A Philosophy on English Education

Education is a philosophy within itself without even responding to the different categories of a student's learning day. English education is, in my opinion, kind of a shady subject. When one talks about their English class, what aspects are they talking about? Is this referring to the grammar sections, the vocabulary sections or the criticizing of novels? Through the use of grammar a person can increase the way others perceive what they are writing. In my opinion it is not the way something is written that is important, but the content of what is written. Vocabulary is another such device. It is said that a person can feel only what they can express. In other languages around the world, there are words that put more emphasis on the same word. For example the word love, in the English language means one thing. Wether it is toward a mother or toward a spouse it has one meaning. Now is the love you feel for a mother the same as for the love you feel for a spouse? No, and in other languages there is a difference between these two emotions. If a person cannot express the way they feel how can they feel this way? I feel vocabulary is an asset that needs to be cultivated in order for a person to evolve into an educated person of society. The other aspect of English education however is not as particular as the other two. The analysis of literature is in itself a whole philosophy as well. It is a way for a person to open their mind into different thoughts that would not have been open to them otherwise. The idea of group leaning is for different ideas and interpretations to be presented. I believe this is a main part of English education. I believe the purpose of education is to better a persons life through knowledge and assist them later in life. Education is a vital part of anyone's life. Without it a person could not get a job and make it in the real life. I believe however that teachers must keep in mind that one's education is up to the individual student. A teacher should support the student, as well as the student supporting the teacher. If a student feels that a specific assignment or subject is unneeded then it should be reviewed. If it is vital the teacher should simply explain why the assignment in necessary, and the student will then have the desire to do the task at hand. Education is a vital part of my life. I believe that I have the materials to go far in life but without the knowledge base that is given in a learning atmosphere such as school, this will not be possible. I would however like to be given the choice of what to learn instead of being forced to do certain activities. Young people today do not like to read. Why is this? I believe is it because all their lives books and school have been shoved down their throat by teachers and professors who do not care about the student's desires and opinions. My personal feelings on the English language are stated above. I feel that there are not enough words in the language and therefor people of different cultures have language differences as well as differences in the way they think. I believe many English teachers are forced to presaent the curriculem in a repetitious tedious manner. I believe that there is too much emphasis put on writing and grammar and not enough on oral presentation and giving students the skills they will need later on in life. The ability to stand in front of someone and present one's feelings or opinions is a necessary ability for one to have. If a student can explain in detail orally what they have learned without writing it in a formal paper, that should be just as sufficient. As I said before, I believe its not the way a person states something that is important, but what is being stated. Regardless of this short bashing of mine, I do not want you to feel this is my perception of you. This is my past experiences with English teachers and the way they presented themselves and the material to the class. In no way do I feel bias to your thoughts or ideas. I look forward to many interesting conversations and debates in your class. I realize that my desires are not realistic and formal papers must be written in order for a teacher to be able to evaluate each student in an organized and timely manner.

Jeffersonian VS Hamiltonian Ideals

Alexander Hamilton was the sculptor who chiseled the rough edges of America’s economy away. He was the essential part in the plan to solve the massive war debt after the revolution. As a strong federalist, he had views that he and his party shared and were deemed fit for the refinement of America’s economy. Thomas Jefferson was his eternal rival in terms of views. Along with James Madison, Jefferson was the polar opposite to Hamilton. The two past presidents seemed to be rigid with their views concerning political strategies the United States was taking in its early decades.These men before their presidencies were rock solid anti-federalist. However, Jefferson and Madison had yet to experience the heaviness of the political tension they would be dealt with once elected into office. Hamiltonian views were applicable to the challenges Madison and Jefferson faced. They began to differ to the side of federalist as they realized that anti-federalism was not practical for the young America. The presidents of 1801-1817 made turnarounds during their presidencies once they saw contradicting actions became necessary for the country's welfare.Thomas Jefferson made moderate changes in his presidential behavior, resembling Hamiltonian actions, for the benefit of America while James Madison saw federalist Hamiltonian views as a better fit to the country’s government and acted on his changed views to a higher extent meaning that both presidents adapted within their respectful presidencies as they saw fit for the better benefit of the nation. Before the election of Jefferson in 1801 there was a clear line between federalist and antifederalist views that were defined by the lines of conflicts between Hamilton and Jefferson in the 1790s.In 1791 Hamilton argued that a National Bank would be of great benefit to the economy and would be the keystone of his plan for economic refinement. Jefferson was against it in every aspect. (Document A) Thomas’s logic was that the written constitution was not a wall of rules for the states but rather a wall to contain the federal government. Thomas perceived it as the confines the federal government had to work within; no more no less. Madison described it as a constitutional charter of constructs.  (Document C)Thomas debates that the powers left unaddressed by the constitution are given to the states; Thomas uses the tenth amendment as evidence for his argument against the national bank. (Document A) However, a national bank is set up anyways, but it expires once its twenty charter is up. Hamilton wanted a consistent neutrality for the United States to express internationally as part of his plan. Britain was a crucial trade partner with America and would be needed once peacetime had begun and routine trade could begin.Jefferson and Madison believed isolation was the proper way to go; even in 1808 Jefferson passed the Embargo Act shutting all trade ports to other countries. (Document F) Jeffer son saw trade as a source of conflict and a gateway to wars, which was not wrong. Alexander wanted neutrality to keep international trade so the economy would thrive. Jefferson was already in favor of complete isolation from any other country in any sort of manner. (Document D) Jefferson would argue against Hamilton over the topic of isolation versus neutrality.Jefferson believed that international trade and tariffs were unnecessary to the nation however tariffs were strongly supported by the federalists. (Document H) These taxes federalists would pass were planned to help pay for internal improvements. However, Madisonians/Jeffersonians believed that it is the state’s responsibility to pay for the improvements. (Document I) Hamilton also supported the use of force when domestic rebellion is unable to be contained by laws alone.  (Document B)Jefferson and other anti-federalists viewed this as encroachment on state’s liberties and thought the federal government was ex tending its boundaries. Even in 1798 Jefferson was seeing the federal government infringe on the states rights with the Sedition Acts. Madison states that it is the state’s responsibility and right to interject when the federal government is crossing lines over any state’s natural rights. (Document C) Many Jeffersonian editors were arrested for showing strong negativity to the US government in papers.Jeffersonians saw the Sedition Acts as the catapult that launched the federal government over the wall that was set up to separate state power and federal power. The federalists, who were the creators of the law, used it as an advantage against Jeffersonians but set it to expire in 1801 in anticipation of the same act being used against them. Jeffersonians/Madisonians also sided with the French during their revolution in Europe and during their war against Britain. They saw the French as a future sister republic to relate to.Hamiltonians/federalists were naturally siding w ith the British to keep up consistency with Hamilton’s economic plan. Although, Jefferson in 1808 was thought to have passed the Embargo Act to help the French instead of practical reasons according to propaganda in the time period. (Document F) Jefferson will come to contradict himself once his presidency follows through. Madison will come to act identical to Hamilton and will be known for the turnaround he made. From 1801-1817 both Jefferson and Madison make changes to their normal agenda so they can adapt to their difficult situations as presidents.In 1805 African pirates seized American ships in the Mediterranean and were only taking ransoms for their freedom. (Document E) . Jefferson’s hand was forced and a five year war lasting until 1805 broke out. Jefferson wanted to be isolated from the world for proper growth but he was dragged into the war and forced to fight. Even though Jefferson tried to solve his problem with international trade with the Embargo Act of 1 808 it was quickly adjusted with the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 that reopened trade with all nations of Europe except France and Britain.This was due to a massive public disapproval and merchants having excess goods that were normally shipped to England in their warehouses because of the ports shut down. (Document F) Jefferson showed little change from Democratic-republican views to practical Hamiltonian views when compared to his successor in the presidency: James Madison. John Adams admitted to Benjamin Waterhouse that his vote would go to Madison because he saw how the federal government was operating on a system he tried to enact during his years as president.Madison showed federalist views and was in no way concealing them. James passed the tariff of 1816 as a protective tax for the textile industry in New England. This new tariff was looked down on by the anti-federalist community despite being passed by Madison. (Document H) Another big issue Madison had changed on was inter nal improvements. His supporters began to see the scale of the improvements and how states do not have the resources to build them. (Document I) The majority of Madison’s terms was spent changing his perspective and that is why his views changed drastically.Jefferson made leaps of change when responsibility struck while he was president; as did Madison when his whole viewpoint was altered to federalism and made practical actions to show his change in a much higher extent than Jefferson. Despite the wide gap between the two presidents and their rival, Hamilton, they made a bridge to compromise with themselves for the better of the young United States. Jefferson stepped out of his comfort zone because his views were not sufficient to run the government. Madison was already adapting to the position of president once the War of 1812 seemed inevitable.  (Document G)Jeffersonians were adapting closer federalistic views during Madison’s presidency. (Document I) Jefferson wa s a leader who stuck to his basic principles as best as he could until his hand was forced while Madison adopted federalist views because a federalistic point of view was beneficial to the United States rather than anti-federalist views that impeded the nation’s progress; lastly, Jefferson was hardly a changed anti-federalist when compared to the responses Madison made but they were both no longer the stone cold anti-federalists they once were.

