Saturday, November 30, 2019

Mga ama, mga anak free essay sample

Mga Ama, Mga Anak (Fathers and Sons) is a play in three-acts written by Nick Joaquin in 1976. The original text in English was published in Manila by National Book Store Inc, in 1979. This is based on his short story Three Generations. † This Filipino translation of Nick Joaquins Fathers and Sons dramatizes the conflicts between generations, particularly the father and sons. It tells the conflicts of Zacarias Monzon who used to be powerful in his town. The story revolves from the time he was ill and wheelchair bound, with conflicts in his family still unresolved, until he realizes the cruelty and inadequacies in this family before he dies. CAST: ROBERT AREVALO (Zacarias) SPANKY MANIKAN (Zacarias) NANDING JOSEF (Celo) MARCO VIANA (Chitong) CRIS VILLONCO (Bessie/Pokpok) JACKIELOU BLANCO (Sofia) CELESTE LEGASPI (Sofia) PEEWEE O’HARA (Mrs. Paulo) BANAUE MICLAT (Nena) MADELEINE NICOLAS (Nena) And Tanghalang Pilipino ACTORS COMPANY In 1976, the year Nick Joaquin was declared National Artist for Literature, he rewrote his short story â€Å"Three Generations† into a three-act play titled â€Å"Fathers and Sons. We will write a custom essay sample on Mga ama, mga anak or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † A year later, future National Artist Lino Brocka directed the first staging of the play at the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s Dulaang Raha Sulayman, an open-air theater housed in the ruins of Fort Santiago in Intramuros. It had been translated into â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† by Virgilio Almario, another future National Artist, and Pete Lacaba. In its various performances, â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† featured the talents of Ruben Rubio, Robert Arevalo, Lloyd Samartino, Boots Anson Roa, Hilda Koronel, Alicia Alonso, Butch Aquino, and Joel Lamangan, among others. On Feb. 21, 2014, both Arevalo and Lamangan, now heavyweights in the local entertainment industry, return on stage for Tanghalang Pilipino’s â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak,† almost 37 years after the plays world premiere. Back then, Arevalo played Celo, son of the dying Zacarias Monson, while Lamangan was one of the boys who smashed the massive table at the end of the play. It was Lamangan’s first appearance on stage. For its 2014 edition, Arevalo is now Zacarias the family patriarch, while Lamangan directs the play, which closes the 27th season of the Tanghalang Pilipino. Robert Arevalo (center) leads the cast of Mga Ama, Mga Anak. CCP Tanghalang Pilipino In an interview in between rehearsals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Lamangan said he readily grabbed the opportunity to direct a Nick Joaquin work, saying he has not done any of the pieces by the late National Artist. â€Å"When [TP artistic director] Nanding Josef told me I would be directing Mga Ama, Mga Anak, I said yes right away. My first acting job was in a play directed by Brocka called Mga Ama, Mga Anak. I was one of the two men who destroyed the big table at the end of the play,† he said in between sips of coffee. â€Å"In today’s crop of seasoned performers, Robert Arevalo and Spanky Manikan are the closest talents a director can tap to play the role of Zacarias, which demands a big stage presence,† Lamangan said of Arevalo and Manikan, who alternates in essaying the lead role. â€Å"I did not make a mistake in choosing them as lead actors,† he added. Lamangan said while this version of â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† uses the Lacaba-Almario script in Filipino, he decided to tweak it by removing the winding discussion on religion and death. â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak is one of the most commercial and accessible of Joaquin’s works. It has all the elements of a family drama. The story is about a dying era, the coming in of new inventions. Joaquin once said cultural expressions and lifestyles are being dictated by what is newly invented. In this story, cars are slowly replacing calesas,† he said. Lamangan said the plays story is timeless. â€Å"The conflict is still universal. The conflict is still power. The conflict is still submission. The conflict is still oppression. Bullying is now the form of oppression most common. The young audience can identify. † On his return to a CCP stage for Joaquin’s work, Arevalo said: â€Å"It is very good to be back on stage. Theater or stage is an actor’s medium. Theater work is a more serious endeavor. Acting on stage again is very satisfying professionally and artistically. † â€Å"Like Mga Ama, Mga Anak, the material spells the difference. I do not get roles as meaty as this anymore because of the way show business goes these days. The films and television shows are too youth-oriented and the emphasis is on love teams,† Arevalo said in a separate interview. Celeste Legaspi, on the other hand, said: â€Å"To be back on stage memorizing lines is good for the brain cells. It is a nice challenge. It is my first time to be directed by Joel Lamangan. He is very challenging as a director. He is a very good director. † Legaspi plays Sofia, Zacarias’ daughter-in-law and wife of Celo. She alternates with Jackielou Blanco. Cris Villonco, who plays the role of prostitute Bessie, Zacarias lover, said: â€Å"It is very interesting to be working with these veteran talents. As a young kid, I’ve watched them in my Lola’s Aawitan Kita and her other productions, also in the television shows of my mother. Now I get to share a stage with them. I get to act with them. It is an interesting mix of talents in one show. It is also a lot of fun. † Madeleine Nicolas said â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† deals with the â€Å"dynamics and tensions of father-son relationships. † â€Å"They always say that a son becomes like his father if he likes him or becomes the opposite if he hates his father. † Banaue Miclat, meanwhile, said the play also tackles the â€Å"universal theme of living in the past and making peace with your past. † â€Å"How do we let go? People can relate to the universal theme of letting go,† she added. Nicolas and Miclat alternate as Nena, Zacarias daughter. Other members of the cast are: Nanding Josef as Celo, Marco Viana as Zacarias grandson Chitong, and Peewee O’Hara as Mrs. Paulo.

