Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Developmental Process Of Adolescence - 1674 Words

In the developmental process of adolescence, there are said to be 12 â€Å"labors† in this coming of age experience. Among these are forming a family of friends, separating from childhood, and paying freedom’s price. Growing up in a wartime environment affects the change in adolescents in near drastic measures. You can see these effects with 3 young adults, Ellie Wiessel (author of Night,) Anne Frank (author of The Diary of Anne Frank), and Jeanne Wakutsuki (partial author of Farewell to Manzanar), that complicate their coming of age story. This is due to the added stress and anxiety caused by the war outside their windows, their compromised living conditions with less outside-of-family or positive interactions which speed up and distorted realizations about family and the divine, and the disruption of the natural process of somewhat reckless and wild behavior because of the strict rules and regimens they need to follow. Also, the already amplified self- consciousness i s further magnified because of the extraneous situations with cramped living and monotonous situations, along with the survivors guilt. With the ongoing apprehension of the war outside their window, the unease due to the process of maturation only adds to this fear. On October 29, 1943, Anne confides to Kitty, Outside, you don t hear a single bird, and a deathly, oppressive silence hangs over the house and clings to me as if it were going to drag me into the deepest regions of the underworld.... I wander fromShow MoreRelatedBecoming A New Parent Can Be One Of The Hardest Yet Rewarding1428 Words   |  6 Pagesmost important responsibility that you have. Quickly will you realize that there are endless factors that can affect the psychological development of your children especially at the significant stage of mental human growth and development known as adolescence. Having so many forms of communication, the most popular of these are social media and texting. Now, as humans, if we do too much of anything, it obviously cannot be healthy for us; However, the situation is even more dire because this is suchRead MoreEss ay on Developmental Issues That Come with Emerging Adulthood901 Words   |  4 PagesTopic- Developmental issues that come with emerging adulthood (Transition from adolescence to young adulthood) Adolescence is the transitional period in a persons life time that links childhood and adulthood. The factors that influence development during adolescence include genetic/biological and environmental/social. There are many developmental issues that take place during the transition from an adolescent to a young adult. The issues of emerging adulthood(18-25) are characterized by new experiencesRead MoreAdolescent And Their Concept Of Self1584 Words   |  7 PagesAdolescence is a time when one breaks away from the sheltering they have been accustomed to as a child, and there is a great sense of maturing as they prepare for adulthood. It is during this time, between 12 and 18 years of age, when dynamic changes occur. Adolescents not only experience profound physical change during this period – they also undergo a revolution in the way they think. This essay focuses on the adolescent and their concept of self, with a discussion of the predictable and unpredictableRead MoreAdole scence : Literature Review1463 Words   |  6 PagesAdolescence is a time period when a child is trying to become its own person and eventually an adult. It’s a time period when a lot of changes are occurring. Whether it’s through their education moving from middle school to high school or changes within their brain as they age. Adolescents are going through puberty, hormonal changes and experimenting with different social groups within their society. The culture and the social aspects of a society can shape an adolescent into an adult, whether itRead MoreHuman, Social, And Moral Development1669 Words   |  7 PagesThe most effective prevention programs take a lifespan approach and consider developmental knowledge and theories throughout planning, activity selection, and implementation. While prevention and intervention efforts are important during all stages of life, they are especially important during childhood and adolescence, when risk factors may be more eas ily avoided and protective factors can be established that may last a lifetime (Cohen, ChaÃŒ vez, Chehimi, 2007). Brain, human, social, and moralRead MorePiaget s Theory Of Experiential Learning1481 Words   |  6 PagesIn this childhood developmental study, a comparative analysis of the theories of Lee Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, and Howard Gardner will be evaluated through the lens of experiential learning. Through Vygotsky’s realization of the childhood learning through â€Å"hands-on† experience (experiential learning), the cultural and socioeconomic factors defines the progress a child makes in the individual progression towards growth in the educational system. Piaget beheld similar views on experiential learning inRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : Cognitive And Social Change Essay1210 Words   |  5 PagesDevelopmental psychology is a branch of the study that characterizes the human life span through physical, cognitive and social change. A human goes through three distinct life span stages, including infancy and childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The study of developmental psychology focuses on three major issues starting with nature and nurture, which deals with interactions between genetic inheritance and experiences to alter human development (Myers Dewall, 2015). The second issue is theRead MoreAdolescence : Everything Changes? Essay1199 Words   |  5 PagesAdolescence: Everything Changes Adolescence is a transitional stage of development that has been defined as starting with puberty and lasting the years a person is roughly aged ten to twenty. Dramatic changes take place during adolescence; no other time period of a person’s life except infancy contains so much development into such a short time span. Puberty has historically been viewed as the starting point of adolescence and several factors play a role in determining the timing of puberty suchRead MoreAdolescence Is A Transitional Period Of Physical And Psychological Development1313 Words   |  6 PagesAdolescence is a transitional period of physical and psychological development, occurring during the period from puberty to adulthood. It is the time that is marked by several vital exploratory developmental experiences including, identity formation, development and growth. During this period adolescents are in the process of furthering social relationships, of finding their place in society, and of makin g important choices for their future lives. While it’s a time for tremendous growth and potentialRead MoreLaub and Sampson’s Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control1013 Words   |  5 PagesPlenty of children engage in rough-and-tough play and may be a little mischievous from time to time. As they grow into adolescence, they may start committing crimes and get in trouble with the law, but most of these individuals outgrow their behavior and stop offending. What makes individuals persist or desist from crime? What are the key causal factors and mechanisms that help this behavior desist? An in-depth synthesis of John Laub and Robert Sampson’s theory of age-graded informal social control

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Legal Aspects Of U.s. Health Care System Administration

Legal Aspects of U.S. Health Care System Administration Martha L. Johnson Strayer University Professor: Anna Marie Miller Abstract This paper explores the importance of professionalism, ethical standards, professional conduct, and the importance of each in the health care system. These roles can have a positive or negative effect, or become determining factors for patients or individuals when choosing a health care facility. As the top administration of Well Care Hospital, it is my duty and role to ensure all staff members are conducting themselves in a professional and ethical manner, and following policy and procedures regarding patient’s and their medical information. The ramification or consequences I will implement if employees or staff members violate our professional code of conduct policy or security policy to prevent another security breach in the near future. My position as top administrator at Well Care Hospital is to provide a safe and working environment for patients and staff. My duty or responsibility is to ensure that all staff members are following our professional code of conduct policy, and displaying professionalism at all times, when dealing with patients and other staff members. If staff members are not following procedures or policy this could lead to HIPPA violations, negligence lawsuits, or security breaches where patient’s information have been disclosed to the public. In the last few months we have encountered aShow MoreRelatedLegal Aspects Of U.s. Health Care Systems Administration981 Words   |  4 PagesLegal Aspects of U.S. Health Care Systems Administration Professionalism in health care is of utmost importance, because it involves the delicate relationship between the caregiver, patient, and patient’s family. Patients often confront illness, social disruption, or any other life-changing event and are more often than not presented in a very vulnerable position. They expect healthcare professionals to handle their needs in an expert professional manner. â€Å"As a member of this profession, a physicianRead MoreLegal Aspects to U.S. Health Care System Administration1244 Words   |  5 PagesLegal Aspects of U. S. Health Care System Administration Lillie Cox Dr. A. M. Miller HSA 515 Health Care Policy, Law, and Ethics October 31, 2014 Legal Aspects of U. S. Health Care System Administration In the United States health care administration, there are lots of health laws, such as federal, state and local. The administrator will need to know these laws, because they will be interacting with top professionals at all levels. The health administratorRead MoreComparison and Contrasts of the United States and Canadian Health Care Systems1624 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United States and Canadian Health Care Systems The National healthcare debate is one that has been a continuing arguing point for the last decade. The goal is to provide healthcare to all Americans, regardless of whether they are able to afford insurance or not. In 2009, the U.S. National Health Care Act failed to come to be debated in the house. This Act would have called for the creation of a universal single-payer health care system. Under the policies this ActRead MoreAids1204 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration by George D. Pozgar, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a fatal disease that destroys the body’s ability to fight bacteria and viruses. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is considered to be the deadliest epidemic in human history with the first case being reported in 1981. It has been estimated that more than 21 million people have died from AIDS. (Pozgar, 2012, p. 353 364) AIDS is a collectionRead MoreSome Terms of Healthcare Information Systems951 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Care Information Systems Terms Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted August 21, 1996 by President Bill Clinton. This Act provides healthcare for workers when they leave one employer to join another in addition to regulating healthcare providers and the plans they provide to consumers and businesses. This Act was revolutionary at the time as it confronted the issue of pre-existing conditions. HIPAARead MoreHealth Care Of The United States1533 Words   |  7 PagesEvery country worldwide has it s own way of providing and making health care available for its citizens. More specifically, the developed nations all have their own system in how they make their health care available. Some are more expensive, some provide better quality of care, some are available to all citizens and some are available only to those who can afford it. For the first time in United States history, a health care act has passed, that will claim to insu re everyone nationwide regardlessRead MoreThe Electronic Delivery Of Health Services1725 Words   |  7 PagesRelatively new to the language of healthcare, telehealth offers a variety of care services provided via telecommunication tools. The electronic delivery of health services allows healthcare professionals to have direct, utilitarian communication with patients. The telephone, videophone, and computer are some examples of telecommunication tools. There are many propelling forces behind the growing field of telehealth. This includes healthcare and nursing employee shortages, educated clients, chronicRead MoreSouth Sudan Criminal Justice System1380 Words   |  6 Pages South Sudan Criminal Justice System Andrew Langstaff Eagle ID: 900764842 Georgia Southern University Instructor: Dr. Laurie A. Gould CRJU 4531: Comparative World Justice System South Sudan, the world’s newest country is struggling to survive. Rampant inflation, civil war and food shortages plague South Sudan. Besides political party reform, inter-communal violence and tensions over oil-sharing revenues with Sudan, another challenge South Sudan is facing to achieve peace that thisRead MoreCharacteristics of Public Administration4146 Words   |  17 PagesPrinciples of Public Administration 1.0 Introduction. This article discusses how have principles of public administration been applied to positively advance each of the following fields: education, transportation, health care, community development, law enforcement, and environmental policy. Also, the article hypothesizes what would become of the aforementioned services in the absence of a public administration system. The means by which public administration achieves its goals and the responsibilitiesRead MoreCritical Reflection : The Euthanasia Debate1652 Words   |  7 PagesCritical Reflection: The Euthanasia Debate Medical advancements and improved living conditions worldwide have increased the life span of our population (U.S. Department of State, 2015). As a result, many individuals are now living with degenerative or chronic ailments that require increased support (Vissers et al., 2013). Unfortunately, these illnesses often come with a â€Å"diminished quality of life† (Butler, Tiedemann, Nicol, Valiquet, 2013). These issues have brought forth the euthanasia debate

