Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning

Introduction For many decades, teachers have struggled to find an effective teaching technique to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between students and teachers in language learning. Due to this fact, many teachers have noted that there is a strong need to come up with effective teaching methods that concentrate more on the students instead of the teachers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For a group of Hong Kong students in China, it is confirmed that defining learning from a student-centric point of view is the most appropriate way of teaching language (Nunan 2004, p. 92). Such sentiments have been reiterated by Nunan (2004, p. 93) when he affirms that â€Å"teaching efficiency is improved when the learners and their contemporaries are the focus of attention instead of the teache r and his/her teaching†. From this point of view, many teachers have decided to adopt a student centric approach in designing their teaching curriculums. This new learning paradigm has been adopted to increase student-information interaction during learning processes (LouLeaver 2004, p. 1). In language learning, the task based technique is the most commonly known technique that seeks to accommodate the new learning paradigm. Task based learning has been extensively used as a teaching technique in the study of languages because it relies on authentic language understanding, even though it still demands that learners use the target language as the common mode of communication (Branden 2006, p. 1). The technique is task based, in that, it requires learners to perform different tasks, such as calling the police, calling the fire department and such simple tasks using the target language. This technique is unique, in that, learner assessment virtually depends on a learner’s ability to successfully complete a task, instead of his/her ability to use the target language to complete the same task. Nonetheless, the task-based technique has been extensively used to improve the fluency level of learners when using the target language, in addition to instilling a sense of confidence among learners (Hattie 2005, p. 61). As noted from the name of the technique (task based), the core of the task based technique in language learning is the task itself. Practically, the active language components of the learning process are usually deemphasized because learners are expected to focus more on the task instead of the language (Flowerdew 2005, p. 14).Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Several frameworks are usually used to achieve desired results in task-based learning but this study seeks to analyze a framework of learning advanced by Jane Willis. This framework incorpo rates the pre task, task, and post task (output) as the major design components (Wenger 1998). This framework will act as the basis of the second language curriculum design analysis as a critical component of this study. The second language to be used will be English and it is to be taught among a group of Chinese learners. Conceptual Analysis Traditionally, the most commonly used learning model for language teaching was the presentation, practice, and production model (PPM) (Errey 2005). The model was quite different from the task based approach model because in the words of Littlewood (2010, p. 3): â€Å" According to the PPM model, individual language items (for example, the past continuous) are presented by the teacher, then practiced in the form of spoken and written exercises (often pattern drills), and then used by the learners in less controlled speaking or writing activities†. The task-based approach was considered effective by most researchers until its arbitrarines s was discovered (especially in the teaching of grammar) because the technique was noted to fall short of the learner’s needs in language learning (Littlewood 2010, p. 3). Moreover, the production stage of the technique was largely considered inauthentic by many teachers and students because it failed to stick to the chosen learning structure (Littlewood 2010, p. 4). These PPM shortcomings later led to the development of the task based learning technique. Curriculum Design Analysis In analyzing the group of Chinese learners, the task based learning technique will engage the students in a three-step task process (according to Willis model).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first stage is the pre-task stage where the learners are required to comprehend or recall the teacherâ₠¬â„¢s introduction of the task or topic to be covered (at this point, the learners also take part in gathering and coordinating important pieces of information which will enable them accomplish their specific tasks). In the second stage, the learners are allowed to proceed with undertaking their tasks either individually or in a group setting. Finally, in the third stage, the learners are required to come up with a report detailing the tasks they have undertaken and the challenges or conclusions they arrive at. After the completion of the task and a submission of the task’s report are done, the learners are then required to focus on the specifics of the language inclusion where important language highlights are carefully analyzed and evaluated (based on how they were or could be integrated into the overall task). Pre-task Stage As a basic task in English learning, students undertaking the task-based technique are required to identify sources of media which fit a number of sel ected profiles. The profiles selected are: identifying official media sources meant for the general population, identifying media sources meant for the youth and identifying media sources meant for children. Despite the fact that the learners are required to identify a specific communicative activity (identifying media sources meant for different age groups), it remains clear that the learners will be learning specific forms of media meant for different audiences. With such a task at hand, the learners are likely to pay more attention to the meaning of the task they arrive at (when carrying out the task). The same situation can also be depicted when the learners have to carry out a given task of publishing their written essays in a specific type of media but fail to agree on the modalities of undertaking specific courses of action. Because of this reason, they have to explain the reasons why they think a specific course of action is better than another. For student A, he thinks havi ng his piece of work published in the local newspaper is the right decision and therefore he has to justify his reasons. Student B thinks her work should be published in a female magazine and has to justify her reasons. Student C thinks his work should be aired on local radio while student D thinks her work should be aired on local television.