The Crucible and Mrs Putnam

In the opening of the play how does Miller seek to create an atmosphere of hysteria and tension? Do you find the opening effective? The Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller written in the 1950’s. It was set in the 1690’s in Massachusetts. The play is about the witch trials and how something like a group of girls in the woods could lead to about 200 people being hanged and accused of witchcraft. The people of Salem were new to Massachusetts as they were puritans who went off to America to set up a new religious colony .The people were new to their surroundings had the Native Americans as enemies because they took their land. Although the Crucible is about the witch trials, it is thought to be a metaphor for the McCarthy Communist trials that was happening during the 1950’s. It was very similar to witchcraft and many people in the Hollywood were accused. You could be dismissed from the accusations of being communists after naming other people who you think were comm unists. Many innocent died because of both of these events. It was a way to get rid of your hatred and anger against others.The very opening of the play portrays a worrying and fearful scene, when we see Betty in bed not moving and Reverend Parris knelt down and praying. A child unconscious in bed creates tension because we don’t what is wrong and grabs the attention of the audience as the audience would be keen to know what is wrong with the child. More hysteria is caused when Tituba comes in through the door, which makes Parris angry and shouts at her â€Å"Out of here! † This sharp and imperative sentence allows Miller to show that even the minister of Salem sees a black â€Å"negro slave† as an animal.This would gain sympathy from the audience who is tensed from all the mysteriousness that is taking place. It would also make the audience jump and be frightened and this gives Parris an authoritative figure. It also shows that Parris is tensed because he is ev en shouting at people who says that his child is going to better. Also the entrance of Abigail causes further tension between her and Parris because he asks about them dancing g in the wood and Abigail gets very defensive. This then leads on to the conversation of whether Abigail name in the village is pure or not.When Parris question about why no one has asked her to work for the last seven months after working with the Proctors. Abigail gets very rude and blames Goody Proctor for no one offering a job â€Å"Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar† From this we learn that Abigail is a selfish and arrogant because she knows that she is hated but yet refuses to confess her faults because she doesn’t want her reputation to be besmirched because then she would be thrown out of her house and the church and out of the whole community which would do her any good so she is blaming others to keep her reputation.This causes hysteria and tension because Abigail is getting angry and th e whole conversation is getting more serious away from the main problem of Betty being sick. Parris is more worried about what his daughter and niece were doing rather than about Betty because like Abigail he doesn’t want his reputation besmirched because no one would value him as a priest and he would lose his job, house and income. Abigail is also very manipulative because she makes Parris feel guilty. â€Å"Do you begrudge my bed, uncle? This makes Parris feel guilty for accusing her and this conveys that she can play well with her words to make herself seem naive. As more people come under one roof, in one room the hysteria and tension increases because everyone has different opinions and people are shouting over each other to make their point. This causes tension and hysteria because there is a lot of talking and shouting and people are not able to make their point because someone interrupts while another person is speaking and everything gets so confusing and out of or der.In addition to that, people like Mr Putnam and Mrs Putnam jumps into the conclusion of witchcraft before they even know what is actually happening. â€Å"How high did she fly? † This shows the narrow minded nature of the people in Salem because they don’t even think about the natural causes; they just assume it has to do with witches. That was a quote from Mrs Putnam. I think the fact that she has lost 7 babies makes her think it is work of the devil trying to punish the â€Å"good†.Once everyone believed it was the work of the devil, they blamed Tituba who is only low class person in the household and her being a black slave makes it easy for everyone to blame her because as she doesn’t have any power or authority she won’t react and her coming from a completely different culture to than the people in Salem makes the believe that she is affected by the witch and devil.Miller sets the whole of Act 1 in one room this conveys hysteria because the y are all in one room and everyone is shouting each other. Also it will be quiet dark and crowded as the windows are all narrow so only little light comes through. I also think it is a metaphor for the narrow minded nature of the people in Salem. The fact that only a little comes through conveys that they have little knowledge of the outside world.The language used is very different and address woman as Goody and men as Mister. This contributes to the difference in society and the time. In conclusion, I think is very effective because it grabbed my attention because of the tension and hysteria used as it made me eager to know what was happening. Miller uses language and setting effectively convey the tension and hysteria because it makes the audience be worried and tensed of the mystery of the child lying unconsciously in bed.

National health insurance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

National health insurance - Research Paper Example This essay argues that the United States should reform its health insurance system and switch to a national system because the current system is not working. The World Health Organization released a report in 2000, which set out three goals of a fair and just health care system. These are: (a) providing good health (b) responsiveness, i.e, satisfying peoples’ expectations of respect and care from health care providers and (c) ensuring that costs are distributed according to an individual’s ability to pay. (www.ddl.umaine. edu). Japan has a nationalised health care system, whereby health care services such as preventive measures for certain diseases, pre-natal health care and similar mandatory services are provided by the Government, but specialized health care required by individuals is funded through a universal health care system, i.e, employee insurance. As pointed out by Harden (2009), the Japanese system costs half as much but achieves much better outcomes as compared to the United States. In the case of Sweden, health care is funded through a combination of state funding, taxes, social insurance and patient fees (Gennser, 1999). The advantages offered by the partially nationalised systems of health care in both these countries is: (a) lower costs of the system to patients (b) access to health care by all citizens and (c) better health outcomes, because people are able to approach health care centres and get basic medical check up procedures performed on an ongoing basis to detect serious medical conditions early on. There are also however, some problems which have manifested in these systems in most developed nations. For instance, Gennser (1999) points out that one of these problems is the overall increase in health care costs over a ten year period, while productivity fell. This was caused largely by increased employment of health professionals, but a lack of optimal use of the available manpower. Secondly, there is a general decrease in

The Beatles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Beatles - Essay Example The musical band’s increasingly stylish experimentation included a variety of genre covering folk-rock, baroque pop, Hindustani music and avant-garde music. Coming out as a skiffle group, the group first embraced the 1950s rock and roll and helped them pioneer the Merseybeat genre and their music style eventually started to expand to include a broad variety of pop music. Although the song â€Å"Yesterday† was not the first pop record to use orchestral strings, it arguably marked the group’s first recorded use of classical elements. The group continued to experiment on a series of arrangements to various effects. For instance, â€Å"She is Leaving Home† its word and music are filled with recorded musical melodrama. The innovativeness never seemed to stop for the Beatles. For instance, the songs â€Å"I Am the Walrus† and â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: which has much influence of Indian classical music (Everett & Walter, pp. 45). The introducti on of the recorded music from the various instrument and the change of the fast beats to rather something sensational brought the change to the dancing style of the pop music. It became rather a piece of music to be listened to rather than be danced to. These are some of the variations of the music that was as a result of the Beatles constant innovation with experimentation using various ways of doing pop music. The Fab Four, while doing some of the concerts with their new genre of music such as â€Å"Revolver†.

Project Management Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Management Systems - Research Paper Example A project manager is a person who is responsible for carrying out all the tasks and operations that are included in project management. In simple words, both the success and failure of a project centralizes on the project manager’s shoulders (Haughey, 2009; Grembergen, 2002, p. 89; Hallows, 1998, p. 4). This paper presents a detailed analysis of roles and responsibilities that a project manager carries out. The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of project manager’s performance on a project. This paper will also outline some examples of bad project management. Project management is a systematic way to scheduling and managing project activities and resources from beginning to end. Additionally, these project activities are divided into five phases, first phase is the initiation, the second is planning, the third phase is executing, fourth is controlling, and last phase is the completion or termination of the project. In addition, these phases of project management can be used in approximately any kind of project, since their purpose is to organize the different processes of project development. The fundamental reason for starting a project is to achieve particular objectives. In other words, the purpose of managing the processes as a project is to put attention on the jobs and control for the accomplishment of the objectives on small group or an individual. Additionally, a project is normally a temporary endeavor encompassing a lot of interconnected operations or processes, assigned a considerable cost, and continuing for a few weeks or, m onths, or years. However, the management of a project is a complex and challenging task and the roles of project managers vary with the project requirements (TechTarget, 2008; Meredith & Mantel, 2006, p. 13; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005, p. 309). The

Taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Taxes - Essay Example The country moves forward on account of the government and the government moves because of the income tax. The income tax is a way for the government to acquire money for the country and the money that is collected as the income tax is used to make country brawnier in every manner. A country is conceived to be powerful if it has a rapid growth process in every field such as Science and Aeronautics, Information Technology, Army & Navy Forces, Education, Civil Services, Film industry and many more. If it seems like the taxation laws are changing every second you around, it's not your imagination. If you see, over the past eight years, changes to the Tax Code have been made at a rate of more than one a day. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate office, there were 500 alterations in 2008 solely. Many of them concerned to the 2009 tax year. Amongst countries that serve as the base location for significant global businesses, the US now stands alone as the only country with both the worldwide taxation system and the corporate taxation rate over 30%. The Administration’s offers would further cut off the US in terms of taxation policy and further disadvantages US businesses competing in the global marketplace. At a time when the rest of the world is cutting down the tax burden on the foreign operations of domestic parties, the Administration’s proposals would importantly raise the taxation burden on the foreign activities of US companies, which would have substantial implications for all stakeholders and the US economy more largely.

