Harriet Jacobs Experiences in Slavery in the...

In the 1800’s, slaves and slave-holders had relationships that ranged anywhere from the highest at having the closest friend to the lowest at being master and pet. No matter the relationship all of these slaves held by people during this time all deserved their chance at freedom just like any slave-holder that owned them. Harriet Jacobs, writer of the autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, experiences slavery in a way that hundreds of others could have experienced. Although others may have seen and felt situations like that of Jacobs , the other slaves were not given the chance to express their emotions and skills through the possible writings, existing talents, or freedom. Jacobs’ father was a slave. Just like all others, except he was a very talented carpenter. Jacobs explains, â€Å"My father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent down from lon g distances to be head workman.†(page 1809) Talents like this of Jacobs’ father may have existed within other slaves just as this skill had taken home within him. Another example of this was contained in Jacobs grandmother who had run a successful baking business. Her grandmother even became very close to her master, if they felt she was so precious, why not just let her free? This should be enough to prove that slaves had more to offer to the country than just hard labor and common house care. This autobiographyShow MoreRelatedThe Humiliating Nature of Enslavement, Sexual Savage Exploitation, and Degradation in Autobiographical Narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Ann Jacobs2068 Words   |  9 Pagesenslavement, sexual savage exploitation, and degradation in autobiographical narratives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Ann Jacobs In the age of Romanticism, slavery and the slave trade provoked sharp criticism and controversy and played a very significant role in shaping public opinion and causing moral opposition to injustice and tyranny. Since Columbus’s journey opened the doors of the Atlantic passage to African Slave Trade, slavery became man’s greatest inhumanity to man â€Å"converting† theRead MoreComparative Evaluation in Slave Life: Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass2566 Words   |  11 PagesThis paper is a comparative evaluation I did between the autobiographical experiences of two former slaves, Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, were both written during the same time period (the former in 1861, the latter in1856). These two books are compelling works of African American Literature. They are depressing but at the same time hopeful, discoura ging butRead MoreThe Melting Pot By Harriet Jacobs874 Words   |  4 Pageswhite world and therefore had an experience like no other. African American, Native Americans and Mexican Americans have a rich deep heritage that was immortalized in writing. African American Literature began as graphic slave narratives, accounting life in bondage by the slave themselves. The readers were enlightened to the cruelties of life as a slave and also the ways that slaves managed to escape. People were finally given a glimpse into the horrors of slavery and the fight of the African AmericanRead MoreThe Life Of A Slave Girl By Harriet Jacobs1779 Words   |  8 Pages The books Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass, and stories from the anthology Spider Woman’s Web, recount the stories of individuals who succeeded in obtaining their right to human dignity. Their journey to freedom occurred while simultaneously having to fight prejudicial obstacles, laws, and punishments inflicted by discriminatory societies as well as individual people. Harriet Jacobs recounted her personal experiences under the pseudonym Linda BrentRead MoreThe Classic Slave Narratives: Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass and Olaudah Equiano1985 Words   |  8 PagesThe book The Classic Slave Narratives is a collection of narratives that includes the historical enslavement experiences in the lives of the former slaves Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, and Olaudah Equiano. They all find ways to advocate for themselves to protect them from some of the horrors of slavery, such as sexual abuse, verbal abuse, imprisonment, beatings, torturing, killings and the nonexistence of civil rights as Americans or rights as human beings. Also, their keen wit and intelligenceRead MoreBibliographic Essay on African American History6221 Words   |  25 PagesWeems, Jr., eds., The African American Experience: An Historiographical and Bibliographical Guide (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001); and Randall M. Miller and John David Smith, eds., Dictionary of Afro- Ame rican Slavery (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1988), provide informative narratives along with expansive bibliographies. General texts covering major historical events with attention to chronology include John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr., From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Read MoreThe Emergence Of The United States As An Independent Country, And African American Literature Essay1769 Words   |  8 PagesPenitential Cries†. Through his poem, he implemented the idea of a gradual emancipation as a way to end slavery. His idea was later reprinted in some works such as â€Å"Le Mulatre† a short story published in 1837 by Victor Sejour and Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter (1853) by William Wells Brown. The second African American writer was â€Å"Lucy Terry†. She was stolen from America and sold into slavery in Rhode Island as an infant. She spent time in Rhode Island, up until the age of five, when she was soldRead MoreAnalysis Of Sapphire Along The Spectrum Of The Slave Narrative And The Neoslave Narrative2945 Words   |  12 Pagesspectrum of the slave narrative and the neoslave narrative in terms of African American literary tradition. It focuses on Preciousâ€℠¢s parental abuse, neglect, sexual assault and journey to literacy. It will attempt to draw out similarities between this character’s abuse and the violent history of slavery. It will use the slave and neoslave narratives in Push to connect contemporary issues in black society, such as rape, labour, illiteracy and fatherlessness, to the trauma of slavery and show also theRead MoreEssay on Women Authors of the 19th Century3166 Words   |  13 Pagesarticles. Emily Dickinson, Harriet Jacobs, Kate Chopin, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Oakes Smith are the best-known controversial and expressive women authors of their time. On December 10, 1830 a poet was born. When Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, no one knew that she was to become the most well known woman poet of all time. She loved her family deeply. Her father was a man of great reverence in Amherst and her mother was an invalid all of Emily’s life. Dickinson had great admiration

