Reimbursement and Pay-for-Performance Essay

Introduction There is a growing trend in the United States called pay-for-performance. Pay-for-performance is a system that is used where providers are compensated by payers for meeting certain pre-established measures for quality and efficiency (What is Pay-for-Performance, n.a.). We are going to be discussing what pay-for-performance is. There are different aspects of pay-for-performance which include; the effects of reimbursement by this approach, the impact cost reductions has on quality and efficiency of health care, the affects to the providers and patients, and the effects on the future of health care. Pay-for-Performance Pay-for-performance (P4P) and value-based purchasing are terms that can be heard within the health care industry which, describes payment systems that reward physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers for their quality and efficiency. The objective of pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives is to link reimbursement to quality of health care as well as reduce systemwide costs (Shi & Singh, 2012). Government agencies as well as private health plans are in the process of establishing programs in hopes to encourage hospitals, doctors, and other providers so that they will start to meet the quality of standards and achieve the ideal outcome for patients. The overall goal for pay-for-performance is to increase the quality of health care, while reducing the medical costs by implementing programs that will focus on things such as preventative care which would include services such as annual exams and vaccinations. Measurements and Incentives When it comes to quality of care measurements there are different categories one of which being structure. The structure measures patients access to health care, the use of electronic systems and the patients experience of the care that they received. Incentives can be either financial incentives or non-financial incentives. Pay-for-performance has quite a few pros  because it helps increase the motivation of the physician or health care facility which in return will how the company that the individual care for their job and wants to be rewarded based on their good behavior and quality of care that they provide the patient with. There can be a con when it comes to pay-for-performance which would be that if the physician or staff does not have the proper knowledge, training, and experience then they might not be able to reach or exceed the goals that have been set. When the proper knowledge, training, and experience is an issue than this can cause the company to have to invest money into getting that individual the training and resources that they need to obtain the set goals. How Reimbursement is Affected When it comes to the pay-for-performance programs they have been introduced to the health care system to offer incentives to physicians, hospitals, and other medical facilities however the underlying structure of the payment system already generates a lot of incentives on its own. Currently in the United States a majority of physicians are paid on a fee-for-service basis, which in returns encourages a high volume of services, without regard to the value of the service to the patient. In the health care industry there are services that after they are performed the reimbursement is more generous on the payout than others. The pay-for-performance can alter the current incentives that physicians, hospitals, and other medical providers already receive. Reimbursement has affected the pay-for-performance in a positive way because health care providers are able to financially gain from it for providing their patients with quality health care services. Reimbursements are reinventing the way that health care is going to be delivered because health care providers are going to be able to amplify their profit through improving their quality of care, instead of it being the fee-for-service quantity. Pros of Pay-for-Performance for Patients When patients see physicians who are part of the pay-for-performance program this can be beneficial for them. The reason that patients see benefits is because the physician will work with the patients individually to get better health care results for the patient. If a patient has high blood pressure then the physician will focus on that issue and will work with the patient  to get it back to normal which in return the physician will see an incentive for this and the patient wins as well because they are getting the treatment that they need and their overall health is going to increase as a result of the services provided. System Cost Reductions The system costs reductions will have a positive impact on the quality and efficiency of health care. A lot of analyst have worried that the Affordable Care Act will weaken the quality and efficiency in health care because there will be way more patients and not enough quality health care providers. According to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (n.d.): In 2000, health care spending rose to $1.3 trillion dollars, or an average of $4,637 per person. As a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it grew from 13.1 percent in 1999 to 13.2 percent in 2000. National health expenditures are expected to reach $2.8 trillion in 2011, with an average annual growth rate of 7.3 percent from 2001 to 2011. By growing 2.5 percent faster that then the GPD, expenditures will consume approximately 17 percent of the GDP in 2011(para. 6). Affects on providers and Customers Pay-for-performance affects health care providers and their customers in a positive aspect because it improves the quality of health care that they receive from their physician which in return increases value. The pay-for-performance program will take health care from basic health care delivery to high-quality health care delivery. The way that this is going to affect the patient â€Å"customer† is because they are going to have an overall better experience with more attention to their overall health. The patient will also see benefits because there are incentives for patients when they live a healthy lifestyle. One of the incentives that the patient will see is in cost savings in the immediate future. Pay-for-performance is positive for all stakeholders involved within the program because it delivers on the main goal which is to increase the quality of care to patients while reducing the costs. The pay-for-performance will also help health care providers to establish more rapport and generate a good feedback within the community because when their patient receives quality health care services then the patient is going to go back and tell their family and friends about their positive experience and recommend that health care provider to their loved  ones. Effects on Future Health Care Pay-for-performance programs are expected to expand across the United States health care in the near future, especially with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The pay-for-performance is going to continue to increase the quality of health care that the patient receives from their health care provider. Pay-for-performance is eventually going to be all across the United States and more medical professionals are going to be participating within this incentive program which is going to start making health care affordable for many Americans who cannot afford health care coverage and or services. In the future we are going to start seeing healthier Americans because they are going to get health care services that are tailored solely on their health care needs. Doctors are going to start working to provide quality care in order to get their patients healthier whether it be getting their weight under control, blood pressure, and various other illnesses. Conclusion Pay-for-performance and reimbursement is changing the health care delivery system into a more cost efficient health care system that before. This is going to improve the quality of care that one receives because it steers away from the fee-for-service and gives physicians motivation to provide their patients with a better quality of car because of the incentives that they will receive. There are going to be many baby boomers that are going to start requiring more health care services and with this pay-for-performance implementation it is going to give them a better quality of care than in previous years. With the pay-for-performance incentives this is going to motivate doctors to get their patients in overall better health which in the future we will probably start seeing a decrease in chronic illnesses as patients will be working towards a better and healthier lifestyle. References Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (n.d.) http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/factsheets/costs/costria/index.html Rosenthal, M.B. (2006). How Will Paying for Performance Affect Patient Care?. Retrieved from http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2006/03/pfor1-0603.html Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2012). Delivering health care in America: Health Policy (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Lord of the Flies Thesis Paper

Being stranded on an island can be a life or death struggle. It brings up new challenges and self discovery. When a group of young boys get stranded on an island together with no adults, they must learn to live and survive as a community. Not only must they worry about food and shelter, but they also have to worry about each other and discover what it takes to work together. But what happens when the community they have built starts to fall apart?In Golding’s Novel, Lord of the Flies, the contrasting literary themes of civilization versus savagery are illustrated through the use of symbols, dialogue, and visual imagery. Golding uses many symbols throughout his novel to illustrate the contrasting themes of civilization versus savagery. In this novel, the use of the conch represents civilization through unity and order. When the boys first land on the island Ralph uses the conch to join everyone together. â€Å"Signs of life were visible now on the beach.The sand, trembling ben eath the heat haze, concealed many figures in its miles of length; boys were making their way to the platform†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Golding 18). This shows that at the beginning, the conch automatically brought everyone together, and joined them as a community. Later in the story, the lord of the flies represents savagery by symbolizing chaos and disorder. After the boys kill a pig, they leave the head as on offering to the imagined beast. As Simon begins talking to the head, it tells him that it itself is the beast.Later, Ralph encounters the skull of the pig. â€Å"A sick fear and rage swept him. Fiercely he hit out at the filthy thing in front of him that bobbed like a toy and came back, still grinning into his face, so that he lashed and cried out in loathing. † (Golding 185). This shows that the lord of the flies brings out the beast in the children themselves, and shows that all along, they in fact were their own beast. Golding also uses pieces of dialogue to illustrate the co ntrasting themes of civilization versus savagery.In the very beginning, Piggy proves to be the most knowledgeable of the group by trying to keep them civilized and orderly. When the group is talking about building a signal fire to be rescued, Piggy says, â€Å"’How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper? ’† (Golding 45). This shows that from the very beginning Piggy thinks there should be order and a clear plan for anything successful to happen on the island. Also around this time, the theme of savagery through dialogue begins with Jack.After hunting for the first time, Jack explains to Ralph that he sent his group back while he continued to hunt by himself. â€Å"’I went on,’ said Jack. ‘I let them go. I had to go to go on. I—‘ He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. ‘I went on. I thought by myself—‘ The madness came into his eyes again. ‘I thought I might kill. ’† (Golding 51). This is the beginning of Jack’s transformation from civilized to savage. At this time, killing becomes his priority over all else.Lastly, Golding uses visual imagery throughout his novel to illustrate the contrasting themes of civilization versus savagery. In the beginning, Golding uses visual imagery to represent civilization when Ralph uses the conch to unite everyone together. â€Å"At last Ralph ceased to blow and sat there, the conch trailing from one hand, his head bowed on his knees. As the echoes died away so did the laughter, and there was silence. † (Golding 19). This shows that at the beginning, everyone came together in a civilized manner and was silent so that they could listen to the further conversations that were had.Later, Golding uses visual imagery to represent savagery during the killing of Simon. â€Å"The beast struggled forward, broke the ring, and fell over the st eep edge of the rock to the sand by the water. At once the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements but the tearing of teeth and claws. † (Golding 153). This shows that by this point, the only thing the boys cared about was hunting and they would hunt anything they could.This act was only the beginning of murder in this story, and later led to the murder of other boys. In Golding’s Novel, Lord of the Flies, the contrasting literary themes of civilization versus savagery are illustrated through the use of symbols, dialogue, and visual imagery. Though in the beginning many things joined the boys together on the island, in the end, things tore them apart more than could be recovered. Overall, this book conveys the collapse of society in the world through chaos, cruelty, and the lack of leadership and order.

