The Descriptive Writing Style of John Steinbeck - 1122 Words

The novel The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. This work is set up unlike any other book, written in a series of chapters and inter-chapters, which do a remarkable job of informing the reader of the travels the characters in the book are going through. Not only does the story focus on the problems one family goes through, but explains the problem is happening to many more civilians than the story focuss on. Steinbeck does not leave out a single detail about the Joad family and their journey to California, and that in itself is what makes his writing so entertaining. Not only is this a very powerful topic to write about, but the remarkable writing style of author John Steinbeck makes this book a†¦show more content†¦This passage explains that even some of the owners did not want to do what they were forced to do. The plot of The Grapes of Wrath is a fairly simple one. The families are moving out of states such as Oklahoma and traveling west because they can no longer make a decent living growing crops. However, if one looks past this simple plot they will find out there is much more then meets the eye. The presence of greed is located throughout the novel; an example of this is located in chapter fifteen when it goes on to explain the different ways the waitress, Mae, acts depending on the financial status of the customer. If she is tending to a truck driver, who she knows has money, she will put on a show to lure money out of him, but if it is a traveler going down route 66 that act disappears. The message, which lies deep down in each chapter, is one that questions the greed in our ever-changing society. In our society everyone wants to fit in, and many times not everyone is treated with equal respect. In essence, these people are having their freedom ripped away right in front of their eyes. Steinbeck has strong feelings on this issue and this book illustrates them to the fullest extent. I would have most certainl y agreed with John Steinbeck being a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Anyone with theShow MoreRelated John Steinbeck Essay1174 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck A novelist is someone who writes novels, or writes a fancy work of fiction which often has a complicated plot, many major and minor characters, a significant theme, and several varied settings. A novelist will use literary devices such as characterization, tone, symbolism, imagery, and figurative language. John Steinbeck, an American novelist, uses many literary devices such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and figurative language along with excellent descriptive words to developRead MoreOf Mice And Men By John Steinbeck Analysis1000 Words   |  4 PagesMice and Men† by John Steinbeck, portrayed the times of hardship and struggle in United States’ Great Depression. When two exorbitantly contrasting drifters, try to make enough money by working on ranches to achieve their variation of the American Dream. Steinbeck effectively got readers attention through each dramatic page and ended the novella with a drastic turn of events that will leave the readers in awe. Althoug h many book concerning the great depression may seem boring Steinbeck was successfulRead MoreAmerica Is Home To Many Great Writers Whom Come Different1709 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica is home to many great writers whom come different backgrounds. American authors like John Steinbeck who add biographical elements into their pieces of writing. John Steinbeck, one of the most honorable authors of time, is known for receiving Nobel Prize, California commonwealth club medal, Pulitzer Prize, and other great accomplishments towards publishing sixteen novels. Steinbeck’s realist style of writing and life experiences impacting his life show the reader he’s been through a lot in his lifeRead MoreLife of Americans in the 1930s in John Stienbecks of Mice and Men/Original Writing856 Words   |  4 PagesLife of Americans in the 1930s in John Stienbecks of Mice and Men/Original Writing What does John Stienbecks Of Mice and Men tell us about life in America in the 1930s? John Steinbecks novels can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labour in America during the 1920s and 30s. Steinbeck uses setting, theme, characterisation, and a modernist simple style to portray a 1930s American society, which was isolating, alienatingRead MoreEast Of Eden By John Steinbeck2066 Words   |  9 PagesAuthors have very versatile writing styles that contribute to getting their messages and themes across. An author always has a motive for writing a story and a point they are trying to get across. John Steinbeck has written some very influential novels in his life. These books are read in high schools, as well as in people s free time to try and expand their minds and change their perspectives on life. Steinbeck has a very descriptive writing style that helps make his books classic novelsRead MoreJohn Steinbeck2062 Words   |  9 Pages5th century AD overtime Literary works have been develop such as novel, poems, and short stories. Short Stories are described has miniature versions of books or novels, where an author takes a tale and crams it into a ten to twenty page story. John Steinbeck is not only a well-known novelist, but also writes short stories like â€Å"The Chrysanthe mums† and â€Å"Flight†. In Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysthemums† Elisa Allen is married to a negligent ranch owner. While her husband works on the ranch, Elisa tends toRead MoreA Comparison of John Steinbecks novel Of Mice and Men and the 1939 Film Version of the Novel2206 Words   |  9 PagesA Comparison of John Steinbecks novel Of Mice and Men and the 1939 Film Version of the Novel Looking at the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there is the clear comparison that this is a print text, while the 1939 film version of the novel by Milestone is a visual text. There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when analysing a visual text, these being the use of camera angle, sound, lighting, editing and the mise en scà ¨ne, whereas when lookingRead MoreThe Modern Literary Era Shift From Romanticism Into Realism In The 20th Century2016 Words   |  9 PagesThe modern literary era shifted from romanticism into realism in the early 20th century. Realism in literature stripped away romantic notion in favor of a more representative style. This new literature was descriptive and colorful while describing on occasion, terrible events from experiences born out of World War One. Many of these writers were considered part of the Lost Generation and their literary themes expressed the feelings of their time. A smaller subset of these writers took their literaryRead More Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay example9610 Words   |  39 PagesOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born on 27 Feb 1902 in Salinas, California, not far from the area where Of Mice and Men is set. He attended Stanford University, but never settled to one area of study and left without obtaining a degree. In his twenties, he pursued a varied working life, including that of an itinerant ranch worker, similar to the characters portrayed in the novel. His early writings had some success, and established him as an author interested inRead MoreStudy Guide Literary Terms7657 Words   |  31 Pagesreference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work. T. S. Eliot, in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock alludes (refers) to the biblical figure John the Baptist in the line Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter, . . . In the New Testament, John the Baptists head was presented to King Herod on a platter 5. ambiguity-A statement which can contain two or more meanings. For example, when the oracle at Delphi told Croesus that

What Makes A Leader Free Essays

What Makes a Leader In this article we explore what makes a great leader and what groups and levels of skills are needed to be a great leader. Daniel Coleman writes about Emotional Intelligence, how It Is evaluated, and the Importance of Emotional Intelligence for effectiveness of an affective leader. Everyone is born with certain levels of skills that can be strengthened with persistence, practice and feedback from colleagues and coaches. We will write a custom essay sample on What Makes A Leader or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mr.. Coleman preformed over the course of an entire year focusing on how emotional Intelligences operates In the workplace. They examined the relationship teen both effective performance and emotional intelligence especially in leadership roles. The 5 groups of skills are listed as follows: self-awareness, self- regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, which I will be discussing. Companies hire trained psychologists to develop â€Å"competency models† to aid in identifying, training, and promoting of individuals with these groups of skills. These individuals are those who can recognize their strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and impact on others who know that one needs to control or redirect disruptive Impulses and moods to be an effective leader. Having relishing achievement for own sake and are considerate to other peoples emotional make up by using the rapport built with others to move them in the desired direction. Daniel Coleman distinguishes what makes a great leader from the average one. The five in one secret to success allows you to maximize your leadership skills. Emotional Intelligence benefits you at every level of business giving you the necessary tools most Important to building the right foundation to a solid future and taking the right direction to ensuring a success in your business venture. Take advantage and use your emotional Intelligence to show how capable and effective you can truly be. Self-awareness in the aspect of big business allocates one resources, strong and weak to use to best impact the goals set forward. People with high self-awareness recognize how their feelings affect them, others, and Job performance. Having high self-awareness allows one to make critical decisions that need to be made in order for deadlines to be met and to save future conflict that could have been avoided. Knowing the time and place for things is a good example of having good self- wariness, without it you could potentially ruin a first impression and hinder Impending possible business endeavors. To enhance emotional intelligence companies are altering their training to include the limbic system. This allows for people to break old behavioral habits and establish new ones. It is key to focus that ones emotional intelligence can only come from sincere desire and resolute effort. Once your self-awareness is up to par you will be able to see your Impact on others and see how malleable the people around you really are. Your self-confidence gives o a desire for constructive criticism to better yourself day by day. 1 OFF redirect any disruptive emotions or any impulses that could spawn from a heated altercation with a fellow employee. Biological impulses guide our everyday emotions, we can never get rid of them, but we can control them. This allows one to pick and choose their words carefully not being tempted to kick the chair or flip the desk. People who can control their emotions are often seen as stiff and dispassionate. With self-regulation, patience is vital and will prove faithful when it comes to your integrity and trustworthiness. With time, you become and grow more comfortable with ambiguity and change thus having a stronger grasp on your emotional intelligence. When looking at the aspect of leadership, one with a good head on their shoulders not eager to Jump to make irrational decisions before first going through all of the possible solutions to the problem. This ensures that the best potential outcome will be explored and evaluated to best serve its purpose helping business run as it should and keeping employees content with the workplace. Motivation or inspirational words are that should be followed with ambitious work. When being driven to achieve for only the sake of achievement and accomplishing the task at hand is the only thing on your mind. Taking the passion for the quality and the challenges that come with completing any new task. Being the most optimistic when staring down at a ticking time bomb knowing exactly what must be done and with tender touch in some cases that create the most success. The passion that you hold for the very things you do on a daily basis, anywhere from work itself or for any new challenges that spark your interest. This challenge gives you unflagging energy to improve on your current status in every aspect of life. Optimism will bring you far in life with the regards to having patience for the right thing to take its place and take us to where we need to be. Stressing over every little thing will only slow you down and make you look like less of a professional. Instead of blaming countless other individuals, taking accountability for your actions and stepping up to learn from this experience and apply it to the work place can cause engineer a turn-around. Empathy or ability to consider others feelings when making a decision in the work lace can save you a lot of time and stress from you saying or doing something without fully thinking it through and it turns out if you would of Just thought that through and been a little less selfish you could of seen the bigger picture. With this trait not only will you be improving your work portfolio so you will be developing the ability to develop others by attracting talent by the expertise that you need for a competitive firm. When in the workplace, one doesn’t have two many second chances or second first impressions’. Understanding proper etiquette and the ability to be insensitive to cross-cultural differences could make or break a clients approval. It is very important to make sure you know every subtle detail about your client to avoid risking potential failure and ending a potential venture before it even starts. One thing in our culture could mean something completely and totally opposite in someone else’s and when you think your conveying the correct platform, in reality you are not on the same page as your client due to lack of preparedness due to poor Social skills are the ability to manage relationships to move people in the direction hat is crucial to the development of the company. Being a leader with good social skills one must be effective in leading change, persuasive, extensive networking, and experience in the leading and building of teams. This allows for the leader to manage what exactly they would want their company to adopt to better the future of the enterprise. With the correct social skills, it will ensure that your ability to persuade allies in other divisions to possibly help fund potential endeavors. Even if your social skills are lacking, there is always room to better your own social skills and evolve into he social butterfly that you always intended to be but never had the right force to push you. Once you have found common ground you can build a rapport and take your business to higher levels. Socially skilled people tend to have a vast amount of acquaintances and have the capabilities of finding common ground with all types of people. People who tend to achieve usually are optimistic including times of setbacks or failures. In conclusion, we are shown that everyone has the skills available to potentially be great leaders but that not everyone has the balanced set or capability to reach the Roth needed so we see that as an individual it takes more than Just one trait to be a great leader but it takes five individual characteristics that make up emotional intelligence that allows us to think before we speak and act making sure that we represent ourselves the way that resembles the characteristics that would make company blush and be glad they have you at their business. Conduct yourself with self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills and you will have the perfect concoction to making a great leader out of yourself and others around you. How to cite What Makes A Leader, Papers

