Minority Education essays

Minority Education essays Perhaps first, before looking at the issue of differential education and opportunities, for minority students, we should look at what the term racial and ethnic minorities' means in a US setting. Many different peoples have settled in the United States, and each group had its own reason for coming - perhaps they came to avoid religious persecution or poverty in their homeland, or perhaps they came involuntarily through slavery (Excerpted from a nice discussion to be found geokey.de/jobusa/hinweise.landeskunde.ethnic_and_racial_minoritie Due to this diversity of people, it is often said that America is the great "melting pot" where personal freedom and equality of opportunity are guaranteed regardless of race, colour or creed (Excerpted from a nice geokey.de/jobusa/hinweise.landeskunde.ethnic_and_racial_minoritie Since World War II, making this vision of a harmonious multiracial society into a reality has become a key public issue, backed by racial discrimination laws and Affirmative Action programs; however, attitudes of individuals vary from the liberal to the antagonistic, depending on area, upbringing and education, and America still has a very long way to go in the fight against prejudice and racism (Excerpted from a nice discussion to geokey.de/jobusa/hinweise.landeskunde.ethnic_and_racial_minoritie What are ethnic minorities'' Ethnic minorities differ in some cultural respect, for example, language, religion or customs from the majority group (Excerpted from a nice discussion to be found at geokey.de/jobusa/hinweise.landeskunde.ethnic_and_racial_minoritie Examples of cultural differences include language - every European country is represented in the population of the US, and 1 in 10 Americans speak a language other than English at home: Swedes, Germans, etc. may still be identified by their mothe...

Past-Tense Regular Verb Pronunciation Guide

Past-Tense Regular Verb Pronunciation Guide A language thats always changing and adding new words, English is a challenging one to learn, as it is full of quirks and exceptions. The construction of regular past-tense verbs, at least, is pretty straightforward. It is generally done by adding -d or -ed to the verb, and it doesnt change form based on the subject of the verb: I asked, he agreed, you accepted- the verbs in these instances all look alike, ending in -ed. What does differ between them, though, is the  pronunciation of the ending. For some verbs, its a voiceless sound like T, as in asked; in some, its a voiced sound of D, as in agreed; and in some, its pronounced like ID, as in accepted. The lists that follow are three groupings of regular past-tense verbs, based on their pronunciation of the ending.   Note:  When you are looking at sentences to find the verbs to change to past tense, be certain you have found the verbs.  Theyre the action words. Group A:  Voiceless Last Sound of the Infinitive If the infinitive of the verb has a voiceless sound at the end of it, such as p, k, s, ch, sh, f, x, or h, you pronounce the ed ending as a T. (Note the pronunciation in parentheses. Its the sound that determines the group that a word belongs to, not always the written letter. For example, even though dance ends with a -ce, its sound is that of an s, so its in this voiceless group.) Example: Ask, asked ask(T) -ed as â€Å"T† askedbakedbrushedcookedcrackedcrasheddanced (da:ns) tdresseddroppedescapedfinishedfixedguessedhelpedhikedhopedjokedjumpedkissedknockedlaughed (là ¦f) tlockedlookedmissedmixedpackedpassedpickedpressedpronouncedpushedrelaxedshoppedslippedsmokedstoppedtalkedtypedwalkedwashedwatchedworked Group B:  Voiced Last Sound of the Infinitive If the last sound in the  verb is a voiced one, such as in l, v, n, m, r, b, v, g, w, y, z, and vowel sounds, or diphthongs, then pronounce the -ed ending as D. (Note the pronunciation in parentheses. The sound determines the group that a word belongs to, not always the written letter. For example, even though advise ends with an -se, its sound is that of the voiced z sound, keeping that word in this voiced sound group.) Example:  Allow, allowed allow(D) -ed as â€Å"D† advised (ad’vaiz) dagreedallowedansweredappearedarrivedbelievedbelongedburnedcalledcarriedchangedcleanedclosedcoveredcrieddamageddescribeddieddriedearnedencouragedenjoyedenteredexplainedexploredfilledfollowedhappenedimaginedinterviewedjailedkilledlistenedlivedlovedmeasuredmovedopenedplannedplayedperformedpulledrainedrealizedrememberedrepairedsavedsharedshavedshowedsignedslammedstayedsnowedstudiedtraveledtriedturnedusedwelcomedwhisperedworriedyawned Group C:  T or D as the Last Sound of the Infinitive If the last sound in the infinitive verb is a t or d, pronounce the -ed ending as â€Å"ID.† Example:  Need, needed need(id) -ed as â€Å"ID† acceptedaffordedarrestedattendedcollectedcontactedcounteddecideddefendeddemandeddividedendedexpandedexpectedexportedfloodedgraduatedhatedhuntedincludedinventedinvitedlandedneededpaintedplantedpresentedpretendedprintedprotectedprovidedrentedrepeatedreportedrespectedrestedscoldedshoutedskatedstartedtreatedvisitedwaitedwantedwasted The past simple form is often confused with the present perfect. Review  present perfect versus past simple to  help you test your understanding of when to use the present perfect or past simple tense.