Employability and Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Employability and Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example The foremost activity required by a student at such a moment is developing a career plan. Career planning from the individual’s perspective is important for a number of reasons. It provides and allows the individual to maintain self-determination and control over his or head intended work life and related experiences. It contributes to better occupation-job-organization-industry work-life decisions that may greatly enhance job mobility and progression through successive career stages. Additionally, career planning can ease the individual through various life stages and facilitate the development of meaningful non-work roles, including church leaders and civic and community volunteer efforts that complement job-career roles. Activation of the career plan entails job search, self-development, job performance, promotion and mentoring behaviors (Hunt & Michael, 1983). To initiate and perform the career planning process, a number of formats are available to an individual. These are (1) self-help, (2) consultant/counselor assistance (3) employer-sponsored help, and (4) courses offered by organizations and professional associations. Any one or more combination of two or more of these formats can yield a reasonably comprehensive career plan. The formats vary, however, in terms of depth and detail of analysis, formality, cost, and career plan specificity. A step-by - step approach would prove to be effective in landing upon the most appropriate decisions on opting for a specific career. ... available to an individual. These are (1) self-help, (2) consultant/counselor assistance (3) employer-sponsored help, and (4) courses offered by organizations and professional associations. Any one or more combination of two or more of these formats can yield a reasonably comprehensive career plan. The formats vary, however, in terms of depth and detail of analysis, formality, cost, and career plan specificity. A step-by - step approach would prove to be effective in landing up on the most appropriate decisions on opting for a specific career. Methodology The expansion of particular sectors of the economy, like demographic trends, is only part of what contributes to greater employment opportunities for graduates. Some jobs and careers require a specific degree subject, especially in the fields of science, technology and engineering. However around 60% of advertised graduate vacancies are open to all degree disciplines which means that one have a broad range of career options open to oneself. For instance, When making career choices, the number of possibilities opens to English graduates, like other non-vocational graduates, is immense. Most 'top' employers in the UK make most of their jobs open to graduates irrespective of the subject of their degrees. For English graduates then, their subject of study can therefore be regarded as less important than other factors such as intellect, attitudes, social fit and prestige of their university. Awareness of Employment Opportunities in Accountancy: During the last half-century, accounting has gained the same professional status as the medical and legal professions. Today, the accountants in many

Use of Xenon Gas in Humans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Use of Xenon Gas in Humans - Research Paper Example With this standard of practice known, this research paper focuses on the use of xenon in humans for medical and clinical purposes. This is done with particular emphasis on the pharmacology, toxicology and chemistry of xenon. Xenon will be noted to be a chemical element which is colorless, dense and odorless. With atomic number of 54, xenon is a noble gas, which occur the earth’s atmosphere in scanty amount (Kirkland, 2013). One thing that makes xenon a particularly interesting chemical element worth scientific and pharmacological investment is the seeming unpredictable nature of xenon’s reactivity. The research paper will therefore focus on this aspect of this noble gas. Once xenon gas enters the human system, there are several pharmacological characteristics that it exhibits. First, Arola, et al. (2013) stressed that once xenon gas enters the human body it has the ability of easily passing through the cell membranes without any hindrance. This is generally possible because of the pharmacological feature of xenon, which makes it readily diffusible. As posited by Zahnle (2013), the fact that xenon is readily diffusible, it is neither utilized nor produced by the body. In effect, xenon enters the human body as a neutral agent that is neither used by the body nor naturally reproduced or manufactured by the body. This however does not mean that the xenon gas’ entry into the body is associated with no clinical pharmacological roles. For example it is known that apart from the cell membranes, xenon can also pass freely and causes exchanges between blood and tissues. As this passage activity is performed, the gas concentrates largely on the body fat rather than the blood, water, plasma, or protein solutions (Esencan et al., 2013).

Septic Shock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Septic Shock - Essay Example The patient’s skin appears warm, dry and flushed. I called the resident-on-call to report these deviations in the vital signs, and he ordered 2 intravenous boluses of NSS (normal saline solution) 500cc and oxygen administration of 2 liters per minute via nasal prongs (NP). There is no order for serum lactate measurement or arterial blood gas analysis. There are also no orders for blood culture, blood chemistry, or even antibiotics. Four hours after surgical ICU admission, my patient was still in high fever, having a systolic BP of 75 mmHg, HR of 145 per minute, RR of more than 40 breaths per minute, low oxygen saturation, decreased LOC (level of consciousness) and decreased urine output (see table 1 for summary of the trend). I called the resident-on-call again, but there was no response. I called the RRT (rapid response team) instead. See the following Table for the trend: Vital Signs 2 hours later 4 hours later BP 75/40 mmHg 75 mmHg systolic HR 130 per minute 145 per minute RR 30 per minute 40 per minute Oxygen Saturation 88% It would appear that this was not recognized appropriately as management of the patient did not improve the cardiovascular status. Within the four-hour span of surgical ICU admission, most assessment, diagnostic procedures, medical and evaluation necessary for septic shock management were absent, and there was only two hours remaining for the 6-hour crucial period of the Sepsis Resuscitation Bundle. Case Outline In a normal physiology, the three components of blood circulation compensate each other to maintain the normal circulation, which are the heart, the vascular tone and the blood volume in maintaining adequate systemic perfusion. For example, if there is inadequate circulating blood volume, the baroreceptors of the aortic arch will signal the heart to increase the heart rate to raise blood pressure. Other organs in the circulation, like the kidneys, will compensate as well, like the activation of rennin-angiotensin-aldostero ne system, which will also increase the vascular tone and stimulate fluid retention. When these compensatory mechanisms fail to maintain an effective systemic perfusion, shock occurs as a result (Black & Hawks, 2005). The inadequacy of systemic perfusion in septic shock is only an aftermath of the systemic effects of microorganisms present in the body, whether it is in the bloodstream (septicemia) or localized infection. A number of risk factors are associated with septic shock: age, co-existing infection, co-existing hepatic, renal and heart failure, decreased white blood cells, unknown source of infection, corticosteroid use, and retention of foreign body in the system (Leibovici et al, 1997; Labelle et al, 2008; Annane et al, 2003; Brun-Buisson et al, 1995). It is uncertain whether infection occurred from the patient’s previous abdominal surgery or otherwise. Black and Hawks (2005) gives an excellent pathophysiology of septic shock. The invading pathogen releases endotoxin s which generates a myriad of reactions in the body. One is the activation of kinins, specifically bradykinin, which is the main responsible for the hypovolemic state in septic shock since it causes vasodilation, decreasing blood pressure and venous return. When the offending microorganism is destroyed, tumor

What are the main differences between Monopolistic Competition and Essay - 1

What are the main differences between Monopolistic Competition and Monopoly market structure Which of these market structures best serves the interest of the consumer and why - Essay Example The word, â€Å"Monopolist† is derived from the Greek words, Mono meaning one and Polist for seller (FRIEDMAN, Milton, 2002). The existence of Monopoly in today’s world is very rare. Monopolies are usually protected by effective barriers to entry. Example of Monopolies may be a company with its unique patented drug or the only provider of electricity for a town. De Beers used to have Monopoly in the diamond market. Monopoly does not have a complete control over price in a sense that it faces a negatively sloped demand curve. This means, any price increase will eventually loss some customers. Keeping in view, a Monopoly always wants to maximize its profit. For maximizing the profit, a Monopoly increases its output to the level where Marginal Cost (MC) intersects the Marginal Revenue (MR) as shown in the figure 1. The diagram shows the profit maximization point for a monopolist. The profit maximization point lies where Marginal Revenue = Marginal Cost. The economic profit is the difference between the Demand and ATC curve. If it produces less than 5 units, the economic profit will be reduced. Also, if the output is increased to 6, the economic profit will again reduce. A Monopolist will always strive for maximizing its profit. For a Monopolist, the Demand Curve is negatively slopped. If the demand for the product is less elastic, a Monopolist can fix a higher price. Ineleastic goods include those which are needs of human being such as electricity, sugar, wheat etc. However, if the demand is elastic, then a Monopolist should adjust the price to a certain level to gain maximum profit. Therefore, the price it charges is always greater than its MC. In Monopolistic competition, there are many competing firms which are selling differentiated products (Investopedia.com). Due to this fact, each firm faces highly elastic negatively sloped demand curve. The term â€Å"Differentiated Product† refers to those products which

Filariasis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Filariasis - Essay Example depending on what type of parasitic worm has caused the infection, but most of the time all infection start with symptoms like chills, headache, and fever between three months and one year after the insect bite. There may also be swelling, redness, and pain in the arms, legs, or scrotum at the early stages. As far as the diagnosis of filariasis is concerned Identification of microfilariae by microscopic examination is the most practical diagnostic procedure. Examination of blood samples will allow identification of microfilariae of Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. It is important to time the blood collection with the known periodicity of the microfilariae. The blood sample can be a thick smear, stained with Giemsa or hematoxylin and eosin. More recently a new type of diagnosis process has emerged, known to be as cytodiagnosis. A number of evidences have been put forwarded by a number of researchers showing its efficiency. However, time has not come to claim that it is the best methods although at present it seems to be very effective. Whether cytodiagnosis would be the most effective diagnosis process or not, people have be very conscious about the disease filariasis and should take proper medication if infected, and proper preventative measures to reduce the probability of being infected. Filariasis is known to be as a group of diseases, mainly found in and sub-tropical regions, caused by a variety of parasitic round worms (nematodes) and their larvae. The disease is transmitted to human body by the larvae through a mosquito bite. Filariasis is generally characterized by a number of symptoms like fever, chills, headache, and skin lesions in the early stages. If filariasis remains untreated, it results in gross enlargement of the limbs and genitalia, which is called elephantiasis. (Sasa, 1976) In Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, and the islands of the Pacific, all of which are situated in tropical or sub-tropical region, approximately

Poll 211 research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poll 211 - Research Paper Example The war affected virtually every nation of the world as each moved to align themselves with either the U.S. or the Soviet Union. This paper examines how the Cold War affected the U.S. foreign policy then and now. In terms of its organization, a proxy of the Cold War is discussed. Next, the author explains the factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resultant chaos. Next, the author discusses the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union at three levels: the impact on scholars of international relations at the time and the impact on the U.S. foreign policy then and now. Finally, the author draws conclusions about international relations based on the findings of the research. A proxy war is fought alongside a major full-scale conflict(Leffler & Painter, 2005). Usually, a major power will instigate a proxy war without directly involving itself. Many proxy wars were fought during the Cold War. The wars provided opportunities for the United States and the Soviet Union to stage armed conflict â€Å"behind† the Cold War. The Greek Civil War was one of such proxy wars. The Greek civil war pitted the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE), supported by the U.S. against the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), whom Russia backed(Nachmani, 1990).The DSE wanted to gain control of the country from the KKE. Backed by and Britain and the U.S., the DSE were initially successful. Besides the backing by the two powers, the DSE had superior maneuvers in the battlefield. Meanwhile, the KKE made many political errors and Yugoslavia withdrew their support for them. Yugoslavia’s withdrawal marked the beginning of the fall of the KKE. In the end, DSE won the war. Greece largely abandoned Communism and the sphere of influence of democratic/capitalist ideals increased as did tensions between the two powers. In December 1991, Americas rival, the

Economic evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Economic evaluation - Essay Example In this paper, the roles of NICE in the provision of guidance are outlined with a specific reference made to the guidance on domestic violence. Also, the other organizations that provide similar guidance are discussed in the essay. The political, social, environmental, and economic contexts of the guidance are also outlined in the paper. Further, the cost-effectiveness of the guidance is assessed and compared to the previous methods and the implications of the guidance are discussed. Part B of the paper focuses on a publicly funded healthcare system in a country. The National Health Service of the United Kingdom is selected for the study. The various wayhs in which the organization obtains funds and resources are discussed. In addition, the economic models are evaluated within the section and the various health funding by different governments are compared in part B of this paper. NICE involves five different areas of public guidance. The first area is the guidance on the behaviour change. This guidance is mainly focussed on the individual approach. The aim of the guidance is to change the behaviours of persons at individual levels. It, therefore, recommends various behaviours that can result into healthy lifestyles amongst different group of people living in a region or area (NICE, 2014). Secondly, NICE offers guidance on exercise-referral-schemes. This guidance has more emphasis on physical exercises as stated on the definition. It aims to improve on the quality of physical exercises administered by medical practitioners or professionals. It helps the healthcare professionals to provide effective interventions in addition to the sensitization on the methods which can be used to promote physical activity. The methods are four in total. Also, Nice has been very active in the guidance on the various interventions to be used by schools to get rid of smoking. That demonstrates the roles of NICE in the fight against drug abuse. In that case, NICE makes use

