings in their pursuit. The sculpture illustrates that ancient Greek athletes were expected to be religious in tune with their beliefs. They were prayerful and embodied the spiri tual morality that the rest of Greece did. Athletes were meant to embody humility and not to believe wholly in their own capabilities, but for those of the deities. The second figure illustrates an athlete that is leaning against a tree trunk. His stance is somewhat different from the ordinary human pose. On his head, something looks like either a crown or a ribbon. From the direction that his right hand is in, he placed the ribbon/crown on his head himself. Although there may be faint traces of

Is acupuncture an effetive treatment for Insomnia Dissertation

Is acupuncture an effetive treatment for Insomnia - Dissertation Example The main objective of this research is to conduct a review of literature and assess whether acupuncture is an effective treatment for insomnia. Insomnia Defined Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to remain asleep for an adequate length of time, so that tiredness is virtually permanent (Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary 2007, p.370). According to the British United Provident Association (2011), primary and secondary insomnia are the two classifications of insomnia. Primary insomnia has no noticeable grounds while secondary insomnia is caused by an underlying problem, such as stressful events, psychiatric problems, medical conditions, drug and substance abuse, certain types of medication and psychological problems such as grief and depression. Moreover, the National Health Service (NHS) described insomnia as either short term insomnia which lasts for one to four weeks, and long-term (or persistent) insomnia, which persists for more than four weeks. According to the NHS (year), if a person has been diagnosed with short term insomnia, their GP will generally advise them on good sleep hygiene, and if the insomnia is affecting him/her during the day, then the GP may prescribe sleeping tablets. Moreover, if a person has been diagnosed with long term Insomnia, their GP will recommend the same as for short term Insomnia, along with cognitive and behavioural treatments (CBT). Additionally, if the patient is over 55 years old, the GP may consider prescribing Melatonin. Kaptchuk (2000, p. 191) describes insomnia in Chinese texts as â€Å"Yang unable to enter Yin†. This typically suggests that Blood or Yin or both are insufficient and not able to sustain the Spirit in the Heart. There is therefore a relative oversupply of the Yang, which is not in equilibrium and is unable to calm down in balance. An oversupply of the Yang or Fire in any other organ can also be a reason for insomnia. The persistent desire to sleep, or oversleeping, is often a sign of Deficie nt Yang, Deficient Qi, or Dampness. Under Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), when a person suffers from insomnia, one generally tends to find that the two organs that are most often out of balance are the Heart and the Liver. Each of these two organs houses a specific aspect of the spirit. The Heart houses the mind (Shen) and the Liver houses the ethereal soul (Hun). If these organs are out of balance, they will not be able to house the spirit properly, and the spirit will wander (Kaptchuk 2000). According to Maciocia (2005) sleep generally depends on the state of Blood and Yin, especially that of the Heart and Liver. During the night the Yin Qi predominates, and the mind and ethereal soul should be anchored in Heart Blood and Liver Blood. If the mind and/or ethereal soul are not anchored, a sleep disturbance is likely to occur. Research Aim The present paper aims to review pertinent literature to ascertain the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of insomia among adults. Research Hypotheses Ho: Acupuncture is not an effective treatment for insomnia. Ha: Acupuncture is an effective treatment for insomnia. Method The current paper makes use of critical review of literature to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment method for insomnia. This entailed the search of

My Goal in Life Essay Example for Free

My Goal in Life Essay At the age of 8 we change our minds about what we want to do when we grow up about every week. At the 18 and a few months away from graduating some of us still don’t know what we want to do or where we want to go in life. Excluding all of those soon to be high school graduates, I already know what I want to do after high and know where I want to go. Since the age of 10, I’ve always dreamt of being a police officer. I cant see myself doing anything other than patrolling the streets and keeping people safe. After graduating high school, Im going to go to college for at least four years. When my four years is done and after I turn twenty-one, I’m going to join the police academy. Im going to work hard and do whatever it takes to get in and pass all my tests. My goal is to be the best police office on the force. When the time comes after a couple years of patrolling, I would love to work my way up to be a special agent or maybe even be a member of the SWAT team. I know a lot of people may doubt me and a lot of people may say, â€Å"A little girl like you can’t do a job like that.† but I will prove them wrong. I want to be able to say â€Å"I did it† instead of â€Å"I tried,† Failing is not an option, the key is to never give up and push yourself as far as you can go.

