3 Ways to Avoid Confusing Your Readers

3 Ways to Avoid Confusing Your Readers 3 Ways to Avoid Confusing Your Readers 3 Ways to Avoid Confusing Your Readers By Mark Nichol Word choice, insertion or omission of punctuation, and syntax (arrangement of words and phrases) all affect comprehension. In each of the following sentences, one of these components of sentence construction is the source of ambiguity or confusion. Discussion of each example follows, along with a revision. 1. Our organization has sponsored AIDS/HIV walks across the country. Across is often used as a synonym for throughout, but here, it prompts the unfortunate misapprehension that the walks are transcontinental in scope. In this case, throughout is a better choice: â€Å"Our organization has sponsored AIDS/HIV walks throughout the country.† Take-away: Remain vigilant about ambiguous wording. 2. These results are not surprising because cyber risks have evolved into a moving target. This sentence, as written, suggests that the reader, after learning from the second half of the sentence what is not the reason the results are surprising, will read in a subsequent sentence the reason they are. But â€Å"cyber risks have evolved into a moving target† is the reason the results are not surprising, which is made clear simply by applying a brief pause to the sentence in the form of a comma preceding the explanation, which renders the explanation a subordinate clause set off from the premise of the sentence (â€Å"The results are not surprising†): â€Å"These results are not surprising, because cyber risks have evolved into a moving target.† Better yet, begin the sentence with the explanation, still in the form of a subordinate clause: â€Å"Because cyber risks have evolved into a moving target, these results are not surprising.† Take-away: When a negative statement is followed by an explanation, separate the explanation, a subordinate clause, from the main clause. (A positive statement generally needs no such punctuation, though exceptions exist.) 3. By taking a risk-based approach, such changes can be tailored to fit the company’s specific risk posture. All too often, writers mistakenly craft sentences in which subordinate clauses placed as introductory phrases are assumed to pertain to the subject of the main clauses when the two elements are only tangentially related. Here, changes are mistakenly said to take a risk-based approach, but an unnamed actor must be persuaded to do so. In most cases, simply revise the subject so that it logically follows the subordinate clause: â€Å"By taking a risk-based approach, one can tailor such changes to fit the company’s specific risk posture.† Take-away: Be alert to dangling participles. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?50 Latin Phrases You Should Know20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting

Free Essays on New York Times 1914

The New York Times of 1914 resembles the newspapers of today on face value. Also, the articles within paint a picture of American society that is not far off from today’s America. Of course, the specifics of the articles reflect the times. In the September 27, 1914 New York Times, Americans focused on the War in Europe, domestic issues, and were exposed to a variety of advertisements. The war between the Central and Allied powers in Europe dominate the headlines. The front page consists of stories about sunken British cruisers, French accusations directed toward its enemies, and German victory claims. It seems Americans felt an overwhelming need to be updated on the war overseas. Granted, I’m sure they were exceedingly grateful not to be apart of the actual fighting at this time. A featured article related to the war in Europe is one that contains the writings of former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. This weekly article titled, â€Å"What America Should Learn from the War†, he gives his thoughts on the situation in Europe and America’s position on such matters. The statement that this will be â€Å"the last great war† he remarks is ridiculous. Roosevelt points out that this has always been said at the end of every large war. Also, he argues that the pacifists of this country that think treaties and agreements will save the United States from war are completely wrong. A great need for the United States to defend itself is a big issue in his article. Roosevelt worries that if steps are not taken to secure the United States, it will fall victim in this war like so many other countries. The United States seems to give weight to each country involved in the war. Articles feature all sides of the conflict without leaning toward one side or the other. A pro-German article is featured entitled, â€Å"Germany’s Cause Righteous, Says Prof. Rudolf Eucken. Eucken tells of Germany’s fight as being on... Free Essays on New York Times 1914 Free Essays on New York Times 1914 The New York Times of 1914 resembles the newspapers of today on face value. Also, the articles within paint a picture of American society that is not far off from today’s America. Of course, the specifics of the articles reflect the times. In the September 27, 1914 New York Times, Americans focused on the War in Europe, domestic issues, and were exposed to a variety of advertisements. The war between the Central and Allied powers in Europe dominate the headlines. The front page consists of stories about sunken British cruisers, French accusations directed toward its enemies, and German victory claims. It seems Americans felt an overwhelming need to be updated on the war overseas. Granted, I’m sure they were exceedingly grateful not to be apart of the actual fighting at this time. A featured article related to the war in Europe is one that contains the writings of former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. This weekly article titled, â€Å"What America Should Learn from the War†, he gives his thoughts on the situation in Europe and America’s position on such matters. The statement that this will be â€Å"the last great war† he remarks is ridiculous. Roosevelt points out that this has always been said at the end of every large war. Also, he argues that the pacifists of this country that think treaties and agreements will save the United States from war are completely wrong. A great need for the United States to defend itself is a big issue in his article. Roosevelt worries that if steps are not taken to secure the United States, it will fall victim in this war like so many other countries. The United States seems to give weight to each country involved in the war. Articles feature all sides of the conflict without leaning toward one side or the other. A pro-German article is featured entitled, â€Å"Germany’s Cause Righteous, Says Prof. Rudolf Eucken. Eucken tells of Germany’s fight as being on...

