Helpful Online Resources for learning German

Helpful Online Resources for learning German To a lot of people, German sounds a bit weird. It doesn’t have the verve of French, the fluidity of English or the melody of Italian. And when one actually engages in learning the language, it turns out to be quite complex. Starting with its interesting ability to form words that never seem to end. But the real depths of the German language lie in the grammar. Even though there are more complicated languages and most Germans themselves do not necessarily use it correctly, there is no way around it should you want to master the language. To give you a head start, here are some helpful online sources for German grammar.   The â€Å"Deutsche Welle† (DW) is the German state international radio. It broadcasts worldwide in roughly 30 languages, offers a TV-program as well as a website. But, and this is where it gets interesting, it also provides educational programs, such as online language courses. As the whole DW is state-funded, it is able to offer this service free of charge. Tom’s Deutschseite:  This page has a funny background. It was created by a guy called Tom (obviously), who originally set it up for his non-German girlfriend to support her.   Canoonet:  This compilation of grammar-resources is provided by the Swiss IT-company Canoo. Even though the website looks rather outdated, it can prove to be a good help to learn some more about German grammar. The information was compiled and authored by a professional linguist.   German Grammar  supplies a large extent of examples and exercises. The site is run by a Berlin-based company, offering numerous services online. To be honest, to profit from the page, one has to look past its very old-fashioned exterior. One might say that the site tries to match the German language in its alleged drought. But the sheer information could be a goldmine.   Learning Grammar with Lingolia:  A much more modern looking platform for learning German grammar is provided by Lingolia. Besides German, the website also offers resources for learning English, French and Spanish and can further be viewed in Italian and Russian. The site is very well structured in a practical tile-design and easy to use. Lingolia also provides an app for smartphones, so that you can even check your grammar on the go.   Materials by Irmgard Graf-Gutfreund:  On her privately owned website, Austrian teacher Irmgard Graf-Gutfreund has compiled a large collection of materials to support German classes. Among other employers, she used to work for the Goethe Institute. On top of the huge grammar section, one can find materials to all areas of studying German. Note that the page is in German and though the language is quite simple, you should already know some basics.   Deutsch Fà ¼r Euch – Youtube Channel:  The â€Å"Deutsch Fà ¼r Euch (German For You)† Youtube Channel comprises a long list of video tutorials, including many clips that elaborate on German Grammar. The channel’s host, Katja, uses a lot of graphics to supply visual support for her explanations.

The Inventing Life of Thomas Jefferson

The Inventing Life of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia. A member of the Continental Congress, he was the author of the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33. After American independence was won, Jefferson worked for the revision of the laws of his home state of Virginia, to bring them into conformity with the freedoms embraced by the new Constitution of the United States. Although he had drafted the states Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1777, Virginias General Assembly postponed its passage. In January 1786, the bill was reintroduced and, with the support of James Madison, passed as An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom. In the election of 1800, Jefferson defeated his old friend John Adams to become the third president of the new United States. An inveterate collector of books, Jefferson sold his personal library to Congress in 1815 in order to rebuild the collection of the Congressional Library, destroyed by fire in 1814. The last years of his life were spent in retirement at Monticello, during which period he founded, designed, and directed the building of the University of Virginia. Jurist, diplomat, writer, inventor, philosopher, architect, gardener, negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson requested that only three of his many accomplishments be noted on his tomb at Monticello: Author of the Declaration of American IndependenceAuthor of the Virginia Statute for Religious FreedomFather of the University of Virginia Thomas Jeffersons Design for a Plow President Thomas Jefferson, one of Virginias largest planters, considered agriculture to be a science of the very first order, and he studied it with great zeal and commitment. Jefferson introduced numerous plants to the United States, and he frequently exchanged farming advice and seeds with like-minded correspondents. Of particular interest to the innovative Jefferson was farm machinery, especially the development of a plow which would delve deeper than the two to three inches achieved by a standard wooden plow. Jefferson needed a plow and method of cultivation that would help prevent the soil erosion that plagued Virginias Piedmont farms. To this end, he and his son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph (1768-1828), who managed much of Jeffersons land, worked together to develop iron and mould  board plows that were specifically designed for hillside plowing, in that they turned the furrow to the downhill side. As the calculations on the sketch show, Jeffersons plows were often based on mathematical formulas, which helped facilitate their duplication and improvement.​​​ Macaroni Machine Jefferson acquired a taste for continental cooking while serving as American minister to France in the 1780s. When he returned to the United States in 1790 he brought with him a French cook and many recipes for French, Italian, and other au courant cookery. Jefferson not only served his guests the best European wines, but he liked to dazzle them with delights such as ice cream, peach flambe, macaroni, and macaroons. This drawing of a macaroni machine, with the sectional view showing holes from which dough could be extruded, reflects Jeffersons curious mind and his interest and aptitude in mechanical matters. Other Inventions of Thomas Jefferson Jefferson designed an improved version of the dumbwaiter. While serving as George Washingtons secretary of state (1790-1793), Thomas Jefferson devised an ingenious, easy, and secure method to encode and decode messages: the Wheel Cipher. In 1804, Jefferson abandoned his copying press and for the rest of his life used exclusively the polygraph for duplicating his correspondence.