ESL learners feel anxious when doing reading comprehension tests Essay Example for Free

ESL learners feel anxious when doing reading comprehension tests Essay This paper will explore in depth all the implications of the claim that ESL learners feel anxious when doing reading comprehension tests. First of all, the psychological and social causes of anxiety in ESL speakers during reading comprehension assignments will be explored and analyzed. Secondly, the level of anxiety will be assessed. Finally, the paper will suggest several ways to reduce negative feeling associated with performing reading comprehension tests by ESL speakers. Psychological causes of anxiety in ESL students partially mirror the experience of any other school related anxiety. Students are unsure of their abilities under the conditions of internal (i. e. a desire for self-affirmation) and external (i. e. a desire to please parents) pressure. Presently, students feel an incredible pressure to achieve and be at the top of their class, since the realization that school grades determine their future comes very early. Therefore, the joy of learning is often transformed into a struggle to excel (DeNoon, 2007). High expectations and competitive environment contribute greatly to the experience of anxiety and even panic. As concerns the severity of anxiety experienced by ESL speakers, it might range from slight psychological discomfort to serious physical symptoms. For example, short-term memory loss might be the result of extreme anxiety (the feeling of suddenly ‘remembering’ the correct answer immediately after turning in the test). Physical expressions of anxiety may include rapid pulse, a feeling of breathlessness, trembling, sweaty palms, dry mouth, chest pains, digestive problems such as nausea or diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, sleeplessness, and stomach ache (BUPAs Health Information Team, 2004). Anxiety may also result in undesirable social consequences, such as loss of trust between parents and students, since the latter sometimes tend to conceal the difficulties they encounter, as well as test results. Such behavior eventually results in unfavorable family atmosphere. The practical values of this research lies in the field of practices and methods aimed at eliminating the causes of anxiety and helping students benefit fully from the learning process. Negative thoughts about possible failure discourage active learning and, taken to extreme, can produce a generally devastating effect on personality development. Furthermore, anxiety during the testing process can distort result, since students who are able to control their emotions better will tend to get higher score, despite the fact that their knowledge might be less complete as compared to students who suffer from extreme anxiety. Together with exercises aimed at increasing students’ self-confidence, relaxation exercises might be very helpful for those who suffer from anxiety. It is also of paramount importance to teach students to plan their time for taking the test so that they would not feel lost and experience a state of panic. The methods of research will be qualitative and will include questionnaires and interviews. At one hand, questionnaires will help to gather statistically significant data and understand the pervasiveness of the problem. From another perspective, interviews will help to research the problem in depth by analyzing students’ perceptions, emotions, and experiences. Therefore, the combination of these research methods will provide the most accurate picture of anxiety in ESL speakers during reading comprehension tests.

