Book report sample Essay

INTRODUCTION On-the-job training (OJT) is one of the best training methods because it is planned, organized and conducted. OJT is generally the primary method used to broaden skills and increase productivity. OJT is dependent upon the trainer having sufficient knowledge and experience to impart to the trainees. OJT is important and the quality of OJT can be considerably improved through effective design. OJT has its advantages, first, trainees will have an opportunity to practice their selected fields. Second, they can practice their punctuality. Next, they can improve their skills and have an additional knowledge in the real world and lastly the trainees can have their immediate feedback. Trainings can be an eye opening because it will really help us to think for a better future. Morale, productivity and professionalism will be trained on the organization during our OJT. Those characteristics must be developed on our OJT to be a high world citizen that is creating and building our future careers . ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The trainees would like to acknowledge the people who helped them to make this On-the-Job Training to be possible. They are very thankful to the Lord for giving them strength, good health and courage to finish this training. They want to express their sincerest gratitude to their family for supporting them financially, emotionally and spiritually. For their friends  and classmates who cheer them up to fulfill this training. Also to their co-OJT’s who helped them to finish their duties. They would also like to thank the staffs of Wide Vision Tours for giving them a chance to be a part of the company and for giving them additional knowledge on their field. We are gratefully thankful to our professors for always being there for us to make us an effective World Citizen. To our Dean, Ms. Rhodora Lintot, we thank you for being kind and you let us experience what we are likely to face in real life. To our professor, Ms. Edwina Paz Perez RND, for supporting us in every step we take, for giving us importance and for awakening us in real world. Company Profile History of the Company Wide Vision Tours is a DOT accredited tour agency and one of the leading travel agency of group package tours in the Philippines for over thirteen years. Our tour packages cater to the following: College tours and exposure trip, educational tours for preschool to high school, adventure packages which include eco-adventure and surf camp, company outings and team building seminars. We also do airline bookings and ticketing. Mission Statement Wide Vision Tours aims to provide the top quality services while keeping the cost in control. We aim to provide high quality services and totally safe trips at best possible price. As our company motto says, â€Å"Enjoy ka na, Safe ka pa†. We have huge plans to progress within Philippines as one of the leading travel service provider and destination management company. Organizational Chart Owner/CEO Tour Consultant Tour Facilitator Ticketing Officer Tour Counselor Location Wide Vision Tours is located at Unit 2- 2nd floor L. Bldg. Barangay Mayamot, Sumulong highway Antipolo City. Features and Services Wide Vision Tours offers a fun and excitement tour packages that fits to every person who wants enjoyment. Wide Vision Tours packages cater to the following: College tours and exposure trip Educational tours for preschool to high school Adventure packages which include eco-adventure and surf camp Company outings and team building seminars They also do airline bookings and ticketing Summary Conclusion Recommendation Personal Experience As a Tourism student, I am thankful that I already finished my first On-the-Job-Training. Being in a Travel Agency is not that easy for me, we are the one who makes itineraries whenever we have a customer who is asking for a tour package. There are times that the clients are demanding, but we have to explain them what we have to. We are also the one who will ask for the rates of some places in Manila so that we can make a package for the high school students. We get brochures from the Department of Tourism (DOT) that we knew that they were located near Luneta Park but then when we got there, people said that DOT was transferred at Makita. It was a productive day, but was a tiring day. We also depart our clients to the Airport, they are 32 persons that booked at Wide Vision Tours but they are divided into  two because there are no availability on the same time of travel to Malaysia. There are times that we need to attend a awarding, the first was at Star City, Wide Vision Tours is t he 7th placer, the company brings a lot of students at Star City this is because of Sir Jun’s hard work. The second awarding was held at Kidzworld, Dasmarià ±as, City. Wide Vision Tours is the 13th placer in the Lucky Me! Happy House Plant. We are proud that we have given a chance to attend those awarding, and we are thankful that no matter what, Wide Vision Tours is always the one who makes our tours. To be in a Travel Agency is happy, we can learn a lot, we can do things that we didn’t think that we can. Like waking up at 1:00 A.M because we are one of the tour guides. Yes, we have experienced to be a real tour guide. We went in Bataan to have their Visita Iglesia. It was a long trip, I’ve experienced to sit in the stairs of the bus because there are no sits available, it was all occupied by our passengers. It is nice for me that I have experienced that thing. We have learned a lot from this company, and it is like we have faced the real world. They let us experience what the real work is. They touch us how to be responsible, they train us well and give us enough knowle dge that we can apply on our future careers.

