Tuesday, August 25, 2020

My Immortal Soul Essay Example for Free

My Immortal Soul Essay Plato has awakened numerous perusers with crafted by an extraordinary thinker by the name of Socrates. Through Plato, Socrates lived on ages after his time. A subject of Socrates that many will keep on examining is the possibility of â€Å"an interminable soul†. Despite the fact that there are different works and exchanges about this point it is seen as best clarified in The Phaedo. Most would agree that the brain may ponder when one kicks the bucket what precisely befalls the dearest soul, the supplier of life frequently thought of as the very pith of life does it live on past the body, or does it pass on with it? Does the spirit know about the past in the event that it truly does live on? In Plato’s The Phaedo, Plato relates Socrates last days before he is killed. Socrates has been detained and condemned to death for ruining the young people of Athens and not following the privileges of Athenian religion.[1] Socrates passing brings him and his kindred scholars Cebes, Simmions, Phaedo, and Plato into an astound exchange about this idea of a the great beyond and what does one need to anticipate in the afterlife. Demise is characterized as the division of the body from the spirit. In The Phaedo demise has two ideas a typical one which is the fundamental thought that the spirit kicks the bucket and the physical, thought that the spirit isolates from the body in the afterlife. â€Å"The soul is most similar to that which is divine, undying coherent, uniform, constant, and ever self-steady and perpetual, while body is most similar to that which human, mortal is, various, confused, solvent, and never self-consistent.† (Phaedo)[2] According to Socrates, information isn't something one came to see however it was really engraved on the spirit. Information to Socrates was a perpetual unceasing truth, something that couldn't be obtained through understanding and time. Socrates companions accept that after death the spirit scatters into the air like a breath. On the opposite Socrates accepts that the spirit is in reality everlasting and on the off chance that one needs to turn out to be liberated from torment they approach to do so is to exclude themselves from the physical delights of the world. In this discourse Socrates and the logicians investigate a few contentions for this thought of a godlike soul. These contentions were to outline and confirm that passing isn't the perishing of body and soul by and large, however when the body kicks the bucket the spirit keeps on living on. Socrates offers perusers four principle contentions: The Cyclical Argument, which is the possibility that structures are fixed and outside. The spirit is the sole reason for life in this contention, and consequently amazing it is additionally to be viewed as for all intents and purposes endless. Next is The Theory of Recollection, which demands that during childbirth everybody has information that the spirit experienced in another life. Implying that the spirit would have must be existent before birth to shoulder this said information. The Form of Life Argument gives that the spirit looks to some extent like what is impalpable and genuine in light of the fact that it is dynamic. The body looks to some extent like the noticeable and the physical on the grounds that it is objective. The Affinity Argument possibly the least complex of all. It emphasizes Socrates contemplations of the body and soul, in saying that when the body kicks the bucket and decays our spirit will keep on existing in another world.[3] Since the spirit is undying it has been reused commonly, and has additionally experienced everything there is to encounter, for Socrates and Plato this thought of memory is a lot further than recollecting something once overlooked. Socrates sees information as something that can't be adapted yet the spirit reviews it as it is being reused. Getting a handle on the understanding that things come to be creatures by being made out of something previous and when stopped these parts will keep on existing. Concentrating on The Theory of Recollection, this is the case that information is intrinsic, and can't be scholarly. â€Å"What you said about the spirit. They imagine that after it has left the body it no longer exists anyplace, however that it is devastated and disintegrated on the day the man dies.†(Cebes)[4] Socrates’ point for this contention is that our spirit with holds this information and we are brought into the world with it. In spite of the fact that we don't reco llect things before we are conceived it is said that certain encounters can by the by re stir certain parts of that memory. For instance in The Meno, Socrates raises a scientific issue to Menos slave kid, who doesn't have any earlier preparing in arithmetic. The kid thinks he realizes the appropriate response however Socrates makes him see that his underlying theory of the appropriate response isn't right. By absolutely posing inquiries, Socrates gets the slave kid to express the correct answer. Socrates demands that he has not told the kid the appropriate response, yet through scrutinizing the slave kid, Socrates supported him to remember the slave boy’s own insight into mathematics.[5] Furthermore Socrates additionally makes another case of memory by expressing if one somehow managed to interact with an image or a thing of a dearest then it is easy to review said individual to the brain. This is the means by which memory works. On the off chance that we look at this model and change certain parts of it, it doesn't turn out to be exceptionally clear either. In the event that an image of a darling one was appeared to a more odd it is protected to state that the outsider would not have the option to review any musings, recollections or subtleties of the individual in the photo since they don't have any earlier information on said individual. All together for the outsider to do so they would have needed to been in associate with that individual in the photo at once or another. This demonstration of similarity is simpler for somebody who definitely knows the individual. Plato additionally utilizes a case of a vehicle expressing that before a vehicle is versatile there were parts that were made to transform it into a vehicle, for example, the motor, directing wheel, and etcetera. He keeps on pointing out that much after the vehicle stalls that these pieces will in any case stay to make the following vehicle. As indicated by Plato common items take an interest in this memory of dispassionate structures themselves; these things help to remembe r us non-romantic structures on the grounds that the spirit once experienced it. He perseveres that the spirit more likely than not existed along these lines. Which are all approaches to repeat that this thought information is engraved on the spirit may have legitimacy to it. Basically there was time where just the spirit existed and it before long found a home in a body of another, making it now a human being(birth). Resurrection isn't just a resurrection of the spirit yet the balance of the information one accomplished before birth also. At that point there is where our from the earlier information appears to vanish possibly to return when it is reviewed. It is asserted that we lose our insight during childbirth; at that point by the utilization of our faculties regarding specific items we recuperate the information we had previously. Nonetheless, this connection between the view of reasonable items and our ability of discovering information can deliver a progression of disarrays concerning whether it is conceivable to review all earlier information. The issue in this contention and certain parts of this thought of an eternal soul is that regardless of whether it were demonstrated that we were made up something before birth, and something will stay after death, it isn't for sure that it is the spirit. Through logical investigation it is comprehended that the body is likewise made of particles it is additionally realized that iotas existed before the body and will proceed with long after the body. The molecules that make up the body will in reality be reused too similarly as Socrates has the idea that the spirit lives on. Plato and Socrates were right on the possibility that specific parts were in pre-presence comes to make one existent and will exist in the afterlife. Albeit even with this thought one can't be sure that the spirit is one of the pieces of the body that is exclusively unfading. There isn't satisfactory data given by Plato or Socrates to make this contention get the job done. We should raise a request of for what reason is that so as to consider flawlessness we should have just needed to have seen it? Beside philosophical perspectives, in regular day to day existence we experience defects and it is protected to state that the brain is fit for thinking about what something of magnificence, flawlessness, or an ideal hover gives off an impression of being. The brain is additionally ready to consider these thoughts regardless of whether the spirit has never experienced it. In the event that these contentions demonstrate anything it demonstrates that The Theory of Recollection and The Cyclical Argument both verify that the spirit existed previously however the contentions don't demonstrate that the spirit will keep on existing after this life. Works Cited 1. Cahn, M Steven. Works of art of Western Philosophy. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc 2006 2. Morgan, K, 2000, Myth and Philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Plato, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Partenie, Catalin, Platos Myths, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . (April 11th2010) [1] Cahn-Plato’s, The Phaedo [2] Quote from the savant Phaedo [3] Socrates speculations talked about by Plato [4] Phaedo 70a [5] Plato’s The Meno

