Monday, September 30, 2019

Case Study of Architect Winston Chu Kum Weng

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM 1.0Introduction Architect Winston Chu Kum Weng has a sum of 12 old ages of working experience in the architecture field. His first working experience was as an houseman in an established architecture company – DP Architects. Subsequently, he worked at that place as a undertaking designer for 3 old ages after his graduation. Then, he decided to dispute and further research his calling way, which led him to being the manager of SN Low & A ; Associates. This finding of his has led him to boom in the field of architecture. Despite of his immature age, he has manage to carry through many great accomplishments through his plants, which were chiefly residential and commercial edifices, both locally and overseas such as Singapore, Vietnam and Abu Dhabi. The Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters office was one of Ar. Winston Chu’s earlier achievements which was completed in the twelvemonth 2009. Located in between the Petaling Jaya residential and concern territory with a entire built-up country of 18,812 metre square, it consists of a warehouse block and an office block. The edifice sits on a level land next to the Naza World Auto Mall and it consists of sustainable characteristics which reflects Amway’s desire for a greener and eco-friendly milieus. Many of his theories were successfully incorporated into this peculiar edifice. This undertaking attempts to convey an apprehension of the architect’s architectural theory through a direct observation and analysis of his edifices. Using architecture as primary text, this undertaking claims that the universe of signifier is non arbitrary but displays an internal logic that has the capacity to convey significance. Analytic illustrations are used to uncover the conceptual and experiential order of the architecture. In order to understand architecture, one must be cognizant of the conditions within which they are employed. 2.0Analyzing Architecture2.1Climate The local clime has ever been the most influential facet in footings of architecture. It is hence apprehensible that constructing typologies found around the universe are ever really diverse from one another. Climate allows the designer to measure the resources of the site even without the existent measurings of the site. In other words, the clime is a big lending factor in modeling the architectural signifier of the edifice. The Sun subdivision allows designers to measure the handiness of the Sun through the Sun Path Diagram. It helps the designer estimation the times of the twenty-four hours and twelvemonth in which the Sun will be available on a peculiar site so that proper consideration of shadowing devices and design options can be exhaustively explored. With careful consideration of the sun’s way, there would be advantages such as inactive warming and natural daylighting. However, it may work against you by bring forthing blaze or overheating if non considered decently. ( Brown, 2011 ) By puting the sun way diagram onto the site program of the Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office, it is shown that the peculiar secret plan of land is in such that the forepart and rear facade of the edifice would finally have the highest sum of exposure to sunlight because it would be confronting west and east severally whereas the North and south facade would have lower sum of sunshine as compared to it. In most fortunes, designers would prefer to orientate the edifice in a manner where the E and west facade would hold a smaller surface country so that it would cut down the sum of solar radiation received, take downing the overall thermal transportation value. Thus, cut downing the energy required for air-conditioning. However, that is largely non the instance because the facade of the edifice has to be in line with its neighboring context, confronting the bing chief route which is besides the merely accessible manner to the edifice itself. Therefore, the Amway ( Malaysi a ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office is orientated in such that the E and West facade has a bigger surface country. Furthermore, all four lifts of the edifice consists of many floor to ceiling Windowss particularly the west lift despite the high sum of solar radiation as it is the front facade of the Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office. This was because of the desire of holding Windowss to let for natural daylighting and ocular connectivity as these sustainable characteristics reflects Amway’s desire for a more eco-friendly edifice. Hence, many gaps are uniformly located on every side of the edifice to guarantee that there would be sufficient natural lighting perforating through the edifice, advancing a inactive design while cut downing the usage of unreal lighting. Despite the hapless determination in the edifice orientation and arrangement of gaps due to the site restrictions, careful considerations were made to get the better of the high sum of solar radiation received. Aluminum louvres were used as a facade intervention, supplying conditions protection and ocular showing, lending to the ocular result of the facade every bit good while maintaining the simpleness design attack of the edifice in head. Large sum of trees and bushs were besides planted to shadow of the sunshine from straight perforating through the window gaps and soften the character of the edifice. It reflects the architect’s love for nature that was developed when he was still a kid. Furthermore, there is the air current subdivision which allows designers to measure the way, velocity and frequence of air current in a peculiar location by month or twelvemonth through the Wind Rose Diagram. It helps the designer locate the place of the gaps so that it benefits from the predominating air currents. By puting the air current rose diagram on the site program of the Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office, it can be seen that the features of the prevailing air currents are rather similar from all waies. Hence, big sums of gaps were located on all four sides of the edifice to obtain the best result. Most of the gaps are operable Windowss that could be controlled by the user so the prevailing air current can be captured and brought into the edifice to advance natural airing, therefore cut downing the usage of unneeded air-conditioning. 2.2Architecture Theory – ModernismModernism in its broadest definition is modern taught, character of pattern. It emerged in the early 20Thursdaycentury but was non popular until after the Second World War. Modernism was a response to the demand for the new and the different. Modern agencies being up to day of the month. What was modern yesterday, is authoritative for today and will be old, so antediluvian for all the tomorrows to come. Fascinated by the approaching engineerings of the production of steel, glass and concrete, people began to abstain from the usage of decorations, rejecting what they saw and hold it as the senseless shots. The plants of modernism were more trim and lyrical. ( Weston, 1996 ) Many facets of the modernist design still prevail in architecture today. As Mies van der Rohe would state, less is more. Through observation and analysis that was carried out, it can be determined that the Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office fits in with the arc hitecture theory of modernism. This is due to the many similarities of the building’s features with the general features of modern architecture. This architecture theory is believe to be incorporated by Ar. Winston Chu due to his love of simpleness, practicality and elegance, which focuses on more geometric and how the experience of infinite is created by natural lighting, airing and the pick of stuffs. First, merely the use of simple and basic geometry can be seen throughout the full Amway ( Malaysia ) Sdn. Bhd. Headquarters Office, whether it is in footings of its lift or floor program. Merely square and rectangle forms can be perceived. Jam Tschichold one time said that the concluding and most pure signifier of a necessary point is ever constructed of geometric forms. Therefore, it visually stressing on the additive 90 grades perpendicular and horizontal lines. The Windowss, columns, beams, roof line are all portion of the structural elements that were used by the designer to help in making the additive divine infinite. Second, the changeless repeat of a simple geometric is repeated to obtain a alone signifier. The Amway Headquarters is a alone component itself which is developed by the transmutation of insistent units through alterations in size, constellation, orientation, coloring material and articulation of a basic geometry – the square. Third, it focuses on the lucidity of signifiers. The edifice is stripped of all the unneeded cosmetic elements in order to showcase the architectural design. Merely the needed characteristics are implemented into the design so that the focal point would be on the infinite be aftering itself alternatively of decorations which have no relevancy with the overall architecture. Fourthly, the programs of the Amway Headquarters Office are unfastened programs. The thought of an unfastened program is created through the flowing of infinites, accomplishing through the separation of columns where the thought of hold ing a room as a manner of forming the infinites is non considered. Fifth, the edifice follows the impression where signifier follows map. The designer expresses this thoughts by holding the site and map of the edifice dictate most of the design determinations. It is said that modernist architecture takes inspiration from the edifice itself, and aims to plan for each alone state of affairs to be inspired by its intent. Following, industrially produced stuffs such as steel, concrete and glass is loosely used throughout the edifice. Last, the designer makes usage of the Windowss extensively to convey in natural daytime, particularly the floor to ceiling Windowss. Therefore, integrating the Windowss as portion of the building’s design. 2.3User / ClientSite Layout The edifice layout of Amway Headquarters is in such that the office block and warehouse block is separated, merely linked by a span on the first floor to supply permeableness. This is the client’s purpose of supplying a clean and unagitated environment for the users and visitants, off from the production noise at the warehouse block. It excessively gives a sense of spacial organisation, districting the private and public infinites with mention to the degree of noise produced. The lading bay is placed behind on the first floor of the warehouse block, accessible through a incline. The client’s purpose was to put the loading country off from where users could hold ocular connexion, as the position isn’t really delighting. The storage, bringing and packing country are all placed on the same floor so the on the job efficiency would be good. Spatial Layout Public installations were all placed on the land floor of the office block. Office and IT sections are placed on the floors above. The client’s purpose was to supply a convenient service for all the users. There is a gallery to showcase Amway’s merchandise and a mini market right next to it that sells their merchandise. Detail of Entrance The entryway of the Amway Headquarters is a dual storey high construction which uses merely basic geometry – the square. The chief entryway is a larger construction while the back entryway is a extra of it in a somewhat smaller graduated table. The client’s purpose was to supply an entryway which gives the users a sense of acquaintance, stripped off all the fanciness to be projected as welcoming, ask foring users to near without vacillation. Landscape as Buffer Zone Plenty of verdures are planted around the edifice to supply noise suspension and effectual ocular barrier between the office block and warehouse block. This is the client’s purpose to continue the ocular and environment character of the office block which would pull and promote users of their merchandise. It besides reflects Amway’s desire for Eco-Friendly milieus. This was because of the client’s desire of holding big sums of trees around the site and windows to let for natural daylighting and ocular connectivity as these sustainable characteristics reflects Amway’s desire for a greener and more eco-friendly milieus. Hence, many gaps are uniformly located on every side of the edifice to guarantee that there would be sufficient natural lighting perforating through the edifice, advancing a inactive design while cut downing the usage of unreal lighting. 3.0Decision– Need to discourse the designer ‘s theory based on your apprehension of ‘SELF ‘ and ‘the 3 FACTORS ‘ . Your account have to capture the first portion of the undertaking and the analysis – take note that this is your ain â€Å" theory † of the designer ‘s architecture. Please make non mention to the designer ‘s statement or declaration of his/her theory. – Conclude by seting in the DIAGRAM ( from undertaking brief ) to sum up your theory on the designer. 4.0MentionsBrown, G. Z. ( 2011 ) .Sun Wind & A ; Light: Architectural Design Strategies( 2neodymiumed. ) . New Jersey: Wiley. Chu, W. ( 2014, April 4 ) . Personal Interview. Chu, W. ( 2014, April 5 ) . Email Interview. Weston, R. ( 1996 ) .Modernism. New York: Phaidon. 5.0Appendix