Monday, November 25, 2019

What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours

What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For those of you who have started researching college admissions, you may have heard of the concept of a â€Å"safety school.† What is a safety school? Simply, a safety school is one in which your odds of getting in are extremely high. Everyone who applies to college should apply to safety schools. Why? You don’t want to risk getting rejected from all the schools you apply to. In this article, I'll define and explain the concept of a safety school. Furthermore, I'll discuss how to identify your safety schools and determine the number of safety schools you should apply to. What Is a Safety School? A safety school is a college that you're almost guaranteed to get into. Your GPA should be well above the average student's at that school and your SAT or ACT score should be above the 75th percentile for that school. I would say you should have at least an 80% chance of gaining admission, based on the numbers, to consider a college a safety school. Also, no college with an admissions rate lower than 15% can ever be considered a safety school. If a college is that selective, regardless of your grades and SAT scores, you can never assume that your odds of admission will be greater than 80%. The most selective schools routinely reject students with perfect grades and standardized test scores. Here's a hypothetical example to illustrate the concept of a safety school. Example Brittany has a 3.75 GPA and received a 680 SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score and a 700 SAT Math score. She applied to Arizona State University. Is ASU a safety school for her? Yes. The average GPA for ASU is 3.54, and the average SAT scores are 610 for EBRW and 620 for Math. The 75th percentile SAT score is 1350. Additionally, the admissions rate for ASU is 84%. Brittany should feel extremely confident that she'll be admitted to ASU and can use it as a safety school. Brittany's safety school How to Identify Your Safety Schools How do you know which colleges to use as safety schools? Many students will apply to their less competitive in-state public schools as safety schools, especially because in-state public colleges tend to offer lower tuition rates to in-state residents. Also, there are schools that offer guaranteed admission if you reach a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score. Most of these colleges are state schools and the offer extends to in-state residents. There's a guaranteed path to admission for California residents at University of California schools and automatic admission programs in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, and Nevada. Research a school's admissions requirements on its website to determine if there's a similar offer at that school. You can refer to popular college rankings lists from sources like US News World Report, Forbes, and Princeton Review and research schools that meet some of the criteria you're looking for in a college.Your standardized test scores should surpass the 75th percentile and your GPA should be above the school’s average to possibly consider a college a safety school. Use PrepScholar tools. If you enter your SAT score here, PrepScholar will automatically give you a list of possible safety schools based on your SAT score. Additionally, you can Google "(name of school) prepscholar admissions requirements" and use the admissions calculator on a school's profile to get a rough idea of your chances of admission. If you have at least an 80% chance according to the calculator, then you can probably categorize the school as a safety school. If you know college students who had qualifications lower than yours, you can research the colleges they’re attending and see if you can use any of those schools as your safety schools as well. Keep in mind that your GPA and SAT scores are only two components that determine whether you’re accepted to a school. Your extracurricular activities, recommendations, essays, and background also play a role when your application is evaluated. However, GPA and SAT/ACT scores are the most important factors and they’re the most objective available statistics. If your GPA and standardized test scores are much higher than those of the typical applicant, then other components of your application can be weaker and you'll still likely gain admission. How Many Safety Schools Should You Apply to? There's no set number of safety schools that you should apply to, but make sure you're open to attending the schools you're applying to. It's a waste of time to apply to a school that you would never attend. The college application process can be costly and time-consuming, especially if you apply to schools that don't use the Common Application. Generally, I recommend applying to 1/3 safety schools. If you apply to ten schools, at least three should be considered safety schools. You want to give yourself some options from the schools that are very likely to admit you. Then, 1/3 of the schools you apply to can be reach schools, schools that are likely to reject you based on your qualifications or their extremely low acceptance rates. The remaining 1/3 of schools you apply to can be target schools, schools that offer you about a 30%-80% chance of admission. Some students decide to apply to a higher percentage of reach schools because they're more interested in going to those schools and are hopeful that they'll get into one. The most important thing is to apply to at least a couple of safety schools to ensure that you'll have multiple options during the college selection process. Give yourself options! Quick Review A safety school is a college to which you have an extremely good chance of gaining admission (above 80%). You can safely assume you'll be accepted. Identify possible safety schools by consulting websites, ranking lists, and friends. Consider in-state public colleges that are safety school options. Use the admissions calculator on the PrepScholar database to determine if a particular school could be a safety school. Find out if there are any schools to which you qualify for automatic admission. Apply to about 1/3 safety schools. Ensure that you have options. What's Next? If you're about to start the application process, learn how to write about extracurriculars on your college applications. Also, check out this post if you have a high GPA but low SAT score. Finally, as you're considering your college options, read about whether you should consider going to college out of state. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours

