Leave Your Reality at the Door :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

Leave Your Reality at the Door Definition of the Table: a place where insanity, creativity and intelligence blend together in an often bizarre and amusing combination. Before my years at NDSU began, the Table existed. It is a place to hang out on campus and kill some time that would be better spent otherwise. It is a place where friends through various places and all walks of life come together in a long-since staked out territory to have discussions that vary from normal, to just plain bizarre and others that often border the taboo. If people are between classes and have free time that they aren’t spending studying, they are at the Table. It is our rendez vous point. It becomes a place for us to not worry, to kick back and relax and leave behind the usual version of what people call reality. Without the people and the activity, the scene around the Table is nothing out of the ordinary. In the basement of the Memorial Union there is an area of tables on the tile-floor where the Union Food Court meets the Recreation and Outing Center. The tall tables surrounded by stools are ignored as all the standard height tables have been taken over to form the Table. Generally we have about six tables, pushed into a formation that has evolved into a close area taking up as little space as possible. All the regular wooden chairs have also been commandeered for the Table, though when our numbers are high an occasional stool or otherwise non-matching gimp chair is added. For a while it seemed that the janitors had given up because in the past they had put the tables back in their original spots night. Of course, the next morning we moved them right back. At the beginning of this year the tables were left in place, but as of late the janitors have been putting them back. Recently the round tables returned which adds a completely new dimension to the table, since they perfectly fit in and over the square tables. The Table is positioned directly under a cold air vent adding its usual chill to the group, especially come winter. The unintelligibility of the music droning in the Rec and Outing Center is generally ignored, though a recognized song can bring comment and discussion.

Monitoring and evaluation Essay

Evaluating development programmes 5 What is impact evaluation? 6 Types of evaluation 7 Evidence-based policy making 8 Evaluation questions; hypotheses and performance indicators Development Finance (IFMR) Monitoring an Dec 2,2013 2/11 d Evaluation It is a process that increases â€Å"the range of human choice† [sen,2000] Development is a multidimensional concept: HDI (UNDP) Growth is unidimensional: PCI, GDP Growth and development are interdependent: two-way causality Inclusive growth or growth with a ‘human face’ Eradication of â€Å"capability† deprivations: hunger, malnutrition, access to healthcare, education, etc. Efficiency vs Equity: Bhagwat’ vs Sen 3/11 Development economics as a discipline Emerged in 1940s (following World War II): Asian, African and Caribbean colonies became independent How to achieve development in these emerging economies? Their problems are wholly different from those in advanced countries Need for planning was felt Promoters of development: The World Bank and its affiliates, agencies of I-IN, etc. New evelopment economics went beyond classical(Smith, Malthus, Ricardo) and neoclassical predecessors 4/11 lopment economics as a discipline Why a separate discipline? â€Å"Development economics consists in part of the refinement of general economics to deal with questions which arise in the context of development, and partly of certain special ideas which have proved useful in studying developing countries. † [Bliss, Handbook of Development Economics(1989)] Development economics is dead (Hirschman, 1981; Lal, 1983): ‘East Asian Miracle’ as a triumph of free market Initial phase: industrialisation (Mahalanobis model); inward looking policies