Beijing’s Transformation Free Essays

From a walled city to a modern metropolitan, from a closed culture to globalization and from ancient teashops to modern cafeterias and from birdcages to subways; the road to modernity has been a very long one for Beijing. There is a plethora of driving forces for the drastic changes that Beijing has undergone. There are huge contradictions about the way common people react to these changes and about how the new Beijing measures up to their vision of their city. We will write a custom essay sample on Beijing’s Transformation or any similar topic only for you Order Now This dilemma of choosing between tradition and modernity, between old values and new ethics and between age old culture and the world order, is not unique to Beijing. Developing countries, particularly oriental ones, are often faced with these difficult choices on the road to progress. The choice has to be made and made judiciously. Beijing’s cultural ethos is very closely related to the walls which were symbolic of so many things in Beijing’s culture, such as social status, direction, space, class, privacy and even prejudices. The changes that took place in the mindsets of people who were at helm, and the changes that were responsible for Beijing’s new look, can be tracked through the treatment meted out to these walls in different eras. The city was earlier enclosed within walls and the courtyards were separated from each other by walls. The walls contributed to Beijing’s mystery and charm that was part and parcel of its magnificence. But the first step towards modernization of Beijing was the flattening of these walls which had stood for so long as a symbol of Chinese culture in vogue in Beijing at that time. Right after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the onslaught of modernization was brought on and the walls were the first to feel the brunt of this modernization. The walls were pulled down to make way for fast tracks and western style buildings. This was the beginning of the end of old Beijing with its aura, cultural heritage and glorious history. Mao, in association with Soviet communists who had money, technical know-how and a vision, laid out extensive plans for the modernization and industrialization of Beijing. Though the Soviet Union and China fell apart in 1960, the foundation of the plans had already been laid and the modernization proceeded on similar lines. Factories were built in and around Beijing in large numbers. Rural agricultural faced a setback because the peasants abandoned the villages in order to join the urban work force. Worker’s settlements sprang up like mushrooms and Beijing became a modern industrial city of the world. The air which was earlier pure and healthy, now became smoky and has till now not been able to regain its earlier freshness. The walls now symbolized feudalistic attitudes to the new generation who were more for rapid industrialization. Hence the remaining walls, temples, courtyards, teahouses and pleasure houses, were sheared down. Their place was taken by dull and drab official buildings, standardized stores, apartment buildings and so on. Even holiday rituals were not left untouched. From folk fairs, the generation graduated to parades and rallies. Beijing was changing and changing rapidly. The walls were later sacrificed for the need of materials for civil defense and subway lines. Mao’s obsessive fear about Soviet invasion, caused tunnel digging to become the national occupation, in the 1970’s. The tunnels dug during that period still lie under the city. In a way, the walls that were once the awe inspiring feature of Beijing’s architecture now lie forgotten under the city. Historical reasons were at the forefront in the causes of Beijing’s makeover from a conservative, mysterious and culturally rich society to a modern, global village with loads of modern architecture and almost no historical heritage to speak of. Elitist Chinese architect Liang Sicheng wanted Beijing to grow to modernism but still remain in a delightful sync with its rich culture by concentrating the modernization outside the walled city. The plan was a beautiful orchestration of the divergent forces of tradition and modernity but the plan was laughed off for being too idealistic and impractical. Had it been implemented, Beijing would have had a different look altogether. The Chinese population, by and large, is divided into two major sectors- one segment consists of people who are all for modernization even if it comes at the cost of culture. The other genre is of people who believe that old cultural traditions must not be shed off like extra baggage in the long journey to progress. They must be preserved, nurtured and slowly evolved into what may be a great culture in the times to come. This conflict is foremost when we come to understand the psychology of people in developing countries about what they feel is the right way to attain development of economies and nation building. Beijing’s Urban Planning Commission member Hou, with his respectable credentials, firmly believes that architecture of any city should reflect the theme of the era. Chinese architecture, for centuries, was only reproducing itself and had made little progress. It had become stagnant and modernization calls for modern architecture as well. There are a lot of people who conform with the above views, people who believe that modernization is the new mantra and no country should be weighed down by its past. For many, the destruction of old values and ethics and old architecture does not amount to cultural vandalism simply because they believe they no longer serve any purpose in the modern world. All the things, artifacts, architectural wonders, rituals and values that are obsolete and impractical and unsuited to modern life styles, must die a natural death and people must not pine for them or be nostalgic. In the opinions of this new brigade of people, change is always for the better and we must learn to accept it in order to be in sync with the times. The old timers, conservationists, intellectuals and even some students, on the other hand, are less than happy about Beijing’s changing skyline. They are the cult who believes that modernization need not come at the destruction of old values and traditions. They still believe that Chinese architecture is still contemporary and practical, Chinese rituals are still relevant and Chinese values are still capable of illuminating the correct moral path to any individual. They believe that modernization of Beijing could have proceeded on different lines, tracks that would have ensured that the old traditions would have blended beautifully with the new traditions that came in with globalization. Chinese culture would then have been a colorful melange of values old and new, would have shed it weaknesses and evolved into a great culture. Development often brings with it loads of difficult choices which have to be made and made correctly by the people who hold the reins. If these choices are not made judiciously and the common people are not comfortable with them, we will get to see a divided society on the question of how good the progress is. Beijing is undergoing that phase today, where its citizens are into an intense conflict about whether the development is the need of the hour or is it just a burden on the culture and tradition which have worked for so long. The development has taken place so fast that people did not get the time to come to terms with it and were left wondering and gaping at what was happening to their system and to their ethnicity. By the time people realized that new values had infiltrated their society, it was already too late and they were left to adjust to the surroundings as far as they could for their own good. However, increasingly large numbers of people believe that development had to happen and the way it happened is of no consequence. New traditions and cultures are all part and parcel of this package and should be accepted as such. In all, this genre has no regrets about anything except the few minor mistakes like the deterioration of Beijing’s skyline which even they regret. By and large, the conflict is immense, the debate is still on and the result is eagerly awaited so that the road for future can be chartered insightfully. Such discords are common and all countries have either faced it at some point of time in history or are still into it like China. At the essence of such conflict is the vast difference in public opinions and their mindsets. Some are more akin to changes and take to them positively; others are averse to them and look at everything new with raised eyebrows and in suspicion. Hence the divided opinion about the sweeping changes accompanying the progress is somewhat expected. The people in power have to create an environment which is conducive of changes and take most of the people with them in the long voyage to progress. Public opinion will always be conflicting as such a vast number of individuals cannot think alike. But the operative word is ‘majority’ of the people. It is possible to create a favorable opinion in the minds of most of the people about what is happening around them and they have to be convinced that some good will come out of it. The development should be paced in such a way that the changes are not too drastic too fast and the people are allowed to adjust slowly to the changes. There are not two views about the fact that the cultural heritage of the countries is to be preserved. The rituals need to change a little bit to be more relevant and practical in the fast paced world. But the required changes in the ritualistic part to culture have to evolve and not coerced on the people. Only if the changes take place slowly will they be incorporated into the existing structure without creating ripples upon the surface of the calm water. It needs to be understood that what has been going on for a long time will take a bit of time to be mummified and we cannot and must not expect it to disappear as soon as we wish it to or as soon as something new comes up. On the road to progress, a fine balance and harmony needs to be struck between tradition and modernity. Beautiful old architecture, artifacts, and some delightful customs need to be remembered if only for the sake of tourism. The developing countries need to uphold their culture for posterity. It may sound cliched that the coming generations need to know their forefathers and their ancestral traditions; but in truth it is very important for the future that the progeny know, respect and appreciate their past. In the fast road to progress, we need to know about the values that made life livable, the customs that called for celebration and the traditions that created compassion and insight. The question Beijing is facing now is of great importance and needs to be dealt with properly by the people who have the power in Beijing. The city is in the throngs of a cultural crisis and in order to stop another Cultural Revolution from taking place, something needs to be done and done fast. What has been destroyed cannot be replenished but whatever still remains can be preserved. Beijing has too great a culture to be left to the elements of modernity. It needs to be preserved carefully so that it can be a legacy to the coming generations. No doubt, modernity is the need of the hour but the overlooked fact is that even cultural preservation is a requirement. If this fact is realized in time, maybe Beijing can be a utopia, with the desired blend of culture and globalization; like a beautiful modern city where relics of golden past have been carefully and passionately preserved. How to cite Beijing’s Transformation, Papers

Rock Or Bust by AC/DC free essay sample

The hard rockers from down under are Back In Black, and as legendary as ever! Their new, highly anticipated 15th studio album, â€Å"Rock Or Bust† stays true to their ‘guitar band’ sound. As soon as the first riff kicked in on the first Rock Or Bust by AC/DC track, I knew I was in for an (other) inconceivably outstanding performance from Angus Young, and proved once again that rock and roll is indeed not noise pollution. What I wasn’t expecting was Stevie Young’s ease in taking the place of his uncle, and one of the band’s founding members, Malcolm Young who is no longer with the band due to medical complications. Brian Johnson’s vocal work still kicks butt and Angus can hold energy throughout; exactly what you’d expect from 60-somethings in a hard rock band. The riffs, solos, and licks are still in that good, old AC/DC fashion we’ve grown to love about the band. We will write a custom essay sample on Rock Or Bust by AC/DC or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Go and buy the album, and crank those speakers up to eleven. The release is very much worth the money. And for those about to rock†¦ †¦We salute you.

The Advantages Of Stupidity Essays - Intelligence, Stupidity

The Advantages of Stupidity Most people say being stupid will lead no where. They claim that it is the worst possible condition in which to spend one's life, and if possible, it should be completely avoided. They would even suggest if the symptoms of stupidity are caught in the early stages, it could easily be treated by a surgeon. The most effective method used to do this is the chainsaw technique, later described in volume two. Yet, perhaps if people took a closer look at some of the advantages stupidity had to offer, they wouldn't have such a negative attitude toward it. After reading this paper, one will understand the advantages of stupidity. Admittedly, stupidity has certain disadvantages. Life isn't a bowl of cherries. And being stupid doesn't make it any fruitier. Being stupid can annoy even the most sensitive people. If one acts stupid, and does it in the wrong crowd, like a group of adults, it will seem more immature than funny. If one is forced to act stupid while dealing with lower life forms, for example, high school teachers, one may encounter barriers such as cruelty and insensitivity, with the utterance of statements like, "Think with your head straight!" or, "You have a brain, use it." Yet these are all true, there are still many advantages to stupidity. The first advantage is very easy to understand. Stupid people are never asked to do a lot. Many have noticed that people tend to steer away from someone they feel may be stupid. This is for a very good reason. The stupidity which they posses makes a name for themselves, a name which can be very difficult to shake. Possibly, it is a word which describes the working habits of the person, such as "crappy". Yet, this creates a positive situation for the stupid person. They will have a lot of free time on their hands for more of lifes truly meaningful pleasures. Some of these activities are combing facial hair, and counting the pixels on a Sony TV. Now, there has been a rumour going around that suggests that stupid people have low expectations. This is true. They are so stupid that they don't realize great from O.K. They could have a Sanyo cordless phone, but would probably choose instead a Pierre Cardin alarm clock telephone, because it comes free with their sensamatic folding bed. And someone with the "advantage" of stupidity might have a hard time doing certain tasks, or setting things up. Yet this isn't all bad. For example, if a stupid person leaves the chore, and comes back to it later, no one will be able to understand it. Would they get fired from their job? No. For the very simple reason that no one would understand their work except for them. The job would have to be given back to the stupid person, perhaps with a higher salary, or someone would do it for them, leaving them with even more free time! Free time is great for brainstorming (Admittedly this seems to be a bad choice of words!). Yet the ideas stupid people create tend to be original. For example, when was the last time someone stupid said something, and made one think about it? It seems that people are always talking about someone elses dumb idea. An example of such an idea would be, "How many stories will that english teacher drop before having a stroke?" This would suggest that stupid people may have the upper hand when it comes to thinking up original ideas. In fact, the next time someone wants an original idea for something, they should try talking to their local, community stupid person. The reason for this is that while a stupid person thinks with his head, he does not do so an organized manner. This is why they have so much creativity. By thinking in this fashion, their ideas have a natural tendency to flow more easily, without the interruptions which occur from the editing of thoughts that logical people would have normally. Thus if someone else should say to one, "That was a stupid idea!" one should merely look that person straight in the eye, and say, "Thank-you!" This also means that the claim, "Stupid

Dental Clinic System Essay Example

Dental Clinic System Essay Example Dental Clinic System Essay Dental Clinic System Essay 1. Problem Definition The Dental Clinic wasn’t not that modernized, they didn’t have a system, which can help them on faster and accurate access in all of their records according to every transactions they had every day. Including to this problems are the manual record keepings, scheduling of every patient’s transactions, billing and payments, revenues and expenses of the clinic and lastly the reports of monthly transactions that occurred and the progress of the Dental Clinic. 2. Major Objectives The major objective would be the existence of a system which could be helpful to both users and clients as well. A system which could fulfill or solve every problem that was listed and everything should probably work well, that will help the dentist or the clinic to record all of the transaction made by them, to compute all of their expenses, to record their bill and all of the outside payment and to make every transaction’s accurate and useful on both sides and the existent of a new and modernized Dental Clinic. 3. Conceptual Model 4. Scope or the Study The scope of this study will be more focused on the problem and major objectives of the Dental Clinic itself. Where we can conduct a study and interview about the Clinic and to summarized and create a solution in the end. 5. User Beneficiaries The Dental Clinic’s beneficiaries would be their patient’s or clients that will undergo on a dental check up. It will also help the user for the faster process on every transactions and to avoid the lost of records and forgotten schedules or appointments of the clinic. 6. Nature of the Study

Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords of 2014 ... At Long Last!!