BP Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BP Case - Essay Example As a result, he outsourced and collaborated with Burmah Oil Company. Together, the two companies made their first successful oil discovery in 1908. Numerous transformations and ownership details alterations followed this incidence. During this stage, the name was Anglo-Persian Company. The British government secured several shares, propelling the company’s progress (Kim and Marques 1). The British influenced the initial interest of the company. The primarily aim for searching and mining of oil was the need to fuel British aircrafts and vehicles in the world war I and probable future wars (Kim and Marques 2). Claims that the company neglected workers’ safety were common during the early stage in the company’s development. The manual workers and the surrounding communities experienced food shortage and health crises despite establishing the largest oil refinery in Iran, and becoming a superior fuel supplier to the Allied forces in Second World War. The infrastructu re remained a concern for the community, while the company, now referred as Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), played â€Å"a blind eye†. The failing national trust made the Iranian government to kick out the company. Following a coup, the AIOC returned and rebranded to British Petroleum (BP) (Kim and Marques 7) After its come back, the Middle East public still resented the company despite establishing environmental-friendly oil pipeline-network to several refineries. The pressure mounted until BP finally decided to take action. It rebranded the logo from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum and the management swore to explore other eco-friendly energy sources as a new measure of conserving the environment. However, the pledges of transformation did not reflect in the ensuing BP operations. A number of separate accidental disasters followed until the most recent disaster, Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010 (Kim and Marques 1-7). Communication process A strong internal comm unication system reassures the public and makes them confident ambassadors of the organization. The principles outlined below establish effective internal communication processes and systems according to the professional analysis. The surveys check on employee’s views, interests and opinions. The management will not establish system, rules and policies that will effectively enhance internal communication unless it understands its staff accordingly. Fulfilling promises The management should ensure that promises made to the staff are met in time. This reduces the risk of losing trust in the employees that ultimately leads to reduced regard for official or upstream communication. Celebrating success and communicating the brands’ value. Some employee performs their tasks devoid of motivation. These staff members do not believe in the organizations goals. Consequently, they may create a negative attitude in other staff members. Awarding members who perform exceptionally sho ws that the firm is focused. Communication diversification Diversification involves incorporating other communication channels and forms that differ from usual ones. For example, the management team may take tea with the subordinate staff to improve informal communication and interaction within organization. This process eventually promotes motivation and confidence among workers. Reassuring the staff Reassuring the staff especially when the media attacks the organization is vital.