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Specialist sub-subcontractor

Expert sub-subcontractor 1.0 Introduction In development practice, not just venture supervisor, Architect, Quantity Surveyor, temporary worker conveying the significant job, pro sub-subcontractor likewise conveying the significant job so as to progress the development venture. A sub contractual worker is an individual or an organization recruited by a general temporary worker to perform some portion of crafted by a development work. For instance, a temporary worker may be building a house, yet may employ a firm or an individual represent considerable authority in electrical designing to introduce the electrical frameworks required in the house. By and large the subcontractor will either diminish the principle temporary worker of part of the structure work, or will have the option to perform work at lower cost or at a more noteworthy expertise level than the general contractual worker could. (Tricia Ellis-Christensen 2003-2009) http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-subcontractor.htm Ordinarily sub-contractual worker do the works like electrical, warming and cooling gadgets (HVAC), plumbing, putting, brickwork and material. There are 3 distinctive sort of sub-contractual worker in development practice and they are: Assigned sub-temporary worker Household sub-temporary worker Named sub-contractual worker Assigned sub-temporary worker Is an individual assigned by the Architect or Contract Administrator to the temporary worker so as to do the sub-provisional labor and there was a direct legally binding connection between the customers and the subcontractor. Other than that, temporary worker has the privilege to make sensible complaint on the chose sub-contractual worker by the Architect. Residential sub-contractual worker Is an individual who has direct legally binding relationship with the fundamental temporary worker. All the sub-provisional labor done by the utilized sub-contractual worker must be dependable by the primary temporary worker. For instance, if there is any sub-provisional labor done severely and cause the deferral of the venture then the fundamental temporary worker need to liable for it. Named sub-contractual worker Is like the household sub-temporary worker, yet named sub-contractual worker frequently use in Intermediate Building Contract (IC) and Intermediate Building Contract with temporary workers plan (ICD). The thought is to give the business methods for guaranteeing that specific packages of work are done by sub-contractual workers of the businesses decision. (Chappell D, 2007, pg 38). 2.0 Review the technique for selecting a pro sub-temporary worker A designated sub-contractual worker is regularly named after the fundamental temporary worker has begun work, so one of the customer benefits is that authority configuration can proceed after work has started nearby. A prime cost entirety is incorporated inside the fundamental temporary workers delicate archive (a bill of amounts or detail of work). On this the fundamental contractual worker is required to value overheads, benefit and any things of participation it needs to give, for example, the utilization of site offices, arrangement of a safe stockpiling territory and so on. The estimation of the prime cost total is discarded from the Bill of Quantities and supplanted by the selected subcontractors acknowledged citation and the principle contractual workers on costs are balanced as fitting. (Electrical Mechanical Contractor magazine 2005) There are a few explanations behind designation of sub-contractual worker: The business will have his opportunity to pick a sub-contractual worker that he wishes to utilize and did not depend on cost. The business can assume responsibility for the planning association and arrangement of sub-contractual worker to meet his necessity. The business gets the opportunity to make examination which sub-contractual worker is better and reasonable for the specific sub-provisional labor. Time is spared by presenting formal connections between the sub-temporary worker and the counseling engineer, draftsman, QS. Henceforth, there are no long chains of correspondence and fast activity on value, structure, program, varieties and so on is set up. In a venture there will be some master works which just can done by the authority group like sub-contractual worker. The selected sub-contractual worker can be included early thus his structure skill and his insight into the agreement and co-appointment of administrations can be used. 2.1 Procedure of selection The standard type of selected sub-contract delicate 1998 Edition (NSC/T) which includes in 3 sections. Section 1: Invitation to delicate to a subcontractor by the Architects/The agreement chairman During the section 1, the challenge to delicate to a subcontractor (NSC/T) of a standard type of delicate will be finished by the Architect. Other than that, the pertinent area of the business/selected sub temporary worker understanding, (NSC/W), and the two reports, along with the drawing/detail/bill of amounts which portray the work will be finished and sent by the Architect to those organizations the business who wishes to welcome to delicate. Section 2: Tender by the Subcontractor During this part, those subcontractors who are fascinating in this delicate will finish the standard type of delicate and the applicable segments of the guarantee, (NSC/W) and return the two archives to the Architect. After