Overused LinkedIn Buzzwords of 2014 ... At Long Last!! The Power of  A  Single Word On Friday, I received two pieces of information that I would not normally put together into one blog, but they coincided too well to resist: 1. One of my clients, on the heels of an interview, wrote to me excitedly that the interviewer loved her resume- especially the word â€Å"unstoppable† in her summary section. The interviewer had never seen this word on a resume before. 2. LinkedIn came out with its list of Top Ten Global Buzzwords. Cautions LinkedIn: â€Å"Pledge to banish trite buzzwords [from your profile].† The article gives excellent advice on how to avoid using meaningless phrasing to describe yourself, as does my book, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. I encourage you to read the article- and my book- for the tips they offer! Here’s the list of 2014s overused LinkedIn buzzwords: 1. Motivated 2. Passionate 3. Creative 4. Driven 5. Extensive experience 6. Responsible 7. Strategic 8. Track record 9. Organizational 10. Expert Are You Unstoppable? You might notice that â€Å"unstoppable†- the word that so impressed my client’s interviewer- is not on the list of LinkedIn buzzwords. It’s no coincidence that the word caught the attention of someone who probably goes through hundreds of resumes every week. I’m not advocating that you use the word â€Å"unstoppable† in your resume or LinkedIn profile, unless it is the absolute best adjective to describe you. I dont want to be â€Å"responsible for† adding â€Å"unstoppable† to next year’s list! Rather, I want you to find some language that doesn’t include the above trite words and phrases used by multitudes of LinkedIn users. (I’m willing to bet these are the words showing up most often on resumes too.) I also want you to comb through your resume and LinkedIn profile to see how many overused buzzwords show up. Then ask yourself how you can say things differently so that you don’t sound like everyone else. How  to Stand Out on LinkedIn Here’s a hint: Whereas anyone can claim to be motivated or creative, or to have a track record, not everyone can claim that they stepped into a competitive [insert type of] market and drove an organization from #2 to #1 worldwide, or that they conducted a multi-media campaign that increased a customer base by 500K. Whatever your achievements, get to the details and stop using the same words everyone else is using to â€Å"try† to sound good. It’s not working! Instead, use LinkedIn best practices for each section of your profile, especially your headline, job titles, special sections, skills expertise, and recommendations. That’s how you’ll call positive attention to what you have to offer. On a personal note, I must admit I’m saddened to see the word Expert on the buzzwords list, given that the word is in the name of my company. But that is something I’ll have to live with.

Yanomamo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Yanomamo - Essay Example The Yanomamo â€Å"foot-people† are spread out in about 125 villages scattered far and wide (Chagnon, 1983). Yanomamo is essentially a kin-based foraging and horticultural society. Kinship is a basic human trait. It is an important component that drives social behavior in every culture around the world. So also among the Yanomamo. Their social and political life is wholly controlled by kinship relationships (Chagnon, 1983). The Yanomamo communities live in small settlements or villages numbering 363 having 30 – 90 residents each, but sometimes reaching 200 or more (Hames, 1995). According to Chagnon (1974), larger the village size more intense their warfare. The people (numbering about 30 to 200) grouped by families live in one large circular communal dwelling, called a Shabono, having an open-air central plaza. Such an area of residence helps create strong bondsamong the people living there. Social organization of the Yanomamo based on kinship The people of the Yanomam o tribe classify themselves into two groupings - sibs (that is, clans) or lineages, both of which are formed based on kinship ties (Kensinger, 1996). Sib members trace their descent through their father from a named ancestor, â€Å"†¦.are dispersed throughout many villages and provide hospitality and safety for visiting kin.† (Kensinger, 1996).... As lineages are generally formed to promote the political ambitions of actual or wannabe leaders, they reflect the oscillations in political power. Usually disputes over leadership within lineages leads to village fissioning, and thereby to the scattering and even destruction of lineages. Yanomamo marriages The marriage exchange system of the Yanomamo people is generally based on kinship. It follows 4 main principles namely, lineage exogamy, bilateral cross cousin marriage, village endogamy, and polygyny. The Yanomamo society is exogamous and persons from the same localized lineage are prohibited from marrying. The members jointly take part in the selection of marriage partners for their children from within the allied lineage groups. The marriage system builds regular relationship between pairs of lineage groups who commonly intermarry through a system of bilateral cross cousin marriage (www.umanitoba.ca). A moiety system is created by such intermarriages when the intermarrying unit s co-reside in the same village. The co-settlement of intermarrying lineages is an example of village endogamy .Although under such a marriage system the Yanomamo lineages have collective rights to marry off their women and claim wives in exchange, they are not vested with the rights of administering joint assets such as land (www.umanitoba.ca). The practice of polygyny by the Yanomamo is exemplified by the fact that the men of the tribe commonly marry more than one wife. Polygyny among the Yanomamo is typically associated with the men’s rank or other achievements (Chagnon, 1983). Yanomamo political system The Yanomamo political system is not centralized which is because the community does

Organizational Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Behavior - Essay Example There are six main factors, which affect the employee behavior at the workplace. These factors include communication, organizational structure, work design, organizational design, jobs, and performance appraisal. All of these factors play a considerable role in shaping the behaviors of the employees working for any company or organization. Let us discuss how organizational communication affects employee behavior at the workplace. Organizational communication is somewhat different from simple form of communication. In simple communication, people can transmit any kind of information anywhere or can send messages to each other whereas organizational communication refers to the concept of sending work related messages or transmitting information to different kinds of audiences at the workplace. Organizational communication is a field, which makes employees learn effective communication skills from each other.   Consistency of the messages with goals, objectives, strategies, and implem entation plans is very important in organizational communication. Organizational communication is based on two general approaches, which include container approach and social constructionist approach. In container’s approach, a channel is used to transmit information from the sender to the receiver whereas in social constructionist approach, employees make use of language to create different teams, networks, and relationships. Communication is a process, which involves a sender and a receiver.... In container’s approach, a channel is used to transmit information from the sender to the receiver whereas in social constructionist approach, employees make use of language to create different teams, networks, and relationships. Study of organizational communication plays a very critical role in shaping communication behaviors of the employees, which eventually lead to the creation of a productive work environment. Communication Process Model Communication is a process, which involves a sender and a receiver. The sender sends a message to the communication channel, which encodes the message and sends it to the receiving end where the receiving end first decodes the message and then presents it to the receiver. The receiver provides the feedback to the sender, which make the communication process more effective. Encoding and decoding of a message is based on one’s own perceptions, which include the concepts of feelings, cultural values, attitudes, and behaviors. The thr ee main components involved in a communication process include channel of communication, environment or circumstances of communication, and interference that occurs during communication. Formal and Informal Communication Formal communication takes place through formal channels whereas informal communication takes place through informal channels. Formal communication plays its role in maintaining authority relationship whereas informal communication never includes lines of the authority. Formal communication takes place due to job related needs whereas informal communication takes place due to personal needs of the employees. Formal communication needs proper location whereas in formal communication can be done anywhere. Answer: No: 2 Key Areas of

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time review Essay Example for Free

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time review Essay Plot: Christopher Boone lives with his father in a village. His mother died when he was younger from a heart-attack and the dad was left alone with the challenge of upbringing an autistic child who does not respond like a normal child would. The father has limited money and mental stimulants for the child and does his best to hold back his frustration. However, the reader soon learns that Chris has not been told the complete truth and perhaps that the people he loves have a hidden past. He then begins to understand what has happened and Mark Haddon portrays the challenges he is faced with without the constant safeguarding he needs to feel secure. My Thoughts: I understand that this book is renowned and took the book sales by storm; managing to pick up â€Å"Best novel† and â€Å"Book of the Year† at the Whitbread book awards in 2003, but I do not find it at all appealing. I find myself unable to sympathise with Chris despite Haddon’s brilliant depiction of the mind of a child with autism, as Haddon does writes convincingly through the eyes of an autistic child. I do not think that this is a book that revolves around Asbergers; but instead about being different in general and Haddon is trying to make us see the world through a different lens. He just uses Asbergers as a means of conveying this. Furthermore, as Chris is very rational yet unemotional, there is no depth of character in the novel as Chris is only able to see the world through one plane and cannot build up good character depth, which most popular books have, eg. â€Å"Harry Potter† and â€Å"The Lord of the Rings†. This direct approach also means that there is no humour apart from the main reoccurring joke of how Chris responds to things which lands im in all sorts of faux pas, (and the novelty of this soon wears off). However, this does not mean to say that I do not understand why it is so popular; it just isn’t something that really enraptured me, and to be honest, it seemed like a waste for a storyline that had the potential to be so rich in dramatic emphasis to be written in such a simplistic style. I have given it two stars but the average for this book is a four/five. Recommendations: If you liked this book I would strongly recommend these as they are both written in a diary style and are about people who do not necessarily fit the norm. The Diary of Adrian Mole (4/5) Molesworth (5/5)