Hellenism On The Silk Road Essay Research free essay sample

Hellenism On The Silk Road Essay, Research Paper Hellenism on the Silk Road Along the Silk Road, merchandisers traded desirable wares from all over Asia and the Mediterranean. Gold, porcelain, spices, jewellery, fabrics, and about anything else stuff that any civilisation along this huge web of trade paths could make. Along with stuff concerns, nevertheless, came the much more permanent and challenging consequence of cultural exchange ; faiths, thoughts, nutrient, architectural developments, doctrine, and art all moved along the paths with these travellers from town to town. Some finally spread all the manner from the Greco-Roman universe to China and Japan. Alexander the Great was one of the foremost innovators into the Middle Eastern universe. Traversing every bit far as modern Uzbekistan, Alexander brought with him to every part Greek craftsmen, soldiers, and faith. One of the most profound and permanent impacts made by Alexander s raids into Asia was presenting the Grecian tradition of sculpture, much admired by the Romans in the West, into the country known as Transoxiana, now Gandhara in North India. Much of early Gandharan Buddhist art bears witness to this transportation of aesthetic political orientation. In a work late acquired by the Freer Gallery of Art, a Head of a Buddha, one can see the Hellenistic tradition rather clearly. There are strong illustrations of pragmatism in this Buddha caput comparatively alone to Greek art. The text of Jerry Bentley s Old World Encounters contends that Hellenistic tradition had a great impact on Buddhist art chiefly due to the fact that earlier Buddhists thought it incorrect to portray the Buddha as corporeal, but instead he should be shown by symbols. Their first influences to make figurative images of the Buddha came from the Hellenistic encroachers and their devotional patterns. The hair of the Buddha is realistic, non the conventionalized snail coil seen in many statues of the Buddha. Each tendril of the hair is carefully chiseled out and moves gently over his caput and ushnisha. The zygomatic bones are high and the mentum is strong. His full lips are gently rested together, and his eyes look down, the palpebras half closed. The pigment staying on the eyes have them looking straight out and downcast. Little hints of gilded foliage cleaving to this caput, which one time was covered in gold ( now merely the brown land is seeable ) . The ushnisha and extended ear lobes are traditional parts of the iconography of the Buddha. In this statue, the ears are non exaggerated in length, but instead really natural in visual aspect. Except for the gold leaf the statue bears no decoration, besides typical of the Buddha. The last component that betrays the statue as that of a Buddha is the conventionalized urna, shown sometimes as a actual 3rd oculus, and sometimes as a coil of hair between his foreheads. It is in this instance a simple point, about like a bindi, a much more natural looking look of the urna. Another piece from along the Silk Road is a home base from Iran. The home base is made of Ag with a scene executed in repouss in the centre. The level parts of the scene are gilt. The scene represents the Greek God Dionysus triumphant reaching in India. Interestingly, this may besides associate back to Alexander, who is said to hold followed Dionysus path into Asia on his conquerings. Like Dionysus, Alexander got barely farther than India. In the centre of the scene sits Dionysus, slackly draped in paces of cloth and keeping a bowl of grapes. He is the largest and most cardinal figure of the composing. Following to him sits Ariadne as a goddess. Harmonizing to mythology, she was the married woman of Dionysus. To her left stands the hero Heracles keeping his king of beasts tegument. To Dionysus right are two figures go outing the room, perchance two Maenads, his followings and changeless comrades. Below the platform Dionysus and Ariadne occupy, two little apsara kneel keeping a wheel with 8 points inside it. Below them is a figure of a king of beasts and an amphora flanked by two more apsara. All around the top registry of the home base is a pipeline twined with Hedera helix, perchance a mention to the span Dionysus used to traverse the Ganges into India, said to be made of twined pipeline and Hedera helix. A concluding piece demoing western influence is a Chinese Chimera. The Chimera is a fabulous figure with Western beginnings. In Asia Minor, the Chimera was a half king of beasts, half unicorn. In Rome, the Chimera was portion wolf, portion snake, portion king of beasts. In China, it appears to be a half king of beasts half firedrake. In all civilizations, the Chimera is a dour apotropaic figure supposed to turn away evil and protect good. The Chimera s visual aspect on both terminals of the Silk Road merely reinforces the impression of cultural exchange that the Silk Road provided. The Chimera represented both fright and protection, good and evil, dark and light, all elements of yin and yang. This peculiar Chimera has the pess and organic structure of a king of beasts, instead knee bend with the typical pug face seen on so many Chinese king of beastss. Its face has the goatee and wing-like ears normally seen on word pictures of firedrakes. Additionally, it has long curved wings attac hed to its shoulder blade, a common property of firedrakes. Along its dorsum are lines and circles in a regular form, perchance an abstraction of the Chinese composing system. This may propose that the animal is cardinal and fierce, the form literally intending nil, but that it is more than it seems ; that is, that the Chimera may non be cognizant of its topographic point yet represents something powerful. If non really wholly possessing that power, the Chimera is an indispensable portion in finishing it. In the text of Monkey, there is a chapter titled Riding the Dragon. The general thought is that the fierce firedrake, blindly assailing pilgrims and eating one of their Equus caballuss, without recognizing it really benefits the travellers. In expiation, Guan-Yin forces the firedrake to expiate for his inconsideration by taking the topographic point of the devoured Equus caballus. The consequence is a Equus caballus better than the first 1 for the maestro, and the lone 1 that can t ransport the pilgrim to India as ordinary Chinese Equus caballuss could non. A enemy turned to ally merely by finishing its responsibility. Western influence ran the length of the Silk Road. Religion, aesthetics and thoughts common to many civilizations were pulled together and synthesized by the multi-cultural civilisation merely made possible by the huge webs that composed one of the longest and most momentous trade paths in the history of the universe. Bibliography Anonymous. Chimera and point ticket. Accession # MLS1874. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Anonymous. Head of the Buddha and point ticket. Accession # 1998.299. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Anonymous. Plate and point ticket. Accession # 64.10. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Bentley, Jerry H. Old World Encounters: Cross-cultural Contacts and Exchanges in Pre-Modern Times. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. Craven, Roy C. Indian Art: A Concise History. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997. Lawton, Thomas and Thomas Wentz. Beyond the Bequest: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Sackler Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institute, 1998. Major, John S. The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History. United states: Harper Collins Publishers, 1995. Pedley, John Griffiths. Grecian Art and Archaeology. 2nd erectile dysfunction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Tripp, Edward. The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology. New York: Penguin Books, 1970. Xinru Liu. The Silk Road: Overland Trade and Cultural Interactions in Eurasia. Washington, DC: American Historical Association, 1998. Wu Ch eng=en. Monkey: A Journey to the West. Retold by David Kheridan. Boston: Shambhala, 1992.

