Pedagogical Perspective of Learning

Pedagogical Perspective of Learning David Guile Toni Griffiths present a multi dimensional analysis on the development of work experience by students before their graduation and subsequent absorption to the job market. Contemporary learning theories, new developments in adult learning and education as well as curriculum development theory has been used as a basis to critique the current thinking that underlies work experience learning. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Pedagogical Perspective of Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What the authors aim to bring out in their analysis is the issue of context as it applies in learning through education. According to them context has been ignored by most models that seek to explain work experience and as a result they recommend a formulation of new curriculum frameworks that acknowledge that work takes many forms and within the wider context of work, students should be engaged fully in theory quest f or acquisition of knowledge, skills and identity. To expound further on the above aim of the paper, the authors analyze different systems of work experience activities that are available to students from various European countries. These activities aim to help students learn and develop vertically as well as horizontally within the many contexts of education and work. The paper does also analyze the different models that explain the approaches used in acquiring work experience. The models also examine the policy changes that have taken place towards the learner, skills acquired, and to the field of pedagogy. The analysis in the paper borders on the critical. Guille and Griffiths argue that the any analysis of work experience must incorporate the different contexts in which the topic of study falls. They also argue that most of the models that are used in this studies approach issues generally hence fail to give a clear picture of what work related studies are and how they are exec uted. The general approach also fails to examine the weaknesses that the system has hence thee programs remain unaltered for their betterment. The authors finally suggest a drastic review of the VET programs to ensure that students gain from them by learning to relate their vertical development to their horizontal development. Theoretical learning that characterizes learning that takes place in the classrooms is vertical. Failure to put in place an elaborate horizontal learning environment that can only be provided by these programs only produces half baked students to the job market. Learning perspective The paper concentrates on the pedagogical perspective of learning. Pedagogy is a teacher-centered approach where the teacher decides what to feed the learner. In pedagogy, the teacher decides the content how it should be done and when. Andragogy on the other hand is mostly suited for adults where learners have a say on what they should and should not be taught. Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In andragogy, the learner is pretty much in control. In the paper, David Guile Toni Griffiths present a learning experience where the students will be absorbed to some sort of apprenticeship in different contexts. The learners will not have much say on what they will learn, rather their host organizations will. Though an andragogical approach may apply to some extent where their views will be sough and possibly some modifications made to their learning program, they will most of the time take what they will be taught. According to Lave and Wenger (1991) as quoted by Guile Griffiths (2001), organizations only need to give students learning through work experience some legitimate peripheral participation in the learning for them to acquire the required knowledge and skills from the experiences others (p. 5). Lack of an explicitly endorsement of an andragogica l approach to the learning of the students by David Guile Toni Griffith is a clear indication that they prefer the mode of learning that is presented in the paper-pedagogy. Further more, Guile Griffith (2001) say that the extent to which the host organization may decide to allow students in apprenticeship to interact with more knowledgeable others depend on the HR departments (p. 5). However, on calling on the review of the way the programs work, the authors are advocating for a change in the approach on the work study programs that include a bigger role for andragogical approaches. They cite a recent EU policy that calls for a reassessment of the relationship between work and education as well as the role of work experiences in academic and vocational programs. The call for the EU review is motivated by the increasingly globalised word with a corporate and civil environment that demands pro-activeness. The review that has been called on by the EU is meant to support life long le arning and it can only be achieved by an andragogical approach to work study experience. Many scholars in the EU and North America however challenge the suggestion that radical measures have to be taken to ensure an andragogical approach to work study programs. Quoting (Miller et al 1991; Stern Wagner 1999a) and (Griffiths et al 1992, Miller Forrest 1996, Stern Wagner 1999a) Guille Griffiths say that the approach is can only be successful to a certain extent. These scholars further adopt only a function view of the success of these programs and the relationship between work and education. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Pedagogical Perspective of Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though they acknowledge that the working context of work experience are stable environments that these programs may works, their effectiveness and success is greatly hindered by the global economic pressures together with spe edy development of information and communication technology that is fast changing the business environment. The result is the great polarization between those organizations that are knowledge rich and those that are knowledge poor (p. 3). The above position therefore presents a look warm endorsement or andragogy as the mode of learning in the work experience work contexts. Experimental Model The paper presents five models of used in the learning approach taken by students in work experience learning. One of the models is the experimental model. This model seeks front the idea that work experience should be a co-developer just like classroom studies are. It advocates for the learner to be put through experimental learning so that students can be exposed to useful frameworks of understanding about their work. The model gives impetus to the students social and interpersonal development compared to the formal education that he receives. Additionally, the model aims at fulfilling the d esire to equate the value of learning to the practical applications that go along with it as well as ensuring students easily adjust to the dynamic trends of labor (Guile Griffith, 2002). The model is more forceful in its trajectory of student development in the work place. It is also seen as a form of co development of interested parties i.e. the student and the host organization as the employee and employer respectively. The model advocates for the development of education partnership between the learning institutions and the potential employers in the respective fields where the learner fits. Barriers An in-depth look that is presented in the paper has one major weakness. It can only be used to identify and classify a learner as a converger, diverger, assimilator, or accommodator. Advertising Looking for report on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, it can fail to identify a learner in one of the above classes potentially injuring a learner’s reputation and through the internship reports. This is more likely in situations where the learner may not be placed in the right department owing to the stringent processes that will be required to select them from their learning institutions, which most of the time do not take place. The only way to avoid a scenario like the above is only to use the model sparingly without giving much emphasis to an extent it will normally determine if a learner is fit and ready for the job market. Another weakness of the experimental learning model is the failure to develop the learner. Kolb himself is on record to have said that experimental models including his own as other such as Honey and Mumford and Junch are all about learning and little about development. According to Kolb, the limitations of his learning cycle are brought because the model represents only elementary learni ng orientations. These orientations will in the long rum accustom a learner to apply the practical skill that he leant across the board without much consideration of the field of practice. Again, the model is not all incorporating nor doest it acknowledge the importance of self reflection instead it aims at feeding the learner with practical with little regard to personal preferences and feelings. It also does not take into account the different cultural experiences and conditions that a learner and work places fall into. Some experimentation may be in complete conflict with people’s beliefs hence the result will not be a pleasant learning experience for the learner. Beside, there criticism that the idea steps to evaluating every learner’s potential are not realistic and are overly ambitious. The steps can easily be jumped or ignored. Their neat and near perfect presentation make them just simplistic. The same can be said of the relationship between learning and know ledge. Finally there is little empirical support to accompany the evaluations that Kolb suggests. To counter the limitation, Kolb suggests inclusion of a development model that will ensure the learner develops as he learns. Organizational utilization The learning institution that in this case is the place of work where the learner will be stationed, can immensely benefit from the implementation of the above model. Through the method, the learning institution will be able to select the right people with concrete experience that will easily conceptualize, reflect, and come up with unique business solutions. However, as said earlier, success of the above model depend on implementing it with other learning and development styles to ensure work experience study objectives are achieved. Conclusion A review of the programs that exists in the provision of work experiences is necessary. However it’s important if it could reflect the realities that face the working environments in the 21st century. References Guile, D Griffiths, T (2001), Learning through work experience. Journal of Education and Work, vol. 14, no. 3, pp113-131.