What Is a Safety School How Should You Choose Yours SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For those of you who have started researching college admissions, you may have heard of the concept of a â€Å"safety school.† What is a safety school? Simply, a safety school is one in which your odds of getting in are extremely high. Everyone who applies to college should apply to safety schools. Why? You don’t want to risk getting rejected from all the schools you apply to. In this article, I'll define and explain the concept of a safety school. Furthermore, I'll discuss how to identify your safety schools and determine the number of safety schools you should apply to. What Is a Safety School? A safety school is a college that you're almost guaranteed to get into. Your GPA should be well above the average student's at that school and your SAT or ACT score should be above the 75th percentile for that school. I would say you should have at least an 80% chance of gaining admission, based on the numbers, to consider a college a safety school. Also, no college with an admissions rate lower than 15% can ever be considered a safety school. If a college is that selective, regardless of your grades and SAT scores, you can never assume that your odds of admission will be greater than 80%. The most selective schools routinely reject students with perfect grades and standardized test scores. Here's a hypothetical example to illustrate the concept of a safety school. Example Brittany has a 3.75 GPA and received a 680 SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score and a 700 SAT Math score. She applied to Arizona State University. Is ASU a safety school for her? Yes. The average GPA for ASU is 3.54, and the average SAT scores are 610 for EBRW and 620 for Math. The 75th percentile SAT score is 1350. Additionally, the admissions rate for ASU is 84%. Brittany should feel extremely confident that she'll be admitted to ASU and can use it as a safety school. Brittany's safety school How to Identify Your Safety Schools How do you know which colleges to use as safety schools? Many students will apply to their less competitive in-state public schools as safety schools, especially because in-state public colleges tend to offer lower tuition rates to in-state residents. Also, there are schools that offer guaranteed admission if you reach a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score. Most of these colleges are state schools and the offer extends to in-state residents. There's a guaranteed path to admission for California residents at University of California schools and automatic admission programs in Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, and Nevada. Research a school's admissions requirements on its website to determine if there's a similar offer at that school. You can refer to popular college rankings lists from sources like US News World Report, Forbes, and Princeton Review and research schools that meet some of the criteria you're looking for in a college.Your standardized test scores should surpass the 75th percentile and your GPA should be above the school’s average to possibly consider a college a safety school. Use PrepScholar tools. If you enter your SAT score here, PrepScholar will automatically give you a list of possible safety schools based on your SAT score. Additionally, you can Google "(name of school) prepscholar admissions requirements" and use the admissions calculator on a school's profile to get a rough idea of your chances of admission. If you have at least an 80% chance according to the calculator, then you can probably categorize the school as a safety school. If you know college students who had qualifications lower than yours, you can research the colleges they’re attending and see if you can use any of those schools as your safety schools as well. Keep in mind that your GPA and SAT scores are only two components that determine whether you’re accepted to a school. Your extracurricular activities, recommendations, essays, and background also play a role when your application is evaluated. However, GPA and SAT/ACT scores are the most important factors and they’re the most objective available statistics. If your GPA and standardized test scores are much higher than those of the typical applicant, then other components of your application can be weaker and you'll still likely gain admission. How Many Safety Schools Should You Apply to? There's no set number of safety schools that you should apply to, but make sure you're open to attending the schools you're applying to. It's a waste of time to apply to a school that you would never attend. The college application process can be costly and time-consuming, especially if you apply to schools that don't use the Common Application. Generally, I recommend applying to 1/3 safety schools. If you apply to ten schools, at least three should be considered safety schools. You want to give yourself some options from the schools that are very likely to admit you. Then, 1/3 of the schools you apply to can be reach schools, schools that are likely to reject you based on your qualifications or their extremely low acceptance rates. The remaining 1/3 of schools you apply to can be target schools, schools that offer you about a 30%-80% chance of admission. Some students decide to apply to a higher percentage of reach schools because they're more interested in going to those schools and are hopeful that they'll get into one. The most important thing is to apply to at least a couple of safety schools