Poetry Terms (Consonance and Assonance) Flashcard

Poetry Terms (Consonance and Assonance)

Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War

Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War The Battle of Fredericksburg was was fought December 13, 1862, during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and saw Union forces suffer a bloody defeat. Having grown angry with Major General George B. McClellans unwillingness to pursue General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln relieved him on November 5, 1862, and replaced him with Major General Ambrose Burnside two days later. A West Point graduate, Burnside had achieved some success earlier in the war campaigning in North Carolina and leading IX Corps. A Reluctant Commander Despite this, Burnside had misgivings about his ability to lead the Army of the Potomac. He had twice declined the command citing that he was unqualified and lacked experience. Lincoln had first approached him following McClellans defeat on the Peninsula in July and made a similar offer following Major General John Popes defeat at Second Manassas in August. Asked again that fall, he only accepted when Lincoln told him that McClellan would be replaced regardless and that the alternative was Major General Joseph Hooker whom Burnside intensely disliked.      Burnsides Plan Reluctantly assuming command, Burnside was pressured to undertake offensive operations by Lincoln and Union General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck. Planning a late fall offensive, Burnside intended to move into Virginia and openly concentrate his army at Warrenton. From this position he would feint towards Culpeper Court House, Orange Court House, or Gordonsville before quickly marching southeast to Fredericksburg. Hoping to sidestep Lees army, Burnside planned to cross the Rappahannock River and advance on Richmond via the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Requiring speed and guile, Burnsides plan built upon some operations that McClellan had been contemplating at the time of his removal. The final plan was submitted to Halleck on November 9. Following a lengthy debate, it was approved by Lincoln five days later though the president was disappointed that the target was Richmond and not Lees army. Additionally, he cautioned that Burnside should move quickly as it was unlikely that Lee would hesitate to move against him. Moving out on November 15, the lead elements of the Army of the Potomac reached Falmouth, VA, opposite Fredericksburg, two days later having successfully stolen a march on Lee. Armies Commanders Union - Army of the Potomac Major General Ambrose E. Burnside100,007 men Confederates - Army of Northern Virginia General Robert E. Lee72,497 men Critical Delays This success was squandered when it was discovered that the pontoons needed to bridge the river had not arrived ahead of the army due to an administrative error. Major General Edwin V. Sumner, commanding the Right Grand Division (II Corps IX Corps), pressed Burnside for permission to ford the river to scatter the few Confederate defenders in Fredericksburg and occupy Maryes Heights west of the town. Burnside refused fearing that the fall rains would cause the river to rise and that Sumner would be cut off. Responding to Burnside, Lee initially anticipated having to make a stand behind the North Anna River to the south. This plan changed when he learned how slow Burnside was moving and he instead elected to march towards Fredericksburg. As the Union forces sat in Falmouth, Lieutenant General James Longstreets entire corps arrived by November 23 and began digging on the heights. While Longstreet established a commanding position,  Lt. General Thomas Stonewall Jacksons corps was en route from the Shenandoah Valley.   Opportunities Missed On November 25, the first pontoon bridges arrived, but Burnside refused to move, missing an opportunity to crush half of Lees army before the other half arrived. By the end of the month, when the remaining bridges arrived, Jacksons corps had reached Fredericksburg and assumed a position south of Longstreet. Finally, on December 11, Union engineers began building six pontoon bridges opposite Fredericksburg. Under fire from Confederate snipers, Burnside was forced to send landing parties across the river to clear out the town. Supported by artillery on Stafford Heights, the Union troops occupied Fredericksburg and looted the town. With the bridges completed, the bulk of Union forces began crossing the river and deploying for battle on December 11 and 12. Burnsides original plan for the battle called for the main attack to be executed to the south by Major General William B. Franklins Left Grand Division (I Corps VI Corps) against Jacksons position, with a smaller, supporting action against Maryes Heights. Held in the South Beginning at 8:30 AM on December 13, the assault was led by Major General George G. Meades division, supported by those of Brigadier Generals Abner Doubleday and John Gibbon. While initially hampered by heavy fog, the Union attack gained momentum around 10:00 AM when it was able to exploit a gap in Jacksons lines. Meades attack was eventually stopped by artillery fire, and around 1:30 PM a massive Confederate counterattack forced all three Union divisions to withdraw. To the north, the first assault on Maryes Heights had commenced at 11:00 AM and was led by the division of Major General William H. French. A Bloody Failure The approach to the heights required the attacking force to cross a 400-yard open plain which was divided by a drainage ditch. To cross the ditch, Union troops were forced to file in columns over two small bridges. As in the south, the fog prevented Union artillery on Stafford Heights from providing effective fire support. Moving forward, Frenchs men were repulsed with heavy casualties. Burnside repeated the attack with the divisions of Brigadier Generals Winfield Scott Hancock and Oliver O. Howard with the same results. With the battle going poorly on Franklins front, Burnside focused his attention on Maryes Heights. Reinforced by Major General George Picketts division, Longstreets position proved impenetrable. The attack was renewed at 3:30 PM when Brigadier General Charles Griffins division was sent forward and repulsed. Half an hour later, Brigadier General Andrew Humphreys  division charged with the same result. The battle concluded when Brigadier General George W. Gettys division attempted to attack the heights from the south with no success. All told, sixteen charges were made against the stone wall atop Maryes Heights, usually in brigade strength. Witnessing the carnage Gen. Lee commented, It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it. Aftermath One of the most one-sided battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Fredericksburg cost the Army of the Potomac 1,284 killed, 9,600 wounded, and 1,769 captured/missing. For the Confederates, casualties were 608 killed, 4,116 wounded, and 653 captured/missing. Of these only around 200 were suffered at Maryes Heights. As the battle ended, many Union troops, living and wounded, were forced to spend the freezing night of December 13/14 on the plain before the heights, pinned down by the Confederates. On the afternoon of the 14th, Burnside asked Lee for a truce to tend to his wounded which was granted. Having removed his men from the field, Burnside withdrew the army back across the river to Stafford Heights. The following month, Burnside strove to save his reputation by attempting to move north around Lees left flank. This plan bogged down when January rains reduced the roads to mud pits which prevented the army from moving. Dubbed the Mud March, the movement was cancelled. Burnside was replaced by Hooker on January 26, 1863.