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The interviews addressed buying attitudes

OBJECTIVE: Compulsive buying (uncontrolled urges to buy, with resulting significant adverse consequences) has been estimated to affect from 1. 8% to 16% of the adult U. S. population. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has used a large general population sample to estimate its prevalence. METHOD: The authors conducted a random sample, national household telephone survey in the spring and summer of 2004 and interviewed 2,513 adults.The interviews addressed buying attitudes and behaviors, their consequences, and the respondents’ financial and demographic data. The authors used a clinically validated screening instrument, the Compulsive Buying Scale, to classify respondents as either compulsive buyers or not. RESULTS: The rate of response was 56. 3%, which compares favorably with rates in federal national health surveys. The cooperation rate was 97. 6%. Respondents included a higher percentage of women and people ages 55 and older than the U.S. adult population. The estim ated point prevalence of compulsive buying among respondents was 5. 8% (by gender: 6. 0% for women, 5. 5% for men). The gender-adjusted prevalence rate was 5. 8%. Compared with other respondents, compulsive buyers were younger, and a greater proportion reported incomes under $50,000. They exhibited more maladaptive responses on most consumer behavior measures and were more than four times less likely to pay off credit card balances in full.CONCLUSIONS:A study using clinically valid interviews is needed to evaluate these results. The emotional and functional toll of compulsive buying and the frequency of comorbid psychiatric disorders suggest that studies of treatments and social interventions are warranted Source: American Journal of Psychiatry: http://ajp. psychiatryonline. org/cgi/content/abstract/163/10/1806

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Economic of Industry

Despite the different degree of competitions and the level of development in the market across the various types of industries, most firms are continuously and consistently looking for ways and opportunities to enhance their ability to grow or even to just maintain sustainability and survival in the industry. Firms carry out diversification such as developing new lines and products, joint ventures and acquiring firms in unrelated lines of business, to improve on their corporate efficiency and benefits of the shareholder. For example, if a firm’s business focuses on seasonal products such as selling heating equipment, sales will do well during the autumn and winter months. However, to ensure the firm’s survival and maintain its business during the summer, it will need to carry out diversification such as establishing new product lines (i. e. Air conditioners). Therefore, firms diversify to achieve economies of scales and scope, to economize on transaction costs, improving shareholder’s diversification by reducing risks, as well as identifying undervalued firms. This paper will look at the different advantages and drawbacks of diversification as well as their economic validity. Diversification for Economies of Scales and Scopes It has been said that when a firm is able to achieve economies of scale, the production levels becomes more efficient as the number of goods being produced increases. With the increase in production levels, firms will then able to lower their average cost per unit as the fixed cost are able to spread out over a large number of goods. For large firms, this will be a great advantage to them as it allows these firms to be able to gain access to a larger market. Furthermore with a lower average cost in production, they will be able to position their products at a more cheaply and affordable pricing in the market, giving firms a competitive advantage as well as it sits greatly for the consumer. A good example of such company would be Wal-Mart WMT. Being a dominant player in the retailing industry as well as the sheer size of the company, Wal-Mart has great efficiencies at keeping costs low as the company has tremendous bargaining power with its suppliers. This allows Wal-Mart to be able to retail their products at a heaper price as well as having inexpensive distributions. However, it has been said that diversifying for economies of scales has an adverse effect on the smaller to medium size firms as it raises cost instead. It is generally true if the concept is viewed narrowly but small firms nowadays has managed to find ways to create opportunities to achieve economies of scales such as buying services, sharing risks and scaling through tech nology. Most small firms rather engaged services from a larger company as opposed to doing the job in-house to cut cost. Therefore any organizations servicing these smaller businesses (i. e. payroll services) are view as an â€Å"economies of scale† from the perspective of the small firms. Economies of Scopes on the other hand has a similar concept as economies of scales but refers more to firms that are able to lower their average cost by developing and producing or providing two or more products in their businesses. This means that a given level of production cost of each product line by a firm is much lower as compared to the given output level of a single product each produced by a combination of separate firms. An example of a company that uses economies of scope at its advantage would be Daiso. Daiso produced and retail hundreds of products from foods to house cleaning materials which allow them to offer standardization in their product’s pricings. With higher demands and production level as well as a lower average cost achieved through economies of scales, it definitely does help for firms to diversify so as to maximise their profit margins. Economizing on transaction costs Transaction costs in economics are unavoidable by firms and are usually incurred when making economic transactions such as buying or making products. Transaction cost complicates coordination as well as affecting the firms’ profit and loss. It reduces profit margin and a high transaction cost over time may result in firms having to face huge losses. For example, for a firm to produce a product it will need to carry out R&D and obtain information from different kind of sources which cost money. Therefore to reduce or economize the transaction costs, firms diversify by carrying out merger and acquisition. For example, in order to expand its revenue stream, Dell Inc, an American multinational computer technology corporation has decided to extend its target market to the gaming industry by creating a new line of product of gaming PCs. However, it requires Dell to carry out R&D to obtain and search for relevant information on the product and the target market and all this accumulates as transaction costs. Therefore to avoid incurring high transaction cost, Dell Inc. ad decided to acquire Alienware, a manufacturer of high-end gaming PCs in 2006. In conclusion, firm diversifying to economize transaction cost is viable and valid in the economic market as it helps to reduce cost thus improving the profit margin for the firms. Internal Capital Markets Internal Capital Markets of diversified firms allows firms to properly allocate its resources according to how its best use. It creat es efficiencies and increases firm’s control of funds which allows easier monitoring and lowers the monitoring costs as well as reducing chances of fraud. In addition, internal capital market allows firm to have informational advantage to make the necessary changes and allocation to its resources when it is being used improperly. For example; if the cost of issuing shares at a bargain price to the old shareholders outweigh project’s net profit value, the firm may decide to forgo NPV project which in return result in an underinvestment problem. However through internal capital market, diversified firms are able to allocate resources more efficiently and diminish the underinvestment problems. Internal capital market however may cause firms more harm than good. As established by Stulz (1990), diversification may engender influence costs and result in cross-subsidisation where some diversified firms tend to underinvest in high-performing projects and overinvest in the lower ones. This may have adverse impact on firm’s return and profitability as a firm allocating too many resources on a segment that relatively had less investment opportunities is unconditionally leaving some of the better projects in other segments underinvested which may bring in more profits to the firm. Shareholder’s diversification Diversifying helps to reduce firm’s risk and smooth out its earnings stream. However, most shareholders do not benefit from this as they are able to diversify their portfolio at near zero cost through investing in many different options. However, there is a fraction of shareholders whom are unable to carry out diversification on their own. They are usually the owners of firms whom investments are largely based on their own business and are the leasing shareholder of the firm. Due to this, the shareholders are unable to carry out proper portfolio diversification and therefore rely and benefit greatly from the risk reductions carried out by firms. For example, a firm developing new lines of businesses internally reduce its risk of failing as it streams of revenue are being segregated and relied on different channels. If one was to fail, there will be other means of business for the firm to recoup its losses and streaming in revenue. With this, the firm shareholders’ risks are being indirectly reduced as well. Identifying undervalued Firm Undervalued firm’s assets and potential earning power are usually inadequately reflected in its stock price. This means these firms are actually worth more than what is being expected of them in the market. Therefore, other firms whom are able to recognize this mispricing diversify and acquire these undervalued firms and benefits from the acquisition by gaining the differences between the value and purchased price as surplus. For example, General Electronics has over the years been carrying out acquisition and diversifies its business which allows stability in its earnings. However, identifying undervalued firm is not easy and some firm acquisition can bring more harm the benefits to a company. Furthermore, public firms traded in reasonably efficient markets may have their valuation surplus quickly eliminated by the premiums paid on market prices. Therefore, it is more viable in the economics to carry out acquisitions in less efficient markets or acquire private businesses. Conclusion In conclusion, though diversification come with a cost for firms and may be difficult to be carried out in some cases, I do believe that it is valid in economics as it greatly benefit firms in reducing risk and widen its revenue stream which in returns increases profit margins. Therefore, firms should see diversification as a viable option in expanding its business.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The thin film materials Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The thin film materials - Research Paper Example Though this technology is traditionally well established, this technology is still developing day-by-day, as these films are fundamental part for the creation of new equipments in the 21st century, for example super lattice that is made by man or a nanometer materials. Devices and materials that are made up of thin films can be used for decreasing toxic materials as the fixed amount is used just to the thin film layer or surface. The process of thin film saves the consumption of energy in production and these films are believed as a technology that is environmentally pleasant and beneficial in nature material for the coming century. Thin film Materials The deposition of thin films on the surface of substrate can be achieved by using different methods such as chemical vapor evaporation, thermal evaporation, and by using the highly energetic radiations for the evaporation of materials. The process of growth of thin film displays the following characteristics: The beginning of thin film s of any materials made by whatsoever method of deposition begins with a process of nucleation followed by levels nucleation and growth. Both of these levels, i.e., nucleation and growth determined by several conditions of deposition, for example rate of growth, growth temperature and the chemistry of substrate. The process of nucleation can be changed considerably by external means, for example by bombardment of ion or electron. The stress of films, its microstructure and related imperfect structure based on the circumstances of deposition during the nucleation level. The deposition conditions controlled the level of crystal and the films orientation. Properties of Thin Films Materials The fundamental properties of film, like crystal orientation and phase, thickness of film, film composition, and its microstructure, are based on the deposition circumstances. Thin films show exceptional properties which cannot be discovered in bulk materials: Through the process of atomic growth uni que properties of material are obtained. The orientation, thickness and the different other aspects characterize the effects on size of thin films, as well as quantum size effects (Kumar: 42-52). However, the techniques used for the deposition determine the properties of thin films. There are different processes of deposition of thin films. Chemical vapor evaporation (CVD) is on the deposition method which is defined as the process in which deposition of atoms, molecules or ions through the decomposition of source materials is takes place. Whereas, sputtering is defined as the process of deposition in which the highly energetic radiations are used. In 1850, the process of sputtering was first discovered in gas discharge tube by Grove and Bunsen and in this process the discharged is used for decomposing the cathode electrode material (Wasa, Kitabatake & Adachi: 15-22). From that time, the fundamental understanding regarding the process sputtering has well grown. It was recognized tha t the decomposition of the cathode substance was made by the bombardment of highly energetic radiation on the surface of cathode. The particles emitted from the surface of cathode are named as the sputtered particles. These particles made up of highly energetic atoms (Wasa, Kitabatake & Adachi: 15-22). The energy of these sputtered partic