33 Writing Terms You Should Know

33 Writing Terms You Should Know 33 Writing Terms You Should Know 33 Writing Terms You Should Know By Simon Kewin As with all activities, writing fiction involves getting to grips with professional jargon. The following are some of the more common terms you may come across as you learn your craft and market your writing. POV (Point of View): the eyes through which the events of a story are seen. MC: The main character in a story. WIP (Work in progress): the thing you are currently working on. Simsub (Simultaneous submission): submitting the same piece of work to more than one magazine/publisher at the same time. Multisub (Multiple submission): sending more than one work to the same magazine/publisher at the same time. MG (Middle Grade): generally speaking, readers between 8 and 12 years old. YA (Young Adult): generally speaking, readers between 12 and 18 years old. MS/MSS: MS means manuscript. MSS is the plural, manuscripts. GL: Guidelines, describing what a publisher is interested in seeing. DL: Deadline: the cut off-date for a submission. Query Letter: A concise (one-page) pitch of an idea to an agent/publisher, to see if they are interested in reading a manuscript. Bio: Biographical details as supplied to an agent or publisher, including, for example, any previous writing credits. Slush/Slushpile: A pile, often large, of unsolicited manuscripts sent to a publisher or editor. Beta Reader: A secondary reader (after the writer) who checks a work with a view to spotting mistakes or suggesting improvements. Copy Editor: Someone who edits a manuscript for grammatical mistakes as well as spotting plot inconsistencies etc. Proof Reader: A person who checks that the proof of a work (the version ready for printing) matches the original manuscript. NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month actually fairly international these days. Participants attempt to write a complete novel in one month (November). The following are the definitions of the lengths of short stories, novels etc. employed by the Science Fiction Writers of America. Others may use different definitions. Short Story: A work under 7,500 words Novelette: A work of between 7,500 and 17,500 words Novella: A work of between 17,500 and 40,000 words Novel: A work of 40,000 words or more Flash Fiction: Very short fiction. Definitions vary, but less than 1,000 words and can be as short as 100 words or even less. Twitter Fiction : Fiction short enough to fit into a Tweet, i.e. up to 140 characters long. Finally, the following are some of the abbreviations you may come across to describe the various genres of fiction: SF: Science Fiction (or Speculative Fiction). HSF: Hard Science Fiction SSF: Soft Science Fiction F: Fantasy EF: Epic/High Fantasy DF: Dark Fantasy UF: Urban Fantasy MR: Magical Realism H: Horror GH: Gothic Horror Reference links: Science Fiction Writers of America NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly WordsConfusing "Passed" with "Past"How to Style Legislative Terms

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economics - Research Paper Example (Clark, (2006)) In the early 80's the economy experienced a recession and this was followed by an economic boom in the late 80's, the fiscal policy measures were aimed at imposing cyclical adjustment, the fiscal policy for the recession of early 80's was contractionary fiscal policy and this led to a reduction in public sector deficits. In the economic boom of the late 80's fiscal policies were expansionary was recorded following and surpluses of the late 80's were turned into deficits in 1990. Expansionary fiscal policies were used in the following years and this saw a further increase in deficit whereby a 5.5% of GDP deficit was recorded for the year 1992 and 1995, this increase in borrowing led to an increase in deficits whereby it reached 7.8% of GDP in the year 1993, there was a further decline in borrowing and in 1998 the economy recorded a surplus reaching 2.0% of GDP in the year 2000. From the above it is evident that in 1997 and 1998 and also for the year 2006 and 2007 sound policies were implemented and this was a reduction in borrowing leading to better economic growth and performance. (Clark, (2006)) From the above chart it is evid... In the economic boom of the late 80's fiscal policies were expansionary was recorded following and surpluses of the late 80's were turned into deficits in 1990. Expansionary fiscal policies were used in the following years and this saw a further increase in deficit whereby a 5.5% of GDP deficit was recorded for the year 1992 and 1995, this increase in borrowing led to an increase in deficits whereby it reached 7.8% of GDP in the year 1993, there was a further decline in borrowing and in 1998 the economy recorded a surplus reaching 2.0% of GDP in the year 2000. From the above it is evident that in 1997 and 1998 and also for the year 2006 and 2007 sound policies were implemented and this was a reduction in borrowing leading to better economic growth and performance. (Clark, (2006)) Part (b) Data plot for the years 1996 to 2006: (i) The public sector net borrowing The chart below summarises the public sector net borrowing for the year 1996 to 2006, data was retrieved from National Statistics (2009) From the above chart it is evident that in 1996 to 1997 public borrowing was negative, however public sector borrowing increased and for the year 1998 to 2001 public sector net borrowing was positive, this was followed by a decline in borrowing in 2002 to 2006 the public sector net borrowing was negative. This means that there has been cycles of increase and decline in the public sector net borrowing, this also shows that there are period of deficits and surpluses from the chart above meaning that in some years the government spending was less than income resulting into surpluses, while in the other period spending was greater than income resulting into borrowing. From