How is the alphabet stored Essay

Abstract Alphabetic retrieval is a prototypical task that is studied to gain insight into how humans learn and process long lists. We shall study two conï ¬â€šicting models of this process: serial search and direct association. To distinguish between these models, we shall derive predictions about priming eï ¬â‚¬ects that occur when items are paired. In a new experiment, we measure these priming eï ¬â‚¬ects. Although the small data set does not allow strong conclusions, it shows that a pure associational model alone is too simplistic. How is the alphabet stored? How do people retrieve letters from the alphabet? Diï ¬â‚¬erent accounts of how humans store and access the alphabet, or other long lists with little explicit structure, have been proposed. A good model must be able to explain human performance, and especially reaction times (RTs), in experimental tasks. Tasks that have been studied in experiments include: reciting the alphabet from a speciï ¬ c letter, saying the next letter, judging whether two letters are in the correct alphabetic order, etc. All these experiments have found an increase in reaction times towards the end of the alphabet, as well as a distinctive pattern of peaks and valleys across the alphabet. In this paper we shall focus on this alphabetic retrieval task: A letter (the probe) is presented visually, and the subject has to say either the following or preceding letter in the alphabet. In the forward condition, the subject has to say the next letter in the alphabet. In the backward cond ition, the subject has to say the preceding letter. A pattern relating to this task is shown in Figure 1. Note how the location of peaks and valleys is consistent between the forward and backward tasks. Models of alphabetic retrieval: serial search vs. direct  association Klahr, Chase, and Lovelace (1983) propose a serial search-model of alphabetic retrieval. To ï ¬ nd the letter following or preceding a probed letter, the subject has to ‘recite’ the alphabet from a speciï ¬ c ‘entry point’ until the probe letter is found (or one further to ï ¬ nd the answer, in the forward search task). The reaction time depends on the time needed to ï ¬ nd the entry point and the number of steps from the entry point to the probe letter. According to the direct association model of Scharroo, Leeuwenberg, Stalmeier, and Vos (1994a), no serial search is necessary. Letters have direct associations with their successors, and the strength of this association determines the reaction time. Figure 1: Reaction times (Scharroo et al. 1994a) Forward vs. backward search The model of Klahr et al. (1983) applies to both forward and backward searching. Scharroo et al. (1994a) leave open the possibility of serial search in the backward condition, while rejecting serial search in the forward condition, because the alphabet is learnt in the forward direction only, and direct associations with predecessors might not be available. However they also state that their experiment does not support the serial search model even for the backward condition, and that the Klahr et al. model has little value in explaining their results. So their position on serial search in the backward condition is not entirely clear. A reply to Scharroo et al.’s work (Klahr 1994) proposes that a new model should be developed, which should combine both the serial search and the direct association model. If a suï ¬Æ'ciently strong association between letters is available, this association is used; otherwise a serial search is performed. The article does not specify when such a direct association will be available, but the distinction between the forward and backward tasks seems a plausible candidate. However, in Scharroo’s rejoinder (Scharroo 1994b), she states she sees little  use in such an arbitrary combination of models. A pure associational model is suï ¬Æ'cient to explain the data, and a serial search component has little to add. The position in this article seems more radical than in the 1994a article because even in the backward search task it does not allow for a serial search process. Unfortunately, no account is given of how people learn backward associations between letters. Experiments have consistently shown higher reaction times in the backward task than in the forward task, which implies that a backward association is weaker than a forward association. Chunks According to Klahr and others who think humans use a list-structure to store the alphabet, the alphabet cannot be learnt directly, because it exceeds the capacity of working memory. The diï ¬â‚¬erent subgroups in which the alphabet is divided during learning, and also during subsequent storage, are called chunks. When a chunk boundary must be crossed to ï ¬ nd the answer to a test item, this results in signiï ¬ cantly longer reaction times. To Klahr et al., chunks are also the preferred entry points for initiating a serial search: a search will always start from the ï ¬ rst letter of a chunk. To Scharroo et al., a chunk is â€Å"just a series of letters with strong associations, enclosed between weak associations† (Scharroo et al. 1994a, p. 239). Individual diï ¬â‚¬erences In Klahr’s experiments with American subjects, he ï ¬ nds a strong interpersonal agreement on chunk boundaries. This segmentation coincides with the phrasing of the nursery song through which the alphabet is taught in American schools. Scharroo et al. however, in their experiment with Dutch subjects, ï ¬ nd larger diï ¬â‚¬erences between subjects. They argue that this probably reï ¬â€šects the absence of a common method to teach the alphabet in the Netherlands. In both experiments interpersonal agreement on chunk boundaries decreases towards the end of the alphabet and chunk sizes towards the end of the alphabet are smaller. Increasing RTs across the alphabet Overall reaction times increase towards the end of the alphabet, and so do the RTs at the local minima that, in the serial search model, represent the beginning of chunks. According to Klahr et al., this increase in local minima occurs because access to entry points is slower for chunks later in the alphabet. In their account, this is explained by a serial search through all chunks to ï ¬ nd the chunk containing the probe letter, which precedes the search within the chunk. Scharroo et al.’s model (1994a) does not model increasing RTs at all, although in the 1994b article a parameter is added for this. They state that the overall RT increase is due to a primacy eï ¬â‚¬ect: the beginning of the alphabet has been repeated more often, therefore the associations between the letters are stronger at the beginning. They do not ï ¬ nd an increase in local minima in the results of individual test subjects, rather they claim that the increase in the aggregate data is a result of averaging. Because the chunks are smaller towards the end of the alphabet and because variability between persons is greater, averaging results in increasing local minima. Although we will have to take into account this increase in RTs across the alphabet, my experiment is not designed to decide between diï ¬â‚¬erent explanations for this increase. We will focus on (possible) serial search within chunks only. Predictions for priming Given the diï ¬â‚¬erence between American and Dutch subjects, it is hard to decide which model ï ¬ ts the experimental data better. Therefore, we will derive new predictions about how priming can inï ¬â€šuence RTs. The results might help decide which model is correct. The task is the same as described earlier: the subject is presented a letter and has to say either the next or the preceding letter in the alphabet. However, items will be  paired to form prime-target combinations. For convenience, we will always refer to the ï ¬ rst item of such a combination as the prime, regardless of whether we think this item causes priming or not. An example would be the combination D−, F −. The prime item is D− (the − indicating that the task is to say the letter before the D) followed by a target item F −. The RT on this target item is compared to the RT on the same target item when preceded by an item O−. If the RT on the target item is signiï ¬ cantly faster for the ï ¬ rst combination than for the second, we can say that the D− item somehow primes the F − item. We will distinguish three models, based on the described literature. For each model we will describe what predictions for priming can be derived from it. The examples assumes that the letters A to F are all in the same chunk. SS (strong serial search) Always serial search, both in the forward and backward condition. This corresponds with the Klahr. et al (1983) model.  A prime item C+ or D− will always cause someone to ‘recite’ from the beginning of the chunk until the prime is reached (it doesn’t matter whether the next or the preceding letter is asked): â€Å"A, B, C, D†, assuming the chunk starts at A. This will activate all the letters from A to D. For a subsequent target F −, the subject will need to search the series A to F . However, this search should be faster because many of the letters have been activated. The right entry point (rather trivial in this case: A) should also be found faster because it is still active. We could even argue that the search doesn’t have to start at A, but can start where the preceding search left of, at D. Whatever the precise mechanism, we expect a priming eï ¬â‚¬ect, both when the prime item is + and when it is −. If there is a chunk boundary between prime and target, no priming can occur. But averaged over all letters of the alphabet, we still expect a priming eï ¬â‚¬ect. DA (direct association) Always direct association, both in the forward and in the backward condition. This corresponds with the Scharroo et al. model. Although they claim to ï ¬ nd  a serial search in the backward condition plausible (1994a), this is not incorporated in the formal model (Scharroo et al. 1994a). Scharroo later takes the position that a combination of models adds no explanatory leverage (Scharroo 1994b). When we refer to DA, we mean a pure associational model. To ï ¬ nd the letter preceding or following the prime, only the association between these two letters needs to be activated. This will not eï ¬â‚¬ect the subsequent target item, unless the target item or its answer is identical to one of these activated letters. Therefore, there is no priming except identity priming (i.e. a prime and target are identical, or ask for identical answers). FABS (forward association, backward search) A simple combination of both models. To ï ¬ nd the next letter, direct association is used. To ï ¬ nd a preceding letter, a forward serial search is initiated. The entry point for this serial search is the beginning of a chunk. If the prime item demands a serial search (in the backward condition) the subsequent forward associations will be primed. This priming will aï ¬â‚¬ect the RT of the target 4 prime − prime + priming D− F− C+ F− no priming P− F− P+ F− Table 1: Conditions: example  item if it is in the backward condition, by the same reasoning as for SS. It will not aï ¬â‚¬ect the RT of the target item if it is in the forward condition (at least not if the prime preceded the target in the alphabetic order), since the forward task does not involve a serial search. If the prime item is in the forward condition, only the direct association between the prime and its following letter is activated. If the target is in the forward condition too, our expectations are the same as for direct association. If the target is backward, the activated association would slightly speed up the serial search, if this association is part of the series being searched (which is the case if the prime preceeds the target in the alphabet). Experiment Item design Because Klahr himself has proposed a hybrid model, our design does not test all possible circumstances in which priming can occur according to SS. Rather, it tries to distinguish between pure association and any form of search (SS or FABS). Therefore, the target is always asked backward. The prime can be both forward and backward. This leads to a matrix of four conditions. Table 1 gives an example of each condition, with all examples using the same target. The conditions always use the same distance between prime and target, as explained below: no priming, prime − (np−) : the ‘prime’ is the 10th letter after the target (if the target is between B and P ), or the 15th letter before the target (if the target is between P and Z). Because this distance is larger than any proposed chunk size, there can be no priming eï ¬â‚¬ect. no priming, prime + (np+) : the same as np−, but this time the prime is +. priming, prime − (p−) : the prime is the 2nd letter before the target. This  is the minimum distance needed to ensure that the answer to the target does not overlap with the prime (either the prime letter itself or its answer). priming, prime + (p+) : the prime is the 3rd letter before the target. Again, this distance is necessary to prevent overlap between prime and target. Note that for the same target in conditions p− and p+, the prime involves the same pair of letters (but which letter is the question and which is the answer diï ¬â‚¬ers). Using these distances, we generated prime-target pairs for every target from B− to Z− for the no-priming conditions and from D− to Z− for the priming conditions. To these items, ï ¬ llers were added to achieve the following checks and balances: 1. the + and − operator occur equally often for each letter (except A and Z), 2. sequences of the same operator (at most three in a row) occur equally often for each operator, 3. in the p+ and p− conditions, the prime is never primed itself. We organised our items with ï ¬ llers in sequences of 3 or 4 letters. The sequences could be reordered without violating the third condition. Every subject received a diï ¬â‚¬erent, random ordering of sequences. Predictions for our 4 conditions It should be obvious that we cannot assume that a +− and a −− combination will have the same RTs on the second item. Therefore, a direct comparison between np− and np+, and between p− and p+ is problematic. There are three diï ¬â‚¬erent possibilies: 1. If there is no priming, the previous operator does not inï ¬â€šuence performance on the next operator. (If there is priming, the previous operator might inï ¬â€šuence performance, in so far as diï ¬â‚¬erent operators cause diï ¬â‚¬erent search processes.) 2. If there is no priming, performance on the target will be slower if the subject has to switch to a diï ¬â‚¬erent task (i.e. a diï ¬â‚¬erent operator). Therefore, np− is faster than np+. 3. If there is no priming, slow performance on the prime will spill over as slow performance on the target. Since − is slower than +, performance on the target will be slower for np− than for np+. We can compare np− and np+ to get an idea of the size and direction of the  previous operator inï ¬â€šuence. We can then use this to correct the RTs for p− and p+. Assuming that there is no previous operator inï ¬â€šuence, the diï ¬â‚¬erent models would make the following predictions on the rank order of the conditions, where > means ‘higher target RT / slower’ and < means ‘lower target RT / faster’: DA: FABS: SS: np− = np+ = p− = p+ p− < p+ < (np− = np+) (p− = p+) < (np− = np+) Assuming nothing about the previous operator inï ¬â€šuence, not even that its direction is consistent across priming and non priming conditions, we can only predict a partial rank ordering: DA: FABS: SS: np− = p−, np+ = p+ p− < np−, p+ < np+ p− < np−, p+ < np+ The diï ¬â‚¬erences between SS and FABS in these predictions are very minor, as we have not added items with a forward target. Method The subjects were 15 psychology undergraduates, participating for course credit. They youngest was 18 and the oldest was 24. There were 8 females and 7 males. 12 subjects spoke Dutch as a child both at home and at primary school. One subject spoke Frisian at home and Dutch at primary school. One  subject spoke German both at home and at primary school. The items were presented on a computer screen. After the subject pressed the space bar to start each trial, a + or − sign was shown for 0.5 seconds at the center of the screen, then the operator disappeared and a capital letter was shown at the same location. Subjects were to press the spacebar as soon as they knew the answer. They then were shown a question mark and had to type the answer. By letting subjects press the spacebar before typing the answer, we aimed to prevent a confounding inï ¬â€šuence from the diï ¬â‚¬erent letter positions on the computer keyboard. Subjects were instructed to use only their index ï ¬ ngers, so movements had to be sequential. To discourage subjects from pressing the space bar prematurely, the question mark would disappear after 2 seconds. Subjects received no feedback on the correctness of their response, but they knew the response was being recorded. The experiment took about 4 x 10 minutes. Subjects were oï ¬â‚¬ered a break at three times during the experiment, and were free to determine the duration of the break. Results One subject was excluded from our analyses because he had a remarkably high error rate (18% overall, but 30% on − operator). Because we required for our analyses of priming that both the prime and the target are correct, half of the data for this subject was unusable. For the remaining subjects, the error rate varied from 1.7% to 9.5% overall, with a mean of 6.8%. For the − operator alone, the error rate varied from 2.0% to 17.6%, with a mean of 10.9%. Since these error rates are rather high, we have looked into possible causes of these errors. For 62.8% of errors, the response given was actually a correct response, but for the wrong operator. Subjects never saw the operator and the letter at the same time, and this appears to have caused  many errors. For another 15.5% of errors, no response was given within 2 seconds. Whether this is because the subject wasn’t fast enough to type the answer, or because he forgot the operator and decided not the respond, we don’t know. For 12.5% of errors, the response was two letters away from the presented letter, instead of just one. For the remaining errors, either the presented letter was repeated as the response, or a response was given that had so little to do with the question that we assume it was a typing mistake. Items with reaction times of less than 0.3 seconds or more than 10 seconds have been ï ¬ ltered out.  We have analysed reaction times per item for all items (including ï ¬ llers), without looking at priming yet. Figure 2 shows the reaction time (averaged over all subjects) for each letter. The solid line represents the forward task, while the dashed line represents the backward task. Letter position 1 represents A+ and B−, while position 25 represents Y + and Z−. This alignment best shows the correspondence of peak and valleys between the two tasks. Figure 3 shows 2 graphs of individual subjects. These ï ¬ gures illustrate the large 7 Figure 2: Reaction times per letter Figure 3: Reaction times per letter, individual subjects np+ 1749 ms p− 1772 ms np− 1832 ms p+ 1833 ms Table 2: Average RT per condition  individual diï ¬â‚¬erences between subjects. Our averaged ï ¬ gure looks less smooth than the Scharroo et al. (1994a) graph that we reproduced in ï ¬ gure 1, but Scharroo et al. used more subjects (40). We think our averaged ï ¬ gure is consistest with the eï ¬â‚¬ects described in literature, especially with respect to the pattern of peaks and valleys and the congruence between the forward and backward tasks. The individual diï ¬â‚¬erences we ï ¬ nd are not out of line with Scharroo et al. (1994a), who used Dutch subjects as we did. We cannot compare with Klahr et al. (1983) because they did not show individual results. To analyse the eï ¬â‚¬ect of priming, we looked at the reaction time of the target letter as a function of the condition. The (intersubject) average per condition is shown in Table 2. Note that p− < np−, but also that p+ > np+, which does not match any of the (partial) rank orderings predicted earlier. The direction of the previous operator eï ¬â‚¬ect, with p− < np−, but p+ > np+, is not consistent. The diï ¬â‚¬erences are not signiï ¬ cant, however. If the diï ¬â‚¬erences were signiï ¬ cant, they would indicate an interaction between previous operator and priming, that causes priming to be slower than non-priming for the + operator. We used the statistical package R to create a linear mixed eï ¬â‚¬ect model of the data. The variable to be explained was the logarithm of the reaction time. The dependent variables were: †¢ The sequence number of the item in the experiment. This lets us model the learning that occurs during the experiment. †¢ The position of the letter in the alphabet, encoded as a factor. †¢ Priming: true in the p+ and p− conditions. †¢ The operator of the previous letter. †¢ All two-way interactions between priming, previous operator, and sequence number. †¢ The subject. For every subject, a distinct error stratum was used. We then stepped through the possible simpliï ¬ cations of this model to ï ¬ nd the  model with the lowest AIC value. This model contains the dependent variables sequence number, letter position, previous operator, and an interaction between previous operator and sequence number. As expected, there was a negative correlation between sequence number and reaction time, indicating a learning eï ¬â‚¬ect during the experiment. The interaction between previous operator and sequence number means that there is more learning when the previous operator is − than when it is +. An ANOVA-analysis of this model showed that sequence number, letter position, and the interaction between previous operator and sequence were all highly signiï ¬ cant at the p < 0.001 level. The previous operator alone was not signiï ¬ cant, however (p = 0.3254). Our computer model does not include priming: priming does not help explain the reaction times better. Discussion We have not been able to ï ¬ nd a signiï ¬ cant eï ¬â‚¬ect of priming. However, the conclusion that there is no priming is not warranted. The eï ¬â‚¬ect of the previous operator is not signiï ¬ cant either, even though it is included in the model with the best AIC-value, and an interaction with this eï ¬â‚¬ect is signiï ¬ cant. Because of the pattern of peaks and valleys across the alphabet, it was necessary to treat the letter position as a factor, instead of as a continuous variable. This means that the data is modelled per letter, per condition, per subject, which requires a very large data set. We think that further research with a larger subject pool is useful. Such further research should also review the item design, to prevent correlations between priming and other possible factors as much as possible. Our experiment has shown that using a computer keyboard as input device gives results comparable to using a voice key. This means experiments can be  conducted with standard computer hardware. We think it is prudent for future research using this alphabetic retrieval task, even if priming is not its object, to control for possible priming and for the previous operator. References [1] David Klahr, William G. Chase, and Eugene A. Lovelace (1983) Structure and Process in Alphabetic Retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 9 (3), 462-477. [2] Jackie Scharroo, Emanuel Leeuwenberg, Peep F. M. Stalmeier, and Piet G. Vos (1994) Alphabetic Search: Comment on Klahr, Chase, and Lovelace (1983). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (1), 236-244. [3] David Klahr (1994) Plausible Models of Alphabetic Search: Reply to Scharroo, Leeuwenberg, Stalmeier, and Vos (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (1), 245-249. [4] Jackie Scharroo (1994) Modeling Alphabetic Retrieval: Rejoinder to Klahr (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (2), 492-495.

Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue

Based on Amy Tan’s â€Å"Mother Tongue† it is evident that language has an affect on our lives. Language defines the type of person I am generally and it has had an affect on my choices as well as my lifestyle. Depending on my friends, family, and others I talk to my choice on language tends to vary. My decisions in life, sometimes, are influenced by the language I use and my surroundings. Language has become my way of seeing life in a different perspective. In Amy Tan’s â€Å"Mother Tongue† she discusses the way the language that she was taught affected her life in so many ways. I can agree and relate to Tan’s article since I as well came from a bilingual home. I respected my parents so I always honored the language they spoke, most of the time I believe I spoke their language out of habit, it was our language as a family. In Tan’s article she quotes â€Å"So easy to read† (Tan 391) when she spoke about her mother’s verdict on her book. I had a similar story occur in my family since my mother had a tough time reading and understand english while I was growing up. I honored the way she defended herself even with her â€Å"broken† english and taught me that language is just a way of seeing the world depending on your language you can determine the way you want to go. I grew up in a bilingual family in which my mother spoke only spanish and my father spoke both english and spanish. At home I used to only talk spanish to make my mother feel comfortable in our conversations. Many of my decisions growing up were influenced by my spanish backgrounds to some its just a language but when you speak a different language you see the world differently. Amy Tan states â€Å"It has become our language of intimacy† (Tan 385), in which I can relate to. Speaking spanish at home became our language, the language we could all connect to and understand each other, it was our language. My mother specifically taught me to be intrepid in my choice of language. Since spanish was my language at home that didn’t mean I spoke it around friends. I grew up with a mix of friends some hispanic some african americans. It is important to understand that what your friends speak affects the way you speak as well. Some of my friends used â€Å"slang†. Even though I wasn’t raised speaking in â€Å"slang† over the years I sort of picked up on what my friends spoke. Due to that, some of my decisions around my friends such as the food, books, movies I chose to buy were affected by the language we spoke around each other. I didn’t quite notice the change of language I had around my family then around my friends until I used to mistaken & speak spanish around my friends and â€Å"slang† around my parents and either one would correct me. Due to the way I was used to talking to my friends affected making new friends and the type of friends I looked forward to making. Job opportunities growing up were sort of limited due to the fact I was never taught how to properly talk to professionals. In some job interviews, depending on who was interviewing me, I would either talk in some sort of â€Å"slang† or spanglish. It obviously didn’t help me much and I never had a stable job. Once I got older and was associating myself with other people who spoke what is called â€Å"proper english† I actually matured and saw that there were so many opportunities for those who spoke the language everyone found â€Å"acceptable† or â€Å"correct†. The more time I spent with those friends the more I learned about the world and actually my choice of language improved as well as my vocabulary. In Jeannette Walls book â€Å"The Glass Castle† language played a large part in their family. They were a dysfunctional family being raised wherever they were able to rest their heads and find food to eat. Rex Walls, the father of 3 Walls children, spoke english but in a way it was unique he used words that only his family understood. Even though others viewed them as weird, dysfunctional, unfit people they understood each other, they spoke the same language. Rex would use quotes such as â€Å"Being homeless is an adventure†, anyone would see that as something somewhat negative no one wants to be homeless, but his family understood where he was coming from. They were homeless and would sometimes go hungry but they always had strange adventures such as giving stars as christmas gifts, selling rocks, exploding science experiments and running away in their car never knowing where they might end up. Depending on my choice of language I do believe others view me a certain way. But my language defines me whether it might be â€Å"correct† or â€Å"broken† to others. Language has played a big role on many of my decisions in life. It has become my way of seeing life and the world a certain way. Language affects my choices as well as my lifestyle. Doesn’t quite matter the language you speak, it is evident that it plays a large part in everyone’s lives.

Electronic fingerprint scanning for security at airports Research Paper

Electronic fingerprint scanning for security at airports - Research Paper Example Most of the loopholes that have been identified in the security processes are due to the use of fake identities borne by the criminals or terrorists. The exponential increase in the acts of terrorism has made it vital for organizations to be equipped with accurate and reliable modes of authentication. The identity cards cannot be afforded to be trusted anymore due to their vulnerability of being forged. Therefore, another alternate method is being widely accepted in organizations, government agencies and public premises- biometric authentication systems. Biometric authentication systems identify the individual on the basis of his unique biometric features. Biometric features include fingerprint scans, retinal image, palm prints, face gestures etc. Biometric authentication bears accurate identification of the individual since biometric features are unique in every individual and they cannot be as easily forged as other paper based authentication modes. Jain, Hong and Pankanti (2000) d iscussed a study of Jain, Bolle and Pankanti (1999); their research included a comparison of biometrics on the basis of different factors that play a part in the success of the authentication mechanism. The comparisons are given in the following table; Table 1: Comparison between different biometrics (Jain, Bolle and Pankanti (1999) in Jain, Hong and Pankanti (2000)) It can be seen from Table 1 that fingerprint scans do not give low performance in any factor, unlike all the other biometrics. The aspect of uniqueness is high in fingerprint scans therefore it provides accurate identification of individuals. Fingerprint scans can be easily extracted from fingerprint scanners and readers; it is due to this convenience and accessibility that they have been widely accepted around the world. The introduction of fingerprint scanning at public places can prove to identify the individuals who may be a threat to other people in the society. Airports are sensitive places where many incidents of terrorism have been witnessed in the past history; such incidents include hijacking of planes and making individuals hostages. The current authentication mechanism at airports relies on passports that can be easily forged; therefore the integration of fingerprint authentication mechanism in the boarding process of passengers will ensure that individuals with criminal records are not allowed to board on the plane. 2. Literature Review Much research has been done regarding the usage of biometric authentication systems for homeland security. Before the discussion of the approaches that have been adapted by different nations and organizations, it is vital to understand the attributes and processes of the respective systems. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (2006) stated that the basis of an authentication process of any system resides on the following factors; Something that is known by the user, for example, PIN, password etc. Something that is owned by the user, for example, smart card, token ID etc. Something is inherently possessed by the individual, for example, fingerprints, face gestures, palm prints etc. The last factor is known to provide the highest level of security among all the other three factors since inherence based factors are unique in all individuals and cannot be stolen as easily as the other factors. The biometric recognition systems are used to perform two basic operations; identification and verification. The process of identification refers to