Lesson Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lesson Observation - Essay Example At the bottom, the key expressions are written i.e. â€Å"Take this medicine,† â€Å"You have to see a doctor,† and â€Å"Get some rest.† Student A initiate a dialogue with Student B. Student A should ask, â€Å"What’s wrong?† then Student B should answer, â€Å"I have a _____†. After Student B answers, Student A chooses a key expression from the worksheet to finish the conversation. When he/she chooses, he/she can mark the move on the worksheet to play Connect 4. The goal is to make students practice the dialogues every time they make their move. In playing this game, I noticed that some of the students merely played this game without having a conversation. The teacher should walk around and monitor/assess student’s performance in order to maximize their learning potentials. Students in this class responded to the lesson differently from one another given that the level of comprehension is affected by the activities each student was actively engaged in. For example, during the passage-reading session, the students followed the exact words uttered by the teacher regardless of the fact that the teacher had mispronounced the world ‘throat’ as ‘srot’ following its follow-up with word ‘sore’. As identified that students were engaged in small talk during the dialogue session during the speaking activity. It shows that, if the students were attentive in the first place, they would be able to identify mispronounced words and ask the teacher for clarification. However, considering that the purpose of the class is to refine communication and language skills, the students showed they were learning to follow instructions regarding the worksheets they were provided with before the start of the speaking activity. With reference to the listening and speaking, it is identified in the reading that lack of attentiveness may not raise any alarm that a word was incorrectly used or mispronounced. According to the reading, an example shows that melody tends to be

Auditing Practices, Professionalism, Ethics, And Standards Essay

Auditing Practices, Professionalism, Ethics, And Standards - Essay Example Auditor independence refers to the internal auditor’s independence and freedom from freedom from any form of control by parties that may have financial interests in the business under auditing (Baker, 2005, p.13). The independence of auditors particularly demands a considerable level of professional integrity, ethics and objective approach to the entire auditing process without any external influence. According to many experts, auditor independence may also be used in reference to the external auditors' exclusion from parties that may have financial interests in the businesses being audited. Generally, achieving independence is critically essential for the auditors to be able to effectively retain their objectivity and service reliability.According to Sikka (2008, p.271), the current auditing practice of making auditors depend on their directors for their fees, remunerations, and profits has been widely blamed for the rising cases of corruptions, manipulations and integrity is sues among auditors. Although it has been argued that auditors still redeem their status by appealing to and incorporating professionalism in their practice, this is not always possible as auditors just like other capitalist enterprises are often driven by personal interests particularly the need to increase their profits and market niches.The contemporary Australian Audit ethical standards particularly require an integrity and objective approach to the audit process (Australia, 2011 p. 123).