Earth and Space Science Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Earth and Space Science - Assignment Example The moon, bombarded by millions of meteorites and asteroids, is where Neil Armstrong's still tangible footprints are said to survive perhaps a million more years in the absence of air to change their form. Farther out, a traveler's curiosity is taken to an acquaintance with the planet named after the goddess of love and beauty for bearing a splendor as the solar system's brightest. Indeed the spectacular yellow clouds reflect the sunlight and the size and gravity of Venus is near that of the Earth's but the dazzling clouds are actually made of sulfuric acid and its atmosphere a noxious carbon-dioxide-concentrated air. With an unbearable pressure and temperature approaching 500Â °C, an experience of staying in it is nowhere as lonely as it is seen from afar or from an illusion which, once broken by reality, entails corrosion, suffocation, and destruction of a living matter. The possibility of life also becomes amply questionable at the sight of a global image, sun-scorched to 400Â ° C by midday yet acquires an extreme end of -170Â °C at nighttime. ... With over 5,000Â °C of hotness at the surface able to launch a nuclear reaction and tens of millions of degrees down its core, the Sun's power is far more than could possibly enter a wild pondering, as it turns millions of tons of matter into energy every second exceeding that made by man and blasting severe radiation onto the outer space through the electrified incandescent gases. Comets, being the documentary's additional exhibit, are depicted to be icy wastes of deep space whose tails extend to millions of kilometers. At a closer look, audience sees a vast dirty snowball covered in tar from which grains of an organic-looking parts disintegrate gradually. Much as the comets had been discovered of certain properties besides preservation in ice, the quest of astronauts and scientists has gone about prospecting Mars for any signs of life. Mars, a red and dead planet, looks as if it were a giant fossil with twirling devilish dusts presumably larger than the largest tornado that ever o ccurred on Earth. Though it is somewhat real close to capturing human imagination of familiarity and probable living, Mars is proven to contain too thin an air for breathing with significant levels of hazards caused by carbon dioxide everywhere. In it there is nothing to shield humans from the Sun's UV rays unlike the layer of ozone on this planet and protection against sickening coldness of -80Â °C neither exists. The dead planet, nevertheless, may be claimed to take pride in its immense ancient volcano that is three times the altitude of Mt. Everest and the seemingly 'grand canyon' land form which must have had some geological activities as evidenced with the way it looks in the presentation aided by the special apparatus in space.

Effective and Ethical Leadership Essay Example for Free

Effective and Ethical Leadership Essay Page 2. Throughout the evolution of modern business, leaders have strived to be effective and profitable. However, due to unprecedented business scandals throughout the past decade, strict adherence to the principles of business ethics has become more prominent and expansive than ever before. In light of scandalous and unethical business practices, as exuded by Enron and WorldCom for example, business leaders and governing agencies realize the importance of ethical behavior. Although there is not a clear cut or standard set of attributes that constitute an effective and ethical leader, there are several common aspects that can be identified. The most important attributes of an effective and ethical leader are trustworthiness and accountability. Employees must feel that they can trust their managers in any and every situation. Team members must believe that a manager has immaculate intentions for the well-being of the project and the team. Employees will work harder towards the goals of the organization as well as towards the goals of individual assignments if they feel that management is looking out for their best interests. Team members should not look at business management as an entity of oppression. Employees should be able to approach managers without intimidation or prejudice. In other words, workers should feel free to address concerns and express opinions. Experienced front line workers are more privy to minute details regarding the daily operations of the business. A worker that trusts his or her superior is more likely to express opinions and concerns that can enhance business activity or correct errors. Employees that trust the management of the organization will be more willing to work diligently towards the company’s goals. Employees that do not have a trustworthy management team can suffer from a reduction in morale. Overall, a lack of trust leads to a distant and less productive work environment. Page 3. Another equally important attribute of an effective and ethical leader is accountability. Effective managers should not be afraid to admit when they are wrong. Even the best managers make mistakes. In essence, a manager with a strong ethical track record will be able to address tough questions with realistic answers. Transcending departmental and hierarchal barriers, accountability promotes communication throughout the entire organization. For example, after years of slumping car sales coupled with rigid hierarchal divisions, Ford Motors decided to embark in a new direction with Alan Mulally as CEO in 2006. Throughout its century of existence, Ford â€Å"developed a very tall hierarchy, composed of managers whose main goal was to protect their turf and avoid any direct blame for its plunging car sales (Jones 2010). Even the COO Mark Fields stated that â€Å"at Ford you never admit when you don’t know something (Jones 2010). † New CEO, Alan Mulally, diligently worked to demolish the communication barriers between the divisions of production and to develop new ethical norms. For instance, he instituted weekly meetings where department heads were encouraged to openly share problems. Mulally promoted a new culture that was more accepting and open about mistakes. Moreover, sharing all a spects of production information through a universal lens can help to promote decreased production costs on a company-wide level. Organizations will prosper under a management that promotes and radiates accountability and trustworthiness. Employees are more prone to open lines of communication with trusted superiors. Managers that can accept responsibility for errors while co-piloting new plans of attack on pertinent issues can help to eliminate unnecessary depletion of organizational resources. A corporate culture that is built upon these attributes will be poised for future success. Page 4. Works Cited Jones, G. R. (2010). Organizational Theory, Design, and Change (6th ed. , p. 14). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Addressing the Evils of The Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