Urban Walkability and Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

Urban Walkability and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Introduction The transit oriented development approach is being adopted by many cities around the world, particularly those contested with transforming their car dependent neighbourhoods into more habitable and sustainable developments. The simplest way to describe the principles of TOD according to Calthorpe (1993) is â€Å"moderate and high density housing, along with complementary public uses, jobs, retail and services, concentrated in mixed – used development at strategic points along the regional transit system†. Yet, much as connectivity to regional significance through transit is important, it is the communities’ close interaction, supported by a walkable environment that Calthorpe claims is the â€Å"key aspect† of any flourishing TOD. Over the years, pedestrian friendly design thus generated considerable interests and a significant amount of literature and influential policy on urban walkability in TOD’s were developed in the Western world’s temperate urban zones. Presently, however, many of the world’s fastest developing urban areas are found in subtropical latitudes (O’Hare,2006). Western Australia, and particularly Perth, the urban centre of the region is one such case and serves as the focus of this research. The paper explores the key aspects and physical qualities of built environment related to urban walkability with an intent to encourage further discussion and studies on how subtropical TOD’s can be designed to enhance pedestrian movement as well as question whether the orthodoxy of existing urban design principles require some alterations to better adapt to subtropical regions. The paper establishes the accepted arguments and urban design principles essential to urban walkability and develops from a review of urban design sustainability, a framework that would encourage pedestrians’ movement and transport waiting in a subtropical TOD. A literature review is produced to confirm the growing importance of walkability and ultimately the paper explores, through field observations, how the established urban walkability principles apply in the subtropical regions. It concludes by giving some recommendations that could be applied to Claremont town Centre for an improved pedestrian friendly TOD. Accepted arguments for urban walkability + Literature review Recognised as the oldest form of urban transport, walking is a way of encountering and engaging with the local surroundings and wider society in a manner not quite possible when adopting other means of transport, especially motor transport. Gehl Gemzoe (2003), strongly highlight walking as a solution to bettering the public ground as part of the enhancement of the local neighbourhood and urban rejuvenation. With emerging concerns that car dependent cities will not be sustainable in the future, due to energy costs, fuel availability, congestion, pollution and other environmental impacts, much awareness is being raised about the importance of walking. According to US researches, studies show that there is a 30% more likelihood that compact-mixed use development residents would walk (to a restaurant/park) than those inhabiting vast motor-oriented environments (Cervero Radisch,1996). Hodgson, Page, Tight (2004) also conclude from their research that that TOD’s with appropriate design lead to more pedestrian and transit trips resulting in a decline in non-motorised transportation modes to reduce pollution emissions In conjunction to sustainability issues, the intra-generational equity theory and policy also acknowledge that a major part of the population constitutes of people who are extremely young, old, unhealthy, disabled or needy to have access or control over a private car (O’Hare,2006). Recently, considerable interest in improved walking environments has been generated as a result of the desire to encourage nonmotorized transportation modes to reduce pollution emissions and to improve public health by increased levels of walking (Evans-Cowley, 2006). A large body of research has confirmed that a favorable walking environment is a necessary condition for promoting walking and neighborhood interaction (Clifton, Smith, Rodriguez, 2007). Public health The World Health Organisation (WHO) Charter on Transport, Environment and Health as well as the WHO Healthy Cities Program have recognised the prominence of urban walkability long before the urban design and planning fields. The public health sector recognises that ‘active transport’ (such as walking, including walking to the bus or train) involves incidental physical activity. This incidental physical activity is an important component of active living (O’Hare 2000). Active living, together with a healthy diet, has the potential to reverse current international trends towards sedentary lifestyles and the accompanying health risks associated with obesity. Australia has been rated by different agencies as one of the world’s top four countries for obesity. Given that much of the world’s urban population growth is occurring in the tropical and subtropical zones, it is important to examine urban walkability principles with particular attention to conditions in those non-temperate climatic zones. A Perth study found commuters using public transport accumulated seven times more exercise than private motorists The prevalence of obesity in Australia has more than doubled in the last 20 years: 52% of women, 67% of men, and 25% of children are overweight or obese. Urban walkability principles in TODs: Jacobs (1960) spelled out almost half a century ago that urban design qualities relating to the quality of pedestrian experience are essential to support walkability. â€Å"Active frontages† and â€Å"eyes on the street† were recognised as few of the many crucial aspects. Based on the best practices from around the world, 8 principles vital to creating walkable TOD’s are identified in this paper. WALK Developing attractive pedestrian environment ensures accessibility and mobility for all. PLACE-MAKING Creating a sense of place makes encourages pedestrian activity and liveability. CONNECT Creating dense networks of transit routes results in a high degree of connectivity. TRANSIT Locate land uses so that they are transit supportive and close to high quality transport. MIX Planning for mixed use will promote pedestrian interest, safety, 24 hour activity. DENSIFY Sufficient density and compact form make transit