The Ghost Of Hamlet’s Father Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Ghost Of Hamlet’s Father  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   What would Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, be like without the character of the Ghost? The drama simply wouldn’t BE! The Ghost, though not a human character in most senses of the word, is crucial for the development of the play. This essay will analyze this interesting character.    The ghost’s apparition has deep significance. It touches the very spiritual underpinnings of the Denmark state. Frank Kermode in â€Å"Hamlet† explores the spiritual dimension of this spectral visit:    But meanwhile the ghost – â€Å"this thing† – has appeared. (Horatio as skeptic raises questions as to its status which could have been avoided.) There has been speculation as to its purpose, but one thing seems sure: it has to do with the state of the nation – it   â€Å"bodes some strange eruption to our state† – and with the armaments drive now in progress under the threat from Norway. That it genuinely has to do with the state of the nation – its spiritual rather than its merely political state – we shall learn; and to give us a â€Å"musical’ sense that this is so, there is the unexpected speech about Christmas (1138).    Let it be said that the Ghost makes his appearance even before the drama has begun. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the ghost’s activity prior to the opening scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. A... ...: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Excerpted from Stories from Shakespeare. N. p.: E. P. Dutton, 1956.    Edwards, Philip. â€Å"The Ghost: Messenger from a Higher Court of Values?† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from Introduction to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. N. P.: Cambridge University P., 1985.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Hamlet.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Leadership order

NO. I differ with him since one should not assume a problem while hoping that solutions will be found after sometime. The partnership had grown from having 2 to 27 people in one town and has spread into three separate towns. The partnership being a law firm has increased the number of attorneys to 18 resulting into increased number of cases being handled by the firm, increased number of employees and increased number of clients. Hiring a General Manager-operations (G.M) was intended to assist in promotion of production in the company. Instead he was sending away clients without accepting the liabilities. Further efforts showed be put into place into retain them as well as bring back those who had already left. These clients have been with the company for a long time and the firm could not afford loose because of a mistake of one individual. This is because the firm was likely to face problems key among them being, loss of jobs for its employees as a result of reduced number of clients. Additionally, the company will not be able to run its day to day business since there will be reduced income. The partners should insist on meeting the clients and ask them to return to their firm since they knew their services. The partners should first deliberate on the issue of retaining the general manager because he was not result oriented. The G.M-operations overstepped is mark and instead of improving the customer relations, expanding the customer base as well as enhancing the relations with the local communities he severed both the customer and client relations. The top management team should move very fast and replace the general manager immediately so as to save the company. Power sharing is a very important aspect of leadership since, the problems facing the junior staff, decision-making and implementation is increased. De-concentration of power also promotes efficiency and effectiveness since the leaders involved will have few responsibilities to shoulder and thus they will perform their duties to the maximum for the advantage of the group. Leadership is not about directing and guiding people to do a particular task but is an issue where a group member influences the rest of the group to accomplish an objective. A leader should direct the organization towards greater cohesiveness and coherence (Schriesheim, Chester A. 221-228, Lewin, K, LIippit, R and White R.K. 271-301). The authority that a leader possesses should be directed to accomplishment of the groups’ goal. Good leadership should be one that makes the followers and the junior staff desire to achieve higher goals rather than to simply ride over the juniors. The manner and approach in which an individual provides direction, implement plans and motivate people normally defines the leadership style his/her leadership style. A General Manager-operations of a fast growing firm should be one not limited to a specific leadership style. He should however be ready to employ all styles depending on the situation. Â  Participatory/democratic leadership style which involves one or more members of the group in making decisions has been found to be very appropriate. This style should have worked very well since the G.M-operation was new in the legal firm as he had come from insurance company where he had worked for long. Instead of spending a lot of time of learning about the organization, its members and books of account he would have instead involved the longest serving employees in decision making. This style would allow members to own the decisions reached upon since the were part of their generation. This leadership style is so pronounced in individuals who are cooperative, dedicated and team players as well as solely motivated to achieve tangible results not for their benefit but that of the larger firm. However, since a formal organization is prone to have employees of different skills, personalities and temperaments, a leader should be well conversant with all leadership styles which include: authoritarian/autocratic, participative/democratic and delegative/free reign and be ready to use any of them alternately depending on the surrounding circumstance Although I have used all the leadership styles very successfully the most pronounced style that I posses is autocratic/authoritarian which I demonstrate without a lot of struggle .With this style I prefer being a leader of newly formed group member of whom giving directions and receiving advice is never a problem. I also prefer leading new team members since I derive a lot of pleasure in showing off my capacities. It also reduces deliberation time and decision making since the members are rarely consulted and decision making is top down. However, I will never prefer leading a group composed of highly skilled and knowledgeable members since they have a potential of critiquing my style. They may require participation in decision-making as well as delegation of duties. Additionally since I desire being recognized as a boss I will rather be a leader for an inexperienced group. References Schriesheim, Chester A. The Great High Consideration – High initiating structure Leadership myth: Evidence on its generalizability. The journal of social Psychology, April 1982, 116, pp 221-228 Mind tools: Leadership styles, using the right one for your situation. Accessed online on Lewin, K, LIippit, R and White R.K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally Created social climates. Journals of social psychology 1999, 10, 271-301

Why Fear National ID Cards?

Featured in 2001 in the New York Times Alan Dershowitz’s article â€Å"Why Fear National ID Cards? † presents the idea of a National ID Card system being put to use in the United States. The reasoning behind such an idea is this, with the sacrifice of some of the individual’s privacy a greater level of security, equality, and productivity can be achieved while discarding some of the insensitive and inefficient methods of identification we use today.A National ID Card consisting of a name, address, photo and fingerprint print would be the first national uniform ID that would replace the high number variations of identification that are issued state by state. This would drastically decrease the chances of forgery by the use of a unified system and strict means of distribution. A more comprehensive ID will allow for accelerated wait times at high security locations such as airports, and for those who decline to show such an ID would be subjected to further security measures.The criteria in which people are required obtain or present identification would remain the same this allows for remnants of the old policy to remain in effect and further safe guards the citizens from a potential over stepping government. A more radical policy or criteria change could lead to an abuse of power or jumpstart similar non-popular policies to be acted on. It would also enable the rate of deportation of illegal immigrants to increase along with providing a better means to legal immigrants to display their status to authorities.â€Å"Rights are a function of experience, and our recent experiences teach that it is far too easy to be anonymous — even to create a false identity — in this large and decentralized country† (Barnet and Bedau). This point taken directly from the article puts into perspective the very real threat of the terrorism. Terrorist hide amidst the general public, this is a concerning reality. No system can prevent all acts of terror but a National ID card with an embedded corresponding fingerprint can reduce the likely hood of the creation of false identities and catch those who are using the weaknesses of the current system to slip by unnoticed.Alan Dershowitz’s stresses the importance of the elimination of the current trend of racial and ethnic stereotyping that acts as a countermeasure for possible threats to security. Improving civil liberties for these targeted groups is achieved by eliminating the need to target these groups in general. By utilizing security measures such as criminal-history retrieval systems and a corresponding fingerprint on the card itself we can remove the reason for profiling individuals due to their appearance alone.

Oppression in early days essays

Oppression in early days essays In many ways, our founding father's idea of oppression differed greatly from Frederick Douglass' thought of oppression during his lifetime. Thomas Jefferson, a highly influential leader during our nation's birth, claimed that Great Britain, led by King George III, was infringing on the fundamental laws that colonists were entitled to. In many ways, Frederick Douglass uses fundamental laws to try and define his oppression by slave holders of the United States. In both cases, oppressed people were fighting for freedom. Although each view, Thomas Jefferson's and Frederick Douglass', had the idea of oppression, these ideas were no closer to each other in definition. One oppression that was clear in both cases was the ability of the upper social classes to infringe on economic profit and economic freedom to their respective oppressed classes. In Douglass' case, the upper class constituted of wealthy land owners who owned enslaved Africans. This bridge in social standing created a status quo of white slaveholders to keep their slaves to work in a field or a trade which generated income solely for the slaveholder. One might create an argument by stating the slave could buy his way to freedom, which some slaves did. The decision to let slaves create or maintain a steady income was solely up to the slaveholder, in most cases, restricted the slave to mere pennies if any at all (Douglass, p. 319-320). Mere pennies could not buy freedom, and in most cases slaves worked for very little food let alone money, as stated in Douglass' case (Douglass, p. 100). Slaves were not able to go out and live a free life not even for one day. Frederick Douglass was bo und to a master and even though he persevered and took in a substantial amount of money per week for Master Hugh during his life as a tradesman, if he were to leave on a given Saturday night to partake in any activity at all, he should expect harsh treatment on his return home, which did happen t...