Analysis of Brooks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Brooks - Essay Example The theme is eminent at the begging of the book as refuges are hurrying to go back to their own home countries despite the travel barn warning issued by authorities. An example is that the airports are flooded by individuals who are fleeing from their host countries to find time of seeing their families. The planes are all boarded and individuals are even sleeping at the airport with the hope of boarding flights when opportunity avails itself. Individuals have grown to be protective of their families to the extent of even killing for them (Brooks 24). An example is that the main character despite knowing that it is not legal to shoot a fellow human since he was also san officer of the law shoots at the individuals who attacked his wife at the supermarket. Another scenario is the law officer who witnesses the shooting committed by the main character but ignores the scene just to get his stock of goods at the supermarket. While getting his daughter her medicines, the main character comes across an individual who is armed and also is search of the same medicine for his daughter. His was ready to shoot at the main character to get the medicine, but when he realizes they are in abundance, he offers some to the main character. This shows the level at which individuals are willing to go just to assure their loved ones safety (Brooks 79). Moreover, while on the run, the main character and his family comes across a building and loses their daughter there. They later find their daughter at a door asking a family who were hesitant to allow her in. This scenario shows how love had made individuals to become selfish to individuals who were stranger to them. They did not know the girl and they were protecting themselves as they did not know whether the girl standing at their door was infected or not. At the house and while sleeping, the boy at the house because of love shows pity to the

JP Morgan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

JP Morgan - Case Study Example These laws are meant to regulate the financial markets in US. Impact of Federal interest rate hikes may deter investment because it costs more to borrow. Interest rates in USA remained in between 4%-5% in 2009. Strong dollar may make exporting more difficult because it may raise the price in terms of foreign currency. Declining personal savings rate.In September 2005, the personal saving rate as a percentage of disposable income was negative implying US consumers spent more than 100% of their monthly income. 3. Social Factors determine the way the society in groups behaves because of cultural factors. In US Increasing minority Population, increasing retiree Population, have their impact on the financial behaviour of the US saving and expenditure rate and ways. Customer Loyalty is very much determining sustenance of a business for long. J P Morgan has built this customer loyalty by strong brand equity.. 4. Technological Factors: The fast changing financial world of US and UK such as highly computerised service, online banking, insurance and IT integration of lending institutions have sizeable impact on the financial services of JP Morgan. 5. Ecological: Every business today is responsible for maintaining the ecological balance directly or indirectly. J P Morgan is active in taking up and investing in environmental projects to carry out this responsibility 6.Legal framework of US, UK and other countries where J P Morgan function has undergone fundamental changes on account of introduction of stringent law after sub-prime lending debacle having impact on the financial services of the company. Impact of insurance industry after deregulations has strong effect on the business operation US Financial Services Industry: An Analysis www.researchandmarkets.com/.../us_financial_services_industry_an_analysis.pdf SWOT analysis is to make a long list of every factor that defines the company's situation. JP Morgan as financial global company has several strength that sustained the company against tough competition. Strengths JP Morgan is a leading global financial brand with recorded revenues of $71,372 million during the fiscal year ended December 2007, an increase of 15.1% over 2006. The operating profit of the company was $22,805 million during the fiscal year 2007, an increase of 14.7% over 2006. The net profit was $15,365 million during the fiscal year 2007, an increase of 6.4% over 2006. They have extensive retail distribution network, high quality asset investments and Capital strength. Weaknesses Sub-prime exposure in the US and UK shook the entire financial world. Several months before the U.S. sub-prime mortgage crisis surfaced, JP Morgan had detected accumulated such sub- prime risks associated with mortgage securities. The company dumped those risky assets and could avoid being trapped deeper. Opportunities J P Morgan diversified in banking and brokerage global

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

Entrepreneurial Leadership - Research Paper Example Social entrepreneurs are resourceful, innovative, and results oriented. Dr. Jordan Kassalow is a superb example of social oriented entrepreneur. Dr. Kassalow is the CEO and Founder of Vision Spring. Also, he is the founder and co-founder of the Global Health Policy Program Scojo New York respectively. His social entrepreneurship skills started back in 1984 when he volunteered to treat and help patients in rural Mexico (Kassalow, 1991). Seventeen years later, he formed a non-profit organization called Vision Spring. Vision Spring has sold almost six hundred thousand pairs of reading glasses in seven different countries. In the last year, Vision Spring gathered an annual income of $290,000 and still was on charitable donations. In 2010, they amassed $ 1700000. Three years later, he combined forces with a global microfinance organization called BRAC, in Bangladesh. BRAC has an eighty thousand strong sales force of women, who got hired to sell baskets of Band-Aids and Aspirin. Kassalow figured out on how to use the sales force to help him sell reading glasses, which in the process would help him save money on administrative and training costs. In the same year, Vision Spring sold ninety thousand pairs of glasses, but he still got losses. In the following year, Vision Spring sold two hundred and one thousand pairs bust made losses, which would now force Vision Spring to sell millions of pairs of reading glasses to break even (Stephen, 2008). A good example of a profit oriented entrepreneur is the late Steven Paul. Steve was an American businessman, inventor and designer. He was the chief executive officer, chairman, and a co-founder of Apple Inc (Brashares, 2001). He was also the chief executive officer and a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios. In 2006, The Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar, and he became a member of Disney board of

Movie Indusrty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie Indusrty - Essay Example cing companies make film production equipment affordable; they create opportunities of acquiring investment capital from outside the movie industry itself. In essence, they have allowed independent movie production to grow. Some of the major centers of film making can be said to be, Nigeria, Hong Kong and India (Scott, 2005). This paper will conduct a research on the global perspective view of the United States film industry with reference to other known production countries; this in view in terms of India and Hong Kong. The difference from these centers falls under the place where the movies stand to be filmed. With the reasoning of labor and infrastructure costs, most movies are made in states different from the one in which the organization, owing to the film, is situated. For example, many U.S. movies are filmed in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand or Eastern European countries. The largest producer of films in the world stands to be India. It produces nearly 3000 films on celluloid, which include a stunning figure of 1288 featured movies (Lee, 2002). Indian film industry covers multiple languages and the largest in the globe with a view of the tickets purchased and the number of movies created (Lee, 2002). The industry enjoys the support of the main vast film-going Indian society. For this reason, Indian films have been earning popularity in the rest of the world; this being noted in countries with large numbers of migrated Indians. The largest movie industry in India refers to Hindi film industry. It concentrates in Mumbai, and people commonly referred to it as "Bollywood". The name amalgamates itself from Bombay and Hollywood (Lee, 2002). Hong Kong stands as a film-producing hub for the Chinese speakers. It falls under the third largest film industry in the globe and the second largest exporter of movies. Hong Kong movies stand out for their unique identity and play a vital part on the world cinema scene. Unlike many movies, Hong Kong

Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Agriculture - Essay Example ides to kill pests instantly, and insertion of toxin genes in plants to kill feeding insects or larva (as in the case of genetically modified crops like Bt corn). There are some significant effects of modern agriculture on the environment. Extensive use of pesticides pollutes the air and causes respiratory and other health problems in humans and animals. These effects can be fatal in extreme cases of pesticide poisoning. The prolonged use of fertilizer, especially nitrogen, results in the decrease of soil pH. This means the soil becomes acidic, and therefore this will lead to subsequent yield reduction until such time that the soil becomes unfavourable for productive crop growing. Growing genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops (which is coupled with extensive herbicide use) may alter the weed population and microfauna in areas where they are cultivated. Extensive land preparation also has effects on the soil texture, soil microflora, and fauna. Agricultural pests can be insects, microbes, rodents, fungi, weeds. The primary effect of pests in agriculture is to decrease by some degree, the yield that is economically important. Extreme pest infestation can lead to famines. As an example, the potato blight, a fungus responsible for the Ireland famine in the 1800s, has resurfaced in the Andes region lately, seriously affecting potato yields (Barclay) and causing fear of famine. Locust infestation is devastating and has been responsible for famines even during biblical times. In rice growing areas, the major pests are rodents and snails that cut rice stems therefore reducing the number of productive tillers and diseases like blast and tungro. Livestock also have pests that can cause epidemics; like the bird flu which is caused by a virus. Chicken with, or suspected to have, bird flu, are killed and this results in a shortage of chicken and eggs, and consequently, increase in prices of these commodities. Another notable disease is the mad cow disease that led to