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay Example for Free

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay The Australian Government targets economic objectives that may provide equality and higher living standards throughout the country. For these benefits to reach Australian households, the Australia government has to overcome objectives such as economic growth, distribution of income, and external stability. To do so, the government uses the fiscal policy in order to influence the amount of government expenditure and revenue which can alter economic activity. The government’s fiscal strategy aims to ensure fiscal sustainability over the medium term; therefore the government is responsible for meeting its current and future spending commitments with revenue raised. Australia has had a low historical use of fiscal policy during the 1990s, however since the Global Financial Crisis; fiscal policy has been a powerful tool in maintaining Australia’s economy. Fiscal policy has a large influence over economic activity, through using the expansionary fiscal stance which involves a net increase in government spending, or a fall in taxation revenue. However, this was not the case during the period 1996-2007 as fiscal policy had a smaller role to play in the economy. As the Howard Government came into office, the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary. A contractionary stance occurs when government spending is reduced. An example of this stance is when the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the economic cycle, as fiscal policy was tightened in 1996-97, 1998-99, resulting in a surplus of $1171 million. This meant that fiscal policy was generally not a major role in influencing the business cycle, instead monetary policy had the central role in maintaining economic activity. Although fiscal policy was not greatly used from the mid-1990s to 2007, it has had a large impact on recessions. As the Global Financial Crisis hit Australia, the fiscal policy was introduced in order to increase the level of economic activity, instead of letting Australia plunge into a recession. The impact of the GFC dramatically changed the budget balance, through a decline in government taxation revenue and an increase in discretionary government spending. This led to the movement from a cash surplus of $19. 7 billion in 2007-08 to a cash deficit of -$27 billion in 2009-10. Economic growth decreased to 1. 4% of GDP, which gave the government the incentive to introduce the fiscal stimulus, while the Rudd Government used an expansionary fiscal stance to support aggregate demand. The stimulus package involved a $77 billion package, with a $42 billion Nation building plan and Jobs Plan in the 2009 budget to support infrastructure and investment and the Economic Security Strategy package of $10 billion in spending on cash transfers to low and middle income households. The result of expansionary fiscal policy helped Australia avoid a recession, as these stimulus measures were estimated to boost Australia’s economic growth by 2. 75% of GDP in 2009-10. In addition, fiscal policy can influence the objective of inequality in income distribution. The government is committed into try to use a progressive taxation system which will provide a fairer distribution of income. The progressive taxation system is when higher income earners pay a larger proportion of tax compared to low income earner, leading to a redistribution of income to low income earners. An example of the progressive tax system can be seen in the ‘personal income tax thresholds’, where the highest income bracket of $180,001 and over has an effective tax rate of 30. 3-44. 9%. However, the structure of the progressive system of personal income tax changed when the Gillard Government announced it would increase the tax-free threshold to $18,200 on 1st July 2012 as part of the Clean Energy Future Package from the carbon tax and will rise again to $19,400 the following year. This threshold bracket changed from the previous 2009 and 2010 Personal Income tax threshold as all taxpayers where given a tax free threshold of $6000. Between 1996 and 2008, the Federal Government used fiscal policy in order to maintain external stability. External stability is an aim of government policy that seeks to promote sustainability on external accounts so that Australia can service its foreign liabilities in the medium to long run. External stability can be managed by the government achieving fiscal consolidation, which is running a budget surplus over the course of the business cycle. One of the main ways to run a budget surplus is to eliminate public debt, which in turn can help reduce the part of net foreign debt owned by the Australian Government. For instance, when the Howard Government was in power, there was a series of consecutive surplus budgets to retire a significant amount of public debt. From 1996-2007 the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary, since the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the business cycle. It was tightened throughout the years of 1996-1999, and thereby, eliminated Commonwealth general government debt from the peak of $96 million (17. 6% of GDP) in 1996-97 to -0. 5% of GDP by 2005-06. This in turn increased Australia’s national savings and resulted in low net foreign debts. Subsequently, the fiscal policy has an effective role in achieving the economic objectives of economic growth during downturn economic activity, equal distribution of income and maintaining external stability. Australia was successful in using fiscal policy to avoid recession in 2009, when it implemented one of the largest fiscal stimulus packages in its history, as well as changes to the personal income threshold that gave a more equal distribution of income to lower income earners. By aiming to achieve fiscal surplus the Australian economy can achieve its economy objectives rapidly.

Free Essays - All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front , is a novel set in World War I, and centers around the changes wrought by the war on one young German soldier. During his time in the war, Remarque's protagonist, Paul Baumer, changes from a rather innocent Romantic to a hardened and somewhat broken-in veteran. More importantly, during the course of this metamorphosis, Baumer disaffiliates himself from those societal icons—parents, elders, school, religion that had been the foundation of his pre-enlistment days. This rejection comes about as a result of Baumer's realization that the pre-enlistment society simply does not understand the reality of the Great War. His new society, then, becomes the Company, their fellow trench soldiers, because that is a group which does understand the truth as Baumer had experienced it. In All Quiet on the Western front the novel is told from the first person point of view, the reader can see how the words Baumer speaks are with his true feelings. In his preface to the novel, Remarque maintains that "a generation of men ... were destroyed by the war" (Remarque, All Quiet Preface). Baumer's closest comrades fall one after the other. The conditions in the German army are to harsh, they have no food, ammunition, moral is low they could not keep fighting. An important episode in the novel is when Baumer is issued a period of leave when he visits his home town. This leave is disastrous for Baumer because he realizes that he can not communicate with the people on the home front because of his military experiences and their limited, or nonexistent, understanding of the war. When he first enters his house, for example, Baumer is overwhelmed at being home. His joy and relief are such that he cannot speak; he can only weep (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 140). When he and his mother greet each other, he realizes immediately that he has nothing to say to her: "We say very little and I am thankful that she asks nothing" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 141). But finally she does speak to him and asks, "'Was it very bad out there, Paul?'" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 143). Here, when he answers, he lies, profusely to protect her from hearing of the chaotic conditions from which he has just returned. He thinks to himself, "Mother, what should I answer to that! You would not understand, you could never realize it.

