Monday, September 30, 2019

Lamb to the Slaughter

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL The room was warm, the curtains were closed, the two table lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her there were two glasses and some drinks. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work. Now and again she glanced at the clock, but without anxiety: She merely wanted to satisfy herself that each minute that went by made it nearer the time when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing, she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a child. Her mouth and her eyes, with their new calm look, seemed larger and darker than before.When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the car tires on the stones outside, the car door closing, footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to kiss him as he entered. â€Å"Hello, darling,† she said. â€Å"Hello,† he answered. She took his coat and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he was in the other chair, holding the tall glass, rolling it gently so that the ice knocked musically against the side of the glass.For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired. â€Å"Tired, darling? † â€Å"Yes,† he sighed. â€Å"I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left.He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink. â€Å"I'll get it! † she cried, jumping up. â€Å"Sit down,† he said. When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink. â€Å"I think it's a shame,† she said, â€Å"that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long. † He didn't answer. â€Å"Darling,† she said,† If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer. † Her eyes waited to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign. Anyway,† she went on. â€Å"I'll get you some bread and cheese. † â€Å"I don't want it,† he said. She moved uneasily in her chair. â€Å"But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. I'd like to do it. We can have lamb. Anything you want. Everything's in the freezer. † â€Å"Forget it,† he said. â€Å"But, darling, you have to eat! I'll do it anyway , and then you can have it or not, as you like. † She stood up and put placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. â€Å"Sit down,† he said. â€Å"Just for a minute, sit down. † It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened. â€Å"Go on,† he said. â€Å"Sit down. She lowered herself into the chair, watching him all the time with large, puzzled eyes. He had finished his second drink and was staring into the glass. â€Å"Listen,† he said. â€Å"I've got something to tell you. † â€Å"What is it, darling? What's the matter? † He became absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down. â€Å"This is going to be a big shock to you, I'm afraid,† he said. â€Å"But I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately. † And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror. So there it is,à ¢â‚¬  he added. â€Å"And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course, I'll give you money and see that you're taken care of. But there really shouldn't be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldn't be very good for my job. † Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps she'd imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever happened. â€Å"I'll fix some supper,† she whispered.When she walked across the room, she couldn't feel her feet touching the floor. She couldn't feel anything except a slight sickness. She did everything without thinking. She went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. She lifted it out, and looked at it. It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at again — a leg of lamb. All right, then, they would have lamb for supper. She c arried it upstairs, held the thin end with both her hands. She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped. I've already told you,† he said. â€Å"Don't make supper for me. I'm going out. † At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might as well have hit him with a steel bar. She stepped back, waiting, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds. Then he crashed onto the carpet. The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock.She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, looking at the body, still holding the piece of meat tightly with both hands. All right, she told herself. So I've killed him. It was extraordinary, now, how cl ear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the baby? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both — mother and child? Did they wait until the baby was born?What did they do? Mary Maloney didn't know and she wasn't prepared to take a chance. She carried the meat into the kitchen, put it into a pan, turned on the oven, and put the pan inside. Then she washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in front of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and tried to smile. The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. â€Å"Hello, Sam† she said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded peculiar, too. â€Å"I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of bean. s. † That was better. Both the smile and the voice sounded better now. She practiced them several times more.Then she ran downstairs, took her coat, and went out the back door, through the garden into the street. It wasn't six o'clock yet and the lights were still on in the neighborhood grocery. â€Å"Hello, Sam,† she said brightly, smiling at the man in the shop. â€Å"Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you? † â€Å"I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patrick's decided he's tired and he doesn't want to eat out tonight,† she told him. â€Å"We usually go out on Thursdays, you know, and now I don't have any vegetables in the house. † â€Å"Then how about some meat, Mrs. Maloney? † asked the grocer. No, I've got meat, thanks, I've got a nice leg of lamb, from the freezer. † â€Å"Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney? â€Å"Oh, yes, they'll be fine. Two pounds, please. † â€Å"Anything else? † The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. â€Å"How about dessert? What are you going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake. † â€Å"Perfect,† she said. â€Å"He loves it. † And when she had bought and paid for everything, she gave her brightest smile and said, â€Å"Thank you, Sam. Good night. † And now, she told herself as she hurried back home, she was returning to her husband and he was waiting for his supper.She had to cook it well and make it taste as good as possible, because the poor man was tired; and if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she would have to react with grief and horror. Of course, she was not expecting to find anything unusual at home. She was just going home with the vegetables on Thursday evening to cook dinner for husband. That's the way, she told herself. Do everything normally. Keep things absolutely natural and there'll be no need for acting at all. As she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was quietly singing to herself . Patrick! † she called. â€Å"How are you, darling? † She put the package on the table and went into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor, it really was a shock. All the old love for him came back to her, and she ran over to him, knelt down beside him, and began to cry hard. It was easy. No acting was necessary. A few minutes later, she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. â€Å"Quick! Come quickly! Patrick's dead. † â€Å"Who's speaking? † â€Å"Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney. â€Å"Do you mean that Patrick's dead? † â€Å"I think so, † she cried. â€Å"He's lying on the floor and I think he's dead. † â€Å"We'll be there immediately,† the man said. The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both. She knew nearly all the men at the police sta tion. She fell into Jack Noonan's arms, crying uncontrollably. He put her gently into a chair. â€Å"Is he dead? † she cried. â€Å"I'm afraid he is. What happened? † In a few words she told her story about going to the grocer and coming back, when she found him on the floor.While she was crying and talking, Noonan found some dried blood on the dead man's head. He hurried to the phone. Some other men began to arrive — a doctor, two detectives, a police photographer, and a man who knew about fingerprints. The detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. They always treated her kindly. She told them how she'd put the meat into the overn — â€Å"it's there now†Ã¢â‚¬â€œand how she had gone to the grocer's for vegetables and how she came back to find him lying on the floor. The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her. They searched the house.Sometimes Jack Noonan spoke to her gently. He told her that her husband had been killed by a blow to the back of the head. They were looking for the weapon. The murderer might have taken it with him, but he might have thrown it away or hidden it. — â€Å"It's the old story,† he said. â€Å"Get the weapon, and you've got the murderer. † Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could have been used as a weapon? Would she look around to see if anything was missing. The search went on. It began to get late — it was nearly nine o'clock.The men searching the rooms were getting tired. â€Å"Jack,† she said, â€Å"Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired. † â€Å"Well,† he answered. â€Å"It's not allowed by police rules, but since you're a friend. † They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were uncomfortable with her and they tried to say cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, â€Å"Look, Mrs. M aloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside? † â€Å"Oh,† she said. â€Å"So it is! I'd better turn it off. † She returned with tearful eyes. â€Å"Would you do me a favor?Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because it's long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why don't you eat up the lamb in the oven? † â€Å"I wouldn't dream of it,† Noonan said. â€Å"Please,† she begged. â€Å"Personally, I couldn't eat a thing, but it'd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work. † The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper.The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She could hear th em speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were full of meat. â€Å"Have some more, Charlie. † â€Å"No, we'd better not finish it. † â€Å"She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up. † â€Å"That's a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was broken to pieces. â€Å"That's why the weapon should be easy to find. † â€Å"Exactly what I say. † â€Å"Whoever did it, he can't carry a weapon that big around with him. â€Å" Lamb to the Slaughter LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL The room was warm, the curtains were closed, the two table lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her there were two glasses and some drinks. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work. Now and again she glanced at the clock, but without anxiety: She merely wanted to satisfy herself that each minute that went by made it nearer the time when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing, she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a child. Her mouth and her eyes, with their new calm look, seemed larger and darker than before.When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the car tires on the stones outside, the car door closing, footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to kiss him as he entered. â€Å"Hello, darling,† she said. â€Å"Hello,† he answered. She took his coat and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he was in the other chair, holding the tall glass, rolling it gently so that the ice knocked musically against the side of the glass.For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired. â€Å"Tired, darling? † â€Å"Yes,† he sighed. â€Å"I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left.He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink. â€Å"I'll get it! † she cried, jumping up. â€Å"Sit down,† he said. When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink. â€Å"I think it's a shame,† she said, â€Å"that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long. † He didn't answer. â€Å"Darling,† she said,† If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer. † Her eyes waited to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign. Anyway,† she went on. â€Å"I'll get you some bread and cheese. † â€Å"I don't want it,† he said. She moved uneasily in her chair. â€Å"But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. I'd like to do it. We can have lamb. Anything you want. Everything's in the freezer. † â€Å"Forget it,† he said. â€Å"But, darling, you have to eat! I'll do it anyway , and then you can have it or not, as you like. † She stood up and put placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. â€Å"Sit down,† he said. â€Å"Just for a minute, sit down. † It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened. â€Å"Go on,† he said. â€Å"Sit down. She lowered herself into the chair, watching him all the time with large, puzzled eyes. He had finished his second drink and was staring into the glass. â€Å"Listen,† he said. â€Å"I've got something to tell you. † â€Å"What is it, darling? What's the matter? † He became absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down. â€Å"This is going to be a big shock to you, I'm afraid,† he said. â€Å"But I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately. † And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror. So there it is,à ¢â‚¬  he added. â€Å"And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course, I'll give you money and see that you're taken care of. But there really shouldn't be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldn't be very good for my job. † Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps she'd imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever happened. â€Å"I'll fix some supper,† she whispered.When she walked across the room, she couldn't feel her feet touching the floor. She couldn't feel anything except a slight sickness. She did everything without thinking. She went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. She lifted it out, and looked at it. It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at again — a leg of lamb. All right, then, they would have lamb for supper. She c arried it upstairs, held the thin end with both her hands. She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped. I've already told you,† he said. â€Å"Don't make supper for me. I'm going out. † At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might as well have hit him with a steel bar. She stepped back, waiting, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds. Then he crashed onto the carpet. The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock.She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, looking at the body, still holding the piece of meat tightly with both hands. All right, she told herself. So I've killed him. It was extraordinary, now, how cl ear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the baby? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both — mother and child? Did they wait until the baby was born?What did they do? Mary Maloney didn't know and she wasn't prepared to take a chance. She carried the meat into the kitchen, put it into a pan, turned on the oven, and put the pan inside. Then she washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in front of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and tried to smile. The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. â€Å"Hello, Sam† she said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded peculiar, too. â€Å"I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of bean. s. † That was better. Both the smile and the voice sounded better now. She practiced them several times more.Then she ran downstairs, took her coat, and went out the back door, through the garden into the street. It wasn't six o'clock yet and the lights were still on in the neighborhood grocery. â€Å"Hello, Sam,† she said brightly, smiling at the man in the shop. â€Å"Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you? † â€Å"I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patrick's decided he's tired and he doesn't want to eat out tonight,† she told him. â€Å"We usually go out on Thursdays, you know, and now I don't have any vegetables in the house. † â€Å"Then how about some meat, Mrs. Maloney? † asked the grocer. No, I've got meat, thanks, I've got a nice leg of lamb, from the freezer. † â€Å"Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney? â€Å"Oh, yes, they'll be fine. Two pounds, please. † â€Å"Anything else? † The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. â€Å"How about dessert? What are you going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake. † â€Å"Perfect,† she said. â€Å"He loves it. † And when she had bought and paid for everything, she gave her brightest smile and said, â€Å"Thank you, Sam. Good night. † And now, she told herself as she hurried back home, she was returning to her husband and he was waiting for his supper.She had to cook it well and make it taste as good as possible, because the poor man was tired; and if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she would have to react with grief and horror. Of course, she was not expecting to find anything unusual at home. She was just going home with the vegetables on Thursday evening to cook dinner for husband. That's the way, she told herself. Do everything normally. Keep things absolutely natural and there'll be no need for acting at all. As she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was quietly singing to herself . Patrick! † she called. â€Å"How are you, darling? † She put the package on the table and went into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor, it really was a shock. All the old love for him came back to her, and she ran over to him, knelt down beside him, and began to cry hard. It was easy. No acting was necessary. A few minutes later, she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. â€Å"Quick! Come quickly! Patrick's dead. † â€Å"Who's speaking? † â€Å"Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney. â€Å"Do you mean that Patrick's dead? † â€Å"I think so, † she cried. â€Å"He's lying on the floor and I think he's dead. † â€Å"We'll be there immediately,† the man said. The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both. She knew nearly all the men at the police sta tion. She fell into Jack Noonan's arms, crying uncontrollably. He put her gently into a chair. â€Å"Is he dead? † she cried. â€Å"I'm afraid he is. What happened? † In a few words she told her story about going to the grocer and coming back, when she found him on the floor.While she was crying and talking, Noonan found some dried blood on the dead man's head. He hurried to the phone. Some other men began to arrive — a doctor, two detectives, a police photographer, and a man who knew about fingerprints. The detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. They always treated her kindly. She told them how she'd put the meat into the overn — â€Å"it's there now†Ã¢â‚¬â€œand how she had gone to the grocer's for vegetables and how she came back to find him lying on the floor. The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her. They searched the house.Sometimes Jack Noonan spoke to her gently. He told her that her husband had been killed by a blow to the back of the head. They were looking for the weapon. The murderer might have taken it with him, but he might have thrown it away or hidden it. — â€Å"It's the old story,† he said. â€Å"Get the weapon, and you've got the murderer. † Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could have been used as a weapon? Would she look around to see if anything was missing. The search went on. It began to get late — it was nearly nine o'clock.The men searching the rooms were getting tired. â€Å"Jack,† she said, â€Å"Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired. † â€Å"Well,† he answered. â€Å"It's not allowed by police rules, but since you're a friend. † They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were uncomfortable with her and they tried to say cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, â€Å"Look, Mrs. M aloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside? † â€Å"Oh,† she said. â€Å"So it is! I'd better turn it off. † She returned with tearful eyes. â€Å"Would you do me a favor?Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because it's long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why don't you eat up the lamb in the oven? † â€Å"I wouldn't dream of it,† Noonan said. â€Å"Please,† she begged. â€Å"Personally, I couldn't eat a thing, but it'd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work. † The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper.The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She could hear th em speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were full of meat. â€Å"Have some more, Charlie. † â€Å"No, we'd better not finish it. † â€Å"She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up. † â€Å"That's a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was broken to pieces. â€Å"That's why the weapon should be easy to find. † â€Å"Exactly what I say. † â€Å"Whoever did it, he can't carry a weapon that big around with him. â€Å"