to ensure that you'll have multiple options during the college selection process. Give yourself options! Quick Review A safety school is a college to which you have an extremely good chance of gaining admission (above 80%). You can safely assume you'll be accepted. Identify possible safety schools by consulting websites, ranking lists, and friends. Consider in-state public colleges that are safety school options. Use the admissions calculator on the PrepScholar database to determine if a particular school could be a safety school. Find out if there are any schools to which you qualify for automatic admission. Apply to about 1/3 safety schools. Ensure that you have options. What's Next? If you're about to start the application process, learn how to write about extracurriculars on your college applications. Also, check out this post if you have a high GPA but low SAT score. Finally, as you're considering your college options, read about whether you should consider going to college out of state. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Hardbound God in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

A Hardbound God in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit A woman climbs into the pulpit and begins to preach. Her words are persuasive and moving, and many believe that she speaks from the Spirit. She is a woman of faith who longs to fulfill her mother’s desire for her to become a missionary. She is smart and she is pious. And according to her congregation, she is an abomination. This gifted preacher is Jeanette, the protagonist in Jeanette Winterson’s â€Å"quirky, unconventional, and often comic† novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (Merriam-Webster 1207). As was Winterson herself, the book’s protagonist is raised in a climate of religious fanaticism. Her family’s DEEDS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT tablecloth is only one indication of its unswerving devotion to biblical fundamentalism. But just as the word Bible means not â€Å"a book,† but â€Å"a collection of books,† so Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is not a story but a collection of stories. Ranging from the wry to the fanciful, these related anecdotes tell the tale not only of Jeanette’s life, but also a tale about storytelling itself. Through the postmodern use of story frames, Winterson both constructs and deconstructs her own narrative, and in doing so, she builds Jeanette an escape hatch from the snares of religious zealotry. Oranges is a book brimming with religious symbolism. Most obviously, the chapters are built on a biblical armature, each named for a book of the Bible. In the first chapter, Genesis, Jeanette tells of her Messiah-style birth: Her mother, not wanting to conceive a child in the typical fashion, â€Å"followed a star until it came to settle above an orphanage, and in that place was a crib, and in that crib, a child. A child with too much hair† (Winterson 10). But there the symbolism only begins. Jeanette says that her mother â€Å"took the child away for seven days and seven nights† (Winterson 10). The phrase echoes a biblical passage—â€Å"So they sat down with [Job] upon the ground for seven days and seven nights† (Job 2:13)—and includes the symbolic number seven, the number of â€Å"completion and perfection† (Ferguson 154). The mystical nature of the number is of ancient origin (Sahibzada) and also occurs elsewhere in the novel, as when Past or Finch ask the young Jeanette how old she is and she replies, â€Å"Seven† (Winterson 11). â€Å"Ah, seven,† he says. â€Å"How blessed, the seven days of creation, the seven-branched candlestick, the seven seals† (Winterson 11). But also how cursed, he thunders, because â€Å"the demon can return SEVENFOLD† (Winterson 12). And indeed it does return sevenfold, according to the pastor, when Jeanette is revealed for the second time to be a lesbian (Winterson 131). At the same moment, â€Å"seven ripe oranges† appear on the windowsill (Winterson 131). Seven is also, incidentally, the number of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of the deadly sins, and of the cardinal virtues. Some of the novel’s biblical allusions are more direct, like the amusing reference to Elsie’s three mice in a fiery cage as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Winterson 31)—three figures from the book of Daniel—and the same reference to name to the sorcerer’s three ravens (Winterson 145). But some of the book’s biblical allusions are more subtle: â€Å"And so, being sensible, the collector of curios will surround himself with dead things, and think about the past when it lived and moved and had being† (Winterson 95). The reference is to Acts: â€Å"For in him we live, and move, and have our being† (Acts 17:28). This weaving of religious words and symbols into her novel is no doubt a byproduct of Winterson’s evangelical upbringing. Her parents belonged to the Pentecostal denomination, one that believes that the Bible is literally true in all things—that it is â€Å"inerrant† (United Pentecostal Church International). In declaring the Bible inerrant, the church makes it a substitute for God—a form of idolatry called â€Å"bibliolatry† (Gomes 36). As John Shelby Spong says in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, this is a comforting belief: Those whose religious security is rooted in a literal Bible do not want that security disturbed. They are not happy when facts challenge their biblical understanding or when nuances in the text are introduced or when they are forced to deal with either contradictions or changing insights. The Bible, as they understand it, shares in the permanence and certainty of God, convinces them that they are right, and jus tifies the enormous fear and even negativity that lie so close to the surface in fundamentalistic religion. For biblical literalists, there is always an enemy to be defeated in mortal combat† (Spong 3). When Jeanette’s lesbian love affair with Melanie comes to light at church, Jeanette becomes an adversary in this mortal combat. Even as recently as 1977, the Pentecostal Church