Analyze 2 poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze 2 poems - Essay Example Diction is poet’s special way to convey the internal fire, the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings that take the form of art and aesthetics to create the magical effects. The poems being analyzed in this essay are â€Å"For Malcolm, a Year After,† by Etheridge Knight and â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death,† by Emily Dickinson. "For Malcolm, A Year After,† (Hill, n. p.) is a popular ballad. He wrote this poem as an inmate at the Indiana State Prison. This poem is a â€Å"tribute to Malcolm X.†(Hill, n. p.) He asked the fellow â€Å"prisoners about Malcolm X the year after Malcolm’s assassination,† (Hill, n. p.) what was that date. None was able to give the correct answer. An agitated Knight reverted to his barracks and wrote the poem. His angry mood is reflected through the poem. â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death,† is a lyric poem by Emily Dickinson, published posthumously in 1890. Compiled and edited by her fri ends Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The poem was titled, â€Å"The Chariot,† initially. It relates to Death. The poet elucidates Death as a noble individual, who rides the carriage with her body to take it to the grave. In effect, the poet personifies immortality. The main points discussed in the poems are two faces of death. One merging with the eternity, another is the tragic termination of the life-force. Emily Dickinson examines Death from a friendly encounter and from the philosophical perspective of immortality, whereas Etheridge Knight reacts to Death with controlled vehemence for the violent end of an ideologue and challenges the causes leading to that tragedy. The literary element discussed in this paper is diction. Poetic diction is the distinctive language employed by the poets that is not common day slang. Diction involves archaism, rhyme, neologisms and figures of speech. Poetic diction is much different from daily speech and they succeed in de manding the attention of the readers. Words are used intelligently by the poets to convey feelings, action and attitudinal issues. The choice of one word to challenge the other is diction. Dickinson does not turn away from mortality and the she challenges Death as if it is a friendly encounter, --Oh, Death, come on, I sport with you! Thus the choice of diction is critical in the delivery of the message of the poem. â€Å"For Malcolm, A Year After,† is a political support statement for a black leader who commanded the respect of the poet. He intelligently and deliberately â€Å"manipulates metrical tensions and rhyme schemes†,(Hill, n. p.) as he constructs the statement for the slain nationalist leader. He launches the attack with a stinging statement, but holds it well to check the â€Å"self-destructive emotional explosion.†(Hill, n. p.) â€Å"Control the burst of angry words Or they might boil and break the dam† (L, 3-4) â€Å"Rhyme connects the form i n the â€Å"iamb† (L, 2) and the anger in â€Å"dam.† (L, 4) He writes in the language of the white man, but from the bottom of his heart, he rejects it. He detaches himself away from the rhyme in â€Å"mad† (L, 5) â€Å"The second stanza emphasizes that while Knight uses the Euro-American culture's form, he uses it to advance the political cause of Black Nationalism. Inverting the traditional conceit of the poem living eternally despite the death of the man, Knight writes that his poem, an artifact of the oppressive culture, will die, but its message, the message of Malcolm X, will live.†

Professional Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Professional Ethics - Essay Example However, as important as ethics are for any and all professions, the need and importance for ethics within the IT profession is arguably even more profound. As such, the following analysis will seek to engage the reader with an understanding of the way in which ethics is of such a vast importance within the IT profession and is so central to practice of good business behavior. Furthermore, the analysis will also draw upon some of the questions of value and how they are different from questions of fact. Lastly, examples of the IT profession in addressing issues of ethics will be utilized as a means of drawing further prints upon the situation and moral needs that might be illustrated. According to the ACM, the code of ethics for IT professionals includes nearly 24 points; among these contributing to human well-being, avoiding harm to others, honoring property rights and copyrights, respecting privacy, honoring confidentiality, and seeking to improve public understanding of computing and its consequences. Whereas this is by no means an exhaustive list of all of the determinants that the ACM seeks to put forward, it does provide a running commentary on some of the aspects that the ACM code of conduct understands as central to the application of ethical and morally responsible IT work. Arguably, one of the most distinctive facets of ethics, or even of ethical considerations, within the IT profession is concentric upon the overall amount of data and responsibilities that the IT professional has at his or her disposal (ACM, 2014). As a direct function of the way in which IT work is performed, it individual working within this particular career path will necessarily ha ve access to a broad variety of different personal, sensitive, and public information. Likewise, although it is somewhat dangerous to state that the ethical considerations for one particular career path are higher than another, it is fair to state that the overall level of responsibility that an IT