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For this task, it becomes a difficult duty to draw a clear-cut difference in understanding the form of the task to be undertaken and comprehending the meaning of the task. Because of this ambiguity, it is advisable to come up with a new continuum where both the form of the task and its meaning are encompassed. Afterwards, it will be easier to quantify where different activities lie along the continuum, since it will be easier to establish whether the activities focus more on the form of the task as opposed to its meaning. The diagram below best represents this comparison since the shaded region represents a stronger focus on the meaning of the task while the un-shaded region represents a stronger reference to the form of the task. (Adapted from www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc) All different continuums are however focused on improving the goal of communicative learning. The diagram below is a representative of the same continuum, only that it is more detail ed on the activities and tasks to be carried out by the learners. (Adapted from www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc) According to the diagram, specific tasks and activities depicted in the left wing of the continuum are representative of exercises, but those on the right side are representative of tasks (Littlewood 2010, p. 5). The middle boxes are nonetheless a representation of both (exercises and tasks). According to the Interim Report of the TOC Evaluation Project, the writers propose that the â€Å"half-and-half’ activities have played an important role in helping Hong Kong teachers to gradually implement task-based learning and they propose placing them into a category of ‘exercise-tasks†. (Littlewood 2010, p. 6) Task: Non Communicative Learning The non communicative learning task is normally centred on instilling a sense of proficiency in grammar among the group of Chinese learners. However, in this task, there is a minimal sense of communication because students are inclined to learn the rules of grammar, based on practical examples of sentences. For instance, in the following example, the learners are required to look for the specific use of the adverbs: always, often, sometimes, usually and never then identify the rules applied in the sentences. The following sentences are representative of the exercise: Customers are usually disappointed when the local newspaper is delivered late. The Herald is never elaborative on its articles. His parents often bought the London Post until the scandal surfaced. I am never sure of whether to buy the Herald or the London post. I sometimes watch the news on Fridays. We never rely on informal media. Larry king often carries out his interviews informally. I always like to quote official sources of media in my academic papers. They have never got back to me since I applied for the job. You can always be sure the news will air political stories. I will never understand why infor mal media is more widespread than all forms of media. Jeremy is often seen writing for two media houses. The students are later required to apply specific rules of language understanding to the following simple sentences by placing the adverbs in their respective right places. They air sports in the evening (often). I can watch the local news at 9 p. m (never). Jack and Jill are good media critics (always). They fail to air sitcoms on Sundays (sometimes). The Washington Post uses American English (usually). Informal media transcends international borders (often). We read newspapers in the morning (never). Informal media is elaborate (usually). Christian media is not secretive (never). Task: Pre Communicative Language Practice In the pre communicative language practice, learners are often required to pay close attention to the discrete components of learning, but at the same time comprehend how various aspects of their meanings are applied. As part of the first segment of this task, the learners have to look at a given table and understand what the subjects have to do and what they would like to do. This task is normally undertaken in groups. In a group setting, practice probing and giving answers to questions about what James and Janeare obligated to doand what they would prefer to do. James Jane Obligations Evaluate media sources Develop a story Post story on the blog Type letters Answer the telephone Do photocopying Desires Go to swim Get a better paying job Leave work Get better treatment at work Take a vacation Start a business The major type of activity practiced in this activity is the question and answer styled activity where the Chinese learners need to probe and seek answers regarding various questions, pictures, or topics they may find of interest to them. Most often than not, the answers are usually already determined, even though the students are normally required to emphasize more on the meaning of the questions. In this type of task, the students are required to provide answers regarding a given topic, such as the ones presented in the following scenario: Learners answer questions about a situation, picture or topic. How much does it cost to buy a