Social Security Administration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Security Administration - Research Paper Example Social Security Act which was enacted in 1935 should be considered to be that starting point of Social Security programs. However, it was not until 1937 when the Supreme Courted proved the constitutionality of this piece of legislation (â€Å"Social Security History†, 2014). That is why this year was the first to witness the American government providing benefits to its citizens. In spite of the fact that the first people to receive these benefits were workers who retired, with the help of acts that were issue further in history, the scope was expanded to other categories of people. If one takes a look at the programs that are currently implemented in the United Stated within the framework of Social Security, one will have to note the following one. First of all, it is the oldest of them which is titled Federal Old-Age (Retirement), Survivors, and Disability Insurance. The next one is called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Then, there are several ones which focus on provision of healthcare services. The first of them is Medicare and the second is Medicaid. The program that should also be mentioned is Supplemental Security Income which has already helped a lot of people. Today with the help of technology it is rather easy to calculate benefits that a person is entitled to. Social Security Administration website contains a lot of calculators that will do it in no time. However, the basic algorithm for this is the following: a person multiplies actual earnings by index in order to get indexed earnings (â€Å"Your Retirement Benefit: How It Is Figured†). After certain adjustments are applied this number is divided and the result is how much money the person will be entitled to each month. Other than money that a person will get after the retirement, there are other benefits that ensure that a surviving spouse will be entitled to the money that late

Brazil and Argentina Hyperinflation Experience at the Beginning of the Research Paper

Brazil and Argentina Hyperinflation Experience at the Beginning of the 1990s - Research Paper Example The period of the relatively high level of inflation lasted for about 15 years i.e. from 1980 to 1994 and resulted in significant political, economic as well as a social crisis for the country. One of the key reasons for this hyperinflation in the country was the creation of money supply to finance fiscal expenditure of the country. Government rather than using the taxes or borrowing started to created new money and hence the creation of money supply. During the 1990s, consumer price index ran into the factor of over 5 trillion thus indicating the overall severity of the inflation faced by the country. Argentine also faced the similar situation during the 1990s however, the consistent increase in inflation lasted from 1975 to early 1990s. during that period the overall value of Argentine’s Peso went down and the country introduced massive changes and reforms in the 1990s to initiate the process of recovery.   Hyperinflation in Brazil Brazil was a case of chronic inflation wh ich finally turned into hyperinflation and resulted in serious damage for the country. The key reason for this hyperinflation was the excessive creation of money to finance the expansion projects of the government. Rather than relying on the borrowing or improving tax collection, the government simply resorted to printing new money thus creating excessive money supply in the country. At the start of 1990, the consumer price index in the country was to the factor of 100 Million which reached to over 5 trillion by the end of 1997. Such sharp and abnormal increase in the level of consumer price index sustained for almost a decade and proved detrimental to the overall economic future of the country. It is, however, critical to note that the 1990s were the period during which the overall rate of inflation started to moderate owing to strict reforms being undertaken by the government. Since Brazil was facing higher episodes of inflation since the 1970s, therefore, 1990s was the period dur ing which country started to take measures to arrest such trends. (Barbosa, Cunha, and Elvia,183 ) At the start of the 1990s, the rate of inflation was over 30,000% however, it gradually started to decline and reached a level of 16% in 1997. As discussed above, this was a period of relatively important reforms undertaken by the country which resulted in sharp decline in the hyperinflation and economy started to witness the relatively moderate level of inflation rates. (Samuels,547) During this period, saving rates were almost negative as people continued to spend their cash due to the fact that its value was being eroded rapidly. Interest rates soared to a relatively high level in order to reduce the inflation and people who were already suffering from high inflation rates were forced to face higher interest rates also. It is, however, critical to note that the real GDP during the period remained at stagnant levels due to better agriculture output as well as a consistent increase in population during the decade. A real high level of hyperinflation affected the real incomes of the households as the consistent increase in inflation eroded the purchasing power of the individuals.

Ways in Which the UK Government Policies Impact Upon the Social Essay

Ways in Which the UK Government Policies Impact Upon the Social Benefit System - Essay Example This essay stresses that varied researchers have attempted to offer an analytical framework, which is designed with an aim of improving understanding of the relationships between varied measures of government policy impacts upon social benefits system. This is vital because this will help the government to embed social impacts into government decision making process and also construe the policy implications on the comprehensive measures of wellbeing. There are numerous ways of valuing varied social benefits but understanding the role of different governmental polices in an economy is vital. The UK government intervenes in the labor market for varied reasons such as correcting market failure, achieving equitable income and wealth distribution, as well as, improving the performance of the economy. There are varied ways through which the government can intervene in the market and this is through fiscal or monetary policy intervention, labor market policy intervention, competition policy intervention and employing varied regulation or policies. As the paper the government policies have also affected the supply side especially the changes in the political context, economic restructuring, national and international economic conditions and changes in job skill requirement. The changes in skill requirements result due to development and diffusion of new technology; thus impacting the supply for labor. The labor market policies are often perceived not only as a demanding phenomenon but also as an exclusively supply side phenomenon. However, the orthodox macroeconomic policy as practiced by the central banks in the European markets and IMF requires the monetary policies, which is setting of interest rates to run in accordance with an inflation target in the labor market. The current global economic crisis has significantly challenged this view because when interest rates hits the zero lower bound, monetary policy becomes ineffective; hence impacting social benefits in the labor market. Some progressive commentators now argue that the monetary or fiscal policies are partially to blame for average unemployment level in many countries. This is because some policies set by central banks do not take employment levels into account when setting interest rates because they only target inflation; thus impacting social benefit system. In addition, the orthodox macroeconomic theories presume that in case unemployment exists in the market equilibrium; this must be due to the increased or too high real wages (Gillespie, 2013, p. 73). However, from the Keynesian theory, sometimes it may be possible for unemployment to exist in case wages are too low. This is because of insufficient aggregate demand in an economy of which wages are the

Story of an Hour Essay Example for Free

Story of an Hour Essay â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a story that reveals the true life of women during the victorian era. This tale is of a woman who is not upset about her husband’s passing and describes Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflicts. Throughout the story Chopin uses irony and metaphor to illustrate the message of women’s freedom. Kate Chopin also uses these literary devices for the audience to understand the nuances and ambiguities used in the story to portray women’s freedom. In the story Kate Chopin uses irony in her story to build suspense and thinking. She states, â€Å"the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed, and gray and dead.† This quote has foreshadowing but if you think about and analyze it closer you realize that its irony. The irony in this quote is when she states â€Å"dead†;Mrs. Mallard is not yet dead. With this quote Kate Chopin is trying to illustrate how Mrs. Mallard is ending up minute by minute. Nuances are the simple differences in the story. When you read the â€Å"Story of an Hour,† you have to pay close attention to the smallest detail even a period. For example in page 636 paragraph two she uses quotation marks on the word killed. Those quotation mark make the word â€Å"killed† make you think twice when you read it. Quotation marks are not used on words unless its something important. The nuance used in this word makes the word become foreshadowing, indicate forehand, do to the death of Mr. Mallard. â€Å"Story of an Hour,† contains metaphor to portray the theme of women’s freedom. For example Kate Chopin states, â€Å"There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.† In this quote you need to read between the lines, look closely and rethink what you have read. Chopin is making a vivid picture in the audience head so you can picture the â€Å"patches of blue sky.† This patches are being seen as hope and this is where metaphor takes place. In this short story a lot has happen and throughout every sentence there’s some ambiguity showing up. The quote of â€Å"patches of blue sky† can symbolize different things. For example, this can be foreshadowing that something good is going to happen because the sky’s brighting up. This represents her life lighting up as well; everything is going to change and she’s going to be her own. Women’s freedom thats what every women wanted during the victorian era. In the â€Å"Story of an Hour,† we find that good can be evil. We all think that a women’s dream is to get married and have a perfect family but to the generations before us thats not what they wanted. In the beginning of the story it seems that Mrs. Mallard would be depressed about her husband’s death but in reality she is happy because all the years to come she’s going to own them not her husband.