The 5 Technologies That Changed My Life Essay Example for Free

The 5 Technologies That Changed My Life Essay I thought it would be interesting to kick off a series where each of our columnists would share the top 5 technologies that changed and profoundly impacted our lives, along with the reasons why. Technology has shaped and is shaping many different generations in different ways and will continue to do so for long periods of time. I know I always enjoy listening to others tell stories about the products that truly impacted them for the better and some of the reasons why. So here are the ones that shaped my life up to this point. That’s right the very first EPIC NES. It was 1985 when the NES came into my house. I was instantly the coolest kid on the entire block. My father being one of the first analysts in the computer industry developed a good relationship with Nintendo so he got to bring one of the first units home. Many of you can relate to your first gaming experience, whether it be with the Commodore, Atari, NES or even the Playstation or XBOX. It was mesmerizing, captivating and seriously addicting. I couldn’t get enough, the escape that video games presents or more immersive and emotional that books or movies could ever be, for me at least. It also most likely contributed to my ADD. Now with the addition of things like Kinect and the Wii, families are getting together and playing immersive games together. For me it all started with the original NES. IBM PS/2 DIR/W. Ah the memories of DOS. The PS/2 was the first computer I remember using at length. We had many others before it in our home but I simply don’t remember them as well. I learned to use DOS on the PS/2 which instantly made me the go to for tech support in computer lab in the 5th grade. Computers and computing are a big part of many of our lives. I highlight this one because it was the one I spent the most time with at a young age and the one much of my computing foundation was grounded on. I had a difficult time choosing between the iPaq and the first Palm Pilot. I was at the Palm Pilot launch event when Jeff Hawkins first publicly demonstrated the device. In fact my dad took me out of school to attend the event because he knew how significant it would be for the industry. I remember thinking at the time how groundbreaking this pocket computer was. The primary reason I chose the iPaq over the Palm Pilot was because of the Metricom wireless card adapter sleeve. Although the original Palm Pilot represented a vision for a true pocket computer, the iPaq with the Metricom Ricochet Wireless card brought me the Internet in my pocket for the fist time and that was what gave me my inflection point. Now you may be wondering why I chose this device over a smartphone or cellphone of some kind. The reason was because this particularly product, tied to the Metricom broadband service, provided the basis for my smartphone experience. Because I was highly familiar and comfortable with a pocket computer experience, I didn’t have the same profound â€Å"aha† moments many did with their first smartphones because the iPaq had provided the fundamental experience of apps and the internet in your pocket. Being an early adopter I bought my first HDTV the second I could possibly afford one which was in 2003. That was also the year my first daughter was born, so I positioned it as a birthday present for her, which obviously no one believed. I remember the first time I saw an HD picture on this beast. I nearly cried. I stared at it for hours and watched the most random things simply because HD content was limited and I just wanted to watch HD shows. I remember telling my wife it was like looking out a window or like actually being at the football or baseball game. She didn’t think so but I did and that was all that mattered. I chose the iPad for a number of reasons. Mainly because in the 13+ years I have been working in the technology industry I always dreamed of a product like this (a no compromise tablet) and this was the first to deliver. I used nearly every pen computing tablet that came to market in a variety of shapes and sizes prior to the iPad. Yes, there are a number of good tablets on the market and they will all continue to get better but for me the iPad brought touch computing to the mass market and is still the cream of the crop in my opinion. Arguably touch computing started with the iPhone but a small pocketable screen is only capable of some elements of touch computing where the iPad represents a much more holistic touch computing platform and has cast a vision of where touch computing will go with future innovations. So those are my 5 defining experiences with technology. More Tech.pinions columnists will share theirs and why and as always we would love to hear from our fantastic community with your comments.

Rational Choice Theory Essay -- Legal Issues, Criminal Activity

There are three main points that are reinforced in rational choice theory (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). First, it may work better or worse for different types of crime, yet it is thought that there are rational choices in every type of crime even impulsive and pathologic crimes. Second, the theory should be applied on a crime-specific basis. Hence, burglaries can’t be grouped together in among residential and commercial categories. Rather, they must be broken into smaller facets such as public housing burglaries or wealthy residential neighborhoods. Finally, a distinction is made between criminal involvement and criminal events. Criminal involvement describes how individuals get involved in crime and further continue or abstain from this lifestyle. Criminal events have unique underpinnings, which are often shorter processes than criminal involvement structures. Among the goals of rational choice theory is to explain all types of crime (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). However, it does not propose that there is an underlying unity between different types of crime like other theories. Instead, these diverse elements are important in explaining why such events occur. Also, it incorporates factors that lead to crime, emphasizes the pattern of decisions throughout a criminal career, and accounts for situational variables of crime. In comparison, the deterrence theory proposes that the fear of legal punishment diverts people away from crime, while rational choice theory advances that in the act of choosing whether or not to commit a crime the benefits are weighed (Stafford and Warr, 1993; Cornish and Clarke, 1986). Hence, in both theories pain is a cause for not committing crimes. Furthermore, the deterrence theory has two chil... ...um, these three points show that development is a constant interaction between the self and the environment coupled with chance or luck. Recognizing that luck plays a role, or more appropriately called â€Å"random development noise†, is important to show the significance of the randomness of the process. Thornberry (1987) acknowledges the weight of the social control theory, social learning theory, and integrated models that combine the two. However, there are three limitations. First, causal structures are unidirectional instead of reciprocal. One example, social psychological research points to the reciprocal relationship between delinquent values and behaviors. Second, these theories use models that are usually non-developmental in nature – only focusing on one age range. Lastly, they surmise causal effects in a social structure to be similar throughout.

Cape Literature Ia “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare Essay