viable and improve walkability. COMPACT Planning for compact areas with short commutes improves efficiency. SHIFT Controlling the amount/location of parking increases mobility. It is however important to understand that although listed individually, for a development to become truly transit oriented, we must be able to blur the boundary between these principles so that they are all interrelated Urban design theory and practice guidelines for walkable places were mostly developed in cities located in the temperate climatic zone. In the subtropics, summer is the season of discomfort for walkers, whereas in temperate cities it is the winter that brings discomfort to urban pedestrians. The coastal subtropical city lacks the icy winds, snow, sleet, frost, and other winter discomforts of the temperate city. The pleasant winter pedestrian conditions of the subtropical city are offset, however, by the summer challenges of heat, humidity and glare. The next section of this paper explores the need for an ‘intemperate’ approach to achieving urban walkability in the subtropical city Urban walkability in subtropical TODs Framework It is important to understand that in the fast growing subtropical urban regions of the world, climate and local topography are influential elements associated with walkability. Moving at a slower pace, pedestrians are prone to observe many more perceptible details and are exposed to the surrounding elements and climatic factors. Protection from sun, rain, humidity or heat must therefore be taken into account when planning a pedestrian environment. Drawing on research and keeping in mind the factors associated with subtropical urban regions, a framework of urban design principles is developed as strategies that would best enhance pedestrian movement or waiting in subtropical TOD’s. The key factors to making walking appealing are grouped in three major categories: SAFETY, ACTVITY AND COMFORT. Figure 1 – Framework Venn diagram, 2014. Figure 2 – A balanced street has ample sidewalks, comfortable bike facilities that connect to a network, and safe ways to cross streets, making active transportation possible even on larger roads. Image by EMBARQ. Stimulating walking necessitates that these travellers can move around efficiency, comfortably, and most importantly, safely. Physical design strategies that could be implemented in the ‘Safety, Activity, Comfort’ framework are discussed below : Safety: Ensuring wider sidewalk can provide for easy pedestrian movement and at the same time promote commercial activity/interaction Removing physical or perceived barriers to ensure that the pedestrian has flat and obstruction free band of sidewalk – â€Å"pedestrian zone† Providing pedestrian oriented quality lighting that illuminated their paths will add to the walker’s sense of safety Responsive walk signs at crossing lights designed with better timing and automatic changing to prioritise the needs of pedestrians, raised intersections, mini roundabouts or speed humps will encourage safe movement. Activity: Well-connected streets ensure that residents can conveniently access all parts of the TOD, thus activating the street use. Developing mixed-use street active frontages promote safety, security and foster vibrant social life in the streets. Attractive spaces with building orientation to the public street, visual interests, building articulation and landscaping encourage pedestrians to gather and linger Way finding aids/proper signage must be implemented to help people orient themselves and encourage movement through open public areas. Transit stations should be activated by cafà ©/newspapers stands or other facilities to make transport waiting wothwhile Comfort: The use of shelters in pedestrian and transit areas/stops allows for discomfort reduction and provides rest for pedestrians. Provision of footpath awnings, arcades, and other weather protection at least at certain intervals will serve as shelter from sun or showers. Providing a high degree of street amenities (benches, garbage cans, drinking fountains) and resting places will heighten the image of the street and attract all demographics to comfortably linger. As well as providing a solution to the heat humidity, street trees shade and protect pedestrians from the rain. Walkers can also be protected from cars when greenery is carefully designed along curbs. Sidewalk with a width proportional to the scale of the TOD area and planned walkability level ensures comfortable walking experiences for everyone. Case studies Subiaco City and Claremont Town centre, selected as case studies for this paper are recent both transit oriented areas developed in Perth region with a railway line passing through. The study area boundaries for each include the area within an 800-metre radius surrounding the train station. Subiaco city -Subiaco, known as Subi is a historic inner western suburb located around 3kms from Perth CBD and is focussed around a lively retail strip of Rockeby road. The Subi Centro project encompassing the North and West of the Subiaco railway station began in 1994 and incorporated many new dwellings, business centres and commercial space. An important aspect was the undergrounding of the railway line which in the past divided Subiaco. As an exemplar of urban regeneration supporting its heritage context, the project achieves a high quality public realm. Claremont Town Claremont Town centre, another western suburb finds itself midway of Perth CBD and Fremantle port on the north bank of Swan River. Claremont Town centre is a significant shopping area concentrated around St Quentin’s Avenue/Bay View Terrace and located south of the Claremont train station. The Claremont North East Precinct project is an on-going project started in 2005 as an initiative to revitalise the Northern part of the town which is currently disconnected from the southern part. It aspires a vibrant mixed used development around the Claremont football oval as a step towards social, economic and environmental sustainability. The purpose of this report, being to assess and enhance the quality of pedestrian environment, 3 methods is used to gather information: Ped-shed analysis is conducted at a 400m radius (5 min walk) and an 800m radius (10 min- walk) SAFETY-ACTIVITY- COMFORT assessment sheet is used to rate physical micro – attributes of the built environment on the streets. Observational analysis of the site – pictures/personal experience DATA ANALYSIS The information collected from these were used to assess to