declared that it disapproved of â€Å"liberal groups within Christianity who are accepting ‘the so-called gay-rights movement as a legitimate lifestyle† and condemned homosexuality as â€Å"vile, unnatural, unseemly and an abomination in the sight of God† (ReligiousTolerance.org). The denomination’s words here are taken from Paul’s epistle to the Romans (Romans 1:26-27). Peter Gomes, the chaplain at Harvard College, explains views like this one in terms of fear. Fear is â€Å"at the heart of homophobia, as it was at the heart of racism,† and religion is â€Å"a moral fig leaf that [covers] naked prejudice† (Gomes 166). Gomes adds that â€Å"no credible case against homosexuality or homosexuals can be made from the Bible unless one chooses to read scriptur e in a way that simply sustains the existing prejudice against homosexuality and homosexuals. The combination of ignorance and prejudice under the guise of morality makes the religious community, and its abuse of scripture in this regard, itself morally culpable† (Gomes 147). Jeanette’s congregation responds to news of her ongoing homosexuality by rethinking her role in the church overall and prohibiting her from having â€Å"influential contact† with the other parishioners (Winterson 134). Here again, they use the Bible to support an existing prejudice: â€Å"The real problem, it seemed, was going against the teaching of St. Paul, and allowing women power in the church† (Winterson 133). The Bible does say, after all, that â€Å"it is shameful for a woman to speak in church† (1 Corinthians 14:35). Jeanette’s mother is no doubt thinking of this verse and others like it when she stands up in church and says that â€Å"the message belonged to the men† (Winterson 133). It would seem to be an occasion of moral clarity, one that would appeal to Jeanette’s mother, who â€Å"had never heard of mixed feelings. There were friends and there were enemies† (Winterson 3). And Jeanette had become the enemy. Convinced that it is possible to love another woman and God at the same time, Jeanette ultimately responds by leaving the congregation and setting out on her own. But Jeanette the character is also Jeanette the author: Winterson’s book is largely autobiographical. The author Jeanette writes a book that questions the very act of storytelling. Its postmodern conceit includes frames not only from her own life but also from the Arthurian legend and other apocryphal tales. By including these fanciful elements in her narrative, Winterson deconstructs the storytelling process and shows the hazard of believing in the inerrancy of any book. Her approach is not unlike that of Toni Morrison’s in The Bluest Eye. Morrison deconstructs the traditional â€Å"Dick and Jane† children’s story to show that it simply doesn’t apply to African-Americans (Morrison). But Winterson’s deconstruction effort extends to the Bible itself. As Spong says, â€Å"We need to be reminded that even in this modern world with its technological genius, there is still no such thing as ‘objective’ history† (Spong 37). By writing a postmodern book on a biblical armature, Winterson seems to say that the Bible itself is open to interpretation. Like her life story, the Bible is a narrative that should not be taken too literally. In doing so, Winterson exposes the gray areas of which her mother seems to be so fearful. â€Å"A major function of fundamentalist religion is to bolster deeply insecure and fearful people,† Spong says (Spong 5). But despite her ongoing religious fervor, Jeanette’s mother appears to have softened her position on her daughter’s lesbianism when Jeanette returns home at the end of the story. And Jeanette might well be grateful that being a lesbian has caused her to reexamine the fundamentalist faith she inherited from her mother: By running afoul of her Church’s Christian teaching, she rejects judgment over charity, and in the process becomes more Christian herself. A stanza from an old hymn captures this progressive notion: New occasions teach new duties, Time makes ancient good uncouth; They must upward still and onward Who would keep abreast of truth. James Russell Lowell, 1845 As Oranges comes to a close, the biblical naming of the book’s chapters is at its most poignant. Consider the familiar â€Å"Song of Ruth†: Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God† (Ruth 1:16) This text, sung at so many heterosexual weddings, is a biblical song that—although few realize it—is sung by one woman to another woman. No longer wanting to pursue a traditional heterosexual marriage, Ruth says these words and persuades Naomi that they should be together. In calling this final chapter Ruth, Winterson sheds new light on the notion of biblical literalism. Jeanette’s mother had hoped her daughter would become a missionary, and so she does—a missionary for understanding. WORKS CITED Gomes, Peter J. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart. New York: Wiliam Morrow and Company, Inc., 1996. Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Wester, Inc., 1995. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume, 1994. ReligiousTolerance.org. â€Å"Homosexuality and the Pentecostal Movement.† www.religioustolerance.org/hom_upci.htm. Accessed May 8, 2003. Sahibzada, Mahnaz. â€Å"The Symbolism of the Number Seven in Islamic Culture and Rituals.† www.wadsworth.com/religion_d/special_features/ symbols/islamic.html. Accessed May 8, 2003. Spong, John Shelby. Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1991. United Pentecostal Church International. www.upci.org. Accessed May 8, 2003.