Criminal Justice Compare and Contrast rationalism and determinism Essay

Criminal Justice Compare and Contrast rationalism and determinism. With reference to your readings, define these two approaches and study of criminal behavior - Essay Example Most of these theories are rooted on the natural instinct that leads to commitment of crime or forces that compel individual to develop crime traits. There have been studies that have been carried out suggesting that genetic factors and other biological harming aspects like head injury and exposure to toxic substances, and others may increase the chances of someone becoming a criminal by developing some criminal traits like impulsitivity and sensations seeking. This effect of biological harms on individual traits has been explained to be the effect on the central nervous system including sympathetic and parasympathetic system. Many of the researches that have been carried out in this area focuses on chemical messenger which is the neurotransmitters which relays signals between neurons and the brain, and the hormones regulating body urges like sex drives and response to stressors like testosterones. Other factors like skin conductiveness, level of brain activities, and others which af fects functioning of nervous system may lead to a dysfunction of the nervous system leading to development of crime traits. The general expression of these studies is that there are some natural factors that determine individual vulnerability to committing a crime. This means that some factors in the body and others in the environment that affects the biological status of the body can be responsible for criminal activities since they induce the development of criminal behaviors. Hence, there may be likelihood that criminals may be having a particular crime inducement gene that is not found in other people. Let us look at the postulation of the gene-based evolutionary theory. Gene-based evolutionary theory is supported by studies which suggested that crime is inherited in some genes. Although there has been no prove on crime genes as such, there is a likelihood that some individual traits like 'pushiness' or 'deception' may have some effect on development of crime traits. Studies have suggested that individuals with such traits can reproduce and pass on the traits to the next generation which may develop the same crime traits. However there has been much acrimony about the postulation of these genetic based crime theories with some arguing that they have not been able to explain some aspects of crime. It has also been argued that these theories give a postulation that we cannot control crime by the fact that we cannot change criminal behavior in the population since it is genetic. The theory wipes away the effects of the social environment on crime and supports the postulation that races and ethnic groups' view of crime may have biological backing. The two theories above can be explained by their postulation that there is crime traits in the individual is a functions of the biology of the body. This means that criminal traits in the individual can be inherited in the genes or it can result from change in the biological make up of the body as a result of exposure to harmful activities. They can be explained in a simple fact as their postulation that crime traits are determined by some factors beyond individual control. Determinism is supported by the earlier theories of crime which tried to explain the individual do not choose to engage in crimes

Maketing Process Various Element Essay Example for Free

Maketing Process Various Element Essay The focus is the mass production. A business orientated around production believes that the economies of scale generated by mass production will reduce costs and maximise profits. In this process there is less focus on product design and packaging and even to be special or unique look, at the end customer are paying for the product and you pay for what you get. So for this is a plain marketing in my opinion. Product Orientation This approach is almost opposite to the previous one. This type of companies believes that its products high quality make it a superior product. Neglecting sometimes about the customer’s wants and needs. Sales Orientation Make the product, and then sell it to the target market. However as we know sales usually arent this simple. An effective marketing strategy requires market and marketing research. Market Orientation This type of strategy puts every effort to understand the customer and his needs. Market research is the key to launching new products or services, every single step. Jack Cohen started his business in a very critical period for the UK there where a food shortage after the First World War and a big crisis just got to its top Situation was very difficult! Jack Cohen applied a strategy of ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’. His strategy was a great success because he knew exactly what customer’s need and so for all his focus is to make sure there enough food for everyone. In London space is limited he went outside to bigger space this step was a great success. Jack Cohen did adapt to this problem of space by giving Tesco bigger place to promote its products. As he was focused on sales and customer needs he should have been on top of it all time but it did come a period where he didn’t realise that people after 2nd world war are changing and needs are not simple are very variable and complex, customers are looking for more than just what would satisfy their basic needs! And that’s where Tesco life cycle got into its down or decline that’s where Tesco did face problem. After a good few years of hardship Tesco managers have had another way of sorting all in once getting help from local authorities this was the key door to a new era Tesco newly born and adapting to the market needs segmentation of the market through offering different stores in size and product will make Tesco the though number1 of stores as different ages and categories is attracted, he had the price already in good and successful strategy low enough to attract individuals from low household income and the loyalty cards that offers more saving. According to (Kotler, Marketing management) marketing should be dealt with and visualised around minimum 4 elements, product, place, price, and promotion and in further editions of his book he added other elements to those as politic, public†¦ I think Tesco have a good name and long history and that needs to be highlighted more and more, a good marketing strategy needs on top of pricing as well positioning the product and make it unique in satisfying that group of people’s needs, so for sibling a group of people and making a product to satisfy their needs and give it the price that makes them happy and promoting this product. Sale is the outcome or a result but don’t forget to make them come back by giving after sale service, where the customer will be secure and happy knowing he has been backed up by you the seller. Your supermarket or place of shopping, it’s not only where you buy your food supply from as well as the name that you trust and adhere to, as a business focusing on your existing customers it’s a better strategy than trying always to win more customers. By listening to your customers and knowing their needs and the after sales service will give the company a longer life cycle.