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Communication - Monroe's Motivated Sequence Assignment

Communication - Monroe's Motivated Sequence - Assignment Example what you’re doing in your communities as what we’re doing here in Washington; and it’s gonna take all of us working together.† These lines create the need in every listener living in America. It creates the realization that people should do their part too because any good outcome will also be for them. Satisfaction - The First Lady introduces the project â€Å"United We Serve† and presents how everybody can make the changes needed. She states: â€Å"With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, this initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations and encourage people like you and me to develop our own do-it-yourself service projects.† She presents a tangible, possible solution to the current problem. Visualization - The First Lady painted a verbal picture of how fulfilling it is to help other people achieve their goals. â€Å"The fulfillment of putting your faith into action and feeling that you’re part of something bigger than yourself, and doing your part for the greater good.† According to Price, this is an effective way to â€Å"appeal to [the listeners’] emotions and desires.† Action - As Price mentioned, â€Å"Remember, people don’t like to get outside of their comfort zones and spend their own time solving the problem you’ve presented, so be sure to make the action steps easy on them.† Thus, the First Lady’s offer to simply â€Å"Log on to serve.gov and let’s work together to build a new foundation for America† makes it easy for the people to act. It basically makes one feel that the solution is right at the tip of their fingers, and all they need to do is to click. Attention – Beiber’s opening statement of facts about being a teenager grabs the target market’s attention. â€Å"There are some things that just come with being a teenager†¦And then there’s zits...I can’t stop that.† Immediately, the target market will want to hear more of what is being

Field_Trip_to_L_auberge_Casino_Resort Lake Charles, Louisiana Essay

Field_Trip_to_L_auberge_Casino_Resort Lake Charles, Louisiana - Essay Example Mr. Kirk also showed us the hotel’s villia sweet room and explained us how the rooms are managed. There are more than 1000 rooms in the hotel and the sweet rooms cost anywhere between $40,000 and $100,000. The tables in the casino had all kinds of games to entertain the guests. I found the resort quite well-equipped and I expected it to be so since this was what we were told in the class. There was every amenity a guest could ask for. Especially, the spa was magnificent. Although the spa was available at a very reasonable rate, yet unfortunately I had too less time to book a massage. I was upon a school trip, so all I could have was little fun around the place. The casino was splendid. I found a variety of cuisines at the restaurants. I would particularly like to recommend the appetizer sampler at the Jack Daniels restaurant to anyone planning to go there. Since the weather was very cold, so I could not have a swim into the pool, but that is due for next time for sure. One of the aspects of the field trip that I disliked was that in place of a rake, the poker players in the casino were charged $7 for 30 minutes of game at the table. I was surprised because in the class, we were told that the casino offers a variety of games at reasonable prices, but I found many of them unreasonably high. This price was unbelievably higher than most of the best casinos around that I have experienced playing in before. I also noticed that although the rooms were well-furnished and aesthetically decorated, yet the rooms were not kept up nicely. I noticed stains on some pieces of the furniture as well as some portions of the carpet particularly those that were behind the doors. Probably the house-cleaners clean the main areas but leave the corners. Some shaddy looking characters I saw inside the casino caught my attention. However, the workout facility was excellent. This field trip experience was as informative and educative as it was interesting and enjoyable.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Black Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Black Beauty - Essay Example rights associations to propagate the rights of the helpless animals in order to protect them from becoming the victim of cruelties and high-handedness of their masters. The novel states that though the animals are great gift of Nature, created to serve the humanity, they can render better services provided they are treated with kindness and care. The author also looks for the measures to be taken for appropriate feeding and proper respite opportunities for the animals, for the maintenance of their health and performance at large. Consequently, compassionate attitude towards the animals increase their work efficiency and dedication to towards their masters. The story of the novel under-examination revolves round the horse named Black Beauty, the narrator and protagonist of the work. Part I of the book begins in a moving manner, where Black Beauty narrates his story from the place he first opened his eyes as a colt, a tranquil and peaceful environment (5), where he was loved and cherished by his mother under the thick shadow of several thick trees. His mother, called Duchess, served to be the first window for him to peep into the outer world and to learn good habits and mannerism from the words and experiences of her loving mother (8). It was the time when Black Beauty was quite unaware of the hardships life brings in the wake of it. The horse further narrates about the compassionate nature of his first master, who always treated him and his mother with kindness (9). Black Beauty got acquainted with the realities about good and evil while watching the rabbit hunt (11-12), and brutal killing of the horse Rob Roy on getting lame, which fr ightened him to a great extent. Black Beauty experienced his first break-in at the age of four years, and Squire Gordon bought him from his master at Birtwick village; and from there, his long and dreary journey of struggle started. The horse underwent trials and hardships during the course of having familiarity with both rural and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Should GMO foods be banned in the United States Essay

Should GMO foods be banned in the United States - Essay Example As a result, various research studies try to convince us concerning the truth about the GMO foods from these two perspectives. Regarding this point, the idea about GMO foods could hardly become an exact science. This thought convinces me to go with the idea that GMO foods should be banned in the United States, for as long as there is still no clear point of truth concerning its safety, and for as long as there are prevailing studies trying to convince us of its associated potential health hazards. To illustrate the above point further, the analogy of testing the depth and safety of an ocean is appropriate. One may not automatically take the plunge into it knowing that there are primary or some major considerations that have to be taken into account. Aside from testing its depth, one major concern is its safety. Would it be safer to take the plunge knowing the idea that there might be some creepy creatures down there prowling for their prey? With its deep blue color, nothing from the deeper portion could be vividly observed from the surface, but whatever is down there will have the great chance to see anything coming into their sight. We always have fear of the unknown. Let us consider if this fear of the unknown we have right now for GMO foods is justifiable. ... In some certain level, they both might have all the points. However, this continuous inquiry and investigation is a fundamental way for us to know further down to the truth. The ongoing contradiction against GMO foods is a healthy process towards understanding a far deeper truth about them. Thus, for the mean time that everything might turn out as not an exact science concerning the GMO foods, it is better not to acquire it for commercial use in the United States. The relevant findings for now might just add up to the level of fear we have for the unknown concerning GMO foods. Let us take the case of an alarming pesticide residue in a growing number of products. This was very alarming in the area of US agriculture. According to Chavez, â€Å"We have known for many years that pesticides used in agriculture pollute the air, earth and water, contaminate animals and humans, and are found in the tissue of new born infants and mothers’ milk† (McKibben 691). Some genetically m odified foods contain genetic materials from natural organisms like in the case of BT corn to contain a natural pesticide that would not create any harm to the environment. In fact, aside from the point of gaining higher yield, this was the sophisticated approach to minimize the detrimental impact of chemicals to the ecological balance by deliberately using commercial pesticides. Monarch butterfly and BT corn controversy marked a significant point prior to the level of acceptance we have for GMO foods today. In an experiment, it was found that Monarch butterflies feeding on the pollen of BT corn were found to have high mortality rate. BT corn is a transgenic crop, by which a genetic code of an organism that could kill pest was inserted to the corn’s DNA

