Memories of my childhood days Essay Example for Free

Memories of my childhood days Essay Memories of my Childhood Days My first recollection of my childhood is the day I down the stairs when I was three years old. I was so happy that time I cried and cried for nearly an hour in spite of my parents attempts at comforting me. Finally, I quietened down when I was given ice- cream and chocolates. Luckily, I was not hurt because the stairs is not to steep. My days were happy ones before I started going to school, as I had good neighbours to play with me. I was playing from morning till evening. We played games outdoors like Batu Seremban,Police entry and Lumba Lari. There were also other games to occupy our time until my mother bring a rattan to call me back.. At the age of five years, I had to attend kindergarten and this turned out to be quite an ordeal for me. To begin with, I felt very sad having to leave my mother and go off each morning to be amongst strangers. I cried and wanted my mother around, much to my teachers displeasure. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in class and found company. I became happy again and actually looked forward to leaving the house each morning. I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends going around the neighbourhood on my bike. Another fond memory is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Princess in the play, Princess and Gunung Ledang, and I became a celebrity overnight receiving lots of compliments for my performance. I now realise what a wonderful childhood I have had and at times wish I could relive those days.

Soft Systems Methodology

Soft Systems Methodology Soft systems methodology The development of soft systems methodology was the brainchild of Peter Checkland and was developed in the 1960s at Lancaster. Ever since then the technique has grown and now is internationally recognised. To understand soft system methodology we need to understand 2 types of systems thinking. One is hard systems thinking while the other is soft system thinking. Hard systems thinking uses the hard system approaches such as structured methods, and systems engineering. It assumes that that problem is well defined, it has a scientific approach to problems, and considers technical factors foremost. Soft systems thinking uses soft system approaches. This approach is needed when structured methods alike have failed, when problems are messy and not well defined. This technique is more creative in terms of problem solving as it addresses many factors including humans, cultural, ethics, politics etc. It would be safe to say that soft systems methodology looks at the interaction between people and its business environment instead of just technology. By looking at the system as a whole it recognises that a change from one part of the systems may influence another part of a system. It is called â€Å"soft† because its about people and the way they relate to the environment. The systems are the way we use the theory and put it into practices with people, relationship, objects, and processes. This is described here in detail 1(Mackness, 2007). 2 Patching (1993) declared that the methodology is merely a method with a set of guidelines that help predict an outcome to problem situations which is described here (Patching, 1993 p. 41) 1.martinwellsinterview. 2007. Dr John Mackness Soft Systems Methodology [online]. [Accessed 19 November 2007]. Available from World Wide Web: 2 Patching, D. (1993) Practical soft systems analysis. London: Pitman Publishing Checklands software system methodology comprises of a seven stage model. It is very similar to other methods of investigation. Sounce: http://portals.wi.wur.nl/files/images/msp/soft%20systems%20methodology.gif Stage 1. This stage shows messy problems, which are not suitable for hard system methods. Stage 2. Is concerned with rich pictures to express situations more clearly, which in turn provides better feedback. It is the problem expressed in the real world. May included client and yourself in the picture, physical layout, hierarchy etc. Stage 3. Root definitions are needed but first a viewpoint must be selected. Are we looking at it form the employees position or the managers position etc? Root definitions describes what a systems is, and what it will do by doing so, it takes into account whoever is part of the system. It looks at who is part of it and who may be affected in any way. Using the mnemonic CATWOE, this is basically a simple checklist for thinking about problems. Customers Who are they, and how does the issue affect them? Actors Who is involved in the situation? Who will be involved in implementing solutions? And what will impact their success? Transformation Process What processes or systems are affected by the issue? Weltanschauung What is the big picture, world view ? And what are the wider impacts of the issue? Owner Who owns the process or situation you are investigating? And what role will they play in the solution? Environmental Constraints What are the constraints and limitations that will impact the solution and its success? Source : http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/whats-the-problem-find-out-using-catwoe.html Stage 4. Is the conceptual model, which represents the minimum set of procedures for the system to be able to achieve the desired transformation. Procedure and task are described by verbs. Stage 5. Is a comparison of the conceptual model and the real world. Stage 2 and stage 4. Questioning the situation and how they could be changed. Stage 6. This stage discusses where improvements can be made to certain areas and whether it is culturally feasible taking into account stakeholders views, backgrounds, experience of the people involved. Desirable changes are also discussed for the systems that may benefit the transformation. Stage 7. Is to take action and implement the changes that would improve the system. This would involve changes in attitude, finance, equipment, staff, training etc. It is advisable to note stage 3, the root definitions to not overlook things. After implanting the changes it is important to measure the systems performance. In SSM we use the 3 Es which Checkland, Scholes (2001) describes ‘ efficacy (for ‘does the means work?) effienecy (for ‘amount of output divided by amount of resources used) effectiveness (for ‘is T meeting the longer term aim?) 3.