Capital Budgeting Process and Decision

For any company, success is determined by capital budgeting decisions. This is one of the decisive factors for the failure or success of a company. Financial managers are tasked with perhaps some of the most important decisions that affect the business (Capital Budgeting Valuation, 2013). However, it is important to note that there are several factors that combine to make decisions in capital budgeting these decisions continue for a number of years, thus, the decision makers or the managers are part of this flexible process. Since capital assets must be used when needed, then this makes opportunity a very important consideration in the capital budget. Capital budgeting process is important because expansion of assets implies very large expenditure.   Before a company uses a very large amount of money on a project the managers should ensure that the company has sufficient available funds to finance the entire project. Two examples of capital budget decisions (Donovan, 2006). Information required within the firm may vary in accordance to the level of organizational structure.   Senior executives or CEOs decisions are structured less in the sense that there are no situations that are repetitive and subsequently no single solution can be applied; On the other hand, evaluation and assessment criteria and points of view should be known for each situation where the data is accurate and must come from subjective and external in uncertain and risky environments. Since it is not possible to determine and control all the variables or factors that affect a situation, it is that models are sought to represent reality for their analysis in the hope that those decisions made are satisfactory and not optimal decisions within the context of rationality of who They must make decisions (Kalyebara, & Islam, n.d.) . Specific and concrete at each level to the lowest levels. The information required in all these decisions represents the point of departure for carrying out a ctions that will ultimately affect the performance of the organization Capital Structure of the Company The optimal capital structure is that for which the cost of capital is minimal: if the company is financed with this debt / equity ratio, the market value of the company will be maximum. Optimal financing structure e = Debt / Own Resources in practice is difficult to determine. Generally speaking, financing projects whose economic profitability exceeds the cost of the project itself will increase the shareholder's profitability in that difference (depending on the margin between the investment return and the cost of the debt). : It is necessary to see the project independently of the rest of the projects of the company. This approach, however, considers only the explicit cost of debt, that is to say, the derivative of comparing the revenues and disbursements originated by indebtedness. There are other costs apart from the explicit so that it diminishes the profitability of that project or even that it is negative. But the ability to borrow is not unlimited because if we borrow now, we will have to opt for more expensive debt or own financing in the future (Rasmussen, 2003).   Therefore, the debt has an implicit cost: to finance itself today with debt, may mean having to give it up in the future. This is related to the formulation of the capital budget according to which the financing of a project has to be studied within the framework of the general and future situation of the company. That is why we speak of the weighted average cost of capital at the time of comparing with the profitability of a project: the project has to be taken into account as integrated into the company and not in isolation. You have to collect all the debts of the company and find the weighted average cost to match. Capital Budget is a tool used to carry out certain cost planning processes for companies, families, businesses, among others, which would produce certain economic benefits with terms stipulated within a year. The capital budget can also be defined as a valued list of projects which may be feasible for the acquisition of new economic benefits, that is to say, for example, when a company makes a capital investment it incurs the current cash outflow and this Expected future benefits, the benefits usually extend for more than a year (Vogt, 2004). Within the Capital budget we can find the following advantages: It supports the development of the procedure and / or purpose.   It promotes interaction, communication and help between the areas of the company. They give common sense when making investment proposals. They serve to evaluate and choose a referential point of view. Within the capital budget we can also find the following disadvantages: It does not recognize the value of money over time. Your money recovery process is much slower than agreed. The way the parameter is set against which the recovery period of each project is compared to arrive at a decision (Shah, 2007).The fact that this method has these disadvantages does not mean that one should avoid its use in any circumstance that requires it, this means that they must be taken into account in order to make the best decision. The budget brings a number of advantages to the organization, being a planning tool. They include; The working capital of a company is what allows it to develop its social object, and of the administration that is made of it, it depends that the company grows at a greater or lesser speed, or in the worst case, that its assets are diminished or it leads to the definitive bankruptcy of the company(Nice, 2002). In such a way that the working capital is the basis on which the operation of a company is supported, which is why the importance of its administration will be exposed in this essay, the decisive and definitive one that can be in a business to manage and Budget correctly. Most capital budget studies focus on the problems of calculation, analysis and interpretation of risk. One of the most important tasks in preparing a capital budget is to estimate the future cash flows for a project. The forecasts for these are based on estimates of incremental revenues and costs associated with the project (Hornstein, & Yeung, 2005). In each investment proposal it is necessary to provide information on the expected future cash flows after taxes. For example, if a company is considering launching a new product that will compete with existing ones, it is not appropriate to express their cash flows based on their estimated sales. It is necessary to take into account the possible "affectation" of existing products; therefore, the estimation of cash flows should be made based on incremental sales. The key is to analyze the situation with the new investment and without it.The most important are incremental cash flows(Nice, 2002). The "sunk" costs should be omitted, the focus is on incremental costs and benefits; the recovery of past costs is of no importance to the project.. It is also important to note that certain costs do not necessarily mean a disbursement of money; it will be necessary to include the opportunity cost in the valuation of the project. The most important application of the cost of capital is the capital budget, in addition to serving to determine the decision or to buy or lease, for the repayment of bonds and in decisions to use debts or stockholders' equity. It is possible to fully fund a company with equity funds, which must be equal to the required return on the stockholders' equity of the company, and must consider their cost of capital from various sources of long-term funds (preferred shares or debt In the long term) and not only the stockholders' equity of the company.. The weighted average cost of capital is calculated as a compound value, made up of the various types of funds you will use, regardless of the specific financing for a project. Capital components are the type of capital companies use to raise funds (debts, preferred shares and common stockholders' equity), any increase in assets is reflected in any of these capital components. The cost of post-tax debt is the interest rate on new debt and is used to calculate the weighted average cost of capital (Baker, & English, 2011). Costs components of debt after tax = interest rate - tax savings (interest is deductible), is used because the value of the shares depends on the cash flows after tax. The component cost of preferred shares is also used to calculate the weighted average cost of capital; it is the rate of return that investors require and is equal to dividing the preferred dividend. Baker, H., & English, P. (2011).  Capital Budgeting Valuation  (1st ed.). Somerset: Wiley. Bierman, H., & Smidt, S. (2007).  The capital budgeting decision  (1st ed.). New York: Routledge. Blackstone, William, and Edward Christian.  Commentaries On The Laws Of England. [Place of publication not identified]: [Nabu Press], 2010. Print. Capital Budgeting Valuation. (2013) (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J. Donovan, S. (2006).  Budgeting  (1st ed.). Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co. Hornstein, A., & Yeung, B. (2005).  Essays on the corporate capital budgeting decisions of multinational enterprises  (1st ed.). Jacobs, Davina F.  A Review Of Capital Budgeting Practices. Washington: International Monetary Fund, 2008. Print. Kalyebara, B., & Islam, S.  Corporate Governance, Capital Markets, and Capital Budgeting  (1st ed.). Nice, D. (2002).  Public budgeting  (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/ Thomson Learning. Rasmussen, N. (2003).  Process improvement for effective budgeting and financial reporting  (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Shah, A. (2007).  Local budgeting  (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Vogt, A. (2004).  Capital budgeting and finance  (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: International City/County Management Association.

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

See below - Essay Example The active participation of the legislature started from the (DPP v Myers, 1965 AC 1001) case, where the House of Lords, stated, that the no uniform principles were being followed, in the current scenario and the future determination of exceptions to hearsay should be left to the legislature. At the very onset, we should state that the Dictionary defines, ‘hearsay’ as ‘second-hand information’. Speaking in legal terms, Hearsay refers to the testimony given by a witness not about what they personally saw or heard but about something, someone else saw or said they heard. In legal cases, the use of hearsay has been resorted to include evidence that under other circumstances would not have been admissible in court. However at all times it must be borne in mind that Hearsay must not include, any form of gossip or rumours. To state it in a more simple form, hearsay is according to Sir Auld, â€Å" an assertion other than one made by a person while giving oral evidence in the proceedings as evidence as any fact asserted.† However, Hearsay is an exclusionary rule of Evidence Law albeit subject to a multitude of statutory and Common Law exceptions. Tracing the origin of the concept of ‘hearsay’ leads us to the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1603 where wrongful judgement passed, based on hearsay evidence. It was this wrongful judgement that led the English Jurists to devise hard and fast rules with reference to hearsay evidence. Subsequently, all hearsay evidence was banned on the pretext that they were the admissions of a third party to whom neither the defendant nor the prosecution were privy to. It is obvious that the hearsay rule is intricately interwoven with the concepts of â€Å"truth† and â€Å"proof† and with the credibility, reliability and the memory of the witness in question. Hearsay contains within its womb a very high degree of implication and this implication weighs very heavily on the minds of the jury before they deliver a verdict.

David Suzuki Foundation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

David Suzuki Foundation - Assignment Example y, protection of the climate, habitat and endangered species protection, future projects on energy and sustainability of healthy oceans and seafood among others. The David Suzuki Foundation is very strict when it comes to uploading ethics. Some of the ways it does this is by not accepting funding or donations from individuals or organizations that have a hidden agenda in mind. They care about their integrity and reputation so much so that it declines such gifts or funding despite their value. This is the reason it does not accept direct funding from the government as this will mean they are indebted or at the mercy of the government and hence will lose its ethical conduct. The only funding from the government it takes is that provided through the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. On environmental values, the foundation strives to uphold the human rights of people when still safeguarding the environment. They are guided by the United Nations Declarations on Rights of Indigenous People formulated in 2010 and which protects the indigenous people who rely on the environment for their survival. In their aim to protect the environment therefore, they avoid clashing with the Aboriginals and they always respect them. They even at times use them to safeguard their other environmental policies as these people have indigenous knowledge of the environment and have vested interests in the environment being safeguarded. Its environmental values are also upheld through having their offices heated and cooled by geothermal system, recycling of its products, planting native species in the roof, having automatic timers to shut off their electrical appliances to save energy, employees commuting to work through biking or walking and using teleconferencing to reduce air travel. Their suppliers are also green suppliers using organic and non-toxic biodegradable among others all aimed at protecting the environment. Its code of conduct demands that its

Critical Thinking Essay Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking Essay Essay Critical thinking includes the component skills of analyzing arguments, making inferences using inductive or deductive reasoning, judging or evaluating, and making decisions or solving problems when evaluating academic content. Background knowledge is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for enabling critical thought within a given subject. Critical thinking involves both cognitive skills and dispositions. These dispositions, which can be seen as attitudes or habits of mind, include open- and fair-mindedness, inquisitiveness, flexibility, a propensity to seek reason, a desire to be well-informed, and a respect for and willingness to entertain diverse viewpoints. There are both general- and domain-specific aspects of critical thinking. Empirical research suggests that people begin developing critical thinking competencies at a very young age. Although adults often exhibit deficient reasoning, in theory all people can be taught to think critically. Instructors are urged to provide explicit instruction in critical thinking, to teach how to transfer to new contexts, and to use cooperative or collaborative learning methods and constructivist approaches that place students at the center of the learning process. In constructing assessments of critical thinking, educators should use open-ended tasks, real-world or â€Å"authentic† problem contexts, and ill-structured problems that require students to go beyond recalling or restating previously learned information. Such tasks should have more than one defensible solution and embed adequate collateral materials to support multiple perspectives. Finally, such assessment tasks should make student reasoning visible by requiring students to provide evidence or logical arguments in support of judgments, choices, claims, or assertions. Critical thinking is an important element of all professional fields and academic disciplines when evaluating academic content. Within the framework of scientific skepticism, the process of critical thinking involves the careful acquisition and interpretation of information and use of it to reach a well-justified conclusion. The concepts and principles of critical thinking can be applied to any context or case but only by reflecting upon the nature of that application. Critical thinking forms, therefore, a system of related, and overlapping, modes of thought such as anthropological  thinking, sociological thinking, historical thinking, political thinking, psychological thinking, philosophical thinking, mathematical thinking, chemical thinking, biological thinking, ecological thinking, legal thinking, ethical thinking, musical thinking, thinking like a painter, sculptor, engineer, business person, etc. In other words, though critical thinking principles are universal, their applicat ion to disciplines requires a process of reflective contextualization. Critical thinking is considered important in the academic fields because it enables one to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure their thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of adopting, acting on, or thinking with, a false belief. However, even with knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, mistakes can happen due to a thinkers inability to apply the methods or because of character traits such as egocentrism. Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, bias, propaganda, self-deception, distortion, misinformation, etc. Given research in cognitive psychology, some educators believe that schools should focus on teaching their students critical thinking skills and cultivation of intellectual traits. Socratic method is defined as a prolonged series of questions and answers which refutes a moral assertion by leading an opponent to draw a conclusion that contradicts his own viewpoint. Critical thinking skills through Socratic method taught in schools help create leaders. Instructors that promote critical thinking skills can benefit the students by increasing their confidence and creating a repeatable thought process to question and confidently approach a solution. Students also accomplish follower-ship skills that can be used to probe the leaders foundations. Critical thinking skills through Socratic method serve to produce professionals that are self-governing. However, Socratic method for critical thinking skills can become confusing if an instructor or leader uses the method too rigidly, the student may not know what the instructor or leader wants from him. An instructor or leader may disillusion the students if he uses particular style of questioning. Instructors must reveal their reasoning behind the questions in order to guide the students in the right direction. Socratic method can serve twenty-first-century leaders to instruct students, mentor protà ©gà ©s, motivate followers, advise other leaders, and influence peers. In conclusion, â€Å"critical thinking is the disciplined art of ensuring that you use the best  thinking you are capable of in any set of circumstances when evaluating academic content. The general goal of thinking is to figure out some situation, solve some problems, answer some questions, or resolve some issue It also is a process in which a person pursuits reliable and pertinent information about the world. Critical thinking is often described as reasonable, ruminative, trustworthy, and a well practiced form of thinking that assists people with deciding what they should believe in and what actions should be taken. A practiced critical thinker will ask good questions, collects pertinent data, categorizes common characteristics, logically reasons with the new data and then he or she will come to a trustworthy and dependable conclusion. Critical thinking makes use of many processes and procedures. Some processes include but is not limited to asking questions, making judgments, and identifying assumptions.