The Odds of Winning the Lottery

The Odds of Winning the Lottery What are the chances that the lottery ticket that you’re holding in your hand is a winner? This sort of question is an applied probability problem. With millions of dollars on the line, it would be good to have a solid answer. What are the odds of winning the lottery? How Does The Lottery Work? To answer this sort of question we need to know how a lottery works. In lotteries, a person plays by buying a ticket with a choice of numbers from a certain range. At a specified time the organization running the lottery randomly generates numbers from this same range. The grand prize, sometimes worth several millions of dollars, is awarded for matching all of the numbers. In some lotteries, lesser amounts are paid for matching all but one or two of the numbers. Those are the generalities, but we need to know the specifics of the game that you purchased a ticket for. These specifics will calculate the exact probability that you have of winning. A Sample Game One game, known by various names such as Daily 4 or Pick 4, involves choosing four numbers from 0 to 9. The order of these digits is important, so 1234 is a different choice of digits than 1243 or 1324. The probability of winning this lottery is given by determining the total number of ​four-digit numbers possible. Since each of the numbers is chosen independently and there are ten choices for each, the total number of four digit numbers is 10410000. This means that the probability of winning is 1/10000 0.01%. Games of this sort typically do not pay that much and are not what people associate with winning the lottery. A typical payout for a $1 bet on a lottery such as this is $5,000. While this sounds good who wouldn‘t want to multiply their money by 5000 realize that on average you would have to play thousands of times to make winning likely. Another Lottery Game Another type of lottery game pays more if you win it, but it is much harder to win. An example is where six numbers are chosen from 1 to 48. Here the order of the numbers is not important, and so we need to calculate a combination. We can choose six number from 48 in a total of C(48, 6). By the combination formula this number is 48!/(6!42!) 12,271,512. As matching all of these numbers perfectly accounts for one of these combinations, the probability of matching and winning millions is 1/12,271,512. How Likely Is It? So those are the numbers, is there any good way to interpret them? Let’s look at the millionaire game and its probability of winning at 1/12,271,512. Winning this is very unlikely. To be assured of a 50% chance of winning you would need to buy over eight million different tickets. The number 12,271,512 is roughly that of the population of the entire metro area of Los Angeles, California. So the probability of winning the lottery is the same as running into a particular person, chosen in advance while walking the streets of LA. Another way of looking at this is to look at other probabilities. Numbers are somewhat hard to come by, but it’s been estimated that 100 people a year in the U.S. are struck by lightning. With the current population at 307 million, the probability that you will be struck by lightning this year is 100/307,000,000 1/3,070,000. So you’re four times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Sure, some people win millions in the lottery. It’s just very likely that it’s not going to be you.

Freedom of Information in Nigeria Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Freedom of Information in Nigeria - Term Paper Example The explanation for this secretive policy may not be very clear but most of the nations that have taken this orientation of secrecy including Nigeria have cited national security as one of the greatest motivations for the secrecy policy. This paper seeks to highlight the issues and prospects as far as the freedom of information and national security in Nigeria are concerned. Freedom of information may be defined as the right of any citizen in any state to be informed in writing or in any form appropriate on request of disclosure from a governmental agency and if the agency refuses the citizen can demand the reason for refusal. In other words, any citizen has a right to demand any kind of information from the government or its agent upon which if the government or agent deems otherwise then the citizen has a right to demand an explanation as to why he or she has been denied the information requested for (Horrigan, 1998: pp90). Freedom of information legislation is sometimes known as open records is a set of rules that allows for access to government held information by the public. These sets of rules form the legal framework that puts the government under obligation to avail government information to the public as need may be. Most countries in the world have legislated FOI. Actually, more than 70 countries countrywide enjoy this freedom to information with Sweden's FoI legislation termed as the Freedom of the Press Act dates far back to 1766 and it is deemed to be the oldest worldwide. In Africa, only three countries have legislated FoI and these are Angola, S. Africa and Uganda. Nigeria is in the process of legislating FoI even though the process has been very slow and often laced with controversy. However there are hopes that with the present pressure on the government from stakeholders in FoI i.e. the public, press/media, judiciary, human rights activists, NGOs etc, the bill is likely to sail through the House of Representatives sooner than later. National security on the other hand refers to the obligation to preserve the endurance and survival of a nation or state through by the use of political, military and financial power. It is an investment that the nation makes to make sure that her citizens are safe and they lack nothing. Further, the national territory together with its institutions may uphold integrity and this integrity is what is called national security. In other words, national security is the integrity of the national territory and its institutions (Raskin, 1979). What relationship exists between freedom of information and national security The two are closely related that when you mention one the other is implied. There are restrictions to the freedom of information legislation simply because of national security. As much as people need to have freedom of security for the functioning of democracy, the degree should not reach a point that can injure national security. A nation has to have its secrets which must not reach the hands of enemies who may threaten the political, financial and even physical safety if the citizens. Therefore the two are related in that if a nation overindulges in one, the other suffers loss i.e. if a nation overemphasizes national security, freedom of information may not prevail sufficiently and if a nation gives too much freedom of inform

The effect of modern culture on managerial behavior in Egypt Research Proposal

The effect of modern culture on managerial behavior in Egypt - Research Proposal Example Though this is a general definition, we can see some important aspects that translate to organizational behavior (Deal and Kennedy, 1982). Behavior in any culture of an organization, a nation, or a family is educated to its members so that the patterns of behavior, thought, speech, action, etc. are developed and restricted to what the overall society considers as acceptable. In specific, the proposal will discuss some of the aspects related to abovementioned terms in context of modern Egyptian culture (Reidy, 2010) that will be part of the major research. Literature Review The study of Egyptian culture and its impact in terms of knowledge, values, and manners that are shared by the Egyptian society (Bari, 2004) on managerial behavior and functions is very vital to define the positive and negative impact that it has on an organization and how it can contribute to the success or failure of the organization itself. The Egyptian organizations are centralized and hierarchical in structure and culture, also known as a ‘hydraulic’ society.

Deloitte Company Internal Communication Assignment

Deloitte Company Internal Communication - Assignment Example Deloitte operates on the logic of being the first choice of the world’s best talents as reflected in eminence, diversity, and culture (Deloitte 2012 Global Report, 2012). The company’s vision also connects with the need to attract the world’s best clients through the provision of excellent service in the different business segments that define its business operations. The company’s mission is to offer measurable value to its global clients through its vast network of professional diversity and remarkable expertise. Deloitte defines its culture around shared values, which connect its people across the globe with the objective of cultivating trust between partners and professionals in a way that promotes the levels of confidence in the capital markets (Deloitte 2012 Global Report, 2012). The values espoused in the company’s culture enjoin all the employees of varied origins, languages, cultures, and customs to work with the single purpose of achieving collective successes. Such a broad and comprehensive cultural framework was designed in conformity with the global reach of the company’s firms. Deloitte seeks to align its culture with universal standards in order to meet the diverse needs of its global clientele (Deloitte 2012 Global Report, 2012). ... Deloitte is guided by the ethics of collaborative and people-focused culture, which enhances mutual respect, ongoing learning, and open communication. Past and recent audits on the firm’s performance indicate a trend of consistent growth in performance, brand profile, clientele, and profits.  