(Checkland, Scholes, p.39). 3.Checkland, P. and Scholes, J. (2001) Soft systems methodology in action. Chichester: Wiley Accompanied with the 3 Es would be a model to determine what stage each of the 3 Es are at. This is the complete conceptual model when applying soft systems methodology, which consist of Rich Picture Root Defitions Catwoe Model of transformation Measure of performance Advantages to soft systems methodology Soft systems methodology can be used as a tool to increase an analyst understanding of a problem during investigation as well as the later stages. The technique helps identify areas that need to be improved, and areas that have weaknesses where hard approaches have been unable to do so. It helps produces solutions in a sense that it defines the problem well enough for other system approaches to take over such as hard techniques. By trying to use hard techniques would stop the problem from being seen as a whole. Soft systems methodology relies on a holistic view for the problem to be solved successfully. Another advantage of this methodology is that it doesnt really rely on the use of any equipment except pen and paper. The technique is successful enough to produce solutions to problem just by itself which is supported here 4.(Davies, 1998 p.256). All it needs is a competent analyst. The methodology can be adapted to fit a situation, customer values are considered greatly over other values such as financial and technical values while aiming to find the best solution that would suite all that are involved. Disadvantages to soft systems methodology This disadvantage to soft systems methodology is that the technique does not tell you how to build a system. Problems are subject to change anytime as there were fuzzy in the first place. With added discussions from key actors more changes to the problem situation may be made. It relies heavily on people for SSM to work. Can be very time consuming and requires money and experts. Non technical issues are taken into account which may make the problems situation more complex. Companies sometime view SSM as inferior to other techniques of improving an organisation and would rather hire 2 different parties. One would be the business consultant for improving effectiveness while the other would be a technical consultant to improve the technological side of the organisation. Instead of hiring a SSM competent analyst that would do both by in twining them together some companies would rather keep them separate. Sometimes a goal may never reached as root definitions may still be unclear which i n turn sends the whole process into a loop that may never finish. 4.Davies, P.B. (1998) Information systems development. 3rd ed. Hampshire: Macmillan Press LTD. Souce images / quoatations x 2 Souces 1 youtube 3 books 1 Journals http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/science?_ob=MImg_imagekey=B6VB4-3V7C64C-5-1_cdi=5916_user=121704_orig=search_coverDate=10%2F31%2F1998_sk=999819994view=cwchp=dGLbVzb-zSkzkmd5=c0cb2fed4864aeb21d813248fc205aa1ie=/sdarticle.pdf http://usability.myforum365.com

The Lonely Toiling :: Philosophy Money Papers

The Lonely Toiling My favorite book has always been A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This work has an element of self-reinvention that I find attractive. Few themes are as interesting for me as the theme of a man or a woman, by strength of will, changing his or her stars and defying the convoluted schemes of the Fates. In this regard, I feel a special appreciation for Charles Dickens’ work because Ebenezer Scrooge is not reinventing himself for the sake of material gain; the sole purpose of Scrooge’s transformation is redemption. Dickens constructs a dichotomy in Scrooge’s situation that is unrivalled among literary characters. Ebenezer Scrooge is a man whose driving motivation is to cultivate affluence and wealth, yet these seemingly beneficial things are what cause him to lose his humanity and suffer boundless misery and loneliness. As such, the story of Scrooge is a paradox in kind, where the striving for money and the attainment of happiness are not synchronous. Perhaps the reason that I feel so drawn to the character of Ebenezer Scrooge is that I also suffer greatly from this paradox. I stand at the forefront of those about to join the Investment Banking workforce; security and power are the guaranteed welcome mats. However, I cannot help but ponder all the personal sacrifice that this entry shall entail. The hundred-hour workweeks and the burgeoning pressure from superiors will make it all but impossible for me to foster a family or retain any semblance of a social life. Thus, as for Robert Frost, two paths have converged in the woods for me, and I need to choose the one that I shall travel by. To help guide me in this reconciliation between the personal and the professional, I am visited by my own respective literary ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. I. The ghost of Christmas past arrives to me in the guise of Karl Marx. A short, stocky German man with a thick beard and ruddy eyes, he takes me back to nineteenth century Belgium at the onset of the Industrial Revolution. I view workers toiling over produce that is ultimately taxed out of their hands. I witness the extent to which man is degraded as I look upon the rampant cannibalism caused by the extreme disparity between poverty and wealth. As I struggle to grasp the reasoning behind these sights, Marx explains: The worker becomes poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his production increases in power and extent.