Monday, September 23, 2019

Profile Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Profile Interview - Essay Example James is an active member of the electronic literature organization and the participant of numerous conferences, concerning the questions of place of literature in the system of modern education. According to the minds of the interviewed observers, and James’ friends, he does not look his age, due to the athletic constitution and attractive appearance. Moreover, most of people find him good-looking as he has big blue eyes and dark curly hair. I had a wonderful opportunity to plan our meeting and interview him about his life. We met in a small cafà © in the center of the city. The content of the interview: Hello, Mr. Brody, it’s nice to see you. As you are a person with an active and positive life position, I would like to ask you a few questions about your biography. And the first one concerns the place of your birth. Can you tell something interesting about it? Hi, I’m not sure if there’s something really exclusive you can find about my life! Anyway, I was born in the USA, Minneapolis, State Minnesota. The life in this state was not easy for my family. There were five of us: my parents and 2 elder brothers, so we lived quite poor, as my father worked as a general laborer and did not earn a lot of money. However, we loved this city as even at that time it started to apply the features of modernization. There was one, when my elder brother John brought a puppy from the street in the evening. We knew that parents would not allow us to keep it, so we decided to hide the puppy and left him in the closet near our room. It was very funny, as the barking was heard all over the flat. We were exposed in fifteen minutes, but the puppy stayed. We called him Fluffy. Of course. My family respects the traditions, especially celebrations, which gathered all of us around the table. One of those was the celebration of Christmas. Each person in the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Evaluation of the play Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of the play Blood Brothers Essay Thomas Hardy suggests that in the mid-ninteenth century women were limited in their choice of jobs. Factory work was available in some areas but this meant working long, tiresome hours. They could also work for the rich, but for very little money. The term used for a woman who makes dresses is a seamstress. They spent their lives sewing for the rich ladies who wore smart dresses. In Far From the Madding Crowd the main character Bathsheba is the proud owner of her inherited farm. She has maids, farm workers and shepherds working for her. She spends long hours of the day working in fields. She is a fortunate woman, very popular among the men but who clearly is unsure about life /love. Her character is affluent and enjoys a privileged lifestyle. In Wessex where the book was set it is very traditional, old fashioned (even some parts are today). The rural setting makes it relate to what the scenery was like, and enhances the atmosphere. At the time this book was written, health standards were very poor and there was no birth control. Illness was common, and people often had to cope for themselves. A woman was considered lucky if she was rich enough to employ a maid to care for her. There were no injections to prevent people against tetanus, common among farm workers. (It occurs when dirt is passed through a wound with a risk of getting paralysed) Nowadays we have modern medicine and equipment and highly trained doctors. Unlike men, woman had many limitations. If a party/ festival was being held all the women were obliged to leave the room, while the men drank. But Hardy shows a different stereotype to the one most women were accustomed to at that time- Bathsheba, instead of leaving the room quietly and without protestation, she leaves indignantly, having complained to her husband about the amount of alcohol that was offered- dont give it to them. This shows she was more independent than other women of her day. Women were expected to cook mostly and were frequently bossed around by their husbands (male domination) this has held a topic of sexism to woman today. In the Victorian times, women were expected to dress respectively. Evan if a woman showed a small amount of her ankle it was though of as blasphemous and unpleasant! Woman wore long dresses, bonnets and covered their arms up. Obviously a rich person would have a more fancy-detailed dress than a poor person. People though that woman were not equal to men because men were stronger and protector. Women were quoted as feeble and timid. Woman could vote very little and there was very little education for them. One thing I picked up on was that in the book when Troy was performing in the circus among the other men, there were no woman performing. This was against the rules and the circus would have needed strong performers, which were not, in their eyes woman. The workhouse was a place in which many poor/old people ended their days. But the workhouse was also for young people too. Fanny was one who died in the workhouse after giving birth. People would work and pray throughout the day. They had a regime but they were also allowed to relax and have free time to do what they wanted. It was thought that religion would help the poor to overcome their laziness, fecklessness and drunkenness. Even school lessons for children revolved around the Bible. There were foundation orphanages for children where they were treated with great care. This option was for woman who could not look after their children or were ill/having problems etc. This option would have done Fanny help, if she hadnt had died. From reading the book, and observing the film I have seen in depth that life then, is extremely different from today and what woman could and couldnt do. Men could do far more and seemed to get more out of life than woman. Troy was often seen doing much more than Bathsehba?

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Application Of Supercharging To Si Engines

Application Of Supercharging To Si Engines Enhancements in fuel consumption can be achieved through engine downsizing. However, it is essential to provide a corresponding increase in power in order to improve or maintain vehicle performance. This increase can be obtained through supercharging or turbocharging. Supercharging has the most visual impact of any high performance modification. Supercharging or turbocharging may help achieve engine downsizing that reduces relative value of losses at lower engines loads and vehicle weight, thereby decreasing road fuel consumption of a vehicle. By employing the appropriate motor-management, it is also possible to regulate the necessary full-load speed curve [1]. On the other hand, the danger of knocking or mixing auto-ignition restricts the optimum compression ratio established for the best efficiency. Furthermore, the optimum combination of spark advance and combustion ratio needs to be investigated particularly at low engine speed at which knocking often takes part. The driving power demand of a supercharger or the exhaust back pressure exerted by a turbine is likely to compensate for the efficiency benefits from engine downsizing in strong reliance on the system of boost pressure control. In essence, it is important because it allows for the reduction in the engine speed at maximum torque. Thus, such multi-parametric optimization is not generally provided by experiments since the process is too time-consuming and too expensive [2]. The most appropriate way is to simulate a virtual-engine into some basic experiments employed for initial calibration of engine model and eventually for confirming the optimum results by checking the vicinity o f simulation-predicted optimum matching. This simulation offers a useful tool to compare between different boost pressure control factors within rapid or quasi-steady change operation parameters [1]. Toward that end, a supercharger is said to be an air compressor that is extensively used for performing forced induction of an internal combustion engine. Moreover, the higher mass flow-rate The application of supercharging to SI engines offers more oxygen for supporting combustion than the naturally-aspirated engine that lets more amount of fuel to be supplied and more work to be performed per cycle, thereby increasing the overall power output of the engine. In essence, a supercharger is powered mechanically by a gear, belt, chain or shaft attached to the engineà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s crankshaft. A Supercharger can also be powered by an exhaust gas turbine. Furthermore, a turbine-driven supercharger is termed as a turbosupercharger or a turbocharger. And the term supercharging relates to any pump that is driven directly by the engine, as against turbochargers that are driven by the pressure exerted by the exhaust gases [1]. 2. Types of superchargers with respect to the method of compression: Dynamic compressors: Dynamic compressors depend on accelerating the air to high speed and then interchanging that velocity for pressure by slowing down or diffusing. Main types of dynamic compressors are Centrifugal, pressure wave supercharger and multi-stage axial à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬flow. 2.2 Positive displacement: Positive displacement pumps are responsible for delivering a nearly-fixed volume of air per revolution at all speeds. The device separates the air mechanically into distinct parcels to deliver it to the engine mechanically moving the air into the engine gradually. Main kinds of positive-displacement pumps are roots, sliding vane, Wankel engine, scroll-type supercharger, piston, and Lysholm screw [3]. Positive displacement pumps are again categorized into internal and external compression types. Moreover, roots superchargers are mainly external compression only. External compression is for pumps that transfer air at enclosed pressure into the engine. If the engine runs under boost conditions, the pressure at the intake manifold is greater than the one coming from the The application of supercharging to SI engines This results in a backflow originating from the engine into the supercharger until both reach equilibrium. And this backflow actually causes compression of the incoming gas [4]. Internal compression on the other hand refers to the compression of air inside the supercharger itself, which is already at boost level, can be transmitted smoothly to the engine without any backflow occurring. Internal compression is much more efficient and effective than backflow compression and allows for greater efficiency to be obtained. Furthermore, internal compression pumps usually employ a fixed internal compression ratio. That is, when the boost pressure equals the compression pressure in the supercharger, the backflow becomes zero. However, if the boost pressure becomes higher than that compression pressure, backflow may still occur similar to the roots blower [4]. 3. Supercharger drive types: Superchargers are also defined according to their method of drive, i.e. whether turbine or mechanical. 3.1 Exhaust gas turbines: Radial turbine. Axial turbine. 3.2 Mechanical: Belts (Flat belt, V-belt, Synchronous belt). Gear drive. Direct drive. Chain drive. The application of supercharging to SI engines Practical mechanical supercharging pumps are classified into: Sliding vane compressors. Centrifugal compressors. Rotary compressors. Sliding vane compressors and Rotary compressors are the positive displacement compressors. Centrifugal compressors are aerodynamic compressors [5]. Sliding vane compressors consist of deep slots that are cut into the rotor in order to accommodate thin vanes that are free to move radially. The rotor is placed eccentrically in the entire housing. With every rotation of the rotor, the centrifugal forces exerted on the vanes drive them outward against the housing, and divide the crescent-shape space into various compartments. Furthermore, ambient or enclosed air is drawn through the intake port into every compartment with the volume increasing to reach its maximum. Then, the trapped air is compressed whenever the compartment volume reduces, and is further discharged through the outlet port. Moreover, the flow capacity of the sliding vane compressor relies on the maximum induction volume that is determined by the bore of the housing cylinder, rotor length and diameter, number of vanes, eccentricity, and the dimensions of the intake and outlet ports. Also, the actual pressure and flow rate rise at constant speed will decrease due to l eakage, the heat transfer from the vanes and rotors in motion and the stator surfaces will decrease compression efficiency except when cooling is used for removing the thermal energy produced by friction at the vanes, the rotor and the stator [5]. The roots blower is an alternative positive displacement supercharger. It consists of two rotors connected by gears. The working of roots blower follows transmission of air trapped in the recesses between the rotor lobes and the main housing, towards the delivery port without any The application of supercharging to SI engines substantial change in volume. When these recesses open to the delivery ports, as the suction side is closed, the trapped air is compressed by the backflow generated at the higher-pressure delivery line. This sporadic and abrupt delivery generates non-uniform torque on rotor as well as pressure pulses at the delivery line. Moreover, the volumetric efficiency relies on the rotor length, rotational speed, pressure ratio and the running clearances [3]. A performance map of a distinctive small roots blower is demonstrated in Figure [1]. It is almost same as that of the sliding vane compressor. Figure [1]: A performance map of a distinctive small roots blower [3]. Furthermore, the flow rate is dependent on increasing pressure ratio, at constant speed, only via the resulting decrease in volumetric efficiency. In essence, screw compressor need to be precision machines to obtain close tolerance between stationary and rotating elements for acceptable operation. Moreover, they operate at speeds ranging from 3000 rev/min to 30,000 rev/min. Generally, it is essential to cool the rotors internally, and high values of isentropic and volumetric efficiency are claimed [6]. The application of supercharging to SI engines A centrifugal compressor is mainly used to boost inlet air or the mixture density that is coupled with an exhaust-driven turbine within a turbocharger. This compressor is single-stage radial flow device, most suitable for the high mass flow rates at the comparatively low pressure ratios needed by the engine. In order to operate effectively, it should rotate at high angular speed. Therefore, it is better suited to direct coupling to the exhaust-driven turbine of the turbocharger rather than to mechanical coupling via a gearbox to the engine for mechanical supercharging. Essentially, the centrifugal compressor comprises of a stationary inlet casing, a stationary diffuser, a rotating bladed impellor, as well as a volute or collector for bringing the compressed air leaving the diffuser to the engine inlet system [6]. 4. Turbines: The turbocharger turbine is motored by the energy produced at the engine exhaust. The ideal energy consists of the blowdown work transfer generated by expansion of the gas within the cylinder at exhaust valve opening to atmospheric pressure and the work done by the piston that displaces the gases remaining in the cylinder after the blowdown occurs [1]. 5. Supercharging vs. Turbocharging: Similar to a supercharger, the purpose of a turbocharger is to enhance the mass of air inbound to the engine in order to create more power. A turbocharger, however, differs in that the compressor is driven by a turbine powered by the engines own exhaust gases [5]. Positive displacement superchargers absorb as much as one-third of the total crankshaft power driven from the engine, and is most supplications, are less effective than turbochargers. The application of supercharging to SI engines Significantly, in applications for which engine power and response are more crucial than any other factor, like the top-fuel dragsters, positive displacement superchargers are commonly used. The thermal efficiency or fraction of air/fuel energy converted to output power is less in a mechanically-powered supercharger than in a turbocharger, since turbochargers use energy from the exhaust gases that are normally wasted. As a result, both the economy as well as the power of a turbocharged engine is much better than with superchargers [3].