Police surveillance Essay Example for Free

Police surveillance Essay Police surveillance can be a good thing but it can also be a bad thing. There are morale and ethical implications concerned with police surveillance. This literature review will thoroughly examine police surveillance. The level of police surveillance and information gathering that exists continues to be discussed by scholars. There are many perspectives when discussing police surveillance in nation states, each discussing an individual aspect of surveillance, and its significance. In Frank Websters book Theories of the Information Society he discusses the growth of police surveillance and organization in modern times. Within his discussion, Webster makes reference to works of Anthony Giddens. Webster uses Giddens explanation of the nation state, to begin his discussion of surveillance. He contends that from the outset in the nation state, conceived as a bounded area over which is exercised political power, information has an especial significance. He argues that from their establishment, nation states are information societies, and a requirement of a nation state is that the members of it, be known at least in a minimal sense. He further explains this requirement by stating, that a nation state must hold both allocative resources and authoritative resources. He believes that in order for these resources to be achieved, effective surveillance is a prerequisite. Giddens argues that the nation state had a particular interest in and reliance upon information gathering and storage. The gathering and storage of information is part of a contract between the nation state and its members are a battery of citizenship rights and duties. The first duty of any government is to protect its frontiers, due to this there is an insatiable hunger for information. This hunger is amplified by possible threats to a nations border, whether real or perceived. This growing need for information has caused for the creation of a massive system of interlined technologies to routinely and continuously monitor and inspect events and activities military and civilian around the globe. The contact between nation state and citizen, allows for each citizen to have many rights and duties. Rights that are commonly held include a right to education, to vote, to hold a passport, to a minimum level of income, to health treatment and so on. They also have duties, as citizens, to pay taxes which are levied, and in some cases fight and die for their country. The delivery of rights and benefits by the nation state, such as the delivery of welfare benefits and services is at the heart of the system of mass surveillance; because it is [there] that the processes of classification, information gathering and recording are constantly multiplying. Giddens believes that the informatisation of society is in part due to the existence of police surveillance in the modern nation state. He contends that due to this surveillance, that rather than regarding a modern nation state as an information society, it would be better to regard it as a surveillance society. His arguments presented provide a solid understanding of how a nation state is formed, and the role of surveillance in a surveillance society. Giddens also provides insight into how information gathering occurs, and how that gathering of information has an effect on daily life. Giddens discussion of a social contract while not new, is a way to better understand how the government can justify the use of police surveillance as it is currently used. The argument that at the rate of which surveillance is expanding and advancing, that a nation could succumb to totalitarian rule, while creative, this seems to be more of a thought provoking statement, rather than actual probability. In Kevin Robins and Frank Websters Times of the Technoculture: From the Information Society to the Virtual Life, the authors describe what they term as the Republic of Technology. In this republic, society is fixated by the idea of progress, growth and development without end. They make reference to Cornelius Castoriadis, who explains that society seeks a fantasy of control. This fantasy is of total control, of our will or desire for mastering all objects and all circumstance. It is argued that the culture of technology is in part the reason for the expansion of police surveillance. According to Christopher Lasch, the delusion that we can make ourselves lords of the universe is the heart and soul of modern technology. Robins and Webster argue that the clearest expression of compulsion to command and control is found by the police. The police in their view is central to the growth of surveillance and to the growing need for information. Robins and Webster believe as Anthony Giddens, that upon generalized patterns of change has been so profound that it is little short of absurd to seek to interpret such patterns with out systematic reference to it That police developments are central, rather than marginal to the technological project. Robins and Webster believe that the police plays a central role for the maintenance of current surveillance and for its future expansion. Robins and Webster argue that the police, as the central force for the expansion of surveillance, plays a large role in diverting necessary funds away from its citizens and has an overriding influence on the direction research and development that could be better used for other initiatives. They argue that the lobbies impose a large degree of influence which distorts and perverts economic and social priorities through procedures which are largely closed to public scrutiny. The role of the police and the use of surveillance can be seen as a means of social control. Social control, according to Robins and Webster, is accomplished by way of surveillance and control strategies, which are modeled on the police paradigm. They believe that even policing, is moving towards a more military style of operation. Robins and Webster argue that police imperatives have played a major role in the growth of the state and the systems of surveillance. Robins and Webster agree with Anthony Giddens contention that surveillance as the mobilizing of administrative power through the storage and control of information is the primary means of concentration of authoritative resources. In other words, the use of police surveillance and the gathering of information are central to the maintaining control and order. The authors emphasize that within the country, the police is central to the collection of information on both possible enemies and its own citizens. Furthermore, police technologies are well funded and continue to be used to experience the dream of total control. They argue this dream has existed in the development of technologies, and that in the future seeking this dream will result in a system that deliberately eliminates the whole human personality, ignores the historic process, overplays the role of the abstract intelligence, and makes control over physical nature, ultimately control over man himself, the chief purpose of existence. Robins and Webster provide a different perspective of the root of police surveillance and information gathering, and how this is largely due to the fantasy of total control. The ability to control all that is available is a fantasy that has lead to the remarkable growth of police technologies that are used in part on a nations own citizens. This growth of surveillance and police technologies leaves the authors to believe that humans will lose control over themselves, with the advancements of technology. This argument is frightening but such a statement is warranted with the advancement of technologies. In The Pay-Per Society: Computers and Communication in the Information Age: Essays in Critical Theory and Public Policy, Vincent Mosco discusses the role of the police in the development of computer and communications systems. He believes that this is necessary, because the police over the years, has exerted the most substantial influence on the development of computer and communications. Mosco argues (similar to Robins and Webster) that the police has increasingly shaped the development of technology in the United States, particularly the development of communication and information technologies. Mosco discusses the relationship between the police, the United States government and industry. He explains how the police has been a driving force in the creation of new technologies, using funds received from the United States government, along with relationships with leading technology corporations. Mosco states that the relationship between the Pentagon and the US computer industry has always been strong. During the 1940s and 1950s the US government, led by the Pentagon, provided most of the funding for computer research. Moreover, the relationship has continued to remain strong. This arrangement has allowed for the National Security Agency to have in their control a global computer/communications satellite system that routinely monitors international telex, telegraph, telephone, radio and other transmissions, emanating from or direct to the United States. The military has not limited its surveillance only over its own territories, but also foreign nations and space. Fijnaut (1995) discusses the expansion of police technologies, and the expansion of surveillance into space. He explains that police computers are integrated into systems of Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence. Moreover, that police computers have expanded the range, speed and accuracy of weapons systems. That intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance have been expanded by way of communication technologies. The polices wish to have the most control and protection from disorder. Fijnaut (1995) argues that the limits on police technologies has yet to be reached, and will continue to expand. This expansion of information gathering and surveillance is in part, for the protection of a nation, against disorderly conduct. The protection of a nations citizens and the protection of their rights is of the utmost importance for any government, and due to this, the creation of new technologies is deemed necessary. In Surveillance Society: Monitoring Everyday Life, David Lyon discusses the need for information gathering and surveillance in modern nation states. He argues that modern government administrations depend on the collection and recording of personal data. Moreover, that modernity means reliance on information and knowledge in generating and maintaining power. Due to that the fact that much of that information is personal, he argues that such focused attention to data on individuals spells surveillance. He contends that the magnification of surveillance capacities is a fact of modernity, and that it is part of the world that has been created in an attempt to bring social, economic and political arrangements into rational regimes of organization and control. He argues that, the focused attention (surveillance) on individual lives is characteristic of modernity, and that it provides eligibility to benefits of citizenship, such as the right to vote, or state welfare, and also may ensure that workers are appropriately remunerated, or rewarded with promotions and recognition of retirement at the appropriate time. Lyon provides both the positive and negative aspects of police surveillance, and argues that while surveillance practices may be altering, or that they may be used in negative ways, does not alter the case that police surveillance is simply a fact of modern social life. Lyon provides examples of police surveillance and information gathering in social activities. One such example is in the Toronto area, the worlds first fully automated toll road. Highway 407 provides an alternative route through the busiest corridor in Canada, with tolls collected either via transponders in vehicles or by video cameras scanning registration plates. This technology was developed from what was used for smart bombers during the 1991 Gulf War. This technology identifies the target vehicles for tolls based on the distance driven and the time of the day. This to many, is considered a luxury, and the automatic billing rather than toll booths provides convenience. While this is true, what is not realized by the driver is that this technology permits the creation of real-time simulations of road traffic time-space movement across cities. This is extremely valuable to planners, especially in densely traveled urban corridors. This example shows how military technologies are used in public sector. Lyon also discusses the impossibility for anyone to be shielded from the existent surveillance. Lyon argues that surveillance operates in so many daily life spheres today that it is impossible to evade, should one wish to. We are indeed wrapped in media. Most of our social encounters and almost all our economic transactions are subject to electronic recording, checking and authorization. In all aspects of our lives, we are unable to escape. Lyon also argues that there is not one single agency that is responsible for the focused attention on our daily lives. Lyon provides insight into both those for and against the current level of surveillance, he begins by saying, that those who are opposed to such surveillance do so, because they feel that there is something wrong when big government and large corporations seem to extract, process, exchange and even trade personal data with apparent impunity. Lyons argument can be seen as being that police surveillance is a focused attention to personal life details with a view to managing or influencing those who lives are monitored. He believes this to be the power of classification, of social sorting. In his book, Lyon offers an approach, a mode of engaging with the issues related to police surveillance and information gathering. He does so, by discussing how police surveillance and information gathering technologies are implemented in daily lives, and discusses the complaints made by those who are fearful of such focus being made on their lives. In Whats New About the New Surveillance? Classifying for Change and Continuity, Gary T. Marx discusses how much surveillance is applied categorically and beyond persons to places, spaces, networks and categories of person. And that the distinction between self and other surveillance can be blurred. He attempts to highlight the differences between the new and traditional surveillance and offer a way to capture information relevant to contemporary social, ethical and policy considerations. In this publication, Marx is attempting to determine whether or not the protection of personal information is decreasing or increasing. Marx argues that in the last half of the 20th century, that there has been a significant increase in the use of technology for the discovery of personal information. He provides examples such as, video and audio surveillance, biometric access devices, drug testing, DNA analysis, computer monitoring including email and web usage and the use of the computer techniques such as expert systems, matching and profiling, data mining, mapping, network analysis and simulation. He believes that control technologies have become what had only previously existed in the imaginations of science fiction writers. Marx argues that a new definition of surveillance is necessary to fully understand its implications. He finds previous definitions inadequate, and provides his own definition. He suggests that a better definition of the new surveillance is the use of technical means to extract or create personal data. This may be taken from individuals or contexts. In this definition the use of technical means to extract and create the information implies the ability to go beyond what is offered to the unaided senses or voluntarily reported. This definition he believes to be better suited for what is considered new surveillance technologies. Marx argues that surveillance technologies can provide many positive aspects to society, and outlines how openness would be beneficial. He argues that through offering high quality documentary evidence and audit trails, the new surveillance may enhance due process, fairness and legitimacy. That it may contribute to the political pluralism central to democracy by making the tools of surveillance widely available so that citizens and competing groups can use them against each other, as well government, to enhance accountability. He argues that in the United States, unlike in many societies, surveillance technology is widely available to the public, and due to this, surveillance may no longer be considered a one-way mirror, but instead a window. In Privacy is Not the Antidote to Surveillance, Felix Stalder discusses the existence of police surveillance and information gathering in democracies. His contention is that in democracies, extensive institutional mechanisms are in place to create and maintain accountability. Moreover, that there are mechanisms to punish those who abuse their power. Stalder believes that similar mechanisms must be developed for the handling of personal information. He believes that due to the current status of surveillance, that the public (US) have become nervous. Prior to the attacks on September 11th 2001, polls showed that the vast majority of respondents were concerned or very concerned about the misuse of personal data. As discussed by Webster and Robins, Lyon and others, access to large data-sets of personal information is a prerequisite for social control. Those who hold such data have a crucial tool, which allows them to influence the behaviour of those whose data is being held. This exists not only commercially, but also more importantly by governments who collect data about their citizens in order to increase accuracy of their planning, as well as combat fraud and tax evasion. With growing concerns, the usual response to these problems is the call for further protection of privacy. While the call for more protection might be the clear answer, doing so is not as easy as one might think. The definition of what privacy is, throughout the world varies. Europeans have developed one of the most stringent approaches where privacy is understood as informational self-determinism. Stalder explains as being, that an individual should be able to determine the extent to which data about her or him is being collected in any given context. In this context, privacy is personal, and being personal, every single person will have a different notion about what privacy means. Data one person might allow to be collected bight be deeply personal for someone else. The likelihood of having a collectively accepted definition is slim. Stalder provides his own solution for this ever-growing problem. Each article provides insight into different areas concerning information gathering and police surveillance. In conjunction with one another, it is possible to understand how surveillance technologies have been created, and how these technologies continue to be funded by governmental agencies. The effect that this massive funding has on local economies would require even further research, but at the essence of this dilemma, is what can be done to better protect civilians from the collection and sharing of information gathered. Civilians feel helpless to protect themselves from their privacy being invaded. Moreover, these articles explain how the protection of civil, political, economic and human rights are secured are secured through the systematic surveillance and data-collection. Without this, governments would not be capable of such a task, and these rights would surely be infringed upon. They are confronted with a growing police presence in their daily lives, some not even knowing that it exists. They use their credit card, and do not realize that each purchase is tracked, recorded, entered into a database, so that companies can use the data received, for profitable gains. They do not know that their information is bought and sold, traded on the open market, along with all other commodities. In order for governments to provide services to their citizens, they require the collection of data. This data is used for purposes that are deemed legitimate, such as taxes and social security. What worries many is what else that information is being used for, and who is being given access to it. While accountability, by governments in this area has increased, the same can not be said for information gathered by commercial entities. The growth of information gathering and police surveillance in Canada and the United States especially, can be attributed to many factors. One such factor is the need for a nation state to protect itself from invasion, the protection of its borders and citizens is of the utmost importance. This being said, governments attempt to have complete control of their territory, this requires the use of police surveillance, for surrounding nations, and for those within their borders. Another fact that needs to be addressed is the undeniable connection between governments and their police, by which technologies are funded and created. This relationship has allowed for the astonishing growth of police technologies, which in many respects drains from social services and depletes national revenues, when more civilian based initiatives could be implemented. Due to the sophistication of information gathering, civilians are no longer capable of securing their own information. Their information is passed from corporation to corporation, without any sense of protection at their disposal. There is a lack of accountability, when dealing with corporations, and how a persons personal information is acquired and kept. Moreover, in order for any change to occur, definitions must be more precise, rather than attempting to apply vague terms for new solutions. Works Consulted Lyon, David. Surveillance Society: Monitoring Everyday Life Open University Press: Philadelphia, 2001. Marx, Gary T. Whats New About the New Surveillance? Classifying for Change and Continuity in Surveillance and Society 1(1) University of New Castle: United Kingdom, Mosco, Vincent. The Pay-Per Society: Computers and Communication in the Information Age: Essays in Critical Theory and Public Policy in SOSC 2312 9.0A Course Kit 2004-2005 York University: Toronto, 2004. Robins, Kevin Frank Webster, Times of the Technoculture: From the Information Society to the Virtual Life in SOSC 2312 9.0A Course Kit 2004-2005 York University: Toronto, Stalder, Felix. Privacy is Not the Antidote to Surveillance in Surveillance and Society 1(1) University of New Castle: United Kingdom, 2002. Webster, Frank. Theories of The Information Society, Routledge: London, 2000. Undercover: Police Surveillance in America (20th Century Fund) by Gary T. Marx Dec 5, 1989 Secrets Of Surveillance: A Profes sionals Guide To Tailing Subjects By Vehicle, Foot, Airplane, And Public Transportation by ACM IV Security Services Sep 1993 Women Police: Gender, Welfare and Surveillance in the Twentieth Century by Louise Jackson Sep 17, 2006 The Surveillance Studies Reader by Sean Hier and Joshua Greenberg Aug 1, 2007 Police Officer Exam by Donald J. Schroeder and Frank A. Lombardo Jan 1, 2005 Policing, Surveillance and Social Control: Cctv and Police Monitoring of Suspects by Tim Newburn and Stephanie Hayman Jun 2001 State Secrets Police Surveillance in America by Paul; Egleson, Nick; Hentoff; Nat Cowan 1974 Undercover-Police Surveillance in Comparative Perspective by Cyrille Fijnaut Oct 12, 1995 State secrets; police surveillance in America by Paul Cowan 1974 Undercover: Police Surveillance in America by Gary Marx 1990