Essay --

Kassidy Hause CWL 320-06, Fall 2013 Dr. Talar Chahinian Final Paper 12-10-13 Ways of Dying, Violence, Fantasy & Comedy Zakes Mda was born in 1948 in Herschel, South Africa and is known for being a novelist, poet, activist, playwright and cultural theorist. Ways of Dying by Zakes Mda is a novel from western form. Literature that was written by Black South African writers between the 1948 and 1994 really captures the oppression and tragic violence that characterized the lives of Blacks under the apartheid. The apartheid or â€Å"apartness† as some Afrikaans call it, describes a system of laws and policies of complete and total racial segregation in South Africa that began in 1948 when the national party came to power. The apartheid did not end until 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president in the first democratic elections. The horrific deaths that are portrayed throughout Zake Mda’s novel Ways of Dying, were all true ways of dying that Zakes Mda, saw himself, read about in the newspaper or read when he was doing research. The very true deaths that he portrays in the novel really p aint a picture of the structural and political violence that was going on in South Africa during the apartheid. This violence and oppression really creates a tragic background for the novel however, Zakes Mda challenges the norm of violence and finds a way to portray it as something somewhat idiotic, which in turn makes Ways of Dying quite comical. He also combines fantasy and magic to the novel, which emulates all the spectacular and wonderful parts of South African beliefs and traditions. Zakes unique way of combining the depiction of how ridiculous it is that death has become so normalized in South Africa and magic and fantasy makes Ways of Dying an ... ... Magic and fantasy is also a central theme for this book because magic gives a sense of hope and belief in people and a strength that people never knew they had. The biggest example is the garden, a magic garden of beauty that still stands among all the horrible things that Toloki and Noria are living in. The garden gives them hope that magic and beauty still exist in the world. In this part of the novel the readers are laughing and smiling because they feel hope and happiness and sense of magic that they are going to get through their issues and be okay. Ways of Dying is a spectacular novel by Zakes Mda, written during the apartheid era, which was a horrific time for South Africans who were abused and murdered by their corrupt government. Zakes Mda was able to provide a sense of history, comedy and hope all into one novel and that any reader would enjoy to read.