Analysis of Robert Frost’s “An Old Man’s Winter Night” Essay

What is the goal in a poem? Why do writers write? Most poems are an attempt to pass on a message, to give a moral, or in any case, to communicate in one way or another. An example of a writer doing this in a poem may be seen in An Old Man’s Winter Night, by Robert Frost. Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote An Old Man’s Winter Night, perhaps his most well conceived work and published it in the book ‘Mountain Interval’, released in 1920 as a fine peak to his career. The poem tells the story of the last night before an old man’s death. This man is portrayed as being lonely, and without meaning to anyone except for himself. The old man seems to realize this in a certain point in the poem, and decides that he no longer wants to live. He then goes to sleep, however soon after he is disturbed by the shifting of a log. He then shifts, as the log did, and dies seemingly without pain, â€Å"still sleeping† as Frost says. The poem appears to have a message to transmit, which can be unveiled through some close reading. There are several reasons which convince the reader that An Old Man’s Winter Night is memorable, impressive, and effectively passes on a moral. Firstly, the reader is engaged into the scene with no information about the old man, which parallels the old man’s situation, as neither does he know how he has become what he is: â€Å"What kept him from remembering what it was / That brought him to that creaking room was age.† Perhaps this was done to make the reader just as lost as the old man and able to enter more deeply into the old man’s character, thus being able to sympathize better with him. The old man seems to be lacking any interest in a long life and apparently has no real social life. This lack of friends is what draws us to feel for the man who clearly was not cared for in life, either due to a refusal to care for others, or because other unjustly neglected him. The man’s meaningless existence is accentuated by him constantly scaring away what seems to frighten him or makes him uncomfortable. However, the old man seems to be apathetic towards his own state. The fact that he does not even know how he got to be so in the first place adds to this notion, and makes him seem detached from his own situation. Another factor which makes the emptiness more apparent is the â€Å"barrels round him†. One may wonder: â€Å"What is in these barrels?† As Frost does not tell us what they are, we may assume that they are empty barrels, much like the life of the man. Another factor  which adds to the void of the man’s life is that the author uses possessive adjectives showing that the snow on the roof is â€Å"his† and that the icicles hanging along the wall are â€Å"his†. The reader may assume that there must be an enormous lack of subsistence to the man’s life for Frost to tell us that these completely insignificant matters are possessed by him. Overall, the reader pities the old man for his seemingly lonely, purportless, and depressing existence. Secondly, in An Old Man’s Winter Night, Frost has artistically created metaphors with light which are overflowing with meanings that can easily be missed and yet help in drawing the poem together with a sense of cohesion. â€Å"What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze / Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand.† This helps one to understand the way the man is feeling, albeit it in a minor way and in turn aids one in working out what he is doing. He is not sitting idly, but has a lamp, therefore is not trying to sleep. We are not instructed further as to what he is attempting to do but it clearly requires thought. He cannot cope with this mental surge as his age has drawn senility, â€Å"What kept him from remembering what it was / That brought him to that creaking room was age.† Frost tells us early in the poem that he was light â€Å"to no one but himself.† This informs us that he is the only one that is in touch with himself and his existence. This light he is to himself and the light he holds in his hand work together to make his isolation even more apparent, because the light that he holds is making him unable to see the outside. For him to be able to see outside he could simply have tilted the light towards the window, yet, one may understand that this metaphor shows that he is either unwilling to open up to others, or is afraid of what he may then see. He may have been intimidated by the out of doors which â€Å"looked darkly in at him†. This continues with the idea that he was only a light to himself because in tilting the light towards himself, he sees his reflection in the window rather than what may have been beyond the window. However, had he illuminated them so that he could see outside, they would no longer be darkly looking in at him. Frost then writes: â€Å"A quiet light, and then not even that.† One may speculate from this line that Frost is telling us that even the old man has lost touch with himself, and no longer cares about his own existence. Frost may possibly be calling our  attention to this line with the eye-rhyme between â€Å"what† and â€Å"that†. In the next few lines, the old man dies: â€Å"The log that shifted with a jolt / Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted, / And eased his heavy breathing, but still slept.† Perhaps the log shifting, breaking, and going out represented his light permanently going out as well. This link may be made with the repetition of the word â€Å"shifted†; the log shifts, and then the man shifts. In these lines there is also alliteration with the words â€Å"still slept†. Frost may have been drawing our attention to this to be sure that the death of the old man would have a strong impact on the reader. These lines are impressive and effective at expressing the death of the old man, and leave the reader feeling sorry for him. Thirdly, one may appreciate how clear the final moral is of the poem. â€Å"One aged man — one man — can’t keep a house, / A farm, a countryside, or if he can, / It’s thus he does it of a winter night.† Frost generalizes the situation, by broadening â€Å"one aged man† to â€Å"one man†. He resumes the whole story, giving the reader a clear moral at the end, identifiable to all thanks to the generalization. One may believe that, ultimately, Frost is trying to show one how not to end up, and how not to die, but offers no insight as to the better way of ending the spell one spends on Earth. Perhaps he is telling us to make sure that we do not end up like this man, and that we should â€Å"tilt the light† towards others instead of ourselves, and therefore to be in touch with others. Furthermore, it is telling us that if we do not open up towards others, and if we stay inside our own shell, with our icicles on the walls and our snow on top, isolating us from the outside world, that we shall end up in solitude and be a light to no one but ourselves, just like the old man. It may be out of context to wonder if this poem relates to the poet in any way, but it does seem rather in depth for any imagination. However, as Robert Frost was not a particularly lonely man, perhaps he was expressing a great fear of his brought forth by an incident in his surroundings. As one may now see, there are several aspects of the poem which make An Old Man’s Winter Night memorable and effective in transmitting the author’s message. These aspects are: the reader is engaged into the scene with no  information about the old man; metaphors which Frost has made with light are overflowing with many meanings; one may appreciate how clear the poem is fairly clear thanks to the generalization and how the whole of the poem thoroughly contributes to the moral. This poem transmits its idea superbly and majestically making its goal of communication accomplished.

