THE REMOVALISTS A PLAY BY DA essays

THE REMOVALISTS A PLAY BY DA essays THE REMOVALISTS A PLAY BY DAVID WILLIAMSON David Williamson, widely regarded as Australias most successful playwright, has created a very controversial and very Australian glimpse of the Australian society during the early 1970s. A key theme in the play is the myth of the typical Aussie mateship, where every good mate stands by and helps another in need. Having said this, I believe that The Removalists simply cannot be adapted into the present day while retaining the strong sense of mateship. Throughout the past few decades, Australia has become more multicultural, more modernised and thus more independent. Some say that The Removalists characters are simply artificial and totally unbelievable, but the characters themselves are ideas, not dramatic creations. The composer has successfully divided the Australian society and represented them by just five characters which range from the removalist, a cold and money driven businessman and Kate a semi-upper-middle-class dentists wife who is accused surprisingly of having an affair. One of the funniest lines in the play was where Kates sister replied to her outburst: Kate: All this fuss about an affair. Anyone would think that Im a nymphomaniac! In The Removalists Williamson effectively dispels the myth of mateship in Australia. We are shown more than one type of mateship, some more obvious than others. We are first introduced to Simmonds; a beefy, fat and middle-aged sergeant readily abuses and embarrasses his lesser workmate Constable Ross on his first day in the force, with apparent relish. The ideal Aussie mate would show understanding and would always be happy to lend a helping hand to his lesser experienced partner. However, we are shown a few glimpses of Simmondss taking up a fatherly role towards Ross as if mocking him of his inexperience: I think the first thing you&apos...

Religious Private Schools

Religious Private Schools As you browse private school profiles, you will usually see a school’s religious affiliation listed within the description. While not all  private schools  have religious affiliations, many do, and many families have questions about these private institutions. What is a nonsectarian or non-denominational  school? In the private school world, you may see schools listed as nonsectarian or nons include schools like  The Hotchkiss School  and  Annie Wright School. The  opposite of a nonsectarian school  is a sectarian school. These schools will describe their religious affiliations as Roman Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, and so on. Examples of sectarian schools include  Kent School  and  Georgetown Prep  which respectively are  Episcopal  and  Roman Catholic  schools. What is a religious private school? A religious private school is simply a school that identifies with a specific religious group, such as Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, or Episcopal. Often these schools have curricula that include teachings of that faith in addition to a traditional curriculum, something that is often referred to as a dual curriculum. These schools are usually independently funded, meaning they depend on tuition dollars and/or fundraising efforts to operate. What is a parochial school? Most people associate the term  parochial school with Catholic school. In general, parochial schools are usually private schools that receive financial support from a particular church or parish, meaning the funding of a parochial school primarily comes from the church, not tuition dollars. These schools are sometimes referred to as church schools by the Catholic faith. They are closely connected to the church itself  and do not stand alone. Are all religious private schools considered parochial schools? No, they are not. Parochial schools are usually funded by the religious organization with which they are associated. For many, parochial typically connotes Catholic schools, but there are many religious private schools of other faiths, such as Jewish, Lutheran, and others. There are many religious private schools that are independently funded and do not receive funding from a particular church or other religious site. These are tuition driven. So, what is the difference between a parochial school and a private religious school? The biggest difference between a parochial school and a private religious school is money. Since private religious schools do not receive funding from a religious institution, instead  relying on tuition dollars and fundraising to operate, these schools often carry higher tuition rates than their parochial counterparts. While many parochial schools carry lower tuition rates, it is important to remember that many private schools, including both religious and nonsectarian schools, offer financial aid to qualified families who cannot afford tuition.   Can you attend a school affiliated with a religion other than yours? This answer will vary from school to school, but often the answer is an enthusiastic, yes!  Many religious schools  believe that educating others about their religion is important, regardless of the student’s own personal beliefs. As such, most institutions accept, and even welcome, applications from students of all faiths and beliefs. For some families, it is important for the student to attend a school that is affiliated with the same religion. Yet, there are many families who enjoy sending their children to  religious schools  regardless if the families have the same religious beliefs. An example of this is  Milken Community Schools  in Los Angeles, California. One of the largest Jewish schools in the country, Milken, which serves students in grades 7-12, is known for enrolling students of all faiths, but it has certain requirements for Jewish studies for all students. Why should I consider sending my child to a religious school? Religious schools are often known for the values they instill in children, and many families find this comforting. Religious schools are usually known for their ability to embrace differences and promote tolerance and acceptance, as well as teach the lessons of their faith. This can be an interesting learning experience for a student who is not familiar with a particular religion. Many schools require that the students participate in the religious customs of the school, including attending classes and/or religious services, activities and learning opportunities, which can help students become more comfortable in unfamiliar situations.