Bestfoods Case study Essay

Bestfoods can only perform effectively through interactions with the broader external environment of which it is a part. The structure and function ¬ing of the international organisation must reflect, therefore, the nature of the environment in which it is operating, including workforce diversity issues. In order to ensure its survival and future success Bestfoods must be readily adaptable to the external demands placed upon it using appropriate structure and support of its HR management team. In this case, Bestfood is responsive to change through workforce diversity management. To operate internationally, Bestfoods has to provide diversity management in order to leverage differences between employees. 1. The key diversity challenges facing by the company include: – two-thirds of employees working outside the USA; – disproportionate number of women and minorities who leave Bestfoods; – gender inequalities (women can reach only middle management level); – women and minorities have less opportunities for career development than men (according to the survey); – high turnover level among women and minorities at every management level; – attitudes and behaviour barrier for promotion; – few women at high positions. These challenges shows that Bestfoods has high diverse workforce that prevent the company to grow rapidly. Managing gender and racial differences should be the part of the management concerned with the maintenance of human relationships and ensuring the physical well being of employees so that they give the maximum contribution to efficient working 2. To overcome diversity problems, Laura Brody was appointed to develop and implement equal opportunity campaigns involving international divisions of the company. She called her task as a â€Å"double edge sword† aimed to propose everyone equal opportunities for carrier development. The key actions helped this strategy to succeed include: – global action learning programs and an incremental change; – the first woman appointed as a country general manager; – the diverse board of directors consisted of two female, an African American CEOs and four males form other countries; – senior-management training programs; – long-term objectives of the company rather than compliance; – Diversity Advisory Council. These key issues encompassed a strategic perspective of the company and were closely related to the management process as a whole demanding that each functional manager and supervisor apply the principles effectively. 3. In order to implement diversity programs, Bestfoods took several steps. (1) Brody changed the nature of Diversity Advisory Council implemented a team-building approach aimed to establish a common vision. If a team is to be successful and perform effectively there must be a spirit of unity and co-operation, which can be achieved through scheduling and decision-making. As a part of this action, the Council developed a Balance Scorecard for diversity. (2) Examining and borrowing experience from leading companies about â€Å"leveraging workforcce† (p. 529) (outside practitioners, gathering best-practice and benchmarking studies). This step helped to avoid possible mistakes and faults. (3) A Cultural Connections program was implemented. It helps to reconcile the gap between what should happen, and desire-targets and standards of performance; and what is happening and levels of work performance. It involved: educational programs, training, sexual harassment prevention training, motivation for further education, etc. (4) Forum initiative. 4. In general, the idea of a Forum was very effective helping to join employees, increase their confidence, motivation and commitment; provide recognition, enhanced responsibility, and promotion; give a feeling of personal satisfaction and achievement, and broader opportunities for career progression. The idea of Forum could help to improve organisational perfor ¬mance as it increases the level of individual and organisational compe ¬tence. Nevertheless, the drawback of this policy was that Brody decided to involve only women as participants. Instead of a blend of competence, the Forum resulted in greater diversity within organization. (5) An alternative action to this program can be the International HR management Forum involving male and female employees, HR managers from different countries and the USA. This strategy would be more effectible in terms of overall company’s policy towards diversity management. This International HR Form would ensure human resources policy as an essential part for every manager and supervisor aware of diversity management. It would develop an integrated approach for organisations to locate equality issues in their mainstream activities. (6) The main problems faced by Brody and Shoemate included negative attitudes of male employees and women excluded from discussions the diversity issues. In general, this approach broadened gander diversity, and created a negative image of females as executives. Many women were afraid that: â€Å"after attending an all-women forum might encourage others to think their success was owed primarily to their status as women rather to their competence† (p. 540). The challenge was that the Forum forced some executives to rethink their attitude towards women’s potential and look objectively at their competence and professional skills. (7) Unfortunately, the Forum was negatively perceived by male employees. For some of them it was nothing more than â€Å"koffee-klatch† (p. 541) and discrimination on the gender basis. It is possible to treat this meeting as indirect discrimination depriving most employees from opportunities to be involved in problem-solving and strategic planning. This policy did not offend only male employees, but women who had not been invited. Most women called it another â€Å"private club† party (p. 540). Brody and Shoemate did not develop a sense of people per ¬ception, and did not understand the feelings of staff, their needs and expectations. (8) In any case, leadership played a crucial role helping to held female employees together and motivated them to give their best effort to the job. Communication strategies helped to provide satisfaction of members’ social needs, and a sense of personal identity and belonging to organization. Communication provided additional channels and means of motivation, for example, through status, social inter ¬action. Decision-making about the future strategy of the organization was made and implemented by employees. It was very important that employees were involved in this process. The unity of leadership, communication and decision-making created an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect between managers and employees. (9) Bestfoods and Brody can institutionalized the position of a diversity manager in every office around the world. This strategy will help to address not only women question, but to cover equal employment opportunities for all employees in spite of their gender, position in the company or racial/national differences. The Forum should be based on an elective principle which means that every employee in the company has an equal opportunity to take part in it. The Forum can address different questions involving all employees of Bestfoods. This strategy will increase team effectiveness which depends upon different strategies including a spirit of unity and co-operation, which can be achieved through leveling of differences. In an opening letter to all CPC Employees, Shoemate underlined that the policy of the company is: â€Å"an ongoing process that affects everyone in the company. †¦ we need to engage every person in this effort† (p. 546). Nevertheless, the Forum did not present different groups of employees focused only on gender diversity question. To overcome this drawback, the Forum can create separate working teams examining gender diversity, minorities’ rights, equal opportunities and equal pay issues. Recognising that men and women present different cultures at work, as well as different ethnic groups, and that this diversity needs to be managed, is key to promoting a positive environment of equal opportunity, which goes beyond merely fulfilling the demands of the statutory codes. References 1. Case Study: Bestfoods.