Analysis of the Main Theme in Sidney Sheldon’s Tell Me Your Dreams Essay

Sidney Sheldon’s book, â€Å"Tell Me Your Dreams† carries a dark theme. It focuses on how the central character, Ashley Patterson, represents the seemingly well-adjusted, successful and attractive young working professional.   Deep inside though, she is experiencing stormy emotions.   A product of   traumatic childhood experiences, she is a walking disaster, ready to explode.   She is proof that parental abuse can strongly affect an individual’s future behavior and life.   The power of parental nurturing cannot be underestimated, and lack of respect by a parent for a helpless child can produce trauma, shattered dreams and disastrous results which the child carries into adulthood. Ashley Patterson’s troubled personality is introduced at the very start of the novel.   Her paranoid state is immediately presented in the novel’s first few lines: Someone was following her.   She had read about stalkers, but they belonged in a different, violent world†¦ She was trying desperately hard not to panic. But lately her sleep had been filled with unbearable nightmares and she had awakened each morning with a feeling of an impending   doom (Sheldon, 1998, p. 3) Described as an intelligent and attractive woman who has been living in Cupertino, California for three years at the start of   the story, Ashley Patterson, daughter of a famous heart surgeon Dr. Steven Patterson, seems to have many good things going for her. Looks, however, can be deceiving.   Not all that looks well on the outside – like an innocent and beautiful appearance, reflects what is on the inside. Ashley gets involved in a series of brutal murders, specifically men who were stabbed and castrated.   As far as the police authorities were concerned, truth can be hard to find and later, as they were to find out, hard to believe. Eventually, the authorities find the same DNA in each crime scene, trace it to her, and Ashley is arrested and placed under psychiatric investigation. While undergoing therapy Gilbert Keller, Ashley’s dark past is gradually revealed.   Ashley admits that her co-workers, the outgoing and merry Toni Prescott, and the shy and lonely painter Alette Peter are not real, when she says to Dr. Keller: Don’t you understand? They’re not real. They’re my imagination (Sheldon, 1998, p. 308). When Dr. Keller suggests bringing the three women fact-to-face with each other and tells Ashley, â€Å"You have to get to know one another. It’s the only way you’re going to be cured† (Sheldon, 1998, p. 308), he confirms the main character’s multiple personality disorder. Dr. Keller’s calming presence symbolizes peace in Ashley’s world of chaos and pain.   He soothes Ashley when he explains to   her the presence of her other personalities Toni and Alette by saying, â€Å"you must remember that Toni was born out of your pain, to protect you.   The same is true of Alette† (Sheldon, 1998, p. 344).   At this point, and as the story progresses, readers are able to see how Ashley’s painful past – including a father who sexually assaulted her and a mother who did not appreciate her – had caused her personality disorder, leading to her crime. She remembers how her mother was scolding her for singing while they were in a car, which leads to an accident (Sheldon, 1998, p. 349). Her worst and repeated memories of her father saying â€Å"You’ll like this† followed by â€Å"an image of the man getting into bed beside her† followed by a scream to stop (Sheldon, 1998, p. 327) depicts just how haunting and traumatic child abuse in the physical or sexual sense can be. This highlights   the duality of the human psyche.   Ashley’s father may be famous and enviable and he may have obtained the respect of his colleagues and the general public, but to his own daughter he is a monster. Ashley Patterson’s guilt is confirmed in the story when her split-personality character says, †I’m not a dangerous criminal. I’m a normal woman. And a voice inside her said, Who murdered five innocent people† (Sheldon, 1998, p. 291).   With this, the novel’s main theme – of serious parent-child conflict can be highly traumatizing. Parental abuse carries grave consequences like behavioral problems and sometimes, the effect – like youth violence — is irreparable. I chose this theme because it is one that is being experienced in an alarming way in different countries. It is a universal problem that requires concerted action – by therapists, family members, police authorities, social workers, the community-at-large, and so on. What interested me about the novel’s plot is the dramatic revelation, through Ashley’s therapist, of her multiple characters. Then, there is also the gentle and positive reassurance provided by Dr. Keller, which gives an encouraging portrayal of the medical community, and how it sees a   breakthrough when patients who are victims of abuse seem to make progress or attempt to let go of their hurts and pains. The most important character in â€Å"Tell Me Your Dreams† is Ashley Patterson. All the unfolding events and issues revolve through her, and she serves as a symbol of others who suffer a disorder but who deserve to be treated not as inferior beings but as individuals who need understanding and help.   On the other hand, her father symbolizes the demented   minds of those who may appear respectable from the outside but who are capable of causing tremendous harm with their acts. The context, or the place and time where the story takes place, begins in Cupertino, California, a sleepy corner of the world but one which is bustling with corporate activity.   The context helps highlight the dual personalities of several characters in the novel, like Ashley Patterson and Dr, Steven Patterson. The story also takes readers from London to Rome to Quebec City to San Francisco in Bedford, Cupertino, as if pointing out how fast and varied modern-day developments go. The context, or multiple settings, also parallels the multiple personalities of the main character and their different activities at different points in time. Ashley Patterson’s multiple personality disorder is discussed by Dr. Salem, readers gain a better understanding of a disorder which is real.   It is described as â€Å"a condition where there are several completely different   personalities in one body. It’s also known as dissociatve identity disorder. It’s been in the psychiatric literature for more than two hundred years. It usually starts because of a childhood trauma. The victim shuts out the trauma by creating another identity† (Sheldon, 1998, chap. 12).   Ã‚  The author leaves an encouraging note in his book that say that some cases of multiple personality disorders are treatable.   Unfortunately, this was not the case with Ross Carlson, a teenage boy diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. As the news goes: In the summer of 1983, the bodies of Rod and Marilyn Carlson were found beside a road in Douglas County, Colorado. Both had been shot execution-style in the back of the head. Ross Carlson, their teenage son, was later charged with the murders†¦ Eventually, therapists identified as many as 10 personalities residing within Carlson. His attorneys later argued that Carlson’s parents were abusive people who forced their twisted religion on their only child, causing him to develop the diverse characters as a defense mechanism†¦. The six-year drama ended in 1989 when, at age 25, Ross Carlson died of leukemia (â€Å"Multiple Personality Disorder,† para. 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ross Carlson is the real-life counterpart of Ashley Patterson. In both cases, the truth hurts – that people who are your family and who are   supposed to nurture and protect you can be capable of inflicting the greatest harm.   The two cases – one portrayed in a novel based on real life, and the other a real-life incident – show that family upbringing and genuine care, concern and nurturing from parents are the best guarantees for a child’s future.   The two cases stress that people afflicted with Multiple Personality Syndrome are, after all, human beings who, in the first place, just needed to love, to be understood, and to heal.                                     References Larson, B. (n.d.). Multiple Personality Disorder. Retrieved May 19, 2008, from http://pullingdownstrongholds.com/deliverance/multiple_personality_disorder.htm Sheldon, S. (1998). Tell me your dreams. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