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Dtlls †Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay

Coursework 1 – Reflective Account of Peer Assessment Activity Within this piece of work I will be reflecting on an assessment activity used by a peer whilst I was observing their lesson for A-level psychology. The learners were all aged 17-19 and the lesson was on theories of depression and was a revision session for learners before their exams the following month. The assessment activity was an informal formative assessment where the students were placed into groups of two or three learners and were then given an area of the subject matter, the learners then had to create revision notes as a group on a piece of flipchart paper using their own notes and text books. The learners were then given 15 minutes to revise these notes, once this time was up the tutor then asked the learners to all find a new partner and then teach their revised notes to their peer. The ‘tutor’ peer would try to give all their key notes without looking at the flipchart, but some learners we re allowed when they got stuck on certain points. The ‘student’ peer would have to take written notes to aid with their revision. The learners would then swap in their pairs and the roles would be reversed, after both learners had shared their revision notes they would then swap again to find a new learner to pair with, this process continued until all learners had a full set of revision notes for the subject. Brown et al on the subject of assessment ‘validity’ state ‘It is often described as the match between what is intended to be measured and what is measured.’ (Brown et al., 1997, p.239). I believe this activity was very valid as it allowed the tutor to assess the notes the learners would be revising from for a summative exam in the future. The aims of this assessment were explained in full detail and the learners understood what was expected of them from this activity. The point of the activity was for peer learning to take place to aid revision in the subject of theories of depression; this was definitely achieved by the end of the lesson as every learner had a full set of revision notes on each aspect of the subject confirming the validity of the assessment. The students were in charge of creating their own notes in each group and then passing these notes onto their peers, this does cause some reliability issues as with all learners some students may have put more effort into their revision notes than others. Therefore you may get a learner who has put as much information into his or hers notes as possible giving a vast amount of knowledge on a certain area of the subject and they may then  receive from a peer basic knowledge of another area of the subject. Reece and Walker talk of ‘reliability’ as ‘the ability of a test to consistently measure what it is supposed to measure.’ (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.348), I believe this method of assessment does not consistently measure but the tutor did circulate the classroom at all times aiding learners if they were finding it hard to put key points down on paper. This method does however aid differentiation as less able learners were given the chance to gain knowledge of the subject from more able learners. The more able learners also had the chance to practice and develop their subject knowledge aiding revision in the class. Word Count: 520 References Brown, G., Bull, J. and Pendlebury, M. (1997) Assessing Students Learning in Higher Education. Oxon, p.239. Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide. 6th ed. Sunderland: Business Education Publishers Ltd, p.321. Coursework 2 – Assessment Information within own Organisation Assessment information within my own organisation is recorded from the beginning of a learner joining the college. Every potential student as part of the interview stage takes part in a minimum core assessment; this is a basic screening test to assess the student’s literacy and numeracy skills. This initial assessment allows us to correctly place the learner on the right level of course. These results are placed in the college database, following the enrolment of each learner the minimum core results form a group differentiation profile for each class; put together by the course leader. This profile is used by the tutor so they can differentiate learning tasks and understand individual learner’s needs from the very beginning. Once the course commences formative assessments are created by the tutor and used in each lesson. Each learner receives feedback from these assessments and if needed, targets can be set so the learner is clear on what is expected of them. Validity and reliability of assessments used during a course are checked at regular standardisation meetings within curriculum teams, these take place to sample marking of formative and summative theory assessments. Allowing tutors to internally verify samples of learners work so all tutors  in the department are consistent in their marking. Reece and Walker explain ‘validity’ as ‘how well the test measures what it is supposed to measure† (Reece and Walker, 2007, p.321). Within these meetings the team will also evaluate and create formative and summative assessments for future use; a chance to share good practice. The meetings are also used to discuss practical assessments as different tutors can have differing views on as sessment criteria; this aids the reliability of the assessments. Summative assessments are entered on a standardised tracking document which every tutor in the department can access. Updating this tracking document then enables each tutor or the head of department to see the progress of every learner helping to identify any ‘at risk’ students who may need more attention or end up not completing the course. This document is shared with the learners; they can see what still needs to be achieved to gain their qualification and how far they have come in terms of progression, this aids motivation in the classroom and also a sense of achievement to see how much they have already completed. The learners have logbooks provided by the awarding body VTCT, this is where tutors record all practical summative assessment and sign off to say they have met the criteria set by VTCT. The logbook is used by the learner to build a portfolio of consultations forms and photographs from practical’s, written assignments and any online tests the learner has to complete during the course. The college also uses Pro-Monitor a computerised package which tutors can record individual learner progress and set targets for learners to achieve by a certain time. Learners can access Pro-Monitor and input individual targets they wish to achieve, it can also show them graphs and visual aids on how much of their qualification they have achieved, this is brilliant for more visual learners who may find written feedback harder to understand. These different ways of recording assessment information are vital in enabling tutors to identify when students are falling behind and planning for future development, a side effect of not using these implements could be learners nearing the end of their course without completing assessments that are mandatory. References Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, Training and Learning- a Practical Guide. 6th ed. Sunderland: Business Edition Publishers, p.321. Coursework 3 – Evaluation of Assessment Activities Assessment is defined by Gravells and Simpson as ‘a measure of learning, at a given point in time. Relevant skills, knowledge and/or attitudes can be measured towards a subject or qualification.’ (Gravells and Simpson, 2008). There are three main types of assessment; initial, formative and summative; these types of assessment can then be informal in the way of crosswords, gapped hand-outs, quizzes, discussions and journals or they can be formal in the way of exams, assignments, tests and observations. Formative assessment, used properly, is such an integral part of the teaching and learning process that it could be argued that it shouldn’t even be called assessment. When we consider teaching and learning methods, many of them – questioning, case studies, and projects – are also assessment methods used as learning checks. Scales states ‘Assessment for learning is based on the belief that everyone can learn and formative assessment is a key strat egy to help learners improve and develop’ (Scales, 2010) With this in mind the first assessment activity to be evaluated is a crossword used as an informal summative assessment. Crosswords are a simple and easy way of assessing learner’s knowledge during a unit. Crosswords can be uploaded to the college interactive website ‘cloud’, learners can then download the activity as a form of homework or as an extension task during directed studies. These can then be handed in to the tutor for marking. A more effective method is to use a crossword as learning check during a lesson; once the learners have completed the crossword they can then discuss as a group the answers. The tutor can also use extended questioning, asking more able learners to explain in more depth an answer to help aid differentiation. Feedback from learners suggests that crosswords are a challenging way of testing knowledge and encourages the learners to look at subject matter in different ways without having to sit tests all the time, which can be very daunting for certain learners. Something gained from feedback from a group of level 1’s, is that because a majority of the learners have learning needs which affects their literacy; they find the crossword in itself challenging to complete. To overcome this it has been noted that providing learners with a word bank of key words for each unit has helped in completing such tasks as  crosswords, as the learner still needs to know which word they are looking for but aids in developing their spelling for the future. Feedback is the most important part of formative assessment; research suggests that immediate oral feedback is the most effective, whether this is done by one on ones or as a group discussion. The feedback provided should be developmental and make the learners extend their thinking and learning to a higher level and should also focus on positive points first before moving onto more ‘developmental’ area’s for the learner to consider. By conducting formative assessment it can ensure that the teacher gains a full understanding of the learners existing capabilities so that realistic goals can then be set and additional support if needed can be organised. With this feedback individual targets can then be created for each learner and placed on the college Pro-Monitor system where the learners can access their targets as and when needed to see how they are developing in the course. Learners are also encouraged to create their own personal targets on Pro-Monitor, using feedback from formative assessments it allows learners to realise key strengths and weaknesses to help in creating these targets. The use of this feedback is very much like the idea of ‘scaffolding’, Bruner (Wood et al., 1976) coined this term in the 1950’s and believed using a more knowledgeable other to challenge the learner to achieve more by providing ‘scaffolding’ to help them climb to higher levels. Learners in dialogue with teachers can see where they want to reach but initially may need help in the form of questions, prompts and pointers to get there. Summative assessment is the assessment of learning and it leads to the gaining of qualifications and grades. Weeden suggests ‘Summative assessment is a snapshot judgement that records what a learner can do at a particular time.’ (Weeden et al., 2002, p.19) This process of qualification is important for learners and it is good to keep in mind the emotional aspects and design of assessment in relation to validity and reliability. With this in mind the second assessment activity to be evaluated is a practical observation used as a formal summative assessment. Practical observations are used throughout all 3 NVQ levels in beauty therapy as the subject is extremely vocationally based. Beauty therapy NVQ’s are broken down into units, for each unit there will be practical assessments that have to be completed at the end of the unit, where the learner is observed and assessed by the teacher. VTCT are  the awarding body for the beauty therapy NVQ’s and they set out the practical assessment criteria for each unit, this criteria is printed in the learners logbooks which is where each assessment is signed off if a pass has been achieved. To aid the reliability of the practical assessments all beauty lecturers at the college come together at standardisation meetings where the criteria is discussed in detail and a learner marking sheet is created which includes each of the areas the learner has to meet to gain a pass in the assessment. If this was not done each teacher could interpret the assessment criteria in different ways therefore learners would not be assessed fairly and reliably. Petty states ‘the same examiner should give the same mark if they unknowingly mark a script twice on different days’ (Petty, 2009), using standardisation this means that even with practical based assessments the results should always be the same. To help learners during practical assessments learning outcomes are written on the whiteboard to highlight key points they will need to show competency in or do to achieve a pass in the assessment. During the observation the teacher will also ask questions to the learners to help achieve the unit criteria, this is also where differentiation of the learners can take place as more able learners will be asked more open-ended and higher order questions then less able learners who will be asked standard criteria questions. The use of cameras in practical assessments is something that is still fairly new and is being experimented with but does seem to show some success. As part of the observation learners have to keep their working area clean and tidy and show due regard for health and safety, the teacher can now take pictures of each learners working area before the assessment takes place and then at the commencement of the assessment. With regards to practical assessments like nail art, make-up and face painting the finished article can also be documented by a photo that the learner can then be used in their own portfolio to be sent to the awarding body. From these pictures the teacher can then feedback to the learner at the end of the assessment any positive points of the practical and also any areas that the learner would need to further develop, the learner can then have these pictures as a visual aid to understand how they can improve for the next assessment and also works as a good revision aid for the future. Another approach to embrace ICT in assessments is to video learners assessments so they can themselves evaluate  and feedback on client care and professionalism during their observation. It has been noted that using cameras in practical observations has been received well by the learners, they have commented that it brings a new dimension to receiving feedback and allows them to visualise areas they need to focus on improving and reinforces the assessment criteria for them too. Feedback from practical observation is given individually immediately after the learners assessment, feedback is given verbally with key points both positive and ones for development are written on the bottom of the consultation form the learner completed during the assessment (these consultation forms also go into the learners portfolio). Practical assessments can leave a lot to interpretation by the teacher so it is important the practical marking sheet is filled in during the observations and a pass or fail is determined by how many of the boxes the learner showed competence in, depending on which level the learner is currently studying determines the number of criteria they need to meet. Learners can feel very nervous and daunted by practical assessments at the beginning of the year as it the proverbial ‘unknown’, formative practical assessments do help to calm learners worries as they are a ‘trial run’ of the summative assessment, also setting out some time to explain and discuss the unit assessment criteria and what will be expected of them from this. During the practical observations themselves the use of cameras also seems to help learners forget the formalness of the observation and relax into the assessment. In conclusion all assessment methods should be a positive contribution to learning and good assessment activities are important to aiding teaching. However assessments are only worthwhile if they assist the learner and teacher to move through the learning outcomes of the unit, otherwise it is irrelevant. Designing assessment activities which stretch the learner’s abilities and promotes their development is a skill that comes with experience and understanding of the current learners on your course and it is definitely something that will always be tweaked and changed throughout your career. Word Count: 1,594 References Gravells, A. and Simpson, S. (2008) Planning and enabling Learning in the Lifelonf Learning Sector. Exeter: Learning matters, p.50. Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today – A practical guide. 4th ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Scales, P. (2010) Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education, p.180. Weeden, P., Winter, J. and Broadfoot, P. (2002) Assessment: What’s in it for schools?. London: Routledge Falmer, p.19. Wood, D., Bruner, J. and Ross, G. (1976) The role of tutoring in problem solving. In: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry., pp.89-100.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