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Communication - Essay Example (Holt) In this modern world where facebook has become famous it can be used as a communication tool keep in touch with the other organizations, departments and other locations. Another important tool of communication is E-mail. The success of the communication also depends on the type of technology being used. For instance if a company comprises of people who are expert in operating computer blogs, wikis and other methods of communication are the best tools to keep the organization well informed. So if the message is not properly communicated the communication will be lost. So before drafting any communication all the elements of communications must be checked. If an organization has to appoint new employees for vacant positions it is better that the organization hire from within their own organization by promoting the employees to a higher position as this will save the labor turnover cost on the other hand it will increase the morale of the employees of the company and they will wo rk more hard to improve their performance from before.. But if employees are to be hired from outside then the interview should be planned. It means that the interviewer should read each applicants resume prior to the interview. His focus should be on the core information desired. For instance, character, personality, work, experience, training, motivation etc. He should be aware of the national and state regulations regarding fair employment practices. Andy Philpot, the author

Management and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and Research - Essay Example 3. Innovation in business is a route that represents a high risk for any business endeavor. A higher risk implies the possibility of failure is more likely than normal. Many times the technological concept is solid, but not economically viable. Another deterrent is when a firm runs out of funds to continue developing a concept or the market does not accept a new product despite its technological superiority. 1. An individual can achieve an internal state of mind that allows for creativity since the person controls all dimensions to take the idea and convert into innovation that creates income or contributes a valuable service to society. Universities use innovation as a general guideline to foster R&D. Companies focus on innovation to create value. Governmental organizations use innovation to spark economic activity. Non-profit organizations value innovation since it opens new doors that lead to solutions to solve social, environmental, and other community concerns. \ 4. The relationship between company creativity as a function of the creativity of the individual associated with the firm is a hypothesis that a mathematical model could test to determine the correlation between the independent and dependent variable. In a business model with multiple variables such as structures, routines, incentives, etc. a multivariable regression model can accomplish the desired objective. A company that uses employee creativity to as part of its operating activities is IBM with its wide array of personalized high tech business solutions. 5. Collaborative research agreements allow for technological transfers among participants in the research alliance. Different geographical points across earth have certain characteristics that are unique to the region and may be of interest for foreign investigators, thus collaborative research agreements are imperative to foster

Preistleys main aim Essay Example for Free

Preistleys main aim Essay Preistleys main intension in An Inspector Calls is to show the immorality in society. He accomplishes this by having each character take on a separate stereotype of pre-war society. Birling is the industrious businessman, cold hearted and tight fisted. Mrs. Birling is the bossy, maternal wife who has no sympathy for any one who crosses her strict moral barriers. Eric, the son, is a loose cannon, a young man with mean parents who he cannot look to for help. Sheila is the almost spoilt daughter, who is all too quick to use her power, but still feels remorse later. Gerald is a slightly mature Eric. Still a bit irresponsible, he has the right set of morals and is engaged to Sheila at the beginning of the play. Finally, Inspector Goole is the collective conscience of the group. Each of the characters matures slightly over the course of the play, excluding the parents who seem to be set in their ways. Right the way through the play Birling shows himself to be steadfastly rightwing. His views on society are that there is no such thing and that it is every man for himself. He is shown as having few kind emotions and is mostly celebrating Shelias wedding because of the business opportunities it will bring. Preistley is trying to show that these views are wrong. He does this at two levels. One is the more obvious he has been cast as the evil character that is mean to everyone. The other way is subtler. In all his predictions Birling is wrong as these two quotes show And I say there isnt a chance of war. The worlds developing so fast that itll make war impossible. Why, a friend of mine went over this liner last week the Titanic she sails next week forty six thousand eight hundred tons New York in five days and every luxury and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable The play was set in 1912 but performed in 1946, so the audience would know that he was wrong about these thing and would subconsciously imagine him as wrong, making them more inclined to agree with Preistleys view of an ideal society. Birlings actions and behaviour towards the other characters is typical of a right wing, pompous businessman. He treats all his offspring as tiny children, when they are both old enough to be married. His workers are treated like dirt, fired for wanting a slightly better wage. The Inspector is referred to as a crank, but only once he has left the house. The only person Birling treats fairly apart from himself is his wife, of whom he still takes a slightly lower view than she deserves.