Here is New York :: essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Close Up Picture Number: 1633 For this compositional strategy I chose a picture of a postcard of New York showing the skyline, twin towers included, being held by a steel fence. Above it is another picture showing Jesus kneeling. The two images are in the center of the picture creating a symmetrical balance. The repetitions of the fence forming the diamonds in the background dose not make it go unnoticed because you realize that without it the pictures could not be held up. Looking closer you see that the image of Jesus and of New York are overlapping, and that overall this picture shows a figure-ground relationship. To me this picture can be looked at in two different ways. The fact that Jesus is above the postcard of New York to me indicates that the photographer is trying to that even after this terrible tragedy that has happened to one of the worlds greatest cities, above all, we must have hope and faith that New York and America will recover. Because even though steel (hence the fence) could not hold up the towers our faith is stronger than steal and will overcome any obstacle. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Long-Shot Picture Number: 7274   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the long shot I chose this pre 9/11 picture showing the New York city at night. It is not taken at ground view but instead is an aerial view. It looks as though every light in the city is on showing a full tonal range in this picture creating almost a glowing aura. The twin towers are located in the center of the picture and from it there are 2 beams of light, one for each tower, rising from the ground into space.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To me this picture puts emphasis on the twin Towers as being the heart and center of not only New York but perhaps of the entire earth. The light shining down on it looks like an energy source, or like it could be protecting it. The light to me can also be looked at as the souls of the people who died in the world trade center ascending to heaven, and perhaps the towers themselves as the soul of New York rising to heaven. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Isolation Picture Number: 7213   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The picture I chose to describe the Isolation compositional strategy is a picture that was taken of a very crowded area of new York. The entire picture is all kinds of people all heading in different direction, with their own adjendas.

Burger King Innovative

Being innovative and creative is the key to having a successful thriving competitive company which can compete and stay in business due to their competitive advantages towards other companies in the same industry. The fast food industry is very competitive with there being a number of fast food restaurants. With Burger King seeking to become more innovative and creative it would benefit the company in generating bigger profits and productivity; Burger King would stay competitive to survive the fast food industry. Vice president of Burger King Leo Leon keeps Burger King thriving over innovation with its new and improved French fries concentrating on upgrading menu items within the quick-service industry. It’s been since 1998 since Burger King has decided to innovate within their French fries. The new French fries will be wider, with enhanced potato taste and crisp goldish-brown lusciousness from the outside. Seven-thousand Burger King Restaurants will have the fries by December 5, 2011. Burger King is also promoting this debut by offering free small fries on December 16 with no purchase necessary. Burger King upgrading in their menu and self-serve ice cream and desserts are all innovative continuous improvement on their products to maximize their profits and grow within their company. The launch of the new fries is claimed to be the best French fries in America which would not only maximize profits but grow the Burger King image to another level. Leo Leon mentions, â€Å"At Burger King, we constantly strive to make every item on our menu the best it can be. We believe our new fries are the latest example of our commitment to quality and innovation, and we invite everyone to visit our restaurants and taste the difference. † Innovation and creativity will benefit Burger King maintaining place number 2 in the burger chain but competition will keep on rising due to competitors.

Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Disabilities Essay

When it comes to students, teacher’s roles in determining how to teach a student with emotional and behavior disorder, Physical disabilities and Health Impairments, Traumatic Brain injury, Hearing impairments, and Visual impairments is to create an environment in which all students can feel safe and can participate to the best of their abilities. When it comes to proving a positive learning environment for students who has disabilities it can be a great challenge within the classroom cause each student has their very own needs, intellectual and physical abilities, perceptions and most of all learning styles which may vary for each student. It is very important to know the students needs and identify and areas of curriculum before teaching a student because may present problems for them. In order to do that a teacher most have some teaching strategies that they can modify in order to help teach their student who have disabilities where it can help identify the students special needs and it will offer strategies for the teachers to put within a lesson plan to teach and give all students a change to success in learning. There are lots of strategies teachers can use for example, when it comes to students with emotional and behavior disorders may students may have gifts or even learning disabilities in which case can divide from expectations or even from standards of behaviors. Some teaching strategies that teaching can use for a student with emotional and behavior disorders are a teacher need to work long term improvements without expecting immediate and strong success from the student, try to expose students with behavior disorder to students who are not special need. Try and allow students to walk around classroom and talk with the students about what they like or dislike helping learn about the student strength and weakness to be able to started making an outline of a lesson plan for them. Structure rules, a schedule for the student, arrange the room for students comfort for a more conductive learning environment for the students to learn in. teachers need to setup students a way to other outlets ways to reduce frustration and angry by model and role playing appropriate behavior for them to see. 2010 McGraw Hill) Most important I think a teacher and do also is create a cool off spot within the class for the student to calm down once they become frustrated or angry it can help model and reinforce proper behavior from the students one they have common down which will help the teacher to keep everyone else calm. Lastly they need to communicate with other teachers and the student parent to keep the line of communication open about the student educat ion. There are lots of different characters of students with emotional and behavior disorder and some examples are fighting and hitting, getting out of their sets, disturbing others by yelling and talking loud, destroying things by throwing, do not like to follow orders and some curses a lot in which cases some cannot help it. Next there are Physical disabilities and Health Impairments where student are not able to learning easy without help. For example students with Physical disabilities are those who have are orthopedic impairment in which one or more limbs are severely restricted and there are those who have health impairment. 2010 McGraw Hill) Some teaching strategies for teachers are to learn about special devices or procedures, help other students and adults understand and accept physically disabled students and to keep in mind that some students in wheelchairs have full uses of their hands and others do not. Most important allow student to participate in all activities like field trips, special events , projects and make sure they have full access to the classroom and nothing is blocked them in like them going down narrow hallways and heavy doors where they cannot get out. 2010 McGraw Hill) Some characteristics of Physical and health impairments are Mobility issues, fatigue, weak muscle, attention involvement and Hypotonic-low muscle tone. Lately there is traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a form of Acquired brain injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. 2013 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Some teaching strategies for teachers are reduce distractions in the student’s work area like remove extra pencils and books, Divide work into smaller sections where the teacher have the student complete one section at a time, Ask the student to summarize information orally that has just been presented, Use cue words to alert the student to pay attention like â€Å"listen,† â€Å"look,† and â€Å"name† lastly establish a nonverbal cueing system by using eye contact and touch to remind the student to pay attention. 2000 TBI Challenge Vol. 4, No. 2) Some Characteristics of a person who has traumatic brain injury are headache, confusion, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. 2013 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) In conclusion what can I do to nurture the self-esteem and self-determination, and enhance the self-advocacy skills, of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical and health impairments, and traumatic brain injury is to teach knowledge and skills to each students in other to become self determined. Also by set personal goals for each student and create actions plans to achieve the goals each and every day. Second Make good choices that re appropriated and that applies to the students everyday lives. When it comes completely down to the bottom line I will help my entire student achieve academic success. What can be done to help regular students understand, respect, and respond appropriately to students with disabilities in a class? I will post respect rules on my classroom walls, door, even in the school hallways. I will tell other students not to stereotype students that have disabilities because it is not nice to mock or tease students who are different and if I do catch them they will let them know that is disrespectful. I will tell them to show respect to them and try to get to know them better before making fun of the disable if that do not work and they are not trying to understand student with disabilities I will keep making sure that every student I come across so disrespect or even feel like they do not want to be around one of the student I will just tell them in a calm but nice voice â€Å"Try to walk in their shoes for once. †