Friday, December 13, 2019

Nostradamus and his Quatrains Free Essays

Michel Nostradamus was a 16th century French physician and astrologer who had the figure of a prophet as perceived by his disciples. However, Nostradamus’ predictions were usually muddled and obscure before so-called predicted event but crystal-clear after the event had occurred. He wrote four-line verses that were particularly meaningless until an event had occurred; hence, the verse of prediction was considered as â€Å"shoehorned† into a prophecy, which can be sometimes classified as retroprophecy of his quatrains or four verses predictions. We will write a custom essay sample on Nostradamus and his Quatrains or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hence, within this study, the discussion aims to link the concepts of quatrains with Nostradamus’ predictions. Michel de Nostredame, born in December 14, 1503 and died in July 2, 1566, had been considered as one of the mythical seers of prophetic fields. Nostradamus had been his popular name throughout ages, and with this, the subject of prophecies links with his name. The French so-called â€Å"prophet† by his disciples was significantly known for his poetic quatrains that depict some sort of indirect and unclear predictions. However, the magic of his statement only occurs right after its occurrence. Most of his prophecies revolved in world state issues but try to conceal their meanings with the literary way in Nostradamus writings. Discussion Overview on the Concept of Quatrains From the historical perspective, Nostradamus’ quatrains had been published in 1555, which he entitled Centuries. His book contained his visions and all his predictions about the future of the world. Nostradamus was able to conceptualize 10 chapters of the book with 100 quatrains present each except for chapter 7, which only contained 42 quatrains. In addition, the quatrains of Nostradamus did not indicate any signs of time or date; hence, the actual interpretations of these predictions became vague and somehow literary severed. The quatrains in his book had this jumbled characters and the arrangements of its meaning took a long time before being organized. Most evidently, Nostradamus used the literary poetic style of four-lines in a verse or known as Quatrains. The most evident characteristic of his statements was the absolute use of figure of speech that made it hard for the reader to interpret the predictions initially; however, these statements somehow magically revealed their meaning right after the event had passed. The quatrains of Nostradamus, according to the book of Cannon (1992), contained obscure and foreign words wherein beneath possessed severely unexplainable interpretations (4). Although some can be interpreted, most of Nostradamus quatrains had used the vague identities of the statements in order to conceal their true meaning for a while. Cannon (1992) added that most of Nostradamus’ statements had not been interpreted in satisfactory manner so far (4). Nostradamus’ quatrains were so vague that they could have applied to many possible events, or symbolisms that could be convoluted with many possible interpretations. Nostradamus was able to cleverly disguise the meaning behind his quatrains in order to confuse those attempting to interpret the prophecies before their fulfillment. As supported by Oliver (2004), Nostradamus’ quatrains were hand-written in Old French, which could be very difficult to translate (11). Through these clever literary disguises, Nostradamus was able to veil the predictions prior to its occurrence; hence, saving the world from preparing prior to tragic events or future world disasters. Out of more than 900 prophecies of Nostradamus, none of them comprised of date, which further complicated the interpretations of these quatrains. However, despite of the vague identities and thoughts of Nostradamus’ quatrains, he had used some patterns that could be used as guides in understanding his quatrains. Although, most of the modern observers and readers did not considered the applications of Nostradamus’ predictions towards the globally occurring events.   As for the explorers of Nostradamus’ predictions, they had considered the quatrains of Nostradamus’ as predictions of the future; however, from the term itself, a prediction should fist be relayed and interpreted prior to the occurrence of the events. With the proposed argument of Diamond (2004), after the President Kennedy was shot, everyone jumped on the Nostradamus quatrain bandwagon and said that through his quatrain, he had clearly predicted the Kennedy shooting. However, this is not predicting since predicting means successfully calling a circumstance prior to its occurrence rather than using post-hoc reasoning to explain something (161). From his supporting statement, the predictions of Nostradamus and the vagueness of his quatrains had somehow initiated the concept of retroprophecy or the revealing of truth to his prophecy only after its occurrence. Despite of diverse critics on Nostradamus’ quatrains and predictions it conceived, some of these were extraordinarily and undeniably accurate. According to Goldberg (1999), the style of predictions made by Nostradamus may or may not be intentionally being veiled for future assumptions of interpreters (218). The retrograde characteristics of Nostradamus’ prophecy cannot be entirely considered as due to his intention of hiding it to the readers, since he had conceptualized this during his time and possibly without the knowledge of the changing French language. However, arguments would rise from this reason, since Nostradamus did not only use Old French language to veil his prophecy but also his figurative way of expressing his predictions. Arguments on whether or not to consider the validity of Nostradamus’ predictions aroused because of the retrograde characteristics of his predictions. On the other hand, the mystery of these quatrains was more understood in relation with American society and, as against to the early translations, the European society. As the twentieth century entered in, some of the predictions of Nostradamus regained its clarity and application not with the European society, but most often to the United States (e.g. September 11, 2001 bombing, etc.). As supported by McClaine (2000), Nostradamus had mentioned the birth of different personages who were born after his death and the rise of nations that were unknown or unthinkably despicably in his day (20). Nostradamus’ predictions may even faced this character of revealing itself right after the scenario occurred; however, his quatrains had somehow considerably predicted most of the events occurring within the global context, most especially with the American society; hence, the quatrains of Nostradamus did provide significant means of hiding its meaning and further exposing it right after fulfillment. Nostradamus and his Predictions Many of Nostradamus’ readers had long attempted to translate the prophecies in his statements. Unfortunately, even the original translations were not as accurate as it seems, and so far, no significant changes in the translations had been made. Adding into the complexities of Nostradamus’ quatrains, the Old French meanings had been modified by time for the last 400 years; hence, most of the words can no longer be applied to the translations of modern French.   Two points were common to his predictions, which were the presence of allegory and deep literary disguise. According to Ned (1999), the predictions of Nostradamus utilized codes, patterns and oracles that had been camouflaged in references to the past and molded in to rhyme of verses (8). Nostradamus simply wrote down the prophesies that arrived to his thinking; however, he was able to document it properly without further giving patterns via place, time, or events. From the complex meaning and diverse possible interpretations from Nostradamus’ predictions, it should have been easier if Nostradamus’ indicated the dates of his predictions; however, as supported by Halley (1999), Nostradamus himself did not consider placing it for good reasons (8). Overall, the vocabularies that Nostradamus used within his predictions were approximately 8,000 words; however, some of these, despite of similar means, were used in differently in a poetical form. As supported by Thurston (2004), some of the predictions in his quatrains seem unarguable accurate, and particularly fulfilled in his own society and time (39). However, only few of Nostradamus quatrains would possess significant linkage to historical events. The sense of ambiguity and enigma still governed the multiplicity of meanings in his predicting quatrains. Some of the skeptics would consider the predictions of Nostradamus by either problematic or significantly true. In the sense of being problematic, Thurston (2004) argued that some of the articles in Nostradamus’ predictions were impossible to have been conceptualized or even grasped (e.g. aircraft vessels, guns, sky-scrape buildings, etc.) four hundred years before its actual occurrence (39). On the other hand, the same reason could be applied to justify Nostradamus’ realistic predictions since there were no possible means to grasp these ideas except for truthfully seeing them through predictions (Desrosiers 46). For the sake of interpretations, some critiques in this study would defend the presence of pattern in Nostradamus’ predictions; however, Welch (2000), argued that Nostradamus’ punctuations were wildly erratic, apparently following no particular rule or pattern (7). There were no patterns employed in any of Nostradamus predictions in order to facilitate the revealing of his quatrains message only after the occurrence of the incident. In some perspective, Popkin (1992) provided the statement that even Nostradamus claimed that his capacity to predict came as a divine providence from God, which allowed him to predict the coming future (182). According to his argument, Nostradamus had to ensure that the revelations of his quatrains will only occur after the events had already pass in order to avoid the change of predictions and the future. If human civilization can to obtain control over these predictions, the chances of its failed occurrence will be likely since humans will eventually prepare prior to the event’s occurrence (Frank 204). Somehow, Nostradamus had to ensure the retrograde character of his quatrains in order to protect predictions stored with it, and further prevent warnings from ever arriving to human thinking. An Analysis to Nostradamus Four-Line Verses The disguises of Nostradamus’ quatrains involved various confusing parts because of some sort of punch lines that he had incorporated, which, if interpreted correctly, could provide a new picture of interpretation. In one example, Nostradamus’ Quatrain 87 from Chapter 1 says (cited in Oliver 12): Great symbols on fire in the center of the mainland Will cause trembling in the towers of New York City Two great skyscrapers will be continuously attacked, This is when Arethuse turn-around to a new course. This has been one of the famous quatrains from Nostradamus’ prediction, which gained its popularity during the bombing of 1993. Civilians and believers of Nostradamus’ predictions had thought that this was the fulfillment of his statements; however, things went clearer during the September 11, 2001 attack in the World Trade Center twin towers. According to Oliver (2004), quatrain 87 refers to the World Trade Center as the French Old English suggest, â€Å"Enno-sigee†, which connoted enno as great one and sigee as standing silent; hence, depicting the great ensigns of the New York skyline (12). After the event had occurred, the statements from media repeatedly reported the downfall or incident of the symbols of American capitalism or in translation, the great ensigns or symbolisms (Ward 117). Lastly, the Arethuse in the last statements of Nostradamus’ prophecy did not actually appeared in the modern context of French language, but rather considered to be the Old French language. From etymological analysis, Arethus could be translated to Aerthuse and if interpreted right, â€Å"Are† should mean air, while â€Å"thuse† should mean tubes. If these words were translated, it could somehow mean â€Å"air-tubes† or â€Å"air-vessels†, which if interpreted with the statements, â€Å"this is when Arethuse turn-around to a new course†, could mean the aircraft that changed its course to hit the twin towers during the September 11, 2001 disaster  Ã‚   (Oliver 12-13). Hence, as for the thesis of this study and with this statement analysis, the predictions of Nostradamus could be composed of vague and unclear statements; however, upon the fulfillment of events, these prophecies revealed their meaning to the readers with correct interpretations. This was only one of the many prophecies of Nostradamus that provided a significant character of being â€Å"retroprophecy† or revealing of predictions after its fulfillment. Ironically, Nostradamus distributed his Centuries of 1955 in order for men to possess basis that these significant global events were destined and already plotted, but clearly not to warn or save humanity from the impending disasters and conflicts that future had in store for human civilization. Conclusion In response to the thesis of the study, Nostradamus had indeed utilized a retrograde feature for his quatrains or four-line verses in order to hide the predictions from humans preventing them to possess warnings and prepare for the upcoming future. Evidently, Nostradamus purposively disguised and used Old French in order to conceal the meanings, provide multiple interpretations, and hide the actual predictions of his quatrains. However, after the fulfillment of the given statement had been fulfilled, the events were being revealed to human minds. Scholars had suggested possible patterns in his quatrains that may hold access to deciphering his predictions; however, so far, little portions of success had been made due to the complexities his quatrains. Works Cited Cannon, Dolores. Conversations with Nostradamus: His Prophecies Explained. Ozark Mountain Publishing, 1992. Desrosiers, Gilbert. An Introduction to Revelation: A Pathway to Interpretation. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000. Diamond, Leonard. Alien Conscious: Sixty Years of Abduction Experiences. Gate Way Publishers, 2004. Frank, Joseph. The Atlantis Encyclopedia. Career Press, 2005. Goldberg, Bruce. Astral Voyages: Mastering the Art of Soul Travel. Llewellyn Worldwide, 1999. Halley, Ned. Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. Wordsworth Editions, 1999. McClaine, Lee. Across Centuries: Nostradamus, Apocalypse, Destiny and the Great Millennium. Universal Publishers, 2000. Oliver, Edward. Trail Of Prophecy. Virtualbookworm Publisher, 2004. Popkin, Richard. The Third Force in Seventeenth-century Thought. BRILL, 1992. Thurston, Mark. Edgar Cayce’s Predictions for the 21st Century. Star Enterprises International Inc., 2004. Ward, Charles A. Oracles of Nostradamus. NuVision Publications, 2007. Welch, R W. Comet of Nostradamus: August 2004-Impact!. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000.    How to cite Nostradamus and his Quatrains, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Harriet Beecher Stowe Essay Example For Students