Cognitive Design Essay Example for Free

Cognitive Design Essay A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini is seen through the eyes of two young female protagonists, who have a strong and well-developed character. In the novel, the author shows their hardship, their lives in a hopeless society, Afghanistan, and how throughout their life they face cruelty and vulnerability. The author portrays the experiences of the two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, who live in a society where women are mistreated. Mariam’s character is described as a quiet and thoughtful girl who questions the society and dreams of a luxurious life. She experiences physical and mental abuse from almost every person in her life and is brought up in an isolated environment by a bitter mother who puts her down. For instance, in the beginning of the novel Nana, Mariam’s mother, says: â€Å"You are a clumsy little harami† (Hosseini, 4). This very word â€Å"harami† helps the reader to analyze the struggles of an illegitimate child. Nana also prepares Mariam to expect nothing from men: â€Å"Like a compass needle that always point north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always . Mariam† (Hosseini, 7). This is also used to foreshadow Mariam’s husband, Rasheed, a cruel, abusive and hot tempered man, who physically and verbally abuses Mariam after marriage. Although Laila was also brought up in the same society as Mariam, her character is stronger as compared to Mariam’s. She has a strong desire to use her intelligence and education to improve the society and as her father, tells her: â€Å"Marriage can wait, education cannot You can be anything you want Because a society has no change of success if its women are uneducated No chance† (Hosseini, 114). The characters personality evolves over time, and this helps to analyze the tragic themes of the novel which are oppression, hope, and internal strength of women. The ability for any individual to imagine to endure the pain and sacrifices that Mariam and Laila endured are overwhelming. Yet the authors’ description of the characters makes it easy to analyze them to a great depth.

Common interests between the stakeholders

Common interests between the stakeholders In 2009, Logilink received a new project to handle the logistics arrangement of cement between Spain and Algeria. Our client, KDM Company was assigned by the government to supply the cement to build the new highway between Algiers and Constantine in Algeria. This project has a big impact in the economical and the political side, therefore the government of Algeria has assigned KDM to supply the cement in 6 months period of time. Logilink as a logistics firm had to ensure the proper transportation of cement from refinery at Spain to Algerian port. During the 6 months period, we have arranged with KDM to transport 48,000MT of cement per month to fulfill the total quantity required for this project. 4.STAKEHOLDERS Logilink assigned our Project Manager Mr. Javier, to be in charge of this project. With the support of our CEO and shareholders, he selected the team to work with. The team comprised of five employees; Mr. Nilo the Ship Controller, Mr. Ziani the Finance Analyst, Miss Juan the Admin Assistant, Mr. Jose the Project Office Manager and me as the Operation Manager. To ensure smooth execution of this project, the functional teams within Logilink were instructed by the CEO to collaborate with Mr. Javier and provide him with all the resources required. The groups, persons, organizations and institutions related to the building and running of the new highway or which is in its area of influence is registered or inventoried by means of brain storming. (Appendix1) The team defined the stakeholders for this project by identifying organizations that had responsibilities or may affect the process and who had the influence over the new highway project. List of stakeholders: The evaluation of the projects environmental impact corresponds to the Association of Environment (APE) The authorizing body for the project was the Ministry of Public Works Logilink was responsible for shipping, maritime traffic and safety The supplier of Cement was Repsol The government sole distributor for cement in this project was KDM. The construction was handled by private entrepreneurs Bank (Societe General) Media Local transport companies. Local supplies companies. Stakeholders interests, project impact level and priority in relation to other stakeholders are identified in table1. Table 1: Stakeholders interests and impacts table Interests Potential project impact Relative priorities of interest Secondary Stakeholders Ministry of public works Achievement of targets Control over funds Political image + 2 Entrepreneurs -Profits Achievement of targets -reputation +/- + +/- 1 Media Profits Supply information to the public. +/- 3 Bank Societe Generale Profits + 3 Association Of Environment (APE) habitat destruction -Environmental degradation ? 3 Local transport companies. Profits liabilities +/- + 2 Local supplies companies profits Liabilities +/- + 2 Primary Stakeholders KDM co.ltd Profits Achievement of targets Liability (avoid at all costs) -Reputation +/- + +/- 1 Project Manager Promotion -Rewards + + 1 Repsol (Supplier) -Profits Gain Algerian Market +/- +/- 1 Team members rewards and bonuses promotions -expand skill level + ? + 2 During the process of strategic management, attention to stakeholders is important since the success and survival for public organizations relies on fulfilling key stakeholders according to their description of what is precious. (Bryson 1995: 27; Moore 1995). As an alternative, many individual groups and organizations are occupied or have partial liability to act. Discovering what the predicament is and finding solutions are part of the problem while taking stakeholders into relation is an important criterion of problem solving. (Bryson and Crosby 1992; Bardach 1998)(pb-bryson) To identify common interests between the stakeholders, the planning team had to find the relationship between the stakeholders to find the typical strategy where individual stakeholders will think that their own interests are advanced. (Andreasen 1995; Kotler, Roberto, and Lee 2002) For example, KDMs interest was to show efficiency and gain Algerian governments trust. They will increase profit and obtain more contracts. KDMs interest matched with our interest since we were a booming company searching for reputation rather than just making profit. The government wanted to complete the project on time with high quality in order for them to be more credible in the eye of the public. From the side of Repsol, their interest is to gain maximum profit which matches the entrepreneurs goals. The stakeholder-issue interrelationship diagram explains how the planning team determined the relationship between the stakeholders through their common objectives. Figure 1 Stakeholder-Issue Interrelationship Diagram (Bryant, 2003) Political image and credibility Supply information for the public Habitat destruction and environmental degradation Control over funds Entrepreneurs Ministry of public works Association Of Environme Media Societe Generale Achievement of targets Profits Reputation Liabilities Local supplies companies Local transport companies Repsol Logilink co.ltd KDM co.ltd It was necessary for our project team to analyze the stakeholders. We investigated each stakeholder, by knowing their powers, weaknesses, forces and threats (calvert 1995). Wideman (1998) suggests that the analysis should start by grouping stakeholders based on the influence. The influence level differs between stakeholders; it depends on the hierarchical relationship to the project. The government had a high level of influence compared to other secondary stakeholders which influences were lower as the project was just an opportunity to achieve goals. (Source: Wideman 1998, p.  219) KDM as the most important stakeholder had an influence on the project. If they werent satisfied they could stop the project. The Ministry of Public Works had a concern to the public sector so their influence was the highest. The environmental association could also oppose the project. Nevertheless, they didnt have a great degree of representation or the capacity for mobilizing people, so they had considerable degree of importance, but not influence. Logilink didnt have excessive importance due to low amount of competences that could affect the project. However, given their representation and capacity to mobilize, they were very influential. The same is true for entrepreneurs. Local supply and transport companies had positive effect on the project execution which resulted in low importance and influence as they represented a small segment of the population. Figure2. Classification of importance and influence of stakeholders affected by the New Highway project (Backoff and Nutt, 1992) KDMImportance Logilink Entrepreneurs LTC + LSC Repsol Ministry of public works Media Societe Generale Association Of Environment Influence Mr. Javier designed a plan to increase support and minimize oppositions from the project stakeholders (Source: PMI 2004), after identifying stakeholders process and classifying the stakeholders by their geographic location and interest in the project. The strategy defined the level of participation desired by key stakeholders. The planning team interviewed key stakeholders individually, to ensure everyones genuine support to the project. If support is lacking, they discussed and resolved obstructing issues. The treatment regarding communication and participation differed between stakeholders. The planning team arranged for each key stakeholder depending on interest level and the choice to be involved in all phases or in specific phases of the project. KDM wanted to be involved in all phases of the project. Our project team arranged a weekly meeting with KDM and updated them by sending reports for each shipment. The Ministry of Public Works just wanted to be informed when the project was completed. The stakeholder management strategy used for the project was adequate to satisfy each key stakeholder and avoid any resistance to the projects process. 5. Organisational structure The organizational structure in our company defer from one project to another, in our new highway project the company used a project team organizational structure, due to its importance and complexity. This project required specialists to work on it full time as the due time of the project was too tight. The company head office allocated Mr.Javier as project manager; the team of the project took a functional oriented structure form (Cleland 1999) Figure3.Dedicated project team (Gray Larson 2000) Human Resources Finance and administration Ship Controller Logilink co. ltd Project Directors Project Manager2 Project Manger 1 Team 1 Team 2 Sales and Marketing Figure 3 shows the feature of our new project team. The team consists of the following; Mr. Nilo the Ship Controller, Mr. Ziani the Project Accountant, Miss Juan the Admin Assistant, MR.Jose the Project Office Manager and me as the Operation Manager. To execute this project efficiently, the functional teams within Logilink were instructed by the Head Office to join forces with Mr. Javier and provide him with all the resources required. The importance of the project and its amplitude for success were the mean factors that determined the project team. All team members had a big experience in such project and knew how to deal with it in such short time. The company applied this structure as project team structure allows the project team to work independently. The team consecrated full time for the project rather than being disrupted by other obligations or duties with their mean functional departments, Although he had to report to senior executives in the parent organization, Mr Javier had the full authority over the project. After utilizing this structure, we gained faster response time since most decisions were made within the team and were not differed up the hierarchy. With proper direction, the project team worked together and was fully committed only on maximizing the projects success while disregarding their area of expertise. Gray and Larson (2000), Figure4. Projectized Organization (Source: PMI 2004) In the project management consulting work, they identified a list of characteristics that many project managers have offered as successful characteristics in their core teams. For the most part, these characteristics are observed in individuals based on their experiences and the testimony of those who have worked with them. Typically these are not characteristics whereby the presence or absence in an individual is determined through interviews (Klassen and McLaughlin, 1993). The roles and responsibilities of the project ream depend of the nature of the project itself and the level of power and capacities. In the planning and resourcing process the project team was identified, so the team remained involved throughout the project and the resources from other groups were used when it was required. 6. Roles, responsibilities and relationships of project team members After identifying the goals of the project and determining the resources needed, the head office discovered that they require a Project Manager with a lot of experience and knowledge for this particular project. Mr. Javier who is the existing Project Director in our firm was selected to be the Project Manager. His role was to ensure the implementation and success of the project as he had control over all project resources. The roles and responsibilities of each team member were as follow: As the Project Office Manager, Mr. Joses responsibilities were to control and track the detailed plan, manage documentation and prepare various reports. As the Project Accountant, Mr. Ziani had to deal with procurement, sub-contractor expenditure, joint venture accounting, monitor progress tracking and handle financial reporting. As the Ship Coordinator, Mr. Nilo was responsible for the administrative aspects of the ship and served as the associate between our company and the client. As an Admin Assistant, Ms. Juan was a specialist in the creation of accurate usable documentation both for the daily usage of the solution and as design documentation for future reference. -As the Operation Manager, I handled the way the live technical solution should be operated. Operating procedures would include routine operations, controls, security, backup/recovery and disaster plans (Simon, 2004). The organizational chart is an illustrative display of project reporting relationships (Kerzner, 2003). In our organization, the reporting relationships were informal due to the small size of the team. Our Project Manager was responsible for the creation of a WBS that mapped our assigned project to this organizational breakdown structure. To present the reporting relationships within the project context, the company designed the organizational breakdown structure in a way to show who the project is functionally organized and to describe the hierarchy and organizations that supplied resources to arrange and to transmit the work identified in the work breakdown structure (WBS) (Kerzner, 2003). Figure5.Illustrates our organizational breakdown structure (OBS). MR.Javier Project Manager MR.Ziani Project accountant Miss.Juan Admin assistant Mr.Jose Project office manager Mr.Nilo Ship coordinator Mr.Ismail Operation manager Directors Functional Departments In a project team, the nature and volume of the project as well as the variety of projects to be handled will determine the lead position. Kerzner (2003, p. 162). The project management and team leadership positions should be carefully defined and staffed at all projects levels. In a self-directed work environment, a Project Manager must display reliability, respect, trust as well as qualities that typically appears from the representation of an excellent decision maker with a superior track record in order to create and direct a project team (Cleland, 1999). The Line Manager of the team members should not be associated with the duties of a Project Manager. The Project Manager is dedicated to manage the work of the project. The Project Manager must get the cooperation and support from the team without having direct authority over them. The ability to link the project to the strategy of the business is also an indicator of a successful Project Manager (Cleland, 1999). Mr. Javier motivated the team to reach great goals, rather than merely bossing around with them (Rowe, 2007). Prior to the implementation of any leadership style, the leader should focus in plans to obtain employee satisfaction by applying components such as trust, confidence and effective communication. (Lamb and McKee, 2004).Managers with these attributes are effective in their leadership ability regardless of the style of leadership that they adapt (McShane and VonGlinow, 2004). Mr. Javiers approach as a people oriented leader enabled him to achieve employee satisfaction by utilizing his excellent competencies and skills. 7. Team development and conflict New highway project was really important for our firm due to the huge opportunities hidden behind it. The head office wanted to allocate the best resources in our company to meet the project requirements. Mr.Javier as the most experienced project manager in our company was allocated to be the project manager for this project. He had a meeting with the head office to select the members of the project team. The team was chosen within many criteria adequate with the project and to satisfy the key stakeholders expectations and needs (Source: PMI 2004) The main criteria were identifying by Gray and Larson (2000) as: Problem solving ability, were the team members had to work under pressure and ambiguities. Availability, were the team was selected to work fulltime in this project, in a way to take decision on the spot and avoid all kind of problem during the project life cycle. Technological expertise, the members of the team was chosen to be appropriate for the roles. Credibility, by allocating people with a high credibility to improve the project and the project team reputation. Political connections, one of the most important criteria because it will help to create a good relationship with the key stakeholders. Ambition, initiative, and energy, project team with those criteria will have the abilities to compensate and cover the weaknesses in other fields. Conflicts are part of individual relationships and organizational development, and no relationship or organization can hope to mature to productivity and be successful without being able to resolve conflicts effectively (Cottringer, 1997, p. 6). During the project life cycle, we faced an interpersonal conflict between Mr.Ziani and Ms.Juan. This conflict was initiated before they joined the project team, but the tension between them raised during the implementation of this project as the interdependency between them was high. As a result, the cost of not resolving it was also high. The entire team noticed the obvious heightened anger between Mr. Ziani and Ms. Juan. Consequently, both Mr. Ziani and Ms. Juan were distracted from their own work responsibility because both of them were occupied with blaming each other. A negative impact in their job performance was caused by the behaviors that both of them portrayed as they interact. For example, when Mr. Ziani needs a document or information from Ms. Juan he passed through another colleague to get it from her. Likewise from Ms. Juans side, when she received a communication or she need some work from Mr. Ziani, she asked other team members to talk on her behalf. It resulted in a stressful work environment. Knowing that the duration of this project is short, the Project Manager dealt with this conflict by using an avoidance technique, physical separation and limited interaction (Pinto and Kharbanda, 1995). He tried to keep Mr. Ziani and Ms. Juan out of each others way as much as possible, and he played the role of referee between them till the end of the project. Simultaneously, in order to ensure that this conflict will not impact the job performance, he ordered the other members of the team to play the intermediary role between them and helped them to avoid the confrontation. Conclusion: In the first stage, Logilink identified the common interests between the stakeholders and analyze them by knowing their power, weaknesses, forces and threats (calvert 1995). The organizational structure applied by the company for this project was a company used a project team organizational structure. This structure gave to the project team the power to work independently and to consecrate full time for the project In the project team Mr Javier had the full authority over the project. Mr. Javier motivated the team to reach great goals, rather than merely bossing around with them (Rowe, 2007). Mr. Javiers approach as a people oriented leader enabled him to achieve employee satisfaction by utilizing his excellent competencies and skills. The team was chosen within many criteria adequate with the project and to satisfy the key stakeholders expectations and needs (Source: PMI 2004), hence we saw an interpersonal conflict between two members of the project team. This conflict affected the teams job performance. In this conflict Mr.Javier used an avoidance technique, physical separation and limited interaction as for him it was the best way to deal with this conflict in that time due to the project circumstances.