Causes and Effects of Inflation in India

Causes and Effects of Inflation in India Introduction Inflation is defined as the constant rise in the price of a particular goods and services over a period of time. When the level of prices increases, each unit of currency can purchase lesser goods and services making the purchasing power will decrease. There are two types of inflation in this world including the positive inflation and negative inflation. A negative inflation will increase the chances of investors to hold their money as the future is still in uncertainty. They do not want to take risks of their money to invest in uncertainty and hence will lead to surplus of goods in market. A positive inflation will help the bank to adjust their real interest rate in a short run and encourage investment in the non-monetary capital project. Summary In recent years, high food inflation in India is one of the factors which bring to non-food inflation and aggregate inflation. There are 4 factors that affect food inflation occur, which are international prices and trade policy, rising demand supply mismatch, stagnant productivity and minimum support prices. During 2008 and 2010, international economist forecasted that will be inflation on that year caused that the international price of good increase. It affects the cost of input which import from foreign country has been increased as well. Besides, rising per capita income and diversification of diet in India causes that the demand of high-value product like eggs, meat fruits and other rise while the response of supply of these products is being weak. To overcome the problem of stagnant productivity, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) is promoted and it affect that the rural wages in India rise. Under this program, the indexation of wage rate to Consum er Price Index has been pushed up the minimum wage. (Sonna, October 2014) Food inflation will cause that wage rate increase because labor can request for a higher wage since food is constituted as an important good in their consumption basket. Increase of wage will increase the cost of production and make the prices of non-food increase as well. On the same time, the real income of producer in food sector is increased during the rise in food price. It cause that the demand of non-food items will rise due to the increases of food prices which relative to aggregate price through substitution effects and through income effect of the food producer. (Sonna, October 2014) When the price of food inflates, it will drive the fluctuation in currency which has created a huge impact on all the sectors. For instance, the domestic oil price is linked with the international oil price. This lead to the oil price has a direct relationship with the Indian currency as US dollar which has already become one of the acceptable global currencies in the international market. However, the impact brought by the increase in oil price is not heavy and will cause a big burden to the market because this increase in price will go through the other sectors in the market. This contributes to share the burden of the increase in oil price among the other sectors. This causes inflation of other goods to happen due to the chain reaction happen when the prices of the domestic oil increase. (Dr.A.Hidhaya Mahammad Rafee.B, 2014) As the oil price and inflation build a cause and effect relationship, the fluctuations of oil prices have significant impact on the inflation. The impacts of oil prices fluctuations are different in oil exporting and in oil importing countries. For the oil exporting countries, the increment of oil prices constituted good news while the increment of oil prices constituted bad news for oil importing countries. For instance, China and India were known as the most consumption on the oil among the oil importing countries in the world. Anshul Sharma stated that inflation will move in the same direction with the movement of oil prices. The inflation rate increases as the crude oil increases and vice versa. Since the early of the 21st century, the prices of oil has rising heavily. This contributed to the higher inflation as the cost of production increased. The increment of cost of production led to the increment of fuel costs and then caused the decrement of supply. Jose De Gregorio et al. stated that the fluctuation of oil prices had adverse impact on the economy. (M. Anandan, S. Ramaswamy and S. Sridhar, 2013) Besides, depreciation in the currency will subsequently lead to the people to buy lesser goods with the same amount of money they hold. This case can be defines as a decrease in the purchasing power of currency. This journal has mentioned that India is considered as one of the largest market in the world that does not have any monetary policy framework to help to control the market. This is why the India always faces inflation after a financial crisis. There is no initiative taken by India to handle the inflation brought by the financial crisis which will lower down the currency of the country. People will now start to demand fewer rupees and consider investing in other country’s currency. (Zainab Mulla, 2014) There is a strong pressure on the Rupee currency which is caused by the strong demand of US dollar. This will lead to a major impact of inflation. The Rupee depreciation will make India to produce competitive goods in global market which will bring benefit for India’s exports. The exporters gain advantages as the abroad exported goods return more Rupees which are translated from dollar to Rupees. As a result, there is a relationship between Rupees depreciation and the inflation. (Deepa Divakaran.N and Dr.G.S.Gireeshkumar, 2014) According to Kamiar Mohaddes Mehdi Raissi (2014), the inflation could lower the growth by reducing the productivity and investment. Barro stated that there is a strong evidence for the negative impact of inflation on growth. Besides, the journal stated the inflation-growth relationship is highly non-linear. Besides, Khan and Senhadji stated that the inflation rate above the ‘threshold’ is negative and significant on growth whereas the inflation rate below the ‘threshold’ is positive and insignificant. Gillman and Kejak stated that the inflation and growth has surveyed by various models and resulting in generating a negative relationship between inflation and growth. De Gregorio and Gomme proved that the relationship between inflation and growth is non-linear which means the growth rate will be lower as the inflation rate increases. Based on AK and AH models, inflation play a role as tax on either physical capital or human capital. This will lead to the decrement of the growth rate. Akerlof et al. also stated the low inflation rate may have a positive relationship with output growth. This is because of low inflation causes the increment of productivity and resulting in higher growth. (Kamiar Mohaddes Mehdi Raissi, 2014) Discussion Crude oil is an input in the value added chain of most agricultural products such as machinery fuel, transport and fertilizers. The rising of crude oil price causes that the cost of production rises and the price of final product increase as well. Moreover, nowadays food products are common used in producing of biofuel energy based on environmental preoccupation. Therefore, the substitution of crude oil by food product to produce fossil fuel causes that the food product demand increases in the market. As a prove, we found the data from US Energy Information Administration and FAO which shows that the price of oil and food is positive relationship at year 2000 to 2010. When food inflation occurs, the wage rate will increases due to the productivity need to increase but supply of labour is limited in the market. By this, not only wage of labour will increase, but the income of producer in food sector also increase because of the windfall profits will raise higher than cost of production. It means that the citizen become richer and their demand of goods and services will increase as well through income effect. The increase of demand causes that it excess than supply in the market and then causes inflation occur. In order to prove that food inflation will affect nonfood inflation and aggregate inflation, there was a Forecast Error Variance Decomposition (FEVD) analysis is done and shows that variation of food inflation contributes 54% of variation of nonfood inflation and 46% variation in aggregate inflation after 1 month of the shock. After 10 month, the variation of nonfood inflation decreases to 46% while the variation of aggregate inflation increa ses to 72%. (Sonna, October 2014) Over the years, the currency rate of Rupee to US Dollar is increasing each year. In year 2000, 1 USD can exchange for 45 Rs. However, in year 2013, the exchange rate has increased that 1 USD can exchange for 58.53 Rs. This causes the Rupee to depreciate its value due to the strong demand of US Dollar by the citizens. In order to prove the statement of Deepa Divakaran N and Dr G.S.Gireeshkumar, the major impact of inflation in India is caused by the peer pressure faced by Rupee currency as there are many people who demands US Dollar rather than holding Rupee. When the currency is facing depreciation, people will tend to hold other’s countries’ currency as Rupee has no more holding value. The demand for Rupee will drop and thus drives up the inflation. Cost-push inflation will occur when people now feel reluctant to spend their Rupee on normal goods and causes supply to be surplus and push the price to increase. Therefore, a drop in the currency of Rupee will affect inflation to happen. Throughout the research, we have figured out that the purchasing power for India is increasing linearly year by year since from year 1999 until now. Starting from year 1999, the GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) is 1,805 Billion Dollar and for year 2014, it has increase to 7,277.3 Billion Dollar. This means that the purchasing power for India is getting bigger and bigger every year. As GDP grows, there will be more transaction happen daily and this will lead to an increase in the demand of Rupee. Thus, it will help to raise the exchange rate of Rupee to other country’s currencies. This will result in the increase of purchasing power of Indians’. When the nation’s GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) increases, the exchange rate of Rupee to other country’s currency will decrease and this caused the import fee to decrease as well. This causes more and more transaction will occur because the export fee is lower compared to the older time and this can help to drive up th e country’s GDP. In order to prove the statement of Zainab Mulla, when the GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) in year 1999 is still at a lower stage, the citizens can barely afford to buy breads with 60Rs. However for year 2014, the GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) increase drastically, making the purchasing power of Rupee to increase. As a result, now they can afford to buy few types of bread with 60Rs. This shows that Rupee in year 2014 has more value than year 1999 because we can buy more stuff with 60Rs over 15 years. When the purchasing power of citizens increases, they will tend to spend more money rather than keeping it because they can get more goods with the current value. This action also can help to increase the country’s GDP. On the other hand, the decrease in the price of the crude oil also becomes one of the catalysts in the economic growth in India. Crude oil as the largest internationally traded items will have an abrupt changes in economic if there are any changes in the price for the oil exporting and importing countries. This can be seen when the economic growth of India had shown a decrease sign from year 2010 to year 2013, which is decrease from 10.3% to 5.0%. This is because of the recent crude oil price has increased from 3,463Rs in year 2010 to 6,415Rs in year 2013. The increment in the price of crude oil will affect inflation to happen if the government chooses to absorb the burden by increasing the price of other petroleum products. In order to prove the statement of Gillman and Kejak, when the price of crude oil increase, the growth of the country will decrease as the petroleum-based products will have them increase in the price which causes the consumers will try to consumer less of these products. When these products have a low demand, the supply will be overloaded and then leading to the output production level of the factory drop. Hence, the whole economic growth will be stalled. Conclusion In the nutshell, there are many causes and effect that are brought by inflation. It is undeniable that inflation is not favor in the country as it brings a lot of negative effect and will drag the growth of country. However, we could not avoid inflation from happening in a country. What we can do is just try to minimize the impact bring by the inflation. One of the solutions to curb the inflation problem is by selling bonds to the non-residential investors of the country. As we know that the poverty of Indians is very serious, the residents have less money to afford the bond sold by the government. Hence, the government should make the bond available to the investors from other country which can afford it so that there is more money inflow to the country so that the government has more money to circulate the daily money flow of money. Other than that, the government should implement some policy that makes them to be less dependent to the import industry. They should encourage more export activities because they can earn more money when the exchange rate of Rupee drops. Incentives should be given in order to encourage this action. In addition to the above, the government can also control the price of oil and give subsidies for the crude oil. By controlling the price of oil, all the petroleum-based products will also have their price controlled because they do not have to share the burden of increased price of oil. This will subsequently keep the inflation rate to remain under the threshold and will not cause any major problem to the economic growth of India. Last but not least, if the entire precaution steps have been taken to handle inflation problem, we can surely minimize the impact that bring by inflation.

Ghana And Mali :: essays research papers

Before Columbus sailed to the New World and before Europe reached their â€Å"Enlightenment Era† two significant kingdoms flourished on the west coast of what some refer to as the motherland: Africa. The name of these two mighty states are Ghana and Mali. Ghana was the first West African state of which their was any record. After the downfall near the end of the eleventh century, Mali rose up to take their place as the economic, religious, and cultural hub of West Africa. These two states are very similar yet differ in many ways also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economy of the two states are very similar. Ghanaians were primarily an agricultural community. Most of the people were substance farmers who lived off of their own farms and livestock. Many people choose to trade with neighboring villages through their chief town, Kumbi Saleh. The people of Mali were also predominately agricultural. Most people who did not engage in farming, worked as artisans. The rich mines of Bure also served as income for some people of Mali. The economies of both states were related in that they both were primarily agricultural.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Religion is another topic of comparison for the two enormous kingdoms. The Religion of Ghana during the eleventh century was a religion based on the belief that every earthly object contained good or evil spirits that had to be satisfied if the people were to prosper. However in 1076, Muslims invaded the state and converted their religion to Islam. The people of Mali were firm Muslims. These people took at least one pilgrimage a lifetime to the holy city of Mecca. They traveled in caravans across hundreds of miles of dessert to kiss the Kabba (a black stone believed to have religious powers). Both kingdoms were primarily Islamic because it allowed them to trade freely with other Islamic states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although both kingdoms flourished, their reign of West Africa had to come to an end. The decline of Ghana began with the invasion of Muslims. Ghana still held on shortly after this, but was finished by a series of droughts that dried up important life giving rivers.