I will attach the document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

I will attach the document - Essay Example In an event, the pressure exerted on the nerve becomes colossal to trouble the role of the ulnar nerve; numbness may be experience in a number of segments on the arm such as the fingers. When the peripheral median nerve that extends towards the palm, happens to squeezed at the wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome comes about. The stress on the wrist results into an agonizing swelling, which in turn hinder feeling in the hand. Body tendons may swell because of several causes and the stroke of lugging the muscle turn out to be painful. When the normal plane-gliding movement of the tendon is injured, the tendon becomes painful and movements upset. This state indicates a condition known as tendonitis. Pronation denotes the turning motion of the forearm via the radioulnar joint, or on the bottom of the leg at the subtalar and talocalcaneonavicular lower limb joints in the field of anatomy. During the normal standing posture, pronation-turning motion shifts the palm of the right upper appendage anti-clockwise and clockwise for the left forearm from a superiorly vision. Flexion denotes to the pose made possible by the joint, which decrease twist in anatomical terms. The muscles and the bone structures of the human body work in harmony and move the joints, to take a flexed position. For instance, the elbow part of the fore appendages is bent when the hand is gets closer to the shoulder or the body trunk may be bent in the direction of the legs. Rotation illustrates the spherical movement of a body around a position of a circular motion. In ergonomics, rotation is observed in the movement of the forelimbs and the head. In ergonomics, a three-dimensional object turns around a rotation alignment. If the rotation alignment is contained by an entity, and go through the entity’s center of dimension the entity is said to turn around upon itself. Supination contrasts pronation and denotes to the position

Friday, September 27, 2019

Educational goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational goals - Essay Example I have also learned through experience that it is not only dreams of success that bring people to the field of archaeology. I believe that I have learned through my program of study and experience that an effective leader adheres to a vision of professionalism and integrity while remaining responsible and productive in terms of personal and collective ethics. Through my experience, I am a strong proponent of the belief that the individual must accept responsibility for his/her decisions in the ways in which they affect a team dynamic both internally and externally. I believe in the power of group thinking and the value of ethical imperatives. I know that my education and work experience thus far has prepared me for taking this step towards my ultimate goal of becoming a professional in the field of archaeology. I have learned to use my experience, skills, and education to evince the type of leadership in which will allow me to help others, as well as helping myself. This goal of helping others has been foremost in my mind throughout my educational experiences. My academic tenure thus far has been marked by excellence and positive leadership. My personal strengths are in effective preparation and mediation, and I believe that I have learned a lot in terms of experience and achievement, in terms of concrete skills as well as in terms of the ethical responsibility required of a true leader. In my diligent study as an undergraduate and in my experience working, I have met and exceeded many of my personal goals. At school, I have been lauded for my academic achievements, and was also involved in many extracurricular programs as a leader and positive contributor. At work, I took personal initiatives to further my development in the â€Å"real world.† I returned to undergraduate study when I realized that I needed further

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Supply chain management - Essay Example This is the first step in the elimination of fraud which emanates from dubious and illegitimate payments (Coe 2007, pg. 206). After, registration of the request, a thorough scrutiny is done to the document to establish its authenticity and note any errors. The calculations and values indicated under the document are vetted to ensure their correctness and omit possible errors. More over, this step is necessary to detect overvaluations and unnecessary items. If the document fails the check list, it should be retained for further action (Coe 2007, pg. 208). Remarkably, on meeting the laid down procedures and requirements, the request is acted upon by raising the requested ministry budget. This is important to enable the concerned ministry to meet its responsibilities. Allegedly, the finance ministry may be forced to suspend the request until the next financial year budget. Notably, this will not be undertaken, purportedly to avert the instances of the ministries failing to meet their obligations. As requested, funds are channeled through to requesting ministry as per items in order of their priority and time limits (Coe 2007, pg. 208). More over, the ministry of finance supply chain officials conducts an audit on the previous allocations to the concerned ministry to establish their spending. This is also in endeavor to ascertain whether the ministry, did under spend and establish the balance they retained in the current financial year. In the event, the ministry fails to even meet the set criteria; there is no sending of the request to the budget department for more scrutiny (Coe 2007, pg. 208). Finally, the supply chain specialists issues the requested checks as per the detailed items to the ministry which now is at liberty to spend the funds efficiently. Notably, from the above flow chart, some discrepancies are emerging indicating the weakness of the model. As indicated, after checking the request order, it is not returned back to the requesting

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

A critical review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Essay

A critical review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - Essay Example This is a direct reference to the story of Genesis which tells of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. This referencing puts a tone of connection within the race of humanity. As Marcus Muhling put it in his book called A Theological Journey Into Narnia, â€Å"This is because in Christianity, humanity - by which is meant all people throughout history - is not just a race or a class, but an organism: all human beings are in relationship to one another.† (Muhling, p. 14) This way of classifying the four children designates them as apart from the other races of Narnia. This unifies their existence within the realm and elevates them, to a degree, to positions of exception. school associations† he could â€Å"steal past those watchful dragons† of tedious sermons and obligatory worship. By enlisting the unfettered powers of imagination, Lewis hoped to recapture the original beauty and poignancy In this way, Lewis was able to craft a story that could relate the principles of the Christian story in a way that could be easily digested by a young reader. While the biblical references could be difficult to comprehend, the fantastical one created by Lewis could be read by a child and understood, thus priming the intellectual process that could bring a deeper understanding to faith in Christ. Lucy, the heroine of the story, approaches her newfound world with innocence. She accepts what she sees and feels around her, without regard to the fantastical existence of Narnia. She exhibits faith as she walks through the wardrobe into a world that exists outside of her own world. This type of trust is indicative of the type of trust that is desired in faith for Christ. Faith is a goal should be reached without questioning the reality of the existence of God which is believed without proof through tangible evidence. and Edmund have both gone through the wardrobe to Narnia, but Peter and Susan have not been

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Law 2050 Consumers and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law 2050 Consumers and the Law - Essay Example Hence, today in order to protect the rights of the customers who are the consumers of the product and services, we have the consumer rights. The consumer Rights says that if a customer buys a product and is not satisfied with the quality or if it does not fit into the requirement of using the product or has a false claim, then he has the right to recourse either by getting the product repaired, replaced or a refunded depending on the concern and the degree of dissatisfaction by the customer. These rights also cover service contracts and online shopping also. The Abuzaid vs. Mother Care U.K. Ltd is a perfect example of violation of Consumer Rights. To understand the main issues of the case, a brief summary of the history describing the background is essential. The product, Cosy toes which is a sleeping bag which is primarily used for children and infants to attach the elastic straps with the push-chair, was brought by the mother of the claimant for his brother. It consisted on two ela stic straps which were supposed to be fastened around the arm chair securing the back of the person. The elastic strap (almost 7-8 inches long) had to be joined with the metal buckle. While attaching the buckle of the straps to the chair, the elastic straps slipped past the hand and the buckle had made a direct hit in his eye thereby causing a permanent injury. The accident was so serious that he had to be immediately taken to the emergency department of the hospital by ambulance. Hence, after nearly escaping to loose one’s sight a positive step to appeal for the Consumer Protection law was taken. A case was filed against Mothercare Ltd, UK under the Consumer Protection Act and the claim against damage under the Common Law of negligence on the part of the seller of the good. It was claimed that the cause of the injury was primarily because of the ‘defective’ nature of the product and the manufacturer of the producer should have been sensitive enough to foresee su ch implications causing such serious damage to the individual and hence the negligent claim was made under the Common law of negligence. The Common law of negligence states that if any individual has suffered an injury due to the negligence of another person. However, certain conditions need to be made to substantiate the clause of the Act. The ‘plaintiff’ must be able to substantiate proofs like failure to establish reasonable care, damages that has been made which is other than economic losses. Thus in order to be eligible for this claim the claimant has to provide proofs that the individual had suffered proofs that the individual had suffered personal injury or loss which was evitable as per the claim of Abouzaid ,the sufferer of the accident.. The defendant on the other hand claimed that the incident that had occurred was a sort of ‘contributory negligence’ on the part of the claimant. According to this Act the defence can retort on the claim made by th e claimant on negligence that the damage or injury was cause to the individual due to his or her own personal negligence and hence the manufacturer or the seller of the particular product could not be blamed or penalised for it. Mother care agued that the product cannot be claimed to be defective in the first instance. This is because when the particular product was made available to the customers, no such previous instances of injury had been reported. Further, at the time when the accident had occurred, in 1990, the consumers could also not expect quite understandably and