what degree the factors discussed in the framework and considered influential to walkability are either present or lacking in these two study areas. Pedshed ratio Analysis of the connectivity of both TODs was assessed through the ped-shed ratios calculated. A comparison of the two diagrams that Subiaco’s street grid network provides many paths and connected streets, encouraging them to walk and be within short walking distance of the train station. Claremont on the other hand, lacks this degree of pedestrian connectivity and offers limited route choice to the person walking. After analysing the connectivity of each site, visuals were gathered from field observations to compare one to another. The Safety-Activity-Comfort assessment sheet was then used to examine and rate each category. Key findings As seen from the rating, Subiaco city stands out terms of providing certain positive physical street elements that affect walkability. Observation from field analysis showed that street frontages on streets adjacent to the train station were quite lively and highly articulated. Seating areas, lighting, greeneries and shaded spots contributed to attracting pedestrian activity in the area. It was gathered from observations and research that Subiaco’s success as a pedestrian friendly locality was also due to the fact that the City of Subiaco Councillors had established a vision statement of â€Å"The Best Main Street Village in Australia† for the area. Rockeby street, in this regard, was developed as a place to come back to instead of just being a transit street and development trends, opportunities and changes were carefully thought of so as the area’s unique ‘sense of place’ was preserved. Famously advocated by Toderian(2014) as â€Å"streets that are for people to enjoy and linger, not just move through..places that are both initially attractive and ‘sticky’, inviting people to love it and not want to leave it†, positive ideas of sticky street concept seems to have been successfully adopted in designing Subiaco’s main street. With the objective of planning not just for the infrastructure and public transpor t, but also the shops, cafes and the people, Rockeby Street has flourished as iconic community hub of social, civic and commercial activity with public spaces as focal points. On the downside however, field observations also indicated a number of vacant shops or those in the process of closing down in Rockeby road retail strip. High rental rates, competition from nearby precinct and over restrictive licensing policies has caused a decline in cafà ©/retail strips and a 5% retail vacancy rate in the area (Tsagalis2012). It was also found that an alfresco dining licence in Subiaco was more expensive than Western Australia’s average and compared to a survey of local governments in Perth and the eastern states (Law, 2014).Mayor Henderson (2014) has approached this issue stating that â€Å"We are aware that council needs to step up to the plate and make some changes in order to create the vibrancy in the main street in Subiaco†. In an effort to encourage more local businesses to operate street trading/ alfresco dining areas to revitalise a spirited street and safe environment for the community, the council of the City of Subiaco has recently resol ved to amend existing associated fees. As of 31st October 2014, a notable reduction in application/licensing fees, a m2 basis fee and the initiation of low-cost short term options will be available for Subiaco retailers and it an increase in street activity is expected. While Claremont Town centre forms part of a prominent retail area, it comes primarily in the form of indoor malls which attract the pedestrians inside rather than being on the road. The main transit adjacent road, Grugeri Street, has a blank wall faà §ade with limited or no pedestrian activity. The street is also very limited in term of comfort since the awnings size is too small to provide shade or shelter. Bus tops and street amenities also lack variety and enhancement to attract people to linger. Recommendations Apparent from the observational audit and findings is that Claremont Town centre has many physical weaknesses in terms of walkability in a subtropical TOD. Because similar weaknesses may exist other western Australian TOD’s, some recommendations may apply for multiple sites and can be used as a guide for enhanced walking experiences. It was revealed from the site observations and findings of these 2 TOD’s in Perth that there is some way to go before Western Australia can claim to have a truly sustainable approach. Having established that urban walkability is vital to achieve a sustainable subtropical TOD, it is important for TOD planners to be able to adopt a revised framework of principles regarding the physical environment attributes that would work best for subtropical Perth regions and merge them with new innovative design strategies which would further enhance walking in Perth. It is also important for town/city planners to review rules and regulations in order to increase vibrancy in TOD’s rather than being over restrictive. Conclusion Having established that a successful TOD walkability is directly associated with a safe, comfortable and attractive pedestrian environment, this paper demonstrates that careful physical planning and good urban design solutions can very much enhance the pedestrian’s experience. It questions the needs of a subtropical city in term of its climate, topography and identity and then explores a framework of revised walkability principles that can be applied to the subtropical city. The case studies reveal responses and challenges to urban design for walkability in Perth and certain successful elements are recommended as strategies to improve Claremont’s TOD in terms of walking experience. It also questions whether over restrictive planning policies may need to be reconsidered to keep a TOD street alive and vibrant. It also recommends innovative strategies of urban design that other projects may copy or adapt in part for design and place-making approaches to give a unique sense of place to the subtropical TOD. Although each future TOD will deal with the numerous complex design challenges depending on particular circumstances around each project, it is the intention of this paper to stimulate discussion and hopefully more substantial research into the planning of walkable subtropical cities since so many of the world’s most rapidly growing urban areas are now situated in the tropical and subtropical zones.