Harriet Beecher Stowe Essay Harriet Beecher Stowe was a highclass women, reformer, and writer in the 1800s. Shewrote many anti-slavery documents that helped reformsociety. You may know her as the writer of Uncle TomsCabin, the best-selling book in the 1800s about how badslavery was. Because of the encouragement if her husband,Calvin E. Stowe, she became one of the most famouswriters, reformers, and abolitionist women of the 1800s. Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe was born on June 14,1811, in Linchfeild, Connecticut. Her father, ReverendLyman Beecher, raised her in a strong, religious, abolitionistenvironment. She was also very well educated. In 1832,she moved to Cincinnati with her father. There she learnedabout slavery that was taking place in the state underneathher. In 1836, she married Calvin E. Stowe, a collageprofessor who encouraged her writing, that was soon tomake her one of the famous women in American history. Afew years later she moved to Maine because her husbandwas excepted into a college as a professor. HarrietBeecher Stowe is well known for her well writtenanti-slavery document, Uncle Toms Cabin. Uncle TomsCabin is one of Harriets Most potent pieces of writing. Itwas also the 1800s best selling book. She may also beknown for her other, not so famous, anti-slaverydocuments known as the following: Dread: the Tale of theGreat Dismissal Swamp, The Ministers Wooing, The Pearlof Orrs Island, and The O ldtown Folks. These books maynot have been her best pieces of anti-slavery writing, but itstill helped influenced many people into going againstslavery and trying to stop it. Harriet Beecher Stowe may besignificant because she wrote Uncle Toms Cabin, but sheis significant in other ways. Back during the time of slaveryno one would listen to what an African American wouldhave to say, let alone an African American slave. It wasvery odd in that time to be a rich, high class woman and notown a slave. But, because of the encouragement of herhusband, and the way she was raised as a child she wasagainst slavery, and she tried to reform society. By herwriting ability and knowledge of slavery she wroteanti-slavery documents that almost every northerner read. The pieces of work influenced many people. A lot ofpeople would try to stop slavery, just as Harriet would. IfHarriet Beecher Stowe wouldnt have written her storiespeople probably wouldnt have been as influenced, andsociety today wouldnt be the same. Harriet BeecherStowe was one of the most famous abolitionist woman ofthe 1800s. She was a high-class women who greatlyinfluenced people in her writing on anti-slavery. She wrotemany other anti-slavery documents that influenced manypeople into becoming abolitionist and reformers of society. Her husband and father were a great influence on herwriting. Harriet Beecher Stowe is well known for hermasterpiece, Uncle Toms Cabin which was the best sellingbook of the 1800s.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Tess Of The Durbervilles Essays (2857 words) - Literature, Film

Tess Of The D'urbervilles Tess of the d'Urbervilles Oral: Structure, point of view and narrative techniques in Tess of the d'Ubervilles. Ok well this isn't really an essay as such it's a an oral that I had to give on Tess, but still it took ages and I guess I could be kind of helpful. -veronica Narrative techniques - Chance and coincidence, symbolises the forces working against Tess. Coincidence as a means to an end - Irony- social laws brought into account with the natural law. Ironies are also paralleled by separate ironies throughout he novel. Irony is enforced by omens - Technical words, jargon to add authenticity (local farming terms, musical, artistic or architectural) - Classical allusions. - Folk-law and folk magic. - Seasonal background as an accompaniment to emotions - Uses the microcosmic (Tess) to demonstrate the general - Tess shown in relation to the work she does, Tess is a natural women compared to Mercy. - Relies on change of place and the idea of pilgrimage - Insight into character - Sharply drawn visual and sensory descriptions - Exploits contrast and comparison of place and character - Letters Structure - Title, division into phases - Coherence and real life timing in regard to the length of the phases - Realism is not impaired by the controlled structure because of the coherent but however not entirely coinciding events, such as her successive journeys home - Final chapter as demonstration of Hardy's complete control - No sub-plots - Hardy's fluctuating fatalistic and determinism. - Double meanings - Symbolism, Tess as an animal Point of View - Written in third person - Omniscient narrator. - Different stand points of narration, Narrative: distinguished from descriptions of qualities, states or situations and also from dramatic enactment of events. Narrative technique is the method of telling stories. Narrative technique is a broad term to describe anything Thomas Hardy does to communicate his message and ideas. Under this umbrella of narrative technique also fall such things as structure, style, point of view, imagery and so on. To understand many of the narrative techniques Hardy adopts we must have some understanding of his background, the audience and the times he was writing in and why he would have wanted to broach such controversial issues. Hardy was a poet, he intensely read and studied poetry and literature from his early twenties. Prose fiction was his temporary profession out of economic necessity. This serves to explain the symbolic, metaphoric, poetic nature of his writing and also the many references to Shakespeare, other literature and the bible. In order for Hardy to convey his ideas he had to not only consider the needs of his current audience but also pursing his greater literary and personal obligations. To do this he had to include his insights indirectly and evasively, adopting symbolic meanings that reached beyond the superficial social actions of the time. It is also important to note how the novel was released and the ?censoring? that was in place to control controversial or ?inappropriate? morals, values and issues. The serialized format of realize also contributed in a large way, somewhat dictating the story line and affecting the general lay out. This is evident when you notice that there are several series of rising action, climax and denouement, generally towards the end of phases. Examine the explanatory note to the first edition - ?form a true sequence of thing?, talks of the Victorian expectations of a true story. Possibly why Hardy paid such attention to the surroundings and the use of local terminology. - ?Piece the trunks and the limbs of the novel together? The effect of the serialization and censoring had on the novel. It is not in its true form until can be read completely and together. - Artistic form?in respect of the book's opinions and sentiments? Hardy struggling to be true to his greater literary and personal values and morals. He had to entertain his current audience but his language was used in such a way that the general story lines transcends the ages, and elevates it beyond the story. The quote he reflects on is obviously appropriate and intended to the orthodox Victorian expectations, ?If an offence come out of the truth, better is that the offence come than that the truth be concealed? St Jerome's. Letters ? - They provide a different insight into the characters: - Altered level of narrative - Different character voices

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Mountain Gorillas Essays - Gorillas, Mountain Gorilla, Free Essays