Monday, September 23, 2019

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

Research Methods - Essay Example Twin studies are particularly suited to separate the environmental and genetic backgrounds of an abundance of traits such as intelligence, schizophrenia and alcohol dependence (Winerman 2004). In trying to determine whether genetics plays a role in intelligence both intelligence quotient (IQ) test and MRI Scans. The brains of about ten identical twins and ten fraternal twins could be scanned. Since identical twins have identical genes, tests for correlation should show close to 100% for identical twins while tests for and fraternal twins would show correlation closer to 50% since they are not likely to have identical genes. In terms of schizophrenia a number of identical twins are tested for the disease. If both identical twins carry the disease they are concordant. If they do not then they are discordant. The rate of concordance determines whether the disease is hereditary Schizophrenia.com (n.d.). According to About.com (n.d.), in terms of alcoholism twin studies would compare the incidence of alcoholism of identical twins with that in fraternal twins. If there is any genetic component in the risk of alcoholism then identical twins with identical genes are be expected to show similar histories of either developing alcoholism or not developing alcoholism. Fraternal twins, on the other hand, who are genetically different individuals, are more likely to differ in their tendencies as it relates to alcoholism. Motluk, A (2001). IQ is Inherited, suggests twin study. News Scientist: 5th Nov 2001. Retrieved: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1520-iq-is-inherited-suggests-twin-study.html Last accessed 31st Mar

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Current issues in advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current issues in advertising - Essay Example Woodbury' Facial oap, a woman' beauty bar, wa almot dicontinued in 1910. The oap' ale decline wa revered, however, with ad containing image of romantic couple and promie of love and intimacy for thoe uing the brand. Jovan Muk Oil, introduced in 1971, wa promoted with exual entendre and decription of the fragrance' exual attraction propertie. A a reult, Jovan, Inc.' revenue grew from $1.5 million in 1971 to $77 million by 1978 (Del, 66-111) In contemporary maintream conumer advertiing (e.g., magazine, network and cable televiion), ex i preent in promotional meage for a wide range of branded good. Ad feature provocative image of well-defined women (and men) in revealing outfit and poture elling clothing, alcohol, beauty product, and fragrance. Advertier uch a Calvin Klein, Victoria' ecret, and Pepi ue thee image to cultivate a ubiquitou ex-tinged media preence. Alo, exual information i ued to promote maintream product not traditionally aociated with ex. For example, the Dalla Opera recently revered declining eaon ticket ale by marketing the more laciviou part of it performance. A a reult of it exual promotion trategy, eaon ticket package old out fater than ever before . (Del, 66-111) ince the 1960, reearcher uing ocial cience method have attempted to undertand the role of ex in advertiing for elling brand. pecifically, they have attempted to undertand exactly how exual content influence the advertiing communication proce. In thi article, I organize thi body of reearch by firt defining and decribing common type of exual content examined by invetigator, and then by reviewing major approache in pertinent effect reearch. Finally, I et forth area for future reearch that can enhance the congruence between exual appeal reearch with advertiing practice. Thee area include further analyi of ex-related appeal in ad, examining whether and how exual content can influence brand perception, and the utility of including peronality variable (e.g., erotophobia/philia) in future tudie. Thi review i limited to United tate-baed reearch becaue the bulk of ex in advertiing reearch conit of U.. media content and population ample. Included in the review i illutrative content analyi reea rch, a well a an exhautive collection of effect tudie. (Del, 66-111) AA- Rule & Regulation The Advertiing tandard Authority (AA) Annual Report 2007, publihed today, reveal that a record number of advertiement (2,458) were changed or withdrawn lat year. The number of advertiement complained about reached an all-time high of 14,080 - an increae of 9.6% on the year before. The total number of complaint received wa 24,192 - an increae of 7.9% on 2006. The public' main concern about advertiing in 2007 are illutrated by the Report' lit of the Top 10 mot complained about ad. The depiction of violence, ex and race all generated high number of complaint (ee Top 10 lit in the report). The AA alo dealt with record number of complaint about environmental claim a advertier increaingly ought to promote their 'green' credential. (Del, 66-111) TV wa by far the mot complained about medium, generating 9,915 complaint. ignificantly, internet advertiing wa the mot complained about non-broadcat medium and the econd mot complained about medium overall. A total of 2,980 complaint were received about internet advertiing, 2,144 of which related to the content of webite and a uch were outide the AA' remit. The mot common iue raied by the public about internet

Saturday, September 21, 2019

How Will Science and Technology Change Our Life in Future Essay Example for Free

How Will Science and Technology Change Our Life in Future Essay Cricket  is a  bat-and-ball  game played between two teams of 11 players on a  field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long  pitch. One team  bats, trying to score as many  runs  as possible while the other team  bowls  and  fields, trying to  dismiss  the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the  crease  there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an  innings. In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from  20 overs  of six bowling deliveries per side to  Test cricket  played over five days. The court in Guildford heard on Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date, equating to the year 1598 in the Gregorian calendar) from a 59 year-old  coroner,  John Derrick, who gave witness that when he was a scholar at the Free School at Guildford, fifty years earlier, hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play [on the common land] at creckett and other plaies. [13][14]  It is believed that it was originally a childrens game but references around 1610[14]  indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or  village cricket  occurs soon afterwards. In 1624, a player called  Jasper Vinall  was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex. [15] During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the  Restoration  in 1660. A newspaper report survives of a great cricket match with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance. The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that development with rich patrons forming their own select XIs. Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the  Artillery Ground  in Finsbury. The  single wicket  form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old hockey stick shape. TheHambledon Club  was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of  MCC  and the opening of  Lords Old Ground  in 1787, Hambledon was both the games greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sports premier club and the custodian of the  Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw).