Contracts Essay example -- essays research papers

Contracts A contract is an agreement that is enforceable by law. Modern business could not exist without such contracts. Most business transactions involve commitments to furnish goods, services, or real property; these commitments are usually in the form of contracts. Use of the contract in business affairs ensures, to some extent, the performance of an agreement, for a party that breaks a contract may be sued in court for the damages caused by the breach. Sometimes, however, a party that breaks a contract may be persuaded to make an out-of-court settlement, thus saving the expense of legal proceedings. A contract arises when an offer to make a contract is accepted. An offer contains a promise (for example, "I will pay $1,000") and a request for something in return (a person's car). The acceptance consists of an assent by the party to whom the offer is made, showing that the person agrees to the terms offered. The offer may be terminated in a number of ways. For example, the party making the offer may cancel it (a revocation), or the party to whom the offer is made may reject it. When the party to whom the offer is made responds with a different offer, called a counteroffer, the original offer is terminated. Then the counteroffer may be accepted by the party making the original offer. REQUIREMENTS OF A VALID CONTRACT For a contract to be valid, both parties must give their assent. They must act in such a way that the other people involved believe their intention is to make a contract. Thus a person who is clearly not sincere in saying that he or she accepts an offer usually is not held to a contract by the courts. On the other hand, a person who secretly has no intention of making a contract but who acts in a manner that leads people to believe he or she had, may be held to a contract. Legally, it is the external appearance that determines whether one is held to a contract. Consideration A contract results from a bargain. This implies that each party to the contract gives up something, or promises to, in exchange for something given up or promised by the other party. This is called consideration. In the example given above, the consideration on one side is the promise to pay $1,000, and on the other, the promise to deliver a car. With rare exceptions, a promise by one party, without some form of consideration being extended by the other pa... ... of money designed to compensate for losses stemming from the breach). Damages are measured by what may reasonably be foreseen as financial losses; unforeseeable losses may not be collected. If an award of money is not compensatory because something about the promised performance was unique, the party who breaks a contract may be ordered by the court to perform as agreed. This is called specific performance. For example, real estate is always considered unique. Therefore, when a party has contracted to sell real estate but changes his or her mind, the court may grant specific performance and order that the deed for the real estate be delivered to the agreed buyer. Most contracts are formed with an implicit understanding that neither party need perform unless the other has completed his or her promised performance. An exception to this understanding occurs when a party has performed most of his or her obligation and the part not performed is relatively immaterial. The doctrine of substantial performance provides that in such a case, the opposite party must perform, although he or she may secure money damages to the extent that he or she was damaged by lack of complete performance.

How Does Harper Lee Portray Atticus Finch as a Good Parent?

Mufasa, the father of Simba, from Disney’s The Lion King is a perfect example of many desirable qualities. Whenever Simba needs someone to comfort him, Mufasa knows what to do to make Simba feel better. Likewise, when Simba acts out of hand, Mufasa knows when he should reprimand Simba and when Simba is just being a goofy cub. Mufasa comes off as strong, brave, wise, patient and, most importantly, a model of a respectable parent. Just like Mufasa, Atticus Finch also possesses many desirable qualities such as patience, understanding, and bravery.In TKaM, Harper Lee uses the character of Atticus Finch to illustrate the qualities of good parenting. Atticus realizes that losing his temper with Jem and Scout over small incidents is not part of the qualities of good parenting because, throughout TKaM, he does not lose his patience with his children. While on the other hand, there is suspicion that Bob Ewell does the opposite by beating Mayella Ewell, his daughter. From the beginning itself, Harper Lee makes it clear, through a conversation between Miss Maudie Atkinson and Scout, that Atticus does not treat his children like Bob Ewell does.Miss Maudie explains to Scout that most people have split personalities; one for at home and one for in public. Scout cuts her off by saying, â€Å"Atticus don’t ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don’t do in the yard† (46). Scout defends Atticus because she gets into trouble quite a lot, but, even then, Atticus would never lift a finger against her or Jem. Not only does Atticus rarely ever have a fit over Jem and Scout, but he also can maintain his composure and patience with them. Scout, like most young children, always wants her opinions heard until she either receives an explanation or has her way.An example of this would be Scout’s first day of school where she finds herself frustrated from her teacher constantly reprimanding her. When she gets home, Scout recaps the day for At ticus and tells him that her teacher does not want Atticus to read with her at home. She channels her anger by complaining about her distaste for school while Atticus patiently hears her out and replies by calmly saying, â€Å"If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have. Is it a bargain? (31) Atticus could have easily lost his temper with Scout, but, instead, he appealed to her interests. This shows that Atticus likes to make his children happy and that, as a parent, he knows when he must be angry, and when he must show compassion. Showing Atticus as a father who does not lose his patience with his children over silly things is just one of the many ways that Lee portrays Atticus as a good parent. Atticus wants Jem and Scout to grow up with good morals, and one way he does this is by exposing them to an important quality, bravery.An example of this is when Atticus goes against the townspeople’s belie fs by accepting the case of Tom Robinson. This results in negative comments towards Atticus’ family, and his children have to put up with it. One insult from Mrs. Dubose makes Jem so mad that he destroys her Camilla bushes, and his punishment is to read to her for a month. Old and addicted to morphine, Mrs. Dubose wants to try to overcome her addiction before she dies. Sadly, Mrs. Dubose passes away shortly after Jem’s punishment ends and, in an attempt to explain why he made Jem read to Mrs.Dubose, Atticus says, â€Å"†¦I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea the courage is a man with a gun in his hand†¦Mrs. Dubose won†¦ She was the bravest person I ever knew† (112). Atticus, as a respectable parent, wants Jem to see that true bravery is facing up to life’s problems and fixing them in the best way possible. In the same way, Atticus shows his children the meaning of bravery when he turns the other cheek to Bob Ewell. Even though Bob Ewell has won the case, he wants to make his distaste for Atticus clear.So Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’ face and says that he will get him, even if it takes him the rest of his life. The children hear of this incident through Miss Stephanie and are concerned about Atticus’ safety. When they question Atticus about it, Atticus does his best to comfort them by saying, â€Å"We don’t have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got it all out of his system that morning† (218). Knowing that Atticus, their parent and example, can be brave at a time like this gives Scout and Jem the encouragement to let go of their worries and not let the tension in town affect them.Lee has Atticus expose his children to true bravery through Mrs. Dubose and Bob Ewell to show that Atticus does have good parenting qualities. Through Atticus Finch, Harper Lee illustrates the qualities of good parenting in TKaM. Such as when Scout explains to Miss Maudie that Attic us would never raise a finger against either her or Jem because he does not act differently in public than at home. Also, when Scout whines, Atticus does his best to please her because he understands that losing his temper will not help the problem.In addition to that, Atticus exposes his children to true bravery through Mrs. Dubose by showing them to face up to their problems. In the same way, when Atticus turns the other cheek to Bob Ewell, he teaches his children to be brave and not let anything negative affect their lives. Atticus Finch, just like Mufasa from The Lion King, is a patient, wise, and brave father, and he definitely does portray the qualities of admirable parenting.