Hidden Messages in Easy Rider :: Movies Film

What are the hidden messages in Easy Rider There are many symbols of freedom and individuality in Dennis Hoppers movie Easy Rider. The movie Easy Rider revolves around two bikers, Wyatt and Billy, making a trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans, to attend Mardi Gras. The first scene in the movie involves the two protagonists selling a large amount of cocaine to a gentleman in a Rolls Royce. After the drug deal two the bikers begin their journey to Mardi Gras, but not before Wyatt removes his watch and throws it on the ground. This action is shows Wyatt’s pursuit of freedom, because time serves only to constrain them. Once on the road you learn that their names are Wyatt and Billy, a reference to Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid who are considered American legends, as well as outlaws. Wyatt rides a chopper with the stars and stripes on the gas tank and on his helmet while sporting the now clichà © leather jacket. Billy is dressed up like a cowboy; he is wearing all tan leather with a wide brim hat. Also throughout the movie Billy refers to Wyatt as Captain America. All of these things serve to ingrain the belief that they embody the American dream which is to earn enough money to pursue your dream. It just so happens that their dream is freedom, the same belief that led to the creation of the United States. Billy and Wyatt of them go through a series of adventures, first stopping off at a motel where they're rejected, regardless of the glowing vacancy sign. This shows that their culture is not accepted in the rest of the world. They leave the motel and camp out in the wilderness. At a point, Wyatt's bike gets a flat, and they stop at a farm to fix it. It is at this point that the film makes a comparison of the bikers to cowboys. As Wyatt is fixing his tire a man in the background is shoeing his horse. This is making the point that Wyatt is the new version of the cowboy and his chopper is the new cowboy’s horse. During this scene there is an exchange between Wyatt and the farmer where Wyatt tells the farmer how much he admires his farm because he built it with his own hands. This is the first time that you get an idea of Wyatt’s values.

energy :: essays research papers

First off I would like to Congratulate Ms. President on your second term, I have always supported you and what you think is best for this country. With you as president I feel that this country will be a lot safer and it will be better for the people. I also want to take the time to thank you Ms. President on picking me to help lead us out of this energy problem we are going threw. As the headman of the department of energy, I will lead us into a bright new future for this country. My plan will save us million, who knows maybe even billions down the line!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem that we face know is that we are running out of oil, and fast. Oil has been a big part of our energy over the last 200 years, and it has worked great, by heating our houses and running out cars. But now with oil running out fast we need to turn to a knew source of energy. One that will be more efficient, one that will be clean, one that doesn't require to be thrown away after use, one that we can make free to the public at one point, one that we can use for the rest of out lifetime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sun has been a big par of life, no matter where you come from or what you believe in the sun is the most important thing to us. Without this big ball of fire, there wont be any light, crops wound not be able to grow, and those who eat the crops would die because they would have no food, and those who eat the animals that eat the crops would die because there wound be any animals left, and life as we know it would come to an end. This shows you how strong the sun actually is, it has the power to end life. The sun also creates so much energy on a bright, sunny day, the sun shines approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet's surface. What I am proposing is that we use the sun to run the United States of America. This will be a long plan and it will take a long time to complete its goal but with patience, and a good team to work with we can pull this plan together.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - The Powerful Female :: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The Powerful Female Character in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man    One of the most powerful nuances of any writing is the dialogue within the story. In literature, it is all too often that characters live only in the jaded voice of the author and never truly develop as their own, or are not strongly opinionated in a manner which contrasts the opinions of the writer. It is also unfortunately true that the women depicted in most male-authored literature do not often sound realistic, or how most women one would speak to in the course of the day tend to sound. All too often, women are depicted on a lower level of speech than men. For instance, Dickens and Arthur Miller both apparently subscribed to this notion, as the women in their stories were usually more passive, and not as elaborate as men in their speech, however, James Joyce did not see things in the same light. The most developed female character in Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is one who speaks with dignity, passion, and the female tact which is all too often ignored in the c haracters of women. Joyce's Dante Riordan's words and thoughts are true to those of literate twentieth century women.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Although a short-lived character in Portrait, Dante Riordan, in a brief amount of time emits an apparently important and mysterious aura, the aura of a woman. Judging from the studies of twentieth century linguists, Joyce's brief representation of Dante through speech is nearly flawless. To more lucidly understand this, one must carefully examine some of the instances at which Dante speaks in her conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Dedalus, Charles, and Mr. Casey, and re-examine the arguments she makes. Dante is introduced into the dinner table conversation as a silent character. However, when the men's conversation turns to the misuse of the preacher's pulpit, Dante begins her interjections.   Ã‚  Ã‚   All too often, women in literature remain linguistically dormant unless called upon, however, studies conducted in the reality outside the covers of a book have shown that women will interrupt a conversation to contradict a previous speaker, and do so vehemently (Coates, 193). A nice answer for any man calling himself a catholic to give to his priest, (Joyce, 273) states Dante as her first response.   Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point, Dante has drawn herself into the conversation.