A Critique of Jack Londons To Build a Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

A Critique of Jack London's To Build a Fire Karen Rhodes analyzed to build a fire in a cultural context. He believed "London's works were written so that he could survive in a world he increasingly came to see as "red in tooth and claw""(1). It is obviously the story of a man fighting the stresses of Nature. According to Rhodes, to build a fire was drawn from the year London spent in Canada's Yukon Territory. London depicted arctic and very cold conditions throughout the story. Rhodes believed to build a fire represented London's Naturalistic Flavor. "It pits one man alone against the overwhelming forces of nature"(Karen Rhodes, 1). He also believed to build a fire can either be interpreted as the Pioneer American experience or can be read as an allegory for the journey of human existence (Karen Rhodes, 1). According to Rhodes, there are two versions of to build a fire; the first one was written in 1902 while the second one was written in 1908. We are studying the 1908 version." It has come to be known as everyman trekking thr ough the Naturalistic Universe"(Karen Rhodes, 1). To build a fire is indeed the story of a man trekking through the universe alone except for his dog. The man's death at the end was the culmination of the story. " His death came through no lapse of observation, no lack of diligence, no real folly but the nature of himself and his environment" (Karen Rhodes, 2). I think his is a fine criticism of London's to build a fire. London had made use of his life experiences in writing the story. I agree with Karen Rhodes observation that to build afirecan be interpreted as the story of a man in the journey of human existence. However, I think her view of to build a fire as an American experience comes from the fact that she is an American. I agree with her theory that the Man's death in the end was due to the nature of the man and his environment. The protagonist in to build a fire did nor have any grasp of the danger he was in. he tried to reason himself through it all. He thought, " Maybe, if he ran on, his feet will thaw out; and anyway if he ran far enough, he would reach camp and the boys. (Jack London, 157).

Is Technology a Boon Essay

Technology is very much a part of modern life. Many people see technology as a force that has escaped from human control. Others feel that technology has improved the quality of life. Do you think that the contribution technology has made to modern life has been positive or negative? State your position on this issue and support it with appropriate examples. Technology has become a part of our lives. The issue of decide if this part is or not good for life is a controversial one. Many believe that contribution technology has made to modern life improve the quality of life in different aspects. Others believe that technology is out of human control and they see adverse effects in modern life. After careful analysis of different fields such as daily life, medicine, and education, I feel that contribution technology has made to modern life has been really positive and help to improve the quality of human lives. The first reason for me to believe contribution technology made to modern life is just the daily life to unprecedented levels. Houses’ security systems, for example, connected to the police, is more powerfully because is build on technologies developed in the last years. As women increase their roles in society in the last times, daily homework such is cook, make laundry or vacuum take less time to do it than before, and its permits women to dedicate this time to other activities such is study, working, and other activities. Not only the daily live is benefited by advances of technology, another field is medicine. Thanks to advances in technology, many diseases that before was the cause of massive death, now is a past true, with the advances in technology, scientific and doctors find different vaccines to help people be healthier. The medical equipment’s advances help process such as surgery in a way that was never possible before. Nowadays, it is routine to get a heart replacement, which in the past such situations was simply impossible. Most importantly, we can see how scientific are in the process of looking for the solution to current diseases, and this will be possible, with the use of advanced medical technology. The best reason for me to applaud contribution technology made is in the field of education. I see how the advances in technology help students in their learning. For instance, the use of projectors and video conferences help in important amount in the process of learning; by using these approaches, different kinds of students’ intelligence can be addressed. Computers are another example of contribution that technology made to educational field. The use of well equipped computer lab is truly helpful for students because they have the chance to learn computer skills that are very important in almost all the work environments. Nowadays, teachers can find information they can use in their daily lessons. For instance, in a math class, teachers can use updated statistical information finding in computers (by just a click), and they can infuse these information into a lesson, making the lesson related with real life situations for students. In the final analysis, I think the benefits technology offer to improve the quality of life outweigh the deficits. I do not think technology is out of human control and by the exposed in lines above we can easily see how technology helps and improves the quality of human live in the daily routine, Medical advances allow humans to live longer and more healthy lives than ever before and technological advances make the learning more easy. Ultimately, Technology is developed by people to help improve quality of human lives and all of us are using technological advances in many different ways, also to indicate that it is incontrollable.