The evils of the Industrial Revolution in england were addressed in many ways in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Industrial revolution changed the lives of many people. Most people believe the Industrial Revolution was bad for both the people and environment of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Some believe that one of the worst parts of the Industrial Revolution was child labor. Children were very small and easy to order around without being stood up to. Children were also being paid very low wages. Most children worked 16 hour days with only a 40 minute break which most were unable to eat because they were so unwealthy. This all changed when the " Health and Morals Act" came into effect in 1802 which declared that "The minimum age of employment shall be 9 years." and "The working day for children under fourteen shall be limited to twelve hours. Another act which helped the work conditions of children was the "Factory Act of 1833" which declared "No person under 18 years of age shall be allowed to work in the night in or about any cotton, woolen, linen, or silk mill or factory where steam, water, or any other mechanical power is used to work the machinery." Another way that the evils of the Industrial Revolution were addressed were Unions. Unions are an organization of workers who work to get advance of wages or lessen hours along with many other work related luxuries. One thing that hindered the growth of many unions was the "Combination act of 1800" this said that "Any workman who shall enter into any Union to obtain an advance of wages or to lessen or alter the hours or who shall, for the purpose of obtaining an advance in wages persuade,solicit,intimidate,or influence any workman to quit or lave his work shall be committed to jail.". This act made Unions illegal. Ralph Chaplin author of "Solidarity Forever" felt differently. In his book he wrote " When the union's inspiration through the workers blood shall run, there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun. Yet what force on earth is weaker the feeble strength of one? Bur the union makes us strong. This basically says that as a single laborer you are powerless but as a un ion you are strong. As you can see the life of the working class was not very good in the 1700's and 1800's.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 20