Mountain Gorillas Essays - Gorillas, Mountain Gorilla, Free Essays Mountain Gorillas Half man and half beast. This is what is usually said about the gorilla. They say that the gorilla is related to us. You can find mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes, which are located on the boundaries of Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda. The Virungas are 600 miles of tropical rainforest. Youll find then roaming around 7,800 and 11,000 feet, but at low elevations. The gorillas live in units. Most of the units consist of about 6-12 members in it, most of them being related in some way. With each unit, there is a leader, usually an old silverback, who was a virtual dictator. A silverback male has large canines and he may weigh 400 pounds. He is the one who decides when to proceed, and when to stop, and which direction to go. When he sleeps, everyone else is supposed to be sleeping to, and then he gives a signal to wake up. When the old silverback gets too old, then his eldest son usually is the one to take over. The females are usually responsible for the nursing portion in the unit. Gorillas are peaceful and tolerant by nature. Whenever two groups meet, they either ignore each other, or they give each other a grumpy grunt. Sometimes the two groups would even stay together, and then eventually separate. There are many rumors about gorillas being very violent, but there are no reports about it. There are times when they have little mock fights, but there is never any blood shed in them. Right now there are not too many mountain gorillas you will find in the Virungas. Their population is only in the hundreds. In 1960, there was an estimated 450 gorillas still remaining in two isolated habitats. In a 1981 census, it gave a figure of about 254 gorillas. Right now there is somewhere between 400-450 mountain gorillas that have survived. There are so few of these creatures for many reasons. There are many poachers who kill the gorillas for their head or hands to sell to tourists as a souvenir, or hunter that kill them to have a trophy. With so much of this going on, the rangers of the parks so not think there will be anymore of these gorillas left by the end of the century. There have been a few projects and conservation groups made to save this endangered species. The Washington-based African Wildlife Foundation, started a program in the parks on park security, to prevent as much poaching. The tourist program also developed rapidly. They went from 1,352 paid visitors in 1978 to 5,790 in 1984. With the help of the money from tourism, they were able to start some programs on the conservation of the mountain gorillas. The basic issues of the groups and programs are human population and the way land is used. The future for the gorillas look very bleak. Illegal logging, gold prospecting, and hunting has become more and more popular where the gorillas live. To assure gorillas a future will require a dedication that can not just be done through projects or even years or centuries, but it takes a commitment for the rest of eternity. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baumgartel, Walter. Up Among the Mountain Gorillas. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1976. Fossey, Dian. Gorillas in the Mist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983. Patterson, Francine. The Education of Koko. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1981. Schaller, George B. Gorilla: Struggle for Survival in the Virungas. New York: Aperture Book, 1989. Bibliography Baumgartel, Walter. Up Among the Mountain Gorillas. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1976. Fossey, Dian. Gorillas in the Mist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983. Patterson, Francine. The Education of Koko. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1981. Schaller, George B. Gorilla: Struggle for Survival in the Virungas. New York: Aperture Book, 1989.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Paper Example Because the updating of the insurance form is very important, even a small error in the form could lead to big problems. So the updating process should carried out in a correct manner. Introduction: Medicare insurance is a governmental program offered to the elderly of the United States population, which has essential and inherent problems as the needs of the aged population grows. â€Å"Medicare is a centralized health insurance program that compensates for hospital and medical care for elderly and disabled US citizens† (Getting Started, n.d.). Many health organizations and common companies are using Medicare services and, therefore, companies use Medicare insurance for their employee’s health security. These organizations would need to get the updates and new information from the insurance company. So a permanent relation between both the parties is necessary. To get the updates from the insurance company, the employees should maintain permanent contacts with the comp any. Body: The situation in this case is that the billing assistant is sick and the manager has asked me to fill in. I decided to quickly review the office protocol for Medicare insurance billing. I noticed that a new form is now required and that the office is not currently following it. I brought this problem to the office manager’s attention. He asked me to update the office’s Medicare form.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Reflective Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Report - Coursework Example Different activities or roles are performed throughout a meeting to assist partakers in attaining the meeting objectives. Enabling or simplification of successful outcomes is the duty of both executives and members. Executives who are equipped to be competent, productive, and self-confident are capable of accomplishing tasks, cultivate a solid, unified group environment, and form strong relationships (Dwyer, 2012). They enable the attainment of goals and encourage the full involvement of others at the meeting. Specifically, I have learned that an executive with competent meeting skills is capable of guiding and strengthening the meeting at every phase. At the start of the meeting, the executive should explain and obtain agreement on objectives, specify conditions, rules, and duties, and promote a strong group environment. For the duration of the meeting, the executive should assist the team in adjusting and implementing the programme, achieve the task goals, formulate action plans, make decisions, create and sustain positive relationships, and make sure the team environment is productive (Dwyer, 2012). At the end of the meeting, the executive should sum up and specify any aspect that demand future response and call the attention of participants about the important details of the meeting. After the meeting, the executive should distribute or communicate outcomes in a prompt way; assess the success of the meeting; observe execution of the action plan; and recommend adjustments for prospecti ve meetings. Open and effective communication and competent executive meeting skills result in a successful meeting that facilitates decision-making and implementation of actions in order to attain desired outcomes. Moreover, developing a vision, making preparations early on, establishing goals throughout the meeting and setting requirements for feedback or follow-up and evaluation later on are crucial. Simply put, an

Monday, November 18, 2019

Control by Heat and UV Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Control by Heat and UV - Lab Report Example Some bacteria though have developed adaptive measures to sustain high-temperature exposures, for example, T. aquaticus that is used in PCR. Psychrophiles are those that require low temperatures of less than 20⠁ °C while mesophiles require 20-40⠁ °C. Thermophiles, on the other hand, require high temperatures of above 40⠁ °C to survive. Most bacteria that infect human are mesophiles and grow optimally at 35-37⠁ °C. Bacteria that have endospores are more likely to survive extreme environmental conditions such as high temperature and high UV irradiation (Prescott, John and Donald, 54) Three TSA plates were acquired and labeled with a name, lab time, and temperature. Each was divided into three sections. Each section was marked with the abbreviation of the test organisms. A single streak (about 1cm) of each organism was made on its respective section. They were incubated at temperatures of 35⠁ °C incubator, Room temperature (or 25⠁ °C incubator) and Refrigerator (~10⠁ °C). Four TSA plates were acquired for each bacterium. Each was labeled with the name, lab time and the organism name. The plates were then divided into half each and labeled control and UV on each side. A sterile swab was inoculated into the culture. Three zigzag lines were made on the agar surface at 45 degrees to each other. The plates were exposed to UltraViolet light for 3 minutes before incubation at 35⠁ °C for 48 hours. Four Trypticase Soy Broth tubes were labeled with name, lab time, organism and time. Each tube was inoculated with the appropriate organism. Each student in the team exposed the organism to different temperature of 40⠁ °C, 55⠁ °C, 80⠁ °C and ~100⠁ °C. Each organism was exposed to heat for a given length of time, that is, 10, 20, 30 and 40 minutes. The tubes were vortexed after every 10 minutes. After the appropriate length of time, the tubes were dried and incubated at 35 °C for 48 hours. The four types of bacteria exhibited different responses to