The 1993 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, by Kenneth Branagh, differs in many aspects from the original script written by Shakespeare. Branagh employs brilliant cinematography, manipulating lighting, camera angles to produce a carefree version to the original text. The soundtrack is dazzling and his interpretation breathes life and vitality into this old world play. According to critic Vincent Canby, â€Å"He has taken a Shakespearean romantic comedy, the sort of thing that usually turns to mush on the screen and made a movie that is triumphantly romantic, comic and, most surprising of all, emotionally alive† (May 7th, 1993). Lighting, music and technology enhance the various moods that perpetuate the film and Branagh is thus able to overcome language barriers, which enables the performance to be more understandable for a modern audience. The movie is assumed to be more light-hearted and free flowing than the original text. According to critic Todd McCarthy â€Å"The film is continuously enjoyable from its action-filled opening to the dazzling final shot. † Much Ado about Nothing is a tale of friendship, betrayal and the power of love to conquer all obstacles. It is one of Shakespeare’s comedies and though it has a dark side, staying true to being a comedy, serious issues are treated light heartedly. Branagh moves the setting from Messina to the verdant hills of Tuscany. His choice of setting therefore determines his overall mood for the film. The production begins with the recitation of Balthazar’s song by Beatrice (Emma Thompson). When the scene comes to light the audience is exposed to a striking panoramic shot of the rich rural setting. The shot then pans down to a society picnicking under the Tuscan sun. The society seems relaxed and warm as they loll on the grass listening to Beatrice (Emma Thompson), who is perched in a tree, reciting the song. The pace quickly changes from lethargy to one of excitement, as a messenger brings news of the forthcoming arrival of Don Pedro (Denzel Washington) and his men. Men and women scurry to the villa amid screams and laughter to get ready for the prince. Thoughts of war are abandoned and replaced by thoughts of love. The plot then revolves around two couples, Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), and Beatrice and Benedict (Kenneth Branagh). Claudio seeks Don Pedro’s help in wooing Hero. Once successful the prince then turns his attention to older, warring couple of Beatrice and Benedick and plots to gull them into falling in love. However, Don John (Keanu Reeves), the bastard, plots to destroy harmony in the play as he tries to foil the plans of marriage between the younger couple. His victory is fleeting as his evil plans are unearthed by Dogberry and his night watch. All ends well and the production ends in dancing and merriment. From the very beginning Branagh utilizes the advantages that technology has made possible producing a zesty film that is emotionally alive. He employs many techniques to make his production a success the first being the manipulation of different camera angles. As the film begins the audience hears the recital of what was originally Balthazar’s song by Beatrice, the words to the song appearing in white against a black backdrop, to the gentle lilt of a guitar. In this opening scene the screen comes to light with a magnificent panoramic shot of the countryside scenery. This establishes a very light-hearted and airy mood, and thus sets the tone for the production as blithe and jocular. Branagh sets his film at the Villa Vignamaggio in the hills of Tuscany, the bright Tuscan sunshine adds to the nature of the film giving it a jovial feel. The scene ‘pans’ down to men and women, sitting in the grass, occasionally playing with each other’s hair, allowing time to pass in a carefree manner. This slow ‘pan shot’ then quickly changes to a rapid flicking from scene to scene as Don Pedro arrives. The mood that is then highlighted is one of excitement as the camera switches from focusing of the scurry of characters to the villa and the victorious entrance of the prince and his men. As the film progresses Branagh exploits the use of the different camera angles to provide emotional information about the characters involved in the scene which thus allows the audience to form judgments about those said characters. For instance, when Benedick first speaks, the camera angle changes to focus on Beatrice – she scowls. This close-up allows the audience intimate details of the character’s emotional state. Here it hints to a history, a painful one at that, between the two. Even in the shaming scene, Branagh is able to focus on Margaret. In the original text Margaret is completely left out. Shakespeare was not privy to the advances of technology thus he was not able to do as Branagh did, thus Margaret was left out of the original scene. However through her show of guilt Branagh is able to reassure the audience that this will not last a feat Shakespeare achieved through manipulating language and plot structure. Significantly, when the villains tell of the â€Å"betrayal† of Hero the plan is never revealed however, and the camera angle switches to show Hero in her bed alone again reaffirming to the audience the truth something Shakespeare attained through language. Also as Branagh abridges the two gulling scenes, he is able to then superimpose the end of each scene, one over the next to show both characters experiencing the same thing. The cameras focus on their faces highlighting the immense joy they are both experiencing and relaying it onto the audience. Benedict is playing in the fountain and Beatrice is swinging on a swing, love is triumphant over the squabbles and the characters are now content. Another noteworthy technique that Branagh employs is that of character placement. In the opening scene Beatrice is shown perched in a tree, unlike the other women who are sitting, this immediately signifies that she is different. Shakespearean comedies usually have heroines possessing qualities beyond their time. Shakespeare is able to establish Beatrice’s character a witty and independent through her language and interaction with other characters. Through her interaction with the messenger who yields, and her witty repartee with Benedick, Shakespeare produces a character way beyond her time. However, managing simple character placement Branagh is able to visually complement what is set by language and that is an independent, strong character. Even when the soldiers arrive from war, the riding formation is to character role and status: Don Pedro, the prince, is place in the middle to the forefront and he is flanked on both sides, to the left by the ‘villains’ Don John and his henchmen and to the right by the ‘heroes’ Claudio and the others. Also in the shaming scene all the women take Hero’s side with the exception of Benedick who stays to support his love Beatrice, while the men are on the opposite side defending their honor against the ‘unchaste’ Hero. Costuming in this film is quite simple. The characters are dressed in white cotton which evokes a sense of simplicity which matches his vision for the play and complements the setting perfectly however, it does then produce a society that is quite leisurely and not like original society which was overly concerned with outward appearances. In Shakespearean times, dress was very important especially since it shows status and that was one of the most important things even in the original script of the play. However Branagh makes simple variations which are quite as successful. For instance Don Pedro and Don John don leather pants; all soldiers wear the same uniform with the exception of color to show their roles. The villains’ pants and jacket collars are black while the heroes don blue pants and blue collared jackets. The prince is the only character seen wearing a gold chain and pendant. With these slight variations in costuming Branagh is able to achieve the same means and stays true to his vision for the play. The soundtrack to the film was brilliant, at the beginning a cadence of guitar complements the languid feeling at the picnic as the mood changes so too does the music. The soundtrack soars to add excitement and hint victory as the Prince arrives. When the scene changes and Don John takes center frame the tune is ominous, the music is threatening and thunder booms as he puts his first plot to work. The soundtrack take on a melancholic tune as Claudio believes that the Prince is wooing Hero for himself. Shakespeare knew the importance of music. It is Balthazar’s song that Branagh employs suitably as the theme song for the film as it comments on the inconsistencies of men who â€Å"are deceivers ever†. Branagh’s use of props not only adds visual insight but comedy as well. In the beginning when the men arrive from war the flag thrusted upwards symbolizes their victory. For the masked ball, the characters wore appropriate masks which related to characteristics of the characters that wore them. Leonato wore a skull which signifies his old age, Borachio had a Cyclops mask which highlights his evil, Beatrice wore a cat mask which symbolizes her cunning nature and sexual prowess, Benedict wore a fool’s mask as he is frequently the joker, Hero had a pure white mask showing her purity, and Claudio had a baby mask symbolizing his youth. Benedict is seen fidgeting with his mask as Beatrice bashes him mercilessly, which shows his deflating ego as he endures the verbal abuse. Benedict has a fold chair as his prop for his soliloquy; he fidgets with the chair to add comedy. Once again this shows that Branagh uses his ability to have props to his advantage to make the movie more appealing to a modern audience. Branagh chose Denzel Washington to portray Don Pedro despite the fact that all Shakespeare’s actors were white. It was a smart thing to do however, because he is instantly recognized, being the Prince, and this blatantly shows the infidelity due to the stark contrast between him and Don John who is played by Keanu Reeves. The actors for Benedick and Beatrice are Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson who were married in real life and their natural chemistry comes out while portraying these characters. Shakespeare uses language to emphasize incompetence. Critics say that Dogberry’s language is lost in the squabble of Michael Keaton’s overacting. While Shakespeare depends on language Keaton is more dependent on his movements and antics to be comedic. According to critics from ‘Cinema For Crazy’ â€Å"Some of the characters are a bit annoying, like the constable played by Michael Keaton, and some of the scenes are overly dramatic, but it is Shakespeare after all and when it comes to playing with words, there’s no one better. Branagh and Thompson are wonderful together, Leonard and Beckinsale embody everything young lovers should be, Washington is powerfully sexy as the lonely leader and even Reeves delivers as the sullen villain. † Branagh makes full use of the lighting and setting, some of the things that Shakespeare was not fortunate enough to have in his time. All of the scenes where love blooms are usually outside in Branagh’s production; the outdoor landscape is very light-hearted and highlights the affectionate nature. The talks of love and courtship take place out in the green, in an airy setting where the mood is tranquil and cheerful. Villainy thrives in dimly lit areas. When the audience is exposed to Don John’s true nature it takes place in the dark sort of dungeon-like place, which is suited for evil. Branagh must also be commended on his use of the outdoors; he takes advantage of his environment by taking his production outside whereas Shakespeare was limited to the stage. Branagh’s use of this also enables his production to be more appealing to the audience and more understanding as most of the playful scenes take place outdoors. The wedding scene takes place outside in a merry environment which is supposed to make the shaming scene lighter. Branagh’s rendition of Much Ado about Nothing is very similar in meaning to that of the original text and deserves a certain level of credit for his precision. Branagh saw to the needs of a modern audience and set his production to their appeal. His use of comedy, lighting, cinematography and costuming each contribute significantly in their own way to the play. Although Branagh made a few mistakes; for example casting Keaton as Dogberry, which was the most negatively critiqued character. The critic James Berardinelli also says that Reeves’ casting has â€Å"missed its mark† and â€Å"modern actors who seem out of place in the period setting†. Branagh chose to base his main focus on the Elizabethans’ preoccupation with loyalty and chastity rather than on their fixation with outward appearances. It can be concluded that Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of Much Ado about Nothing is without a doubt considerably accurate in terms of its acquiescence with the text. Despite the fact that he does not capture everything in the play, the pieces which he does, enables a clearer understanding of the play for a modern day audience.