The New York Halls of Justice and House of Detention was a slablike stone structure that rose heavily from the street like an old tombstone. The interior was a portrait in gray, with grim-faced policemen and haggard criminals. And us. Vampires caught in a human system for a bloody crime we didn't commit. The twistedness of it all was remarkable, but it did nothing to alleviate our current situation. With our hands tied behind our backs, a young policeman marched Damon and me up several flights of worn wooden stairs and into the chief's office. He commanded a small square of the larger floor. Sketches of wanted men lined his walls, one man's eye struck through with a large nail. The chief himself was a grizzled veteran with a full black beard, except for where a smooth, diagonal scar cut through his skin. He looked at our rap sheet and let out a low whistle. â€Å"The whole Sutherland family? That'll be in the papers tonight.† I flinched at hearing such insensitivity coming from the lips of a normal human. What sort of monsters did he deal with that the death of an entire family was no more than a news item? â€Å"We didn't do it,† I said. â€Å"No, of course you didn't,† the chief said gruffly, running a finger along his scar. â€Å"No one who ends up here has ever done it. But the courts will get it sorted out, and everyone will get what they deserve.† We were unceremoniously dumped into a holding cell that was larger than the entire one-person jail back home, where Jeremiah Black spent many a night sleeping off his drunken stupor. I never expected to see the inside of a cell myself. â€Å"We didn't do it,† Damon whined, imitating me and shaking his head, as soon as the guard left. â€Å"Could you make us sound any more ridiculous?† â€Å"What, are you afraid of us coming off as sissies?† I asked. â€Å"Would you rather I just bared my fangs at him?† A rasping chuckle came from the corner of the cell, where another prisoner sat slumped against the wall. His hair receded from his forehead in a deep V and he had the arms of a dockworker. â€Å"Nice clothes,† he said with malicious growl, eyeing our formal suits and clean-shaven cheeks. â€Å"What are you in for, rich boys?† â€Å"Killing a family,† Damon answered without pause. â€Å"You?† â€Å"Beatin' in the heads of the likes of you,† he answered back just as quickly, cracking his knuckles. He took a swing at Damon, but my brother reached up and, with hands faster than the human eye, deflected the blow, and pushed the man against the wall with a loud crack. The giant didn't so much topple as just crumple straight down, falling into an unconscious puddle around his own feet. None of the officers came running, and I wondered if fighting in the cells was an ordinary occurrence. Damon sighed as he stepped around the man. He sat down on the floor in a moment of exhaustion that was almost human, almost like the old brother I used to know. â€Å"Why is it we always end up locked behind bars with each other?† â€Å"Well, at least this time you're not being starved,† I answered drily. â€Å"Nope. No chance in that,† Damon said. His eyes surveyed the police standing on the other side of our bars, taking in each person. Then he leaned his head up against the wall and gave the peeling paint a grudging sniff. â€Å"And I think there's more than a chance that there are a couple of rats in here for you, too.† I sighed, sliding down the wall and sitting next to him. I did not understand this new Damon. His shifts in mood were frightening. One moment he was the soulless vampire who killed without remorse, the next he was someone who seemed like my old childhood companion again. â€Å"What's the plan?† I asked. â€Å"You're looking at it,† he said, getting up and indicating the dead man at our feet. â€Å"Guard! Man down in here.† When the guard approached and saw the body on the ground he seemed annoyed, but not surprised. The guard didn't lean too close – he had survived long enough to know not to. But it was close enough. Damon flared his eyes. â€Å"Forget we were ever here. Forget what we look like. Forget who brought us in, our names, and everything about us.† â€Å"Who's us?† the guard asked, hypnotized but slow on the uptake. â€Å"The man I came in with,† Damon snapped, pointing at me. The guard nodded faintly. â€Å"Forget everything about us. And then – send over the other guard, all right?† The guard wandered back to his post, somewhat dizzily at first, then cocked his head as if he had just remembered something. He went to one of the guards on patrol and pointed at the jail cell. Not at Damon, through Damon. It was like Damon didn't exist anymore in his reality. â€Å"One down,† Damon muttered. He looked tense. Again I wondered how many people he really could control at once. The second guard approached. He had a scar across his face that twisted one eye shut, and he smacked his billy club as he walked. But before Damon could compel him, he said the absolute last thing we expected. â€Å"Your lawyer is here.† I looked at my brother. He looked back at me in equal surprise. He raised an eyebrow as if to say: Did you arrange this somehow? I very slightly shook my head. Damon straightened his shoulders as a clang sounded and the door to the stockade opened. The smell of rotten eggs and death filled the room as another man walked in – the lawyer. He was huge. Larger than the prisoner Damon had knocked out, with long arms and a huge chest. His hands were monstrous, with stubby fingers that gripped a leather portfolio. He came into the room slowly, with the careful tread of someone or something too large and dangerous for its surroundings, like the pace of a panther around its tiny circus cage. His clothing was of a foreign cut, comfortable, rich linen and silk that allowed his massive body to move easily beneath its folds. And his eyes†¦ They were small and blue, but not the clear blue of my brother's. They were mottled, milky almost, and too ancient for the rest of his body, moving quickly but incorrectly, like a bird's or a lizard's gaze, but with a powerful intelligence behind it. This man was not human. He didn't feel like a vampire, not exactly. But there was something just below his surface waiting for a chance to explode. The Power radiating from him was greater than anything I had experienced. And my instincts told me that even though he had come under the auspices of being our lawyer, this man was not here to help us. He surveyed us in the jail cell and smiled slightly. â€Å"You may go,† he said to the guard behind him. His voice didn't even rise, but quietly reverberated in a way that carried to the far end of the empty holding cells. And yet they went. Quickly, and with something like relief on their faces. We were left alone with this beast. â€Å"Good evening, gentlemen,† he said, smiling in a way that made me sick. â€Å"Who are you?† Damon asked, clearly trying to sound bored. But I could hear the fear in his voice. â€Å"Who am I?† the man repeated in a heavy accent. â€Å"Does it help to know the name of the one who will kill you? It didn't seem any comfort to your wives.† The words fell like stones to the floor, heavy and final. The man casually put a giant hand up to rest on a bar. â€Å"You killed the Sutherlands,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes.† He smiled and pursed his lips. â€Å"It was fun.† â€Å"You tore them apart like paper dolls,† I said, even though I knew he could tear me apart, too, could scatter my limbs like the petals that had lined my wedding altar. â€Å"You†¦ broke them.† â€Å"Young vampire, you must know the hunger of the beast,† he said with a smile that wasn't at all amused. â€Å"There are other hungers, for other things, that once awoken cannot rest until they are satisfied.† The whites of the man's eyes glowed red, and there was a hush in the air, like great Power was being summoned. I could practically smell the fear coiling off Damon in large strips. But I began to grow angry. Rage boiled in my stomach and shot out through my body. This man had butchered an innocent family and enjoyed it. This was what my new life as a vampire meant – layers and layers of evil, and even more horror and destruction, just when I felt I had reached the very bottom. â€Å"Why?† I demanded, coming forward as far as the bars would let me. â€Å"What did they ever do to you?† â€Å"Why?† the beast asked. He leaned forward, mocking my bravado. As he neared, mere centimeters from my face, a sickening stench of old blood and decay swept over me. It was like a thousand years of death and dismemberment followed him around, a trophy from each corpse he was responsible for. â€Å"Recompense.† He said each syllable carefully. â€Å"Recompense?† I echoed. He bared his teeth. â€Å"Yes, recompense. For taking Katherine. And destroying any chance to break the curse.† Katherine? What did she have to do with all of this, with this abomination in front of us? With the Sutherlands? And what curse? I looked over at Damon. She had always shared more details of her life, of being a vampire, with him. But my brother was wide-eyed and gaping like a fish, even more stunned by hearing her name than I was. I thought about the blissful, ignorant weeks I spent as her slave and lover, never imagining that she would lead me straight into hell. The man backed up a few steps, including Damon in his foul stare. â€Å"Yes, you understand now,† he said, nodding. But we didn't. â€Å"I – † Damon began to speak. â€Å"SILENCE!† the man roared. Suddenly he was pressed up against the bars, a blackened fingernail inches from Damon's throat. â€Å"Do you dare deny it?† With a chilling deliberateness, he pushed an iron bar aside like it was a curtain. The metal screamed in agony. In a flash of darkness he had stepped through, and wrapped a giant hand around each of our throats. â€Å"You took Katherine. I take your new life from you. An eye for an eye, as you people are fond of saying. Right?† â€Å"I†¦ don't know what you're talking about,† I said, choking. The monster threw back his head and laughed. â€Å"Of course you don't.† He snapped his head back, suddenly fixing me with his eyes and a sneer on his lips. He didn't believe me. â€Å"Katherine never mentioned Klaus?† Even after her death, Katherine continued to haunt us. I looked over at Damon. There was a pained, heartbroken look on his face. It was gone in an instant, but for that one moment I thought I saw through to my old brother. He was shocked by the fact that Katherine, the love of his life, had been involved with a creature as heartless as the one that stood before us. I felt for him. Unbidden, half a dozen images of Katherine came to my mind. Her amber eyes that commanded attention. Her long black hair hanging in waves around her neck, as if she had just done something that might have disheveled it. Her tiny waist and mischievous smile. She had been irresistible. And Damon and I weren't the only ones to have felt her pull. The man tightened his grip on my throat, and I could hear the groaning of vertebrae. In a moment we would be on the floor, our necks snapped as easily as that of the prisoner Damon had killed. Then suddenly I was free. Damon fell to the ground beside me, also released from the stony grip that held him. From outside the cell, the monster smiled viciously. â€Å"I will see you two later,† he promised. And then, almost as an afterthought, he used a delicate finger to push the jail bars back into place. â€Å"And remember, I am always watching.†