the Architect had gotten the two records, one of the sub temporary workers will be chosen by the Architect and will orchestrate to the business to sign and affirm of the endorsement of the sub contractual workers delicate and to execute the guarantee, (NSC/W). At that point, the Architect assigns the chose sub contractual worker to the principle temporary worker by utilizing the standard designation guidance, (NSC/N). Other than that, a duplicate of the greeting of delicate and the effective sub temporary workers delicate with all the archives and subtleties to some extent 1 will be sent by the Architect to the contractual worker under proviso 35.6. When the contractual worker gets receipt of those records, inside 7 days, he may either acknowledge or he may practi ce his privilege of sensible issue with the chose delicate. In the event that the contractual worker made a sensible complaint recorded as a hard copy to the designer inside the 7 working days, under provision 35.5 Architect may either give further guidance to expel the protest with the goal that the temporary worker can go along or acknowledge the protest and choose another sub contractual worker. Section 3: Particular Conditions (To be concur by the temporary worker and the subcontractor named under statement 35.5) Under the ‘Particular Condition set out in this piece of (NSC/T), these incorporate sub-contract period, protection subtleties, and the character of the adjudicator and trustee partner. Once arrived at the course of action on Particular Condition, the temporary worker and sub contractual worker sign (NSC/T) section 3 and execute the sub-contract articles of understanding, (NSC/A), which along with reference the sub-contract conditions (NSC/C). After them two had marked (NSC/T) section 3, a duplicate of marked (NSC/T) section 3 along with the executed sub-contract articles of understanding, (NSC/A) will be sent to the Architect for his records. 3.0 Review the strategy for selecting a pro sub-contractual worker Post JCT 2005 JCT 2005 is another improved form to supplant the JCT 1998 in light of the fact that there are a large number of the issues that emerged nearby and by and by still neglected to determine notwithstanding of its length and multifaceted nature of JCT 1998. (James Davison 2005 pg13). In sub contract, there are additionally numerous issues emerge among principle and sub-temporary worker in light of the fact that a venture isn't prepared for a sub-contractual worker to start take a shot at the date envisioned and afterward sub-contract based worker may state that he needs more cash on account of the beginning of sub-contract was deferred. (Chappell D, 2007, pg 37) Hence, in the new form of JCT 2005 there is no more designation of sub-contractual worker, just sort of sub-temporary worker which is residential sub-contract based worker. Since assignment has been expelled, some new conditions with respect to the sub-contracting in JCT 2005 is appeared as beneath: Statement 3.7 in JCT 2005 agree to sub-contracting The Contractor will not without the assent of the Architect/Contract Administrator sub contract the entire piece of work or any piece of the work to the sub-contractual worker and such assent will not be absurd postponed or retained the task. During contractual worker configuration extent, temporary worker will not without the assent of the business sub-contract the structure to the sub-contract based worker and is like the past, such assent will not be irrational postponed or retained the undertaking. Condition 3.8 in JCT 2005 List in Contract bills The Contract Bills give that specific work estimated or in any case portrayed in those Bills and valued by the Contractor is to be completed by people named in a rundown in or attached to the Contract Bills and chose from that rundown by and at the sole carefulness of the Contractor. At the very least 3 man the rundown will contain, extra people to the rundown can be include by the contractual worker whenever preceding the execution of a coupling sub-contract and with the assent of the business or (Architect/Contract Administrator follow up for his benefit ) which will not be preposterously postponed or retained the venture. On the off chance that whenever before the execution of restricting sub-contract the rundown stills under three man, at that point the business and temporary worker will understanding include the names of the others individual to make it at least three man in the rundown. Other than that, the work will be completed by the contractual worker and the individual cho se from the rundown by the temporary worker will be the sub-temporary worker and do the sub-provisional labor. In the event that whenever before the temporary worker has gone into a structure sub-contract the quantity of firms capable and ready to do the work falls beneath: The business and the contractual worker must concur on the expansion of more firms with the goal that the rundown includes at any rate three. Contractual worker can complete the work itself; be that as it may, temporary worker likewise can sub-let the work to any sub-contractual worker of its decision gave the designer gives assent. . (Chappell D, 2007, pg 37) 4.0 Review the strategy for naming a master subcontractor NEC 3 ECC 2005 Typically NEC 3 was utilized in the administration venture. Under this standard type of agreement, Project Manager assumes a significant job in sub-contracting. He is the person who acknowledge and dismiss the sub