Friday, November 15, 2019

TTS Systems for Android

TTS Systems for Android   ABSTRACT There are different kinds of TTS (Text to Speech) systems are already available for Personal computers and web applications. In the Platform of Smart Phone, few of TTS systems are available for Bangla Language. Nowadays android is a popular platform considering Smartphone. There are few Bangla TTS Systems are Available with different kind of Mechanisms and techniques, various kind of tools were used. Here we tried to introduce all mechanisms together and proving a summary above all existing system. Introduction There are more than 250 million people over 4 states of 2 countries in the world speaks Bengali. We are looking for a device which would be able to read any bangla text aloud. So now there is no other device than mobile phone as a better option. There are more than 14 million mobile users in Bangladesh and 30% of them are using smart phones. Use of smart phones are increasing day by day because of reliability, maximum features, capable of using faster internet and eligible for open source application based system. So these kind of features are making our communication very easier and maximum communication is happening over text messaging. So for making our life very easier there are many TTS engines are available for English and many other languages. For bangla there are few more TTS Systems are available in smart phones Platform. Text and Speech both are very powerful communication infliction. If we can make it easier by converting from text to speech or vice versa than it would be a great achievement in communication life cycle, it will make communication easier than before. People would be able to speak their own words by texting only via Mobile Phone. Speech is the most natural form of communication and interaction. Speech Synthesis is a major part of TTS engine and for Bangla it is done in many different ways by different authors. From all those we will get the basic idea of Speech Synthesis Techniques. It is apparent that we are using pre recorded voices for TTS engines yet. Maximum system renders symbolic linguistic representation. So we will discuss about the existing system and possibilities of making the voice very much realistic. The concatenation of final token of speech should be patterned as like real communication. Recorded voices are stored in Database. System differ in the size of the stored units. As for being the speeches or words recorded by human then the clarity may vary. Maximum author tried to put most of the effort to code optimization and database compression. Theyve tried to found many new methods of Speech Synthesis also. Android is a popular Smart phone operating system because of it allows open source applications to install and use, For this reason anyone can try for making better applications for using or business purpose. So it is very important to build a bangla TTS for android. The purpose of our research is to introduce with all of the best TTS Existing systems for Bangla in Android Platform, and ensuring the quality research outputs , findings and Placing possible future works .We discussed about the key points of individual authors and at the end we shown the comparison between all of those. Edification and research for Bangla TTS Engine was improved very highly in last few years. For Android mobile there are many publications available. So here we will discuss about few of them. Case Study 1: After studying the paper Title (A benglai Speech Synthesizer on Android OS), authors names (Sankar Mukherjee and Shyamal Kumar Das Mandal ), we have found that they were trying to develop Bengali speech synthesizer on mobile device. They have used Epoch Synchronous Non Overlap Add (ESNOLA) based concatenative speech synthesis technique for Speech generation. They work hard for database compression because where as space was very limited, small diaphone database was being used in previous days which reduced the quality of synthesized Speech. But in other hand (Pucher, M. and Frohlich, 2005) introduced with large unit selection database, they used a Server for synthesized output speech. It was mandatory to transferred the wave form to a mobile device over a network. They tried a quality output in almost real-time on Mobile device. Speech synthesis is the method of input text data to speech waveforms conversion. The Synthesis method ascertained by the vocabulary size. For utterances of the speech need to be modeled. There are many speech synthesis techniques such as rule-based, articulatory modeling and concatenative technique. But here they developed their synthesizer based on Epoch Synchronous Non Overlap Add (ESNOLA) concatenative speech synthesis method. ESNOLA provides moderate processing for proper matching between different segments during concatenation and it supports unlimited vocabulary without decreasing the quality. So this could be proposed as a good technique of Speech Synthesis. They have designed their full operational method as the given diagram. They divided the system in 4 parts including Input text and output speech state. In between they have planned two important states which is Text analysis module and Synthesizer Module. Where the major operations designed to be performed. A perfect speech required many things such as intonation, prosody, phonological words. And specially handling exception is mandatory while converting text to speech. In this paper they have tried to work with all those parts have mentioned. In their system model they introduced a module named Text analysis module. Which have two sections named phonological analysis module and other one is Analysis of the text for prosody and intonation. They work with the exceptional words at the first Phonological rule part. They developed and implemented phonological rule analysis of the text for prosody and intonation as (Basu, J et al., 2009). They have also work with the exceptional dictionary due to requirement of language analysis. So total processing of text related part ends in phonological analysis module. And synthesizing will be done by the next module. Synthesizer module works for generating a realistic and quality speech .after getting the finalized text from text analysis module they generate a token and then combine splices of pre-recorded Speech and generate the synthesized voice output using ESNOLA approach as in Shyamal Kr Das Mandal, et al. (2007). In ESNOLA approach, the synthesized output speech is generated by concatenating the basic signal segments from the signal dictionary at epoch positions. They synthesized like e.g à  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ = bh + bha + a + aL+o . They had implemented their application in below System specification. Memory management is a major issue in android platform otherwise it wouldnt be used broadly. In this paper they have mentioned that This context will live as long as this application is alive and does not depend on the activities life cycle. It is obtained by calling Activity.getApplication(). They kept the partneme database in external storage card. And the best part is after producing output the final speech file will be deleted. For this TTS system there are total 596 sound files stored in the partneme database. Total size of the database is 1.0 Mb and application size is 2.26 Mb. The best part of this TTS system is it can read Bengali message from phones inbox and it also can generate speech by writing the Bengali word using English alphabet format. Performance And Quality Evaluation is the major part of any Application. Here the total processing time is counting from the starting time ( button is pressed to speak) to the first speech sound is pronounced. They had test the application in many ways and the output of all result is given below They have also judged their application by audience. To measure the output speech quality 5 subjects, 3 male (L1, L2, L3) and 2 female (L4, L5), are selected and their age ranging from 24 to 50. 10 original (as uttered by speaker) and modified (as uttered with android version) sentences are randomly presented for listening and their judgment in 5 point score (1=less natural 5=most natural). The result is given below. The total average score for the original sentences is 4.72 and the modified sentence is 2.88. In their paper, they describe about implementation of a Bengali speech synthesizer on a mobile device. Their goal was to develop a text-to-speech (TTS) application that can produce real time Speech. They modified several components in ESNOLA to make it run on android device. Case Study 2: The objective of a TTS engine is to convert some language Text into its spoken equivalent by a series of modules. For a better TTS engine language modeling and Speech synthesis is major units. After Studying the paper Title( Text to speech for Bangla Language using Festival) authors names (Firoj Alam , Promila Kanti Nath and Dr. Mumit Khan) we found they have used the open-source third party tool Festival TTS engine. Festival provides a frame work for building speech synthesis systems for any TTS engine. The Festival system is written in C++ and uses the Edinburgh Speech Tools Library for low level architecture and has a Scheme (SIOD) based command interpreter for control. Festival Provides API documentation. In their TTS engine they have used two different kind of concatenative methods: unit selection and multisyn unit selection which supported in Festival. In their research they have discussed about Text Analysis, Phonetic analysis Grapheme to phoneme Conversion, Prosodic Analysis, Speech Database or Waveform Synthesis, Speech Output and Analysis of output result. The input text may come in non standard way, considering this problem they have used the text analysis part to convert all non standard words to standard words. Their grapheme-to-phoneme module produces strings of phonemic symbols based on information in the written text. Final speech synthesis is accomplished by concatenative unit selection technique and multisyn unit selection technique. In their proposed system the first step is text analysis. the job of a TTS engine is to convert the input text to equivalent Speech, for this reason the input text should convert to a standard format. There is always a chance that the input text may contain NSW (Non-Standard Word) type words. Here the author listed the NSW words as e.g. numbers (year, time, ordinal, cardinal, floating point), abbreviations, acronyms, currency, dates, URLs. They have used Text normalization for formatting NSW to SW (Standard Word) and they disambiguate the ambiguous token using rule. In their research they didnt work with Unicode directly because Festival doesnt support Unicode, So that they convert Unicode text to ASCII. In text analysis part they Split the token based on white-space and punctuation. They consider white space as a separator and Punctuation can separate the raw tokens. Festival Ordered list of tokens, each with features of white-space, and punctuation. For tokenization White-space is the most commonly used .they have identified Bangla Language have more than 10 types of NSW, so each NSW can identify as separate token by token identifier rules. They used scheme regular expression in festival to identify the token. After identifying of all NSW they convert it to standard word by pronunciation lexicon or (letter to sound) LTS rule. Pronunciation of a word sometimes doesnt match with the pronunciation form. They have solved this problem by using list of lexicon and LTS rule. They inserted 900 lexicons with its pronunciation in the lexicon dictionary. The Steps of Phonetic Analysis within festival: 1. Building large amount of lexicon. 2. Building letter-to-sound rules. They have used three techniques for concatenative synthesis: diphone, unit selection and multisyn-unit selection.They identified 45 phones excluding 31 diphthongs with their features based on articulatory analysis. To build diphone database they include diphthong as well. In their implementation they excluded the diphthongs. The duration they added is taken from Kiswahili TTS system but This is not exact duration for the phone set of Bangla language. They have approximately recorded 500-900 utterance to cover most frequent words of language. The analogy of the system was tested in two ways: in terms of acceptability/naturalness and in terms of intelligibility. Synthesized speech was evaluated on three levels: sentence level, word level and phrase level. In case of sentences level the intelligibility rate being close to 85%. On phrase level it is 83.33% and word level it is 56.66%. In their second experiment, degree of naturalness of the synthesized speech was assessed, again on sentence 90%, phrase 85% and word level 65%. The results Obtained are shown in below Figure. Case Study 3: Their model consist of three part, 1st one is LINGUISTIC MODULE what generate a linguistic representation from text. 2nd one is ACOUSTIC MODULE which generates speech from the linguistic representation. And the 3rd and final one is VISUAL MODULE which driving a talking head based on the linguistic representation. They created a relational lexical database from three source lexica: The Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary, Moby Pronunciation II and COMLEX English pronouncing lexicon. There have almost entered 200,000 word, of which over 1500 are non-homophonous homographs. The interesting part of their project is they used animated image which will moved on the subject. In their Linguistic Module they token textual input and looks up word pronunciations and tags in the lexical database. Which words are not present in their lexical database they used a dynamic programming alignment algorithm that algorithm described for aligning sequences from the same alphabets. In Letter-to-sound neural network they defined features for a letter to be the union of the features of the phones that that letter might represent. When they get competitive results they thought that improved performance will come from simplifying the phonological representations found in the dictionary. By this they built a prelimi nary linguistic representation of the utterance. Then the linguistic representation submitted to a postlexical module where lexical pronunciations derived from the lexicon are converted to postlexical pronunciations typical of the speaker. They consider the distance to word, phrase, clause, and sentence boundaries was included. After converting the linguistic representation they send it to the Acoustic Module, which has three stage 1.Duration Neural Network , 2.Phonetic Neural Network and 3.Waveform Synthesizer . The acoustic module established the timing of the speech signal by associating segment duration with each phone in the linguistic representation. An acoustic representation, consist of input parameters for the synthesis portion of a vocoder, is generated for each ten-millisecond frame of speech. Finally, the synthesis portion of the vocoder is used to generate speech from these acoustic descriptions. The most interesting part of their module is that they are providing the video for the speech, so it looks like natural. And that reason they collect the animated image from the nature. The video subsystem takes the output of the linguistic module and the output of the duration neural network and generates an animated figure by using an additional neural network. Case Study 4 : Sanghamitra Mohanty has developed a very intelligent tool, which provides four Indian language Speech output at a time Hindi, Odiya, Bengali and Telegu. For all language she has considered a common system what she named Priyambada. She found Indian languages are phonetic in nature, and the progenitor phoneme mapping is linear. So the vowel and the consonant of the language are almost same except some of them. She took those in consider and apply algorithm for that. We found three stage on this TTS system. First one is Speech Corpora Creation. Here she identified speakers for four native languages, and get them in a laboratory environment using noise cancellation microphone. The sampling rate is 16 bit in single channel of 16000 Hz.By this way she collect the voice from the speakers. Secondly she creates a database for the Different Syllables from the text. She also stored individual polysyllables for different languages in a .wav file format. Finally she played the .wav files for the represented data. There she does not give the solution for the new word what is not in her present. With C++ language she developed a very interesting tool what plays very important role. Case Study 5: They actually focus to normalize the text. Most probably their work is same, their processes are tokenization, token classification, token sense disambiguation and word representation. They found some ambiguous tokens in bangla language. Like, Bangla use many language(English, Arabic, Hindi etc) in their language. the most challenging part of token are the numbers, dates, year, time, multi-text genre etc. To solve this problem they found two ways. One is to token normal bangla language and another table is to handle the ambiguous words. They levels three stage to token a word i) Tokenizer what will used to token the English and other South Asian scripts Bangla ii) Splitter is used for Punctuation and delimiter and iii) to token phone number, year, time and floating point is used Classifier. It also check the contextual rules, different form of delimiters was removed in this stage, for each type of token, regular expression were written in .jflex format all are checked in this stage. To make the ambiguous token natural this part is used for. The ambiguous words like non-natural number cardinal, ordinal, acronym, and abbreviations will sound natural. For this the used some stages. Those are (i). traverse from right to left. (ii). Map first two digits with lexicon to get the expanded form (i.e. 10 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ten). (iii). After the expanded form of the third digit insert the token hundred. (iv). Get expanded form of each pair of digit after third digit from the lexicon. (v). Insert the token thousand after the expanded form fourth and fifth digit and lakh after expanded form of sixth and seventh digit. They will continue those stages. After each of second block they insert the token koti to make it natural By this way they believe they can make perfection of 99% of the ambiguous words. Summary of 4 case studies: Topics Case study 1 Case study 2 Case study 3 Case study 4 Case study 5 Tools ESNOLA FESTIVAL NA Priyambada JFlex Processing text type ENGLISH ASCII, UNICODE ENGLISH NOT DEFINED ENGLISH Input text type BANGLA ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH Voice source Pre recorded Pre recorded Pre recorded Pre recorded Pre recorded Total Modules 2 3 Audio format Not define Not define Not define .Wav Not define intonation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Utterance Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Prosody Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Phonological words Yes Yes Not defined Not defined Yes Exception Handling Yes Yes No No Yes Database length 596 files Not defined 200,000 Not defined Not defined Database size 1.0 Mb Not defined Not defined Not defined Not defined Speech quality evaluation 2.88 out of 5.00 Intelligibility rate No 85% No No Yes Word Processing speed 0.45 sec/ 2 word ( no of syllable -6 ) Not defined Not defined Not defined Not defined Accuracy 57.8% 85% 87% Not define 99% for Ambiguous word [1] Frances Alias, Xavier Servillano, Joan Claudi socoro and Xavier Gonzalvo Towards High-Quality Next Generation Text-to-Speech Synthesis:A multi domain Approach by Automatic Domain Classification,IEEE Transactions on AUDIO,SPEECH AND LANGUAG PROCESSING, VOL16,NO,7 september 2008. [2] Qing Guo, Jie Zhang, Nobuyuki Katae, Hao Yu , High -Quality Prosody Generation in Mandrain Text-to-Speech system, FujiTSu Sci.Tech,J., vol.46, No.1,pp.40-46 ,2010. [3] Gopalakrishna anumanchipalli,Rahul Chitturi, Sachin Joshi, Rohit Kumar, Satinder Pal Singh,R.n.v Sitaram,D.P.Kishore, Development of Indian Language Speech Databases for Large Vocabulary Speech Recognition System, [4] A.Black, H.Zen and K.Tokuda Statistical parametric speech synthesis, in proc.ICASSP, Honolulu, HI 2007, vol IV, PP 1229-1232. [5] G.Bailly, N.Campbell and b.Mobius, ISCA special session: Hot topics in speech synthesis, in proc.Eurospeech,Genea, Switzerland, 2003, pp 37-40. [6] M.Ostendorf and I.Bulyko, The impact of speech recognition on speech synthesis, in proc, IEEE Workshop Speech Synthesis, Santa Monica,2002,pp. 99-106. [7] Text To Speech Synthesis a knol by Jaibatrik Dutta . [8] Silvio Ferreia,Celina Thillou, Bernaud Gosselin, From Picture to Speech: an Innovative Application for Embedded Environment, [9] M.Nageshwara Rao, Samuel Thomas, T.Nagarajan and Hema A.Muthy, Text-to-Speech Syntheis using syllable line units [10] Jindrich Matousek, Josef Psutks, Jiri Krita, Design of speech Corpus for Text-to-Speech Synthesis. Beckman M. and Elam G. Guidelines for ToBI Labeling. Manuscript, version 3, 1997. [11] Corrigan G., Massey N., and Karaali O. Generating Segment Durations in a Text-to-Speech System: A Hybrid Rule-Based/Neural Network Approach. Proc. Eurospeech 97, Rhodes, September 1997. [12] Gerson I., Karaali O., Corrigan G., and Massey N. Neural Network Speech Synthesis. Speech Science and Technology (SST-96), Australia, 1996. [13] Karaali O., Corrigan G., and Gerson I. Speech Synthesis with Neural Networks. Invited paper, World Congress on Neural Networks (WCNN-96), San Diego, September 1996. [14] Karaali O., Corrigan G., Gerson I., and Massey N. Text-to- Speech Conversion with Neural Networks: A Recurrent TDNN Approach. Proc. Eurospeech 97, September 1997. [15] Kiparsky P. Lexical phonology and morphology. Linguistics in the morning calm, ed. by I.S. Yang. Seoul: Hanshin, 1982. [16] Kruskal J. An overview of sequence comparison. Time Warps, String Edits, and Macromolecules, edited by Joseph Kruskal and David Sankoff. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley, 1983. [17] Linguistic Data Consortium. COMLEX English pronouncing lexicon. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, version 0.2, 1995. [18] Miller C., Karaali O., and Massey N. Variation and Synthetic Speech. NWAVE 26, Quebec, October 1997. [19] Nusbaum H., Francis A., and Luks T. Comparative valuation of the quality of synthetic speech produced at Motorola. Research report, Spoken Language Research Laboratory, University of Chicago, 1995. [20] OShaughnessy, D. Modeling fundamental frequency, and its relationship to syntax, semantics, and phonetics. Ph.D. thesis, M.I.T., 1976. [21] Sejnowski T. and Rosenberg C. NETtalk: a parallel network that learns to pronounce English text. Complex Systems 1.145-168, 1987. [22] Seneff S. and Zue V. Transcription and alignment of the TIMIT database. M.I.T., 1988. [23] Tuerk C. and Robinson T. Speech Synthesis using Artificial Neural Networks Trained on Cepstral Coefficients. Proc. Eurospeech 93, Berlin, September 1993. [24] Ward G. Moby Pronunciator II, 1996. [25] Weide R. The Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary. cmudict.0.4, 1995.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Women in The Laxdaela Saga Essay -- essays research papers