newspaper? Do you ever use the internet to read newspapers? Which is the next frontier in broadcast media? Is Informal media better than formal media? Why is advertising in formal media more expensive than informal media? Etc. Why is informal media more extensive than formal media? At what time does the local news begin? Why are newspapers a cheaper form of print media than magazines? When does the sports news end? Is the local news aired live? Etc. Task: Communicative Language Practice The main purpose of this task is to bridge the language gap created by the non-communicative type of information because the communicative language practice is more detailed on the meaning of given tasks. The question and answer type of activity (for example) is more descriptiv e and does not dig deeper into the real meaning of the questions asked. This particular task is therefore important because in a task-based approach, there is more emphasis on the context of the question. For this task, a simple questionnaire is normally used to expose the information gap created by a student’s own experiences with specific forms of media (for example) as described below. Fill in this chart about your Media preferences Name Favorite media type Favorite female presenter Favorite TV actor or actress Favorite TV series Favorite program or article? Perhaps, to provide a follow up to this exercise, the learners may be required to write what they think of their colleagues’ preferences. Alternatively, the learners may be required to use specific images and pictures that symbolize the same meaning as the texts, but which have a different contextual meaning. Task: Structured Communication Already, we know the specific type of language needed to carry out specific tasks from the above examples. From this point of view, we are able to exercise various functions of language in terms of grammar. However, for the next type of task, the learners shift focus and move a step further into the continuum to communicate specific meanings in language communication. Implicitly, this means that it becomes increasingly difficult to establish the type of language to be used in this segment. However, for purposes of this study we will still stick to English language. Nonetheless, it is possible for different teachers to restructure tasks into given languages to improve their students’ proficiencies in the same. For purposes of this activity, students will be required to undertake an exercise regarding the use of future tense. For instance, the task can be titled â€Å"the Media Tomorrow† where students will be required to predict media changes that will happen in the world for the next fifty years (from the date the task is be ing carried out). For instance, how will the working day be? Will every home be connected to the internet? Will the media be exclusively aired through the internet? And such like questions. The learners are hereby expected to write a number of ideas on the given topic, or on a different subject area, after which the ideas will be read out in the class and analyzed among the students. The most commonly agreed ideas can then be written on the board, according to various variations; for instance, students sort out their work in various groups, say, optimistic and pessimistic, or students may decide to use specific topics of high appeal as topics for their next essay. Another common way in which students can develop structured communication is when they are given instructions on what roles to play, but still undertake various interpretations on the same. Post Task (Output) At the post task output stage, the learners are usually required to have completed all the tasks and expected to pr ovide a report, either in oral or written form, to both the instructor and the class. Most of the time, the oral form of presentation is most appropriate because it enables the learners to improve their oral skills in utilizing the foreign language. However, written forms of presentation are also good because they improve the learner’s ability to use English in written form but it is normally assumed that such tasks are already covered when undertaking the earlier tasks. The teacher input at this point of the exercise is basically limited to monitoring the activities of the students and taking questions, or facilitating the exchange of information, questions and answers between the students and the rest of the class. However, at the report stage, the teacher may give an oral or written feedback on a student’s performance (of the tasks). At this point, the teacher may make recommendations on ways through which the student may improve his or her understanding of the lang uage or how the student may better perfect the completion of the work. Renà © notes that in the output stage, â€Å"the focus returns to the teacher who reviews what happened in the task (with regards to language). It may include language forms that the students were using, problems that students had, and perhaps forms that need to be covered more or were not used enough† (Faßbender 2009, p. 3). For poorly performing students, the teacher may recommend all the tasks be redone but this depends on the type of institution and the policies they practice. Conclusion The task based learning technique has a number of advantages, but the most basic is that the technique is authentic and can be used in improving a learner’s ability to communicate using the target language. Also, during the report stage, learners are normally engaged in adopting the target language in a more generalized form, as opposed to the initial specific language utilization, as was evidenced in the PP M technique. When further comparing the advantages of the task based technique and the PPM technique, Littlewood (2010, p. 8) notes that: â€Å"Whereas the aim of the PPP model is to lead from accuracy to fluency, the aim of TBL is to integrate all four skills and to move from fluency to accuracy plus fluency. The range of tasks available (reading texts, listening texts, problem-solving, role-plays, questionnaires, etc) offers