Employee Turnover Rate In Tourism And Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Employee Turnover Rate In Tourism And Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism and hospitality industry represents one of the most important sectors of the global economy, which contributes a US $6 trillion business that employs over 230 million people and a significant portion of the worlds workforce. In other word, human resource considered one of the most important resources of the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry. The labour supporting a wide range of jobs in many different service sectors, for instance hotels and restaurants line, theme park and entertainment attractions. Personal service is essential to delivering products and service to satisfy customers especially those served in front line, for example waiters, chiefs, receptionists, etc. Since the business scope is emphasis the customers contact all over the time, the lack of manpower may lead the industry in trouble. 2.2 The research problems In fact, the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry is facing a HR crisis where the labor turnover rate is relatively higher than other industry. The bulk of service jobs tend to be temporary, held by the people with no career aspirations in tourism and no commitment to the industry. () That is no doubt that the contemporary tourism and hospitality industry offers job opportunities for the youth, women and less advantaged groups in society. Other than recruitment problems, employee turnover may cause by employee retirement, death, illness or disability, resignation, organization downsizing or termination. The reasons why employees resign may be avoidable where they may experienced unfair treatment, poor leadership, or lack of challenge. Otherwise they leave from an organization with unavoidable reasons, for example immigrate to another state or country, return to university as well as serious illness. () Employees may also leave an organization because of dissatisfaction to th e working conditions, pay and benefit, training and development, the workforce diversity issues, and other potential issue. Consequently, a detailed turnover analysis of why employees leave a hospitality organization is meaningful to arrive at benchmark practices on dealing with the operational and administrative challenges the high level of staff turnover. This research information would represent the factors that influence staffs retention or leave from their job in this industry. Moreover, it helps hospitality trade organizations generate strategies to minimize staff turnover rate yet increase staffs retention by the means of enhancing recruitment policy, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and finally quality of service. 3.0 RESEARCH QUESTIONS What cause employees leave the organizations within tourism and hospitality industry? What are the consequences of high staff turnover to the related service sector organizations? What corrective action should be taken to tackle high employees turnover rate in specify sector? RESEARCH AIMS The aim of this study is to identify the reasons of high staffs turnover in tourism and hospitality industry. Further, this study seeks to examine the impacts of high employee turnover to the organizations in the industry and how organizations tackle this challenge. 4.1RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To examine the reasons of high employee turnover rate in tourism and hospitality sector To evaluate the consequences of high employee turnover in an tourism and hospitality organization To evaluate how organizations satisfy the employees in order to solve the problem of high employee turnover in tourism and hospitality sector 5.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN Each method, tool or technique has its unique strength and weakness. () To ensure the validity and reliable of this study, descriptive research design is used since the research problems is not a new issue and had been sought by previous researchers. () Descriptive research is designed to describe characteristics of a population or a phenomenon, where in this research, is to describe the characteristics of the labor turnover within the tourism and hospitality industry. Further, it may help to examine the ways that may reduce such phenomenon. Therefore, this research will be based on quantitative methods. Quantitative method will be undertaken by distribute survey questionnaires to a large number of respondents in order to obtain accurate information and improving decision making.() Deductive research is the logical process of deriving a conclusion from a known general premise. () Deductive research has been used in this research to test hypothesizes whether certain factors may influence labors resignation and whether high turnover rate would lead tourism or hospitality organization into certain dilemmas. Cross sectional studies method also will be used to conduct this study because the duration to conduct the research is limited. 5.2 UNIVERSE OF POPULATION The population selected to conduct this study will be the employees who engaged in the tourism and hospitality organizations that is high labor turnover rate, for example tourism attractions like Genting Highlands and certain hotels as well as restaurants in Malaysia. 5.3 SAMPLING DESIGN: 5.3.1 SAMPLE SIZE To conduct this research, the selected sample size will be 200 employees within the tourism and hospitality in Malaysia. 5.3.2 SAMPLE APPROACHES Since it is difficult to seek the people who experience high labor turnover rate even resignation in the tourism and hospitality organizations, the research are undertaken by snowball sample. Snowball sample is one of the non-probability samples that selects the initial respondents by probability sample and then obtained the additional respondents by referral from initial respondents. The advantages of using snowball sample are economical and make convenience to the researcher as well as respondents. With this approach, this study can conducted by makes initial interview with the small group and then use these to establish contacts with other relevant employees to answer the designed questionnaires. 5.4 RESEARCH METHOD Secondary data such as journals, textbook, newspapers and website articles also will be utilized when carry through this research. In broad terms, the questionnaires for survey purpose are designed with closed and open-ended questions. The questions designed expect to deliver the reasons of high employee turnover rate together with its consequences to the organizations within tourism and hospitality industry. 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS The data obtained from survey methods will be analyzed by using SPSS VS.18.0 per window. It is used to obtain the descriptive statistic like frequencies, mean and standard deviations that reveals the outcome of the research problem. 7.0 TIME SCALE GANTT CHART November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Questions 1.2 Research Objectives Rationale of the research chosen Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter 3: Research Methods 3.1 Secondary data 3.2 Focus group 3.3 Case studies 3.4 Survey questionnaires Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings Chapter 5: Conclusion and Discussion Binding of Dissertation