Conventional Books vs E-Book Essay

As past times go, there’s little that is more old-fashioned, quiet and basic as reading a book. Or, at least, that used to be the case. But with the competitive flood of electronic readers, or e-readers, hitting the market as well as e-reader applications for smartphones, the reading experience has been getting a progressively modern makeover. The stats are in and the fight is on. Overall book sales have dropped in 2008 and 2009, according to the American Association of Publishers (AAP). While adult hardcover books actually increased by over 6% in 2009, eBook sales, which account for 4% of all book sales, have increased a whopping 176%. Are these figures telling the tale of the tape as the publishing industry struggles to regain their status as a recession proof industry? Are eBooks on their way to eliminating traditional books altogether? Most of us love to read and most of us have our preferences for the platform we read from. Will you be a traditionalist and stand behind the old guard? Bill McCoy, executive director of International Digital Publishing Forum, based in Seattle, Washington, said that while it’s hard to gauge just how the sale of digital books (e-books) is growing, it’s clear that the sales, as a percentage of the overall market, are in the double digits â€Å"and on a fast-growing vector†. â€Å"Amazon is saying that they’re selling more e-books than hardcover books. And in many cases, depending on the title, they might be selling more e-books than physical books. † A relatively new phenomenon is that e-reader, be it Kindle, ipad or a number of other new competitors coming into the marketplace. When we think about our environment, these devices seem to be more environmentally friendly than our typical paper and cardboard book, even a paperback. There are certain tactile to real book, just feeling the paper, turning the pages. But on the surfaces, the e-reader would seem to be much greener. E-reader vs. conventional book is a provocative question. Actually, right now, there are some major problems with conventional book publishing, of which you should be aware, if your goal is to get this community to acquire and then to issue your work. The first one is distribution through bookstores has never been tougher. Most publishers sell to stores on consignment. If books don’t fly off shelves into the hands of buyers, they’re returned to publishers, very quickly. Your title doesn’t get very long exposure or time to establish itself. Other than that, books used to be kept â€Å"in print† and available for longer periods of time, in many cases, for years. Now, they’re put to death quickly, if initial sales are anything other than brisk. Besides that, we live in an era of the celebrity book. If Oprah wants to write a diet book, it will be a monster hit; you know that. But the most exciting, up and coming, highly credentialed nutritionist may not have a chance of breaking into print. Next, publishers expect authors to make them profitable through personal promotional efforts. â€Å"What are you going to do to sell this book? † is the major question they ask, and agents will tell you, without a personal commitment to sell your own copies, stated in your book proposal, you won’t get a publisher to bite. Otherwise, publishers are clueless, themselves, about what to put out there. Reluctant to lead, and reluctant to follow the success of others, they are like the proverbial deer in the headlights. It used to be the case that if you wanted information on a subject you either went to your library or to your local bookstore. Not anymore. By going to the Internet, you can assemble the equivalent of a book, fast and more or less, for free. Publishers haven’t figured out how to sell content at a premium, in an environment in which so much of it is available, instantly, for nothing. There are alternatives to conventional book publishing, including self-publishing and using media alternatives such as audios and videos. A regular book is better. Not only is it more reliable and you don’t have to worry about it dying, but there is just something special about feeling the smooth front cover and the rough edges of the thick, coarse pieces of paper that have been read by so many. If you get an e-book you click, download, and read. There’s nothing like the feeling of finishing a really good book. You want to share it with someone! You can’t share an e-book. E-books are really only good for travel. Most of the people refuse e-books either but prefers reading conventional books. Readers like to read in bed so it’s easier the conventional way; they always find it’s easier on the eye to read a conventional book. It seems that our eyes feel more tired for reading e-book. Reading in the internet really hurts people’s eyes. Anyway, we should protect our eyes. There are people who read both but by far prefer a real book. In the technology era, there are some advantages and bright future for e-book. The first one is from the finding the book from the bookshelf. Depending on how many books readers have, and how organized they are, this can be a fairly daunting task for traditional books. Some people used to have organized the books by the name of author, type of the books or alphabetically by title. That fell by the wayside the last time they moved. While they arranged it, they are completely random within the way they organized. That may not sound like trouble, but for someone who has a lot of books, for instance, it can make any one book tricky to find. While searching for a book on the virtual bookshelves within the e-book application is only slightly easier. Using e-book application, making it easy to find a book by typing the title, by author or by how frequently people read the book. Secondly is travelling with books. Some people used to travel a lot and it was all they could do to fill the boredom of those long journeys with reading. It meant readers had to bring a lot of books with them, which weighed down their luggage. Travelling with e-books is something that they call heaven. They can close to 200 