Friday, September 20, 2019

Co-branding: challenges and opportunities in international marketing

Co-branding: challenges and opportunities in international marketing Strategic alliances Created by engaging companies and brands in co-branding is gaining popularity across different industry. Disneys alliances with Mattel, McDonalds and Burger King are prime examples of such co-branding ventures. Co-branding is the strategy of presenting two or more independent brands jointly on the same product or services. (Erevelles et al., 2007) In co-branding-also called dual branding or brand bundling- two or more well known brands are combined into a joint product or marketed together in some fashion. (Kotler keller, 2009) Co-branding as â€Å"a form of cooperation between two or more brands with significant customer recognition, in which all the participants brand names are retained† (Blackett and Boad, 2002) Co-Branding It is a win-win situation where both parties indulged in this process and it is helpful for them to increase the value a brand hold. Sometimes in worse scenarios, it might can harm one among them which is usually the stronger brand effected by the other brand. This makes selecting the partner brand the most important factor which fits with the companys value, image and product. The presentation speaks about the major objectives to why to go under co-branding and their shared values as to how they are created and relate to other brands. Internationally the co-branding can provide physical product integration or complimentary usage and image. Co-branding is been practiced in almost every kind of big and small industry. Be it FMCG industry, Travel Industry, Fashion Industry e.g. The outputs from co-branding are usually more than perceived or expected. â€Å"Because brand names are valuable assets, they may be combined with other brand names to form a synergistic alliance in which the sum is greater than the parts† (Washburn.J.H; Till.B.D; Priluck.Randi, 2000). Grabbing the opportunity is the second most important aspect. To be at the right place at the right gives you an edge over others. The presentation reveals Joint Ventures as a co-branding which conflicts the mind. Another conflict among the presentation was to name celebrity endorsement as co-branding. Celebrities are brands in themselves or not. There are debates going on at global stage that is it a part of co-branding, acquisition and celebrity endorsement actually. It is a widely used business strategy in industries like food and drinks, retailing, air travel and financial services, with the number of firms using it growing by forty percent/year (Blackett and Boad, 1999). Co-branding can be defined as several brands collaborating in technology development, marketing, or production while keeping their independence as separate business entities (Stewart, 1995. Marketing News 29(4), 5). Co-branding is increasingly becoming a popular strategy in the hospitality industry. In general, co-branding cards can be an effective marketing tool that helps family restaurants to build both behavioral and attitudinal custome r loyalty. Co-Branding Internationally Globalization has accelerated, so has the choice of brands, both foreign and domestic (Hsieh, 2002). A brand has been defined as: â€Å"an identifiable product, service, person or place augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant unique values which match their needs most closely† (de Chernatony, 1998, 3). The associated incremental value added to the product by virtue of its brand has been referred to as its brand equity (Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993). In todays competitive battleground, the concept of brand equity has proved to be an important source of strategic insight for marketers (Moore, Wilkie and Lutz, 2002, 17). City Branding: City branding is a rapidly growing concept. This practice is adopted by many cities build up urban competition for mobile resources, markets, opportunities and attention across the globe. Crucial strategy within city branding is the creation of the citys identity, which should be developed from a range of contextual variables such as history, demography, economy, politics and policies. A city usually has certain identifiable images or core values perceived by its people. For example, Paris is perceived for romance, Milan for style, New York for diversity and dynamics, Washington for power, and Tokyo for modernity. (L. Zhang, S.X. Zhao / Cities 26 (2009)). Branding Beijing, the capital of China for the Olympics 2008. Branding London, the capital of United Kingdom for the Olympics 2012. Many of the large and small companies will be officially involved in many of the activities. Like McDonalds is been named as the official restaurant for the Olympics 2012 in London. Around 7,000 direct contracts are expected to generate huge profits and around 75,000 opportunities. Co-Branding across the culture: Culture also has a great influence on buying behaviors. Co-branding is a popular technique used in domestic markets to transfer the positive associations of the associate brands to a newly formed co-brand (Linda C. Ueltsch, 200) Every culture has their own effects. Taking an example of Pakistan and India, they share similar culture across the border. And a company like Pepsi came up with an ad featuring celebrities from both sides. And launching the advertisement in both countries. Examples: In the photocopy market, many products sold by, say, Canon are actually made by Ricoh. In the car industry, although BMW own the rover company, at the product level Rover cars show no BMW logo or connection. Mercedes and Swatch launched innovative car named â€Å"Smart† as a result of joint venture. Mercedes is unlikely to put its trademark on the smart! Because of the threat. In the Tea market, Nestle and coca Cola launched a product â€Å"Nestea† against Unilevers range. Nestle create the product while, and Coca Cola market and distributed it. Research has shown that customer evaluations of co-brands are affected by the degree to which the skills and resources of the parent brands are perceived to fit with or generalize to the new co-brand (Klink and Smith, 2001). The theoretical foundations in the cognitive psychology literature suggest that similarity between a brand and an extension or alliance facilitates the transfer of knowledge, attitude and purchase intention (Martin and Stewart, 2001). Even a well phrased co-branding agreement cannot promise success of an poorly picturized co-branding strategy. Co-branding is not always a practical option for all products or services. co-branding done without proper research and planning may cause more damage. Thats why co-branding strategy must be carefully thought out and is usually successful when symbiotic or synergistic brands and goods are combined through an effective marketing plan. The international marketing of mobile services: Mobile Marketing The presentation highlights the rapidly shifting trends of technology. And gaining popularity among the new generation. The shift from physical to internet and recently from computers to mobile. Mobile data services are the convergence of mobile communication technologies providing data services. Explaining and elaborating various categories of mobile data services available to the public. The demand for mobile devices equipment such as cell phones, PDAs, and digital music players that are typically used on an anytime, anywhere basis without being connected by wires and services that use these mobile devices (mobile services) is growing rapidly worldwide. (Shankar, V. Balasubramanian, S. (2009)). What is Mobile Marketing? The mobile channel is a multi-faceted interactive network for delivering individual communication, personalization, information and entertainment products and services. (Manis, 2005; Becker 2005; Bragge et al. 2005; Dickinger et al. 2004; Nysveen et al. 2005). A set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network (Mobile Marketing Association, 2009). Mobile Data Services integrate handheld and internet technologies to create new value prepositions (Keen and Mackenzie, 2001, quoted from Gilbert, 2003). According to Informa Telecoms Media, a research conducted in April 2006, there were 215 million mobiles subscribers in 1997. There are around 2 billion mobile users in 2005. And this count is expected to reach 3 billion in 2010. The emergence of mobile commerce The number of mobile phone users worldwide has increased rapidly over the last five years; from an estimated 1.87 billion in 2004 to 2.5 billion in September 2006 (InfoSync World, 2004; Usability News, 2006). In Japan, already seven out of 10 people have cell-phone accounts, and in countries such as Italy, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the market penetration of mobile phones has already exceeded 100% (Sultan and Rohm, 2005). Undoubtedly the mobile phone has been one of the fastest adopted consumer products of all time (Kalakota and Robinson, 2002; Scornavacca et al., 2006). In addition, according to Forrester Research (2005), some 90 per cent of all phones in use will be mobile Internet-capable this year. The proliferation of Internet-enabled mobile devices has created an extraordinary opportunity for e-commerce to leverage the benefits of mobility (Barnes and Huff, 2003; Clarke, 2001; Durlacher Research, 2002). The conduit for this is mobile e-commerce, commonly known as m- commerce, which refers to the ability to conduct financial transactions (including, but not exclusively, the ability to purchase goods or services) through a wireless Internet-enabled device (Barnes, 2002a; Scornavacca and Barnes, 2006). Integration with Marketing Mix Integration with Marketing Mix is the key to success. It Deliver consistent brand value/image. And gives a fresh element on companies promotion mix. According to mobile data association in UK, almost 94% of SMS received are read. And around 36% users admit that they are likely to purchase products. (Karjaluoto et al. 2004) Complexity of the technology enables to acquire the mobile data services by users. New learning methods enabling consumers to bridge the gap between the advanced technology and user interface. Solving the problems and adding value in everyday life. Opportunities Threats Untapped Customer Segments. Growing Popularity of Wireless Broadband.Limited Use of PC-Based Internet Services (3rd screen) are the key opportunities for the mobile marketing. There are many threats attached to it too. Regulatory Interference can be a hurdle. Continued Pressure on Revenue as it is a long time process. Cost of New Investments Eroding Data Services Profitability and Competition From Carriers and Other Service Providers. Portability An important benefit of a mobile device to consumers is its ultra small size and the ease with which it can be carried (Balasubramanian et al. 2002). A mobile device is not only portable, but because it fits in a hand, it is a constant companion to the user and is used on a continuous basis. This property makes it easier for marketers to quickly communicate with the user at any point in time, but the small screen size does not allow information-intensive messages to be delivered. Post-purchase behavior Research shows that after controlling for selection, online customers are more loyal than offline customers, so migrating customers from offline to online could enhance customer loyalty (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy 2003) Acceptance of Mobile Marketing Acceptance of mobile marketing across two global markets. Drawing upon technology acceptance and uses and gratifications theories, we develop and estimate a conceptual model of the influences of antecedent factors (including risk acceptance related to the mobile platform and personal attachment related to mobile devices) on behavioral intent related to mobile marketing practice. We further propose that the above relationships are mediated by activities that consumers engage in such as downloading, forwarding content and registering with firms. Focusing on youth consumers, we empirically test the model using data collected in both an established (U.S.) and an emerging market (Pakistan). Findings across these two markets reflect cross-market similarities and differences related to consumer acceptance factors. (F. Sultan et al.