Diversity Plan for Abercrombie & Fitch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Plan for Abercrombie & Fitch - Essay Example The teen apparel retailer has had consistent good performance in terms of profitability despite the challenging U.S. retail environment (Anna 2013). In order to increase its revenue, the company has put in place measures to ensure that it spreads out to international markets by widening its product portfolio. It is therefore imperative that the company should implement a diversity and inclusion program so as to improve its position as an international apparels retailer. President’s Statement Diversity is an important source of competitive advantage in terms of innovation and growing company revenues. The ability of a company to compete in both the domestic markets and the international markets depends on the resourcefulness of its people. Suffice to say, Abercrombie & Fitch values its people as the most important asset for the company. Workplace diversity and inclusion gives sufficient intellectual capital to fuel our growth to new levels. The apparel retail market has been ch anging rapidly and it is through diversity that the company can be able to meet new challenges and create value for both our clients and shareholders. The strength of our company comes from the combination of our values, knowledge and expertise. Thus, diversity is the cradle upon which Abercrombie & Fitch Company’s success is anchored. The company values diversity not only for revenue growth but also to foster an all inclusive work environment. The management of Abercrombie & Fitch Company is fully committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion in its workplace. Justification for Diversity Diversity basically refers to human qualities and skill sets that are different and varied among individuals and groups (Morgan and Felix 475). For instance, diversity can be manifested in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities and educational background among others. It needs the unique contributions that can be made by individuals with many differences and abilities. The succe ss or failure of a company depends on its ability to create a work environment that harnesses a wide range of input from its employees and business partners (Eagly and Jean 216). Companies are also obliged to satisfy the population and demographics that they serve. One of the benefits of diversity is improved productivity (Kreitz 115). It is notable that innovation arises from a combination of different perspectives towards attaining a common goal. By embracing diversity, an organization is capable of excelling since it will have a large pool of experts with different perspectives to spur its growth. In fact, the global market requires diverse knowledge of consumers and their preferences. Suffice to say, a diverse workforce will be well suited to develop products that are appropriate for the diverse markets. Also, diversity plays and integral role in ensuring that important consumer cultural perspectives are considered in operations of business. For instance, Abercrombie & Fitch has to ensure that it understands the needs of its international markets like Africa which are fundamentally different from the American market. Diversity in the workplace is anchored in law. Organizations are legally required to ensure that their workforce is diverse and does not discriminate against any demographics. In order to avoid class lawsuits, Abercrombie & Fitch has to implement a diversity and inclusion plan that incorporates all the demographics and nationalities in which it operates. Suffice to say, the company’

Project Management Essay Example for Free

Project Management Essay The pursuit for a successful project when a project or service needs to be established that is outside of the normal functional operations, the technique of project management is imperative. The efforts of the three â€Å"C† are communication, cooperation, and coordination that all work together in a profound approach to create a winning coalition with the project team members and senior management. The three â€Å"C† are essentially to providing the means in allowing project management to function in positive environment. The Lockheed Martin Corporation is one of the companies that captures the three â€Å"C† concept that led the organization to being one of the premier leaders in technology – that is why incorporating a project management function within a project management office is essential to staying a leader in the industry. The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an advanced technology company that was found in March 1995 after a merger of two profound technology companies; Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta Corporation. The Lockheed Martin Corporation employs over 120,000 people in the world with concentration in research, design, development, and manufacture as well as integration of advanced technology systems, products and services to clients that are around the world (Lockheedmartin. com, 2008). The Lockheed Martin Corporation prides itself in being a leader with extraordinary talent and creativity to bring new and fresh ideas to the marketplace. The Lockheed Martin Corporation major clientele is the U. S. Department of Defense and the U. S. Federal Government agencies to provide lead systems integrator and information technology. The IT services that Lockheed Martin Corporation provides is one of the finest in the world providing systems integration and training to the U. S. Government. The additional business is providing international government and some commercial sales of products, services and platforms. Therefore, in the pursuit of business interests, the decision establish a project team to explore a new device technology chip that will enhance the speed and calculation of previous system integration will enhance the brand equity of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the market. The goal of project management is to manage and complete the delivery of the client’s deliverable on time and on budget. Therefore, the objective of project management within an organization is the ability to achieve the company’s strategic goals and mission. The project manager initiative is to follow the client’s purpose for the development of the product or service with stated specifications with the PM effectively planning accordingly. The focus on the project management objective allows for a central concentrated effort on the Project Manager to outline the needed tasks- that is outside of the daily organizations functions as business as usual- to creating the specific need for the client domestically and internationally (Wild, Wild, and Han, 2006). The collective consensus of project management within an organization to consider having a Project Management Office (PMO) is a productive step in centralizing the need for better planning. The reason for the project management office is the centralization of the responsibility and authority for the achievement of organizational goal when the assignment doesn’t fall within the confinement of routine work. The understanding of the Project Management Office identification what situation constitutes a project or non-project that will present a temporary nature; the following will apply to reach such a determination: a. The opportunity or market window is usually temporary with some projects having a limited time frame to produce the product or service. . A capability to perform a service, such as business functions supporting production or distribution. c. A product or artifact that is produced is quantifiable and can be an end item in itself or a component item. d. A market demand that requires a need to satisfy in a given period of time. e. A technological advance that ranges from new software upgrades or internal systems. f. Consumer requests to offer a better adaptability to a product. g. Designing a new advanced transportation vehicle for a specific demographic. . The building a new construction that adds a new division or for a client. Therefore, the determination is agreed upon for completing a project outside of the normal operations of the organization, a focused effort must be made for a successfully completion (Armstrong and Kotter, 2007). The objectives of projects and operations are at times very different in keeping the company working towards the same goal, even though, the organization’s objectives for business enterprise is still the core initiative. The project management agenda is a means of organizing activities that is accomplishing through the application (Haritz, 2004). The integration of the application of the project management processes within the organization is required for a managing of the initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The senior management team commitment to quality and delivering excellent products or services are dependent on employees to comply accordingly. Therefore, the importance of project management is crucial to presenting a professional responsibility to its stakeholders including customers, the performing organization, and the public for meeting company’s initiatives. The acquiring of management by project is related to organizational culture that is close to the project management culture described in the pursuit for execution. The following aspect to consider in the positive attributes of using project management in the organization is the benefit for sharing information for effective decision making.

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Example for Free

Emotionally-Charged Subjects Essay Parents and teenagers need not always argue about issues that are manageable. The key to managing these issues is in understanding each other’s position and in finding a middle-way solution. If we can aim for a win-win solution, that would be best, but many times it may not be possible. So, adjusting our wants with regards to the other’s position may be necessary to solve our problems. Let us take the issues of friends, money and school for example. If we try to understand the problems facing each side, from the teenager and from the parents, we can try to negotiate our way to a solution. First, many teenagers today have friends that parents disagree with, but both sides can work on a solution. Proverbs 18:24 says, â€Å"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother† (New American Standard Bible). The teenager has to understand that quality friends are more important than quantity. Bad company may lead to drug abuse, alcoholism, pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancies and other consequences that are life-and-death situations. It is important then to choose our friends wisely and to refrain from others who are bad influences on us. So how do we choose our friends? Or how do we know that they are truly our real friends? Proverbs 17:17 asserts that â€Å"A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need† (New Living Translation). If our so-called â€Å"friends† are only there when we have money or if we are in good health or if we have a nice car and a beautiful house, then they are not our friends. A true friend will be there for you even in sickness, homelessness and poverty. Of course, parents also have to understand that nothing is perfect and that these ideals may not be realized all the time because of actual, instead of theoretical circumstances. So parents have to give their teenagers some room for error and imperfection. By learning from their mistakes, they will become better adults later. Second, many teenagers nowadays want more money, which their parents don’t have, so we need to find creative solutions to solve it. In 1 Timothy 6:10, it is mentioned that â€Å"the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs† (New International Version). Money is needed to satisfy many physical desires, but too many desires will lead to suffering. It is important to extinguish the flames of desire through moderation. If we don’t really need something, we don’t have to possess it. We also need to be wise with our money through investments and diligent work. By finding part-time work and learning how to invest our savings properly, a teenager will learn good financial skills that he will need later as an adult. As Matthew 25:18 mentions, we should not dig â€Å"a hole in the ground and [hide]†¦ the masters money† (New Living Translation) even if we have only a little of it. We should invest it, and we can also find some work to earn more money that we can additionally invest. We should also not have sudden cravings to splurge once we have a lot of money. In Proverbs 7: 20, a prodigal man â€Å"took lots of money with him†¦ [and] wont be home for a couple of weeks (God’s Word Translation). Instead, we should learn how to control our emotions. Being wasteful in our expenditures will empty our bank account. Lastly, we should also be generous. As Exodus 22:25 says, If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest† (New International Version). By learning how to give, we will receive payment in â€Å"kind† later on in the form of respect, the return of favors and other non-quantifiable intangible forms that we will appreciate later. Lastly, teenagers may need to confront their parents about their problems in school. Grades are one of the major problems that teenagers face in school. Low marks could be a consequential problem due to bad friends or the lack of money to buy learning resources. If our problem with friends and money are resolved, then we can solve our issues in school also. But sometimes, the cause may be something else. If our ancestors were not so bright themselves, then we shouldn’t expect too much on ourselves. Or if we take some mental aptitude tests, and we score poorly, we may be faced with a biological problem that requires specialized training. But more often than not, we can improve our brain power through proper nutrition, exercise and mental conditioning. There are many books and courses in the market that will teach us on how to increase our mental aptitude. So, it may be necessary to purchase a few for the benefit of our future. But parents should also consider that school and grades are not everything. Jesus himself was very learned, but he did not bother to prove his academic excellence by getting a respected degree from a well-known school. In John 7:15 â€Å"the Jews were surprised and said, How has this man got knowledge of books? He has never been to school† (Bible in Basic English). Indeed, school is not the only place to learn and thus, school grades are not the only proof of learning. While some people may be God-gifted, more often than not, many people learn from the â€Å"School of Hard Knocks. † Truly, there are many successful people today, such as Bill Gates, who never finished college. In the end, teenagers are not always wrong and parents are not always right. When a proper middle-ground is reached between the two, there is peace. References Hook, S. (ed. ). (1965). Bible in Basic English. Cambridge University Press. Holy Bible: New International Version. (1978). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (1996). Wheaton: Tyndale House. The Bible: God’s Word Translation. (1995). Jacksonville: Baker Publishing Group. The Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1997). Anaheim: Foundation.