Women in the Laxdaela Saga   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Men and women interact and make the world go around every single day. The idea of one gender being more important is very difficult to judge because men and women contribute equally and in different ways. The Laxdaela Saga is no exception to the interaction of men and women; much of the story depends upon these relationships. Although in medieval times women did not play a large role in society, they are very important in the Laxdaela Saga. Without the various gender related interactions the culture of medieval Iceland would not be as clearly understood one thousand years after the events have taken place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first woman of importance and really the first character of importance is Unn the Deep-Minded and the fortunes of her descendents. Unn is a very influential pioneer of the saga; she establishes dynasties in Scotland, the Faroe Islands and Orkney by marrying off her granddaughters to the men of her choice. Unn also laid claim to Breidafjord, an enormous area of land on the west coast of Iceland. Unn later gave away parts of Breidafjord to her followers according to their social standing and lineage. When Unn died she left her estate to her grandson Olaf Feilan. Following Unn’s death her name slowly fades out of the saga. Her tight control over her land and granddaughters is the entire story line of the first part of the Laxdaela Saga.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other important...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

15 Basic Appeals

â€Å"Advertising: 15 Basic Appeals† by Jib Fowles (from â€Å"Mass Advertising As Social Forecast†) 1. Need for sex- surprisingly, Fowles found that only 2 percent of the television ads, he surveyed used this appeal. It may  be too blatant, he concluded, and often detracts from the product. 2. Need for affiliation- the largest number of ads use this approach: you are looking for friendship? Advertisers can also use this negatively, to make you worry that you'll lose friends if you don't use a certain product. 3. Need to nurture- every time you see a puppy or a kitten or a child, the appeal is to your paternal or maternal instincts. . Need for guidance- a father or mother figure can appeal to your desire for someone to care for you, s you won't have to worry. Betty Crocker is a good example. 5. Need to aggress- we all have had a desire to get even, and some ads give you this satisfaction. 6. Need to achieve- the ability to accomplish something difficult and succeed id entifies the product with winning. Sports figures as spokespersons project this image. 7. Need to dominate- the power we lack is what we can look for in a commercial â€Å"master the possibilities. † 8. Need for prominence- we want to be admired and respected; to have high social status.Tasteful china and classic diamonds offer this potential. 9. Need for attention- we want people to notice us; we want to be looked at. Cosmetics are a natural for this approach. 10. Need for autonomy- within a crowded environment, we want to be singled out, to be a â€Å"breed apart. † This can also be used negatively: you may be left out if you don't use a particular product. 11. Need to escape- flight is very appealing; you can imagine adventures you cannot have; the idea of escape is pleasurable. 12. Need to feel safe- to be free from threats, to be secure is the appeal of many insurance and bank ads. 3. Need for aesthetic sensations-beauty attracts us, and classic art or dance makes us feel creative, enhanced. 14. Need to satisfy curiosity-facts support our belief that information is quantifiable and numbers and diagrams make our choices seem scientific. 15. Psychological needs- Fowles defines sex (item no. 1) as a biological need, and so he classifies our need to sleep, eat, and drink in this category. Advertisers for juicy pizza are especially appealing late at night. Source: Media Impact Introduction to Mass Media (4th Ed) Author: Shirley Biagi,   Wadsworth

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Delaware River essays

The Delaware River essays The Delaware River and the Calima Lake are the two places that make me feel so happy when I remember the moments I have spent there with members of my family and friends. While my family and I were going to the Lake, we appreciated a variety of nice views, we saw field crops, farms, country houses, farm animals, etc. The driving time to the Calima Lake took approximately one and a half hours from home. Although, both places bring me very good memories, we enjoyed more driving to the Calima Lake. The driving time to the Delaware River is almost the same as the one to the Calima Lake with the difference that the views are much less enjoyable. We only saw mountains and edifications. The Calima Lake had recreation centers and very comfortable hotels near it where we were able to stay at, unlike the Delaware River there are not these types of facilities. The Calima Lake winds make it the best place in Colombia for the practice of water sports like windsurfing and water skiing. The Lake is even used for tournaments and international competitions. On the other hand, at the Delaware River boating and fishing are the only sports allowed. People from different places including tourists from different countries visited the Calima Lake to attend the windsurfing competitions and also for recreation purposes. Similarly, at the Delaware River many people visit that place looking to spend a whole day recreating and having fun. Finally, these places are really beautiful and nice, because they provide an enjoyable and relaxing day to all their visitors. ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Contemplating Oscar Wilde essays

Contemplating Oscar Wilde essays Oscar Wilde is an interesting author and an intriguing person with his wild habits and outrageous literary work. One such piece is an ideal husband. The characters of this play go about the upper class lives in such a way that it is both comedic and true. Sir Robert Chiltern is the picture of the ideal husband: honest to a fault, kind, gentlemanly, rich, an important job at the House of Commons, and much more. Lord Goring is a man who every young woman wants to marry yet he does not seem interested in them. By the end of the play however he proposes to Mabel Chiltern and she accepts as he will be an ideal husband. There is also the chaos of people threatening blackmail at one another. These two plots are expertly interwoven to create a comic play that also has interesting messages with in its light hearted tones, such as the conversations about the education of woman. Also it has other positive looks on woman such as Lady Chiltern, she has a positive and giving relationship with her husband. She has developed a working relationship much like one that we would think of a marriage today were she does basically what she wants. There are still the concepts of the time to consider when thinking about her liberation, so it is not perfect. It is better then most of what you consider of that time period. I have also seen the movie created in 1999. Looking at only the costumes it was wonderful. The costume director outdid themselves and created some wonderful eye candy for the viewer. It was good to see the period clothes in a live action piece. To see the way that the fabrics moved and the different bright cloth that can be used. I am not sure how true they costume director was to the period but it felt very authentic. It is important to see clothes from different sources so that you can get a concrete feel for them. When reading an ideal husband I got a feel for the time period and how people acted during it. There were seve...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Mobile Pet Grooming (Truck Pet Grooming) Research Paper