Friday, September 20, 2019

School Improvement Plan: The UAE

School Improvement Plan: The UAE School planning, organization and management is directly related to human and physical resources. The foundation behind it is that schools should be capable of utilizing the entire resources in a way that help them in performing their obligations successfully. All schools need their students to succeed and prosper. But schools can simply create a lifelong change when they have emphasis on specific goals and strategies for change. School improvement planning (SIP) is a process through which schools set goals for improvement, and make decisions about how and when these goals will be attained. The definitive purpose of the process is to promote student achievement by improving the way curriculum is provided, by building an advantageous environment for learning, and by increasing the parental involvement in their childrens learning at school and in the home. In this assignment, the investigator will develop SIP focusing on the common problem affecting the private and public schools in the United Arab Emirates. An action plan will be developed to help in improving schools and consequently increasing student achievement. What is a school improvement plan? A SIP is a road map that undertakes the changes required by a school to increase student achievement, and indicates how and when these changes will be constructed. SIPsare selective: they help principals, teachers, and school councils answer the questions What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? They boost staff and parents to follow on student achievement and other issues, such as the school environment,that are known to impact student success. schools will able to respond to the needs of students, teachers, and parents when updated and trustworthy information are provided on student performance. Moreover, a SIP is a mechanism by which the community can hold schools responsible for student success and through which it can evaluateprogress. One of the first steps-a critical one-in establishing an improvement plan includes teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members working together to collect and examine data concerning the school and its students, therefore they can decide what needs to be enhanced in their school. As the strategy is implemented, schools keep ongathering this type of information. By comparing the novelinformation to the primarydata on which the plan was grounded, they- and the public-can assess the accomplishment of their improvement plans. Authentic change takes time. It is essentialto keep all partners involved in theSIPinformed. Gradual improvements are significant, and they should be distinguished, but they do not comprisepermanent change. Therefore,SIPs are best designed over three years: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 1 the planning process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 2 the implementation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Year 3 -continue the implementation. During initial discussions, or as time goes on, schools may need to expand their plan for additional years to make sure that they maintain their focus and attain their targets. Anyway,SIPs should beconsidered working documents that can beutilized tocheck their development over time andto make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course. In developing SIP, the principal, staff, school council, parents, and other community members actthrough a diversity of activitiesconcentrated uponthreedomains of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. For all these areas, schools set up the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A goal statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Performance targets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Areas of focus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Implementation strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Indicators of success à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time lines à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Responsibility for implementing strategies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Checkpoints for status updates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Opportunities for revisions. Appendix B contains a sample school improvement plan. All school partners must be involved in the SIP to guarantee its success. Schools represent the whole school community. The principal, who has the responsibility of school administration and delivering instructional leadership, is ultimately accountable for SIP. However,all school community should be actively engaged in all stages of the process: planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating progress. Purpose To identify effective strategies for developing school improvement plans that lead to enhanced student achievement and increased parental involvement in education Background According to KHDA (2009), there are 220 schools in Dubai; 189 schools were inspected between 2008 and 2009. The remaining 31 schools which use the Indian, Pakistani and Iranian curricula will be evaluated later. These 189 schools are composed of 109 private schools and 80 public schools. Among the private schools ; 49 schools follow the UK National Curriculum, 30 offering a US curriculum, 16 schools using the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum, 6 schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IB), 4 schools follow the French curriculum and a further 4schools provide unique curricula (German, Russian, Japanese and Philippine). All public schools in Dubai were checked, including Madares Al Ghad (MAG) schools and Model schools. The purpose of schools evacuation was to improve the delivery of education to students in Dubai and to help parents know that their children are being learned and are in safe, skillful, and caring hands. The overall findings of schools performance in Dubai were shocking as there are around 20,000 students in Dubai receives unsatisfactory quality of education, more than half the schools are presently delivering an education that is not yet of the good quality anticipated of all schools in Dubai.Additionally,9 out of 10 schools provide acceptable quality of education. None of the public schools got outstanding but 50% of them achieved good.As for the private section, 4 schools offering the UK curriculum attained outstanding, 50% of private schools achieved 50% while 75% were unsatisfactory. As for the students performance, the results were generally disappointed. Students progress in the key subjects, are not yet making sufficient progress in speaking and writing Arabic and English. In public schools, where English is taught as a second language, students English language skills are insufficient and expectations, chiefly in connection with writing and speaking, are not satisfactorily high. The students capability of using mathematics to solve problems is poor. In private schools, students skills in Arabic need improvement. Nearly 20% of students make unacceptable progress. In Islamic Studies, students progress in the public schools is better than the private schools. The majority of the students have good attitudes to learning. They are motivated, attentive and hard worker. Economic and environmental understanding is developing in most schools. Students are often unattended except in class. Different forms of bullying are noticed. The teaching and learning methods were not useful for the students as the majority of the teachers dominate the lesson discussion in the public schools and poorly performing private schools. Assessment in more 25% of all schools is unsatisfactory. Consequently, many students are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. In schools delivering the MOE curriculum, and US curriculum, students are not prepared well for higher education or employment. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory in nearby 20% of private schools and in a similar proportion of boys public schools. Almost all schools do not have self-appraisal system to assess their own work. Finally, many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are unsatisfactory to some parents. What Areas Should Be Considered for Improvement? The main goal of SIP is to increase the level of student achievement. To achievegenuine change, nevertheless, the process needs to focus on specific priorities. Student performance becomes better when teachers use curriculum-delivery strategies that purposely address the studentsneeds, when the school environment is supportive, and when parents are effectively involved in the education of their children. To improve the process of planning, therefore, schools should institute one priority in each of these three components-curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. Basically, the planning process involves answering the crucial questions: What will we focus on now? and What will we leave until later? Curriculum delivery in the United Arab Emirates Curriculum is considered the foundation of the educational system. It incorporates the principles, underlying educational philosophy, goals, content and actual operation of the instructional program in the class, besides the written and other materials required to reinforce the educational system (Farah.S. Ridge.N. 2009).There are two new approaches presently being executed on a trial foundation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-a new standards-based curriculum in Abu Dhabi schools and a new English-medium curriculum in particular governmental schools, the Madares Al Ghad, over the UAE. Curriculum as a concept can be divided into three main components: intended curriculum, implemented curriculum and attained curriculum. The intended curriculum typically embraces the directorial documents shaped by the UAE-Ministry of Education (MOE) or other education authorities which command how much, how frequent and what should be taught in schools. The implemented curriculum is what really occur s in the class, how successfully teachers offer the material, how long they pass on a topic and what resources they need to deliver the content. Lastly, the attained curriculum is what students practically learn in the class, what skillsand values they grasp, and what content they assimilate and retain (Table 1). The focus of the MOE curriculum upon the buildup of factual knowledge rather than critical thinking limits students learning. Facts are learned in isolation and students are incapable of applying their knowledge in real life situations. This is proved evidently in the findings of the 2007 TIMSS survey, which examined students performance in the application of mathematics and science in many countries. The MOE curricula in mathematics and science give slight attention to practical investigation and the use of mathematical and scientific knowledge to solving problems (KHDA 2009). Consequently, students are not well equipped for the courses and careers they will study. Public school students have to choose either a scientific or literary arts for their last two years of school-based study. Both of these options have narrow scope, heavy content and do not prepare students for university. Curriculum Policy brief: The MOE (2008) has issued curriculum policy documents that set out standards, activities, strategies, expected outcomes and tools for teaching and assessment for student learning in all grades and subject areas. The policy documents also encompass achievement charts that assist teachers in assessingstudents achievement in respect to the expectations. Assessment strategies must focus on how the students integrate theory into practice to encourage independent thinking and enhance problem solving abilities. To set a goal for improving the delivery of the curriculum, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members participating in the SIP must understand the expectations emerged by the MOE and how well the those expectations are going to be achieved by the students. Main Findings Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau Annual Report(DSIB) will be used as groundwork for this investigation. According to DSIB(2009), the majority of the schools achieved an acceptable level in meeting the students educational needs in relation to their curriculum. Yet, in schools delivering curriculum of the MOE, and in many schools providing a USA curriculum, students are not equipped well to vie globally. Moreover,in these schools, wherethe mainstream of students are native Arabicspeakers, have limited selection of subjects and their physical, creative and analytical skills are developing. These curricula are not operated effectively to satisfy the prerequisites of students, including those with learning difficulties as well as the potentially highest achiever. Furthermore, curricular weaknesses in public schools hinder the progress of many students and limit their achievement. The ill prepared English curriculum and the reduced demands of the text books fail to sufficiently meet the requirements of students for English proficiency.The students are learning English as a second language where opportunities for using it in conversation are limited. Additionally, the curriculumprepares the students to use only a few vocabularies. The range of students reading and writing is alsoimperfect. Extended writing is rarely a feature in most public and poorly performing private schools. Students are customarilyneeded to give only short written answers to questions present in textbooks and English teaching is miserable. As a result, non-native speakers are often unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas confidently even in Grade 12. These limitationsalter thestudentspreparation for university. The curricula in mathematics and science dedicateminimal attention to implementing mathematical and scientific knowledge in investigating and solving problems of daily life. In private schools, a high number of the older students fail or do not complete courses, particularly in mathematics and science subjects a situation not helped by the lack of independent information, advice and guidance for students prior to their admission to courses. The ICT curriculum focuses barely on performing skills. In addition,it is taught in English and many students do not get it adequately. All schools physical education, art and music have low status in MOE curriculum anda plenty of the ill performing private schools. The time allocated to these subjects to beneficially effect students physical and cultural growth is not sufficient. Music and art is taught to only a few students after Grade6 and 9 respectively. These restrictions hamper thestudents opportunities to develop their capabilities for independent learning through such activities as team working. All schools provision for students with exceptional educational needs is poor overall.The governmental schools offer some support, mainly in separate classes, in Grades 1 to 3 School environment Environmental factors are the most influential on studentsachievement and success.Creating a well-fit school environment calls the involvement of, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members to make effective and relaxing placesfor learning. WHO defines a health-promoting school as one that constantly strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working.The American Academy of Pediatrics (1993) defines a healthful school environment as one that protects students and staff against immediate injury or disease and promotes prevention activities and attitudes against known risk factors