The Changing Mattress Industry in America Essay -- Business Industry A

The Changing Mattress Industry in America Changes in the global environment in conjunction with the deepest and most prolonged economic downturn since the Great Depression have started what I believe is a sea change in the domestic mattress industry. Factors such as declining new home sales, tightening of consumer credit, the consumer confidence index still well below pre-recessionary levels (Wang, 2010) and unemployment hovering near 10% have all contributed to the end of conspicuous consumption for big-ticket items like mattresses and foundations (‘mattresses’). Mattress manufacturers will need to lower material and manufacturing costs, develop products that differentiate them from their competitors, or develop new channels of distribution in order to remain viable in rapidly changing global and task environments. Domestic production of mattresses in 2010 will be slightly below $6 billion, and almost 16% less than the peak mattress production of 2007. (International Sleep Products Association, 2010). Many consumers have lost confidence in the economic state of the country and therefore have begun to believe that, as Newt Gingrich said recently, "if you can’t afford to buy a house, don’t buy it." (Gingrich, 2010). The economic downturn has signaled the end of conspicuous consumption, defined as â€Å"the act or practice of spending money on expensive things that are not necessary in order to impress other people†. (Merrian-Webster's Leaner's Dictionary, 2010). Identify functional and dysfunctional control systems within your own organization I am currently a Senior Vice-President of Sales for King Koil Licensing Company (KKLC). KKLC is a company who licenses mattress-manufacturing facilities, called licensees, both domestically a... ...ll Irwin. King Koil Licensing Company. (2010, December). YOUR identity, YOUR comfort, YOUR sleep . Retrieved December 28, 2010, from comfortsolutions.com: YOUR identity, YOUR comfort, YOUR sleep Merrian-Webster's Leaner's Dictionary. (2010, December). Retrieved December 26, 2101, from Merrian-Webster's Leaner's Dictionary: http://east.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspicuous%20consumption Michael J. Breus, P. (2006, March 15). Sleep Disorders Guide. Retrieved December 27, 2010, from WebMd.com: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/important-sleep-habits?page=2 Perry, D. (2010, June 21). Top Bedding Producers. Furniture Today , pp. 12-13. Wang, H. (2010, July 27). The Consumer Confidence Index hit an all-time low of 25.3 in February 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2010, from Sparxoo: http://sparxoo.com/market-stats/consumer-confidence-index-february-2009/

Individual Assignment Collecting Data Essay

Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Saying no to things that make you uncomfortable is just as important in college as it was when you lived with your parents. Many students experiment with alcohol or sex during their college years, but if you don’t want to do these things, don’t let anyone pressure you into them. Your college experience should be about having fun, exploring who you are and preparing for your future via your classes–not about doing things you don’t truly want to do. This pack includes BSHS 405 Week 2 Individual Assignment Collecting Data Business – Management Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website.   Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidel†¦ To get this material Click this link – https://bitly.com/12BY8mO Saying no to things that make you uncomfortable is just as important in college as it was when you lived with your parents. Many students experiment with alcohol or sex during their college years, but if you don’t want to do these things, don’t let anyone pressure you into them. Your college experience should be about having fun, exploring who you are and preparing for your future via your classes–not about doing things you don’t truly want to do. Business – Management Resource: University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Select and review a case study scenario from the University of Phoenix Material: Case Study Scenarios located on the student website. Feel free to embellish the scenario with additional details, as needed. Complete the New Referral or Inquiry Form based on your selected case study scenario. Write a 350- to 700-word paper in Microsoft ® Word in which you discuss the importance of collecting appropriate data for intake and assessment forms.   Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Failure of Thomas Gradgrind (Hard Times by Charles Dickens)