The Impact of Viking Contact on Western Europe :: essays research papers

The blood-thirsty Vikings had such a strong influence and impact on Western Europe that their impact of Viking contact spread throughout the world and lives on today. Three significant ways they affected the world was by the Vikings amazing technology skills of ship building and navigation as well as their polytheism religion. The Vikings in their time were the best shipbuilders and sailors in the world. Their ships were very strong as they were made out of a very long-lasting type of wood, which was oak wood. They thought of many creative ways to make their ships more durable, such as dipping sheep?s wool in tar and then filling in the ships gaps to make it waterproof. The Vikings had long voyages, passing many parts of Europe and simultaneously speeding at least glimpses of their amazing technology skills to the people who saw there ships. For example many people from Ireland and Brittan must have seen their ships as they travelled from their homeland Scandinavia to France in the year 798. But their amazing technology skills would have not been spread throughout the world with out the help of navigation. To navigate during the night and day they looked out for well-known landmarks such as mountains. They could also follow the sun and stars or watch out for birds that were found at different times and places of the year. Navigators were needed in the time of Vikings as they were the key to successful voyages. Without them Vikings would have never been able to sail across Western Europe and leave an impact that would actually make way into our history. Therefore their would of not been any impact to live on today. One example was when the Viking found their way into the Mediterranean Sea and raided the coasts of Spain but of course with the help of navigation. In addition to navigation, religion also did impact. The Vikings believed in their own religion which included many gods. The Impact of Viking Contact on Western Europe :: essays research papers The blood-thirsty Vikings had such a strong influence and impact on Western Europe that their impact of Viking contact spread throughout the world and lives on today. Three significant ways they affected the world was by the Vikings amazing technology skills of ship building and navigation as well as their polytheism religion. The Vikings in their time were the best shipbuilders and sailors in the world. Their ships were very strong as they were made out of a very long-lasting type of wood, which was oak wood. They thought of many creative ways to make their ships more durable, such as dipping sheep?s wool in tar and then filling in the ships gaps to make it waterproof. The Vikings had long voyages, passing many parts of Europe and simultaneously speeding at least glimpses of their amazing technology skills to the people who saw there ships. For example many people from Ireland and Brittan must have seen their ships as they travelled from their homeland Scandinavia to France in the year 798. But their amazing technology skills would have not been spread throughout the world with out the help of navigation. To navigate during the night and day they looked out for well-known landmarks such as mountains. They could also follow the sun and stars or watch out for birds that were found at different times and places of the year. Navigators were needed in the time of Vikings as they were the key to successful voyages. Without them Vikings would have never been able to sail across Western Europe and leave an impact that would actually make way into our history. Therefore their would of not been any impact to live on today. One example was when the Viking found their way into the Mediterranean Sea and raided the coasts of Spain but of course with the help of navigation. In addition to navigation, religion also did impact. The Vikings believed in their own religion which included many gods.