books and 30 or 40 magazines on their e-book application. The traditional books stack lot of kilograms but then using the e-book just only a few grams. From this side, people more prefer to using e-book rather than conventional books. In many circumstances, reading an e-book is far superior to reading a traditional paper book. Firstly, the portability of e-book. The wonderful thing about electronic text is that it takes up virtually no room, in both a physical and digital sense. If readers have a storage card, they can walk around with at least a dozen books, and probably many more than that. Even if they don’t have a storage card, they can still walk around with a fair collection of three to six books (again, depending on book size and available memory). In many situations it’s hard to carry even one book around with people. The storage abilities of most e-books allow readers to carry a reasonable collection of reading materials and/or reference texts. Because they probably carry their handheld around with them everywhere anyway, the convenience factor increases nearly exponentially. Because e-book is digital, not only are they super-portable, but they also open up the possibility for some really useful features. For starters, since most e-book is in some form of digital text file, readers can search the text for words or phrases. This is helpful when readers want to find a quote or another specific section of the book. This can cut minutes, if not hours, off of wild goose chases for particular passages. Additionally, digital formats are assuming copy protection doesn’t get in the way that can be duplicated forever without decay or any real expense. We’ll dig deeper into the specifics of this issue later in the series, but if the e-book allows it, this duplication ability can make it possible for people to share books with their friends without ever having to actually give up one of their possessions. This is good for publishers (and hopefully writers as well), who don’t have to pay any production costs. This in turn should drive the prices down for the readers. While the digital nature of the e-book in theory raises the effectiveness of e-book, it also brings up a few ideas that are interesting and worth perusing in this series. E-book also easy to be read. The electronic format offers readers even more benefits over traditional paper books. E-book can be read in a variety of lighting situations, and due to the back lighted screens that most palm computers have, people can read an e-book in most low or no light situations, such as on the subway, during nighttime road trips, or in bed when they don’t want to disturb their partner. Advantages of conventional books over electronic is resale value. Like music downloads, people will never actually be able to resell electronic books. If they are into collectable books, this is a particularly big problem and they should only use physical titles. Reading ease is also one of the advantages of conventional books. This one is only really a benefit for those that would otherwise read e-book on their computers or phones. If readers buy a commercial e-reader, it will probably use ink technology that will not hurt their eyes with backlight. Never the less, readers don’t need to worry about this problem with a physical book. Other than that, no devices needed. If readers find themselves in a small town without their cell phone or computer, they won’t be able to download a new title for your e-book, but they can always stop by a local bookstore and pick up a new paperback. Conventional books have no batteries. While most readers have a good battery life, there will still be times where readers forget to charge it and then can’t read at all. Readers will never have this problem with a standard book. No warranties needed when readers choosing conventional books. If their e-reader breaks, they will have nothing to read until they receive a new one. Some devices let them read the titles they have saved on their computer, but it’s just something readers will never have to worry about with a physical book. Best of all, if a book does get damaged to where people can’t read it, they can just go to the bookstore and buy another copy, rather than worrying if it is still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Next is tradition. Let’s face it; people are never going to get that comforting smell of paper or the weight of a good book in their hands when they read an e-book. And while people can flip ahead in an e-book, readers can’t do so in a matter of seconds and flip right back to the page. Amazon recently announced that its June 2010 Kindle e-book sales nearly doubled its hardcover book sales (180% higher). Many of those e-books were self-published books priced under a dollar; however, data indicates e-books may become the dominant long-form format in not too many years. Are low-overhead e-books better for authors or publishers than their print counterparts? Forrester Research says retailers will sell 6. 6 million e-readers in 2010. Apple has already sold 3 million iPads, which are capable of reading Amazon Kindle e-books as well as Apple’s iBooks. At average prices, one would need to buy 15 e-books to offset the $189 price tag of a Kindle, 12 e-books to pay off a $149 Barnes and Noble Nook, and 39 e-books to justify a $499 entry-level iPad (assuming price is the only factor). E-books are up 200% from 2009, according to the Association of American Publishers; however, they still only represent 3-5% of total sales for publishers, according to the New York Times. Hardcover books are also up 40% since 2009, indicating that while e-books are undoubtedly a big part of the future of long-form publishing, people will still be turning paper pages for a while. (Sources: PrintingChoice, NYTimes) The tactile pleasure of worn pages between reader’s fingers is hard to replace. But when it comes to encouraging people to embrace the written word, e-readers trump their physical counterparts. According to the infographic below, people who own e-book devices say they read more than people who