Animals Idioms in Chinese and English Cultures

Animals Idioms in Chinese and English Cultures Idioms are by all means the crystallization of a language due to its long history and also, they telling demonstration of wisdom of a nation. Chinese and English idioms have their different cultural traits. This paper compares Chinese and English idioms of animals, discusses the influence of cultural differences on Chinese and English idioms and gives some specific approaches to the understanding of Chinese and English idioms of animals. Keywords: cultural differences; similarities and differences; English contrast; idioms of Animals; 1. The concept of idioms of Animals and the reasons for studying the idioms of Animal The English world is just like a Kaleidoscope, also we can treat it as a Labyrinth.Animals and human beingshave been friends since old times. Languages of all kinds of nations own lots of words related to animals and so do Chinese and English. In the development of our society, animal words gradually get their stable meanings in all kinds of languages, namely, people associate their feelings and emotions, even thoughts and natural phenomena with different kinds of animals which are treated to represent different characters like people, or serve as omens. So animals gradually have become a certain kind of symbol in our thoughts, then this symbol rooted in the language at last. So in this world, there is a branch which can not be ignored-the english idiom whose function is indispensable.In this essay, it will focus on one branch of the English idiom, the idiom of animals, because when people use this kind of idiom, sometimes they will feel confused of this kind of idiom, for the reason of the different culture background and emotion towards different animals, people from west and east usually holds different view towards the same animals, but they can also reach agreement sometimes (à ©Ã†â€™Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ 1999) .In the body part, Section 1 shows the different view towards the same animals. Section 2 talks about the same view towards the same animals. Section 3 states the  influences  of  Cultural  factor  on  idioms of animals.From the dictionary, the difinition of idiom is they are by all means the crystallization of a language due to its long history and also, they telling demonstration of wisdom of a nation. Without idioms, especially the idioms of animals.The language can became very dull and we can not express some feelings as vivid as right now. If we use a metaphor way to express, then it is just like the filtered water came from the purer water, the filtered product of a languageidioms, are of high quality. In terms of similar ity, the essay will deal with from the originating from folk life, originating from daily life and originating from custom background.The differences will be foucused on reflecting different geography, reflecting different value concepts and reflecting different religions. 2. The cultural connotation towards the animals in the English culture and Chinese culture The western history begins when the ancestors find and fight for their natural habitat by sailing in the sea, the western people have a complicated mixture of marine culture. During those tough timeof the struggle against with the sea, the western people formed a strong sense of controlness and invasion by force to enlarge their territory. Based on this thoughts, the western culture is marked by the westerners appreciation for competition and enterprise. These differences leads to so many cultural differences. For example, the geographic location, individual values, social awareness, the way of communication and expression.All these thoughts have formed the culture background which effects the idioms of animals. 2.1. An animal word has the same cultural connotation in English and Chinese In both English and Chinese, the same animal words contain the same or similar cultural connotation . All humanbeings are lives on the same planet. People have similar living atmosphere, cognitive ability and psychology;In both Chinese and English, people almost have the same information towards animals. Therefore, they have the same or similar realization and give the same cultural connotation to animal words. People sometimes also hold same views towards the same animals in both English and Chinese, Based on this emotion concept.then the influences have taken effects on the same animals.The intension of idioms of animals can connected with los of background informattion.However, the cultural reasons are difinitely ranks on the top of the list.Based on the aspect of folk life and the aspect of stereotype of thoughts., the study of the same view towards the idioms of the same animals will analyze it. 2.1.1 Discussion from the aspect of the intimacy with the human beings In this world, maybe the dog is the most loyal animal which people from both east and west would love it. But even dog is a favorite animal for most people, we still can find out that the emotion towards dog is a little different.From some popular American folk song, we can find how deep the emotion of the Americans towards the dog, people from the west often treat the dog as one of their family members. In the west, the common name of dog is Fido which extended from the latin word-fides which means faithful (Bakerà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Mona. 1992). Also lots of people of west name their dogs after their beloved family member, for instance, the ex-president of America, Bill Clinton name his dog after his uncle.So the idioms related to the dogs cames out, just as the top dog means the winner, the big dog means Mr.Big etc.But in the east, the idioms of dogs often have derogatory sense. Discussion from the aspect of religion influence People who learn English might know an idiom of elephant-the white elephant, which means an inanimate possession that is similarly unwanted and hard to get rid of, but too costly simply to throw out or abandon. Another idiom of elephant in english is as thick skinned as an elephant, which means stubborn and Obtuse. However, in the eastern country, the elephant is a symbol of strength and power, in some Buddhist countries, the elephant is also a holy symbol of their religion. 2.1.3 Discussion from the aspect of folk life Both the east and the west treat the pig as a symbol of idleness and stupid.The idioms of pig in the west and the east are all related to the bad side.For instance, Never cast ye your pearls before swine (Christine Ammer, 2005), this idiom means to waste precious words or deeds on the underserving. Another example is you cant make a silk purse from a sows ear, this means you cant turn an underserving creature or thing into one of great worth. Discussion from the aspect of stereotype of thoughts Both the Chinese and English think that the fox stands for cunning, so when English people say He is a fox, the Chinese people can easily catch the meaning of the sentence at the same atmosphere. To the English speaker and Chinese people, the first impression of pig is fat. It also represent laziness and stupidity. Thewolf is one kind of fierce wild animal in the forest. So its natural instincts are avariciousness and fierceness rooted in peoples minds. So we often hear some of the same expressions in English and in Chinese, such as a wolf in a sheeps clothing or cry wolf. In addition, when wolf is used to refer to a person, it means a man who always ready to make unsual advances to a woman. Therefore, in English, there is an idiom a wolf whistle (Christine Ammer, 2005). 2.2. An animal word has different cultural connotations in English and Chinese It can be seen that the cultural connotations of animal words in different languages in a subject to be further probe and the contrust and analysis of cultural connotations of animal words between English and Chinese. It is clear to get the conclusion that animal words is not only reflects the real animal but also get special cultural connotations of different cultures ( Bakerà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Mona. 1992) .Gnerally speaking, if people want to get a good knowledge of animal words, they must try their best to grasp the connotations of these words especially the cultural connotations, so they should have a comprehensive knowledge in order to understand the cultural differences in this task. People can be deeply acquaint with the cultural convention and living customs, then they can communicate with English speaking people naturally and easily. These idioms are given the same cultural meaning from their features, so in both English and Chinese, they can understand each other directly and easi ly no matter in cross-cultural communication or not. Meanwhile, with more and more communication, lots of new words come into both languages. We can find some idioms of animals with even the same images and the same intonations. 2.2.1 Discussion from the aspect of usage in daily life At first, doney is called ass which refer to the stupid and stubborn things and person.In the Aesops Fables, there is an ass in a lions skin, the other animals thought the lion is coming, and run away quickly.the donkey felt proud, but a fox know its not a lion, but a donkey, so the fox mocked the donkey (Nida, 1975). In English, an ass in a lions skin means to act/play the ass or to make an ass of onself. In the western culture, donkey is a symbol of foolishment, the ass wags his ears means the fool pretend smart. However, in the culture of east, people thought donkey is industrious, whats more, people dont need to look after them too much. 2.2.2 Discussion from the aspect of value concepts There is a paragraph taken from the Bible, the main ideal is when people come to this world, the God will choose the good from the bad. From this, we can get to know that the goat refers to the bad, from the time of the Bible, people realized that the value of sheep is more than the goat, so in English, the goat means the bad people or the Satyr. Let us look at the idiom of goat, for example, If beards were all, then goats would preach. This means old age does not necessarily betoken wisdom. In the east, people thought the goat is good, they take the advantages of the goats meat and skin, the goat has lots of usage (Smith, 1957). 2.2.3. Discussion from the aspect of custom background This is another good example of this essay, in the east, people think the bull is brave and industrious. Take the chinese people for instance, from the old times, people begin to use the bull to plow the fields.nowadays, the bull is still being used in the countryside, so the chinese usually use the bull to describe the industious people who work very hard and practical. Whats more, they also use the bull to describe the peole who seems very strong and healthy. In the west, people raise the bull in order to get the milk and meat, they did not use the bull in the agriculture too often. So in the west, the bull is refer to the fool, the people who are rude (Nida, 1975). For example, the bullhead means the stubborn.Irish bull means ridiculous way of saying. 2.2.4. Discussion from the aspect of geography influences From the day that can be recorded, horse is served to the human beings. No matter in the day of peace or the time of war, horse plays a very important role in every fields.Horse is an industrious animal. In the English, there are lots of idioms about horse, and the complimentary sense is basically the same.When it does not want to do something, then even you force him to do something, it still not works. In the east, people has the same way of saying. Among all the animals the horse may be the most sensible creature. She seems to understand men better than men understand them. If you are a careful observer, then you can find out that horse is always looking at its master. Knowing whatever feeling her master has. Apart from the horses sensitivity it always works without complaining. This is one of the reasons why Americans like to encourage other people to work as hard as a horse. It reminds us of the saying that we cannot force other people to do what we wish them to do without their content, of course. Without these expressions we can hardly find any means to let others know how we feel and what we think (Christine Ammer, 2005). 2.2.5 Discussion from the aspect of value concepts Fly is just like a mote in peoples eyes, they are noisy and dirty. So people use the fly in the ointmeny to express a trifling annoyance that spoils ones enjoyment. In the eyes of peole, they just treat the fly as some pests, so a fly on the wall means an unseen witness to a private situation, etc (Christine Ammer, 2005). 3. The  influences  of  Cultural  factor  on  idioms of animals They reflect the relationship between language and culture. Human beings common social activities are in many aspects similar, so English and Chinese idioms of animals have similarities. Because of the cultural differences, English and Chinese idioms have differences in their detailed contents. Now the essay will list two main cultural impacts on the idioms of animals (à ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸-à ¨Ã…  Ã‚ ±, 2003). 3.1 Similarities between English and Chinese idioms In both the English and Chinese, the idioms of animals are descriptive when they are aim to convey the right meanings. A western scholar once said that between two languages, chances are against it that there is a equivalence of phrases and sentences, only a few exceptions. Idioms are just one of those reasons to this are that human beings live on the same environment, confined to the same objective restrictions.From these aspect, it can be concluded that there is a common union of the sameness of the thoughts and emotions in human being of defferent parts in the whole world. 3.1.1 Originating from daily life Idioms are the common reflection of peoples daily life and experience, whats more, they are closely related to the practice of peoples daily life and work, revealing a universal truth from details so as to enlighten people. There are many idioms refined from the folk life. These idioms are created by working people, for instance, the farmers, workmen, businessmen, hunters, Soldiers and so on. They use familiar terms that were connected with their own life experience. 3.2 Differences between English and Chinese idioms Language is a medium of the culture in each nation. Generally speaking, the differences between English and Chinese idioms are the result of different cultural reasons. The Chinese Culture stress on the part of argriculture which has cultivated from generation to generation and is what our basic condition of life is attached to. Growing up in this land-foucused notion, the chinese people have long been dedicated to their homeland, they are able to feed themselves by raise the argriculture, in result, they thought of expansion and invasion of other nations is never of their concern. 3.2.1 Reflecting different geography Geographic Position. Lots of idioms of animals share the features of its surrounding environment. Nations geographical environment is a pattern that a language and culture have been developing. The geographical characteristics of the country are reflected in the national language in general and idioms in particular. The England is an island country which located in the western seaside of Europe. English people live by seaside and their life naturally connected with the industry of sailing and fishing. So many English idioms of animals are related to the creature in the sea. 3.2.2 Reflecting different value concepts The differences between Chinese and western value concepts mainly lie in the individualism and collective.The Westerners believe that everyone share the equal rights. They adore to the freedom and equality. Many English idioms of animals show Americans advocating of this aspect. Idioms are the essence of a language. They are closely related to a nations culture and enjoy great cultural values. They reflect the relation between culture and language. Each nation has its own geography, history, religion and social attitude. Because of the cultural generalities and differences (à ¦Ã‚ Ã… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã…’, à ¥Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ½Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å"Ã… ½, 2002), English and Chinese Idioms have their similarities and differences. They are permeating and interfusing each other. So a comparative study of them can help us to learn a language well and understand the true meaning of others word in cross-culture communication. 3.2.3 Reflecting different religions Religion is a very important theme of culture. Different religions reflect different cultural thoughts, different cultural backgrounds and different cultural customs. Religion is a cultural phenomenon. Sometimes, the idioms of animals are closely related to theaspect of culture, just like the example of white elephant list above. So idioms can reflect the different religious background information. English and Chinese people share different religious faith. Different religions lead to the differences between English and Chinese idioms of animals. 4. The value of study on idioms of Animals in both Chinese culture and English culture The similarities and disfference between English and Chinese idioms lies deeply in the cultural background. 4.1. The importance of studying idioms of Animals Learning a foreign language, especially the idioms of animals is a long way and we need to pay a lot of attention and efforts, what we should know is that we cannot and should not learn a foreign language in a very short time, so does the idioms of animals learning. The learning and using idiomatic appropriate is very difficult for non-native speakers, especially when we learn the idioms of animals, after we have a clear view of the culture background information of these idioms, we can have a better understanding of this area, and for this reason we need to learn it gradually, only in this way, we can handle them easily and effiently. 4.2. Consideration of the eassy This article should be an enlightment to all of us that when welearning English idioms of animals, we are supposed to grasp the cultural background in mind in order to acquire better learning. Whats more, the study of both English and Chinese idioms shed lights for our studying of the thinking patteren of both languages, which is of central essence for our learning purpose. Moreover, the analysis of origins causing different idiomatic expressions and cultural differences in this article can provide a way for us to understand idioms correctly and use them in cross-cultural communication precisely and accurately.