Heb Own Brands Analysis Essay

Rob Price was recently made vice president of Own Brands, which was the private label of H-E-B. The chairman, Charles Butt, had a real interest in growing the sales of the Own Brand product line. At the time, Own Brand represented 19% of sales while national brands accounted for the rest, which was opposite of 30 years ago when Charles took responsibility for the business. Charles gave Rob a goal to increase the sales of Own Brand’s private label by 11% in the next five years to bring it up to a 30-70 ratio of private and national brands, respectively. The increase needed to be across all product lines, but Rob had a specific assignment regarding the Own Brand’s bottled water under the label Glacia. The problem with the existing Glacia water was that it did not accurately market itself as imported spring water from Canada, which would increase its market share from the French imported water, Evian. There were many things for Rob to consider as his research showed that c onsumers would be more likely to buy Glacia if they knew it was Canadian spring water. With the competitive grocery market at the time, especially with Wal-Mart’s emerging into the grocery scene, Rob needed to make a specific recommendation on how to increase its sales in context of the overall Own Brand strategy. Initially, the problem was an undetected flaw in the marketing and labeling of the product. If consumers do not have something repeatedly pushed in their face, they will not likely remember it when asked. Other problems were caused by Wal-Mart and their huge ability to undercut pricing of most other chains because of their national, even international supply-chain relationships. Wal-Mart had its own brand in Great Value products but, according to the case, was not as high quality as the H-E-B Own Brand products. Great Value compared to the Hill Country Fare tier-3 generic that H-E-B put out. Rob knew that his competition was with Wal-Mart but he wasn’t sure yet how to properly compete. He wanted to keep their pricing model of Every-day Low Price s but the pricing against Wal-Mart was difficult to match because of other national brand’s pricing positions. I think the options that Rob had to decide between were whether to place Glacia in  competition with Evian as comparable imported spring water or keep it positioned against Ozarka, which is where it was, and add the Canadian value to help boost sales through points-of-difference? One of the reasons why they should consider a direct market-comparison with Evian is because there isn’t a competitor right now. Evian has far out priced itself among its competitors and Glacia scored equally as high in a double-blinded taste test showing that it didn’t actually need to change the product, just the positioning. Own Brand could significantly increase the pricing to be more related to the pricing of Evian. This would remove Glacia off the shelf next to Ozarka and next to Evian. This could possibly allow Own Brands to create a Hill Country Fare product to compete with Ozarka. However, Evian was a good premium national brand brought in money for procurement revenue. If the new Gl acia began beating out Evian in sales and profit, Evian could pull its product from the H-E-B stores and then they would lose the procurement revenue derived from a national brand. National brands also help bring in consumers who end up buying other Own Brand products in the store. This was a decision bases for the entire Own Brand product line. The options of pricing, promotions, positioning, and the overall corporate strategy were all involved in this first decision regarding Glacia. According to Butt’s target goal to Rob shortly after he became VP, only 30% of a store’s products should be their own, with a 70% mix of national brands. If Rob decided to simply elevate the existing position of the Glacia against Ozarka to increase their market share, they could grow sales and not have to compete with the national brands. I think this would be effective considering the low cost of refining their label and less hassle in re-configuring pricing and moving the product closer to Evian. A third possibility was to reposition Glacia as domestic spring water, which is what Ozarka was. I don’t see the logic behind this because they were already a direct competitor with Ozarka and their only point-of-difference was the source of their water. Why would they go through all the effort and cost of relabeling, promoting, and re-launching to get more of the same? If I were in Rob’s position, I would re-launch Glacia to be a somewhat generic competitor to Evian and create a Hill Country Fare product with purified water to be placed just below Ozarka. Evian needs some competition and according to their profit data in Table B, Glacia could increase their price  and profit significantly without changing the product, only the labeling. Also, Evian users indicated preference for the Canadian water over France. I  f Evian users began to prefer Glacia water instead, and that’s what H-E-B stores carried, what would be the downside if Evian eventually pulled their product out of H-E-B stores? It wouldn’t be in demand anymore, so the loss would be some procurement revenue, but the profits off the increased price of Glacia would seem to overcompensate for that.

Library Statement of Goals Essay

I have submitted my application for admission into the Kent State School of Library and Information Science as an avenue for professional growth within my current career. As a former Spanish teacher and currently a computer technology teacher, it is important to pursue the MLIS as current librarians seek retirement and technology continues to infiltrate libraries across our nation. I am currently interested in pursuing the MLIS plus the K-12 licensure in order to serve in an urban school library setting. My current teaching assignment of computer technology lends itself to a smooth transition from the classroom to a librarian position as our school district places more emphasis on digital media. I remain fully committed to providing instruction to students; however, with teachers and school librarians retiring in droves, I fear that our schools will be left with overworked teachers and no librarians in our schools. By completing the MLIS degree, I will be accomplishing an additional career objective. I remain committed to my career goals that were previously established many years ago. My first goal was accomplished by completing my undergraduate course of study at the University of Cincinnati. My second career goal was to obtain my M. Ed. In School Administration and I accomplished that particular goal in the year 2000. My third goal, albeit somewhat personal, was to earn my private pilot’s license, and I successfully completed that task in 2001. My fourth career oriented goal was to transition from teaching Spanish to teaching computer science with an ultimate goal of finishing the required courses to earn the MLIS degree. I am currently in the middle of this goal. After speaking to our retiring librarian, she suggested that I apply my technology expertise and apply for the vacant school librarian position. Our current librarian highly encouraged me to seek at least the minimum courses for K-12 certification. After speaking with Dr. Sarah Harper and educating myself about the MLIS program and learning about the additional career opportunities associated with the MLIS, I have decided to pursue this additional graduate degree. The role of the librarian appears to be shifting from the traditional aspects of managing a library to more of the role as a librarian media technologist. An important current issue of the library is to also serve as a digital media center due to the increased technology needs facing libraries. I am greatly interested in this transition as many school librarians almost double as the digital media technologist. Colleges and universities are also adopting the model of librarian media technologist to enhance the needs of such educational institutions. As our digital technology library needs grow, I foresee a point where the current traditional school librarian could potentially be at a slight disadvantage without minimal technology background. I firmly support digital media; however, print media is equally as important. It will be the role of the librarian to determine which media shall remain in print edition for students, and which media will transition to digital media. Another current issue that is important is to fully integrate the school library as an extension of the classroom. It is important to fully utilize the library beyond the common routine of â€Å"pulling books† for a specific course. Instead, it would be beneficial to teachers and students if the library were to be established as an academic department. Establishing meaningful collaboration between the library personnel and teachers will foster a learning environment conducive to learning. As a school librarian, a goal should be to create a library setting that embeds the role of the library into the classrooms. Instead of thinking of the library as an independent space of a school, the library now serves as an extension of the classroom. However, it is equally important to keep in mind, the school librarian is not able to provide content specific instruction, but rather, instruction on how to locate the resources required for the specific content. It is important for the librarian to serve as an instructional partner in the learning process. Finally, another current issue that I believe is important is increasing the mobility of the library. Technology has advanced to where it is no longer required to leave the house and go to the library to seek and acquire information. With nearly all of our students owning a mobile device, whether it is a cellular telephone, iPad, Nook, mobile devices are changing the way information is delivered and accessed. While students easily have access to the internet through mobile devices, it is equally important that students have access to digital records housed in the library. Furthermore, many library users have learned the convenience of downloadable e-books. As teachers, students, and others navigate away from the traditional book delivered in print, it will be important for the librarian to explore new ideas and collaboratively implement a plan to cost effectively deliver more data via mobile devices.