don’t, at a rate of 24 books per year to 15. Education, escape, relaxation and entertainment rank as people’s main motivations to plow through books — proving that, whether electronically or via dead tree, reading remains a popular pastime. E-readers are also rising in popularity, signaling that it may not be impossible to imagine a world without traditional books sometime in the not-so-distant future. From December 2011 to January 2012, e-reader ownership nearly doubled, from 10 percent to 19 percent, among American adults. And that stunning surge in just one month’s time doesn’t even account for tablets or other mobile electronic devices people use to read books and long form content. Worldwide, meanwhile, e-reader sales rose by nearly 3 million between 2010 and 2011. It’s also interesting to look at the relationship between actual e-book consumption and ownership of a device that enables users to read books electronically. According to one study, 29% of American adults own a personal e-book device, tablets included. But just 21% of adults had actually read an e-book in the past year as of February 2012. It’ll be interesting to see if and when experiments on the potential impacts of e-readers on memory and cognition are done, as the market has definitely reached a point of no return in terms of moving away from printed pages. Stephanie Mantello, senior public relations manager of the Kindle group at Amazon. com, gave answers that didn’t include specifics, but implied massive quantities. For instance, when asked how many Kindles the company has sold since the product was first introduced in 2008, Mantello simply said, â€Å"Millions. Millions of people are reading on Kindle. Kindle is also the best-selling product in the history of Amazon. com. † It is the most-wished for on the â€Å"wish list† function account holders have on the company’s site. It’s given as a gift more often than any other single product. It has the most 5-star reviews. She did say that between April 1 and May 19, for every 100 print books the company sold, it sold 105 Kindle books. â€Å"This includes sales of hardcover and paperback books by Amazon where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded, and, if included, would make the number even higher,† said Mantello. The reasons for the slow acceptance of e-books vary but a constant reason given was not being comfortable with reading using personal computers, laptops and palm pilots (Helfer, 2000; Andersen, 2001). Other reasons included: finding it difficult to read on small screens, problems with browser, slow loading time, difficulties in navigating (Gibbon, 2001; Chu, 2003); and preferring to read printed text (Ray and Day, 1998; Holmquist, 1997; Gibbon, 2001). Summerfield and Mandel (1999) indicated that library users at the University of Columbia would use e-book in some depth when they are required to do so by courses they are following. The studies above indicated that the degree of acceptance of e-book is on the rise but the preference for printed text remained. A high percentage of students indicated that they used e-book because it was available online (64. 2%), provided faster and easy access to new titles (45. 7%) and did not require physical visit to the library (40. 7%) (Table 1). Bodomo†¦et al’s (2003) respondents gave similar answers and his respondents recognized that digital libraries were very convenient since they did not need to go to libraries and could still read and download books or journals from home. Similarly, Chu (2003) also reported that â€Å"available around the clock† and â€Å"searchable† were valued the most by students at a library and information science schools in the USA. Table 1: Reasons for Using or Not Using e-book Table 1 (b) shows that almost half (45. 6%) of the non-users indicate preference for paper format as a barrier for them from using e-books service. Holmquist (1997) found that the main reason for his respondents’ non-use of e-journals was their preference to read articles on paper, not on the computer screen. Other non-users have mentioned factors such as little knowledge on how to use or access e-books, the print copy is convenient to use, the lack of Internet connection, difficulty in browsing and reading, having no interest, and perceiving the need for special software to be able to use e-book as being cumbersome. When the non-users were asked whether they would use the e-book in the future, only 30% (38) gave a definite â€Å"yes† while the majority (61%, 76) indicated â€Å"probably† or â€Å"not sure or â€Å"probably not†Ã¢â‚¬  (6%, 8; 2%, 2). â€Å"While university students operate in a world immersed in digital text, they have not simultaneously abandoned print. It is not true, as Steve Jobs stated and as Nicholas Carr implied, that they like the iPad because they don’t read. In fact, for their university studies, students prefer to read on paper, although they also want the convenience of online digital text. † Cull, 2012 There is no doubt that new forms of publishing are becoming increasingly popular across the world. Their benefits are those that the traditional  printed book could never imagine to surpass, and they fill a gap in a rapidly increasing market of readers dictating portability and mass storage as necessary to the current lifestyle. However, evidence shows that readers are not entirely convinced that e-readers are books of the future. They have not caught on as other recent technology trends have, and the consistent theme of simulating e-readers to resemble traditional books, indicates that consumers are not prepared to relinquish the time-honored form for this new technology. As such, the chance of books becoming redundant or obsolete in the near future is improbable. â€Å"The history of communications media tells us that new media often do not replace old. At most, they redefine the purposes and functions of older media† (Cope & Kalantzis 2001:5). Of more value to consumers then, is a co-existence of the two, amalgamating the benefits of each to accommodate for the needs of all, rendering neither redundant nor obsolete.