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Quantitative research appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative research appraisal - Essay Example Determinations of the effectiveness of pain management, effectiveness of nurse-led diabetic clinic, effectiveness of appropriate or specific dressing methods in management of venous ulcer, effectiveness of specialist nurse practitioner in the accident and emergency as a primary care giver are just few of the numerous examples to assess evidence and change practice based on evidence (Sousa et al., 2007, 502-507). Observational and Interventional Research Designs: The investigator conducting observational research observes both the independent and the dependent variables, when there is insufficient knowledge about a phenomenon, or for ethical reasons or otherwise, an observational design is most suitable. In experimental research, researchers actively intervene and create the independent variable, which means that people in the sample will be exposed to different treatments or conditions (Driessnack, et al., 2007, 684-688). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs: Experimental designs provide strong evidence about the hypothesis and provide a causal relationship between independent and dependent variables. ... However, quasi-experimental designs lack randomization to treatment groups, which characterizes true experiments. Quasi-experiments, thus, are not as powerful as experiments in establishing causal connections between interventions and outcomes (Coughlan et al, 2007, 658-663). Differences between Inferential and Descriptive Statistics: Statistics are either descriptive or inferential. Descriptive statistics are used to describe and synthesize data. Averages and percentages are examples of descriptive statistics. Actually, when such indices are calculated on data from a population, they are called parameters. Inferential statistics on the other hand is used to draw some inferences out of the numerical data (Zellner et al., 2007, 55-59). The title of the research article chosen by the author to base this assignment is "Randomised controlled trial to compare surgical stabilisation of the lumbar spine with an intensive rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic low back pain: the MRC spine stabilisation trial" by Fairbank and coworkers published in the British Medical Journal (Fairbank et al., 2005, 1233). Purpose: The purpose of this particular study is to assess the clinical effectiveness of surgical stabilization in the form of spinal fusion compared with that with intensive stabilization for patients with chronic low back pain. The design obviously was a multicentric randomized controlled trial (Cook et al., 2008, 128-133). Randomization or random assignment involves placing subjects in groups at random. Random essentially means that every subject has an equal chance of being assigned to any group to avoid systematic bias in the groups that could affect the dependent variable. Randomization remains the most trustworthy and acceptable method of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Homework 3B Legal Aspects of nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homework 3B Legal Aspects of nursing - Essay Example By the nurse unlocking the bathroom door and allowing the patient, Judy to shower by herself is a case that can be argued out both to be negligence on one hand and not negligence on the other hand. This act amounts to negligence following the fact that the nurse left the patient under no watch yet it is required that such kind of a patient should be under strict watch throughout and should not be left alone before they fully recover. Judy was found alone when she wanted to hang herself using a rope, this means that when given time alone anymore, gross mistake can be committed because the nurse do not know what Judy is capable of doing. Therefore, the nurse was not supposed to leave Judy alone in a place like a bathroom where there are several harmful objects that a patient like Judy can use to accomplish what they have really wanted to do over a long period of time. On the other hand, it was a bright idea for the nurse to have left Judy to shower alone and with the bathroom door unlo cked. This is an act that the patient requires to make them feel free when doing something which might make them have a sharp reflection over their lives and try to recollect the broken pieces together which can also , greatly provide a solution to the patient. In as much as Judy wanted to commit suicide, she also deserved to have some peaceful moment on her own may be while she’s showering to relieve her at least from some kind of stress. The other issue here is that fact that the bathroom door was left unlocked. This was a good practice that can not amount to negligence whatsoever due to the fact that; by leaving the door open, it would be very easy to monitor the patient and even to come to their rescue in case of any trouble unlike when the bathroom door could have been locked. The nurse however, needed to ensure that the patient was not left alone at any one time and even certain tools that could be used by the patient to accomplish a suicidal act were not left anywhere at the disposal of the patient. It was in order for the nurse to have left the bathroom door unlocked when the psychiatrist has come to see Judy since at that moment, the psychiatrist or any other person could pop into the bathroom and watch over Judy to see how she was faring on or even notice earlier if she was planning to do something that could take away her life again. Once such a thought had been realized, plans could have been put underway to rescue her earlier enough before any gross injuries could be caused. However, the nurse needed to keep a close check when the psychiatrist was leaving so that the nurse could take over and watch over the patient and make sure she is not left alone in the bathroom (Austin, Bergium, & Goldberg, 2003). To prevent this injury that was caused to Judy, the nurse, instead of letting Judy take a bath on her own, could have assisted her to take a bath or could have stayed with her in the bathroom and then ensured that she was taken back to her re sting room safely where continuous monitoring was being done to her. From a legal perspective, the patient was under the control of this particular nurse, therefore the nurse was obligated to offer all the services that were duly

Saturday, November 16, 2019

A View from the bridge Essay Example for Free