Westside story Essays

Westside story Essays Westside story Paper Westside story Paper Westside story takes the form of a musical. The plot works itself around the songs which are structured in each scene. There are two acts and within the acts are scenes which help to create the storyline and structure the play. As there are two scenes we could say there are two episodes, because the first act builds up the story and develops the key roles of the characters so the audience gets to know what they are like. In the first scene in act one we are immediately introduced to the two gangs. The audience find out what is happening between both gangs and the reasons why these events are happening. The first scene is structured so that it builds into both gangs having a rumble. After this scene the rest of the play is set out to revel the build up tension before a big climax at the end of both acts. There are a number of scenes within both acts. It is set in chronological order; however act two has fewer and shorter scenes compared to act one. This could be in order to build up tension and the last scene of the whole play releases this for the big final. This is shown in the scene involving Tony and Doc at the drugstore and Doc reveals to Tony that Chino has shot and killed Maria. This is a very short scene; it has created an effect on the audience because it straight to the point and it leaves the audience thinking what is Tony going to do next? As the play has taken the form of a musical. Songs and dance has obviously been included. These are used within the play and must work well to have the desired effect with the storyline for the play to work as a whole. This is shown in act one scene five when Tony is outside Marias window and they both sing, Tonight, Tonight. They are showing their true love for each other and nothing can stop them from being together. This song has been structured so that it finishes towards the end of the first act and the eventual climax of it. Another example is also in act one scene five when the Puerto Ricans sing the song, America. This fits in with the storyline because of the fact that they are immigrants who have just moved here showing their feelings and views about America and Puerto Rico. Dance is used to reflect movement and physicality. An example of this is the opening scene when the Sharks and Jets are introduced. We acted out this scene as a class. We divided ourselves into two equal groups, lined up and faced the opposite group about ten feet away from each other. We each held a pose for a few seconds and began walking around the room keeping eye contact with everyone especially those in the opposite group. Each of us had our eye one particular rival gang member, we both would eventually come together making unfriendly gestures towards each other and try and get a nasty reaction out of one another, like imitating the way one walks. After getting away from one another, each and every one of us in the whole class would suddenly hit someone, be hit or dragged by our hair by an imaginary person, but with no one physically jus imitating as if someone was really there. The sequences of the balance of dialogue, monologues and songs were factors that do effectively create the desired effect. The actions and dialogues used in the play helps to show us their background culture. For example, the Sharks; Puerto Ricans are always clicking their fingers and are always in an upright matter. This implies their status and think highly of themselves. This is also shown through dialogue, for example when Bernardo clicks his finger, all the gang follow without him having to say a word. When discussing monologues, they are spoken in both verse and song. Monologues of the characters have been structured so that they take the form of a song. Some songs involve more than one character, but whatever way the last sentence is always left with one person communicating with the audience. The structure of the play as a whole does not change very much. At the end of both acts there are major climaxes and they built up in the previous scenes. The two main scenes are at the end of each act. At the end of act one, tension has been increases slowly between the two gangs and in this scene both gangs want to end their rivalry once and for all. Also, Tony has fallen in love with Maria, sister of Bernardo, and Maria made Tony promise to not let ant fighting go ahead between both of the gangs. This keeps the audience from wondering if Tony would keep his promise to Maria or not. Both gangs meet under the highway; this provides a necessary image for the fight scene and does actually work really well. Tony does try to stop the fight, however resulting to Bernardo stabbing and killing Riff, Tonys best friend. Tony, in rage that his best friend has just been murdered accidentally, without thinking of the consequences grabs a knife and stabs Bernardo and kills him. Tony is left standing over the two bodies and screams out Marias name. This scene ends with Tony running away and then it is a blackout, end of act one. This leaves the audience on the edge of their seat wanting to know what is going to happen next. The playwright has considered the form of the play and has carefully balanced out what has happened and why. The final scene of the play is the most important of them all. The setting fits with the storyline and as it is set in a street in darkness does give the impression the story is near to an end. The audience want to know what is going to happen now. What one small character can say or do can change the whole course of the play. The scene begins with Tony screaming Chinos name. Tension is still increasing as the audience know that Chino didnt really kill Maria, as this is what Doc told Tony earlier. However, the audience still want to know how this is all going to turn out. To Tonys surprise Maria appears from the shadows and they both begin to run towards each other. Everyone in the audience think they are finally found out the truth and all can be forgiven and they are going to live happily ever after. They are wrong, to the audiences shock when Tony is running towards Maria a gunshot is fired from the shadows and Tony falls into Marias arms and eventually dies. All the characters appear and both gangs reunite and carry Tonys body out and the play is ended. The structure has been created to build up the audience for a happy ending; however the complete opposite has been made giving an unexpected shock to the audience. This is a very powerful scene and the way the scenes have been structured and set out help make tension and give satisfaction to the audience.