The Crossman Diaries case Essay Example

The Crossman Diaries case Essay Example The Crossman Diaries case Essay The Crossman Diaries case Essay The power of conventions to aid constitutional change may therefore be acknowledged from a political standpoint. The case of Attorney General v Jonathan Cape10 suggests that conventions wield little recognition from a legal perspective. In practice, the courts general attitude towards conventions does in fact reflect badly upon the legal power of conventions. The Crossman Diaries case provides a perfect illustration of the courts unwillingness to apply conventions. The case was regarding the publication of the diaries of Richard Crossman, a minister in the Labour governments from 1964 to 1970. The Attorney General sought to prevent publication on the grounds of a breach of convention. The convention relied upon was of collective ministerial responsibility, the preservation of cabinet secrecy. Lord Widgery CJ stated that a true convention is.. an obligation founded in conscience only11 and subsequently the Attorney General was unable to rely upon a conventional rule. This case is a demonstration of the courts lack of acceptance of conventions as a reason for case redress. Similarly, the case of Manuel v Attorney General12 illustrates the treatment of conventions as an entirely different species from law, which is a nice reflection of the argument of Sir Ivor Jennings that laws and conventions are in substance the same13 to be somewhat flawed. The issue arising from the case of Manuel v Attorney General involved the possible crystallisation of convention into law. It was suggested that the convention that the United Kingdom Parliament should not legislate for Canada except with its permission, might have evolved into a law through long term recognition. Slade LJ, who issued the Court of Appeal judgement, stated that the argument was quite unsustainable in the courts of this country14 and it was concluded that conventions do not possess the power to evolve from political practices to actual laws. However, occasionally the breach of a conventional rule can result in a change in law and I believe this demonstrates that conventions do exert a certain degree of power in legal fields as well as in areas of a purely political nature. The convention that the House of Lords should not obstruct the policy of an elected government when a majority in the House of Commons exists, was thought to have been breached in 1909, with a refusal from the House of Lords to accept budget proposals formulated by the Liberal government. The House of Lords was subsequently denied the power to prevent enactment of a measure accepted as a money bill15. Although it is rare for courts to apply conventions, they often use conventions as a tool for interpretation. In a privy council appeal case regarding the accession of Canada to independence, the convention of equity of status referred to in the preamble, was one of the main grounds for interpreting an otherwise ambiguous section of the Canadian constitution in such a way as to empower Federal Parliament to reject appeals to the privy council from all Canadian courts in civil cases16. Similarly when English courts have objected to review the grounds on which executive discretionary powers have been exercised, they have relied upon the convention that a minister is responsible to parliament for the exercise of power. Although it is not necessary for courts to enforce conventions, it is clear that these non-legal rules impose significant weight of obligation. Conventions play an important role in the operation of constitutions, yet there is still uncertainty surrounding their definition, implications, and scope. There is uncertainty with regard to their position in relation to laws and whether their obligatory nature makes them more than mere habits. The late Professor J D B Mitchell17 held that conventions were no less important than laws stating that: Many conventions are capable of being expressed with the precision of a rule of law, or of being incorporated into law. Precedent is as operative in the formulation of convention as it is in law. It cannot be said that a rule of law is necessarily more certain than a convention. Although this statement is not wholly acceptable, it illustrates the high regard in which conventions are held. The statement about precision must be questioned as only a small number of conventions exist whose precise formulation can be agreed. The issue relating to whether the importance of conventions equates to that of laws can be argued from both directions. In 1930s America the convention that a president should not stand for re-election more than once was considered more important than the law, as the law imposed no restriction. However, Franklin Roosevelt was elected for a third and fourth term which contradicts the argument that conventions are always of equal importance18. I would tend to refrain from drawing the conclusion that laws are always as important if not more important than laws as there is no sanction if a convention is broken and the convention that judges must abstain from party politics is more honoured in breach than in observance. However, what distinguishes these non-legal rules from mere habits is Diceys statement that if certain conventions are broken, legal problems would eventually arise19. The example he gives is that if parliament did not meet every year, legal requirements such as the authorisation of the budget would not be dealt with. The political and legal implications of conventions, as previously discussed, and their main purpose of adapting an otherwise archaic constitution to fit modern political values certainly distinguishes them from mere habits. A constitution without conventions would ultimately fail as they are sufficiently flexible to alter what cannot otherwise be altered; modified with changing social value, recast by those they control, expunged when they become inconvenient, and ignored when they become embarrassing. Ultimately they are a reactive tool whose scope and purpose cannot be attributed to mere habits.