Mobile Pet Grooming (Truck Pet Grooming) - Research Paper Example s of services that will entail forging a closer bond between the owner and the pet, general cleaning of the dog, reduction of parasite infestation load, monitoring the health of the dog through physical examinations of swellings, cuts, scratches, cuts, changes in temperament as well as lameness. Our grooming professionals will also conduct a health examination using sophisticated machines with an intension of decreasing chances of other health problems such as scratches, thrush and other skin related condition. Our services will cover a large area of the city with our professionals performing their best to ensure the needs of the many customers are met. Our employees will utilize the various tools owned by the firm such as curry brush, clippers, shedding blade, stripping comb, slicker brushes, rakes, and stand dryers to attend to the pets in a professional manner. Duraz mobile pet grooming business will be headquartered in Los Angeles in the state of California and will extend to other places in the state after assessing the need. The business will be started in California as a result of many people in the town owning pets such as dogs and cats. California is one of the most populated states in the United States of America and has people of all of all the classes (CHANG, 1750). Major cities in California with highest number of people who owns dog include San Francisco, Rodeo drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles and San Diego (Packard, 63). The large number of people with a high percentage of them having pets will offer ready market for the mobile grooming services. The number of mobile pet grooming services is less compared to over a hundred thousand pets available in the state. Most people in California have pets especially dogs. The dog owners have a habit that often seems perplexing; they seem to be so much obsessed with dogs (BaÇ §cigil et al, 1350). Around three quarters of dog owners in California consider their pet as a family member and will pay anything to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Popular Culture - Essay Example In particular, many advertisements connote popular culture adopted by communities across the globe. The advert â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box†, consisting of two modern women fighting over a Bailey product represents the place of women in popular culture. This essay will analyze the advert by applying storytelling method, gender and sexuality method and finally discussing a source related to the advert. In summarizing the â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box† advert, it is possible to draw several aspects that represent popular culture in the community. The advert consists of two contemporary women fighting over a baileys product. Several aspects in the advert indicate that the women represent the modern society. The dressing codes used by both women in the advert indicate modern culture. One woman is dressed using a shorter dress that is mostly used by youthful women in different parts of the world. The second woman is dressed up using an outfit that perfectly fi ts in her body, an outfit that is popular among youthful and classy women. In addition, both women in the advert are groomed using high heeled shoes, which are trendy among classy women in the society. Further, the advert portrays a Bailey product being wrapped using a gift box, something that is commonly associated with women because the majority of women in the society like to receive gifts. Finally, the advert includes a picture of beautiful jewelry indicating that Bailey’s Fine Jewelry is capable of producing quality and attractive products for women in the society. This print medium used in the â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box† advert has several primary strengths that make the advert to be successful in attracting the target segment to purchase Bailey’s Jewelry. To start with, the advert incorporates emotional appeals that play an important role in attracting the target audience.  

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Employee Engagement and Intrinsic Motivation Thesis

Employee Engagement and Intrinsic Motivation - Thesis Example In 2006, the Conference Board published ‘Employee Engagement, A Review of Current Research and Its Implications’. Going by this report we see that twelve extensive studies have been published over the course of four years mainly by research firms such as Gallup, Towers Perrin, Blessing White, and the Corporate Leadership Council among others (Soldati, 2007). The Conference Board as a result took and combined all the results in order to come up with a blended definition that incorporated all the themes in it. They define employee engagement as â€Å"a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort to his or her work†. According to at least four of the studies agree upon eight of the key drivers: 1. Trust and integrity – how efficiently do managers commune and do what they preach? 2. Nature of the job –Is it psychologically inspiring every day? 3. The line between company performance and employee performance – Does the employer have an idea of how their performance will affect the company as a whole? 4. Opportunities for career growth – Will there be opportunities to grow in the future? 5. Pride about the company – Does the employee feel proud to be associated by the organization? 6. Coworkers/team members – Teamwork will greatly improve the employee motivation 7. Development of the employees – Does the organization make an effort to improve the employee’s skills and abilities? 8. Relationship with the manager – Does the employee treasure his or her relations with the boss? The other vital findings of the study included the fact that in comparison to the smaller companies, the larger companies tend to involve the workers more in the workplace. Employee age also creates a big difference in the vitality of the various drivers. As an example we can quote that employees who fall over t he age of 44 will place more importance on ‘recognition and reward for their contribution’, in comparison to their younger counterparts who place a higher value on ‘challenging environment/career growth opportunities’. However, one things that came across as the most important factor among all studies was the factor of one’s relationship with one’s manager. It was seen that it highly influenced the motivation levels of the employees in almost every case. Also according to the report, employee engagement is plays a very important part in the workplace. There is obvious and rising proof that high levels of employee engagement eagerly associates to individual, group as well as corporate performance in a number of crucial areas such as loyalty, retention, productivity, customer service and turnover. It is also seen that this difference is not just by small margins but big ones. Even though the results varied from study to study, the employees who were highly engaged usually outperformed their counterparts by a whopping 20-28%. This is a clear image of how employee engagement influences their workplace decisions as well as paves a way towards further organizational success by effectively instilling into the workers a desire to work efficiently. Finally, there is some verification that companies are reacting to this concept of employee engagement challenge mostly by creating flatter chains of command and also providing training for first-line managers to improve the communication at all levels (Flemund &

Monday, October 28, 2019

Make Green Delicious Essay Example for Free

Make Green Delicious Essay With global accolades, rave reviews and local food critics, its customer bases has grown substantially. Kennedy wants to expose the thought of slow food philosophy to as many people as possible, from his customers, workers, to the community. In order to set up a foundation, build public relation and reach more people in the community, Kennedy has to spend more time and extra money which a lot of his chefs found it unnecessary. To balance between grown and sustainability, Kennedy should cut costs in other areas. C. Alternatives: 1. Set up foundation * Cut costs * Pair up with a local non-governmental organization as it may be hard to run a foundation without proper skills training 2. Do not set up foundation D. - Recommendation: Set up the foundation. If the foundation succeeds, it can achieve Kennedy`s goal of educating the public about the slow food philosophy. It will help the corporation overall as it furthers differentiate the brand. If the foundation fails, it will hurt the corporation a bit but with its 33 years of experience and brand building, it should be able to recover. E. - Implementation Plan: It may be a good idea to pair up with a local non-governmental organization so that it reduces the risk of failing to manage the foundation. It is important to look for a local non-governmental organization that agrees and aligns with the firm`s own philosophy and goals. In terms of cutting costs, as mentioned in the case, it can move the production kitchen to a lower cost location and supply Jamie Kennedy Kitchens with his own rural farm. In this way, efficiency is improved. One issue that should be taken into consideration is that by supplying the corporation with its own farm, it may be competing with the local suppliers and damage the established relationship between suppliers.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Woodstock 1969 :: essays research papers fc

Many large concerts have occurred in the United States, but none have been as symbolic as the three-day music and art fest that touted the slogans of peace and love. This event was identified as such as a result of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. Woodstock Music Festival took place near Woodstock New York on August 15, 16, and 17, 1969, and became a symbol of the 1960s American counterculture. Woodstock began with the following four partners: Michael Lang, the manager of a rock band, Artie Kronfeld, an executive at Capitol Records, and two capitalists, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman who supplied most of the money and the original idea. Their original plan was to build a recording studio in Woodstock, a small town in the Catskill Mountains that had become a rock music Mecca when musician Bob Dylan and his rock group called the Band settled there. To get the word out, the four partners decided to hold a concert, which they called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The group originally tried to have the festival in the town of Woodstock, but the citizens would not permit it. Then after much debate Michael Lang decided to move the concert to Wallkill, New York, where the people also protested, so finally he decided to move it about 70 miles away from the town of Woodstock to Max Yasgur’s dairy farm. Looking back on the sighting of the Bethel farm Lang remarked "It was magic, it was perfect. The sloping bowl, a little rise for the stage, and the lake in the background.† Woodstock had more acts scheduled to play then any other single event ever held before. They were trying to sign the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands in America. The problem was getting the bands. Bands didn’t want to take contracts from an unproven venture, because they had no credibility. â€Å"To get the contracts, we have to have the credibility, and to get the credibility, we have to get the contracts,† Rosenman said. Woodstock Ventures solved that problem by paying enormous sums unheard of in 1969. The breakthrough came when they signed the Jefferson Airplane, the biggest psychedelic band back then. They signed for $12,000. An incredible sum of money considering the Jefferson Airplane usually took gigs for five or six thousand dollars. Credence Clearwater Revival signed for $11,500, and the Who signed for $12,500.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Essay --

During 26 December, the Fiji Meteorological Service's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Nadi, Fiji (TCWC Nadi), started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed within the Intertropical Convergence Zone about 575 km (355 mi) to the south-east of Nauru.[1][2] Over the next few days the depression gradually developed and organised further, as it moved towards the west-southwest under the influence of a north-easterly steering flow.[1][3] During 28 December, the JTWC classified the depression as Tropical Cyclone 05P, before TCWC Nadi reported that the system had developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale and named it Rewa.[4][5][6] Over the next few days, the system gradually intensified under the influence of favourable upper-level winds while it moved towards the south-southwest, passing through the Solomon Islands on 29 December and affecting the southeastern islands of Papua New Guinea.[3][7] As it moved through the So lomon Islands, Rewa moved out of the South Pacific basin and into the Australian region, where the Bureau of Meteorology's Brisbane tropical cyclone warning centre (TCWC Brisbane) took the primary warning responsibility for the system.[4][8] On 30 December, the JTWC reported that Rewa had become equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale (SSHS); early the next day TCWC Brisbane reported that the system had developed into a category 3 severe tropical cyclone, and an eye became visible on satellite imagery.[1][2][5] The system then abruptly turned and started to move towards the south parallel to the Queensland coast because of an interaction with an upper-level trough of low pressure.[3][4] On 2 January both the JTWC and... ... a tropical storm while throughout that day TCWC Brisbane assessed Rewa as a category 3 severe tropical cyclone.[2][7] During the next day, TCWC Brisbane reported that Rewa had weakened into a category 2 tropical cyclone as it recurved and started to move towards the south-east about 265 km (165 mi) to the east of Mackay, Queensland.[7][5] Over the next couple of days the system moved towards the south-southeast along the Queensland coast while maintaining its intensity.[5] During 21 January, TCWC Brisbane and the JTWC reported that Rewa had weakened below cyclone strength, as the system moved back into the South Pacific basin for the third and final time.[4][6] Rewa's remnants were last noted late on 23 January, by TCWC Wellington, bringing heavy rain to New Zealand, while dissipating over water about 400 km (250 mi) to the east of Wellington, New Zealand.[4][5][11]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Edu100 Artefact Analysis