a great deal of flexibility in this model and should lead to more motivating activities for the learners†. The major difference between the task based approach and its predecessors is that the task based approach is more random but if correctly analyzed with a systematic analytic language tool, learner needs can be met. Another major advantage identified with the task-based approach is its strong emphasis on student activities (Thornbury 2009, p. 267). In other words, this shows the student-centric nature of the technique. To a great extent, this provid es a more meaningful sense of communication for the learners and in most scenarios; it provides a practical basis where learners can develop their linguistic skills. Even though some observers point out that the technique has its own grammatical weaknesses; in the pre task stage (just after the teacher introduces the language), the learners can adapt whatever grammatical constructs they wish, or use whatever vocabularies they want. This is especially useful in orienting beginners to new language learning because they are allowed to use their primary languages at the beginning stages of the learning process. Studies show that as the students orient themselves with the language, they are likely to be more motivated in using the target language (especially after undertaking the tasks) (Littlewood 2010). Nonetheless, one of the major problems associated with task-based learning is its poor teaching of grammar (Lee 2004, p. 2). This is a particular area of concern for most teachers, cons idering grammar is a major part of the overall comprehension of language. This shortcoming is often exhibited, despite the fact that task based learning is supposed to develop the learner’s ability to communicate and a fluency in grammar is a major part of empowering student fluency in communication. It is one of the most basic forms of communication. Also, the task based learning technique has been faulted by some teachers as lacking a strong relationship between its tasks and the final objective of improving the communicative ability of learners. Nonetheless, the task-based technique has been extensively used to improve the fluency level of learners when using the target language, in addition to instilling a sense of confidence among learners. Due to this reason, most teachers are still of the opinion that the task based learning technique is the missing link between tasks and communication because it is the most commonly known technique that seeks to accommodate the new le arning paradigm. References Branden, K. (2006) Task-Based Language Education: From Theory to Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Errey, L. (2005) Whose Learning Is It Anyway? Developing Learner Autonomy through  Task- Based Language Learning. New York, Garant. Faßbender, R. (2009) Using New Media in the Task-Based German Conversation  Classroom. New York, GRIN Verlag. Flowerdew, J. (2005) Second Language Listening: Theory and Practice. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating To  Achievement. London, Taylor Francis. Lee, C. (2004) Language Output, Communication Strategies and Communicative  Tasks: In the Chinese Context. New York, University Press of America. Littlewood, W. (2010) â€Å"Task Based learning of Grammar†. www.edb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_3997/task_based.doc . LouLeaver, B. (2004) Task-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Practices  And Pro grams. Georgetown, Georgetown University Press. Nunan, D. (2004) Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Thornbury, S. (2006) Conversation: From Description to Pedagogy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Wenger E. (1998) Communities of Practice. Cambridge University Press, New York. This essay on Information Gathering from Official and Non Official Irish News Media using Task Based Learning was written and submitted by user Allie Frost to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Compare and Contrast Inferno and What dreams may come essays

Compare and Contrast Inferno and What dreams may come essays Eventually, everyone dies. At some point, most people wonder what will happen in the after death. Is there a heaven and hell? Are we punished for our sins? Or is death just the end, there is nothing afterwards? Dante wrote the Divine Comedy in part to describe what he viewed has the afterlife, and the movie, What Dreams May Come, is a loose adaptation on Dantes view of hell, described in the Inferno. There are many similarities and differences between Dantes Inferno and What Dreams May Come. Because the movie is based on the poem, there are many similarities. One of the main similarities is that both Dante and Chris have guides on journeys. In the Inferno, Dantes guide is Virgil, a poet from the Roman times. Dante sees Virgil as a mentor because The Divine Comedy was written to model the Aeneid, written by Virgil. In What Dreams May Come, Chris guide, at first, is his son, Ian. It the beginning, Chris thinks that his guide is Albert, a doctor who was his mentor from the past. Chris believes this because in the afterlife, Ian chooses to look like Albert because in life, Albert was the only person that Chris listened to. Another similarity is that the afterlife reflects the physical life. In Dante's Inferno, some souls are punished by physical pain, which they can still feel. Judas, Brutus, and Cassius, are doomed to eternal chewing in the mouths of Satan, in which their blood and puss from their bodies mixes with the spit of the Devil. In What Dreams May Come, souls in hell also seem to resemble their physical bodies. However, in hell, do not seem to look as they choose. Punished souls are faces in the ground; their whole body is buried in the ground, except for their head which sticks above. Although the punishments both resemble the physical life, the souls are there for very different reasons. There are also many differences between Dantes Inferno, and What Dreams ...