that might lead to future disease or disability. A schools environment is the thread that linkstremendous activities on a campus. In many situations this thread is nearly invisible; however each person experiences its effect. Positive social relations and attitudes about school are as significant to the environment as are safe and well-maintained buildings and grounds. The quality of the school-good or bad is reflected by the environment of the school. A safe, clean, and well-Kept school with a positive psychosocial setting and culture can nurture school connectedness, which in turn improves student and staff well-being as well as students educational achievement. A schools physical environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds, such as noise, temperature, and lighting as well as physical, biological, or chemical agents. The disturbing increase in the number of asthmatic students is a unique problem that can, in part, be influenced by negative physical conditions in schools. The psychosocial school environment incorporates the attitudes, feelings, and values of students and staff. Physical and psychological safety, positive interpersonal relationships, recognition of the needs and success of the individual, and provision for learning are all part of the psychosocial environment. Other factors encompass: the economy; social, cultural, and religious influences; geography; socioeconomic status of students families; tax bases; and legal, political, and social institutions. Main Findings The quality of health care is good or outstanding in a majority both public and private schools. School nurses, doctors and social workers presentobviously in the schools to support the students and their families. Medical records are arranged properly and routine follow-up are difficult. The role of the social worker is to have positive relations with families and monitor students attendance carefully. In the majority of the public schools, however, social workers work in isolation and do not communicate properly with other staff in the school to provide a rounded view of students performance. Comparatively little healthy food is sold in school canteens in most public schools; students in these schools often eat crisps and sweets throughout the day. Safety issues including transport measures, fire safety procedures, supervision and security, affect some public and private schools. Students are frequently unsupervised except when in class. School transport is occasionally organized with few considerations for the safety of students in pedestrian areas and on board buses, where working seat belts are not always provided. In a minority of schools there are events of unsuitableusage of physical punishment in response to negative behavior. Different forms of bullying range from kicking, spitting, malicious teasing, taunting, making threats to spreading rumors, engaging in social exclusion, extortion and intimidation. Generalizations cannot be made to understand why bullying occurs; but it should be recognized in all its forms and not tolerated. A survey conducted by ADEC in 2009 involving 1728 students (grades 3 to 6). The findings revealed that young children have various concerns about bullying in the schools; more than 47% considered that students at the school are often endangered or bullied; and more than 63% favor remaining at home because it is more safer than the school. The procedures for student safety are feeble in most private schools excluding those categorized as the best performing. According to KHDA (2009) most private schools have effectual policies to handle bullying and other kinds of upsetting behavior, and students report such events as uncommon. Moreover, whilst the best performing private schools have well-defined procedures for bullying, in many others do not. Students in the schools that were identified to be lacking bullying policy have no person to tell to if there is mistreatment inside or outside the school putting them at risk. Sana, A. A., MOE psychology advisor in Dubai, states that the ministry admits bullying in schools and is trying to overcome it. Some students dont have sufficient information and competency to recognize and contend with the behavior of aggressors (Khaleej, T 2010). According to the head of KHDA, an attention should be given to new forms of bullying, such as cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying has clearly increased in recent years and it can be more harmful and risky than other forms of bullying, (Samineh I. Undated). She cautioned of increasing incidence bullycide where children accustomed to escape to their homes to protect themselves from being intimidated at school, yet, through cyber-bullying there is no escape which give rise to many cases of bullycide ( bully associated suicides), Shaheem said (Gulf,N 2010). When the bully feels they cant express out their hostility on the school grounds, they will yell at either on the way home, on the bus or through text messages, chat rooms or Facebook. Speaking of one of the cases that came to Dubai Psychologist Dr. Singh, D., said that the plight of a small girl came to light only after her friend found her petrified at the sight of an older student and reported the incident. Her friend said that she was literally shaking at the sight of the older student, which led to an investigation that brought to light how the child was being bullied using social networking sites. Parental involvement Research found that parental involvement is one of the essential factorsleading to students success in school. Keeping the parents informed and involved in their childrens education will increase student achievement. Students attend school more frequently, finished more homework in a reliable manner, and exhibit more positive attitudes towards school. They also are more likely to complete high school. Parental involvement helps a child succeed in school and later in life. To ensure parents are informed about and involved in their childrens education, schools must foster partnerships with parents. Because parental involvement is one of the most significant factors in a childs success, it is crucial that all schools set a goal in their SIP for increasing it. Links with parents Many schools have comprehensive connections with parents but they are not continuously as effective as they want to be and some parents are unsatisfied withthe information givenabout their childs progress by the school. However,links with parents are usually good or outstanding in the best performing private schools. A small number of public schools have very good links with the local community and local businesses, which lead to enhanced outcomes for students. This is particularly true of schools in low economic status areas. The ADEC (2009) survey 1429 teachers in public schools and asked them about the number of times they met the parent personally and the degree of parents support to teachers .The result showed 6.9% have never met parents, 28.9% have met them once or twice a semester, 36.7% have met them once or twice a month, while 27.4% meet parents once a week. Regarding parents supporting the teachers teaching efforts, 55.5%feels some; while 13.5% feel never. More than 56.1% of teachers believe that only some parents make considerable effort to help their children learn; while only 5.6% do not at all. As for trust and confidence in parents as being partners in the teachers mission of educating the children, 19.3 % said no. Who Are the Partners in School Improvement Planning? Everybody involved in or interested in the operation of schools has a role to play in the SIP. District school boards and superintendents of education play vital roles in setting guidelines and in supporting and monitoring SIP. The most significantoperation, nevertheless, occurs within the school community itself. An effective SIParises when principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community participants work as a team to identify priorities, set goals for enhancement, apply strategies to reach those aims, and evaluate progress.Generally, principals responsibilities in SIP fall into three main categories:Communication, Leadership, Professional development. How Do We Begin? The first step of the SIP process is: Creating a SIP team; collecting and assessing data about student achievement, the school environment, and parental participation; and setting priorities for improvement through a sequence of activities. Principals play a fundamental role in these early platforms. They ease the creation of a planning team, which will be accountable for establishing priorities, and they ensure that the information needed for effective planning-such as report card marks, the results of assessments. Forming a school improvement planning team Principals should enlighten teachers, school council members, parents, and other community partners about the progressof SIP in a manner that appreciates their participation. In elementary schools, all the participants in the SIPconstitute a part ofthe planning process. Secondary schools, which usually comprise large teaching personnel, should guarantee that at least one representative from each section is part of the planning team, with the school council, parents, and other community affiliates who wish to share. In addition to expressing their preciousviewpoints and skills, teachers will alsofacilitate understanding ofinformation on students achievement as well as the expected value of and challenges implicated in a range of improvement suggestionsto other teammembers. It is imperative that the team be representative of the schools community. Principals should make hard effort to convince parents who correspond to a range of the school communitys demographic profile to play a part in the planning work out. Other communitymembers may offer worthinsights and perspectives, and their input should also be encouraged and vigorously sought out. Principals in the French-language systems will want to include leaders from the local francophone community. Finally, secondary school students should also contribute in the planning team. Principals should give confidenceto their involvement in the process, and possiblylook for those who are student leaders, motivating them to play a role. Principals in elementary schools may desire to engage interested Grade 7 and 8 with the teams work. All participants should have a positive attitude towards the process and realize that they have toact as a team. Scheduling meeting times for the planning team that are suitable to both staff and parents may be challenging. This issue can be solved by arranging parallel processes, whereby staff meets during school time whereas parents meet in the evening. The benefit of this organization is that it allows maximumparents participation. To insure consistency regarding decision makingbetween both groups, selected teachers could volunteer or be delegated to join both meetings. The SIPteam holds the role of analyzing data on student achievement in the school, the efficiency of the school environment, and parental involvement in their childrens education. Established on the results, team limbs make decisions about subjects that must be improved in priority. As figure 1 indicates, the planning work should take place between September and January of year 1. Understanding the context Before beginning a SIP, the planning team, together with parents, must be aware of and be familiar with particular types of information that school boards pass to staff and the public such as boards vision statement, national tests, and boards strategic plan, which includes short- and long-term goals for the district. In addition, members of the planning team should understand the nature and characteristics of the school and its community. Many schools create a school profile that sets out these characteristics in a simple way. Reviewing the school profile and debating each topic facilitate understanding of the school, and it places a context for the improvement strategy. A school profile could include information about the following: Student demographics Enrolment trends Languages spoken in the home The schools mission statement The schools program priorities Programs and services offered by the school (for example, guidance and library services) School facilities Class sizes Rate of student turnover or transfer Other relevant information. Schools in all systems should have other relevant information that will guide the readers of the profile obtain a realistic and full picture of their school. After acquiring an understanding of the boards targets and the schools characteristics, the planning team is prepared to start setting priorities for a SIP. Setting priorities SIPs are structured around three components: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. The planning team must set up one priority in each of these three domains. The following activities will facilitate planning teams create these priorities: Priority for Enhancing Curriculum Delivery Collecting information The principal need to make sure that the planning team has the required data to identify which curriculum component (for instance, mathematics, science, reading, or writing) has the highest priority for improvement. Principal must also verify that the gathered information is reliable-that is, that it was collected according to the expectations and achievement outlined by the MOE. All teachers have to understand the MOEs policy obligations. The principal should therefore collect the following information for the planning team: Results of the annual assessments of students. Report card marks. Class profiles. Results of board-administered, national, and international tests. Discussing the information An open discussion, utilizing all the data collected about student achievement, allows all associates on the planning team to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in providing the curriculum, and identifies a priority for improvement in this regard. Deciding on a priority The facilitator distributes red dot stickers to the team members. Each associate obtains a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All team members vote, using the stickers, for the subject of curriculum weakness that they think should be called first. Members must use all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness with the most dots becomes the priority for enhancing curriculum delivery. Priority for Improving the School Environment Collecting information The principal need to collect information that will help the planning team define a priority subject for improving the school environment, such as school layout, students behavior and health condition. Discussing the information Before the meeting starts, the facilitator should collect the responses to the parent survey, transcribe the strengths and weaknesses of the school as sensed by parents Deciding on a priority The facilitator allots red dot stickers to team members. Each person receives a number of dots equal to one third the number of weaknesses. All members vote, using the stickers, for the ranges of weakness that they suppose should be handled first. Participants must get through all their dots, but they may not use more than one dot per weakness. The weakness rank high dots becomes the priority for enhancing the school environment. Priority for Increasing Parental Involvement Collecting information To help the planning team arrive at an endorsed priority for improving parental involvement, the principal should supply them with duplicates of: the school profile, a summary of the information collected in the parent survey. Discussi