Fragile Families Essay -- Article Review, Family Policy

Fragile Families: Articles and How They Contribute to Family Policy This paper will review two articles pertaining to â€Å"fragile families† and assess how they help contribute to family policy. â€Å"Fragile families† are very pertinent to the core of family policy. In the 1990’s the term â€Å"fragile families† originated out of a need to describe families not fitting into the traditional married – unmarried couples with children (McLanahan, Garfinkel, Mincy, & Donahue, 2010). Over a 60 year period non-marital births of children increased significantly. In 1940, 4% of children born were to non-married parents. However, by 2007 this number reached a high of 40%. These families can be compromised of cohabitating couples, non-cohabitating couples, or single mothers (Kalil & Ryan, 2010). They are deemed â€Å"fragile† because they are more likely to experience difficulties economically and relationship wise. They tend to be more impoverished, experience material hardship, and have absent fathers. More importa ntly fragile families are of great concern because they often lack stability as a family unit. Yet, fragile families have become one of the new family types and seem to be a permanent structure steadily on the rise. Bogenschneider (2006) stated that one of the main underlying issues of the family policy debate is the conflicting ideas of families (types). These conflicts are evident when you look at the 3 perspectives with regard to family policy: Concerned, Sanguine, and Impatient. This is why there has been increased focus on this new type of family. One of the issues that need be assessed with regard to fragile families is mothers’ economic conditions and their support systems. (McLanahan et al., 2010). Kalil and Ryan (2010), discuss mot... ... Craigie, and Gunn, 2010). Second, address factors that place the child at risk such as a lack of parent involvement. Third, directly address children’s risk through early child hood education amongst other things. There are also policy changes that can be implemented with regard to mothers’ economic plights and the resources available to them. There should be a strengthening of community based programs that aid mothers and a focus on them working efficiently (Kalil & Ryan, 2010). Safety nets provided in the form of things such as food stamps need to be strengthened as well. Policies should support these resources and have an ultimate goal of economic self sufficiency for mothers in fragile families. The issues presented allow policy makers to be well informed of the possible risks associate with fragile families and the issues they face, especially economically.

Mysticism on the Internet :: Research Papers

Mysticism on the Internet If you could look into the future, are there questions you would want to find answers to? If you could read into another person's consciousness, or better yet into that of your own, are there things you would want to know more clearly? There are probably few people who would not be interested in knowing what the future might hold in store for them, or at least to have a little sense of the forces and presence that might play into their walks of life. A driving force in human nature is the need to kn ow, to make sense of the environment around us, and to make sense of ourselves. Perhaps more provoking and significant is the desire for us to know ourselves and to discover the purpose for our existence and the workings of our own state of mind. There is a sense that although we each share a co-existence with others and things around us, each life and makeup of the world is truly unique to and dependent of each individual alone, and at any moment, we each can have the power to be in cont rol of ours elves and whatever situation we are in. For over many ages, this has allowed Mysticism to be an intimate part of human society, as a still-unexplainable part of nature, as well as the supernatural, that has allured and guided many to look as far as into the future and as close as deep into themselves. The many tools of Mysticism, like the Tarot, numerology, astrology, and dreams, are all used to provide insights into a "deeper consciousness" and a "higher plane of existence," which when properly interpreted could very well shed light into the murkiest situation. In today's societies, Mysticism continues to intrigue, appeal to, entertain and aid people across cultures. Presently, with the power and accessibility of the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW), the insights to the answers to our everyday questions in life, as well as those far-reaching, can be found through the mystics with just a few mouse clicks away. Thi s has allowed for the reach of Mysticism to be extended and promoted much further, not only to the enthusiasts but also to everyone. A web search for "mysticism" on the Internet would bring up lists of hits for hundreds of thousands of related web pages. A search for a more specific area in Mysticism, such as "tarot" or "astrology" would present hundreds of thousands more web sites.

Social Networking: The Death of Privacy? Essay -- Social Media, Facebo

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Social networks have become an increasingly popular way for people to communicate over the last decade. Whether it is through a wall post, a picture, a video, or a link, users are able to share stories and details about their lives through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube. Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard student who hacked the university’s network to obtain photos and information about other students on campus, created Facebook in 2004. Today, Facebook has more than one billion weekly active users. According to information found on Facebook’s website, â€Å"[M]illions of people use Facebook every day to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.†Ã‚  Ã‚  However, if the man behind all of this was a hacker himself, what might this say about the security of the website itself?  Ã‚  Just how safe is this site and others?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The truth of the matter is social networking sites are only as safe as a user makes them.  Unfortunately, many of the free privacy settings available for users on the internet are not the default. To protect themselves, users must be sure to censor what they post online and activate the appropriate privacy settings to secure their information. Individuals who share their personal information online must realize that anything they post has the potential to be viewed by millions of people online, not just their friends. As authors Dianne Timm and Carolyn Duven suggest,â€Å"[W]hen an individual shares information on a social networking site, he or she is sharing that information with the rest of the world even if the intent was to share with only a select group of people† (Timm and Duven 90). The reality o... ...Premier. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. Marsico Jr., Edward M. "Social Networking Websites: Are Myspace And Facebook The Fingerprints Of The Twenty-First Century?"  Widener Law Journal  19.3 (2010): 967-976.  Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. Miller, Robert, Kristine Parsons, and David Lifer. "Students And Social Networking Sites: The Posting Paradox."  Behaviour & Information Technology  29.4 (2010): 377-382.  Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. Teclehaimanot, Berhane, and Torey Hickman. "Student-Teacher Interaction On Facebook: What Students Find Appropriate."  Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning 55.3 (2011): 19-30.Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Apr. 2015 Timm, Dianne M., and Carolyn J. Duven. "Privacy And Social Networking Sites."  New Directions For Student Services  124 (2008): 89-101.  Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2015.