How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer in 6 Simple Steps

How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer in 6 Simple Steps How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer in 6 Simple Steps How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer in 6 Simple Steps By Ali Hale Would you love to be a freelance writer? Maybe youre hoping to make a bit of money on the side of your day job, or you want to find some work that fits around being at home with your kids much of the day. Perhaps youre hoping to launch a whole new career. You might well be feeling daunted before youve even begun, though. Theres just so much information out there: where do you even start? These  six steps are all you really need in order to get going: Step #1: Find Out How Self-Employment and Tax Works in Your Country Before you start freelancing, it’s important to figure out how self-employment (and particularly tax) works in your own country. You don’t necessarily need to do anything about it right away, but you do need to know what to expect. Here in the UK for instance, sole traders (the simplest set up for a freelancer) don’t have to register with HMRC (the tax authorities) from the first moment they start freelancing. They do need to be ready to submit a self-employed tax return on time, though – e.g. by the end of January 2020 for the tax year 6th April 2018 – 5th Mar 2019. If your country isn’t on this list, just search for â€Å"register as self-employed† and your country name, and you should find plenty of advice. Step #2: Create a  Gmail Account (for Email and Google Docs) Do you have an email address that looks something one of these? chocolatelover@hotmail.com GameofThronesfan@yahoo.com I’m sure it goes without saying that those aren’t very professional looking! Even if your email address uses your name (or your pen name), free providers like hotmail and yahoo have a bit of an â€Å"unprofessional† reputation. Gmail is much better regarded, perhaps because it started out being very popular with techy types, and is now so ubiquitous. So I’d recommend setting up a professional looking email address with Gmail, for now – something like yourname@gmail.com or yournamewriter@gmail.com. One important reason for having a Gmail address is that it also gives you a Google account, which you can use for Google Docs – I find that many clients want to collaborate in this way. If you prefer to have a really professional looking email address, then you’ll need to register a domain name of your own (e.g. mine is www.aliventures.com) and then set up an email address at that domain (mine is ali@aliventures.com). Step #3: Figure Out What Topics You Want to Write About Before you go any further with freelancing, it’s a good idea to figure out what you want to write about. You might think that it’d be best to write about anything and everything, in the hopes you’ll get plenty of work – but the truth is that clients prefer writers who have prior experience in a particular area. You’ll also probably enjoy freelancing more if you’re writing about topics you’re actually interested in. When you’re figuring out which topics to focus on, you might want to consider: Your personal life and experiences – e.g. if you’re a parent to school-age children, you could write about pregnancy, babies, toddlers, etc. Your professional life – e.g. if you work in IT, you might want to specialise in technical writing or in writing for blogs that cover techy topics. Your hobbies – e.g. if you love to craft, then you might want to look for blogs about craft or companies that sell craft supplies to write for. You can switch or add topics as you go forward in your career, but you’ll find it helpful to have some idea of the areas you want to focus on when it comes to the next two steps. Step #4: (Optional) Create a Website You don’t have to have a website in order to freelance – so if this is just a step too far right now, then feel free to skip it. At some point fairly early in your freelancing career, though, you’re going to want to have a web presence. You’ll want somewhere to direct potential customers, whether those are your current contacts, friends of friends, or people who read your guest posts (see Step #5). If you don’t want to spend any money at this stage, I recommend setting up a free website with WordPress.com (just follow their process step by step). Your website will have â€Å"wordpress† in the address, so it’ll look something like yourname.wordpress.com. While this isn’t the most professional option out there, plenty of freelancers do just fine with a free WordPress site – and I think it’s absolutely fine when you’re just starting out. Alternatively, if you’re fairly confident about techy things and if you have a bit of money to invest, I’d recommend purchasing web hosting, registering your own domain name (e.g. yourname.com) and setting up self-hosted WordPress on that site. Most web hosts have a simple â€Å"one click† installation process for WordPress, as it’s so popular. Step #5: Get Some Published Experience Before you can start landing freelancing clients, you need some experience: published pieces that you can show them as examples of your work. But how do you get that experience when you don’t have any clients? One simple way is to write guest posts for large(ish) blogs: a big advantage of these is that your posts will be online, so it’s very easy to send clients a link to them. You can also create a â€Å"Portfolio† page on your website with screenshots of and links to your work. Ideally, you’ll want to target blogs that fit in with the areas you want to write about, so that you’ve got