Billy Collins Essay -- Literary Analysis

Billy Collins: the Poet of Continuity and Change From controversial events to ordinary life stories, Billy Collins writes about various topics in different perspectives just like a chameleon, changing its colors to fit with its surrounding. Collins talks in a gentle, yet humorous way; he illustrates a profound understanding through a clear observation. His writing style blends humor and solemnity in one entity. Throughout his poetry, Collins demonstrates, in a witty and satirical voice, his insightfulness towards the objects, using numerous poetic devices, especially allusions and metaphors to effectively convey his messages, most of which revolves around the theme of death. Humor and Irony are a unique combinations Collins displays in many of his poems, challenging the readers to interpret his work in different perspectives. In â€Å"Introduction to Poetry,† Collins offers a witty comparison between the definition of poetry and various other experiments. He asks the reader to â€Å"hold [the poem] up to the light/ like a color slide† (1-3), â€Å"press an ear against its hive† (4), â€Å"drop a mouse into a poem† (5), â€Å"walk inside the poem's room† (7), and â€Å"waterski across the surface of a poem† (9-10). Rather than stiffly explaining the definition of a poem, he finds creative and humorous approaches to explain his methods of enjoying the poems, and promote the readers’ interest towards discovering the true meaning of poetry. Just as the surrounding would seem different through color slides, he asks the readers to see the world in diverse viewpoints while reading and writing poems. Moreover, by listening to poem’s hive, dropping a mouse, and walking inside its room, Collins encourages readers to discover the concealed depth of poetry. He comments ... ...r corset as the last page of a book he is reading. The poetry eventually reaches an end, and he states Dickinson’s poetry lines to remember her words and leave the implication of her death. Collins usage of words, even though he does not directly states â€Å"death† in the poems, contains the nostalgia of old days and feeling of sadness which naturally leads to his central poetry theme, death. Billy Collins is a poet who takes the change, but keeps his own focus. Throughout his poetry career, his voice varies according to the topic he selects, while his unique poetic devices and consistent theme represent who he is as a poet. Collins knows how to express humor and irony to illustrate his bright insights towards the objects, uses particular poetic terms, for instance allusions and metaphors, to deliver his idea efficiently that focuses many times on the theme of death.

Because I Could Not Stop for Death :: Literary Analysis, Dickinson

Because I Could Not Stop for Death is proclaimed to be Emily Dickinson’s most famous poem. This poem reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. She portrays death being a gentleman that surprises her with a visit. Emily illustrates everyday scenes into a life cycle. While her metaphors explore death in an imitable way, her lines often contain as much uncertainty as meaning. Life and death are but trails to eternity and are seen less important when viewed in the framework of eternity. Emily Dickinson’s poem Death is a gentleman taking a woman out for a drive.† Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me† (Dickinson 1-2). Emily describes being a busy woman who is caught up with everyday situations. When it comes to death, no one plans on a time or date to die; what Emily is identifying as a tragic event is translated to being a casual experience. Emily writes, â€Å"The carriage held but just ourselves, and immortality,† (3-4). Emily describes her ride with death, but affiliates a third rider Immortality. â€Å"Davidson does not emphasize what is gained after death; she emphasizes what is lost because of death,† (Privatsky 35). Emily’s third passenger has a wide variety of interpretations. Normally, one doesn’t think about death, yet Emily’s approach to death is similar of the approac h to immortality. My viewpoint is Emily construes her belief in a soul that does not die but live on till eternity. â€Å"The idea of immortality is confronted with the fact of physical disintegration. We are not told what to think; we are told to look at the situation,† (Tate 26). According to Dickinson’s words, He slowly drove He knew no haste (5-6). Emily describes a relaxing slow pace towards an unknown destination. On the way she enjoys the peaceful scenes. â€Å"We passed the school, where children strove, At recess – In the Ring-â€Å"(Dickinson 9-10). Emily is reflecting in her past, this may also be seen as the beginning of a life cycle. Emily then goes on to say, We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- (11). The phrase that she decides to use is judicious because she is not the observer, but instead she is the observed. At that point, she further goes on to describe â€Å"Setting Sun-â€Å" as the last scene in her ride.† All three of these ima ges suggest phases of the life cycle that the speaker has passed and is passing through and clue us in on her experience†¦Time has stopped for her, and the fields of grain do the gazing, not her,† (Semansky 34-35).