Lushoto

Lushoto Helen Kejo Form 1 m 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS TAFORI—————————-pg 3-5 Sakarani Vine yard——————-pg 6 Irente Biodiversity Reserve—————pg 7-8 Irente Biodiversity Reserve’s History—– pg 9-10 Irente children’s home——— pg 11-12 Irente School for the blind——– pg 13-14 Hiking Mount Usambara—– pg 15-19 The experience——- pg 20 In town—– 21-23 Soni falls——–24-25 TAFORI Lushoto Silviculture Research Centre (LSRC)The Centre is in Lushoto District, Tanga Region. It carries out forestry research in four departments namely; Forest Plantation Management and Agro forestry, Forest Ecology, Forest Genetics and Forest Protection. Forest Plantation Management and Agro forestry is responsible for conducting research related to plantat ion forestry and agro forestry. Forest Ecology mainly deals with research in Botany, Herbarium and Natural Forests. The forest Forest Genetics has two sections namely: Seed and Nursery and Tree Breeding.Seed and Nursery section is responsible for seed establishment of trials (species and provenances selection), collection, extraction, storage, and distribution and rising of seedlings while Tree Breeding is responsible for trials maintenance, data collection and evaluation of trials. Forest protection deals with research and consultancies on Entomology, Pathology and Fire Protection. Left: A forest in Lushoto. Right: Tree breeding. The Centre also has established a Desktop publishing unit with the objective of providing services related to typesetting, printing, and binding of documents.The unit provides services to TAFORI itself, Government institutions and other private institutions including individuals. TAFORI’S HISTORY TAFORI- Tanzania Forest Institute. TAFORI started by the Germans in 1902. A number of experimental plots established at that time can be seen today. In 1928, the British renamed the Amani Research Station to the East African Agricultural Research Station. In 1948 the Amani station was moved to Muguga – Kenya, to form the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organization (EAAFRO).The organization catered for research activities common to the three partner states. Research problems unique to the individual countries were attended to a national basis. This led to the establishment of the Silvicultural Research Station in Lushoto in 1951 and the Timber Utilization Research Station in Moshi at the same time. Following the collapse of the East African Community in February 1977, an immediate need to fill the vacuum became the apparent, as the two stations established in the early 1950’s were not well placed to act in EEAFRO’s stand. Sakarani VineyardTropical vineyard This one-acre vineyard is part of the St. Benedict's Religious House Sakarani near Soni in the Usambara Mountains in northern Tanzania. It's one of very few tropical vineyards at approximately 5 degrees south. Problems with growing wine grapes in the tropics include too short days and an unfavorable climate overall (too hot). This being in the mountains, at least the heat hurdle is partially overcome. They grow Chenin Blanc, which is the most commonly used white grape in South Africa, as well as a hybrid grape variety for their â€Å"port†.They plant grapes here and later on the grapes are used for wine. They make both sweet and white wine. Irente Biodiversity Reserve Irente Biodiversity Reserve is a nature reserve with a difference. Owned and managed by North-Eastern Diocese of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania, it incorporates both environmental conservation and sustainable organic agriculture. The Usambaras are one of Conservation International’s World Biodiversity Hotspots – that is, they are recogniz ed as an area with exceptional diversity of species.There is a project here to restore this biodiversity by replanting trees, shrubs and climbers native to the Western Usambaras. This in turn will attract more birds, butterflies, reptiles and small mammals. MORE INFORMATION: | Irente Biodiversity Reserve (former Irente Farm) is situated in the western Usambara Mountains, 5 km from Lushoto. It belongs to the north-eastern diocese of the Lutheran church in Tanzania. On the property there is an orphanage (Irente children’s home), a school for the blind (Irente school for the blind), and Rainbow school (a school for mentally retarded and autistic children). The farm is 200 ha with plantations of pines, eucalyptus, wattle and silver oak, interspersed with pastures and plots of maize and beans. There is a dairy herd, which supplies milk to a small-scale cheese, butter and quark production. Goat cheese is also produced. In addition rye bread, an assortment of jams and juices bring a n income. | The farm has a policy of biodiversity restoration that is to replant the rainforest that once existed here. | The climate is mild since the farm lies at 1400 m with a rainfall between 1000 and 1200 mm. The Irente viewpoint with a view over the Maasai Steppe is only 2 km away. | The foods produced at Irente Biodiversity Reserve IRENTE BIODIVERSITY RESERVE’S HISTORY The origin of the name Irente is obscure. Irente was one of the experimental coffee estates established in 1896 by the German colonial government? s plantation company (Deutsche-Ostafrikanische Plantagengeschellschaft). Other estates established in the same year were Gare, Maweni, Sakharani, and Mazumbai. The aim was to test coffee as a crop, but due to soil infertility, coffee as a plantation crop was abandoned by 1914.The Germans lost the colony to the British in 1918, and it was probably after this that Irente coffee estate came into the hands of a Greek farmer, Mr. W. J. Tame. By all accounts Mr Tame was a diligent farmer; he had 60 acres of coffee trees, a bacon factory and a dairy producing cream. With the coming of independence for Tanganyika in 1961 Mr. Tame sold up to the DKMS (Lutheran Church) for ? 25,000. The Lutheran church of Tanganyika converted the bacon factory into the Irente Mental Hospital and these patients worked on the farm in order to produce food in support of the hospital.Over the years different managers developed the farming infrastructure, and milk production started with the introduction of Fresian-type cows. However, farming never really showed a consistent profit, the excuse being drought or too much rain, diseases of crops and cattle, and low prices for produce. In 2004 all foreign assistance to Irente was stopped, but the reserve (as it is now called) had found its niche relying on four pillars †¢ Nature based tourism †¢ Food processing †¢ Biodiversity protection †¢ Farming The cows at Irente Farm; they are used for dairy produc ts.The enterprise has become more profit-oriented and conservation-centred, as it is indeed an income generating enterprise of the North Eastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (Ned ELCT). On the property there are now 3 institutions, Irente School for the Blind, Irente Children? s home, Rainbow school and Irente church. Irente Biodiversity Reserve seeks to integrate conservation, production and rural development by a mix of activities, taking into account the importance of both people and biodiversity. AREA: 200 hectaresHEIGHT: 1450 metres above sea level RAINFALL: 800 to 1280 millimetres (average 1060mm) TEMPERATURES: minimum 10 degrees (July- August) maximum 30 degrees (January-February) Irente Children’s Home Irente Children’s Home (hereafter abbreviated ICH) is an orphanage that has been operating for more than four decades in north eastern Tanzania. The orphanage is run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania; North-Eastern Diocese ( hereafter abbreviated ELCT-NED). ICH is one among nine institutions with a social service orientation run by the ELCT-NED.The diocese is acknowledged for having a long tradition of diaconic work, both in institutional form and in congregations. The first photo shows where the children live. The last photo shows one of the children. Other institutions with a social service orientation include: Irente School for the Blind, Kwemhafa and Hekalungu homes for Lepers, Bangala Lutheran Junior Seminary, Lwandai Secondary School, Bumbuli Hospital, Lutindi Mental Hospital and Agricultural Training at Irente Farm. Moreover, seven parishes within the diocese are running dispensaries. ICH has the capacity of receiving 35 children.They live in a u-shaped building where they are divided in 4 rooms according to age. Other people living at ICH are girls who attend a 2-year pre-nursing course. The ICH staff consists of nurses, nurse attendants, a cook, a laundry man, gardeners, watchmen, a secretary, an accountant and a driver. Often there are girls from abroad (mostly Germany) who stay at the ICH for around 3 months and work as volunteers. IRENTE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND When someone comes in contact with a blind person, many thoughts run through their head as to how blind people get their daily lives. You might be wondering, how that can be true.But the answer to that is that through blindness, people have come to the realization that even though physical eyes don't see, one can still see with eyes of his/her heart. When it comes to the challenges and struggles of being blind, there have been many, but one way or another they have been able to overcome them. All through primary school years people assumed that being blind would hinder from getting a good education, much less going to the Universities. | Irente School for the Blind| There is a growing awareness among communities that the education which blind children are receiving is helping them.They are receiving a quality educa tion which can prepare them to compete in the high demanding techno-economy and society of the 21st Century. Children demonstrate their skills North Eastern Diocese- ELCT through Irente School for the Blind insures that blind children have the opportunity to become capable in the alternative techniques coping with blindness; they should develop constructive attitudes, and be given a quality education. Through efforts undertaken there are some problems which we wished to address as follows to compete successfully.Irente School for the Blind needs, Renovation of Dormitories and Staff houses, cultivation of 10 acres out of the 50 for food crops, computers installed with dolphin pin, Academic books and teaching aids, Boys Dormitory and Secondary for inclusive education from class 1 to class 4. Finally, we were all too aware of the appalling failure of the teacher training programs to sufficiently prepare their students to teach blind children; even more important in preparing student te achers to work with blind children in the classroom.However availability of quality field placements for students in training is a truly serious problem but now Sebastian Kolowa University College (SEKUCo) has such training is available. It will not fate these students to go into the classroom and deliver the same miserable educational services that blind children where receiving. HIKING†¦. Mount Usambara The Usambara Mountains are a mountain range in North-East Tanzania, approximately 70 miles (110  km) long and ranging from 20 to 40 miles (64  km) in width.Mountains in the range rise as high as 8,000  ft (2,440 m). They are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, which stretch from Kenya through Tanzania, and are one of the world’s Biodiversity hotspots. The range is accessible from the towns of Lushoto in the West, and Amani in the East. The Usambaras are commonly split into two sub-ranges, the West Usambara and the East Usambara. The East Usambara is closer to the c oast, receives more rainfall, and is significantly smaller than the West Usambara.The Usambaras Geology and ecology The Usambaras are fairly unique in that, being in East Africa, their unspoiled regions are covered in the tropical forest, which today remains mainly in the West of the continent. The mountain range was formed nearly two billion years ago and due to a lack of glaciations and a relatively consistent climate, the rainforest has gone through a long term and unique evolution resulting in an impressive amount of endemism and an old growth cloud rain forest (Lovett 1993[1]).West and East Usambaras are large ranges of Precambrian metamorphic geologic formations of acid-gneisses, pyroxenes and amphiboles. These mountains were formed by faulting and uplifting creating the drainage system of troughs that form many watersheds, which provide water to a majority of the population of northeast Tanzania (Lundgren 1980). Considered tremendously significant ecologically, there are many protected zones throughout the range, which are being expanded and contributed to by the Tanzanian government, associated NGO's and research teams, and donor countries such as Norway.Several species are endemic to the Usambara forests, including the Usambara Eagle-owl, the Usambara Akalat, the Usambara Weaver and the tree Calodendrum eickii. Human history Historically the Usambara Mountains have been inhabited by the Bantu, Sambaa, and Maasai people who were a mix of agriculturalists and pastoralists. In the late 18th century, German colonialists came to the area bringing with them a mix of cash crops like lumber trees, coffee, tea, and quinine, and also designated forests as reserves for either water conservation or timber use (Rogers 2009).They also brought a slew of new, western ideas which were, in many ways, diametrically opposed to traditional beliefs such as coexistence with the forest versus forest as a â€Å"separate wilderness†. The result of colonialism was a mass ive change in the way forests were perceived in the community, and conversion of traditional agriculture to cultivating cash crops such as quinine, pine trees, bananas, maize, tea, and coffee. The people in Lushoto Development and tourism Today, the population of the Usambaras has one of the highest growth rates (about 4% compared to the national average of 2. %), a staggering amount of poverty and highest densities of people in all of Tanzania. Most of the inhabitants are subsistence farmers who rely heavily on the forests around them for timber, medicinal plants, clearing for agriculture, and fuel wood. Furthermore 70% of the original forests cover of the West and East Usambaras has been lost. Major land and forest degradation remain a pressing issue. However, there are still many places that attract tourists looking for an adventure off the beaten path.These include the bustling trade town of Lushoto, the once popular German resort Amani Nature Reserve and farm, and Mazumbai Univ ersity Forest, which is considered the last example of a pristine forest in the East Usambaras. The experience To say the truth most of were tired on the first few minutes because the hill was steep. I was one of the people in the front but found myself one of the last ones to reach the peak. It was a long walk and very tiring. We stopped like three times to take a rest and we were stopped once by these scary people.They said that they told Fredericka and her other friends but they wouldn’t stop and also something about scaring monkeys off. After the mess was cleared, continued with our walk. We took pictures when we reached our last checkpoint. We finally reached the peak. Some of us engraved our names on the hut’s floor. I wrote: â€Å"Helen was here!!! † The walk down was longer than the walk up, which is not supposed to happen. We walked around the mountain and when we finally reached our destination, we found out that we walked to the football pitch where w e played football a day ago.We were exhausted! Bhoke, Ms. Sandra, Marco and Nancy were the last ones to reach the football pitch. IN TOWN After the hike, we dropped of the boys at the place they were staying (Tumaini) and we girls were dropped off at our hotel (Lawns). We cleaned because we were all so sweaty! Later the bus came with the guys in it and we headed for town. We were going to interview local people about their jobs and what profit they get. Lushoto town When we were in town, we paired ourselves into groups that didn’t exceed three people.I paired myself with Amanda since she talks a lot and she was perfect material for interviewing people†¦ We first interviewed a middle aged woman with a baby who was selling charcoal. She did not look like she was in good state. It was raining and the charcoal was getting wet since it’s not good for charcoal to be wet not any customers wear buying her product. I could see that she had influenza. I asked her how she go t it and she said, â€Å"Mkaa unatimua vumbi tukiwa tunachota. † Meaning: â€Å"Charcoal dust rises when being drawn. †She also told as that she only makes 500 tz shillings in a day, which isn’t enough to support her family. She has five children and no husband. We then proceeded and went to a salon that up a hill. The ladies in there, at first didn’t want to give us information but when we introduced ourselves she felt more secure. I didn’t really feel sorry for her because she made 100,000 tz shillings, which was enough since she had no family to support. After that Amanda, Cynthia, Tracey and I became a group. We went to interview bartenders. They went making any money at all since there has been no customer since they opened.We then went to a bar and met up with four bartenders. We interviewed them and they said that there has not been a customer since morning and they have not made any money. After six interviews we called it a day and went ba ck to our hotels. The lawns hotel SONI FALLS The Soni Falls is a waterfall in the Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania, near the village of Soni, to the northeast of Kitunda. The falls lie at the end of the Mkuzu River where it joins the Bangala River. The falls lie in the southern part of the West Usambaras Lushoto Mountain Reserve.Soni falls is a beautiful and calming place. I enjoyed sitting on the rocks and watching the water pour. Some of the rocks were slippery and at a point Asymwe was stuck because she was scared to move due to the slipperiness of the rocks. We also took pictures here and we even drew the waterfall. It was a pretty way to end the trip but kind of sad because we will never be here again as a class. The boys were dropped off at Tumaini Hostel and we went to Lawns. It was our last day in Lushoto and we partied!!! We ate and drunk and danced and laughed! We had so much fun. BYE -BYE LUSHOTO