Lincoln’s Presidency and Its Hallmarks on Future Presidents

â€Å"What are the most important hallmarks of Lincoln's leadership that influenced later presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt as they considered the role of the US presidency in American political life? † As the only President to preside over an American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln entered the office of the presidency with mounting challenges ahead of him. The country’s overwhelming divide regarding the issue of slavery proved to be the central issue in the 1861 elections. President Lincoln’s strong resolve to reunite the union catalyzed a sharp shift in his beliefs regarding the weight of power in the executive branch, helping Lincoln strengthen the office of the Presidency like never before. This set a precedent for future Presidents, notably Theodore Roosevelt, whose legislation on big business and â€Å"speak softly and carry a big stick† methodology to foreign relations, while thoroughly of his own design, most certainly finds its roots in the empowered President Lincoln. Lincoln entered the Presidency rooted in the beliefs that the executive branch’s power came second to the legislative, as stated in the Constitution. His â€Å"immediate predecessors—Democrats Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan—had set the pattern for a weak executive, conceiving their roles as little more than clerks†¦ who either approved or disapproved legislation developed from Congress’s agenda,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). However, following the secession of seven southern states immediately after Lincoln’s election, his focus became reuniting the union: â€Å"he sought to reassure his fellow countrymen and to prevent more states from seceding,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 175). To accomplish this, Lincoln was headfast in his decisions, often reaching beyond traditional executive power and, in effect, overriding the other branches of government. These decisions were extremely controversial: Groiler Encyclopedia says, â€Å"As a commander in chief Lincoln was soon noted for vigorous measures, sometimes at odds with the Constitution. Three controversial decisions Lincoln made include the implementation of a military draft, suspension of habeas corpus in many regions, and finally, a plan to end slavery in his 1862 annual message to Congress. All of these events were controversial and Lincoln was accused of ignoring the Constitution in many instances, yet he justified it to many by claiming that it was necessary â€Å"in the name of ‘popular demand and public necessity,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). In essence, Lincoln’s power was â€Å"a funneling of powers, delivered to other branches of government in peacetime, into the presidential office in wartime. He was centralizing authority,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). In text titled â€Å"A Constitutional History of the United States,† author Andrew McLaughlin analyzes constitutional problems of the civil war, saying that â€Å"The justification for such a step must be the existence of actual disorder or a condition which seriously threatens civil authority. Herein lies the debate, should a President have the moral right to break the Constitution in order to save it? One of the first policies to centralize the Executive Branch’s power was the implementation of a military draft in the beginning of Lincoln’s presidency: â€Å"On May 3 Lincoln issued a proclamation summoning 42,034 volunteers to serve for three years; he also called for an increase of the regular army by the addition of 22,714 of ficers and men, and for the enlistment of 18,000 seamen,† (McLaughlin, 1935, 615). This proves to be controversial because it was â€Å"employing a war power without a declaration of war,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). Lincoln’s claim was that â€Å"he was constitutionally designated as commander-in-chief and that the military peril to the Union made such actions necessary,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 177). The draft caused riots in New York, as people vehemently opposed its institution. Another instance of policy that was implemented with this newfound executive power was that he suspended the right of habeas corpus in many regions. According to text published in the journal titled â€Å"History Today,† habeas corpus â€Å"makes the force at the disposal of the chief executive subject to regulation by the courts. With it, a judge can demand that a prisoner be brought before him to evaluate whether the prisoner's detention is legal. Without it, an unlawfully incarcerated individual has no legal remedy. † The suspension of this right is one of the most controversial aspects of the Lincoln Presidency: â€Å"If Lincoln did not constitutionally have the power to uspend habeas corpus, then by doing so he fundamentally altered the freedom of American citizens,† (Kleinfeld, 1997, 24). In defending accusations mostly made by Democrats that he was stripping Americans of their civil rights and liberties, Lincoln claimed that he didn’t even believe a law was violated: â€Å"The Constitution, he argued, does not expressly prohibit the president from suspending the writ, and it is unreasonable that a danger should run its course until Congress can be assembled,† (Kleinfeld, 1997, 24). This defense was often used in Lincoln’s behalf. According to Brinkley and Dyer, the issue was â€Å"time and the necessity of acting quickly†¦ † They also explain how it was often claimed to simply be efficient for the centralized power in the executive branch: â€Å"The presidency carried with it a unity of office which allowed for swift action impossible for the legislature,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). Congress agreed to this justification for Lincoln’s centralized power; they â€Å"retroactively endorsed his actions, declaring them ‘legalized and made valid,’ as if Congress itself had enacted them. † (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 178). The final instance of a decision made using Lincoln’s strengthened Presidential powers was a plan delivered to Congress in his 1862 address to its members. In this annual address, Lincoln proposed that Congress provide bonds to pay slave states that abolished slavery before 1900. He also, in the same address, proposed that Congress give money to help the colonization of those former slaves who chose to move. This incentive to hasten the end of slavery was thoroughly Lincoln’s design, and â€Å"was an unusual display of executive decision to Congress,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 181). These are just a few of the examples detailing the centralization of power to the executive branch that occurred during Lincoln’s administration. He effectively transformed the institution of the Presidency, as many presidents after him have kept up the centralization of power as tradition. An example of a later president who also ran his administration in this fashion is Theodore Roosevelt. Like Lincoln, Roosevelt presided over the nation at a crossroads: the â€Å"divide between the nineteenth century and the wentieth, between the old presidency and the modern chief executive, between the old state and the new,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 268). Following in Lincoln’s precedent, Roosevelt’s decisions over the regulation of big business in this fledging industrial nation, as well as his ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’ methodology to foreign policy, thoroughly illustrate this strong funneling of power into the office of the Presidency. At the beginning of Roosevelt’s administration, the big business era was just beginning. The United States had turned away from the isolationism which preceded the Spanish-American War. Now a world power with quickly expanding foreign markets, the United States was considered a major industrial nation,† (Business and Economy in the 1900s, 1997). With this industrialization came consequences and fears regarding the growth of big business and power of large corporations. The growth of big business and its corresponding fears became the central issue to Roosevelt’s domestic policy. Roosevelt implemented multiple laws in hopes of regulating large corporations, most notably his antitrust measures. According to a text titled Business and Economy in the 1900s, â€Å"†¦ it was not until the Roosevelt administration that cases were pursued against business owners and labor unions. † Most notably was the Northern Securities case, in which the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the company had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which had been on the books for decades. Brinkley and Dyer explain that, â€Å"Although Roosevelt did not want to eliminate large corporations, he used antitrust prosecutions to enhance the authority of the executive branch,† (274). Just as Lincoln used policy to enhance his powers as president, so did Roosevelt: over 40 antitrust legislations were filed under Roosevelt’s presidency. Still focusing on the domestic issue of big business regulation, Roosevelt’s creation of The Bureau of Corporations was another notable event. After Roosevelt’s introduction of the Bureau in 1903, it was created by Congress to â€Å"investigate and publicize the behavior of giant corporations,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 275). This Bureau is what helped investigate the companies and then catalyzed legislation, furthering antitrust laws made under Roosevelt’s administration. Also parallel to the central power during Lincoln’s presidency, the president helped validate and get more power to the Executive Branch when he positioned himself to look like â€Å"the representative of a public frightened and angry over a new threat from business,† (Brinkley and Dyer, 2004, 275). This is parallel to the power Lincoln managed to obtain when positioning himself to look like a representative of a frightened public during the beginnings of the Civil War, angry over slavery issues. Both men used their positions and the time in history to be seen in the same light. In terms of foreign policy, Roosevelt strived to make the United States’ power reach global heights. His â€Å"speak softly and carry a big stick† approach to foreign relations reflected that the way the country handled its foreign relations depended entirely on the President, not Congressional legislation. An example of this includes events that occurred following his December 1904 State of the Union address, in which Roosevelt reinforced his ‘Big Stick Policy† by saying that â€Å"chronic wrongdoing by Latin American states would compel the United States ‘to an exercise of an international police power,’† (Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy, 1998). This policy, reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine, is known as the Roosevelt Corollary. It was first put into effect just weeks later, when Roosevelt negotiated a treaty with the Dominican Republic saying that the US would manage the Dominican Republic’s foreign debts. Mirroring events of the Lincoln administration, â€Å"when the Senate refused to ratify the treaty, the president carried it out by executive order, a move that touched off much criticism at home,† (Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy, 1998). In this case, Roosevelt used his Big Stick policy to pass legislation rejected by the Congress, just because he was President and his office had the power to do so. It is much like Lincoln’s implementation of policy without Congressional approval during the Civil War. To conclude, President Lincoln helped to strength the power of the Executive Branch like never before, helping give the Presidency more control of both domestic and foreign relations. At a delicate crossroads in American history—the Civil War—Lincoln used the unique time to gain power through instatement of the draft, suspension of habeas corpus, and his proposals of bills to Congress. Following this precedent, President Theodore Roosevelt, also at a crossroads in United States history at the beginning of industrialization and big business, used similar tactics to gain and retain centralized control in the Executive branch through his trust-busting efforts and legislation on big business at home, as well as his â€Å"Big Stick† policies abroad.