Sontrary to popular belief, a natural emotion or feeling Essay

What is sadness? Sadness is, contrary to popular belief, a natural emotion or feeling. People feel sadness whenever they lose something that they previously enjoyed such as someone they loved, or something as simple as a stuffed animal. This particular emotion is actually good for you. It offers relief from the pain of the loss and it gives you some measure of the importance of what you’ve lost. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury strives to create a society that lives in the absence of sadness. He aspires to give everyone happiness by getting rid of conflict and inequality. However, what the society did not recognize was the value of this gloomy emotion. Guy Montag, the central character in the book, has learned to conform to the idea that the society he lives in is so very rigid and standard. Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Sadness for You! However he eventually realizes that the society he lives in is not suitable for a happy life. In an attempt to solidify happiness, society became dehumanized through its abandonment of human instinct, which ironically caused society to become anaesthetized. In the various attempts to abolish despondency by the elimination of literature, all emotions in society were destroyed. In the past, the society was able to read books, and therefore had no reason to burn them. For this reason houses were not fireproof, and therefore Clarise alludes to the fact that firemen used to put out fires, not start them. (8.) Thus proving that at one point in this society, books were accepted and then eventually were banned. While education doesn’t seem like an awful attribute, it created inequality, which made people unhappy. In order to explain the abolishment of books, Beatty expressed to Montag, Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the timeЕÐ ¤ (58). As Beatty explained, the government utilized technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure to eliminate sadness. One example to substantiate the statement made by Beatty would be the use of the houn d. The government used the hound in order to find and destroy books, which would, according to their society, create equality and peace. They believed that the elimination of books would solve everyone’s problems, and as a surrogate for books used controlled technology. Since there were no learned people, there would not be controversy over the explanations of ideas, or ideas themselves. However, what he did not account for was the fact that without thought, there was no emotion, and therefore no happiness or sadness. Happiness and sadness interplay off of each other, there cannot be happiness without something to contrast it to. Therefore, in the attempt to make everyone happy by eliminating literature, the ultimate outcome was a society that was essentially all robots. These â€Å"robots† were incapable of comprehending personal history, and therefore had no sense of the passed time. The theory behind destroying a sense of time was that if no one were to grasp the idea of time, then they would, among other things, have no awareness of aging, and everyone would be happy. However, unexpectedly in doing so people were not happy nor sad, merely indifferent. In the conversation between Montag and Mildred the morning after the ordeal with Mildred’s blood cleaning, Mildred cannot remember the events of the past night and therefore questions, â€Å"Last night- What about last night?† (19). Mildred had no recollection of time or of past events and therefore no one knows whether Mildred was unhappy or just couldn’t remember. The attempt to eliminate sadness did not work, because since she couldn’t remember anything in the past she not only couldn’t remember the bad things, but she also couldn’t remember the ha ppy events. The two therefore neutralized themselves between the happy and the sad causing Mildred to be apathetic or even sometimes depressed. It is extremely hard to live a happy life when you can’t remember any of the past joyous moments because of the dehumanization impressed onto society. Unfortunately, this dehumanization made people even more depressed, because it could cause them physical harm, moreover it could cause them emotional harm because they may not be able to remember joyous moments. The supreme consequence of the mechanization of society was that the feelings about life and death became more depersonalized. To many, death is a very personal and emotional event. Contrary, though, in Montag’s society, death was absolutely depersonalized. People rarely were affected by death, however, just continued with their standard life because they believed that death was just another â€Å"thing† that happened in life. When depersonalizing death, the intent was to eliminate the sadness that went along with it, and therefore make everyone happy. While it did eliminate the sadness, it also eliminated the happiness that went along with life. People had no reason to cherish life, because they believed didn’t think about the possibility of dieing, since it was such a minor part of life. When probing the idea of death, and looking deeper, it is essentially a culmination of life. However, since the citizens were unable to remember life, the idea of death was changed. In their minds they lived for just a moment, and therefore when someone died, nothing essentially died because nothing essentially lived. Mildred articulates the ideology of society by expressing her feelings about the woman Montag killed. â€Å"She’s nothing to me; she shouldn’t have had books. It was her responsibility, she should’ve thought of that.† (51). Mildred wasn’t at all concerned that someone’s life was just taken, she was concerned that Montag was sick because of her. This clearly illustrates the ideology of society in that no one cared about death, it wasn’t happy nor was it a particularly sad time. So in the end, since no one understood that death was actually a very catastrophic event, no one therefore cherished life and lived unconcernedly, not happy nor sad. Eventually Montag grasps the fact that his society is extremely corrupt due to the mechanization and dehumanization. There are various causes, which lead to the demise of a normal society, and lead to the society prevalent in F451, which relies on technology and abandons human instinct. As a result, the citizens have become non-threatening, non-interesting humans who can be easily led and manipulated through fear. The intent was to eliminate sadness but the end result were humans with absolutely no emotions.

Black on Black Crime Essay

Black on black violence is an enormous problem in the African-American community. Living in a neighborhood that is mostly minority, many may have witnessed a lot of black on black violence. The black on black violence has continued to arise in many communities and continues to be a problem around the world. Black on black violence is ignorant, and many black Americans should be coming together instead of killing one another. African-Americans people should be helping each other achieve in the world, instead of putting one another. By African-Americans killing one another, it proves to other races that black people do not know how to act, and that we are truly ignorant in this world. African-Americans need to realize that all we have is each other and by killing each other we show that brotherly love does not exist among our own. Studies show that 1 and 146 African-American males are at the risk of a violent death, whereas the ratio for Caucasian men is 1 and 189. This study shows that African-American men are more likely to become the victim of a violent death than a Caucasian man. This study is saddening because African-American people should be making a difference in the world by proving we are better than what people make African-Americans out to be. In another study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (covering reported violent crime that occurred between 1993-98) when the offender had been identified, 76% of the time the violence was intra-racial. [2]. † Enrico Ferri, a student of Lombroso, considered Black people to be of an â€Å"inferior race† and more prone to crime than others. In 2008 a total of 40 homicides were committed in Little Rock, 54% were committed by blacks against blacks. Nationally, homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men ages 10-24, and the second leading cause of death for black women ages 15-24. The effect of this violence in the African-American community is tremendous; Violence is very much part of what it means to be Black in America. These studies are very high when it comes to showing how violent African-Americans are, and what they are capable of. African-American people should look at these studies and want to make a difference, if not for them, then for the future of the African-American race that have to suffer the consequences for the actions of others. The cause for all of this black on black violence is the gang violence that has been rapidly increasing as the years have passed. All of these people that are a part of a gang, go around killing people because of a street that they do not even own. So many African-Americans become a part of a gang because they probably do not have love and support at home. Since they do not get it there, they run to the streets to be with people that they think care about them and will give them support. Many young boys that are from gangs feel, since they grew up around gangs, then they might as well become a part of one. The boys that are in these gangs think their purpose for being in a gang is to protect the street they live on. But what they do not realize is that their lives are put in danger when they try to protect something not even theirs. Whether in the Black community, or any community, we know that there are some factors that correlate with a lower rate of violence. Two of the leading ones are: economic stability and strong social networks. Communities in which people have their basic needs met correlate with a lower incidence of violence. Both of these will be difficult to achieve until racism is addressed (see reason number one) and African-Americans achieve equal opportunity. This statement is true because, if African-Americans had the same opportunities as Caucasians and had way more to look forward to, then maybe African-Americans would not commit these violent crimes. Another way to help reduce black on black crime is to talk about it more in the media or in public forum. This would help directly and indirectly those affected by black on black crime. The Center for Healing Hearts and Spirits created a Media Awareness Campaign that educated 200,000 community residents on black on black crime. They also hosted a crime summit that had over 1,200 people to part take in it. If there were more information and awareness available about this rising act of violence between African Americans, maybe there would not be as many homicides involving blacks. African-Americans need to realize that life is more important than taking someone else’s life. Now a day, people take life for granted and act like it is something to play with. When people do not care about their own life, how can they care about the person whose life that they are taking? This is a problem with people today; they do not care about nothing in life so they take it out on the next person. Years past, African-Americans would get spit on, beaten, and put in jail just because they were black. They were not killing people; they were punished because of their skin color. If more African-Americans appreciated the life that they were given and respected others, maybe more could learn how to get along and come together as a people.

50 Productivity Tips to Boost Your Performance [Infographic]

50 Productivity Tips to Boost Your Performance [Infographic] It’s no secret that many people are not performing at their fullest potential. In a world full of entertainment and distractions around every corner, it’s difficult to perform at a level that is truly reflective of your skills and talent. But it’s important to find ways to counter this so you can be the best version of yourself. Here are 50 productivity tips to boost your performance and unlock your hidden potential. Â   [Source: Wrike]