How to Tell Time in English for Beginners

How to Tell Time in English for Beginners Use this role play to practice telling the time. Make sure you know how to use the twelve hour clock to speak about times in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. Use the preposition at to speak about specific times. Key Vocabulary Related to Telling Time Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please?What time is it?Its half past...Its quarter past...Its ten to...Its quarter to...Its twenty toIts twenty pastIts ten forty five.1:00 -   One o’clock2:00  -   Two  o’clock3:00  -   Three  o’clock4:00  -   Four o’clock5:00  -   Five o’clock6:00  -   Six  o’clock7:00  -   Seven  o’clock8:00  -   Eight  o’clock9:00  -   Nine  o’clock10:00  -   Ten  o’clock11:00  -   Eleven  o’clock12:00  -   Twelve  o’clock Talking About the Time of Day There are many ways to talk about the time of day in English without using an exact time. Here are some of those vocabulary words. Dawn: Early morning before or just as the sun rises.Sunrise: When the sun rises.Sunset: When the sun sets.Noon: Exactly 12 P.M.Midnight: Exactly 12 A.M.Midday: The stretch of time in the middle of the day, from approximately 11am to 1pm.Afternoon: Literally, the hours afternoon, but more specifically from 1 to 4 P.M.Early: The morning hours, approximately before 9 A.M.Day/daytimeTwilight: The time just before the stars come out.Dusk: Early evening, just before or as the sun is setting.Early evening: From about 4:30 to 6 P.M.Evening: The period of time after sunset but before night.Late: The evening hours, approximately after 11 P.M.Night/nighttimeoclockA.M.Used with a 12 hour clock for talking about times before  noon and after midnight.P.M.Used with a 12-hour clock for talking about times before midnight and after noon. Practice Dialogue Jane: Could you tell me the time, please?Steve: Certainly. Its 3 P.M.Jane: That late? I thought it was early afternoon still.Steve: Time flies when you are busy. Did you enjoy your morning?Jane: I did, but now I have to rush in order to get home before dusk.Steve: Have a good evening. See you back here tomorrow bright and early!Jane: Yes! Ill arrive by dawn or shortly thereafter.

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

Strategic management - Essay Example partake periodically in personal development plans in order to ensure that they remain relevant to the organization and hence support its changing/ advanced goals and mission. To begin with, the personal development plan will focus on bridging the gap between the current skills of a leader and the leadership development requirements identified in the skills audit (Mackey and Livsey, 2006). Therefore, constructing the personal development plan entails devising a methodology for empowering the leader with skills, knowledge or competencies that he/ she does not presently posses but they have been identified as necessary in the skills audit. This can be achieved by undertaking various modes of learning but since it is a personal development plan, the most appropriate method of learning is self-learning whereby the leader will undertake self-training by either relying on written materials, watching tutorial videos, or working under a mentor who will train him or her on certain set of skills (Tobin, 2000). Besides self-learning method, the leader can as well undertake traditional training by attending classes at reputable learning institutions. According to Irby and Brown (2000), the personal development plan has to be specific in regards to the skills it intends to improve or instill on the leader. Secondly, the plan has to be measurable in the sense that one is able to gauge whether the objectives of the plan have been achieved or not. Thirdly, the plan has to receive consent from relevantd stakeholders i.e. it should not create any controversy. Fourthly, it should be realistic as well as time-bound. As stated in the previous section, the personal development plan should be measurable and one practical method of assessing the outcome against personal work objectives is by assessing the speed and accuracy at which the leader achieves personal work objectives. For example, if the personal development plan was aimed at improving the negotiating skills of a leader then

Reflection and Refraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection and Refraction - Essay Example On the other hand, when light moving in one direction meets a transparent substance, it is deflected and changes the angle of direction. The properties mentioned above represent reflection and refraction respectively. Reflection is visible when the direction of light is obscured by an opaque substance. Although some light may be absorbed by the substance, most of it bounces off the substances and moves in the opposite direction. The laws of reflection explain that both the angle of reflection and incidence are equal (Stille 37). However, this depends on the nature of the surface that lights bounces off. A smooth surface will produce an equal angle of reflection as that of incidence. However, a rough surface will produce multiple rays reflected at different angles. The laws of reflection were visible during the lab experiment where rays of light were shone on a mirror. In addition, the laws explain how images are formed by mirrors. Snell’s law explains how light behaves when it moves from one form of matter to another. When light travels from one medium to another, it produces transmitted rays that appear to be bending (Stille 38). Refraction is influenced by both the densities of the two media and the angle of the incident ray. The laws of refraction were visible in the lab experiment where students viewed a coin immersed in a glass

Final Paper (Natural Selection and Antibiotic Resistance) Research

Final (Natural Selection and Antibiotic Resistance) - Research Paper Example Through this process, bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics. This genetic mutation may be spontaneous, or induced by horizontal gene transfer through conjugation, transduction and transformation. The use of antibiotics can increase selective pressure in a bacterial population that will lead to thriving of resistant bacteria and death of vulnerable bacteria. In this regard, the resistant bacteria will reproduce offspring that is resistant to antibiotics. In general bacterial resistance may be in form of change in permeability of the cell that prevents entry of the antibiotics or pumping the antibiotic out of the cell, acquiring the ability to inactivate the antibiotic or acquisition of mutations that modifies the target of an antibiotic. Common resistant bacteria include; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and vanmyocin-resistant S. aureus (Wright, 2005). Antibiotics have different modes of action that is either through inhibiting bacterial growth by inhibiting bacterial cell wall biosynthesis or blocking bacterial protein synthesis by binding to RNA preventing translation. Ampicillin is a beta-lactam or beta-lactamase inhibitor combination with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against Gram-positive, Gram negative and anaerobic bacteria. Ampicillin is a significant drug in the therapeutic drug for lower respiratory tract infections, intra-abdominal infections, gynaecological infections, skin and soft tissue infections. In this experiment a single colony was used to as a starting material to grow a culture of bacteria. Therefore the cells in the colony will be genetically identical because they have the same mother cell. The genetic variation in the colony will only be a result of accumulation of random mutations. The main aim of this experiment is to determine if random mutations in the population will result to a small number of cells to become resistant to antibiotics

Boston Tea Party Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Boston Tea Party - Article Example The Indemnity Act of 1767 served to shield the British government from losing out to tea smugglers who sourced their tea from Holland. Holland did not impose taxes for its imported tea hence Dutch traders supplied it at cheaper rates. After establishing the Indemnity act, the East India Company was able to retrieve the 25 percent ad valorem tax it paid for tea that they exported to British colonies. Part of the act’s outcome was to permit export of tea to other British colonies by the East India Company. In addition to this, the act also reduced taxes paid by domestic consumers of tea in Britain. The overall idea here was to shift the taxation burdens from the homeland to the colonies. The Townshend Act was Britain’s attempt at imposing tea taxes on its colonies. Constitutionally, this precise issue was the long, held bone of contention that drove up resistance from colonists to British authority in the colonial lands. The Whigs, who were a group of political activists in America, laid a case against the Townshend Act. Reason being that it forced American to pay taxes, which had no approval from their local elected representatives. The new taxes brought about by the passing of the Townshend act resulted in massive protests and boycotts from colonists. (Rowe, web). This eventually forced the government to repeal the taxes included in the Townshend Act. In 1772, after the Indemnity Act expired, the government reverted to taxes that they had offset from British people in 1767 (Rowe, web). On the reintroduction of taxes, sales of tea fell short, and there was a large surplus held by the East India Company. As a major driver of the British economy, the company re ceived help from the government. The Tea act finally came as a solution to the crisis. It allowed the East India Company to sell directly tea to Americans at a price of their choosing. This was supposed to help reduce the overdue stock that was still in their warehouses. Because of this, tea prices for America significantly dropped in the hope of driving up sales. The taxes payable on importing the tea were paid, under much secrecy, to avoid reaction such as those that had been encountered before. The Actual Event It was not long before the arrangements to hide taxes were discovered by the American Whigs. The discovery came about while seven ships made their way to American harbors to offload large consignments of British tea. Three of these ships namely the Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver, headed for Boston while each of the others went to New York, Charleston and Philadelphia. After the three ships to Boston arrived, American protestors climbed onto them, opened up 342 chests that c ontained the imported tea and threw the tea into the sea (Lepore, web). This took no more than three hours to accomplish, and the colonists had disguised themselves as Indians to be mistaken for workers. The damaged product was worth 10000 pounds, and it would be unsalvageable for authorities to charge duty on it (Lepore, web). The ship’s owners had, however, been warned earlier on to retreat and return the ships to England through a meeting held in Boston with the protest’s leaders. Resolutions and Outcomes The British legislature after receiving news of the event decided to take disciplinary action against the entire populace of Boston. It passed the Boston Port Bill, which Boston harbor closed off until the East India Company had received due compensation for the destroyed tea. In addition, to this Parliament decided to amend the structure of the Massachusetts Council, which was largely elective in nature. They instead had the governor acquire