relevant freelancing clips. Most guest posts are written for free, and although some freelancers feel you should never work for free, I think it makes sense to do so when you’re just starting out. (Don’t spend ages at this stage, though; three to five published pieces should be plenty.) You’ll almost always get the opportunity to write a â€Å"bio† to go along with your guest post (normally at the bottom of it). You can use this to promote your freelancing services, writing something like: Ali Luke is a freelance writer, specialising in blog content for small businesses. You can find out more about her and her services at  www.aliventures.com. If you want to freelance for magazines or print publications, rather than blogs or websites, then you’ll want to look for ways to get some experience with print. A good place to look is local free newspapers and magazines – they probably won’t be able to pay, but they’ll likely be very willing to publish your work. Step #6: Start Finding Clients If there’s one thing you take away from this post, make it this: Don’t use content mills. If you’re not sure what a content mill is, it’s a site where you sign up and get sent writing jobs. They often promise lots of work, or tell you how much writers can make – but the reality is that they pay peanuts. They often call themselves â€Å"article writing services†. Textbroker is a well-known one; Copify and iWriter are other examples. Content mills can’t afford to pay much, because their main selling point to their clients is that they’re a cheap way to get lots of content. So where else can you find work? Let family and friends know that you’re freelancing, and tell them what type of work you’re looking for. You never know when someone will know someone! Look at the ProBlogger jobs boards and Freelance Writing Gigs’ daily round-up of writing work. (There are plenty of other similar job boards online, but I’ve found that between these two, they cover all the good opportunities.) Pitch directly to websites (or magazines, or whatever type of publication you want to write for). Target local clients, perhaps with an ad in a local paper, shop window, or library, or by attending local small business networking events. Browse the website of companies that offer services related to your niche and in case they dont have a regularly updated blog contact them offering your writing services and explaining the benefits that fresh content would bring to their website. Think beyond writing articles. You can offer services such as crafting email marketing campaigns, writing e-books and reports, website editing and proofreading and so. Finding your first paying client can feel like a huge hurdle but once youve found one client, more will follow. In case you want more help, I have a 6-week program that covers all the aspects of getting started as a freelance writer, from improving your writing productivity to landing high-paying gigs, from promoting yourself online to running your freelance business efficiently. The course has been offered for 8 years and over 1300 students enrolled during that time. I offer a complete money back guarantee, and surprisingly no one ever asked for it! In order to celebrate its eighth anniversary we are offering the course for just $29, so check it out below before the promotion ends. Above all, if you decide to try freelance writing, make sure you persevere. Getting results takes time, as with virtually all endeavors in life, and the biggest mistake I see aspiring freelance writers making is giving up too soon. Hang in there for 6 to 12 months before you evaluate your results. Good luck! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withRules for Capitalization in Titles15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finance - Case Study Example The company’s liquidity position was 2 .3 in the year 2008. This means that for every $1 of liability, the company had $2.3. This is an extremely good ratio indicating that the company can easily payoff of it short-term debts without having to suffer any liquidity problems. Similarly, this ratio is close to the ideal current ratio and indicates that cash not lying idle. In the year 2009, this ratio worsened and came down 1.5 indicating that the company has $1.5 of assets to pay off every $1 of liability. The company can still payoff of its debts easily without having to go through much trouble, given that the large portion of current assets is not tied-up in the form of inventory. In the year 2010, the ratio again improved and came at par with the ratio in the year 2008, showing that there will be no liquidity problems in paying off current liabilities. Going deeper into the analysis and checking the Quick Ratio, we can see that like the current ratio it declined in the year 2 009 from 0.8 in 2008 to 0.5 in 2009. However, it again improved in the year 2010 and came to 0.92. However, this ratio remained really bad during the three years indicating that a large chunk of company’s current resources are tied into inventory and they will have problems in clearing its current debts and liquidity problems look imminent. The ratio remained lower the industry average, but since the company’s ratio is more close to the ideal ratio, we can say that the company is managing its resources better than other companies in the same industry. Inventory Turnover is constantly decreasing from what it was in the year 2008. It was 4.8 in the year 2008 and came down to 4.5 in the year 2009 and 3.86 in the year 2010. This shows that the company’s performance is deteriorating. Similarly, it is not performing to well as compared to the industry average which is around.