Evaluation/Analysis on Alice Walker: Everyday Use Essay

Alice Walker, an African American author and activist born in Eatonton, Georgia in 1944 (p. 69). Walker was like most African Americans in her time raised by hard-working underpaid parents, this is reflected in her writing. Alice Walker and her now removed husband were the first interracial couple in Mississippi. Once a poet, Walker worked with other influential authors including Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Everyday Use tells the reader about the life experiences and struggles of heritage and acceptance through the eyes of African Americans. Sociology books do not explore the relationship of Americanized African American heritage vs. that of those that never left the motherland. Kate Chopin was apart of the revolutionary African American era, which is not prevalent today. This cultural aspect is reflected in her story Everyday Use when her character fails to see the family heritage symbolized in varies items in her house. You can relate to the story no matter what your nationality because everyone has culture and heritage of some sort. This story is very engaging, and the reader is able to see many points of view. Summary Everyday Use is centered on the homecoming of Dee. Anticipating her arrival, mother and her youngest daughter Maggie â€Å"wait for her in the front yard† which for them is an extension of the living room (p.69, 1). Maggie is intimidated by her sister and is very nervous about the home coming of her more assertive sister. While the mother is waiting she has a vision of her and Dee being reunited in the same way that â€Å"a child who has made it is confronted, as a surprise by her mother and father who are backstage† (p.70, 3). She is knocked back to reality when she realized that she could never, unlike her daughter â€Å"look a white man in the eye† (p.70, 6). Maggie is nervous about the whole ordeal and when Dee finally arrives she â€Å"attempts to make a dash for the house,† but her mother held her by her side (p.72,  19). When Dee and her boyfriend get out of the car, they greet Mother and Maggie in Arabic â€Å"Asalamalakin† meaning peace be with you (pg.72, 22). Dee advised her mother and sister of her name change, which symbolizes the death her â€Å"slave name† and the rebirth of a more culturally aware woman (p.70, 4). Dee takes pictures of her surroundings, and begins to see the items of â€Å"everyday use† as cultural decoration for her house. Eventually she asked her mother if she could have the old quilts (p. 75, 55). She told her mother that she wanted to hang them, but her mother has already promised the quilts to Maggie when she got married. Dee did not get the quilts that she felt Maggie would not appreciate. She left the house advising her loved ones to explore their heritage, and to Maggie â€Å"make something of [herself]† (p. 76. 80). . Analysis In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† the main conflict is over which daughter will get the quilt. This is not just an ordinary quilt; it has been in the family for years. The quilt was made from â€Å"pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear, and â€Å"she did all the stitching by hand† (p.75, 60). Dee wanted the quilts so that she could hang them up, but her mother had already promised the quilts to her younger sister Maggie. The quilt is a symbol of the mother’s love and acceptance of her child and the value that is placed on the relationship. In the story there are two daughters, Dee is very intelligent, and went off to college and has become successful. Her mother is proud of her and often brags on her accomplishments. Maggie on the other hand was shy and simple. She was burned as a child and has scars on her arms and legs. She lives with her mother, and is very nervous about Dee coming home. The quilt is a symbol of the families’ heritage in Dee’s eyes, but most importantly it is a symbol of materialism. The use of the phrase â€Å"everyday use calls attention to the two daughter’s different views of the quilt and other family heirlooms. Dee wanted the quilt to take home and protect it, where as Maggie would, â€Å"put them on the bed and in five years they’d be rags (p. 75, 66). Dee acts superior to her family, she believes that her education has been eye opening and she is living and seeing life through open eyes. She pities her mother an sister for â€Å"choosing† to live the simple life. What Dee has failed to realize it that her mother and  sister have a deeper connection to heritage because they understand their own personal heritage and not just the overall heritage of a group of people.

Rates of Reaction Essay

An enzyme is a protein molecule that helps other organic molecules start chemical reactions with one another; however, the enzyme itself is not affected by the reaction. A substrate is the substance acted upon by the enzyme. In this lab, catalase is the enzyme and hydrogen peroxide is the substrate. Catalase is found in both plant and animal tissues, and is abundant in plant storage organs. In this experiment, catalase is used from potatoes. Catalase is important to living things because it prevents the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the cell. Hydrogen peroxide is produced naturally as a byproduct of metabolism. It tends to disrupt the cells’ chemistry, too much can kill a cell. Therefore, the presence of catalase is needed to survive. Catalase breaks down the toxic hydrogen peroxide into harmless water and oxygen. If the concentration of the substrate hydrogen peroxide is related to the reaction rate of the enzyme catalase, then an increase in the concentration of hydrogen peroxide will increase the reaction rate of catalase. Catalase: Methods and Materials In order to experiment and determine the affects concentration has on reaction rate, you will need several materials. Such as, potato extract, crushed ice and water in a large beaker to keep the catalase cool, since catalase is sensitive to temperature. Hydrogen peroxide solution is needed at six different concentrations (10%, 25%, 40%, 60%, 75%, and 100%). Also, 0% hydrogen peroxide is needed, which is just simply water. In addition, you will need a 10 ml graduated cylinder, a 50 ml beaker, forceps, paper dots (Whatman #1 filter paper, 1 cm diameter), a paper towel, a stopwatch, and graph paper. During this lab, be careful of the hydrogen peroxide because it can damage skin and clothes. Be sure to immediately rinse and spills with water. Throughout the lab, always keep the potato extract in the ice-water bath; catalase is very sensitive to warm temperatures. For starters, 0% hydrogen peroxide was tested as the control group; 10 ml of hydrogen peroxide was measured of using a graduated cylinder. This sample is then poured into a 50 ml beaker. After swirling the potato extract, using forceps a paper dot is picked up and immersed into the potato juice for five seconds. Then the dot is drained on a paper towel for 10 seconds. Using the forceps the dot is picked up and placed in the bottom of the beaker containing the hydrogen peroxide solution. Soon the dot was expected to rise to the surface because the potato juice’s catalase would break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The oxygen gas gets trapped in the pores of the paper and caused to float. A stopwatch was used to measure the time in seconds from when the dot touched the solution until it reached the surface. The data was then recorded. The class was split into groups and each group was assigned a different percentile of hydrogen peroxide solution.