(2009)) Mobile marketing research Mobile marketing is a new technology. This is successful because it is a two way communication unlikely to the traditional research process. It involves active audience which is interactive, not passive. And researches gets a rapid feedback. In many countries, social, cultural and political issues are discussed with the general population. Like in India, IDEA mobile company launched and advertisement showing the use of polling through mobile where the youth can express their own views to government. Short Messaging Services Innovation creates marketing opportunities and challenges. Mobile media, for example, transcend traditional communication and support one-toone, many-to-many and mass communication. The most popular mobile application, referred to as text messaging in the UK or Short Message Service (SMS) in most other countries, attracted 580 million users who sent 431 billion messages in 2002. In the first quarter of 2004 users sent 135 billion SMS messages and predictions are that 94.9 million mobile commerce users in 2003 will grow to 1.67 billion users by 2008. SMS will account for the bulk of mobile telephone companys revenues from data services until 2006. This high diffusion of SMS facilitates analyzing usage behavior and hints at the commercial potential of future communication services. Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS), for example, will build on the success of SMS but allow for richer content based on similar asynchronous, digital and interactive communication. (A. Scharl et al. (2005)) Mobile shopping In interviews with more than 100 Japanese and foreign firms between 2000 and 2005, the author investigated the impact of a number of technological trajectories on mobile shopping applications that are suggested to be promising ones based on the behavior of lead users. Push-based Internet mail and other key services that are not yet available inWestern markets were the initial drivers of the market for mobile shopping in Japan between 2001 and 2003. Currently, the fastest growing market for mobile shopping in Japan involves the integration of mobile sites with other media such as magazines and radio and television programs where these other media compensate for the small screens of mobile phones. This paper forecasts the impact of improvements along a number of technological trajectories on the integration of mobile sites with other media. (J.L. Funk. (2007)) A mobile device is not a standard personal computer. It is a frequently used, location-sensitive device with very limited visual space. A mobile message will be most effective if it is brief, memorable, and well-coordinated with time and the users location. The rapidly changing technology can be a flaw. Simply transporting a companys Internet marketing strategy to mobile marketing strategy could be a recipe for failure. The impact of culture in international e-commerce. The Internet The Internet (or World Wide Web) is a network of computers providing access to information from around the world. Many businesses and government agencies have set up Internet sites (websites) providing information on their business. (Department of Trade and Economic Development) E-Commerce E-Commerce (Electronic Commerce) is a form of business operation in which the parties interact over computer, mails over the Internet rather than by physical exchange or conduct. (Department of Trade and Economic Development) What is E-commerce: V. Zwass [127, p. 3] defines e-commerce as â€Å"the sharing of business information, maintaining business relationships, and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks.† Treese and Stewart [112, p. 5] define e-commerce as â€Å"the use of the global Internet for purchase and sale of goods and services, including services and support after the sale.† Kalakota and Whinston [61, p. 3] define e-commerce as â€Å"the delivery of information, products/services, or payments via telephone lines, computer networks or any other means.† They do not limit their coverage to just Internetbased means. Kauffman and Walden [67, p. 3] emphasize â€Å"the Internet as a medium for enabling end-to-end business transactions.† Their definition â€Å"applies equally well in dotcom [and] Internet-only business settings, as well as more traditional business settings where the new channel of the Internet is being used alongside existing channels.† The main business uses of the Internet E-commerce allows consumers and customers the ability to buy, sell and advertise products and/or services. It is a tool to interact businesses and customers around the globe. It is useful for companies to promote product and services through different means like brochures, manuals, product updates, and websites e.t.c. E-commerce arguably has a potential to add a higher value to businesses and consumers in developing countries than in developed countries. Yet most developing country-based enterprises have failed to reap the benefits offered by modern information and communications technologies Barriers to e-commerce in developing countries Economic and sociopolitical factors focus primarily on the environmental characteristics, the cognitive component reflects organizational and individual behaviors. Arguably, for the initial adoption of e-commerce in developing countries, the cognitive component plays a more prominent role. As organizations assimilate sophisticated e-commerce practices, environmental factors play more critical roles Economic Barriers In under-developing countries, lack of electrical supply is a big barrier for e-commerce as all the devices included in a transaction, runs on electricity. Lack of purchasing power is also one of the biggest. As people hardly have money to make their livings. Resulting in a low percentage of people having access to Internet. Manufacturing companies of Information and Communication Technology products focus on large distributors often located in developed countries for achieving high sales and they dont focus to the under developing countries. This is another problem with the e-commerce industry. Credit cards is a key factor for completing the deals over internet for making the payments. In Asian Countries, 34-40% of the financial transactions are being made in form of cash. Other systems are underdeveloped such as online banking is not popular. (N. Kshetri, (2007)) Socio-politic Barriers In Asian countries, personal relationships are important in businesses while anonymous online relationships are considered as threaten established interpersonal networks. As well as people prefer to deal face-to-face are preferred over business deals made through e-mails and internet. Political factors are not implied and they lack law legislation and the electronic signatures. Cognitive barriers Cognitive barriers are more serious than other categories of barriers in developing countries. Consumers lack of awareness and knowledge of benefits involved in ecommerce and their lack of trust in service providers have also hold back the growth of e-commerce. Latin America, experience a low rate of credit card is an attributed to the â€Å"lack of trust in than lack of access to† the credit card system. E-commerce and mobile Internet has been expanded substantially by a new generation of mobile devices, opening the door for rapid growth of mobile-commerce. While the traditional PC access to the Internet continues to be vital for exploiting the advantages of the Internet, the mobile access appears to attract more people because of flexible accesses to the Internet in a ubiquitous manner. Accordingly, e-commerce is now in the process of being converted into m-commerce. The purpose of this paper is to develop and analyze a mathematical model for comparing e-commerce via the traditional PC access only with m-commerce which accommodates both the traditional PC access and the mobile access. The distribution of the number of products purchased by time and the distribution of the time required for selling K products are derived explicitly, enabling one to assess the impact of mobile devices on e-businesses. (U. Sumita, J. Yoshii, (2009)) The global marketing use internet which ‘enables firms to leap-frog the conventional stages, as it removes all geographical constraints, permits the instant establishment of virtual branches throughout the world, and allows direct and immediate foreign market entry to the smallest of businesses (Bennett, 1997, p. 327). The Internet is creating a unique global marketplace that has the potential to change profoundly the way international business is conceptualised and configured (Srirojanant and Thirkell, 1999; Bennett, 1997; Kedia and Harveston, 1999). The rapid commercialization of the Internet calls into question many of the fundamental tenets of international business (Hamill and Gregory, 1997, p. 9). DEVELOPING INTERNET E-COMMERCE BENCHMARKS Benchmark is a standard for measuring and comparing the performance of like systems. For new product makers, a benchmark can provide important statistical information so products can be tine-tuned before their deployment. For end users, on the other hand, a benchmark can be used to compare the strengths and weaknesses of different products so that an informed decision can be made about system adoption. Benchmarks aid in estimations of scalability in terms of the number of users and/or transactions that a system can support, and system response times under various loads and hardware/software deployment platforms. Needs of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and big business and we motivate the need for a benchmark suite for e-commerce. (DAWN JUTLA et 1999) The Internet has altered international business development. The ways in which e-commerce continue to evolve. It makes sure that any statute changes they make can deal with future developments, even if these appear somewhat nebulous at present. It really depends on ones stand point as to whether e-commerce is seen as being or producing something new, which requires separate tax regulations. In terms of theoretical considerations, the current situation must be regarded as unsatisfactory. (J.F.Hughes, K.Glaister (2001)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Jays Journal :: Teen Suicide Book Report