Columbia Business School Programs and Admissions

Columbia Business School Programs and Admissions Columbia Business School is part of Columbia University, one of the worlds most esteemed private research universities. It is also one of six Ivy League business schools in the United States and part of the informal network of prestigious business schools known as the M7. Students who attend Columbia Business School have the benefit of studying in the heart of Manhattan in New York City and graduating with a degree from one of the most recognizable business schools in the world. But location and brand awareness are just two of the reasons why students enroll in the programs at this business school. Columbia is a popular business school due to its large alumni network, 200 electives, 100 student organizations, an ever-evolving curriculum taught by a respected faculty, and a reputation for groundbreaking research. Columbia Business School offers a range of program options for students at the graduate level. Students can earn an MBA, Executive MBA, Master of Science, or a Ph.D. The school also offers executive education programs for individuals and organizations. MBA Program The MBA program at Columbia Business School features a core curriculum that offers foundational knowledge in business topics like leadership, strategy, and global business. In their second term, MBA students are allowed to customize their education with electives. There are more than 200 electives to choose from; students also have the option of taking graduate-level classes at Columbia University to further diversify their studies. After being admitted to the MBA program, students are split into clusters consisting of about 70 people, who take their first-year classes together. Each cluster is further split into small teams of about five students, who complete core course assignments as a group. This cluster system is meant to encourage close relationships among diverse people who can challenge each other. MBA admissions at Columbia Business School are competitive. Only 15 percent of those who apply are admitted. Application requirements include two recommendations, three essays, one response to a short-answer question, GMAT or GRE scores, and academic transcripts. Interviews are by invitation only and are typically conducted by alumni. Executive MBA Programs Students in the Executive MBA program at Columbia Business School study the same curriculum under the same faculty as full-time MBA students. The main difference between the two programs is the format. The Executive MBA program is designed for busy executives who want to complete the program on the weekend or in 5-day blocks. Columbia Business School offers three different New York based programs: EMBA-NY Saturday: Students take classes every Saturday for 24 months.EMBA-NY Friday/Saturday: Students take classes every other Friday/Saturday for 20 months.EMBA-Americas: Students take classes in 5-6 day blocks once a month for 20 months. Columbia Business School also offers two EMBA-Global programs for students who would rather study outside of the United States. These programs are offered in partnership with the  London Business School and the University of Hong Kong. To apply to the EMBA program at Columbia Business School, students must be fully employed. They are required to submit a range of application materials, including two recommendations; three essays; one response to a short-answer question; GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment scores; and academic transcripts. Interviews are required for admission but are conducted by invitation only. Master of Science Programs Columbia Business School offers several Master of Science programs. Options include the: Master of Science in Financial Economics: A two-year program consisting of MBA and Ph.D. courses in finance and economics.Master of Science in Marketing Science: A one-year program consisting of core courses, MBA courses, and Ph.D. courses in marketing analytics.Master of Science in Accounting and Fundamental Analysis: A three-semester program consisting of MBA and Ph.D. courses in accounting and quantitative analysis. All of the Columbia Master of Science programs are designed to provide more focused study options than the Columbia MBA program but less of a time investment than the Columba Ph.D. program. Admission requirements vary by program. However, it should be noted that every program is competitive. You should have high academic potential and a record of academic achievement to be considered a candidate for any of the Master of Science programs. PhD Program The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)  program at Columbia Business School is a full-time program that takes about five years to complete. The program is designed for students who want a career in research or teaching. Areas of study include accounting; decision, risk, and operations; finance and economics, management, and marketing. To apply to the Ph.D. program at Columbia Business School, you need at least a bachelors degree. A masters degree is recommended, but is not required. Application components include two references; an essay; a resume or CV; GMAT or GRE scores; and academic transcripts.