The Invention of Velcro

The Invention of Velcro Its hard to imagine what we would do without Velcro, the versatile hook-and-loop fastener used in so many aspects of modern life- from disposable diapers to the aerospace industry. Yet the ingenious invention came about almost by accident. Velcro was the creation of Swiss engineer Georges de Mestral, who had been inspired by a walk in the woods with his dog in 1941. Upon their return home, de Mestral noticed that burrs (from the burdock plant) had attached themselves to his pants and to his dogs fur. De Mestral, an amateur inventor and a curious man by nature, examined the burrs under a microscope. What he saw intrigued him. De Mestral would spend the next 14 years attempting to duplicate what he saw under that microscope before introducing Velcro to the world in 1955. Examining the Burr Most of us have had the experience of burrs clinging to our clothing (or our pets), and considered it a mere annoyance, never wondering why it actually happens. Mother Nature, however, never does anything without a specific reason. Burrs have long served the purpose of ensuring the survival of various plant species. When a burr (a form of a seed pod) attaches itself to an animals fur, it is carried by the animal to another location where it eventually falls off and grows into a new plant. De Mestral was more concerned with the how than the why. How did so small an object exert such a stronghold? Under the microscope, de Mestral could see that the tips of the burr, which appeared to the naked eye as stiff and straight, actually contained tiny hooks that can attach themselves to fibers in clothing, similar to a hook-and-eye fastener. De Mestral knew that if he could somehow recreate the simple hook system of the burr, he would be able to produce an incredibly strong fastener, one with many practical uses. Finding the Right Stuff De Mestrals first challenge was finding a fabric he could use to create a strong bonding system. Enlisting the help of a weaver in Lyon, France (an important textile center), de Mestral first tried using cotton. The weaver produced a prototype with one cotton strip containing thousands of hooks and the other strip made up of thousands of loops. De Mestral found, however, that the cotton was too soft- it could not stand up to repeated openings and closures. For several years, de Mestral continued his research, looking for the best material for his product, as well as the optimal size of loops and hooks. After repeated testing, de Mestral eventually learned that synthetics worked best, and settled on heat-treated nylon, a strong and durable substance. In order to mass-produce his new product, de Mestral also needed to design a special type of loom that could weave the fibers in just the right size, shape, and density- this took him several more years. By 1955, de Mestral had completed his improved version of the product. Each square inch of material contained 300 hooks, a density that had proven strong enough to stay fastened, yet was easy enough to pull apart when needed. Velcro Gets a Name and a Patent De Mestral christened his new product Velcro, from the French words velours (velvet) and crochet (hook). (The name Velcro refers only to the trademarked brand created by de Mestral). In 1955, de Mestral received a patent for Velcro from the Swiss government. He took out a loan to begin mass-producing Velcro, opening plants in Europe and eventually expanding into Canada and the United States. His Velcro USA plant opened in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1957 and is still there today. Velcro Takes Off De Mestral had originally intended Velcro to be used for clothing as a zipper-less zipper, but that idea was not initially successful. During a 1959 New York City fashion show that highlighted clothing with Velcro, critics deemed it ugly and cheap-looking. Velcro thus became associated more with athletic wear and equipment than with haute couture. In the early 1960s, Velcro received a huge boost in popularity when NASA began using the product to keep objects from floating around under zero-gravity conditions. NASA later added Velcro to astronauts space suits and helmets, finding it more convenient than the snaps and zippers that were previously used. In 1968, Velcro replaced shoelaces for the first time when athletic shoe manufacturer Puma introduced the worlds first sneakers fastened with Velcro. Since then, Velcro fasteners have revolutionized footwear for children. Even the very young are able to independently fasten their own Velcro shoes well before they learn how to tie their laces. How We Use Velcro Today Today, Velcro is in use seemingly everywhere, from the healthcare setting (blood pressure cuffs, orthopedic devices, and surgeons gowns) to clothing and footwear, sporting and camping equipment, toys and recreation, airline seat cushions, and more. Most impressively, Velcro was used in the first human artificial heart transplantation to hold together parts of the device. Velcro is also used by the military but has recently undergone some modifications. Because Velcro can be too noisy in a combat setting, and because it has a tendency to become less effective in dust-prone areas (such as Afghanistan), it has been temporarily removed from military uniforms. In 1984, on his late-night television show, comedian David Letterman, wearing a Velcro suit, had himself catapulted onto a Velcro wall. His successful experiment launched a new trend: Velcro-wall jumping. De Mestrals Legacy Over the years, Velcro has evolved from a novelty item into a near-necessity in the developed world. De Mestral very likely never dreamed of how popular his product would become, nor the countless ways it could be used. The process de Mestral used to develop Velcro- examining an aspect of nature and using its properties for practical applications- has come to be known as biomimicry. Thanks to Velcros phenomenal success, de Mestral became a very wealthy man. After his patent expired in 1978, many other companies began producing hook-and-loop fasteners, but none are allowed to call their product Velcro, a trademarked name. Most of us, however- just as we call tissues Kleenex- refer to all hook-and-loop fasteners as Velcro. Georges de Mestral died in 1990 at the age of 82. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999.