Thursday, July 30, 2020

7 Reasons MIT Is Special

7 Reasons MIT Is Special Final year at MIT is done! I don’t miss it… yet. But the realization hits all seniors at different times: seeing friends for maybe the last time, checking out of the room, walking the stage to shake hands with President Reif during Commencement, or simply walking down the street as a new adult. For now, my life hasn’t changed. I have a summer job at MIT Admissions and commute to campus every weekday. But it’s a summer arrangement and lacks the permanent feeling of a full-time job offer. Right now, I’m visiting my family in Ohio, and it feels like always. Except, I do miss the dorm showersâ€"their water pressure, the speed of them heating up. It hit me while I was shivering under the frigid water in my new apartment. Not even looking at my empty dorm room with the awful splatter paint job exposed had that effect. But I was in a rush when I moved out. Plus I’d already said goodbye to friendsâ€"MIT has always been special to me because of the community, not the landmarks or even the classes. At least, that’s why I stayed at the Institute, and why I’d recommend it to other nerds (you kinda have to be a nerd here). Now is probably the best time to reflect on whether MIT was the right fit for me, and why. And maybe it’ll help those of you considering your match with the Institute before you apply. MIT is a unique, friendly, busy, and creative place, and I think fit is more important to thrive here than at most colleges. If you dont fit into the nerd fests that are CPW (Campus Preview Weekend for accepted students), REX (Residence Exploration for incoming freshmen), and Freshman Orientation, then you will have a harder time adjustingâ€"people here have to learn to work together and play together, and it makes for a one-of-a-kind wonderful and terrible time. Here’s what made MIT special for me: Residential System: choosing my living group based on cultural fit allowed me to find my best place at the Institute. And even when classes sucked (and they do at some point for everyone), I had a home and second family to return to. I was shocked how quickly MIT, and especially East Campus, became home. It’s still listed as Home in my Google Maps, and it hurts to change that. Pretty incredible to have most of your friends also be your neighborsâ€"just imagine that! Intensity: we are a work hard play hard school. One might stay up all night on Thursday to finish a problem set, and all night on Friday to finish a conversation with a peer. A rite of passage for all my friendships has been staying up to talk until 7am (helps that we live on the same hall). That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice sleepâ€"no one can keep that up. It’s just that students here are passionate enough about what they do to work overtime to finish a cool project with hallmates (like a programmable LED dance floor!), cook with neighbors, or just nerd out over math and science. Passion: people here all love somethingâ€"doesn’t have to be STEM. This love could inspire something life-changing, such as building wells in an Ethiopian village, or something simple, like watching a documentary on the history of the atomic bomb on Valentine’s Day. Either way, we all have something to learn, and something to share. That’s not to say that you need to come in a rocket scientist, not at all. But you will discover something exciting during your time at MITâ€"through classes, UROPs, rockstar professors, and peers. I never imagined studying social science and political philosophy, and certainly not neuroscience and women’s and gender studies. But I was inspired by the people here. What makes MIT the best in the world is the passion that drives everything faculty, staff, and students do. Nerdiness: the description for this one is the same as passion, but I had to include it separately as a fun warning. You will find people nerding out about all sorts of topics. It starts at CPW when you’re just a prefroshâ€"with liquid nitrogen ice cream and midnight math lectures. And it continues all the way through senior yearâ€"I haven’t had a single long conversation here without at some point nerding out over math, science, engineering, humanities, or social sciences. People have such diverse interests, and I didn’t want to miss out on learning from them. I love itâ€"would you? Unconventional Creativity: where else would you find students creating wooden rollercoasters and slides, haunted houses, augmented reality murals, adaptive evices, automatic boba machines, all in their free time? It’s freaking awesome! But besides that, MIT is unconventional in the little thingsâ€"lack of final exams for many, if not most, classes, Independent Activities Period, General Institute Requirements, pirate certificate, clothing-optional dorm floors, dorm ball pits, and so much more. This place is built to empower exploration and creativity. And, as you know, with such great power comes great responsibility, tooâ€"exploration takes a lot of work. Collaboration: during my first visit, I was told that some problem sets are purposefully harder so that people are pretty much forced to work together. This might not work for everyone, and you can certainly turn to TAs and professors instead of peers, but teamwork is still deeply embedded in the spirit of the place. I don’t work well with others academically, but I still love the collaborative atmosphere. It’s why we have no honors college or even honors classes, no grade de- or inflation, and no summa cum laude or valedictorian distinctions. It’s why I’ve called at least half of my professors by their first names, and why I can easily approach them to ask about their research, or even join their research teams, even if I haven’t taken one of their classes. It’s both the little things and the overarching policies that make MIT competitive with other colleges, but never within itself. Difficulties and Stress: I can’t not mention this one. Even if you are taking a light load, MIT feels stressful. There is an atmosphere of intensity and a pressure to be busy. It’s another unique thing about MIT, and we can’t ignore it. The seniors here come out jaded and tiredâ€"on the bright side, after this place, even working at intense places like Google or Apple, or attending medical or law school, feels easy. That’s why for most of us, IHTFP is a paradoxical mix of “I have truly found paradise” and “I hate this fucking place. But, in retrospect, I think most of us miss it at some point. I know I will soon. Post Tagged #East Campus #IHTFP