A View from the bridge Essay The play is set in the Red Hook district of New York where a Sicilian community has set up, and where respect is everything. The play is set in the 1940s, in the great depression.  Eddie Carbone is the main character of the play, and one of Arthur Millers main concerns with him is his psychological state of mind. The play concentrates from the first word to the last full stop on the way Eddie clashes with his emotions, as his niece, Catherine, matures into a young woman and constructs a serious relation ship with an illegal immigrant who is staying with them. Arthur Miller was born on October 17th, 1915, in New York. Both of his parents were immigrants, but the family was quiet wealthy because of his fathers successful clothing business, until it was declared bankrupt following the crash at the stock exchange.  Miller then went to work as a warehouseman to earn money to go to the university of Michigan in 1934.  Miller whilst studding, Economics and History also took a course in playwriting and then became his main fixation. After his graduation in 1938, he became a journalist and wrote radio scripts. During World war two Miller worked as a ship fitter for two years, in Brooklyn Navy Ship yard, where almost all the workers were of Italian descendant.  His first stage play to be produced, The Man Who Had All the Luck, was a total failure when it was staged on Broadway in 1944. But in 1947 All My sons was an immense success. This was followed by another great success two years later, Death of a Salesman, this play was such a success it won the Pulitzer Prize. In 1953 he wrote The Crucible, which he wrote as his reaction to the hounding down on left wing sympathizers, which was the current trend in the United States of America, he himself was summoned. A view from the bridge was his next play. It was first produced as a one-act play in 1955, but an extended and modified in 1956 and then was presented at the Comedy Theatre in London.  Also in 1956 he divorced his first wife and married his second wife Marilyn Monroe, which in turn boosted his celebrity status. But this marriage was short lived and a divorce was settled in 1961.  Miller has continued to produce a number of successful plays and has written an autobiography Timebends in 1987.  The play A View from the bridge was thought up by Arthur Miller in the late 1940s, when he became engrossed in the lives and work of longshoremen in New Yorks Brooklyn harbour, and where he had previously worked. A lawyer friend of Millers told him a story he had heard of a longshoreman who had informed the Immigration board on two of his own relatives who were staying with him, he did this to break up an engagement between one of them and his niece.  The story ended inevitably in tragedy with the mans death.  Eddie is portrayed as an honest, hardworking man, however soon into the play his character changes,  and from the very few lines of the play the main character Eddie is trying to protect his niece Catherine from other men and save her for himself:  Catherine: But those guys look at all the girls, you know that. Eddie: You aint all the girls.  This clearly shows that Catherine is very special to Eddie and he will do any thing to protect her.  The further on into the play you go the more it becomes apparent that Eddie is emotionally unstable and is not ready to deal with his inner emotions, he turns out quiet nasty and an overall angry person towards life:  I aint starting nothing, but I aint goanna stand around looking at that  This aggression is directed at his wife Beatrice and a relative named Rodolpho who at this time has started dating his beloved niece.  The further on in the play Eddie starts to show his anger in other ways, mainly by insulting and talking about Rodolpho behind his back:

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Texas :: essays research papers

Texas, one of the West South Central states of the United States. It borders Mexico on the southwest and the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast. To the west is New Mexico, to the north and northeast lie Oklahoma and Arkansas, and Louisiana bounds Texas on the east. Austin is the capital of Texas. Houston is the largest city. Texas is the size of Ohio, Indiana, and all the New England and Middle Atlantic states combined, and its vast area encompasses forests, mountains, deserts and dry plains, and a long, humid, subtropical coastal lowland. Texas's wealth of mineral resources is almost unequaled among the other states. Its rapid economic development stimulated by these resources and its vast size have made Texas an American legend. Oil wells, chemicals, ranches, and cattle have played a major part in that legend. For more than 100 years, Texas was part of the Spanish Empire in America. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Texas was for a while joined to Mexico. The section from San Antonio southward retains the flavor of the Hispano-Mexican period in its architecture, foods, and festivals. The name Texas is derived from tejas or teyas, the rendering by the Spanish in the mid-16th century of the Caddo people's word for friends or allies. It gradually became used to denote the region north of the RÃ ­o Grande and east of New Mexico, and was officially applied as Texas when the area was organized as a republic in 1836. Texas was an independent republic until it joined the Union on December 29, 1845, as the 28th state. Its single-star flag dates from its independent period and has given Texas the nickname the Lone Star State. IIPHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Texas is the second largest state in the nation, after Alaska, and has an area of 692,244 sq km (267,277 sq mi), including 12,844 sq km (4959 sq mi) of inland water and 1046 sq km (404 sq mi) of coastal water over which it has jurisdiction. Extending for about 1240 km (about 770 mi) from east to west and for about 1290 km (about 800 mi) from north to south, the state comprises about 7 percent of the land area of the United States. The mean elevation is about 500 m (1700 ft). ANatural Regions Texas can be divided into four natural regions, or physiographic provinces: the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Central Lowland, the Great Plains, and the Basin and Range province.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Project Management and Leadership Essay