Thomas Gradgrind is a man bereft of any imagination or fancy, and perhaps that is why he is a staunch believer in the practicality of the education system. He discards wonderment and regards facts and figures as the ultimate path to learning. In the novel Hard Times, the author Charles Dickens has shown Gradgrind as an educationist, and hence has portrayed him implementing his views on both his pupils in the school, as well as on his family. He expects his students to engage in nothing but factual education; and brings up his children on the same principle.Fashioning his children on the principle of logic, he wants to make model beings out of them, which he may portray to society as examples of a practical nature. But he fails to understand the power of human emotions, or rather their weakness. Ignoring all possibilities of what hope and imagination could bring, into the lives of both himself and others around him, he creates a wall of facts beyond which it becomes very hard for his daughter Louisa and his son Tom to see, which they very much come to want. They get sick of their father’s ‘eminently practical’ ways and long to break free from the environment they are made to live in.Their desires and wishes are so subdued that they are forced to turn to whatever respite, no matter how little they can get from any source whatsoever. Despite his efforts to implement his theory upon everyone around him, the seed of fancy does not die out in his son and daughter, and is evidently on display in the incident where the siblings are caught peeping in at the fanciful circus which fuels their starved imaginations, but their moment is short lived as they are caught by their eminently practical father who chastises them for their behavior.In his views, their behavior is astonishing, for such practical children are not expected to be seen paying attention to things such as circuses and other such buffoonery. His views, which he holds in such high regards, fail here as it shows that no matter how much practicality a person is fed with, even if it is up to the brim leaving no room for any thing belonging to another nature, that basic human nature, which is known as, among others, fancy, will find its way through the thickest of books and the toughest of facts, into the minds of human beings, especially those so deprived of it.And it may as well grow their, positively if it is fed, and negatively, in a manner of frustration and despair, if it is not. Such was the case with Gradgrind’s children that their fancy was gravely trampled upon and not allowed to grow, that their basic human nature of fancy and imagination took on a negative tone of development and brought out in them natures far from what might be considered good. Gradgrind’s forcing upon them his extreme practicality and factual nature brings out the worst in them, as is often the case with youth exposed to the extremities of human psychology.His daughter Louisa enters into a loveless marriage with the unsympathetic man Bounderby, and becomes an unfeeling and cold person. There is no hope developed within her to help her think about what other prospects might have been open for her; whereas Tom goes astray and disembarks on a path unfit for a gentleman of his stature. There is no imagination in his mind whatsoever to suggest to him another course of being other than the one he has been brought up on, which is also the one he detests, and hence, in desperation, he takes to the only other path he sees before him.Gradgrind, having firm belief in the sensibleness of his ideas, extends his educational theory to the orphan child Sissy, who is the estranged child of the circus man Jupe, whom Gradgrind, overcome by pity at realizing her prospects as an un-apprenticed orphan, invites to live in his own house, which he relishes in presenting as an example to Louisa as to what becomes of someone who engages in things which do no appeal to the rationa l side of man.He provides Sissy with the same logical education he had been fashioning his children and his pupils on, but Sissy is not able to be as practical in nature as her education ought to have made her. She is not able to leave behind her basic nature, one which has bred from a past of reading fairy tales and enjoying the circus, which Thomas Gradgrind so detests. And it is this past, this quality of nature, which ultimately helps his son to escape a dreadful turn of events. Tom Gradgrind, on the other hand, having received an education factual in nature to the core, and without any experience whatsoever in mattersotherwise, goes off course and unlike his father, becomes a man of lesser standards. He enters into gambling and commits thievery. The education tom receives, which teaches him that self interest must rise above every other, is over-done. As a result Tom becomes so selfish that he coaxes his sister Louisa into marrying the rich businessman Bounderby just so that he could mint money for his gambling purposes, and becomes cross with her, when Louisa lands up on the wrong side of her marriage and is not able to fulfill his demands anymore.His sister is distraught at being treated coldly by her beloved brother, as he is the sole love of her life. He is very efficiently able to hide the crime he commits by playing upon the general suspicion on the poor workman Stephen Blackpool, the suspicion he has facilitated by taking advantage of Stephen’s gratitude towards his sister and asking to keep watch over the bank on the days leading to the robbery, so that the general doubt would naturally fall on Stephen.Gradgrind is forced to realize the failure of his theory implemented on his children by the embarrassment he suffers at the hands of his son when Tom junior, after his heist at the bank is at the brink of exposure, is in the process of escaping but is stopped short by Gradgrind’s old student Bitzer, who has now become a man of utmost p ractical bend of mind, who places his teacher’s very theory in his own face.Bitzer is an unyielding man who gives importance to nothing above self interest, which, as he truly states, was taught to him under the school of thought propagated by Thomas Gradgrind himself. He gives no regard to his former educator, stating instead that self interest and practicality is what he has been taught all his life, and that is what he shall practice. Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa marries Bounderby solely for the sake of her brother.Neither does she feel anything special towards Bounderby, neither holds anything against him, but agrees to it solely on her brother’s suggestion. To her, nothing in her life is worth getting excited for, as the extreme practical nature of her upbringing restricts her from thinking about things she could’ve possibly engaged in. Her saying, from time to time, â€Å"What does it matter? † suggests that she is so jaded of the system she i s a part of, that it does not matter to her what goes on around her, and is devoid of all concern.Her upbringing and education has been so weak in equipping her with knowledge about human relations of any kind that she is flustered when she is approached by James Harthouse with matters of the heart, and rushes back to her father as she is clueless about what to do about or make of the situation, thus displaying the failure of Thomas Gradgrind’s principles and beliefs on which he has brought his daughter up. This which goes on to show that man’s basic temperament cannot be bottled and filed, thus failing his theory of education being profoundly practical.