Speech (Linguistics) Definition and Examples

Speech (Linguistics) Definition and Examples In linguistics, speech is a system of  communication  that uses spoken words  (or sound symbols).   The study of speech sounds (or spoken language) is the branch of linguistics known as phonetics. The study of sound changes in a language is phonology.For a discussion of speeches in rhetoric and oratory, see Speech (Rhetoric). Etymology:  From the Old English, to speak Studying Language Without Making Judgements Many people believe that written language is more prestigious than spoken languageits form is likely to be closer to Standard English, it dominates education and is used as the language of public administration. In linguistic terms, however, neither speech nor writing can be seen as superior. Linguists are more interested in observing and describing all forms of language in use than in making social and cultural judgements with no linguistic basis.(Sara Thorne, Mastering Advanced English Language, 2nd ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) Speech Sounds and Duality The very simplest element of speechand by speech we shall henceforth mean the auditory system of speech symbolism, the flow of spoken wordsis the individual sound, though, . . . the sound is not itself a simple structure but the resultant of a series of independent, yet closely correlated, adjustments in the organs of speech.(Edward Sapir, Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech, 1921)Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. This property is called duality (or double articulation). In speech production, we have a physical level at which we can produce individual sounds, like n, b and i. As individual sounds, none of these discrete forms has any intrinsic meaning. In a particular combination such as bin, we have another level producing a meaning that is different from the meaning of the combination in nib. So, at one level, we have distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings. This duality of levels is, in fact, one of the most economical features of human language because, with a limited set of discrete sounds, we are capable of producing a very large number of sound combinations (e.g. words) which are distinct in meaning.(George Yule, The Study of Language, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Approaches to Speech Once we decide to begin an analysis of speech, we can approach it on various levels. At one level, speech is a matter of anatomy and physiology: we can study organs such as tongue and larynx in the production of speech. Taking another perspective, we can focus on the speech sounds produced by these organsthe units that we commonly try to identify by letters, such as a b-sound or an m-sound. But speech is also transmitted as sound waves, which means that we can also investigate the properties of the sound waves themselves. Taking yet another approach, the term sounds is a reminder that speech is intended to be heard or perceived and that it is therefore possible to focus on the way in which a listener analyzes or processes a sound wave.(J. E. Clark and C. Yallop, An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. Wiley-Blackwell, 1995) Parallel Transmission Because so much of our lives in a literate society has been spent dealing with speech recorded as letters and text in which spaces do separate letters and words, it can be extremely difficult to understand that spoken language simply does not have this characteristic. . . . [A]lthough we write, perceive, and (to a degree) cognitively process speech linearlyone sound followed by anotherthe actual sensory signal our ear encounters is not composed of discretely separated bits. This is an amazing aspect of our linguistic abilities, but on further thought one can see that it is a very useful one. The fact that speech can encode and transmit information about multiple linguistic events in parallel means that the speech signal is a very efficient and optimized way of encoding and sending information between individuals. This property of speech has been called parallel transmission.(Dani Byrd and Toben H. Mintz, Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) Oliver Goldsmith on the True Nature of Speech It is usually said by grammarians, that the use of language is to express our wants and desires; but men who know the world hold, and I think with some show of reason, that he who best knows how to keep his necessities private is the most likely person to have them redressed; and that the true use of speech is not so much to express our wants, as to conceal them.(Oliver Goldsmith, On the Use of Language. The Bee, October 20, 1759) Pronunciation: SPEECH