Friday, May 22, 2020

Is Jesus The Son Of God - 1596 Words

John 14: 6 says â€Å"I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me†. Jesus’ ministry was based off of this principle. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he was raised from the dead, and you confess you have sinned, then you are a Christian according to Jesus and his father God. That is what Jesus taught when he was alive on Earth. His ministry started Christianity, influencing so many people around the world. With his ministry came a lot of controversy, over his teachings and the way he--to some people--spoke very wrongly about the church and God. Also, many people followed him for many reasons. Along with that, Jesus whole ministry comes to a close after he rose from the dead. His†¦show more content†¦The Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesus, accusing him of having the power of Satan. He defended his actions with a parable, then questioned their logic and told them such thinking deni ed the power of God, which only further hardened their resolve to work against him. Jesus was challenged many times but, he always got the better side of the argument. If Jesus failed an argument his ministry may have been crushed because the Pharisees and the teachers of the law would have spread the news that Jesus was a fraud. Another example of a threat to Jesus’ ministry is, â€Å"It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, â€Å"How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.† Jesus replied, â€Å"I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The

Sunday, May 10, 2020

A Christmas Carol Analysis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1058 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/07/03 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: A Christmas Carol Essay Did you like this example? Facts: Scrooge doesn’t know why Fred is happy when he’s poor. Scrooge sees good as referring solely to profits. For characters like Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is at his most miserly when Christmas is mentioned. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Christmas Carol Analysis" essay for you Create order Even though Scrooge constantly acts up, Fred still invites him to his house. If Scrooge allowed himself to feel happy once in a while he would be happy. But he does not. Scrooge’s mainly economic view on Christmas causes him to reject it and the people around him trying to help him. Fan is important to Scrooge. Fan is an important character in Scrooge’s past. Fan represented an idol to Scrooge, someone he loved his entire life, she was one of the reasons his childhood shone, and stood out in contrast to the present. She was the reason that Scrooge had an equal balance of sad to happy times in his young life. Even as an adult man, Scrooge went back to his old habits more similarly to his school, but now he has accepted and chooses loneliness and family. Fan eventually tells Scrooge that she is taking him home. â€Å"Home, for good, â€Å"she says happily. She says,† their father is kinder now and has asked for his son to be brought home to become a man and never return to the schoolroom.† Inferences: Scrooge is annoyed by happiness and marriage because his fiancee Belle left him around Christmas. Throughout the story Scrooge shows how he is annoyed by Christmas in many ways, and one of the most important ones is when his own family member, Fred, is introduced in the book. Although he is his nephew, Scrooge still shows no sympathy nor connection to him, one of his own family members. Scrooge’s choice to do this show how even he, a man rich enough to never have to work the rest of his life, still isn’t rich in happiness and neglects the only family he has left since his sister died. His annoyance with his nephew can also be thought of in a bigger picture as his hate for Christmas which may have all started with the loss of his fiancee Belle. Scrooge didn’t want to see the truth of the situation which the ghost of Christmas past was showing him. The ghost of Christmas past was showing Scrooge happier memories like when Scrooge’s sister, Fan, announces that she is taking him home. Home, for good, she says happily. She says that their father is kinder now and has asked for his son to be brought home to become a man and never return to the schoolroom. And also when Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig take to the floor. Once the party had finished Scrooge went straight to bed with his co apprentice Dick. Scrooge was watching the party carry on. It shows that something so little can give someone all the joy in the world. The ghost of Christmas past then shows Scrooge how he changed from someone who loved Christmas to someone who hated it. The arrival of the husband-figure with Belle and the gossip about the old flame Scrooge made it clear to what he was missing out on. Scrooge’s reaction to the ghost of Christmas presen t was a combination of him being annoyed, and him hiding from the truth eventually this caused him to slam the extinguisher cap down on the ghost’s head. The ghost of christmas past was trying to shed light on the situation by showing Scrooge Belle’s past. Themes: Gratitude is able to remember the past, make sense of the present, and decide the future. Three ghosts appear to show and tell Scrooge the consequences of his actions and behavior. The three ghosts throughout the story represent the past, present, and future, all beckoning him to make better choices throughout his life. They all try to teach him to appreciate and show gratitude towards everything you have. With the first two ghost Scrooge doesn’t show any change in his ways. However, throughout the course of his journey with the third ghost he begins to repent, and his future begins to change. Over the course of the book, the idea of it being based off of the past, the present, and the future is shown: First, the change in Scrooge’s personality is tremendous after not even giving the idea of Christmas a chance in the beginning to completely embracing and accepting it by the end. And second, the idea that even though one may not enjoy Christmas, everyone has their own wa y of celebrating it, there is Scrooge whenever he counts his money, and there are the rest of the characters who all enjoy and celebrate. Dickens writes about the Ghost of Christmas Past bringing Scrooge to a lighthouse where two men around a campfire, surrounded by the ocean were still able to celebrate Christmas even in their dire situation. In life, we must appreciate the people around us before they are gone. The goal of the story had been to depict an image of how dreary and bleak the setting had been. The idea of Christmas had kept everyone happy and motivated, but with people dying very frequently, the time was made very unhappy. This is similar to the idea that it is easier and takes less effort to be unhappy than happy, because when you are happy, you are putting more work into keeping yourself calm and collected. In this time period, people like Scrooge are the ones who are unhappy, because after all the losses they can’t hold themselves together. Some examples of the losses Scrooge experienced are his sister, Fan, who he had idolized his entire life, his fiancee Belle, who didn’t die, but left him , and finally his partner, Jacob Marley, who had no one else to show up to his funeral than a loosely connected co-worker (Scrooge). At the time however, Scrooge had another family member left, the son of his dead sister, Fred. Over the years, Scrooge had not even attempted to make contact with Fred. Fred had been trying to share some of the Christmas spirit with his uncle, but he still rejected Fred’s intentions to reconnect with his last family member.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Project Management for Dummies, by Stanley E Portny Free Essays