Thursday, September 19, 2019

My Favorite Seasons: Summer and Winter Essay example -- Personal Narrat

If I had to choose my favorite season it would be a very difficult choice. All four seasons are unique in their own special way, such as the climate, scenery, and activities. Although I enjoy the warmer months of summer, I also enjoy the cooler months of winter. In a sense, I have narrowed my favorite seasons down to two; summer and winter. The biggest difference between summer and winter is the climate. One of the main attractions of summer is the warm weather. I like being outside on a bright sunny day, and letting the sun warm my body. I also like that we get an occasional thunder storm. The excitement fills the air when I see the thunder clouds rolling in. The sound of thunder, and the lighting shows that come from the storms are fascinating. On the other hand winter i...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Placing the Blame in Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

Placing the Blame in Macbeth    The blame for the tragedy of Macbeth must be apportioned between the three witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself.    The three witches play a very important role in affecting the actions of Macbeth with their ability to steer him in the direction they desire. They not only use their supernatural powers but also prey on his greed and ambition.    All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!    These predictions are effective in attracting Macbeth's attention because they feed off his desire for what they promise. At this point in the play he is the newly appointed thane of Glamis. Immediately after the predictions, news arrives that he is to be thane of Cawdor. Macbeth cannot help but wonder whether the third prediction will come true or not. Banquo says that the forces of darkness use the truth to win us to harm but Macbeth's ambition makes him unwilling to believe this.    There is an ambiguity in Macbeth - do the witches represent inevitable fate, and is there in this instance the triumph of the forces of darkness, or does Macbeth have free will? If the responsibility for his actions rests with him and him alone, it may be argued that it is his weakness and his ambition that matter. His weakness lies in allowing himself to be bullied and shamed by Lady Macbeth into the murder of his king and guest.    Macbeth Prithee, peace: I dare do all that may become a man, who dares do more is none. Lady Macbeth What beast was't, then That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it then you were a man; And, t... ...f the above, Macbeth is ambiguous about whether we have free will or are controlled entirely by fate. In the play, even though we see Macbeth changing his mind about whether to kill Duncan, he eventually does as the witches foretold; in addition all their other pronouncements came true. This veers more or less towards the idea of fate. If fate is unchangeable and the witches are acting only as messengers, the blame for the tragedy can not be attributed to the witches, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. However, the witches also say about the sailor they are tormenting    Though his bark cannot be lost Yet it shall be tempest tossed    This implies that the witches have only limited powers and can only direct people within certain limits. If this is the case, then we must see that Macbeth's ambition and moral cowardice are responsible for his tragedy.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Comparison of Gilgamesh and Odysseus Essay

In the realm of epic poetry, heroes go off and accomplish great things, while dealing with deities and mortal beings alike. This is no different in Homer’s The Odyssey or The Epic of Gilgamesh. In The Odyssey, the tale is recounted of the great warrior Odysseus trying to return home to his wife after fighting a great war. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, it is told of how a demigod, Gilgamesh, faced retribution for poor leadership and manages to redeem himself. However, with all the similarities and conventions of epic poetry, there are also many differences, such as character traits and the nature of obstacles faced by the heroes as well. Even though Odysseus and Gilgamesh possess great importance to the realities in which they exist, Gilgamesh’s impact on his reality is much more negative than Odysseus’s. One of the most important similarities that Odysseus and Gilgamesh have is that they both serve as connections between the Gods and the mortals. Gilgamesh is born of a god and is the ruler of the people of Uruk. Odysseus invoked the wrath of the Gods because of his cruel treatment of the Cyclops, Poseidon‘s son. No matter what the specific circumstance, Odysseus’s and Gilgamesh’s epic statuses make them critical singularities, representative of the Gods to the people, and representative of humans to the Gods. This gives them a divine impact on the realms in which they exist, making them very influential people Aside from this major similarity between Odysseus and Gilgamesh, the two also have much more in common. They both are great warriors, and the results of them defeating certain people greatly affect their worlds. Odysseus’s killing of the Cyclops, for example was able to make a god such as Poseidon take action, and Gilgamesh killing the bull of heaven sent to kill him by the Gods for mistakes he made in the past. Despite their many similarities, Odysseus and Gilgamesh have many differences as well. Odysseus seems to be presented as more of a cunning tactician while Gilgamesh relies more on brute force.