European Union Decision Making

European Union Decision Making Introduction The European Union (EU) decision making process is quite a complex perform which involves more than one institution most of the times. The European council, the European parliament, and the European commissions are the key players within this key complex and multi-party process. More than the past five decades the European Parliament (EP) has motivated from being a mainly consultative assembly to being a genuine co-legislature. The growth in the European Parliaments powers was accompanied by a revaluation of its Standing Committees. The European Parliament (EP) is now generally seen as a co-legislator with the Council is a comparatively new development. It did not enjoy any effective rights of participation in the legislative process for more than three decades. As an assembly it started out with only two key powers: the supremacy to pass a motion of censure against the High Authority and the power to be consulted by the Council on selected legislative proposals. The opinions given in this traditional consultation procedure were non-binding. The Single European Act (SEA) 1987 represented a key step promote for the EP. It manifest the inauguration of a new triangular relationship between the Council, the Commission and the EP by introducing the co-operation procedure, which significantly enhanced inter-institutional dialogue, giving the EP the first opportunity to loosen its legislative power and to make use of its agenda-setting powers. The positive experiences structure of the co-operation procedure, the EPs legislative competencies were extended by the Treaty on European Union (TEU) commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, 1993. Through the co-decision procedures beginning the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were, granted the power of veto in several policy areas, for the first time. The EPs role considerably strengthened by the Treaty of Amsterdam (1999), especially as regards its involvement in the legislative process. The procedure of co-decision has been extended from 15 to 38 Treaty areas or types of Community action and now applies to new areas within the fields of transport, environment, energy, development co-operation and certain aspects of social affairs. A new element in the Amsterdam Treaty is the reform of the co-decision procedure. Most significantly, a legislative act can now be adopted at the first reading if either the EP fails to suggest amendments to the Commission proposal or the Council agrees to the changes suggested by the EP. The EPs powers were accompanied by a revaluation of the EP Standing Committees. In the EU policy-making process they have become a key element and can be seen as a very important contribution to the determining of legislation. Operating Mode The EP Standing Committees have been described as the â€Å"legislative backbone† of the EP (Westlake 1994, p. 191). Under the proficiency of these committees everything that could possibly be dealt with by the EP, which officially examine only questions referred by the Bureau. The proposals in the practical political process, incoming legislative directly go to the responsible committee or committees. EP committees Development By 1953, committees have played a vital role within the EP from its setting up: seven committees had already installed by the Common Assembly. In 1979, after the direct elections, 16 standing committees were established. By the year of 1999 their number gradually increased to 20. At that point there was a growing feeling, however, that the number of committees should be reviewed with the main objective of distributing the new legislative obligations resulting from the Amsterdam Treaty more evenly (Corbett; Jacobs; Shackleton 2000, p. 105) The number of EP Standing Committees was subsequently reduced from 20 to 17 after the June 1999 elections. They each cover a particular area or policy field of the EUs activities and now have been reshuffled for the purpose of: (Christine Neuhold, 2001) merging issue clusters (external economic relations has been merged with industry and research and the Committee on Regional Policy now deals with policies concerning transport and tourism), emphasizing new priorities (e.g. equal opportunities now has a more prominent role in the Committee on Womens Rights and the same is true for human rights in the Committee on Foreign Affairs), ensuring greater committee oversight. The EPs committee structure does not correspond to any particular model. The Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, CFSP committee is, according to Westlake, clearly modeled on its equivalent in the United States Senate, but has far fewer powers (Westlake 1994, p. 135). Key players in committees We usually found that committee proceedings are to a large size formed by key players in the committee: committee chairmen, vice-chairs and rapporteurs, generally whose role is well known, and also draftsmen of opinion, shadow rapporteurs and committee co-ordinators. The chairmen and three vice-chairmen are its formal officeholders within each committee. When sensitive votes are held in plenary, the chairman presides over the meetings of the committee and can contribute considerably to shaping legislation. The function of the vice-chairmen is generally to stand in for the chairman when he/she is not available. Once a committee has decided to draw up a report or an opinion it nominates a rapporteur (when the committee bears primary responsibility) or a draftsman (when it has to give an opinion for another committee) (Corbett, Jacobs, Shackleton 2000, p. 108, 117). The group co-ordinators play an important role separately from the official officeholders. A co-ordinator selects by each political group who is responsible for allocating tasks to the group members as its main spokesperson. By opposition political group(s), mainly to monitor the work of the rapporteur are appointed the so-called shadow rapporteurs. By political groups the EP committees are composed on a cross-party basis and the composition process is organized in various ways through procedural rules, and by way of bargaining. Assigning leadership positions within committees is formally based on the dHondt procedure, whereby political groups have the choice of which committee they want to chair in an order determined by the size of the group (Christine Neuhold, 2001).   The individual (both full and substitute) members are chosen by the political groups with the aim of ensuring that each committee reflects the overall political balance among the groups in the EP(Christine Neuhold, 2001). The pivotal role of the committee chairmen, a position that has been described as a â€Å"prized office for MEPs† (Hix 1999), can be illustrated by the contrasting examples of two different directives. Even though the committee chairs were heavily lobbied in both cases, especially by industry, the outcome was highly different Normally the selection of rapporteurs and draftsmen is decided within the individual committees by a system, which is more or less the same in all committees. Each political group has, according to its size, a quota of points. The group co-ordinators then discuss reports and opinions to be distributed, decide how many points each subject is worth and make bids on behalf of their group, the bids based in theory (but not always in the practical political process) on the relationship between the number of points already used by the group and the original quota (Corbett, Jacobs, Shackleton 2000, p. 117). Political groups Significance within committees If committees are the legislative backbone of the EP, the political parties are its lifeblood or the institutional cement pasting together the different units of the Parliament (Williams 1995, p. 395). Each party group in the EP represents a very heterogeneous collection of established groups and temporary alliances (Raunio 2000, p. 242). For the legislative period of 1999-2004 eight political groups are represented in the EP (and a number of non-aligned members). In the elections of June 1999 the PES lost more than 30 seats while the EPP-ED gained 52 and now holds (with 233 seats) a 53-seat majority over the PES. It must be pointed out, however, that these two large political groups together hold more than 66 % of all EP seats. In comparison the European Liberal Democratic and Reformist Group (ELDR), which is the third strongest party within the EP, has only 50 members, i.e. 8 % of the seats (EU Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium 1999, p. 13). Political groups have their own staff, in which the total number of employees to which a group is entitled, is linked to the groups size and based on the number of languages used in the group. (Christine Neuhold, 2001). Within the larger groups between two to three staff members observe and follow the work done by each committee, whereas one official might be responsible for observing the work of three or four committees in smaller groups (Raunio 2000). A variety of functions perform within the groups by the staff. One very main aspect is to follow and to prepare the committee proceedings and to support the rapporteur i.e. the shadow rapporteur in their political work. The existing task this involves varies from committee to committee. For example in the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development the respective administrator is responsible for drawing up voting lists, whereas in the environment committee the Political Group Staff would only bring the voting lists into a readable form. When trying to co-ordinate their positions or exchanging views the rapporteur might in selected cases not negotiate with the shadow rapporteur but with the responsible administrator (Christine Neuhold, 2001). Expertise and openness significance of committee debates EP committees can exploit a growing pool of expertise. When it comes to supporting the rapporteur or draftsman of opinion in the performance of their task the EP Committee Secretariat is attributed great importance. The officials help increase the functional capacity of the EP by assisting the individual MEPs and the committees. The committee staff not only provides scientific and technical information, but also gives advice on â€Å"political† issues (Christine Neuhold, 2001). Separately from the Committee Secretariat interest groups are another important source of information. For the representation of interests Lobbyists gradually notice the importance of the EP. MEPs act in so far as possible as representatives of the European people, however if they are elected by local constituencies. They have to integrate interests with relevance to Europe as a whole and are therefore contacted by actors working within the myriad of networks to be found in the EU system of multi-level governance (Benz 2001, p. 7). Wessels reports that average MEPs have roughly 109 contacts with interest groups from the national and supranational level each year. In total this amounts to some 67,000 contacts and interest groups annually (Wessels 1999, p. 109). A remarkable improvement in the EPs activities is a great increase in the organization of public hearings by the committees. These hearings can serve up numerous purposes: they can facilitate the identification of or familiarization with a particular issue, assist a committee in the scrutiny of draft legislation, and facilitate identification of preferences. A remarkable example is the drinking water directive: a public hearing, involving a wide range of experts and interested parties, was conducted on the revision of this directive. The key conclusion reached was that there is a critical need to evaluate the existing series of directives and decisions on water quality. Consequently of this hearing particular deficits and problems within this context were recognized and methods of reform were proposed. Relations of EP committees with other EU institutions The connection between the EP and other institutions on the European level has evolved extensively with the introduction of first the co-operation and later the co-decision procedures. Co-operation marked an end to the old bipolar relationship between Council and Commission and the beginning of a triangular relationship in which the EPs legislative input was limited at the outset, though it gradually increased later (Westlake 1994, p. 137). Relations with other institutions throughout the legislative process during co-decision The introduction of the co-decision procedure by the Treaty of Maastricht has been regarded as a major step forward for the EP and â€Å"the cause for parliamentary democracy† at the EU level (Shackleton 2000, p.325). Negotiation between the Council of Ministers and the EP committees has established by the new Treaty provision. As soon as the Amsterdam Treaty took effect these contacts were intensified, mainly as a result of the possibility of concluding the procedure at first reading. Both institutions have paid close attention to the â€Å"Joint declaration on the practical arrangements for the new co-decision procedure† of May 1999, which encourages appropriate contacts with the aim of â€Å"bringing the legislative procedure to a conclusion as quickly as possible† (Christine Neuhold, 2001). Each Council Presidency is in contact with the responsible EP committee, and the respective Minister approaches the committee to present the priorities of the Presidencys programme and also illustrates the particular achievements at the end of the