The â€Å"Dummies Series† book, Project Management for Dummies, by Stanley E. Portny (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2001), is, in my opinion, a relatively easy-to-read (although also somewhat structurally fragmented in places), step-by-step â€Å"how-to† book, for either current or prospective project managers, with or without experience. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Management for Dummies, by Stanley E Portny or any similar topic only for you Order Now In life, every individual has projects to complete – usually a never-ending series of them, in fact, and often more than one project to complete simultaneously. One’s projects may be personal or professional; voluntary or required. They may be for our selves alone; for friends or family; for churches, clubs, or communities; special events; or for colleagues; companies, or employers. As the author concurs, in his â€Å"Introduction† to the text: Projects have been around since ancient times. Noah built the ark, Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine – all projects. . . . Why then, is the topic of project management suddenly of such great interest today? The answer is simple. The audience has changed and the Management projects in particular, however, as Portny also points out, within Chapter 1, must meet three key criteria; they must have (1) â€Å"Specific outcomes†;(2) â€Å"Definite start and end dates†, and (3) Established budgets† (p. 10). Further, as that chapter mentions, project management â€Å"includes three basic operations† (p. 12), which are: (1)planning; (2)organizing; and (3) control (Portny). In management today, for managers at all levels, completing projects; meeting project goals; and meeting project deadlines, are more important, as skills, aptitudes, and professional achievements, than ever before, especially within today’s super competitive business environment. As Portny also states at the outset: â€Å"Successful organizations create projects that produce desired results in established timeframes with assigned resources† (p. 9). Clearly, those who can successfully, skillfully, and within budgets and deadlines complete projects have an advantage over those who cannot. Many suddenly find themselves project managers, not by choice, but due to either changed or expanded job descriptions or expectations, or just plain company need. Increasingly, project management has increasingly become a ticket to job promotion and career advancement (or not). Moreover, if one has no previous formal training in project management, one may need to simply learn such skills on the job, and quickly. Project Management for Dummies is written for such individuals: those who would like to develop new project management skills (but also for those who desire to increase their current ones). The book is, I believe, potentially very useful for readers within either group. This book guides one through the beginning, middle, and ending project stages. It offers guidelines and tips on planning; navigating through ambiguities and uncertainties; teamwork; time management, organizational strategies; handling paperwork; staying on track; meeting deadlines, and bringing projects to a successful, satisfactory, and timely conclusion. Topics Project Management for Dummies covers include: making project schedules; building teams and sustaining teamwork; budgeting; coping with risks and surprises; optimally integrating technology into project management; and keeping team members motivated, on task, and within budgets and deadlines. Structurally, the book is divided into five parts (I-V). Each part consists of between three and six chapters, with 20 chapters in all. Chapter headings and topics covered include (to name but a few) â€Å"What is Project Management (And How Do I Get Paid Extra to Do It?)† (Chapter 1); â€Å"Estimating Resource Requirements† (Chapter 5); â€Å"Tracking Progress and Maintaining Control† (Chapter 10); â€Å"Dealing With Risk and Uncertainty† (Chapter 15); and â€Å"Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager† (Chapter 20). There are also two appendices (A and B) and an index. Chapter 2 covers defining and understanding what one is trying to accomplish with a project, knowing who and what one is doing a project for, and why that person or entity needs the project completed. This chapter also offers ways to avoid others’ having unrealistic expectations of the project or oneself as manager. â€Å"Looking at the big picture† includes â€Å"figuring out why you’re doing This project†; â€Å"identifying the initiator†; â€Å"identifying others who may benefit from your project† and â€Å"defining needs to be addressed† (pp. 29-32). In short, Chapter two focuses on defining the rationale(s) and parameters of the project; clarifying those for oneself and for all others involved; and laying the initial groundwork toward project completion. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 focus on â€Å"Getting from Here to There†; â€Å"You Want This Done When†; and â€Å"Estimating Resource Requirements†. Key ideas contained within these chapters, include knowing and planning all steps of a project, including making a â€Å"work breakdown structure†; â€Å"knowing how much detail is enough† (p. 49); â€Å"developing and analyzing a network diagram† (p. 71) and â€Å"assign your project’s personnel needs† (p. 105). Chapter 5 in particular also stresses the importance of finding the right people to assist with the project. Portny observes â€Å"Your project’s success rests on your ability to enlist the help of the right people to perform the necessary work† (p. 106). Portny also stresses that, toward that same end, â€Å"identifying skills and knowledge needed to perform your project’s activities† (Project Management for Dummies) and Finding people who in fact possess all of those required skills will either make or break a project. One of the chapters I found most personally useful was Chapter 6, on â€Å"The Who and How of Project Management†. Here, Portny covers three main topics: (1) â€Å"Distinguishing the project organization from the traditional organization†; (2) â€Å"Clarifying the roles of different people in the matrix organization†; and (3) â€Å"Recognizing key tips for increasing the chances of success† (p. 137). As Portny also notes in this chapter, project management structure and atmosphere may be, and very often is, much different than overall company structure and atmosphere, and one is wise to be clear at the outset on the differences between the two. While projects are company activities, they nevertheless typically take on atmospheres, conflicts, and lives of their own. For example, one operates within both a centralized company structure and a functional departmental or area structure in most parts of one’s job. However, project management may send one outside one’s own functional structure into various other functional structures within the centralized one. Those areas outside one’s usual functional structure become the unique â€Å"matrix structure† (p. 141) of the project. Understandably, the matrix structure of an individual project will spawn (and necessitate) much different communications; alliances; interrelationships; interactions, and interdependencies than will usual, more typical work activities. Key players in a project matrix environment, which obviously differs from one’s overall work environment, will typically include the â€Å"project manager; project team members; functional managers; and upper management† (p. 143). Chapter 7 covers choosing and involving the â€Å"Right People† (p. 149) in one’s project. Supporting ideas covered in this chapter include the importance of understanding one’s project’s audience (â€Å"any person or group that supports, is affected by, or is interested in your project† (p. 150). Each project also has â€Å"drivers†; â€Å"supporters†; and â€Å"observers† (p. 158) and it is equally important, Portny suggests, for project managers to identify and know each of them, and their respective roles. Of crucial importance to project success, also, is â€Å"Finding a project champion† (p. 159) or someone high up in one’s organization that will support and encourages the project. Teamwork is crucial to successful project completion. Chapter 8 explains the importance of â€Å"defining team members roles and responsibilities† (p. 166), and making sure all team members are aware of their own and each others’ roles and responsibilities. Therefore, lines of authority, responsibility, and accountability must be clearly established at the outset, and sustained throughout the project. This chapter also discusses strategies project managers can use should they have to deal with micromanagement from above, such as â€Å"setting up times to discuss interesting technical [or other] issues with the person† (p. 181). The book also covers ways of tracking progress and maintaining control (Chapter 10); ways of keeping everyone informed (Chapter 11), including sharing information both in writing and at meetings; and ways of encouraging peak performance in team players (Chapter 12), including providing rewards and helping players maintain motivation. Chapter 14 focused on handling risk or uncertainty, including ways of identifying possible risk factors; assessing risk impact, and preparing a risk management plan. Key advice of this chapter is to realistically assess risks to the project, and to have a risk management plan for handling them. Later chapters included advice on how to hold people accountable (Chapter 18); getting a project back on track (Chapter 19)and tips for optimal project management (Chapter 20). All in all, I benefited from reading and reflecting on the guidelines, strategies, and tips plentifully contained within Stanley E. Portny’s Project Management for Dummies. The only aspect of this book that I found disappointing was that of that it had far fewer specific examples, of actual project management situations to illustrate major points and concepts, than I would have liked. I learn best and most easily from examples and discussion of how those examples illustrate theoretical concepts. I would have liked for Portny to do more of that in this book than he did. Major strengths of the book include its being thorough; comprehensive; well organized, and practical. How to cite Project Management for Dummies, by Stanley E Portny, Essay examples