Denmark Vesey, Leader of a Foiled Slave Revolt

Denmark Vesey, Leader of a Foiled Slave Revolt Denmark Vesey was born circa 1767 in the Caribbean island of St. Thomas and died July 2, 1822, in Charleston, South Carolina. Known in his early years as Telemaque, Vesey was a free man of color who organized what would have been the largest slave rebellion in the United States. Veseys work inspired abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and David Walker. Fast Facts: Denmark Vesey Known For: Organized what would have been the largest slave rebellion in U.S. historyAlso Known As: TelemaqueBorn: circa 1767 in St. ThomasDied: July 2, 1822, in Charleston, South CarolinaNotable Quote: â€Å"We are free, but the white people here wont let us be so; and the only way is to raise up and fight the whites.† Early Years Born into slavery, Denmark Vesey (given name: Telemaque) spent his childhood in St. Thomas. When Vesey was a teen, he was sold by slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey and sent to a planter in present-day Haiti. Captain Vesey intended to leave the boy there for good, but ultimately had to return for him after the planter reported that the boy was experiencing bouts of epilepsy. The captain brought young Vesey along with him on his journeys for nearly two decades until he settled for good in Charleston, South Carolina. Because of his travels, Denmark Vesey learned to speak multiple languages. In 1799, Denmark Vesey won a $1,500 lottery. He used the funds to purchase his freedom for $600 and to launch a successful carpentry business. However, he remained deeply troubled that he couldn’t buy the freedom of his wife, Beck, and their children. (He may have had up to three wives and multiple children altogether.) As a result, Vesey became determined to dismantle the system of slavery. Having briefly lived in Haiti, Vesey may have been inspired by the 1791 slave rebellion that Toussaint Louverture engineered there.  Ã‚   Liberation Theology In 1816 or 1817, Vesey joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a religious denomination formed by black Methodists after facing racism from white churchgoers. In Charleston, Vesey was one of an estimated 4,000 blacks to start an African A.M.E. church. He formerly attended the white-led Second Presbyterian Church, where enslaved black congregants were urged to heed St. Paul’s dictum: Servants, obey your masters. Vesey disagreed with such sentiments. According to an article written about him in the June 1861 edition of The Atlantic, Vesey did not behave submissively to whites and admonished blacks who did. The Atlantic reported: â€Å"For if his companion bowed to a white person, he would rebuke him, and observe that all men were born equal, and that he was surprised that any one would degrade himself by such conduct - that he would never cringe to the whites, nor ought anyone who had the feelings of a man. When answered, ‘We are slaves,’ he would sarcastically and indignantly reply, ‘You deserve to remain slaves.’† In the A.M.E. Church, African Americans could preach messages centered on black liberation. Vesey became a â€Å"class leader,† preaching from Old Testament books like Exodus, Zechariah, and Joshua to the worshippers who gathered at his home. He likened enslaved African Americans to the enslaved Israelites in the Bible. The comparison struck a chord with the black community. White Americans, however, tried to keep a close eye on A.M.E. meetings across the country and even arrested churchgoers. That didn’t stop Vesey from continuing to preach that blacks were the New Israelites and that slaveholders would be punished for their misdeeds. On Jan. 15, 1821, Charleston City Marshal John J. Lafar had the church closed down because the pastors had educated enslaved blacks during night and Sunday schools. Educating anyone enslaved was illegal, so the A.M.E. Church in Charleston had to close its doors. Of course, this only made Vesey and the church leaders more resentful. The Plot for Freedom Vesey was determined to take down the institution of slavery. In 1822, he teamed up with Angolan mystic Jack Purcell, ship-carpenter Peter Poyas, church leaders, and others to plot what would have been the largest slave revolt in US history. Known as a conjurer who understood the supernatural world, Purcell, also called â€Å"Gullah Jack,† was a respected member of the black community who helped Vesey win more followers for his cause. In fact, all of the leaders involved in the plot were considered upstanding individuals, held in high esteem across racial lines, according to reports from the time. The revolt, which was scheduled to take place on July 14, would have seen up to 9,000 black men from throughout the region kill any white man they encountered, set Charleston ablaze, and commandeer the city’s arsenals. Weeks before the rebellion was supposed to occur, however, some enslaved blacks privy to Vesey’s plans told their owners about the plot. This group included A.M.E. class leader George Wilson, who found out about the plot from an enslaved man named Rolla Bennett. Wilson, who was also enslaved, ultimately informed his owner about the revolt. Wilson wasn’t the only person who spoke about Vesey’s plans. Some sources point to an enslaved man named Devany who learned about the plot from another enslaved man and then told a free man of color about it. The freedman urged Devany to tell his owner. When news of the plot spread among the slaveholders, many were shocked- not just about the scheme to overthrow them, but also that men they trusted had been involved. The idea that these men were willing to kill for their freedom seemed unthinkable to the slaveholders, who argued that they treated slaves humanely, despite keeping them in bondage. Arrests and Executions Bennett, Vesey, and Gullah Jack were among the 131 men arrested for conspiracy in connection to the insurrection plot. Of those arrested, 67 were convicted. Vesey defended himself during the trial but was hanged along with about 35 others, including Jack, Poyas, and Bennett. Although Wilson won his freedom due to his loyalty to his slaveholder, he did not live to enjoy it. His mental health suffered, and he later died by suicide. After the trials related to the insurrection plot ended, the black community in the area struggled. Their A.M.E. Church was torched, and they faced even more repression from slaveholders, including being excluded from Fourth of July celebrations. Still, the black community largely regarded Vesey as a hero. His memory later inspired the black troops who fought during the Civil War, as well as abolitionists such as David Walker and Frederick Douglass. Nearly two centuries after Vesey’s foiled plot, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney would find hope in his story. Pinckney led the same A.M.E. Church that Vesey co-founded. In 2015, Pinckney and eight other churchgoers were fatally gunned down by a white supremacist during a midweek Bible study. The mass shooting revealed how much racial injustice remains today. Sources Bennett, James. â€Å"A Distaste for the Memory of the Tale.†Ã‚  TheAtlantic.com, 30 June, 2015.â€Å"Denmark Vesey.†Ã‚  National Park Service, 9 May, 2018.Higginson, Thomas Wentworth. â€Å"The Story of Denmark Vesey.† The Atlantic Monthly, June, 1861.â€Å"This Far by Faith: Denmark Vesey.† PBS.org, 2003. Hamitlon, James. Negro Plot. Account of the Late Intended Insurrection  among a Portion of the Blacks of the City of Charleston, South Carolina:  Electronic Edition. 1822.

Learning Mandarin Chinese

Learning Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Chinese is a difficult language to learn, especially given its unintuitive pronunciations and use of characters rather than an alphabet system. Learning Chinese can be a daunting idea, and often many beginner students dont know where to start. If you are feeling overwhelmed, this guide can give you the basic building blocks of Chinese grammar, introductory vocabulary, and pronunciation tips to help you build a foundation in Chinese. Be sure to click on hyperlinked text to access each lesson. The 4 Mandarin Tones Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. Meaning, the way a syllable is pronounced in terms of sound and tone changes its meaning. For example, the syllable ma can mean horse, mother, scold, or hemp depending on which tone is used. Mastery of the four  Mandarin tones  is the essential first step to  learning this language. The  four Mandarin tones  are high and level, rising, falling then rising, and falling. You must be able to pronounce  and  understand the Mandarin Tones.   Once you have learned the tones, you can start learning new vocabulary and phrases while learning pinyin Romanization. Reading and writing Chinese characters is the last step. Mandarin Pronunciation Guide There are 37 unique sounds in Mandarin Chinese, which consist of 21 consonants and 16 vowels. Through a myriad of combinations, around 420 different syllables can be produced and are used in the Chinese language.   Lets take the Chinese word for often as an example. The character  Ã¥ ¸ ¸ is pronounced as chng, which is a combination of the sounds ch and ang.   The sound  chart in this guide has audio files of all 37 sounds along with their Pinyin spellings. Pinyin Romanization Pinyin  is a way to write Chinese using the Roman (Western) alphabet. It is the most common of many forms of  Romanization, and is used in most teaching materials particularly for Western students learning Chinese. Pinyin allows beginner  Mandarin  students to read and write Chinese without using Chinese characters. This allows students to concentrate on spoken Mandarin before tackling the formidable task of  learning Chinese characters.   Because pinyin has many pronunciations  which are unintuitive to English speakers, it is necessary to study the pinyin system to avoid pronunciation errors.   Introduction to PinyinPinyin Pronunciation Essential Vocabulary Of course, there is a seemingly endless of vocabulary words to learn. Ease yourself in by starting with some of the most commonly used, everyday Chinese words. In order to refer to people in a conversation, you will need to know Mandarin pronouns. This is the equivalent to terms like I, you, he, she, they, we.  Mandarin words for colors  is also elementary vocabulary that can be easily learned. As you see different colors in your everyday life, try and remember the Chinese word for it.   Understanding Mandarin numbers  is also a good place to start. After you have mastered reading, writing, and pronouncing numbers, learning  calendar terms  (such as days  in  the week and months) and how to  tell time  will be easier.   Conversation Topics As you progress in your mastery of Mandarin, you will be able to have conversations. These lessons will prepare you for conversing about particular topics. All conversations start with a greeting. Learn Mandarin greetings  to be able to say hello or good afternoon! In introducing yourself, common questions might be where are you from? or where do you live? This handy list of  Mandarin names for North American cities  can help you respond. Many social events and get-togethers happen at restaurants. Learning  food vocabulary  and  restaurant vocabulary  can be helpful so that you know what to order or how to ask for help if you need another pair of chopsticks. If you are traveling in a Chinese-speaking country, you may be staying in a hotel or have to deal with banking in terms of withdrawing money, exchanging money, and so on. These  hotel vocabulary  and  banking vocabulary  lessons can be a good addition. Mandarin Grammar Mandarin Chinese grammar is very different from English and other Western languages. The first step is learning basic  Mandarin sentence Structures. For a beginner-level Mandarin student, it is also important to know how to  ask questions in Chinese  because asking questions is the best way to learn about a language and a culture. Particularly helpful questions to know include how do you say X in Chinese? or what does this idiom mean?  Ã‚   An interesting difference between English and Chinese is the use of  Mandarin measure words. For instance, in English one would say a piece of paper or a loaf of bread. In these examples, piece and loaf are measure words for the nouns paper and bread. In Chinese, there are many more measure words. Reading and Writing Chinese Characters Chinese characters  are the hardest part of learning Mandarin. There are over 50,000 Chinese characters, and a dictionary will typically list 20,000 characters. An educated Chinese person will know around 8,000 characters. And to read a newspaper you must learn about 2,000 to read a newspaper. The point is, there are a lot of characters! While the only way to really learn characters is to memorize them, knowing character  radicals  can give you some hints too. Engaging with beginner-level  Chinese text and books  can be a great way to practice. If you want to practice by writing Chinese online, here is how you can  write Chinese characters using Windows XP.