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory The Frankfurt School refers to a collection of scholars known for developing critical theory  and popularizing the dialectical method of learning by interrogating societys contradictions and is most closely associated with the work of Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse. It was not a school, in the physical sense, but rather a school of thought associated with some scholars at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt in Germany. The Institute was founded by Marxist scholar  Carl Grà ¼nberg  in 1923, and initially financed by another Marxist scholar, Felix Weil. However, the Frankfurt School is known for a  particular brand of culturally focused  neo-Marxist theory- a rethinking of classical Marxism to update it to their socio-historical period- which proved seminal for the fields of sociology, cultural studies, and media studies. Max Horkheimer receiving the chain of office by former Rector Prof. Rajewski. Dr. Horkheimer left Germany in the early days of the Third Reich when his institute for Social Research fell under the Nazi ban. Bettman/Getty Images In 1930 Max Horkheimer became the director of the Institute and recruited many of those who came to be known collectively as the Frankfurt School. Living, thinking, and writing in the aftermath of  Marxs failed prediction of revolution, and dismayed by the rise of Orthodox Party Marxism and a dictatorial form of communism, these scholars turned their attention to the problem of rule through ideology, or rule carried out in the realm of culture. They believed that this form of rule was  enabled by technological advancements in communications and the reproduction of ideas. (Their ideas were similar to Italian scholar-activist  Antonio Gramscis theory of cultural hegemony.)  Other early members of the Frankfurt  School included Friedrich Pollock, Otto Kirchheimer, Leo Là ¶wenthal, and Franz Leopold Neumann. Walter Benjamin was also associated with it during its mid-twentieth  century heyday. One of the core concerns of the scholars of the Frankfurt School, especially Horkheimer, Adorno, Benjamin, and  Marcuse, was the rise of what Horkheimer and Adorno initially called mass culture (in  Dialectic of Enlightenment).  This phrase refers to the way technological developments had newly  allowed for the distribution of cultural products- like music, film, and art- on a mass scale, reaching all who were connected by the technology in society. (Consider that when these scholars began crafting their critiques, radio and cinema were still new phenomena, and television had not yet hit the scene.) Their concern focused on how technology-enabled both a sameness in production, in the sense that technology shapes content and cultural frameworks create styles and genres, and also, a sameness of cultural experience, in which an unprecedented mass of people would sit passively before cultural content, rather than actively engage with one another for entertainment, as they had in the past. They theorized that this experience made people intellectually inactive and politically passive, as they allowed mass-produced ideologies and values to wash over them and infiltrate their consciousness. They argued that this process was one of the missing links in Marxs theory of the domination of capitalism, and largely helped to explain why Marxs theory of revolution never came to pass.  Marcuse took this framework and applied it to consumer goods and the new consumer lifestyle that had just become the norm in Western countries at mid-twentieth century, and argued that consumerism functioned in much the same way, through a creation of false needs that can only be satisfied by the products of capitalism. Given the political context of pre-WWII Germany at the time, Horkheimer chose to move the Institute for the safety of its members. They first moved to Geneva in 1933, and then to New York in 1935, where they affiliated with Columbia University. Later, after the war, the Institute was re-established in Frankfurt in 1953. Later theorists affiliated with the School include Jà ¼rgen Habermas and Axel Honneth, among others. Philosopher Herbert Marcuse in 1968 while he was a Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at San Diego. Bettman/Getty Images Key works by members of the Frankfurt School include but are not limited to: Traditional and Critical Theory, Max HorkheimerDialectic of Enlightenment, Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. AdornoCritique of Instrumental Reason, Max HorkheimerThe Authoritarian Personality, Theodor W. AdornoAesthetic Theory, Theodor W. AdornoCulture Industry Reconsidered, Theodor W. AdornoOne-Dimensional Man, Herbert MarcuseThe Aesthetic Dimension: Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics, Herbert MarcuseThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter BenjaminStructural Transformation and the Public Sphere, Jà ¼rgen HabermasTowards a Rational Society,  Jà ¼rgen Habermas