Pen Names

Pen Names Pen Names Pen Names By Ali Hale A reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, uses his real name in his writing for a weekly newspaper, but is considering using a pen name for other work. He wrote: I have had heavy criticisms attached to my birth name, before my professional career [as a journalist] even started, and believe with a pen name I can have a fresh start. My question for you is this: When should a writer use a pen name? Should a writer use a pen name at all? What is a pen name? A â€Å"pen name† or â€Å"nom de plume† is a pseudonym used by an author. Sometimes it’s used to remain anonymous, but authors often don’t mind their pen names being known – they just use different names for their writing in separate genres, to avoid confusing their readers. Professionals in other creative fields also use pseudonyms, but these aren’t called pen names; for example, an actor taking on a different name is using a â€Å"stage name†. The phrase â€Å"nom de plume†, as explained by Maeve in French Words for Writers was adapted from the French â€Å"nom de guerre† – a fictional â€Å"war name†. Famous people with pen names Authors throughout the centuries have used pen names. You’ve probably heard of the following authors: George Orwell (real name Eric Arthur Blair) George Eliot (real name Mary Ann Evans) Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) And many writers today use pen names. For example, Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum is the real name of Ayn Rand (she wrote the famous novel Atlas Shrugged, examining philosophical and political themes). Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, a fantasy author, writes under two pen names: Megan Lindholm for her earlier, contemporary fantasy, and Robin Hobb for her epic, traditional fantasy books. Why use a pen name? Authors use pen names for a wide variety of reasons, which include: To remain anonymous (especially if producing a politically or religiously sensitive work) This is perhaps less common today, but sometimes occurs if a very personal or sexually explicit work is written. An example is the author Belle de Jour (who writes a blog Belle de Jour: diary of a London call girl and has had two books published based on the blog). Some people see this form of anonymity as a ploy to provoke media interest, as newspapers compete to discover the real identity of such authors. To change or conceal gender In the 18th century, many female authors used male pen names in order to be taken seriously. George Eliot is the most famous example, though the Bronte sisters all wrote under pen names too. This trend still continues in some genres today: for example, female fantasy or science fiction authors will often use a gender-neutral name (Robin Hobb) or use their initials (J.K. Rowling) as the genre has traditionally attracted more male readers and authors. A similar effect can be seen when male authors adopt a female pen name to write a chick lit or romance novel. To write across multiple genres Lewis Carroll also wrote mathematical textbooks under his real name (Charles Dodgson), so adopted a pen name for his children’s novels. Authors today who write in multiple genres will sometimes use a different name for each one, to avoid confusing readers. Others use alternative forms of their real name; for example, the author Iain Menzies Banks writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M Banks. To recover from poor sales or reputation If, as in the question from our reader above, an author’s real name has attracted criticism – it may be worth considering changing to a pen name. Sometimes, the first few novels by a new author don’t sell well in bookshops, leading publishers to reject future submissions: changing to a pen name is often recommended in these circumstances. Holly Lisle suggests, in her FAQs about writing: Authors whose first three or so books have returns of fifty percent or more are out of the game. Publishers will stop buying from them not just your current publisher, but also the other publishers you might hope to sell to.†¦ This is where pen names can be useful more than one author with bad numbers has started over with a new name, in essence becoming a first novelist again and acquiring a clean publishing history in the process. So should you use a pen name? If you are trying to build up a reputation in multiple genres, using a pen name (or several pen names) is probably a good idea. And if your real name (or current pen name) has attracted heavy criticism or negative publicity, switching to a new name could be a good way to recover. Even if people do know what your real name is, you’ll be referred to by your pen name and it’s likely that few people will make a connection with your previous writings. However, adopting a pen name means building up your reputation again from scratch – which could be a particular problem for freelance writers. You’ll still have all your experience and knowledge, but you may not want to use existing clippings of your writing which were published under your previous name. If you’re using a pen name in an attempt to remain anonymous, be aware that people are often insatiably curious when they suspect a secret – you may well be â€Å"discovered†. In some cases, this can lead to great publicity, but if your client or publisher suspects you of trying to conceal a less-than-stellar past, it may backfire. Ultimately, only you can decide whether it’s best for you to adopt a pen name or not. Many very successful authors have done so in the past, though, and many do today – so you’ll be in good company if you decide to use one! If you’ve written under a pen name – or even just considered using one – why not share your experience in the comments or on the Daily Writing Tips forum? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical Words15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsHyphenation in Compound Nouns

Financial Statement Fraud Investigations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Statement Fraud Investigations - Essay Example The inventories were shared between the various stores of the company to boost sales. Various external vendors were arranged to ship merchandises of the company claiming fake discounts. Loads of merchandises were sold to wholesalers and then the receipts were spread to individual stores of the company. This illegal money was entered and circulated between the Antar family and was parked into undisclosed foreign bank accounts. The initial reports suggest that when Crazy Eddie went public about twenty years ago, its shares were traded at $8. The company’s shares have inflated 10 times during the years due to manipulation of accounts. By showing fake sales, misrepresented inventories, doctoring and window dressing financial statements, the company was able to hide its true picture of financial position from the public. Thus, the company’s stocks looked more attractive from outside than it actually was. The sales of the company never fell since the merchandises circulated b etween the various stores and was treated as revenues. Such fraudulent practices helped Crazy Eddie to maintain a healthy double-digit growth and consequently inflated the company’s share prices. ... Due to this, the creditors got the impression that the company’s demand was unmatched and hence they extended the credit period. The payments of actual sales were made in installments. Each installment of a particular sale was treated as individual sales. The sharing of inventories between some forty stores helped the company conceal true facts. The scope of Examination Financial statement frauds challenges the integrity and corporate social responsibility of companies. These frauds may be malpractices in the form of intentional misrepresentation, alteration of financial reports, falsification, doctoring business documents and business transactions, deliberate window dressing and misapplication of accounting policies, inflating sales and inventories, bribes, fictitious revenues, over or understatements in financial statements, and so on. The financial statement fraud examination aims to implement integrity and CSR in all companies by encouraging transparent, reliable, and inve stor-friendly financial statement. Financial statement examination justifies the concept of audits and establishes the confidence of society as well as all market participants. It tries to make the capital market more efficient by providing perfect information for all participants. Financial scandals not only ruin the repute of the company, it might also create negative sentiments in capital markets, affects the nation’s economic growth and prosperity. It gives the culprits one more chance to plead guilty and rectify accounting practices and malpractices. Fraud examination can help protect the company’s minority shareholders’ from potential bankruptcy or substantial economic loses.