Monday, September 16, 2019

A&P/Araby Comparison

Christopher Nguyen Dr. Pedersen, 11:30-12:30 Araby and A&P Araby, written by James Joyce 1914 was about a young boy on a quest to woo over the girl of his adolescent dreams. A&P, written by John Updike in a completely different time period, was a story about a young store clerk trying to impress three teenagers by defending them from his manager. Both story lines are different, as well as the time periods and morals, but somehow and in some way, they share many similarities.Between the two stories, you could find a bunch of examples of how they are similar, but one of the more distinct ones is the fact that both stories are told from a first person point of view. In our first story Araby, it is told from the young boy’s point of view. Although nothing is said much about the little boy himself, we can tell from his point of view that he has a very big crush on his friend’s older sister. We also see from his point of view that he lives with an unappreciative uncle and a c oncerning aunt. From our other story A&P; we go into the life of Sammy.In his point of view, we find out that Sammy is a store clerk for a small-town A&P store down in Georgia. He obviously isn’t excited about his job, but when three teenage girls wearing nothing but bikinis on a random hot summer day, he takes notice. In the end, when his manager comes out and ridicules the girls for coming into the store looking indecent, Sammy decides to quit his job in order to defend the ladies thinking that they would commend him for his efforts. Sadly his actions go unnoticed and that’s when we all realize that life from there on will be harder for him.There’s another element in these two stories that share similar traits. It’s the conflict between the main character and the antagonist. In Araby, it’s the little kid falls for the pretty girl, only to be stopped by the antagonist, this case his drunken and broke uncle. A&P is a bit similar and it starts out w ith Sammy falling for â€Å"Queenie† and eventually Lengel, the store manager, is his opposition. Neither characters end up with what they truly wanted in the beginning, but it makes them realize that this is only the beginning.There is one special similarity between these two stories is so great that the authors hid well in the text was the vast imagery. In Araby, there was a vast amount of imagery and a lot of it referred back to the bible such as when he talks about Mangan’s sister’s holding her spikes, how her brothers were fighting over a cap, and how her hair fell over on side of her dress. In A&P, it referred to how â€Å"Queenie† was in some way a mermaid because of her long, white prima-donna lets and how she came down heavy on her heals.Sammy was in a way, mesmerized like Oedipus had been when they cross paths with the sirens. Although A&P and Araby have different story lines and plots, what they do have in common are hidden messages and dilemma s. Both main characters took the road of chivalry and romance, but obviously it didn’t work out for them. However it did make them realize that nothing in life is going to be so easy, and in order to achieve their goals, they would have to go through more experiences in order to get what they want later in life.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Angels in America Essay Essay

Tony Kushner’s play, Angels In America, explores the trials of the journey of human life through the development of his characters throughout the play. When Rabbi Chemelwitz says â€Å"Great Voyages is this world do not any more exist. † (Millennium 16) he speaks only the partial truth. It is true that none of the characters at the funeral can make the same kind of trip Sarah Ironson made, the pilgrimage from her home to a foreign land across the Atlantic. However, the voyage to America Sarah took and the various struggles the characters face have many parallels. Instead of the physical trials of Sarah’s great voyage, they are faced with equally as difficult emotional problems that cause them to make certain choices in the great voyage of their lives. Every character faces some psychological journey throughout the play that takes them to new places emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The best example of all three of these journeys is Prior’s development through the play. Prior’s great voyage is the most obvious and widely explained of any of the characters in the play. We first meet Prior at what he knows is a turning point in his life: telling Louis he has AIDS. He says â€Å"K. S. baby. Lesion number one. † (27) telling Louis he is going to die. This is clearly an immensely difficult decision or Prior because he then goes on to say how afraid he is that Louis will leave him. This is the first real step in Prior’s â€Å"great voyage. † Everything else that happens to Prior is a result of this one act. The most immediate and drastic change brought about by this decision is that Louis confirms Prior’s fears and leaves him. After Louis leaves, Prior is thrown into a deep state of depression. His emotional struggle at this point is a perfect parallel for the initial hardships suffered by immigrants immediately after they leave home. In both cases, their lives are drastically changed by some decision which leads to some form of hardship. For the immigrant, it is the physical hardship of adjusting to life at sea and the emotional hardship of losing their home. For Prior, it is the physical hardship of his own body betraying him due to his AIDS and the emotional shock of needing to live without having Louis as a part of his life. The point where we truly see Prior’s voyage is in Perestroika when he climbs the ladder to heaven. The voyage to heaven and back is Prior’s physical great voyage in the play. Everything else has lead up to this culmination of his journey. Prior: But still. Still. Bless me anyway. I want more life. I can’t help myself. I do. I’ve lived through such terrible times, and there are people who live through much worse, but†¦ You see them living anyway. When they’re more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they’re burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes f their children, they live. (Perestroika 267) When Prior says this, it shows that even though he recognizes that his life is awful, and life in general can be awful, he wants to go on living. While it may seem contradictory, it ends up working out for him in the end when he and Louis make up in the epilogue, or final chapter of Prior’s great voyage. Prior manages to reverse all of the bad about him, except for the AIDS, and even that he is able to beat with his wish for more life. Harper’s great voyage is also another voyage in which the character taking it changes completely. She starts the play as a hopeless drug addled housewife, unable to even truly take care of herself. This is shown in her introduction to the play. She is portrayed as a semi-mad woman who talks to her hallucinations more than actual people. Harper even realizes this is wrong when she says â€Å"Weird stuff happens†¦ like you, for instance. † (Millennium 23) She realizes something is clearly wrong yet does nothing about it. As the play progresses though, she gains more confidence in herself and eventually confronts Joe about his homosexuality. She comes out and directly asks him, â€Å"Are you a homo? † (43) after her hallucination with Prior. This is a huge step for her because she has always had her suspicions about Joe but has never confronted him about it before. Now however, she begins to change. She gains confidence and winds up leaving Joe. It is at this point when she takes a journey with Mr. Lies to try to get away from her life in New York. Unfortunately, the hallucinations are only a temporary distraction as first, Joe finds his way into them and second, she eventually comes back to her senses and is arrested for burning a tree in Central Park. Finally, at the end of her great voyage, she gains enough self-confidence and assurance to make a physical voyage all the way out to San Francisco. A third character who goes on a great voyage through the play is Louis. He originally starts out unable to deal with the reality of Prior having AIDS so he leaves him. However, although he left Prior, he feels truly guilty and awful about it so tries to cover it up. He first tries to bury it by not focusing on it. This is shown by his entire speech at Belize. He doesn’t really want to talk about politics and racism in America, it is his way of coping with the soul-eating guilt that is killing him. He later tries to bury it through sex, â€Å"Keep going. Infect me. I don’t care. I don’t care. †(63) He says this to a random stranger indicating that he feels so guilty, he would rather catch AIDS and die than live with his guilt. He doesn’t stop after this though. He says â€Å"I have to find a way to save myself. † (85) indicating that although Prior is the one with AIDS, he is still only worried about himself. Finally, he continues his downward spiral with Joe. He says â€Å"Let’s stop talking. Or if you have to talk, talk dirty. † This show that he is really not worried in the slightest about Prior at this point and is still only worried about himself. Eventually though, he start to miss Prior, shown when he tells Joe â€Å"I just†¦ need to see him again. † He has the realization that he has greatly wronged Prior and goes back to try and make amends. However, Prior refuses to take him back and although they are no longer lovers, he and Prior are at least back to friends in the epilogue. Louis’ great voyage is an emotional roller coaster in which he eventually does the right thing and makes up with Prior. All of these characters go through great voyages over the course of the play. They change emotionally, physically and psychologically due to them. While Rabbi Chemelwitz may have been technically right when he said they could not go on a great voyage because they are already in America, he is speaking the literal truth. However, the play does not truly bear this out as every character undergoes some fundamental change after going through what can only be described as a great voyage.