How to Use Hyphens Correctly in Business Grammar

How to Use Hyphens Correctly in Business Grammar Louise Julig wrote a wonderful post about hyphens in her Thoughts Happen blog. Business writing requires correct hyphenation. It’s both clarifying and funny. She wore a purple wrist band to remind her of her pledge not to complain. The problem? The bracelet omitted a needed hyphen, prompting Louise’s grammar complaint: Argh! I just can’t stand it anymore! I’ve been doing this purple-bracelet â€Å"stop complaining† exercise for almost three weeks now (and am on my record 5th day of not complaining) but I can’t hold it in any longer because every time I look at the half inch of rubber encircling my wrist I want to gouge a little hyphen between â€Å"Complaint† and â€Å"Free.† It’s â€Å"A Complaint-Free World,† people, not â€Å"A Complaint Free World†! Oh the irony of complaining about the â€Å"complaint free† bracelet. But really! Hyphens are very complicated. I agree with Grammar Girl’s recommendation to check a dictionary and style guide when possible. When it’s not, fall back on this baseline rule: Hyphenate compound modifiers when they come before a noun, and don’t hyphenate them when they come after a noun. Louise illustrated this rule nicely: Why is this? Here’s my best explanation: hyphens group modifiers together for clarity. Say you have a red brick house. Is it a red house? Yes. Is it a brick house? Yes. Therefore, no hyphen is needed. However, what if you have a â€Å"gluten free recipe.† Is it a gluten recipe? No. Is it a free recipe? No. Therefore, a hyphen is needed to group the modifiers together so you know the recipe has no gluten. It’s a gluten-free recipe. Why then do you not hyphenate after the noun, e.g. â€Å"the recipe is gluten free†? The temptation is to throw in extra hyphens just in case, e.g. â€Å"the recipe is gluten-free.† But it’s just as bad to over-hyphenate as to under-hyphenate, and it really isn’t necessary. Here’s why: when the modifier comes after the noun, it’s only modifying the one word immediately after it. So we ask ourselves, â€Å"What kind of ‘free’ is it?† and the answer is â€Å"gluten.† It’s gluten free. Louise, thanks so much for breaking your complaint-free pledge to clarify this! I say you should gouge that little hyphen into your bracelet, and wear it proudly!

Do online classes provide a good education Essay

Do online classes provide a good education - Essay Example I thanked her, responded to her congratulating comments with extreme gratitude and instantly dialed my mother’s number after putting my instructor’s phone down. She was excited to hear of my achievement but not as much as I had expected. The reason was obvious. It was not that she wasn’t happy that her only daughter had scored wonderfully in her college finals but it was actually that the thought of the completion of the degree program had revived in her the concern that she was unable to support my university education on her own. Being a single parent she had always maintained the roles of both a mother and a father for me. She had never made me feel how hard she worked to earn the bread and butter for both of us. But now that I had reached passed out college, it was about time that if I wanted to continue my education I should be able to do it by earning for the expenses on my own. I couldn’t help but smile and thank God! This was me four years ago and today I had completed my university degree. Sitting in the comfortable chair of my recently renovated office I sipped from my coffee mug and bid farewell to the webpage of my online university that had been the most surfed pages in my internet surfing history for the past four years. I had been able to complete my university degree along with earning the finances for it myself by working as a junior credit analyst at an accountancy firm and also pursuing my ACCA degree in an online university simultaneously. I must admit that I was pretty skeptical at first. But almost five years down the memory lane, I would suggest anyone who takes an advice from me to pursue an online degree for higher education especially if it meant to be at a far away physical location as it was in my case. A resident of a third world country by birth, I had always aspired to fulfill my