Symbols and Symbolism - Pearl as Living Symbol in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Pearl as Living Symbol in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   Pearl.   A child born of sin.   Conceived by lust.   Created by impurity.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the result of her parents fall from grace, she represents the sinfulness of their act, and is a continual tool for the recollection of their dubious deed.   Sent, was she, from the Almighty God as a gift, and a burden of the heart.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "'God gave me the child?' cried she.   'He gave her in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me.   She is my happiness!- she is my torture, none the less!   See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million fold the power of retribution for my sin?   Ye shall not take her!   I will die first!'"(109)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "'There is truth in what she says,' began the minister, with a voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful, insomuch that the hall reechoed, and the hollow armor rang with it - 'truth in what Hester says, and in the feeling which inspires her!'"(110)...      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "'I must be even so,' resumed the minister.'" " 'This child of its father's guilt and its mother's shame hath come from the hand of God, to work in many ways upon her heart, who pleads so earnestly, and with such bitterness of spirit, the right to keep her.   It was meant, doubtless, as the mother herself hath told us, for a retribution too; a torture to be felt at many an unthought-of moment; a pang, a sting, an ever-recurring agony, in the midst of a troubled joy!   Hath she not expressed this thought with the garb of the poor child, so forcibly reminding us of that red symbol which sears her bosom?'"(110-111).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pearls gestures, and the essence which her presence pours forth, insinuate to the child's evil roots and the effect there of.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "the child could not be made amenable to rules.   In giving her existence, a great law had been broken, and the result was a being whose elements where perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder."... "Above all, the warfare of Hester's spirit, at that epoch, was perpetuated in Pearl.   She could recognize her wild, desperate, defiant mood, the

Simon Bolivar Essay -- essays research papers

THE BEGINNING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar was born in Caracas on July 24, 1783 to don Juan Vicente Bolivar y Ponte y dona Maria de la Concepcion Palacios y Blanco. Simon received an excellent education from his tutors, Simon Rodriquez and Andres Bello. By the age of nine Bolivar lost both his parents, and was being taken care of by his uncle don Carlos Palacios. At the age of fifteen in 1799 he traveled to Spain to receive a better education. In Spain, Bolivar met Maria Teresa Rodriquez del Toro y Alaysa, they married in 1802. Right after Bolivar and his new wife returned to Venezuela, she died of malaria or yellow fever. Her death greatly effected Bolivar, he vowed not to marry again, and became a political and military figure. In Europe   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napoleon Bonaparte was the Emperor of France, and was crowned as King of Italy. In 1808 Napoleon conquered Spain and chose his brother Joseph as the King of Spain. This created a large revolt in Spain known as the Peninsular Wars. In Spain many small groups were formed to fight against the new king. On the other hand in S. America the groups were formed to fight against the Spanish King and Joseph Bonaparte. That year Caracas, Bolivar hometown, declared independence from Spain. BACK IN S. AMERICA In 1808 Bolivar, Bello and Mendez were sent to England on a diplomatic mission. It was a failed attempt to gain an alliance. He returned to Venezuela in 1811...

See Father He is Big and Strong :: essays research papers fc

Has anyone ever deliberately left you? Left you alone, feeling deserted, isolated, and by yourself? Imagine you were abandoned by those who were supposed to love you from the day you were born until this present day. How would that make you feel? In Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, she examines the causes, effects, and consequences of abandonment through one character, Cholly Breedlove. As well as the ways he eventually destroys himself and also those around him. Even before his birth, Cholly Breedlove has felt the vicious sting of loneliness. Cholly Breedlove was born to a young mother who, after four days of life, discarded him in "the rim of a tire under a soft black Georgia sky" (133). His father decided to leave his mother even before Cholly was born. Fortunately, he was rescued by his Great Aunt Jimmy, who raised him thereafter. He grew an intense love for his Aunt Jimmy, but her death marked the first of many episodes that began a downward spiral of his adolescent life. At Aunt Jimmy’s funeral, Cholly is placed into a traumatic world of racism when two white hunters interrupt him having clumsy sexual intercourse with a young girl, Darlene. He immediately transfers his angry energy to Darlene because he realizes that hating two white men would not be the smartest thing to do in a segregated racist world. â€Å"Never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters. Such an emotion would have destroyed him†¦--that hating them would have consumed him, burned him up like a piece of soft coal, leaving only flakes of as and a question mark of smoke† (119). The white men are out of his reach, and Cholly grows to hate and kill white men. His masculinity was revoked when those two men forced him to continue having sex while they hilariously watched. Cholly abandoned Darlene when he found out she might be pregnant; most likely because he was abandoned by his father as a child. "He had to get away. Never mind the fact that he was leaving that very day†¦Cholly knew it was wrong to run out on a pregnant girl, and recalled, with sympathy, that his father had done just that to him. Now he understood. He knew then what he must do--find his father. His father would understand" (120). After being â€Å"abandoned in a junk heap by his mother, rejected for a crap game by his father, there was nothing more to lose† with Cholly Breedlove.