David Fletcher Case Essay

Jenkins, Fletcher Partners (JFP) has the potential to thrive and succeed in the financial service industry with stimulated, productive, and satisfied employees. However, there are small and large issues to be addressed in order to carry that in action. In this specific case analysis, we analyze the issues hindering JFP from further development, and suggest respective and appropriate suggestions to resolve those problems. First, a thorough evaluation of JFP shed light on a number of issues: The inconsistency with JFP’s differentiated and key organizational structure: wide, flat, informal structure for quick decisions. Struggles for autonomy within the company and the pending decision to hire a new research analyst. Anti-cohesiveness and lack of appropriate human resource management. Low team productivity and insufficient and inaccurate incentives within the work teams Although these issues present obstacles for further growth and potential of the firm, JFP is able to resolve th ese issues and consequently differentiate itself from its competitors in the industry with the following suggested resolutions: Further emphasize the informal and quick information sharing in between all the employees. Convince Stephanie to remain with the firm with a larger responsibility to enhance the structure under the assumption that her requirements are met. Hire Robinson based on her qualifications and acceptance by current JFP employees, and develop further evaluation of Fiske’s. Maintain a balance of young and senior analysts to achieve a productive and conducive learning environment. Implement regular and functional meetings at which every employee has an input. Develop performance management instead of performance reviews. Maintain the organizational restructures through work team productivity and implementation of appropriate incentivizing system. With these critical resolutions, JFP will become the unique, successful, and differentiated financial service firm that the founders originally dreamed of. One of the points of differentiation that JFP has from other financial service firms on Wall Street is its unique structure of small, flat, and wide for effective and efficient communication and decision making process. But Fletcher made a mistake to contradict that very principle of JFP. By not communicating with Stephanie and other salient members of the firm with regard to hiring process of Doyle, David Fletcher put more workload on himself, slowed the  decision making process, and disregarded other employees’ opinions and thoughts on Doyle, and practically created the silo effect. Fletcher explains, â€Å"I figured that Stephanie would do the health care and environmental stocks as well as the retail stocks while Brian would focus on his specialty, high-tech†, as he reveals his own â€Å"thought process† without the actual confirmation from Stephanie. Furthermore, Fletcher admits, â€Å"hiring Brian wasn’t coming from her pocket, it was coming from mine†, and demonstrates the contradiction to shared ideas and smooth flow of information he so desperately pursued himself. The employees at JFP are meant to communicate and share information with each other fluidly without any excluded members. However, Fletcher contradicted the ideal environment he desired to create by not communicating with Stephanie throughout the hiring process of Brian Doyle and thus deteriorated the structure he wanted. Although a desire for autonomy and greater success are contributing factors in Stephanie wanting to leave the firm, this significant incident has l ed to her feeling alienated and secluded from Fletcher and the work they used to do together. Another issue that Fletcher faces, looking forward, is whether or not to hire Fiske and/or Robinson. As previously mentioned, Fletcher makes the hiring process ineffective and inconsistent. When hiring Kindred, Fletcher learned from the conflict that had already risen between Doyle and Whitney, and makes sure to receive feedback from Whitney and other employees before moving forward with Kindred. Fletcher also maintains an incredibly packed schedule and the hiring process is overly crucial and overwhelming for him to do by himself. Moreover, because of his overwhelming schedule, Fletcher cannot possibly to train all the new hires on how evaluate stocks and consider the investment strategy. On a greater scale, throughout JFP there is an extreme lack of group cohesiveness and issues with conflict management. Members of the company compete to achieve the identical goal to become portfolio managers. Members of JFP have a power struggle to achieve their own individual goals; consequently, pay compensation directly associates with individual accomplishments. The very structure of Wall Street that Lodge dislikes includes silos with high departmentalization, and members with their own agendas. JFP requires a group cohesion for an effective decision making, yet the firm rewards for self-fulfilling achievements. Therefore, presented is a â€Å"Rewarding A while hoping for B†Ã‚  issue. Also, a clear relationship conflict versus task conflict is evident. There are personal and social disagreements that hinder employees to expend effort and resource on discussing vital company tasks and objectives. There are also many interpersonal and organizational conflicts that arise through peripheral transactions within JFP. One simple example includes Stephanie’s concern about where her desk is located. And yet, there are no company procedures to address and resolve these conflicts in a systematic way. Another example is lack of employees’ input about new hires. Unrest and social disturbances are within an organization present obstacles for employees to work efficiently and to be creative which affects their performance and in turn JFP’s success. The final issue to be address is JFP’s lack of effectiveness in work teams and motivation on both the individual and group le vels. More attention can increase productivity and motivation according to the Hawthorne Effect. Fletcher’s decreased attention toward Stephanie, demonstrated in Doyle’s hiring process, reduces her motivation and attachment to the firm and develops negative feelings about Doyle. Because Doyle and Stephanie have relationship conflicts, they cannot properly address task, including feedbacks for investment choices, which leads to decreased productivity and creativity within the firm. When Stephanie finds personal fulfillment and interest in her work, intrinsic motivation, Doyle’s hiring process situation diminishes it significantly. Because she is less secure and satisfied, Whitney is less motivated, which falls in line with Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory: hygiene factors, including security and working conditions, â€Å"operate primarily as de-motivators if they are insufficient† (175). Stephanie also has extrinsic motivation—Fletcher’s attention, praise, and guidance—which increases her intrinsic motivation as well as job satisfaction and a sense of purpose at JFP. Whitney’s lower job satisfaction results in a poor job performance and her attachment to JFP. In order to better achieve the wide, flat structu re for efficient and effective decision making, Fletcher should attempt to keep Stephanie Whitney with the firm because she has already gained expertise within the industry, and training and molding another new employee in place of Whitney bears