How Should Teachers Respond to the Ebonics Debate? Essay

What are teachers to do when our students respond to a question saying â€Å"It don’t make no difference† or â€Å"It ain’t good. † What about students write: â€Å"All the mens and womens was forced to go† in a research paper? On one hand teachers want to respect and honor our students’ heritage and culture, but on the other hand, we want to prepare them for the best chance of success. Ebonics refers to a form of language that many African-American students speak. The issue came to public attention in 1997 when the Oakland school board proposed to teach African American students by incorporating Ebonics into the curriculum. This began a heated national debate. Lisa Delpit (2002) explains the issue in a very poignant and insightful way: I have been asked often enough recently: â€Å"What do you think about Ebonics? Are you for it or against it? † My answer must be neither. I can be neither for Ebonics or against Ebonics any more that I can be for or against air. It exists. It is the language that is spoken by many of our African-American children. It is the language many African-American children heard as their mothers nursed them and changed their diapers and played peek-a-boo with them. It is the language through which they first encountered love, nurturance, and joy (p 93). Lisa Delpit’s article entitled â€Å"What should teachers do? Ebonics and culturally responsive instruction† goes on to explain how Ebonics is a reality, and that teachers must develop sound methodology to help students learn to code switch between the two languages. While some critics such as Christopher Todd (1997) fervently believe that if teachers are to acknowledge Ebonics as an acceptable form of language, then they in turn will only further handicap African-American students. Todd argues that this pedagogy will not give non-standard English speakers sufficient skills in Standard English, and in doing so teachers will help to perpetuate cycles of poverty that these very teachers purport to end. Catherine Compton-Lilly’s (2005) â€Å"Nuances of Error: Considerations Relevant to African American Vernacular English and Learning to Read† addresses the issue of how teachers should respond to students who did not grow up in homes where Standard English is spoken. She goes on to establish that African American Vernacular is a well documented form of spoken English, complete with its own syntax and intonation, and that it has been deemed inferior to standard English. Compton-Lilly suggests that until recently there has been very little awareness among teachers that by correcting student’s language, they also undermine their cultures and families. Compton-Lilly then sites research documenting the specific linguistic differences between standard and African American Vernacular. The bulk of the article’s original research is a case study of Lashanda, a first-grader who had fallen behind her peers in reading and had grown up in a house where African American Vernacular was used. Catherine Compton-Lilly tutored Lashanda individually over the course of several weeks and meticulously documented when and how her home language emerged to cause a miscue in her reading. Lashanda made typical â€Å"errors† such as reading aloud â€Å"the roses was broken† instead of â€Å"were† broken.