High School Life Essay

It was in the year 2009, I was a graduating elementary student back then, when our adviser talked to me, together with my fellow honor students, regarding our plans after graduation. The conversation included where we wanted to study in high school. Most of us said that a simple school will do, what’s important for us back then was to have a school. That simple. After a few words, our adviser said that there is prestigious school inviting us to study there. Our initial reaction was, of course, we have no money to pay for the tuition fee. But then, she said that we need not worry, because the school offers us 100% scholarship, with a weekly allowance. We were delighted by the news. Imagine being a scholar of Notre Dame of Greater Manila. That is something to be proud of. So we were scheduled for an exam. We were so nervous. After several days of waiting, the results came out. And I was the one chosen to be the scholar! When my mom told me the news, I was really overjoyed. It would be my first time to study in a private school, prestigious one even. I went to the school to arrange my requirements there. That was when I knew that I am a De Mazenod Lingap Talino (DMLT) scholar, who would enjoy 100% scholarship and weekly allowance. What a privilege! I also met there Mr. Diego Reyes, or Sir Jigs, as what the whole institution calls him, and Ma’am Sofie. They were the ones who helped me during my stay there as a scholar. My first year was tough. A lot of adjustments were done. Of course, I’m not used to having classmates who are techy and rich. They talked about this gadget and that gadget, which, in my previous school, is not an issue. I’m not used to seeing signature clothes and bags. So I didn’t know how I would approach them. I’m not rich as them. I am just a simple girl. Another reason why I’m afraid is because I thought I would not be accepted there. I am different, physically. Before the first day of school, I imagined the Damers teasing me and bullying me. And I imagined myself ignoring them, as if they don’t exist, and when I’m alone, I’d cry a lot just to let the feelings out. I thought I would be an outcast, a loner, weirdo in their eyes. But I was completely wrong. I gained a lot of friends, much many than I thought I’d have. My first impression of them was wrong. They are not like what I see in the movies, rich people who are arrogant and rude. They understand my situation. They are open-minded. They are real. They may tease me but that was only natural, I do not get offended. They are real, true friends. Of course, the teachers are a plus. I thought they would not like me, especially the Math teachers, because I’m really weak in that particular subject. I really like Math, but I guess the feeling ain’t mutual. Until now, I still use finger Math. I am extremely slow in solving problems. I thought Math teachers would lose their patience on me, ignore my presence in the cream class because they would think I don’t belong there, because I am a weakling. But then again, I was W-R-O-N-G. Math teachers in Notre are exactly the opposite of what I thought they would be. They are very kind, especially Mrs. Narciso, Ms.Padlan, Mr.R and Mr. Zuniga. They were the ones whom I spend my Math classes with during my entire stay in high school. They were the ones who taught me Math and helped me to improve my skills in that field. They showed me that I am not a weakling, I still have hope. Whoo. But of course, there were my second parents. Mrs. Mercado and Mrs. Asis who served as my mothers, and Mr. Saplagio as my dad. They were the ones whom I turn to and cry on whenever I have problems. And all of the teachers in Notre, who may seem terror and scary inside the classrooms, but outside, they are one of your bestest best friends. Being a scholar isn’t as easy as anyone thinks. It’s really tough maintaining your grades. It is stressing to think about your grades when they are going down. They say grades are just numbers, but I depend on those numbers. My scholarship depends on those numbers. I usually envy those who can just have fun while I am at my room studying even if there’s no exam. And of course, as a scholar, I should be a role model to others. I should take care of my reputation. But of course doing that is a bit hard. As the saying goes, â€Å"Character is what you are; reputation is what people think you are.† What if my character is different from my reputation? Yes, that happens all the time. But I just maintain my character and ignore those who pull me down by saying things about me behind my back. That made me stronger. Notre gave me a lot of experiences that I would not forget. Notre gave me people that I am thankful for. But of course, I would receive none of these if it wasn’t for the DMLT, for giving me this very wonderful opportunity to study in the institution. I am just a simple girl from a family who cannot afford the services of Notre. But because of Notre’s awareness of the students out there who are not financially able, yet deserving to have quality education, and it’s willingness to reach out to them, I was able to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Now, I am going to study in my dream school, the University in the Philippines, one of the most prestigious universities in the whole country. With the help of Notre, I was able to get this dream of mine. It equipped me with enough knowledge and skills to face the challenges ahead. My life in Notre had been stressful, yet everything was all worth it. For this, I would like to express my deep gratitude. Thank you, Notre Dame.

Programming and Commercial Effects on Children Essay

Many parents are not aware that commercial programming can have the same effect on child’s cognitive learning as the programming the children are watching. The Merriman-Webster (2012) dictionary defines cognitive as, â€Å"Of relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, or remembering). † Research has been done on children’s programming as well as commercial television to show the effects on today’s youth. Even though suggestive adult humor can be found in children’s programming, the impact commercials have toward children is just as important to watch. Television can provide opportunity for children to learn however it should not be a teacher or babysitter for today’s youth. Questions like, â€Å"If a program is scheduled at all hours of the day and into the night, does this make it appropriate for younger children to watch? † should be just one of the many parents should ask when allowing children to watch specific television programming. Intentional or not, programmers use television to influence today’s youth. With today’s ability to view children’s programming on a multitude of different stations and different channels for each station, it is amazing on how much of today’s programming for young children have hidden layers of adult humor. Television writers put subtle instances of adult humor in to children’s programming which allows for them to draw in ratings from a wider range of viewers. Rice (2009) conducted a study on popular children’s cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants in which it states the show is directed toward an age group of approximately 2 to 11 year olds, however research shows that it has a variety of audiences in all age groups. Nearly a quarter (22%) of the viewers ranged from ages 18 to 49. Along with this research, Rice also notes on the schedule of the show to emphasize how it is directed toward a large range of viewers. The show was slotted to air between early morning hours to even later hours, up until close to midnight which by then most of the targeted age group would ave been in bed for a few hours by the time of airing. Rice also recorded subject analysis data for several age groups. In information collected from high school students, the majority of them seem to identify with the shows side kick known as Patrick Star. â€Å"A large majority of respondents say they watch the show because it is â€Å"funny,† â€Å"entertaining,† and â€Å"hilarious† (Rice, 2009, paragraph, 46). On the other hand, when college students were polled they more or less chose to watch because it helped them unwind from a stressful day, possibly like a treat for their bran after a hard day of class work. If a show that is targeted for a much younger age group has a relaxing type of effect, it would be interesting to see how it influences the target age group. When children’s programming is actually aimed towards a large range of viewers how adults choose what their children should watch could have an important impact on how they develop. In recent, years television networks an writers have taken a more proactive approach in educating youth through television programming. Some of this can be seen by the creation of junior channels. Channels like Nick Jr. or Disney Jr. ave created programming geared toward preschoolers and toddlers that use colors and characters to peak their interests. One of the more influential television stations that support child develop has been the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). PBS has had constant influence in child development with shows like Sesame Street and Barney & Friends and now offer new programming like Bob the Builder, Teletubbies and Thomas & Friends. These shows focus on learning in the early stages of a preschoolers development by reaching the alphabet, numbers, dancing, singing and even emotional responses. According to â€Å"The Journal of Media Literacy† (2012), â€Å"To capture and hold viewer attention, each Dora episode features a linear narrative shaped around a high-stakes adventure with serious consequences. It calls upon viewers to interact with the television to help Dora overcome a series of structured challenges. When children hear that they did a good job or a positive response, they tend to want to interact more and thus keeps them interested in the programming. Along with current programming on television, networks have started developing DVD’s to sell to parents when current programming might not peak a child’s interests. Big Companies like Disney, the Brainy Baby Company and Sesame Workshop have started developing age specific programming. When a large company starts to invest in developmental programming, it gives a better sense of satisfaction as the brand is well known. DVD series like Baby Einstein, Brainy Baby and Sesame Beginnings all have their own niche and targeted age range however all promote development and learning. Kikorian, Wartella, and Anderson (2008) state shows like Baby Einstein target viewers from as young as one month old and covers a wide range of topics such as music, art, language and poetry while Sesame Beginnings targets children starting at six months of age. This show features younger versions of the Muppets of Sesame Street and promote interaction between children and their caregivers. Kikoran et al. (2008) also discussed the unique effect of television on children under the age of two and suggests that some research shows that exposure to television during the first few years of life may be associated with poorer cognitive development. This question could be geared toward the overall television experience which includes commercials and the actual programming. With the importance of what is appropriate for children to watch in television, parents seem to be more concerned with actual programming then what is played in between. However, studies have shown that these commercials can be just as influential to our youth. With promotion of movie trailers, current television shows and video games violence is in pure view for children to see and it is less monitored then the actual program. In order to track this data, the authors in an article in the Journal of Advertising had to define how children and their parents viewed violence. For the children defining violence was much more broad as one child responded with, â€Å"Violent is fighting with weapons, with swords, blood, and gore† and another stated, â€Å"Violence is bleeding really bad. Sometimes it’s when somebody falls down and they’re scratched or bleeding really bad† (Brocato et al. 2010). Parents were more unified with defining violence with violence consisting of blood, gore and death. Children seem to think that it is the mother that stresses the importance of them not watching while the fathers feel it is alright as long as they are watching it with them. Both parents shared a common theme in that the commercials are not the issue but the actual programming. Parents also shared that by being present they could address sensitive issues like violence when it happens. Reading through the study it was surprising to see possible limitations that could have address more issues. Parents could have been asked while being present when the issue arose how did the child react to the situation. Another question that might have been asked is how did the child react to the actual discussion about the topic. Was the child more interested in the programming or on what the parents had to say. Ultimately the article had a good basis for what were the more glaring issues and how both the parents and children valued what was played in commercials. Intentional or not, programmers use television to influence today’s youth. This could be from how they act from watching their favorite television program, to desiring a new toy or video game that was currently seen on a commercial. Parents should take the time to watch what their children are watching. One way to see how a child’s favorite program can affect them is to watch the program without the child and then with the child. When watched alone write down instances that might be inappropriate or that draw questions. As the child sits through the program watch how they react to certain situation and then discuss with them on what is positive and what is negative. With correct supervision and discussions, parents have the ability to be a part of the education process with today’s youth.