Free Essays on Belize

My interviewee is from the country of Belize, Central America. Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of the northern Central America. It shares a border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with the Guatemalan department of Pet’n and on the south with the border of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest barrier reef in the world, most of its coastline is swampy. The country totals area is slight larger than El Salvador or Massachusetts. The capital to Belize is called Belmopan. When someone hears about Belize for the first time, they imagine it is somewhere in South America. But in reality, it is in the middle of Central America. For most part, only a small portion of today’s tourist population has been to Belize. Because of this, the Belize’s Barrier Reef, Maya ruins and rain forest are â€Å"unspoiled† for all to enjoy. The total population of Belize in 2004 was 272,945 people. Approximately 55.8% of the population is the age bracket of 15-64, 40.6% in the age 0-14 and only 3.5% over age of 65. Some would say that the first settlers to Belize were the Mayan Indians. Archeologist says that approximately 1 to 2 millions Mayans lived on the coast of Belize. Mayans, dating back to 2000 BC, originally occupied Belize. The Mayan culture flourished until about 900 AD. No one knows for certain what caused the disappearance but some would say it was war, famine, loss of faith, or a series of natural disasters. The Spanish first laid claim to the areas of Central American during the 16th and 17th centuries. Belize at that time was called the Bay of Honduras. The English Puritan claimed to be the first settlers; they settled in early 1600’s. This began the conflict with Spanish settlers that lasted for centuries. The Spanish continuously tried to expel the British from their territory. They did signed treaties in 1763 and 1786 that allowed the British to contin... Free Essays on Belize Free Essays on Belize My interviewee is from the country of Belize, Central America. Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of the northern Central America. It shares a border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with the Guatemalan department of Pet’n and on the south with the border of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest barrier reef in the world, most of its coastline is swampy. The country totals area is slight larger than El Salvador or Massachusetts. The capital to Belize is called Belmopan. When someone hears about Belize for the first time, they imagine it is somewhere in South America. But in reality, it is in the middle of Central America. For most part, only a small portion of today’s tourist population has been to Belize. Because of this, the Belize’s Barrier Reef, Maya ruins and rain forest are â€Å"unspoiled† for all to enjoy. The total population of Belize in 2004 was 272,945 people. Approximately 55.8% of the population is the age bracket of 15-64, 40.6% in the age 0-14 and only 3.5% over age of 65. Some would say that the first settlers to Belize were the Mayan Indians. Archeologist says that approximately 1 to 2 millions Mayans lived on the coast of Belize. Mayans, dating back to 2000 BC, originally occupied Belize. The Mayan culture flourished until about 900 AD. No one knows for certain what caused the disappearance but some would say it was war, famine, loss of faith, or a series of natural disasters. The Spanish first laid claim to the areas of Central American during the 16th and 17th centuries. Belize at that time was called the Bay of Honduras. The English Puritan claimed to be the first settlers; they settled in early 1600’s. This began the conflict with Spanish settlers that lasted for centuries. The Spanish continuously tried to expel the British from their territory. They did signed treaties in 1763 and 1786 that allowed the British to contin...