What does it mean to be a teacher in the 21st century? Schoolteachers provide students with education and preparation for adulthood. However, what it means to be a teacher in the 21st century is rife with ambiguity. An analysis of educational artefacts will aid in answering this question. One is a system-level document titled Closing the Gap (Appendix A), while the other is a school-level document outlining the homework guidelines at Siena Catholic College (Appendix B).Discussion on these documents will relate to one of four educational discourses and the effects of policies on students, teachers and the schooling milieu. The four educational discourses include academic rationalism, social and economic efficiency, child centred learning, and social reconstruction (Morris, 1998, p. 12). The Department of Education and Training produced the document Closing the Gap in July 2009. This document outlines an initiative to reduce Indigenous disadvantages under the pretence of education as a dominant catalyst for improved health and personal human capital.Ross & Wu (1995, p. 719) advocate this pretence, stating ‘high educational attainment improves health directly, and it improves health indirectly through work and economic conditions, social-psychological resources, and health lifestyle’. Halving the gap for Indigenous reading, writing, numeracy, and Year 12 attainment within a decade is the predominant goal for the Closing the Gap scheme. Essentially then, a discourse of social reconstruction underpins this document, as it focuses on community interaction, injustices, social problems and inequalities.Generally, the policies introduced enforce a foundation of inclusivity and anti-discrimination in the actions of teachers. The effects on students, however, will be more profound. Higher levels of education bring wealth and changes in social class, which in turn allows resources for further education (Orr, 2003, p. 282). This will narrow the social classes b etween students, encouraging collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Although a discourse of social reconstruction is prevalent throughout this document, some policies that are introduced are based on other discourses.Academic rationalism is another discourse that can be associated with the policies in Closing the Gap. The ‘Deadly Maths’ initiative encourages high expectations of attendance, behaviour and performance to raise numeracy education outcomes for Indigenous students. This policy aims to improve schoolteacher understanding of the nature and pedagogy of mathematics, particularly the role of symbols and pattern recognition. It also aims to improve the teachers understanding of the nature and pedagogy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, culture, language, and out of school life.Initially, this may seem unrelated to mathematics, or any academic discipline. However, teachers are not removed from traditions other than science, t hat is, rational inquiry and the search for truth. As Moran (2005) states, ‘An historian or a sociologist who is ignorant of religion will be hampered within his or her own field of scholarship. The classroom is not a place for proselytising but the traditions of the students deserve respect and the tradition of the teacher needs acknowledgment’.Differences in literacy and numeracy levels between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students were revealed through NAPLAN and will continue to be tested this way in the future. This method of testing can be attributed to the academic rationalist educational discourse and can be detrimental to achieving the goals and ideals detailed throughout this document. ‘The potentially destructive affects of such data on school, teachers' and students' self-esteem was suggested as a real negative of NAPLAN for Indigenous students’ (Lingard, 2011, p. 230).Ironically, the use of these tests is in opposition to a discourse of social reconstruction, the discourse which underpins the entirety of Closing the Gap. ‘From a social constructivist perspective, five explanations for the literacy achievement gap appear plausible: linguistic differences, cultural differences, discrimination, inferior education, and rationales for schooling’ (Au, 1998, p. 297). Au’s last three explanations given are now in the process of rectification. However, English is a second language for many rural Indigenous students, giving them an immediate disadvantage in IQ and NAPLAN tests.Figueroa & Garcia (1994, p. 10) state that tests and testing need to be racially and culturally non-discriminatory and should be provided in the primary language. If NAPLAN is used to measure the gap in literacy and numeracy skills, an overwhelming burden will be placed on schoolteachers. Indigenous parents will be encouraged to speak in English to their children from birth in order to close the gap, eventually leading to the abolishment of their native language. Alternatively, NAPLAN tests can be available in the native language.In this scenario, schoolteachers will be required to learn the native language; otherwise large numbers of teachers who are proficient in the native language will need to be trained. Another educational discourse presented in this document is one of social and economic efficiency. Closing the Gap also introduces some policies based on a discourse of social and economic efficiency. An example of this is the introduction of wraparound support for Indigenous school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs).These services assist in the participation and completion of SATs, mentoring, and successful transitions from school to employment or further training. This can be categorised into the social an economic efficiency discourse, as it focuses on current and future labour needs. This discourse adopts a ‘hands-on’ approach for students, expanding on vocational knowledge and skill s. Teachers play a major role in the advertising of such services and the modification of curriculum and co-curricular activities for students participating in SATs. When detailing their research, Smith & Wilson (2002, p. 7) reported that ‘more than half of the students had learned about the school-based new apprenticeship through school, either through a teacher or co-ordinator (58%) or from a notice board at school (6. 7%)’. These services positively impact on students, particularly those at risk of becoming socially isolated or disengaging from school. When speaking on students who are unlikely to pursue a bachelor’s degree, Bishop (1995, p. 14) states that ‘at-risk students should be advised to start building their foundation of occupational skills and knowledge while they are still in school’.Another policy presented in this document may also have a positive impact on Indigenous students. The ‘Flexible Alternative Learning Program’ presented in Closing the Gap is designed for students who are at-risk of separating themselves from school. This program delivers culturally relevant and capability appropriate curriculum, whether vocational or academic. The full range of student needs will be addressed, including basic material needs, travel requirements, health and nutrition and personal support requirements.This initiative is based on a child centred learning discourse as it focuses on the individual, providing opportunities for personal growth. However, all four educational discourses characterise different areas of this program. This program will allow students with special needs to have more time with teachers, ensuring teachers maintain a caring and nurturing environment. However, to further clarify the role of teachers in the 21st century, another document will be analysed. Siena Catholic College produced the document Homework Guidelines in 2007.This document outlines what homework is, why it is necessary, t he amount of homework given, and categorises the different types of homework. This document introduces homework with two definitions; as a method of consolidating or preparing for class studies, and as formal assessment that may be completed using both class time and time outside normal lessons. Against this first definition, Otto (1957, p. 367) states, ‘homework is not significantly related to achievement as measured by teacher marks or standardized tests’. However, many academics praise homework. Goldstein (1960, p. 22) believes that authors have a tendency to frame their conclusions of the values of homework in terms that favour preconceived notions about homework and for subsequent authors to cite these unfavourable conclusions rather than the actual research findings. The second definition given in this document is founded in a discourse of academic rationalism, where teachers test students on their ability to complete set tasks. This discourse can affect students negatively, giving those with more resources, such as access to tutors, ICT’s, and textbooks, a distinct advantage.Also, teachers should be cautious when conducting this form of assessment, as plagiarism can occur when students are not under direct supervision of the teacher. Although academic rationalism may impact negatively on teachers and students, other discourses presented in this document will not. A discourse of social and economic efficiency is prevalent throughout this document. The document praises homework for fostering good learning habits, self-discipline, planning, organising, ICT skills, resource collection and multimedia knowledge.These tacit skills can be utilised in many career pathways. Teachers have a duty to foster these skills in students, ensuring the homework tasks address these skills. Teachers also have an obligation to facilitate the acquisition of these skills, enforcing the use of planners such as diaries or timetables. As well as this discourse, social reconstruction is portrayed throughout the homework guidelines. An educational discourse of social reconstruction is apparent in this document.The document states that homework strengthens the partnership between home and school, providing parents with insights as to what is being taught. This encourages cooperation between schoolteachers and parents, especially when resources such as ICTs are not available to the student outside of school. Students are also encouraged to balance homework with family, social, work and extracurricular activities. This promotes collaborative learning and community interaction, which are also categorised under a discourse of social reconstruction.Lastly, the child centred discourse is also contextualised within this document. Homework Guidelines states that homework provides an opportunity for students to be responsible for their own learning. According to this document, homework also challenges gifted students to explore open-ended tasks, deve loping self-learning and independent inquiry. This quasi-acceleration rescues talented students from the boredom of insufficient challenges, helping them to develop better study habits and more realistic self-concept (Kulik & Kulik, 1984, p. 10). This teaching method is based on a child centred discourse. In taking this discourse to its extreme, teachers may set different homework tasks for each student according to their aptitude and future prospects. What it means to be a teacher in the 21st century is still to be determined. However, an answer to this question has been attempted through the use of academic artefacts which summarise policies and procedures at both the school and system level. The Department of Education and Training developed he document, Closing the Gap, which outlines initiatives to narrow the academic gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. As this document focuses on community interaction, injustices, social problems and inequalities, it is based o n a discourse of social reconstruction. This document delves into other discourses however, with the ‘Deadly Maths’ and ‘Parents as First Teachers’ initiatives being founded on a discourse of academic rationalism. The use of NAPLAN for testing students also falls under this category.A discourse of social and economic efficiency is portrayed in the use of SATs and the ‘Flexible Alternative Learning Program’ presents a child centred approach. The homework guidelines at Siena Catholic College are also embedded within the four discourses. Although the testing of students on homework is based on an academic rationalist discourse and may produce negative results, the tacit skills and knowledge gained from independent study can be applicable to many career pathways. The document outlines other positive outcomes of homework, such as parent-teacher interaction, and the challenging of gifted students.These policies and discourses may affect the teacherâ €™s inclusiveness, knowledge of other languages and traditions, knowledge of alternative educational pathways, ability to cater for those with special needs, understanding of resource limitations, fostering of work habits, ability to talk to parents, and development of aptitude based homework. Reference List Au, K 1998, Social constructivism and the school literacy: Learning of students of diverse backgrounds, Vol. 30, no. 2, p. 297, viewed 1 May 2012, Journal of Literacy Research. Bishop, J 1995, Vocational education and at-risk youth in the United States, Vol. 5, no. 19, p. 14, viewed 4 May 2012, Centre for Advanced Human Resource Studies. Goldstein, A 1960, Does homework help? A review of research, Vol. 60, no. 4, p. 222, viewed 1 May 2012, The Elementary School Journal. Kulik, J & Kulik, C 1984, Effects of accelerated instruction on students, Vol. 54, no. 3, p. 410, viewed 4 May 2012, Review of Educational Research. Moran, G 2005, On being deeply conservative, viewed 5 May 2 012, http://old. religiouseducation. net/member/05_rea_papers/moran_2005. pdf. Morris, P 1998, The Hong Kong school curriculum: Development, issues and policies (2nd Edition), p. 2, Hong Kong University Press, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Orr, A 2003, Black-white differences in achievement: The importance of wealth, Vol. 76, p. 282, viewed 4 May 2012, Sociology of education. Otto, H 1957, Elementary education-Ill: Organization and administration, p. 367, Encyclopaedia of Educational Research, Macmillan, New York. Ross, C & Wu, C 1995, The links between education and health, Vol. 60, no. 5, p. 719, viewed 29 April 2012, American Sociological Review. Smith, E & Wilson, L 2002, Learning and training in school-based new apprenticeships, p. 27, viewed 29 April 2012, National Centre for Vocational Education Research.