Jay's Journal is an interesting book written by Jay. The story is about Jay and how he was led into witchcraft and the occult and using drugs by his girlfriend and others. The author tells how Jay was led into all of this, and it also tells how he got his two best friends into using the same stuff and into the occult also known as the O. The author describes how he learned that the human race was afraid of mind over matter techniques and learned how to use them himself. He was able to levitate small objects and see peoples auwa and aura. This is a great book because it helps some people that deal with the same problems to see what might happen if they choose to follow the same path. I really liked this book because it might help people deal with this type of stuff, it was written in a real person's journal and described what led to his death , and I like how it says what happened every day of his life. One reason I like this book is because it could possibly help people who are going through these same problems he was. Jay was peer pressured by his girlfriend to steal drugs from his father's store and to use them himself. Jays Journal :: Teen Suicide Book Report Jay's Journal is an interesting book written by Jay. The story is about Jay and how he was led into witchcraft and the occult and using drugs by his girlfriend and others. The author tells how Jay was led into all of this, and it also tells how he got his two best friends into using the same stuff and into the occult also known as the O. The author describes how he learned that the human race was afraid of mind over matter techniques and learned how to use them himself. He was able to levitate small objects and see peoples auwa and aura. This is a great book because it helps some people that deal with the same problems to see what might happen if they choose to follow the same path. I really liked this book because it might help people deal with this type of stuff, it was written in a real person's journal and described what led to his death , and I like how it says what happened every day of his life. One reason I like this book is because it could possibly help people who are going through these same problems he was. Jay was peer pressured by his girlfriend to steal drugs from his father's store and to use them himself.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Traditional Values :: Personal Narrative