Inherit the Wind Movie Analysis Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Inherit the Wind Analysis - Movie Review Example There is considerable evidence suggesting that the film is not only biased but rather highly biased in its intent. That is to say, there was no fairness in the elements of the trial. This is because the inaccuracies are systematic and of the kind presenting consistent biases against a particular class of people and what they believe in. For instance, prior to the trial, no one outside the school cared what Scope taught in school, and he maintained to his death that he never taught evolution but rather reviewed the students for their final examinations. Drummond, the defense lawyer argues for the issues of belief as he chose to defend the accused from being prosecuted. It was not fair that none of Drummond’s expert witnesses were allowed to testify in court as this undermines the need for a fair trial. Cates wins over the audience by claiming that the students placed on the stand could not remember what he taught three months age as they were coached by the lawyers. Cates even declined to say a word until the Supreme Court passes his appeal claiming that his lawyer would kill him if he does so (de Camp 432). Contrary to the film, it should be emphasized that scope was never jailed for teaching evolution as he was immediately released on bond. The film tries to invoke sympathy in portraying Cates as a prisoner, a man prosecuted for his beliefs by the fundamentalists. De Camp (490) claims in his book that the trial was not a witch hunt as the accused and the defendants, the witches, were the hunters who were stocking the law with an aim of making it unenforceable (de Camp 490). A state law against the teaching of any idea or hypothesis undermines the purpose of education as students are meant to be enlightened about the universe.     

Ireland :: essays research papers

The Northern-Irish conflict Kort om konflikten i Nord-Irland. The Northern-Irish conflict dates back to not only one, but probably several historical incidents. 1170 In 1170, Henry 2 of England attempted to attach Ireland to his kingdom. He did not succeed, but established control in a small area outside Dublin. For the remaining Irish clans, England now became their major enemy and threat, against their customs and way of life. 1609 By the end of Queen Elisabeth’s reign, military conquests had established control in most parts of Ireland, with the exception of the northern province of Ulster. The Ulster clans had succeeded in creating an effective alliance against Queen Elisabeth’s armies, but was eventually defeated and brought under English rule. English colonists settled in these areas and by 1703 less then 5 per cent of the land of Ulster belonged to Catholics Irish. The native people of Ulster remained in the conquered areas, but were gradually expelled from the land that they used to own. The result of the settling of Ulster was the introduction of a foreign community, which spoke a different language, represented another culture and way of life. In addition, most of the newcomers were Protestants, while the native Irish were Catholic. This probably added a new dimension to the conflict. The next two centuries, differences between Protestants and Catholics increased. The Irish monarchy, parliament and government based in Dublin, enforced several new laws against Catholics. In 1801, in an attempt to increase the direct control of Ireland, the Irish government were abolished and it’s responsibilities taken over by England. During the 19th century several movements tried overthrowing the new government. Some using legal measures and some uses physical force to achieve their goal. During Easter week an armed rising attempted to overthrow the government, but failed. Their leaders were killed, creating sympathy for the IRA and Sinn Fein, its political wing. In the 1918 election, Sinn Fein replaced the old Irish parliamentary parties, and established its own Irish parliament. The following War of Independence between Britain and the IRA was eventually ended by a treaty signed in 1920. The treaty also confirmed the northern counties of Ulster as protestant land. Now, roughly speaking, the Catholics lived in the southern parts of the country and the Protestants in the northern. 1969 By the 1950s there were growing signs that some Catholics were prepared to accept equality within Northern Ireland. This, despite of the unfair treatment they had received from the Protestants during the last decades.

Edward scissorhands

We instantly scan people for some characteristic we like and then we latch on to it. Social expectations we are all trained in from a young age, Edwards problem is that he isn't used to this. He has to be taught all these things. Each group of friends and family has little expectations . Edward has a lady who comes Edward and Othello are treated really well until they provide an advantage to society, once this benefit is complete these people are thrown out like trash.Still a elineation between a man and a woman. Othello Just expects her to obey him no matter what. Edward is not believed when he says she was seducing me , he is not believed because he is different. Othello and Edward are both subjected to perspective. They all believe Desdemona deserves better than Othello, and the girl deserves better than Edward. They are both obviously different and are therefore excluded. Because you have a heritage from another country you must be born there.Alienating someone can really affect their identity. If one person starts to doubt one person it gets contagious. Iago puts enough doubt on Othello to lead and the weird lady makes everyone turn against Edward. Once people can make other people see them differently Seed of doubt, once that gets planted that's when the trouble starts. The only woman that understands Edward is that woman, who is mothered by her Othello – you never hear that he can go and talk to someone when things go wrong. Edward has no one either.Edward has the woman who seems a bit naive but Othello has literally no one. Othello sees himself as an outsider- the whole out of my league thing- he cant believe that Desdemona has married me He sees himself as a rough, baboon soldier, this is evident when he apologises for his speech If you don't know the rules then you become the outsider If it doesn't agree with their thinking they will change things to make things work for them. People that feel like outsiders, are easy to take advantage edward s cissorhands By brandonrouth Edward scissorhands We instantly scan people for some characteristic we like and then we latch on to it. Social expectations we are all trained in from a young age, Edwards problem is that he isn't used to this. He has to be taught all these things. Each group