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Retention in Schools

Retention is the process of holding back students in their previous grade especially those who have failed to meet the set requirement of the institution they are learning in.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Retention in Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The students are normally forced to do the same grade again: that which they had covered the year before (Shepard Smith 2009). There are however both negative and positive effects of retaining students. Some of the negative effects include: social-emotional problems, school dropout, and poor academic achievements in the long run. Positive effects includes: it gives the students the chance to learn again and gain new skills and knowledge that they had not obtained in the previous academic year. This paper explains whether retention work in schools today taking into consideration both the positive and negative effects of retention process Many at times, schools and teachers advocate for retention of some students because of they think that the child is still young, when a child have limited academic skills, they have poor language skills, they are not mature enough to handle the next grade and if the student miss classes frequently. For a long period of time, retention has been debatable on whether to implement it in schools or not. Extreme research has been conducted on potential alternatives that can be used in place of retention. It has however been found that retention is of no benefit to a child and there are high chances that it will have many negative effects on the child.Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A study was conducted whereby students who had poor academic skills were combined in the same class with those students who were repeating their grade. After some period of time, they graded them based on th eir performance and compared them to their previous performances. The results showed that all the students in this class experienced relatively high test scores after retention during their first study year but in year two, three and four, their performance score was poor (Pawlas Olivia 2007). This clearly shows that there are no benefits obtained in retaining students and it proves that retention does not work. However, researchers still believe that later on retention might prove to be effective. In addition to being expensive, there are no academic benefits or advantages obtained from retention. This is because it does not add any value to the students. The academic performances of those students who had repeat was poor as compared to that of those other students who had been promoted. However, educators still continue with the procedure of retaining weak students even after retention has proved to be ineffective. Today, retention is still a major approach used by teachers with a hope and intention that it will cure their academic problems and failures. The practice of retention has persisted even after literature and research proved that it brings no benefit nor add any value to students when it comes to personal adjustment and achievement instead retention had proved to be of harm to the students.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Retention in Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to a study conducted on the impacts of retention on individual achievements and student’s perception and attitude towards education, they found that retention had much greater negative effects on individual achievements and student’s perception and attitude towards education (Pawlas Olivia 2007). Students who are retained will find hard time adjusting themselves to accommodate or fit in the new group of students. It is not always easy to make new friends. There is also s hame that comes with being left behind which normally lead to low self-esteem. Retention makes students feel that they are failures even if that is not the case. Having low self-esteem may lead to failure and that is why parents and teachers should look for the best way of helping out the child instead of retaining them back. Students usually consider retention as the most stressful event in their life time because they will have to deal with the shame and making of new friends. Most students especially those who have been retained but had average grades usually feel much more devastated and may lose focus and even interest in education. Retention always gives students negative attitude towards school especially if they have been retained for more than two academic years. Some students who have been retained usually drop out of school. This therefore means that retention is one major factor that leads students out of school. Students who have been retained but continue failing may b ecome more devastated with education. They will develop the feeling of not being capable hence work out of school. Older students may become bad influence to the younger children.Advertising Looking for critical writing on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The younger children may also be at risk especially if the older child who has been retained is a bully. This means that there will be no peace in the class which may lead to poor academic performance. There is however some positive effects of retention on students and they include: it gives the students the chance to learn and gain new skills and knowledge that they had not obtained in the previous academic year. Researchers believe that if retention process is presented correctly, it can help students obtain a positive attitude of I can do it which will help them achieve better grades/scores in their next academic year (Shepard Smith 2009). Promoting students without good academic groundwork may make them feel uncomfortable and mad. This will destroy their chance to cope with their studies since the next academic level will be more challenging to them. There is however no need of retaining students if it does not work or bring any form of benefits to them. The best thing that par ents, students and teachers should do is to look for the best alternative that will enable the student obtain better performance outcome. One best alternative that can be used is to ensure that students have encounters with pre-kindergarten. Children who go to school late shall have missed one academic year of study into kindergarten. Research however shows that those students who join school late when they are older are less likely to be retained in future and they will have fewer problems with school subjects. Head Start Programs can also help students improve their social skills, learning skills and good health status. Social promotion enables students to operate at the level where they feel comfortable. This normally enables the students to perform well in academics. Accelerated Schools Project, Success for All and Reading Recovery Program are some alternatives that can be used since they help diminish the chances of retaining students (Thomas 1992). Success for All provides stu dents with the right resources that will enable them learn faster and be on time. On the other hand, Reading Recovery Program mainly focus on enabling students learn how to read. It actually supports students during the period in which they learn how to read. Lastly, Accelerated Schools Project catalyzes the pace at which students get to learn and obtain instructions from their teachers. This will enable them to be fast learners. There are some people who however blame teachers for the retention process. They claim that teachers and principals in schools have lacked will to stay focused and committee themselves to adapting instructional and curriculum practices to students with different leaning capacity. There are some schools that often overlook the progress of some students instead focus more on their own failures. Some people however blame standardized testing that have been set by schools to have caused retention. This is because those set standards determines and declares stud ents who are unprepared to move to the next class. There are some institutions with higher standards which normally declare a large group of students to retain the class. This mode of testing the students is always biased especially those from the middle-class in America. In conclusion, it is well evident that retention does not work but instead it cause more harm to children than help. There is however no need of retaining students if it does not work or bring any form of benefits to them. Students who are retained are normally stressed: they find it hard to adjust themselves to accommodate or fit in the new group of students. Retention always gives students negative attitude towards school. Retention destroys the self-esteem of students: it makes them feel that they are failures. Retention is a stressful event for students. References Pawlas, G. Olivia, P. (2007). Supervision for Today’s Schools. New York: Wiley Publishers. Shepard, L. Smith, M. (2009). Flunking Grades: R esearch and Policies on Retention. London: The Falmer Press. Thomas, A. (1992). Alternatives to Retention: If Flunking Doesn’t Work, What Does? Oregon: Oregon School Study Council. This critical writing on Retention in Schools was written and submitted by user Nola West to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.