Traditional Values Traditional values can sometimes sway us to do wrong things parallel to our own personal beliefs. People, places, and things shape these values and cause us to surrender to situations that neither influence nor hold our interest. This is a scary concept: What if one of these situations put our life or someone else’s life in danger? This is a question that crossed my mind when I thought about conformity in my life. One memory in particular involves my football team. As did Langston Hughes in his experience with conformity, I too felt pressure from my peers to do something I didn’t want to do. During my sophomore year, my teammates wanted to take part in hazing a younger freshman football player. They asked me to help them take all of his equipment out of his locker, find him, and beat him up. This went against my personal beliefs. In no way did I want to take part in something that had to do with the humiliation of another teammate. Also, when I was younger, I had to go through the same thing, and it hurt me deeply. Then and now, I looked at my own embarrassment as something I don’t ever want to see someone else go through. Before I gave my answer to my teammates, other consequences rolled through my head; hazing is illegal, and if convicted, the offender would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I was doing well both on and off the field, so why mess it up? So I devised a plan. I would agree to help my teammates, but I would also agree to help the young freshman find his equipment and help him elude a vicious beat-down. â€Å"Well are you gonna help us or not?† the quarterback of my team impatiently asked.â€Å"Yeah sure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said, â€Å"Just let me take care of everything ‘cause I really don’t like this kid.† He looked at me and smiled. â€Å"There you go, Taylor!† He turned to the posse of football players, â€Å"We got a sophomore that’s stepp’n up!† It was like I killed two birds with one stone and saved both my butt and the kid’s in one throw.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Capital Punishment Essay: Match Death with Death -- Argumentative Per

We Must Match Death with Death    For anyone living in Texas, it is common to hear about convicted criminals being sentenced to death. Is justice being served? When someone has committed a heinous murder, justice must prevail. But that ideal becomes harder to achieve as we scale the moral high ground and look all around, from behind the jail cell bars to the crushed life of the murdered victim. The following essay will focus on the proportionality of the death sentence as a form of punishment.       First of all, if there were no persons in the world, only things, there would be no values. There are values in the world only because there are persons: people who have not only desires , but also rationality and freedom. Something is valuable only relative to a human goal. Then, as the source of values, humans have dignity, which Immanuel Kant defines in his Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals as something so valuable that nothing could transcend it in worth. It follows that to be human, to have dignity, one must value above all else those things which give you dignity. This means one must value absolutely the rationality, freedom, and autonomy of oneself, but also of other individuals. However; there are some crimes, some murders, committed with such violence and complete disregard for life, that we stop valuing the rationality, the freedom, and the autonomy of the murder so highly. The question is how much do we devalue the criminal?    Kant had some ideas about how to find out the proper level of punishment. First, guilt is a necessary condition for judicial punishment. That means that only the guilty may be punished. Second, guilt is a sufficient condition for punishment. All the guilty m... ...re severe than the death sentence, could a death sentence be an escape from a life sentence? However, if the goal were to give the most severe sentence wouldn't it be more accurate to find out what the criminal's idea of personal hell was? Severity is not the goal of punishment, rather retributivism and proportionality are. To give equal treatment to all, each person, guilty and not guilty, must be considered independently of utility, pity, and revenge. To accurately handle crime, the act and the actor must be understood. Once understood, a punishment ought to be meted out on the basis of whether or not it is proportional and appropriate to the crime at hand. Ultimately, the decision comes down to what a jury thinks is proportional. Because I think that there can be no other match than death for death, I believe that capital punishment is justified.      

Monday, September 16, 2019

Air Cargo Article Critique

China Airlines is facing a fine of up to $85,410 in US dollars for transporting 15 barrels of iridium 192, a class 7 radioactive material, without the proper permit.   In addition to the source cited here, this article can be found in a variety of publications and sources including Google Finance, since China Airlines (TPE:2610) is a publicly traded company.The barrels were kept in a warehouse from February 23rd to February 26th when the airline made application to and received approval to transport radioactive material from the Atomic Energy Council.Employees at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport found relatively low radioactive levels of the iridium isotope which was being transported to Singapore from the United States.  The destination and intended use of the material is not known.   Iridium 193 is used to detect weaknesses in metal pipes, in radiotherapy, and in radiation treatment of certain cancers.This article underscores the importance of airline industry regulat ion of hazardous material transportation.   The article also underscores the importance of consistency in inspection and detection techniques in international airports.Since levels of radioactivity were low, perhaps employees in U.S. airports found no cause for concern.   It was probably assumed that the airline had the proper permit for handling and transporting the iridium.It is reasonable and correct for the Atomic Energy Council to levy a fine for not having the proper transportation permit.   However, the Council needs to work with cargo carriers, international agencies, and airports to develop uniform inspection and detection protocols.Inspection techniques should have examining transport licensing and permits as an objective.   Detection techniques should have determining acceptable radioactivity levels as an objective.   The techniques should have safe and timely transport of materials as a common goal.ReferenceCAL TO BE FINED FOR TRANSPORTING RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL WITHOUT PERMIT. (March 6, 2009). AsiaPulse News. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale.Google Finance.   China Airlines Ltd.(Public, TPE:2610) Retrieved March 10.   2009, from http://www.google.com/finance?q=TPE:2610

Castles In The Air

Man is a pleasure loving animal. He wants diversity of enjoyments. His intelligence has certainly enabled to get a much greater variety of enjoyment that is open to animals. Music. poetry and science, football and baseball and alcohol and cigarettes are some from which people of different temperaments and mental make-up derive pleasure. There are still others who undertake hazardous journeys on the uncharted ocean. Some of foolishly expose themselves to frost-bite and other inclemencies of weather simply to be called conquerors of snowy peaks but the thrill-which these practical men get fails to stir their soul.Even if they simply profess, it transports them to some ethereal pleasure, no sensible person who experienced the vast range of vicarious pleasures would believe them. In fact he who knows how to build castles in the airknow what the secret of perennial pleasure is, and which never gives one a feeling of satiety or frustration Much has been said in praise of the warriors who b y their barbarian exploits conquered their so-called invincible enemies. But is it not a fact that these conquerors could never lead a life free from the fear of being over-run by some braver and more crafty warrior or soldier.And this imaginary' fear drove them from one inhuman act to another? Did not Aurangzeb subject his father and brothers to most inhuman treatment simply to become the unchallenged emperor of India? Also they had cared to know how unconquerable is the person who handles sword in his dreamland where no blood issued and where forces fall as easily a butterflies in a young boy's net. Had they been contended with such conquests they might have not got a few pages in history read by bespectacled scholars, they would have, at least, remained unchallengeable masters of their domains.After all what does it matter to a person whether people talk well or bad of him after he is dead Then why expose ourselves to the smoky hazardous battle-field? Is not our unconquerable for t which is not to be defended by death dealing weapons better, it is in this world that intrigues find little head way. No doubt achievements give us a sense of fulfillment and a feeling of joy. But this joy is seldom or never in proportion to our efforts. Naturally all our plans and the pains taken in executing them head to insignificant pleasure, Not only that, This pleasure is not lasting.It is bound to result in frustration if success in one achievement is not followed by another. A part from that we may think that we have done something remarkable but others might not. This will prick the bubble of our pride and pleasure; the appreciation is whole hearted it might be only of section of people whose opinions we value the least, Then the fear of not being up to the mark also dissipate the pleasure we are likely to get from doing something concrete. And the period preceding our success is a period of great tension.In fact what we do by building casdes on the earth is not to please overselves but to please others. We work as salves and not as masters of our souls. If still some think that there is no pleaSure in idle dreams let them think so, It is a matter of opinion, and if we claim to be civilize we should not grudge them the right to entertain worn ideas. Above all pleasure is completely a personal affair. When it becomes a community affair, as the pleasure from concrete achievement is, we may call it anything else, but to call it pleasure would be misnomer.Nevertheless they who are earthy are contemptuous of day dreamers. The who ‘late and soon getting and spending law waste their powers and little see in nature that is ours are prone to have such feelings for those who make plans and entertain hopes that can never be realised. But is the dreams of such dreams to whom we owe much of colour and joy in the world. They make our drab )world permeate with whose who make life worth living. They wipe tears off every eye.They are the angles who do not fear to tread or even to rush, whatever the attitude of the down-to-the dearth people may be. It is a fact that in all ages such dreamers have been dubbed cranks. Nevertheless, it is the cranks of one age who dream of a world different from the one in which they lived that mankind have, though at a slow pace, become different from what other species are. The discontent of such dreamers with the present make them to visualise a world where mankind would enjoy the ‘sweetness and light' they unconsciously had been instruments.Day dreamers have super-human power of withdrawing themselves from the tedium of boring routine. They by virtue of sanguine optimism have the capacity to neutralize the blind darkness of the realist. The hopes they entertain never meet with frustration, and they with unheated zeal go ahead from one pleasure to another. This pleasure is rather unknown to those who cannot abandon themselves completely. An egoist who is ambitious to become supreme lord of a cherish ed domain cannot known this pleasure.Only the meet enter this kingdom. Obviously of all sorts of material gains which yelled nothing but disappointment, with a pipe in his mouth and a vacant glance in its eyes our dreamer is transported to that region where hatred ignoble reclaims give rise to love, humanism, broad mindedness and internationalism. And the picture of the world that emerges from such thinking is a thrilling and colourful pictures as are seen through a kaleidescope by a boy.