Aristotles' slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Aristotles' slavery - Essay Example The bodily parts such as arm, leg, hand, and eye that he uses in the service of all even if it is the hand he raises to deflect a blow from the master. Aristotle assumes all of this, even though it renders his logic impossible. The slave at such a moment is not defying the master by defending himself against a blow. He is certainly asserting himself as his own most not so asserting himself; he is not acting as the mere part, nothing but the master’s possession (Swanson 16). Hence, the question of vantage, a question that one is familiar in literary analysis. Aristotle makes his point concerning the status of the slave by simply eliding his point of view. This text informed every bit as much by what appears in it as what does not. Then there is the question of the status of an analogy; this is primarily a literary device. The leg is a part that serves the organism, and the qua organism is the higher value. This last is a point Aristotle establishes by analogy. The context for the analogy is the value that belongs to the city. He says, â€Å"The notion of a city naturally precedes that of a family or an individual, for the whole must necessarily be prior to the parts, for if you take away the whole man, you cannot say a foot or a hand remains†. There is a moment of indeterminacy here. If Aristotle’s entire argument in the analogy is only that the part is taken away with the whole. This gives the ostensible rigor of proper philosophic discourse of the analogy disposal (Wrenhaven 35). For Aristotle, when society or the family is taken away, so is the individual, and the hand is an individual part of the body but he also suggest that the relationship is analogous in other ways. The human body is in the city and interests of the city and its use involve his sacrifice. Such a sacrifice makes the highest value for the individual. As such, the individual may be put to use if rational individual has reason to know that the collectivity is the

Marie De France Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marie De France Era - Essay Example As for technical grounds, the contradiction can be found in the writing when it comes to fulfillment of the marriage vows and that obligation that come along with it. This is presented in case of a young girl, who is married to an elderly person and the couple is a total mismatch, and she is as in figure of speech being caged, and seeking salvation, she pleads for a messiah who comes in form of messiah of love and this leads to the spark of physical desire and love. Being totally non-platonic, this falls right into contradiction with the views those are being carried about marriage in the first half, where she lambasts the court practices and the common performance of adultery in the court four walls. She does not approve of any illegitimate and outside marriage physical relation, and this can be clearly inferred from by mention of adultery that was largely in routine and was not looked up to. However in the later part when the girl who the girl’s prayers get answered and a ha wk is being sent over which later on becomes her lover. The theme is full of expression of love and feeling, and even the beginning is marked by one similar event, where suffering and testing of a soul is joined and folded in the concept of love. It is presented in form of Guigemar who is totally indifferent to the concept of love in the beginning and later on gets embalmed into the vicious element of love which is hard to come out of once entered into. This part of the narrative work is independent of the nature of love or the kind. (from physical or platonic). However the second part of their tale is marked by the physical desire and love for one another when they through the force of love and magic come together again. Le Fresne’s tale is another similar account which has been expressed to explain the love. Lais of Marie de France is actually a collection of poems that was written around the medieval times, although no exact details are available yet all that are available are sufficient enough to deduce the theme and tone of he r thinking, her narration and her mind. Considering suffering as an attached part of love, she advocates the concept of unlawful practices of marriage through the lovers who are admired by the girls who themselves are in difficult times and they welcome the lovers despite being in a matrimonial relationship in other place which is in tatters in this regard thereby allowing them a reason to look out of the window even after being hooked in a matrimonial relationship. She does not stand indifferent to the element of love and values it, yet has different interpretation in different times, which leads to the argument that her first part of paper advocates a different approach of love and relationship, while the second part sees slight deviance from the earlier established concept. The element of trouble, sorrow, loneliness, separation, mismatch, all has been made a part of love, and for this purpose, she has defended the concept of illegitimate relationship. Hence a clear inconsistency exists and it is