immense opportunity cost for the culture and productivity of the firm. Additionally, Whitney has consistently performed at a high level, and the success she’s attained transitioning from  an administrative assistant to a portfolio manager can be leveraged as an effective tool to inspire others to work. Since Whitney has expressed a desire to leave, Fletcher needs to intrinsically and extrinsically motivate her to. In order to keep Stephanie motivated at JFP, Fletcher should have Stephanie with a team of her to delve into an industry that she is curious and enthusiastic about, so long as that industry has an investment potential for the firm. Since monetary incentives can be sufficiently satisfied with firms other than JFP, Stephanie needs to have the extrinsic motivator of autonomy. This reward for staying would be unprecedented in a firm where most decisions come down to David, and would be an indication that she is incredibly valued and essential to the organization. Permitting Stephanie to recruit her own team will also serve to widen the st ructure of the firm and delegate more tasks. Fletcher also needs to highlight the tie that they have shared in the past, apologize for not being transparent with her completely, and express respect towards her career development. Despite the possibility that Whitney will decide to pursue other opportunities, Fletcher needs to convince her to stay because of her credibility and the value lost from the firm’s perspective. There is an argument to be made that Whitney was at the root of personal issues in the past, but Whitney’s conflict was task-oriented, not personal. Her disagreement with many of Doyle’s investment strategies causes problems when Fletcher failed to address her concerns. In the end, Whitney ends up being right about Doyle, and it is not to be understated that she gets along very well with everyone else in the organization. Building a strong culture is a key for JFP in hiring new employees. Whitney, who already gets along with Robinson, can help to develop the environment in which portfolio managers work creatively and get along on a personal level as well. By treating Whitney as more of a thought partner than protege, Fletcher should keep Whitney for the benefit of JFP. As Kindred’s case reflect, new hires are more effective in their roles in hiring them. Therefore, the hiring process should be structured in a way that all existing employees get to meet the candidate before the decision is made. Organization’s small scale will allow such procedure that will result in more effective hiring process. More attention should also be paid to the current employees, not only to ensure new employees’ transition, but also to deal with the hiring process more  effectively. Whitney’s insistence upon leaving can be circumvented entirely had Fletcher heeded her concerns and addressed the issue earlier. JFP should also aim to balance between experienced and new hires, and encourage the experienced portfolio managers to act as mentors. Fletcher cannot possibly serve as a mentor for everyone; but forging mentor/mentee roles amongst the portfolio managers will lead to more cohesiveness in the organization, experienced employees leading by example and contribute to the flat structure of the organization with reduced risk of employees’ uneasiness. Fletcher has already taken a step in the right direction by seeking the approval of other employees for hiring Robinson, but needs to continue with evaluating Fiske. Moreover, JFP should feel confident about hiring Robinson because the other employees think highly of her and Robinson offers a unique background and valuable expertise. Despite Fiske’s experience, his ability to collaborate with his colleagues is the critical point to evaluate in the hiring decision. And thus Fletcher must turn to the rest of JFP for advice. In terms of cohesiveness and people management, JFP should implement work teams to emphasize the outcome is greater than the sum of individual ’s effort. Also, work groups can be particularly utilized in the new research analyst candidates’ environment because their primary task is to share information. Cohesiveness can be developed by rewarding employees as groups, increasing the time that employees spend with each other, stimulating competition amongst groups, benchmarking JFP’s performance to that of a competitor firm, and by increasing the exclusivity. Furthermore, JFP requires regular meetings at which everyone is involved and present to facilitate increasing the time employees spend together and resolving conflicts within the organization. Group successes and failures can be discussed and evaluated. In order to successfully restructure JRP, performance management is essential because it is another method for conflict resolution. Performance management will also bring a continuous flow of feedback so the employee can adjust his or her performance. An increase in employee satisfaction within the workplace will follow. Additionally, the Hawthorn Study states that non-financial incentives are more effective than financial incentives; also, attention from leaders has been pr oven to be 63% effective, praise from managers 67% effective, opportunities to lead projects 62% effective. â€Å"†¦(P)eople will  feel competent if they obtain feedback that indicates progress in their work or suggests ways that can increase their competence†. (176) The delegation of autonomy within JFP can also be addressed because autonomy is easily assessed and provided to employees if management constantly evaluates employee’s performance. Lastly, Fletcher needs to address work team productivity and motivation within JFP. As an example, Stephanie demonstrates enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment in her job, and Fletcher needs to develop these motivations further. He also needs to ensure a good team dynamic. Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity and result in more unique, productive and creative analysts. According to â€Å"scientific management†, extrinsic motivation is strictly positive; however managers often create undesired behaviors in their employees by utilizing this incorrect statement. (181) Therefore, Fletcher has to give critical feedback and attention to his analysts to provide them with some continuing extrinsic motivation. In addition, Fletcher should foster an environment in which analysts develop enjoyment and attachment, that will contribute to intrinsic motivation as well. Hackman and Oldham’s model of job enrichment (1976) suggests different ways to increase employee motivation. For example, task identity, task significance, and feedback are a number of them. Developing task identity means to increase an analyst’s sense of meaningfulness in one’s work and growing task significance means to increase the sense of importance of their work. Additionally, ongoing feedback will also contribute positively to the analysts’ motivation. Fletcher should focus on these methods, as well as an appealing work environment and good group dynamic, to increase his analysts’ motivation. With these constructive resolutions—further consolidating the unique organizational structure, effectively recruiting new employees, critically addressing conflicts and cohesiveness within the group, and appropriately maintaining the balance of motivation—JFP is assured to thrive as a differentiated, outperforming, and attractive financial service firm.