Characters in Hamlet Essay

The first proper theater as we know it, was called the Theatre, built at Shoreditch, London in 1576 and the owner was James Burbage. James Burbage had obtained a 21 year lease with permission to build the first playhouse, aptly named ‘ The Theatre ‘. Before this time plays were performed in the courtyard of inns or inn-yards, or sometimes, in the houses of noblemen or in extreme circumstances on open ground. After the Theatre, further open air playhouses ( theaters ) opened in the London area, including the Rose Theatre (1587), and the Hope Theatre (1613). The most famous Elizabethan playhouse ( theater ) was the Globe Theatre (1599) Page When Shakespeare started his career in the theatre , there wasn’t a proper institution for theatrical performances, and companies played mostly in the court yards of inns, in castles or mansions of great Lords that invited the artists to perform . Women were not allowed to act , being considered a rather vulgar profession for a woman, therefore, the female parts were impersonated by young boys, with wigs and make-up. There were no special props or adequate scenery, so when an out-side scene was needed, stage-boys were pretending to be trees or walls , they carried a board with a yellow sun drawn to symbolize the sunrise or a silver moon to indicate that it was night. For the battle scenes , one or two horses were brought on stage (by a horse-keeper) and for the inner scenes , a table and some stools were enough . Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Henry VIII† marked a premiere in point of costumes and ‘special effects’ but it lead to the tragic accident, as the straw back-stage caught fire during a war scene where cannons were suggested by means of flares. Nobody died but the theatre burnt to the ground (having been made of wood , with a stone foundation) . 2 The project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe was initiated by the American actor, director and producer Sam Wanamaker after his first visit to London in 1949. Twenty-one years later he founded what was to become the Shakespeare Globe Trust, dedicated to the reconstruction of the theatre and the creation of an education center and permanent exhibition. After 23 years spent tirelessly fundraising, advancing research into the appearance of the original Globe and planning the reconstruction with the Trust’s architect Theo Crosby, Sam Wanamaker died in 1993, the site having been secured, the exhibition undercroft structurally complete and a few timber bays of the theatre in place. Three and a half years later the theatre was completed. Shakespeare’s Sources of inspiration (predecessors and contemporary artists) The University Wits Sir Phillip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Age’s most prominent figures. Famous in his day in England as a poet, courtier and soldier, he remains known as the author of Astrophel and Stella (1581, pub. 1591),inspired by Penelope Devereaux, the future Lady Rich; Shakespeare also organised his sonnets in chronological order and rendering his real-life experience (The Dark Lady). Christopher Marlowe- was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. The foremost Elizabethan tragedian next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his own mysterious and untimely death(Marlowe is often alleged to have been a government spy). Marlowe’s first play performed on stage in London stage was Tamburlaine (1587) about the conqueror Timur, who rises from shepherd to warrior. It is among the first English plays in blank verse. From this play, Shakespeare borrowed the archetype of the usurper, creating outstanding figures of usurpers in his own plays, only judging their guilt, and, consequently , their punishment, according to the weight of their deeds: -Richard III and Claudius( ‘Hamlet’) are evil from the very beginning , they do not repent , so , they are given a violent death – Henry IV repents on his death bed , giving wise advise to his son, the future Henry V , who is to become an ideal king, and he dies as a result of battle wound . – Macbeth is more a victim of his wife’s ambition, proving weakness , and , thus, they both lose their mind. The Jew of Malta, about a Maltese Jew’s barbarous revenge against the city authorities, has a prologue delivered by a character representing Machiavelli. The play is known for its unsympathetic portrayal of nearly all its characters. From this play Shakespeare borrowed the shrewd Jew , but in his plot Shylock (his Jewish merchant) is not allowed to put his evil plans into practice. A common misconception about Marlowe, based solely upon Doctor Faustus, is that he himself was a proponent of the ‘dark arts’. It is certainly true, when one considers the aforementioned play, that Marlowe had studied incantation rituals, but whether he practised them is another matter entirely. From this play , Shakespeare took the idea of controlling the forces of nature , getting the power by means of knowledge and applied it in â€Å"The Tempest†. Thomas Kyd-was an English dramatist, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. Shakespeare learned the structure of a tragedy , taking the idea of revenge and turning into a complex ,philosophical one, â€Å"Hamlet† . John Lyly- was an English writer, best known for his books Euphues, The Anatomy of Wit and Euphues and His England. Lyly’s linguistic style is known as Euphuism. Shakespeare mocked at this exceedingly metaphoric style in his â€Å"Love’s Labour’s Lost† . The Sonnets Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets arranged in almost a chronological order : the first 126 are dedicated to FRIENDSHIP , while from 127 – 154 they speak of a mysterious ‘Dark Lady’ and are dedicated to ‘PASSION’. The two feelings are both called ‘ love’ in the sonnets but there is a clear-cut distinction made between ‘Friendship’ which is described as a lasting, solid feeling based on admiration , mutual interests and loyalty( ‘ the ever fixed mark/that looks on tempest and is never shaken’-sonnet 116), while passion is described as a transient, tormenting feeling based on physical attraction . The friend to whom the first 126 sonnets are dedicated is the Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare’s friend and patron of arts. In his house , Shakespeare got acquainted with the Italian sonnet, music and painting , as well as the works of his contemporary dramatists and novelists Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd and John Lyly. Rumour says it that the appearance of the Dark Lady spoiled their relationship due to jealousy and suspicion . The fashion of the time (and even nowadays, quite often) the love for the beloved woman was described in idealistic terms, often extensively metaphoric , comparing her with a Goddess or with the perfect elements of nature . Shakespeare makes the portrait of the Dark Lady by opposition to the fashionable perfect image (‘My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the son/ Coral is far more red than her lips red’†¦- sonnet 130) trying to demonstrate that the beloved person does not have to be the embodiment of perfection so that your feelings should be true and unique. SONNET 18 ‘ Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. ‘ Page 4 The opening line poses a simple rhetorical question which the rest of the sonnet answers. The poet compares his friend to a summer’s day(as nature was seen as perfect) and finds him to be â€Å"more lovely and more temperate†, more balanced (the term ‘ temperate’ was chosen to be appropriate to both human and natural world) because summer is tainted by occasional winds and the eventual change of season. While summer must always come to an end, the poet’s feelings for his friend are eternal. Moreover, his art may even make their friendship last beyond death ( the metaphor in â€Å"thy eternal summer shall not fade,† stands for the everlasting youth and beauty of his friend in his heart). The poet’s love is so powerful that even death is unable to curtail it. (‘ Nor shall Death brag thou wonders in his shade / When in eternal lines to time thou growst’)The poet’s feelings live on for future generations to admire through the power of the written word – through the sonnet itself. The final couplet explains that the beloved’s â€Å"eternal summer† will continue as long as there are people alive to read this sonnet: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet 130 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask’d, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. Shakespeare makes the portrait of the Dark Lady by opposition to the fashionable perfect image (‘My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the son/ Coral is far more red than her lips red’†¦- sonnet 130) trying to demonstrate that the beloved person does not have to be the embodiment of perfection so that your feelings should be true and unique. Page 5 Sonnet 116 Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken. Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle’s compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. Along with Sonnets 18 (â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? â€Å") and 130 (â€Å"My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun†), Sonnet 116 is one of the most famous poems in the entire sequence. The definition of love that it provides is among the most often quoted and anthologized in the poetic canon. Essentially, this sonnet presents the extreme ideal of friendship : it never changes, it never fades, it outlasts death and admits no flaw. What is more, it insists that this ideal is the only love that can be called â€Å"true†Ã¢â‚¬â€œif love is mortal, changing, or impermanent, the speaker writes, then no man ever loved. The basic division of this poem’s argument into the various parts of the sonnet form is extremely simple: the first quatrain says what love is not (changeable), the second quatrain says what it is (a fixed guiding star unshaken by tempests), the third quatrain says more specifically what it is not (â€Å"time’s fool†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, subject to change in the passage of time), and the couplet announces the speaker’s certainty. What gives this poem its rhetorical and emotional power is not its complexity; rather, it is the force of its linguistic and emotional conviction. Sonnet 91 Some glory in their birth, some in their skill, Some in their wealth, some in their body’s force, Some in their garments, though new-fangled ill, Some in their hawks and hounds, some in their horse; And every humor hath his adjunct pleasure, Wherein it finds a joy above the rest. But these particulars are not my measure; All these I better in one general best. Thy love is better than high birth to me, Richer than wealth, prouder than garments’ cost, Of more delight than hawks or horses be; All this away, and me most wretched make. Page And having thee, of all men’s pride I boast; Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take 6 Modern interpretation Some people are proud of the social status they’ve inherited; some people of their abilities; some of their wealth; some of how strong they are; some of their clothes, though the clothes are trendy and weird; some are proud of their hawks and hounds; some of their horses; and every individual temperament has its particular pleasure, something the person enjoys above  everything else. But I don’t measure happiness by any of these things. There’s something else that’s better than them all. To me, your love is better than high social status, more valuable than wealth, more worth being proud of than expensive clothes, and more enjoyable than hawks or horses. And having you, I have something better than what other men are proud of—except I’m wretched in this one respect: You can take all this away from me and make me completely wretched. The Historical Plays  Shakespeare’s historical plays form a chapter apart , though almost all of them belong to the first period of his dramatic creation (Henry VI, Richard III, Richard II, King John, Henry IV , Henry V and Henry VIII) Shakespeare considered monarchy as the ideal ruling system and makes a clear-cut distinction between lawful and unlawful successions to the throne; on his death bed, Henry IV says to his son : ‘†¦. God knows, my son, By what by-paths and indirect crook’d ways I met this crown; and I myself know well How troublesome it sat upon my head. To thee it shall descend with bitter quiet, Better opinion, better confirmation. ’ In ‘Henry V’ the authority of the king is shown as further consolidated , the monarch being presented as an ideal ruler. In the chronicle plays , Shakespeare expresses his great love for his country (‘A precious stone set in the silver sea’†¦/ This throne of Mars/ This England†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢- Richard II)at a time when England was endeavouring to consolidate its national unity and its position of a great power. Page 7 Julius Caesar BRUTUS Be patient till the last. Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause, and be silent, that you may hear: believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe: censure me in your wisdom, and awake your senses, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Caesar’s, to him I say, that Brutus’ love to Caesar was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer:-Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honour for his valour; and death for his ambition. Who is here so base that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. Who is here so vile that will not love his country? If any, speak; for him have I offended. I pause for a reply. [†¦.. ] Enter ANTONY and others, with CAESAR’s body [†¦] First Citizen This Caesar was a tyrant. Third Citizen Nay, that’s certain: We are blest that Rome is rid of him. Second Citizen Peace! let us hear what Antony can say. Page 8 ANTONY You gentle Romans,-Citizens Peace, ho! let us hear him. ANTONY Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious: If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest-For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men-Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And, sure, he is an honourable man. I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, But here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him once, not without cause: What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him? O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me. First Citizen Methinks there is much reason in his sayings. Second Citizen If thou consider rightly of the matter, Caesar has had great wrong. Third Citizen Page 9 Has he, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place. Fourth Citizen Mark’d ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore ’tis certain he was not ambitious. First Citizen If it be found so, some will dear abide it. Second Citizen Poor soul! his eyes are red as fire with weeping. ANTONY O masters, if I were disposed to stir Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong, Who, you all know, are honourable men: I will not do them wrong; I rather choose To wrong the dead, to wrong myself and you, Than I will wrong such honourable men. But here’s a parchment with the seal of Caesar; I found it in his closet, ’tis his will: Let but the commons hear this testament-Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read-And they would go and kiss dead Caesar’s wounds And dip their napkins in his sacred blood, All We’ll hear the will: read it, Mark Antony. The will, the will! we will hear Caesar’s will. ANTONY Have patience, gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you. You are not wood, you are not stones, but men; And, being men, bearing the will of Caesar, It will inflame you, it will make you mad: ‘Tis good you know not that you are his heirs; For, if you should, O, what would come of it! Fourth Citizen Read the will; we’ll hear it, Antony; You shall read us the will, Caesar’s will. ANTONY Will you be patient? will you stay awhile? I have o’ershot myself to tell you of it: I fear I wrong the honourable men Whose daggers have stabb’d Caesar; I do fear it. Fourth Citizen They were traitors: honourable men! Second Citizen They were villains, murderers: the will! read the will. ’ Page 10 â€Å" Julius Caesar† is usually ranked as a historical play but this is just a background for profound debates on friendship, honour ,and guilt. The real tragic hero of the play is not Julius Caesar who is betrayed and murdered but Brutus , a noble character who performed a fatal guilt( misjudgement and mistrust)for which he had to pay with his life . He is not punished by Moiras ( as it happens in the Greek tragedies )but takes his own life when realising his mistake. Even if Brutus is a professional orator, Mark Antony is a better master of wordsand of human weaknesses. Shakespeare practices his tremendous oratoric skills in the monologues of both Brutus and Antony. While Brutus uses merely oratoric devices and keeps a certain imposing distance between himself and his audience ( â€Å" Who is here so rude that would not be a Roman ? / If any, speak, for him have I offended â€Å" )Mark Antony gets closer to his audience ( even though rejected at first ) pretending he was one of them ( â€Å" Friends, Romans ,countryman, lend me your ears! †). The frequency of oratorical devices is very poor as he knows well these means are not common for simple people. He makes use of proverbs to appeal to their wisdom and sensitivity : â€Å"The evil that men do lives after them ; The good is often interred with their bones†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The grammatical devices of the English language seem to be more appropriate for his audience , as he knows their linguistic instinct will enable them to decode his message conveyed in fewer words but with the same hidden , subtle charge of meaning. Shakespeare selectively uses different types of structures ( like archaic vs. modern subjunctive ) when used by different representatives of various social strata. For showing DOUBT , the citizens use the old form of subjunctive (â€Å" If it be found so †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) while Antony , an educated man , uses the modern subjunctive( â€Å"If it were so†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). After getting their attention and benevolence by using friendly words and proverbs as indirect and gentle forms of reproach, Antony indirectly spread doubt ( by using a subjunctive ) upon the accusations brought by Brutus to Caesar (â€Å" If it were so†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) . He pretends to have been granted permission to speak but from now on he permanently counterbalances his words with those of Brutus, always preceded  by a disjunctive conjunction (but, yet) â€Å"But Brutus says he was ambitious †¦. Yet, Brutus says he was ambitious †¦. † which suggest opposition. His arguments are most of the times accompanied by emphatic DO used to stress upon the reality of his own words: â€Å" You all DID see how on the Lupercal I I thrice presented him the kingly crown And he DID thrice refuse: was this ambition? † or : â€Å"But here I am to speak what I DO know . You all DID love him once, not without cause : What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? † His reproaches to them are always indirectly addressed either as proverbs or as hidden hints towards their possible misjudgment or even as rhetoric questions addressed to some abstract personifications: â€Å"Oh, Judgment, though are fled to brutish beasts And man have lost their reason . † But he immediately draws their attention towards his own suffering : â€Å" Bear with me †¦ My heart is in the coffin, there, with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which allows them time to internalise his hints and draw the conclusions he had wanted them to come to. Even with the mob , Shakespeare creates different types of people as they really are around us : more or less intelligent , with a stronger or weaker personality, liable or stubborn. The first citizen represents the voice of popular wisdom : â€Å" Methinks there is much reason in his sayings †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I fear it will a worse come in his place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The second citizen is more educated then the others . His phrases a re molding after Antony’s even though he cannot reach his eloquence ; however he can have his own opinion : â€Å" If thou consider rightly to the matter  Page 11 Caesar has had great wrong†¦. † The third citizen does not have an opinion of his own but gladly borrows the others’ â€Å" Has he masters ? † The fourth citizen is a practical and direct person : â€Å"Mark’d ye his words? He would not take the crown; Therefore ‘tis certain he was not ambitious. â€Å" †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ You shall read us the will , Caesar’s will† Modal verbs are themselves masterly used to suggest more message than they seem. For instance , after mentioning the will of Caesar , Antony pretends not to intent to read it . He wanted to give them the impression that the conspirators forbid him to but he does not say it directly. He uses instead the model â€Å" must not† which obviously will be decoded as interdiction : â€Å" Have patience gentle friends, I MUST NOT read it. â€Å" He is so sly that he always pretends he does not want to do something when in fact this is exactly what he does, informing them about their being Caesar’s heirs, insinuating their state of mind ( â€Å" You are not wood, you are not stones ,but men, / And being men, hearing Caesar’s will/ It will inflame you , it will make you mad. † or â€Å" For if you should, oh, what would come of it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) . And the results are soon to come: â€Å" They were traitors, honourable men They were villains, murderers: the will! † However, when he finds Brutus’ body on the battlefield, Antony weeps for his friend, praising his real virtues and showing he understood from the start Brutus’ motivation in joining the plot. ‘This was the noblest Romans of them all’[†¦ ] He , only , in a general honest thought And common good to all, made one of them His life was gentle , and the elements So mixed in him , that Nature might stand up And say to all the world : This was a man â€Å". The real gift of Shakespeare was the masterful use of language and the perfect knowledge of people and typologies . Everybody speaks according to the social strata they belong , their time and trade as well . This is what makes his characters so realistic and immortal. They personify and utter centuries old human passions, fears, sorrows, dreams, hopes, struggles and vices. They can always be real and this is what makes Shakespeare so special. Page 12 Richard III Richard III is an intense exploration of the psychology of evil, and that exploration is centered on Richard’s mind. Critics sometimes compare Richard to the medieval character, Vice, who was a flat and one-sided embodiment of evil. However, especially in the later scenes of the play, Richard proves to be highly self-reflective and complicated— making his heinous acts all the more chilling. Perhaps more than in any other play by Shakespeare, the audience of Richard III experiences a complex, ambiguous, and highly changeable relationship with the main character. Richard is clearly a villain—he declares outright in his very first speech that he intends to stop at nothing to achieve his nefarious designs. But despite his open allegiance to evil, he is such a charismatic and fascinating figure that, for much of the play, we are likely to sympathize with him, or at least to be impressed with him. In this way, our relationship with Richard mimics the other characters’ relationships with him, conveying a powerful sense of the force of his personality. Even characters such as Lady Anne, who have an explicit knowledge of his wickedness, allow themselves to be seduced by his brilliant wordplay, his skillful argumentation, and his relentless pursuit of his selfish desires. Richard’s long, fascinating monologues, in which he outlines his plans and gleefully confesses all his evil thoughts, are central to the audience’s experience of Richard. Shakespeare uses these monologues brilliantly to control the audience’s impression of Richard, enabling this manipulative protagonist to work his charms on the audience. In Act I, scene i, for example, Richard dolefully claims that his malice toward others stems from the fact that he is unloved, and that he is unloved because of his physical deformity. This claim, which casts the other characters of the play as villains for punishing Richard for his appearance, makes it easy to sympathize with Richard during the first scenes of the play. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Richard simply uses his deformity as a tool to gain the sympathy of others—including us. Richard’s evil is a much more innate part of his character than simple bitterness about his ugly body. But he uses this speech to win our trust, and he repeats this ploy throughout his struggle to be crowned king. After he is crowned king and Richmond begins his uprising, Richard’s monologues end. Once Richard stops exerting his charisma on the audience, his real nature becomes much more apparent, and by the end of the play he can be seen for the monster that he is. When Richard claims that his deformity is the cause of his wicked ways, he seems to be manipulating us for sympathy, just as he manipulates the other characters throughout the play. As a result, Richard III does not explore the cause of evil in the human mind so much as it explores its operation, depicting the workings of Richard’s mind and the methods he uses to manipulate, control, and injure others for his own gain. Central to this aspect of the play is the idea that Richard’s victims are complicit in their own destruction. Just as Lady Anne allows herself to be seduced by Richard, even knowing that he will kill her, other characters allow themselves to be taken in by his charisma and overlook his dishonesty and violent behaviour. This tendency is echoed in Richard’s relationship with the audience for much of the play. Even though the audience is likely to be repulsed by Richard’s actions, his gleeful, brilliant, revealing monologues cause most viewers to like him and even hope that he will succeed despite his obvious malice. Page 13 GLOUCESTER Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York; And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths; Our bruised arms hung up for monuments; Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings, Our dreadful marches to delightful measures. Grim-visaged war hath smooth’d his wrinkled front; And now, instead of mounting barded steeds To fright the souls of fearful adversaries, He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber To the lascivious pleasing of a lute. But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks, Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass; I, that am rudely stamp’d, and want love’s majesty To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; I, that am curtail’d of this fair proportion, Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deformed, unfinish’d, sent before my time Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, And that so lamely and unfashionable That dogs bark at me as I halt by them; Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, Have no delight to pass away the time, Unless to spy my shadow in the sun And descant on mine own deformity: And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days. Page 14 Hamlet HAMLET To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay. The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover’d country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sickled o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. ’ Page 15 [†¦. ]POLONIUS:How does my good Lord Hamlet? HAMLET Well, God-a-mercy. LORD POLONIUS Do you know me, my lord? HAMLET Excellent well; you are a fishmonger. LORD POLONIUS Not I, my lord. HAMLET Then I would you were so honest a man. LORD POLONIUS Honest, my lord! HAMLET Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand. LORD POLONIUS That’s very true, my lord. HAMLET For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion,–Have you a  daughter? LORD POLONIUS I have, my lord. HAMLET Let her not walk i’ the sun: conception is a blessing: but not as your daughter may conceive. Friend, look to ‘t. LORD POLONIUS [Aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter: yet he knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love; very near this. I’ll speak to him again. What do you read, my lord? HAMLET Words, words, words. LORD POLONIUS What is the matter, my lord? HAMLET Between who? Page 16 LORD POLONIUS I mean, the matter that you read, my lord. HAMLET Slanders, sir: for the satirical rogue says here.