Cuban Missile Crisis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cuban Missile Crisis - Assignment Example Additionally, the U.S. resolved to destroy all its weaponry positioned in Italy and Turkey. It vowed never to attack Cuba unless directly provoked. The paper strives categorically to afford a detailed analysis of the Cuban missile crisis. It will focus on the actions that triggered the crisis during the 1960s. Additionally, it will examine both its short term and long-term implication. A number of factors are directly linked to the emergence of the Cuban missile crisis. Since time immemorial, the US has been against the close association between the European communist nations and South American nations (Kennedy, 2011). The US felt threatened by an alliance between the Latin and the Soviet Union. After the adoption of communism by Cuba, the US tried to overthrow the Cuban government. However, it failed and the operation adopted the name failed Bay of Pigs invasion. After the botched operation, the Soviet Union resolved to strengthen its position by offering to place nuclear missile in Cuba. Fidel Castro, the then Cuban leader gladly agreed hoping that it would deter further attacks from the U.S. When the plot was known to the US, the Cuban Missile crisis ensued. The aftermath of the crisis helped shape the relation between the Soviet Union and the US. Khrushchev credibility bared the blunt of international criticism after agreeing to dismantle the missiles and because the US nuclear deployment in turkey and Italy was not known publicly. The political downfall of the soviet leader is directly linked to the conclusion of the crisis. However, the resolution was applauded in the U.S. with historian citing it as a great achievement by John Kennedy’s government (Khan, 2012). Additionally, they argued that the US success in the crisis had prompted its involvement in other military operation across the globe. The crisis also led to the creation of a Moscow-Washington hot line that linked the Kremlin and the White house. The cold war

International Economics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Economics - Article Example This is already happening in many professions, for example in secretarial, and some customer services areas like call centers, and even in highly skilled professions like radiology and accountancy. The effect of this will be to relocate many millions of jobs away from richer countries and towards poorer countries like India which has an educated, English speaking workforce with lower wage costs. Binder recommends that America should resist the temptation to engage in protectionist activities, because these shifts are inevitable, but to promote instead workforce flexibility, aids to transition towards personal and local services, and better safety nets for displaced workers. The current transformational initiative of US economic reform is compatible with this next industrial revolution because it aims to maintain the principle of free trade, and this is a major requirement for success in this new world situation. There are dangers, however, that ever increasing health, pension and welfare costs, along with strong resistance from well- educated and vocal workers who see the rise of competition from workers in other countries as a threat will reduce America’s stability and competitiveness. There may even be a backlash calling for more trade barriers. There is a big agenda issue in terms of educational reform also, which America will need to address more urgently. Workers need to be trained for flexibility, and to take more responsibility for employment insurance and