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation

The Cooperative Principle in Conversation In conversation analysis, the cooperative principle is the assumption that participants in a conversation normally attempt to be informative, truthful, relevant, and clear. The concept of the cooperative principle was introduced by philosopher H. Paul Grice in his article Logic and Conversation (Syntax and Semantics, 1975). In that article, Grice argued that talk exchanges arent merely a succession of disconnected remarks, and would not be rational if they did. They are characteristically, to some degree at least, cooperative efforts; and each participant recognizes in them, to some extent, a common purpose or set of purposes, or at least a mutually accepted direction.   Examples and Observations We might then formulate a rough general principle which participants will be expected (ceteris paribus) to observe, namely: Make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged. One might label this the Cooperative Principle.  (Paul Grice, Logic and Conversation, 1975. Reprinted in Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University  Press, 1989)[T]he  sum and substance of the Cooperative  Principle might be put this way: Do whatever is necessary to achieve the purpose of your talk; dont do anything that will frustrate that purpose. (Aloysius Martinich,  Communication and Reference.  Walter de Gruyter, 1984) Grice's Conversational Maxims [Paul] Grice fleshed out the cooperative principle in four conversational maxims, which are commandments that people tacitly follow (or should follow) to further the conversation efficiently: Quantity: Say no less than the conversation requires.Say no more than the conversation requires. Quality: Dont say what you believe to be false.Dont say things for which you lack evidence. Manner: Dont be obscure.Dont be ambiguous.Be brief.Be orderly. Relevance: Be relevant. People undoubtedly can be tight-lipped, long-winded, mendacious, cavalier, obscure, ambiguous, verbose, rambling, or off-topic. But on closer examination they are far less so than they could be, given the possibilities. . . . Because human hearers can count on some degree of adherence to the maxims, they can read between the lines, weed out unintended ambiguities, and connect the dots when they listen and read. (Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007) Cooperation vs. Agreeableness We need to make a distinction between communicatively cooperative and socially cooperative . . ..  The Cooperative Principle is  not about being positive and socially smooth, or agreeable. It is a presumption that when people speak, they intend and expect that they will communicate by doing so, and that the hearer will help at making this happen. When two people quarrel or have a disagreement, the Cooperative Principle still holds, even though the speakers may not be doing anything positive or cooperative. . . . Even if individuals are aggressive, self-serving, egotistic, and so on, and not quite focusing on the other participants of the interaction, they cant have spoken at all to someone else without expecting that something would come out of it, that there would be some result, and that the other person/s was/were engaged with them. That is what the Cooperative Principle is all about, and it certainly does have to continue to be considered as the main driving force in communic ation. (Istvan Kecskes,  Intercultural Pragmatics. Oxford University Press,  2014) Jack Reacher's Telephone Conversation The operator answered  and I asked for Shoemaker  and I got transferred, maybe elsewhere in the building, or the country, or the world, and after a bunch of clicks  and hisses and some long minutes of dead air Shoemaker came on the line and said Yes? This is Jack Reacher, I said. Where are you? Dont you have all kinds of automatic machines to tell you that? Yes, he said. Youre in Seattle, on a pay phone  down by the fish market. But we prefer it when people volunteer the information themselves. We find that makes the subsequent conversation go better. Because theyre already cooperating. Theyre invested. In what? The conversation. Are we having a conversation? Not really. (Lee Child, Personal.  Delacorte Press, 2014) The Lighter Side of the Cooperative Principle Sheldon Cooper: Ive been giving the matter some thought, and I think Id be willing to be a house pet to a race of superintelligent aliens.​ Leonard Hofstadter: Interesting.​ Sheldon Cooper: Ask me why?​ Leonard Hofstadter: Do I have to?​ Sheldon Cooper: Of course. Thats how you move a conversation forward. (Jim Parsons and  Johnny Galecki, The Financial Permeability. The Big Bang Theory, 2009)

Sommers Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sommers Philosophy - Essay Example Majority of parents focus more on their work and give little attention to the young people. The youngster is left back with the house girl who may not be acquainted with the moral traditions. In addition, several young people waste their fruitful time watching televisions and listening to music (Sommers 89). This time would have been utilized in enhance their studies, which in turn equips them with knowledge. The young people also prefer going to such places as cinemas and swimming at the expense of going to church. Sommer’s observations are remarkably accurate for me. I am certain that I know little regarding my moral traditions. This is because I have never found time to learn my tradition. I spent most of my time watching, travelling and chatting with friends. On a normal week when I am out of school, I spent two third of my day watching movies and several television programs. I then spent the other a third socializing with friends on social sites like face book and twitter just to mention but a few. Therefore, I spent little time with my parents who are responsible with equipping me with the traditional morals. During the weekends especially on Saturdays, I hang out with friends on such places as cinemas. On Sundays, I do some cleaning and later go for swimming. Therefore, I go to church on rare occasions, and when I do, I do not carry anything to write for future reference. Therefore, after a short time all that I had learned fades away.