The Problem of Evil Rational, Reasonable, and Scientific Explains

The Problem of Evil Rational, Reasonable, and Scientific Explains Introduction As a philosophical issue, dealing with the Problem of Evil is fundamentally a matter of refining definitions. It means that the apparent contradiction between the existence of Go3d and the presence of Evil should be dissolves. It is important to consider those natures differently, do not try to create opposition between them. God is a rational being who acts in accordance with reason.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Evil: Rational, Reasonable, and Scientific Explains specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Peter van Inwagens defense left evil without attention and focused instead on modifying the God terms. This helps consider the world from the point of view of its creation by God as not a spiritual being, but as rational being who acts in accord with reason. God exists and he possesses the unique characteristics of omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence and to understand why evil exists. Problem of Evil The problem of evil is depicted in the following statement: If Go3d exists then how is it possible for evil to be present in the world. Being omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent, Go3d has the capacity to eliminate all cases of evil and provide happiness and goodness for all. It is possible to state that the existence of evil in the world helps us understand what happiness and goodness truly are. This influence human reasoning and is based on the opposition of these notions. Only having cognized what evil is, people are able to distinguish goodness. God’s characteristic features are aimed at helping people who have experienced evil to know what good. Only God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence help him do what he has done, namely create this world. Omnipotence of God God is omnipotent and it is impossible to reject it under the statements of evil’s presence. There are a lot of different reasons which can support this idea. Def ining the notion of the omnipotence of God, Peter van Inwagen points to the fact that we do not know what exactly God can do, we are just aware of the fact that he can. That is all. To prove God’ omnipotence, it is possible to implement the following examples. All people could have spoken German if they had lived in Germany. All people could have played golf, if their lives had been connected to this kind of sport. God can do this, but there is a natural question, what for?Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For what purpose would one speak German if he/she did not use it in everyday life? Why should one overburden his/her brain? Is it just for the reason that God CAN do it? All God does is reasonable and can be explained. God is unable to create a world where everything is good, as it contradicts the idea of personal choice and the understanding of goodness. As it has been mentioned above, if people did not experience bad things they would not know what goodness is. Therefore, people are the source of evil. The very understanding that God can do whatever he wants shows that he is omnipotent. This description leads to the conclusion that God can either do something or not to do it. Reason is the main tool God should be guided by as he can do it and he does it in the way how it must be and as a result, correct. God’s reason is based on omnibenevolence, which human reasoning is based on choice. Being omnibenevolent, God is unable on bad actions, thus, the nature of evil is a human being. Omniscience of God God is omniscient. The definition of omniscience presupposes that a person is omniscient when he/she knows for sure the main idea of the proposition and this person cannot have the false considerations. Omniscience of God is explained by the fact that those who have always behaved in a good manner in the relation to others are going to be r ewarded. This idea may be tried to be contradicted by the fact that the freedom of choice of human life rejects God’s omniscience. It means that if a human being has an opportunity to choose a life style, God is unable to know what is going to happen. But, having predicted that God is omniscient, it is possible to say that he is able to predict a choice of a human being. This characteristic feature should be connected with God’s omnipotence as an ability to do everything.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Evil: Rational, Reasonable, and Scientific Explains specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More God knows everything and he offers people the right to choose not as the hidden ability to guide human choice, but as the confirmation of the fact that God knows everything, and he is aware what choice a person will make. Sometimes, human choice is directed at the evil side, but God’s noninterferen ce is explained by the freedom of choice and the cognition of evil with the purpose to understand what goodness is. This is the main reason why God does not interfere into human decisions, as they will still come to the understanding of goodness. Omnibenevolence of God Omnibenevolent nature of God should not also be questioned as God has created this world with the purpose to give us life, but it is we are who make choice and act in opposition to God’s reasoning. God offers us the right to choose what exactly we want, therefore, he is not responsible for the choice people make. He can influence us and help us make choice according to his omnipotent nature and he can be aware of the choice made by people as he is omniscient, but, he offers the choice for people. It is their decision how to act. This does not point to evil existence and does not violate the problem of evil from the point of view of the inability to influence human choice if wrong decision is made. God is omnibe nevolent because his actions are directed at the goodness and human happiness. Everything he creates has its purpose, but, it is human choice whether to use that goodness or not. Thus, it can be concluded that the God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence cannot be the reason of the problem of evil as these notions are not connected. Personal argument Having stated that problem and having considered it from the point of view of the problem of evil, we came to the conclusion that to define God, it is important to use the following features, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence. Having discussed there issues we have managed to prove them and point to the fact that they cannot be used as the contradiction to God’s existence within the problem of evil. In other words, we have stated that the problem of evil does not go along with God’s definition as evil presence in the world is an obligatory issue and it does not rejects omniscient, omnipotent, a nd omnibenevolent nature of God.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion Therefore, it should be concluded that the problem of evil can be explained via rational, reasonable, and scientific. Gods characteristics of omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence are not undermined. The existence of evil is obsolete in relation to the existence of God as all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. There is no place to the evil problem as the existence of evil does not reject the presence of God. These notions are to be present together in order to show people what goodness is. Furthermore, the presence of evil in the world does not reject God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence as these notions should not be considered as opposed notions.