six-month period. Even after Amsterdam there are no clear procedural guidelines for the first reading. The most contentious question is how to mandate the representatives of the EP for negotiating with the Council. An additional open question is which members of the Council and EP hierarchy should meet with whom. At the first reading as a means of speeding up the procedure the EP sees the possibility of reaching an agreement, but not something that should be accepted at any cost. Within the conciliation procedure a process of exchange has developed where both sides are open to make concessions, but at a price that differs according to each set of negotiations (Shackleton 1999, p. 331). The procedure has evolved significantly since its introduction by the Maastricht Treaty, â€Å"where a lot was not written down† and even the basic procedural issues were not always clear. Considering the problems of conciliation, the so-called trialogue meetings are of great significance during its preparation. These sessions, neither the Treaty nor the EP Rules of Procedure, have been formed to an extent under the motto â€Å"necessity is the mother of invention†. They were answer back to the gap left in the Treaty between the Councils second reading and convention of the conciliation committee. The Treaty provisions do not require what, should happen after the Council has given its view on the EPs second-reading amendments and before the delegations meet in the conciliation committee. There were occasional bilateral contacts between Council and EP during the first year and a half after the Maastricht Treaty came into effect, but no structured dialogue. As a result both institutions attempted to find compromises in a room, which could hold over 100 persons. Only in the second half year after the Treaty came into effect was the conclusion finally drawn that this was not an efficient forum for institutional dialogue and that conciliation needed to be prepared by a smaller group (Shackleton 1999, p. 333). In light of the smaller number of persons taking part in trialogues, namely the vice-president concerned; the chairman of the responsible EP committee; and the rapporteur At the level of the trialogue and only have to be â€Å"rubber-stamped† in conciliation a large percentage controversial issue is already solved. The optimistic function of the trialogue is illustrated by the directive on end of vehicle life. At second reading the EP adopted a total of 32 amendments. In a series of trialogue meetings, compromises were reached regarding a considerable number of amendments Study conducted on the effect the co-decision procedure has on the EP committees has shown that co-decision has led to a structural concentration of the bulk of the workload on only three out of 20 Permanent Committees. The three committees dealt with the majority of the draft legal acts submitted under co-decision were: (Christine Neuhold, 2001) Committee on the Environment (36.7 %); Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy (25.9 %); Committee on Legal Affairs (16.9 %). As regards the amount of time needed to conclude a co-decision procedure, the analysis reflects that the Committee on the Environment with the heaviest co-decision burden of all committees stabilized the amount of time required for adoption. The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy and the Committee on Legal Affairs have even reduced the time needed for the adoption of legislative acts considerably since co-decision was introduced in 1993 (Maurer 1999, p. 29). Role of EP committees within the implementation process One more significant issue is the process of implementing legislation. In the system of comitology, EP committees play only a marginal role. Comitology is a short-hand term for the process by which certain powers of implementation are delegated to the Commission. The comitology committees are composed of representatives of Member State governments and as such are not democratically elected (Bradley 1997). Since installation of the first comitology committees, the EP has put forward far-reaching demands as regards its involvement in the comitology system. Translating them into political science terms, they could be summarised in the following manner (Hix 2000): clear definition of legislative and executive matters so that the executive authority would be strictly responsible for implementing measures; when implementing acts have been adopted by way of co-decision in the legislative process, the EP should be put on an equal footing with the governments of the Member States; limitation of the executive powers of the Member State governments (at least to a certain extent); the right of the EP to examine all draft implementing acts before they are adopted with the implementation timetable; the right of the EP to veto legislation before it is implemented. Connection to EU citizens: the problem of accountability and responsibility The concept of accountability for this study is defined in two ways: primary, to be accountable is seen to be in a position of stewardship and thus to be called to answer questions about ones activities and administration. This is very much connected to ensuring a certain degree of openness and transparency within the decision making process. Choices and debates have to be broken down in such a way that citizens are able to understand them and have a certain degree of insight into decision-making processes. Second, to be accountable is perceived as being censurable or dismissible (Bealey 1999, p. 2; Lord 1998). Because of the fact that they are directly elected, the members of the EP are directly accountable to their electorate. Though, the electoral procedures of the EP are questionable as regards the principle of political equality. Concerning accountability, it is also doubtful whether electors are adequately informed about the EPs activities, and they seem to have insufficient motivation to monitor the EP by participating in elections: the average turnout of 49 % in the 1999 EP elections speaks for itself(Christine Neuhold, 2001). The complex EU decision-making procedures are not transparent and sometimes rather difficult to describe and understand, when the process reached by a majority. European parties be unsuccessful to organize dependable factions and the relationships between the EP and other EU institutions, specially the Council, are difficult to comprehend. One of the problems the EP is presently facing is that the EP does not have the authority of a legislature. As a co-legislator together with the Council, it cannot be held accountable for decisions it makes on its own (Benz 2000, p. 16). Additionally, there is no European government that can be held accountable to the EP. The EP has to give the rights of its vote of approval to the Commission and to the Commission President. By vote of censure, it can also force the entire Commission to resign. The EP hence has the power to vote the Commission out of office. Though, it is not the EP but the European Council that selects the President and the members of the Commission. In consequence the composition of the executive is not based on the results of European elections. Changes to the Treaties do not have to be ratified by the EP, nor are members of the EP present at Intergovernmental Conferences held with the aim of Treaty reform (Raunio 2000, p. 231). By this study it has been reflected, complex forms of inter-institutional bargaining make it difficult to pinpoint what decisions were taken by whom. Main decisions are taken in smaller groups such as the trialogue that permit for the achievement of consensus with other institutional actors such as the Council. However, the conclusion of complex deals obscures who has won or lost on particular issues. The circumstances is problematical by the fact that MEPs are like members of any national parliament confronted with a fundamental conflict of roles, specifically that of the competent co-legislator versus the representative of the interests of the people who elected him/her. The previous requires expertise and knowledge and complicated negotiations within the committee and with representatives of the EU institutions. The concluding requires stable contact with the EU citizens. The burden of committee work will require more time and effort of MEPs, making it more difficult to tend to the interests of the â€Å"potential voter† With the growth in the EPs legislative tasks. Concluding notes The actual authority of the EP is at least partly based on the work of its committees. In shaping EU legislation they play a vital role. This becomes noticeable when taking a final look at what EP committees achieve: Operation of economization: From an improved familiarity with the subject, EP committees make processing of a growing workload possible and benefit. To cope with its increasing legislative workload, committees play a vital role in the EPs quest. This improved burden for committees has not led to a slowing down of the decision-making process. Information acquisition: This improved familiarity of committee members with particular issues leads to improved specialization, thereby increase the confidence of non-committee members in the work of the committee. It has found that the EP committees constitute an important arena for the communication of interests. MEPs can use a rising pool of expertise from members of the Committee Secretariat on the one hand and on the other hand representatives of interests groups or NGOs. Co-ordination: Committee members are selected on a cross-party basis and through different means: throughout the political groups, procedural rules, and bargaining. The political groups within the EP have found different means to maximize their influence within committees, for instance by appointing shadow rapporteurs and group co-ordinators. Committees however provide an arena for the political groups to deliberate in order to find the necessary majorities, something not possible in plenary sessions. Input of smaller political groups: committee membership provides a real chance for representatives of smaller political groups in certain instances for example the Greens/EFA to take part in the shaping of legislation, by appointing the rapporteur for example. Consensus-building: The EP committee construction can give to consensus-building by providing an arena for detailed deliberation, which is not possible in plenary. It has found that divisions in committees are very issue-specific, and it must be noted that the committee lead very often plays an integrative role. Publicity: Committee meetings are usually open to the public and also the media. Committees permit members and committee chairs in particular to make publicity, at least when controversial topics such as the BSE crisis are on the agenda. Beyond this categorization, this provides an overview of how EP committees operate rather more normative, conclusions. The Standing Committees and the EP operate in a very different environment than the committees in national parliaments, a key difference being the lack of a European government directly accountable to the EP and the unique forms of decision-making in the multi-level system of European governance. In this process of relations with other EU institutions, remarkably the Council and the Commission, the EP committees play a vital role. The EPs work environment brings order and structure by the committee-based division of labor. Committees present personnel and structural resources which build up the negotiating position of the EP vis-ÃÆ'  -vis the Council, for instance in the co-decision process. Vital players in committees for example group co-ordinators, chairmen and rapporteurs not only contribute to cohesion and coherence within committees, but play a very important role in finding useful solutions to problems, so raising the committees output significantly. It has found that key players are often appointed due to their expertise in the particular policy area, which is sometimes gained throughout work within the industry previous to their parliamentary career. This and the fact that they can use a growing pool of expertise enhances their standing vis-ÃÆ'  -vis other institutions. It is also found that political actors who have acquired experience with these very specific forms of inter-institutional negotiations are selected to deal with co-decision, thus contributing to the level of trust and coh erence, particularly during conciliation. By the negotiations this is illustrated which dealt with the SOCRATES programme, the revision of the directive on open network provisions regarding voice telephony where the rapporteur was re-appointed, and the Fifth Framework Programme. Committees enlarge accountability of the EP as much as their meetings are usually open to the public and committee documents for instance draft reports are rather freely available. By meeting visiting groups and spending a large part of the working week in their constituencies, i.e. Member States Committee members also try to build up the link to EU citizens. Moreover committees enable effective communication of relevant (citizen) interests to those involved in the process of governance. Contact with lobbyists has normally become part of the daily business of committee members. In spite of these positive aspects, EP committees can do little to alleviate general structural deficits regarding accountability and legitimacy within the multi-level system, such as the lack of a European government, which is directly accountable to the EP.