Best Buy in China

Best Buy’s failure in China is another example of a slow, arrogant major international player that didn’t understand China. Their own explanation of why they failed: â€Å"China’s demand for low prices without regard for service,† is clearly a lame excuse. By Fang Yu, China Entrepreneur magazine Best Buy shut down their nine stores in China on February 22nd, and within 48 hours fell into an unprecedented credibility crisis. Customers rushed to Best Buy stores on hearing the news and were locked outside security doors.They finally broke through the doors and went into the shops, partly to seek refunds on the extended warranty policies they had purchased. Because of quarrels with staff over return policies, the Shanghai Municipal Government had to send police to maintain order. Best Buy, which has always boasted it was centered around consumers, never predicted it would withdraw from the Chinese market in such a disgraceful way. Best Buy China top executives said the business closed because their model did not adapt to the Chinese market.Best Buy China president David Sisson said, â€Å"I have never worked in such a price-sensitive market. † Best Buy shops within China were forced to close after a five year struggle Best Buy explains its failure with the excuse â€Å"Chinese consumers pursue low prices rather than services. † This excuse shows that Best Buy still does not understand why it failed. This excuse does not take into account that China’s spending power is the fastest growing in the world.Home appliance expert and director of the Pal consulting firm Luo Qingqi argues luxury brands now entering into Chinese second- and third-tier cities, and the purchasing power for luxury cars in Chinese inland is no worse than in the first-tier cities. Ding Jie, a global partner at the Roland Berger consulting firm, notes that there are foreign retailers running excellently China. Why not Best Buy? Slow and arrogant Denn is, who has worked for ten years selling audio products, worked as an employee at Best Buy until it shut its doors.After signing a compensation agreement, he began to seek a new job. He first came to a giant domestic chain giant to be interviewed, but he felt the treatment he received and business culture was too different from Best Buy, so he started looking for jobs at foreign retail enterprises. Dennis says the experience of working at Best Buy was profound and lasting. It’s difficult for him to adapt to the performance-oriented culture of domestic enterprises that stresses absolute obedience and brute execution.Instead, he has become used to Best Buy’s â€Å"people-centered† culture: trying to win returning customers and promotion opportunities based on giving good service. He also became used to the sound of the English name that the store provided him with. The employee culture of Best Buy, which is not based on sales volume, enables the store to be peacef ul, without a feeling of fierce competition between the sales staff. However, observers believe this unhurried attitude is exactly what drove Best Buy to become a loser in China’s fiercely competitive home appliance market, which is dominated by the retailers Suning Appliance and Gome.When Best Buy entered China, Suning Appliance chairman Zhang Jindong said his company would ignore Best Buy for the next five years. Gome founder Huang Guangyu also said Best Buy could not compete with Gome in China because Best Buy did not have a sense of where to put its stores. People who participated in the press conference announcing the acquisition of Five Star Appliance by Best Buy in 2006 remember that Five Star founder Wang Jianguo was excited to announce the establishment of 300 stores annually with the financial backing of Best Buy.However, this plan was quickly denied by Best Buy top executives. Wang and his team eventually left the company. In the United States, Best Buy defeated th e second-largest retailer Circuit City, which used a consignment model, similar to Gome and Suning in China. Best Buy then entered the Chinese market with the arrogance of a missionary, ignoring the gap between its own model and the Chinese market. In Best Buy stores, the aisles are clearly wider than in Suning and Gome, the shelves aren’t as crowded, and fewer brands and models are on display.Best Buy’ believes the space should be left for consumers rather than products. Suning Shanghai top executives pointed out North Americans prefer open and wide stores, and don’t require a wide range of product lines ranging from cheap and generic to expensive top quality brand names. Best Buy’s style is more suitable to North Americans emphasizing individual freedom, and China’s market is more similar to Japan’s. Insiders recalled Best Buy’s first China president Lu Weimin knew the local market very well.The Chinese-born American, who graduated from a special class of gifted teenagers of the University of Science and Technology of China, better understood the rules of China’s home appliance industry than his colleagues. Lu Weimin helped to bring about the acquisition of Five Star. This helped Best Buy become a major retailer. However, Best Buy still did not want to give up the business model it developed and was proud of, and dreamed of restructuring more home appliance retailers such as Five Star into the Best Buy fold.This resulted in a two-brand operation over the past five years, so that the Best Buy management team’s resources and focus were diluted. Five Star former top executives recalled Lu Weimin pushed Best Buy to expand. Lu chose several properties in Shanghai, but, following Best Buy’s management process, all matters related to store openings must be reported to Best Buy International. Best Buy’s competitors were opening a new store every four or five days. Faced with the slow proces s of opening new stores, Lu hoped he could use financial muscle to expand quickly.For instance, Best Buy bid for Shandong Sanlian Commercial, which in the end was acquired by Gome. Many foreign executives who are not familiar with the Chinese market have a hard time understanding the importance and feasibility of quickly opening stores. An investor said he had heard a foreign executive of a consumer goods company laugh at his Chinese colleagues, saying, â€Å"What? How dare they plan to open 200 stores a year! † In fact, these scoffers generally only ever come to Shanghai and Hong Kong and have no idea of the width of the Chinese market.Managed by Best Buy, Five Star has expanded slowly (the number of stores has only grown to more than 160 from nearly 140 in 2006). Lu left Best Buy in April 2007, after he was made a figurehead. He had worked there for more than ten years. When the news of the closure of Best Buy stores was released, a departed top executive pointed out that i f the failure was a result of a poor business model, why did the Xujiahui store in Shanghai become one of the world’s top 50 stores, with an operating revenue of RMB 500 million, becoming profitable in 2010? The Xujiahui store’s property costs were denominated in U. S. ollars, and were the highest in the Best Buy system. One of the reasons for the success of the store was that its site was chosen when Wang Jianguo served as Best Buy global vice president. The superior location of the Xujiahui store was envied by competitors. Following in Wang Jianguo’s shoes, Best Buy sent many executives to China, who were good at IT systems and background management processes, but did not have experience in selecting sites and opening stores in unfamiliar cities. â€Å"We can say they are outsiders! At the root, it was caused by the people factor. If they had different people, the results would have been different. Missing its chance After stumbling through the first three ye ars, Best Buy made some changes. In 2008, Best Buy started to speed up its expansion in China, opening in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing to lift the total number of stores to nine. This change was rooted in a shift in government policy. In September 2008, the Ministry of Commerce issued a document shifting the approval process for foreign retail stores from the national to the provincial level. Best Buy, which had a good relationship with the Shanghai government, quickly opened more stores in Shanghai to consolidate its base.But compared with another retail giant, Wal-Mart, Best Buy again did not correctly understand the policy direction of the Chinese market. Wal-Mart quickly established wholly-owned companies (with taxes going to local authorities) in more than ten provinces in China, and quickly opened more than 30 stores in China in the first half of 2009, mainly in second- and third-tier cities. The new regulations of the Ministry of Commerce were intended to help forei gn retailers make investments in China. The Shanghai market, where land is expensive, ended up putting a lot of pressure on Best Buy.At that time, Suning only allocated 10% of its planned stores to central Shanghai and focused on opening stores in the suburbs, but Best Buy was making efforts to squeeze into the core business district, which was already full of the rival stores. The result was that the number of Best Buy stores grew, but diminishing returns did not cover the operating costs. David Sisson hinted at this when he explained that he shut down all of the stores in China because â€Å"the costs needed to keep one or two stores open are actually are almost the same as the cost needed to keep nine stores open. Best Buy missed its window for rapid development, and perhaps had no time to think about how to enter more deeply into the Chinese market because it was struggling with strong competition and high land prices in first-tier cities like Shanghai. Best Buy top executives were aware of the problems with the company’s expansion. Under pressure to make profits in 2010 (the 2010 third-quarter fiscal report shows Best Buy same-store sales fell 5%), Best Buy first adjusted the company’s global management structure.Best Buy global vice president and Five Star CEO Wang Jian told China Entrepreneur, â€Å"In 2010, Best Buy adjusted the organizational structure and set up the America region, Asia region and Europe region. One major reason for the adjustment is that Best Buy wanted to give full authority to enable it to be more localized in operation and development. † At that time, Best Buy’s attitude to Five Star changed. Best Buy encouraged Five Star to â€Å"open as many as stores as possible,† but Five Star also faced the problem of lagging development.When Suning and Gome completed setting up in first- and second-tier cities and started planning to enter into third- and fourth-tier cities, Five Star was still only opera ting in limited areas and never opened stores in Shanghai. In Best Buy’s last days, the low-price commitment could be seen everywhere, and even the consumers could feel the change. Claire, a loyal Best Buy customer who works at a foreign company in Shanghai, said, â€Å"Compared with the beginning, the number of salespeople in the store grew obviously. In the past, when you looked around by yourself in the store, no one would bother you. But at the end,] if you stood in front of an item for a while, a salesperson would come up to you. † Best Buy started taking the initiative to increase sales. Learning the wrong lesson After closing all of its China stores, Best Buy top executives said the lesson learned in the Chinese market is â€Å"price, price and price! † In the opinion of Best Buy top executives, Chinese consumers’ sensitivity to the price is so overwhelming that Best Buy’s â€Å"customer-centric† values were meaningless. However, Best Buy’s customer-centric philosophy and various design details were adapted by Gome and Suning, making Best Buy’s conclusion questionable.The Five Star top executive interviewed by this magazine said the Best Buy model uses its own staff, unlike stores using a consignment model. He gave an example. A 5,000-square meter store needs 260 staff, and in consignment stores, generally 200 come from the manufacturers. But Best Buy will not open a store until recruiting all 260 staff. Because of the emphasis on service, the training period for retail staff is longer, with a six-month to one-year training period for management. A shortage of talent was an important reason for Best Buy’s slow rate of opening stores.Home appliance expert Luo Qingqi believes Best Buy’s problem is not that is acted like a traditional retailer (as opposed to selling on consignment like Gome and Suning) but the product line. Products sold at Best Buy stores were mainly foreign. Chinese br ands such as Midea, which offers many popular product lines, did not appear on Best Buy’s shelves. Even the foreign brand Whirlpool cooperated more with Suning and Gome. â€Å"We are operating within the Chinese market and will notice which stores consumers like to visit, and use them as our main distribution channels,† said a Whirlpool employee.Ding Jie, a global partner of the Roland Berger consulting firm, believes Best Buys’ high operating costs were not its main problem, but rather that Best Buy cut itself off from the supply chain by refusing to adapt the consignment model. Ding Jie said most staff members at China’s consignment-based home appliance stores are employees of the manufacturers. â€Å"In China, consumers do not have strong core brand awareness, and the difference among home appliances is not big. Manufacturers focus on distribution channels that allow them to collect market information and determine market trends.Manufacturers and dist ributors cater to the needs of consumers with the collaboration of the entire industrial chain. † The Best Buy model serves consumers by being independent. But because there is no personalization and differentiation of products, it is bound to fail. According to Ding Jie, the main advantage of foreign retailers is their management model. But if they want to succeed in China, foreign retailers should let their local staff operate more freely and give them the power to adjust the business model. Many foreign retailers that failed in China might have succeeded if they empowered local staff.

Katie Finn

Everything in her life was working out. She had her three best friends, a brand new boyfriend, and the lead in the school play. Who was she? Madison MacDonald was the name and she is seriously freaking out. Because ever since she got her Friendverse hacked her life went from perfect to terrible. The most damaging secrets are out and Madison was completely sabotaged. Now her boyfriend and she are broken up, half the school hates her, and her friends, and she’s in it deep. And now she has to figure out who could have done this, try to get her boyfriend back, and clear her name. This book takes place at first, Spring Break with Madison, the main character; or Protagonist she’s on break and her parents have decided to take her to the Galapagos Islands for the whole break. But when she returns and checks her Friendverse, her profile had been turned inside out. And then the setting mostly happens at her school. The mood of the book would make you experience the feelings of the main character. It’s mainly confusion, anger, and wonder. Because you would wonder who and why would try to sabotage Madison and be confused to what was their motive. The anger was mainly just all around Madison as she tried to get people to understand she was hacked, but yet nobody would believe her. Well, it seems that the Antagonists are Ruth, her Best Friend since Middle School, and her PC repair dude, Dell, a good friend of her, were the ones who hacked her profile. The Dynamic character was mostly Madison. Because as she learned and searched for answers, she became more mature and took total responsibility for the hack, because it was partly her fault too. Shy, another one of Madison’s closest friends, and Lissa, are the Static characters because they stayed the same through out the whole story. Releted essay –  An Empty Purse Frightens Away Friends Shy was the one who had multiple personalities, (Round Character) and Lissa mainly had one. (Flat Character) This story mainly was Indirect Characterization; you had to pick out how they were by how they acted. The author never really told you how they were. The point of view of the story is 1st person, because Madison was speaking as if we were in a movie watching things happen. Conflict was External; she was up against Person and Society. Because she was up against people and pretty much felt like it to her, the world. Themes/Motifs is Coming of Age, she has grown so much form beginning to end. And she discovered that her best friend had destroyed her relationship with her boyfriend because she had a crush on him. That she was jealous of her and that she was sick of everyone believing the â€Å"fake† Mad. But in the end Madison solved the problem but tape recording everything they both said and reported it. And also she apologized to all her friends and people who were involved in this hack. She admitted that she has talked behind their backs and shouldn’t have. When she did this she felt of relief, had no more guilt, and a lot of pressure and drama lifted off her back. In my opinion, I liked this book. Because this book kept you wondering who did it, why, what was their motive and how they hacked Madison’s Friendverse. And the suspense was good too, one moment you’re just reading about how they got hacked and you think you have an idea to who it is then, you get hit with who it really was and you get shocked at the result. But Madison found a way to get her life back to the way she wanted it and gained some new friends along the way.