How to Go Viral With Brittany Thompson Of Virtual Resort Manager

How to Go Viral With Brittany Thompson Of Virtual Resort Manager â€Å"Going Viral† became a marketing buzz phrase in the 1990s and describes a piece of marketing content that generates a mythical resonance with an audience and spreads uncontrollably. For example, Hotmail had the idea to add â€Å"P.S. I Love You† at the end of every email users sent. The result: Big success and signing up 12 million users in just 18 months. But how do you keep such momentum going? What business results and revenue growth does this kind of phenomenon drive? In this episode, Brittany Thompson, social marketing and media manager at Virtual Resort Manager (VRM), talks about going viral for clients and how that shapes VRM’s marketing approach. Brittany knows how it feels shocking, unbelievable, amazing, and exhilarating to go from a few thousand to millions of fans and followers just overnight! Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By AMP072: Behind The Scenes Of Going Viral With Brittany Thompson Of Virtual Resort Manager 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Topics Discussed in this Episode: Keep current on what’s happening and conduct research to determine what ideas are good for your industry Build a team by recognizing strengths and weaknesses Improve exposure and engagement with clients by auto scheduling posts Increase your company’s bandwidth Market your company and your clients at the same time Going viral is attainable when you know your audience’s wants and needs Keep the momentum going when successful by filtering content to meet clients’ needs Share your secrets, and learn from others Determine what makes the cut by filtering content by looking at analytics Emotionally resonate with your audience by knowing your brand better than anyone else Resources: Virtual Resort Manager to automatically schedule posts; and its podcasts Write and send a review to receive a care package with sweet swag If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud,  Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Brittany: â€Å"Anybody who is trying to learn to do marketing is you have to niche yourself down to into a specific industry†¦if you pick something, be the best at it.† â€Å"You need to focus on what you’re good at and allow other people to be good at what they’re good at.† â€Å"We’ve had multiple standout successes. One of the most notable successes as a team was that we actually had a post go viral with over 16 million views on it. It blew me away.†

An Animals Place by Michael Pollan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Animals Place by Michael Pollan - Essay Example The paper tells that Michael Pollan introduces the interesting case of animal liberation at a time when eating animals, wearing animals, experimenting on animals, killing animals for sport etc have become common practices for humanity. The author has been highly effective in introducing the arguments of the people working for the liberation of animals. In a profound investigation of the arguments of people who plead for animal liberation, the author maintains that the most difficult animal rights challenge is posed by the killing of animals for meat and clothing. To Michael Pollan, the vexed question of animal suffering is whether human interest in eating animals outweighs their interest in not being eaten. â€Å"Whether our interest in eating animals outweighs their interest in not being eaten (assuming for the moment that is their interest) turns on the vexed question of animal suffering. Vexed, because it is impossible to know what really goes on in the mind of a cow or a pig or even an ape. Strictly speaking, this is true of other humans, too, but since humans are all basically wired the same way, we have excellent reason to assume that other people’s experience of pain feels much like our own.† Therefore, a reflective analysis of the article by Michael Pollan confirms that the author has been effective in examining the various aspects of the arguments made by the supporters of animal liberation and his major counter argument is that they reveal a profound ignorance about the workings of nature.