Human Resources Management Essay

The role of a Human Resource department is ever changing in today’s volatile business environment. Over the years HR have become strong strategic partners within an organization by providing functions such as recruitment, training and development and retention. Human Resources in order to be strategic works directly with all levels of management in an effort to help with strategy and the growth of the company to meet their vision. One very important aspect is talent acquisition. Having the right people in key roles within the company is vital to the success and growth of any company. Performing this function includes preparing a job description, recruiting, and then setting compensation. A crucial tool used by many HR departments is the process of job evaluations and performance review. These aspects of the HR Department makes sure that the employees are performing the specific task for their job description proficiently and per the companies guidelines, as well as being able to determine whether the employees deserve a raise or any other compensation to award their performance. Human resources is a critical part of an organization in order to keep the company functioning and profitable they are an important part of finding the right employees, with the right skills and qualifications to fit into open positions. METHOD OF JOB ANALYSIS: When a new job is created or a vacancy occurs, it is the role of a HR representative to fill that void. In order to perform this function they need to first understand what role they are trying fill is and what skills and responsibilities this new role would require. By conducting a job analysis they are able to further define important elements of any job and then search for the person or people that are the most qualified and would be a good fit for the company. As important as it is to perform a job analysis before looking for that new candidate, it is equally as important to select the correct job analysis method. Some popular job analysis methods are Observation, Individual Interview and Structured Questionnaires. Organizations choose methods based on various guidelines that are all linked to the job responsibilities of a position, company culture and size of the organization. Each organization must select which methods are the best match for their candidate search. The Observat ion method includes studying someone while they perform their job in an effort to better understand the tasks and duties necessary to this particular job. The advantages are the observer can obtain first-hand knowledge and information about the job being analyzed. This can provide an accurate picture of the candidate ability to do the job at hand. Other Job Analysis methods such as the interview or questionnaire only allow HR to indirectly obtain this information. With other methods there is a risk of omissions or exaggerations are introduced either by the incumbent being interviewed or by items on the questionnaire. The next method is the Interview method; this method involves conducting interviews of the person leaving this position to gain insights into what duties they perform. Interviews can also be conducted on other employees performing the same job but in most cases start with the HR manager. The advantages are that it allows the incumbent to describe tasks and duties that are not observable by anyone else and for the incumbent to give an overview of what their job entailed while they were in that position. The disadvantage is the candidate can exaggerate or omit tasks and duties that the new employee will need/have to perform to be successful in this position. The interviewer must be skilled and ask the proper questions in order to get the appropriate answers in order to get the full scope of the job duties of this position and to effectively do the appropriate job analysis. The Structured Questionnaire method uses a standardized list of work activities, called a task inventory, then jobholders or supervisors may identify as related to the job. It must cover all job related to tasks and behavior. Each task or behavior should be described in terms of features such as difficulty, importance, frequency, time spent and relationship to performance. The disadvantage is that responses may be difficult to interpret and are open-ended. Combining these methods will provide HR with a well-rounded description and analysis for the candidates. Furthermore this allows you to get the perspective from a few different angles. These methods help the HR managers find the ideal candidate for the position. IMPORTANCE OF TASK STATEMENTS AND KSA STATEMENTS: A task is an action designed to contribute a specified result to the accomplishment of an objective. It has an identifiable beginning and end that is a measurable component of the duties and responsibilities of a specific job. Knowing the tasks that have to be performed, helps you to identify the KSA that the candidate must possess in order to perform to the companies standards. In some cases you will train someone of the required KSA. Knowledge statements refer to an organized body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible. A body of information applied directly to the performance of a job function. Skill statements refer to the proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things. Skills can be readily measured by a performance test where quantity and quality of performance are tested, usually within an established time limit. Ability statements refer to the power to perform an observable activity at the present time. This means that abilities have been evidenced through activities or behaviors that are similar to those required on the job. The creation of these statements will take considerable thought and insight. However, the rewards of conducting this due diligence before taking on the task of hiring a new employee, makes the process very simple and less stressful. Everything is clearly defined and above all, measurable in the future. RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION: Once the Job analysis, Task statements, KSA statements and the job description are completed, the next step is to search for candidates. I believe the best place to begin the job search is from within the organization. My reason for this is that the employees are already indoctrinated into the organization culture. Internal job postings are a great start to the process of recruiting new employees. They have a great familiarity with the company and may be able to attract potential job candidates. The benefits of internal recruiting can be the cost which tends to be less costly because you are not using an outside service or source. Internal recruiting can promote growth from within the organization. Many large companies encourage internal promotion as a source of friendly corporate culture. External sources can also be beneficial if the company is looking for a fresh start or someone with some new ideas. External recruiting can help to diversify an organization while bringing in needed competencies. Hiring externally can be done through various ways such as Internet job boards, and staffing agencies. External hiring might be more costly but may provide more outstanding candidates. Whichever the organization decide internal or external, the position needed to be filled will determine the order of the search. Once you have started recruiting it is time to view your potential qualified candidates. The key in the selection process is to choose a strategy for screening your candidates so that you are able to view the people that or most qualified for the position. Organizations also make use of many outside agencies when completing the selection process. Drug screening and reference checks are often done by a third party. Many companies are beginning to incorporate assessment tests and activities into the selection process to insure additional training is not necessary for potential candidates. These screenings can be very important in weeding out the wrong candidates and keeping potential good fits for the position in place for the interview/hiring process. PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: Performance evaluations need to be in place to support decisions made by management and the HR department. When annual reviews come up it is imperative to be able to look back at documentation created throughout the year in order to document areas that need improvement as well as back up reasons for raises and demotions. These evaluations can also be used to teach as they may show areas that need improvement as well as provide backup for recognition of a job well done. The performance evaluations need to be structured and performed in a timely manner as well and managers need to be trained appropriately has to how to conduct these evaluations. Companies might also want to consider individual and peer evaluations as well as another source of employee evaluations just to see how the employee rates themselves compared to their managers as well as to what their peers have to say as well using these evaluations can give the HR department a better comparison on how each employee is doing by allowing others in the department to evaluate each other and to compare them to the managers evaluation of each employee. Although there can be some disadvantages to individual and peer evaluations is that the employee might over state him/herself and with peer evaluations you might get some bad evaluations because someone doesn’t like you. Although they are still good to have and or try in order to get a better review of the employee. COMPENSATION: Compensation is a tool used by management for a variety of purposes to help reach organization goals. Compensation is a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. Compensation may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. Compensation may be adjusted according the business needs, goals, and available resources. Compensation strategies have to be designed to meet the objectives of the company. Many people associate compensation with money but when looking for a job, many compensation packages are designed with a package of products in mind Its not always about the money aspect which a lot of employees tend to think they are which needs to be explained in great detail when hiring new employees. Salary is just one key to total compensation. Benefits and some intangible items help to complete these packages and make many jobs more enticing. Benefits packages that include: †¢ a good heal th plan might attract some employee while stock options entice others. †¢ Non-monetary compensation strategies such as company recognition for performance, fair treatment and safe and healthy work environments and dress codes might attract or retain employees. †¢ Organizations must provide the right balance to attract and retain employees. The balance must also encourage great performance and productivity. These steps need to be maintained in order to keep turnover down and employee moral up. I know of a lot of companies do things for their employees to show their appreciation which could be another great incentive. For example Christmas bonuses if employers can afford them, employee appreciation lunches/dinners, employee of the month etc. I don’t think that I would change anything about my paper because I did do extensive research on a HR Receptionist position to determining the skills, qualifications and experience needed for this type of positions. I think that maybe after seeing Cathy at work I would have hired someone more experienced than she apparently was who has worked in an office environment and possess the skills needed to perform the task at hand more efficiently. Other than that I think I did a pretty decent job at performing the job analysis as well as the recruitment and selection process considering that this is something that I have never done before it was a great learning experience in case I ever have to be put in a position of this magnitude. Being in HR is not an easy job from what I have experienced in this class and it definitely takes a person with skill to be effective in this position and to do it right there is so much information a person in human resources needs to know. I honestly didn’t realize how much actually went into this type of role in a company I always assumed human resources had the easiest job ever and I guess I was definitely wrong on that part and this class has shown me how wrong I was. This class was a great learning experience as far as the field of human resource management and as far as my paper is concerned I wouldn’t change much of anything except for what I had stated above about Cathy. RESOURCES: Achieved on June 11, 2012 â€Å"Managers’ benefits: compensation or perks?† http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Managers’-benefits:-compensation-or-perks?&id=53577 Achieved on June 12, 2012 â€Å"Without Salary Increases, Will I Lose Top Employees?† http://resources.hrbrainbank.com/without-salary-increases-will-i-lose-top-employees.html Achieved on June 12, 2012 â€Å"Paying for Performance† http://www.inc.com/magazine/20041101/benefits.html Achieved on June 12, 2012 â€Å"The Power of Base Pay† http://www.inc.com/articles/1999/10/19037.html Achieved on May 28, 2012 â€Å"Management: Performance Management† http://www.nd.gov/hrms/managers/guide/perfeval.htmlperson-105678.html Achieved on May 28, 2012 â€Å"External vs. Internal Recruiting† http://www.ere.net/2007/06/13/external-vs-internal-recruiting-who-does-it-better/ Achieved on May 30, 2012 â€Å"Personal Selection† http://www.hr-guide.com/data/G311.htm Achieved on May 16, 2012 â€Å"Job Analysis and Hiring the Right Person† http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/job-analysis-and-hiring-the-right-person-105678.html Achieved on May 17, 2012 â€Å"Zeroing In on What Your Job’s About† http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_02.htm Achieved on May 17, 2012 http://www.doi.gov/hrm/pmanager/st12d.html