of friends and family has little expectations . Edward has a lady who comes Edward and Othello are treated really well until they provide an advantage to society, once this benefit is complete these people are thrown out like trash.Still a elineation between a man and a woman. Othello Just expects her to obey him no matter what. Edward is not believed when he says she was seducing me , he is not believed because he is different. Othello and Edward are both subjected to perspective. They all believe Desdemona deserves better than Othello, and the girl deserves better than Edward. They are both obviously different and are therefore excluded. Because you have a heritage from another country you must be born there.Alienating someone can really affect their identity. If one person starts to doubt one person it gets contagious. Iago puts enough doubt on Othello to lead and the weird lady makes everyone turn against Edward. Once people can make other people see them differently Seed of doubt, once that gets planted that's when the trouble starts. The only woman that understands Edward is that woman, who is mothered by her Othello – you never hear that he can go and talk to someone when things go wrong. Edward has no one either.Edward has the woman who seems a bit naive but Othello has literally no one. Othello sees himself as an outsider- the whole out of my league thing- he cant believe that Desdemona has married me He sees himself as a rough, baboon soldier, this is evident when he apologises for his speech If you don't know the rules then you become the outsider If it doesn't agree with their thinking they will change things to make things work for them. People that feel like outsiders, are easy to take advantage edward s cissorhands By brandonrouth Edward Scissorhands Tim Burton exposes us to a vulnerable, almost baby Like UN-developed human In a full grown man's body. We are allowed In to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience In his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion. Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'.They judge him on by he way he acts, it doesn't help that he was Isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era It wasn't his fault. Edward Is Judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor- sharp scissors he has for hands. It is because of these differences that he is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town reject calls him a ‘perversion of nature'. Within the film Edward Chardonnays, the director Tim Burton exposes us to a vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown Nan's body.We are allowed In to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience In his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion. Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel Judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a deferent era it wasn't his fault.Edward Is judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor-sharp scissors he has for hands. It is because of these differences that he is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town reject calls him a ‘pervers ion of nature'. Within the film Edward Chardonnays, the director Tim Burton exposes us too vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown man's body. We are allowed in to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience in his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion.Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel Judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era it wasn't his fault. Edward is Judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor-sharp scissors he has for hands.It Is because of these differences that he Is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town r eject calls him a ‘perversion of nature'. Vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown man's body. We are allowed in to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience in his judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era it wasn't his fault. Edward is Judged a lot also by the way he ‘perversion of nature'. Edward Scissorhands Tim Burton exposes us to a vulnerable, almost baby Like UN-developed human In a full grown man's body. We are allowed In to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience In his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion. Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'.They judge him on by he way he acts, it doesn't help that he was Isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era It wasn't his fault. Edward Is Judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor- sharp scissors he has for hands. It is because of these differences that he is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town reject calls him a ‘perversion of nature'. Within the film Edward Chardonnays, the director Tim Burton exposes us to a vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown Nan's body.We are allowed In to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience In his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion. Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel Judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a deferent era it wasn't his fault.Edward Is judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor-sharp scissors he has for hands. It is because of these differences that he is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town reject calls him a ‘pervers ion of nature'. Within the film Edward Chardonnays, the director Tim Burton exposes us too vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown man's body. We are allowed in to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience in his many plaguing problems, of heart ache and confusion.Edwards problems are both caused equally by, his kind-hearted good nature and his trusting soul towards others, but at the same time by his rage and anger in desperate times caused by the cruel Judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era it wasn't his fault. Edward is Judged a lot also by the way he look, his pale skin, his gothic leather clothes, his scared face and mostly by his razor-sharp scissors he has for hands.It Is because of these differences that he Is rejected by this messed up society called a community, even the town r eject calls him a ‘perversion of nature'. Vulnerable, almost baby like UN-developed human in a full grown man's body. We are allowed in to Edwards strange, yet exciting new world where we experience in his judging people of his new found society. He's so called friends'. They Judge him on by the way he acts, it doesn't help that he was isolated for so long, and was taught things for a different era it wasn't his fault. Edward is Judged a lot also by the way he ‘perversion of nature'.