Leadership is a set of profound practical approaches that determine the success of various change projects within any organizational context. Leadership has already turned into the instrument of guidance and direction for the majority of international and local companies. The close conjunction of leadership and management guarantees that the company will take stable position on the market in the long-term period. Leadership helps determine the basic priorities of the company’s development and lead the organizational process towards predetermined goals and objectives. Innovation and change remain the two key components of the successful leadership; the ability to implement innovative decisions and strategic changes determines the success of any leadership strategy that is implemented within specific company. The development of shared vision, communication strategies, and commitment determines the success of management projects in the constantly evolving organizational environment. Successful leadership: innovation and change Change is the key to successful management. The ability to implement changes determines whether the company is able to stay afloat in the constantly changing competitive environment. Change is intensely personal. For change to occur in any organization, each individual must think, feel, or do something different† (Duck, 1993). That is why leadership skills require understanding the significance of change. Leadership cannot exist without change; without leadership, the change cannot become real. For the change to become relevant and useful, the leader should guarantee that all followers have their experience and thinking conversed to end up in the â€Å"at a predetermined place at approximately the same time† (Duck, 1993). Such approach to leadership will ensure that the leader and the followers follow the same leadership line, clearly understand their performance goals, and possess sufficient and effective tools for achieving these goals. These leadership approaches will also insure the sharedness of thinking, and the leader’s realization of possible problems and obstacles on the way towards organizational and performance highs. Change requires innovative thinking; change means developing new thinking; change implies meeting the challenges which leaders and followers have never confronted before. The combination of innovation and change in leadership serves the instrument for addressing the major challenges and tasks within any organizational framework. However, how do we shape the required leadership framework that allows implementing changes and affecting the process of organizational performance? Several key factors determine perfect leadership. Leadership is the critical element that guarantees appropriate balance between leaders, managers, and employers from all company’s divisions. To be a leader and to manage changes means to be able to stabilize the relationships between the leader and the group of followers, who further carry the leader’s vision of organizational change across all organizational levels. Duck (1993) writes that managing change means managing the conversation between the people leading the change effort and those who are expected to implement the new strategies, managing the organizational context in which change can occur, and managing the emotional connections that are essential for any transformation. Thus, leadership is the source, the initial stage, and the ruling force of transformations within any organizational context, but it becomes irrelevant if the leader is not able to deliver the message, the mission, and to develop emotional connections between the separate elements of the organizational structure. Leadership is impossible without conversation; leadership is also impossible without the already mentioned emotional connections. Leadership cannot turn into management, and cannot bring any positive results if is does not turn into the tangible set of organizational goals. Such transformation is impossible if the leader fails to speak his ideas to the followers in a way that makes them comprehensible and achievable. The leader’s ability to speak the goals and methods of organizational change implies that the leader is able to move the employees out of their control zones, and to establish the sense of urgency in terms of any organizational change and any organizational objective. Overestimation of leader’s abilities to move people ahead is one of the major mistakes a leader makes at the first stage of implementing change. Most successful change efforts begin when some individuals or some groups start to look hard at a company’s competitive situation, market position, technological trends, and financial performance† (Kotter, 1995). However, it is not enough for a good leader to realize the scope of the needed changes, and the need to change the current organizational context; successful leadership has a clear vision of how the minds of the followers should be changed to make them follow the leader and to realize the critical need for a change. Followers should be moved; they should be pushed towards changes. Followers require motivation, and a successful leader is the source of this motivation. To see the need for change may be easy, but it is a deceptive impression. In reality, the first stage of change management is the most difficult of all: employees should be motivated and driven. As soon as the employees and followers are motivated and driven towards change, the next stages of change implementation will be faster, easier, and more goal-oriented. A good leader will never quit if change efforts fail at the initial stage of change initiative. A good leader is able to distinguish the major problems, to facilitate the frank discussion of these problems with the followers, and to further promote the importance of change championships across all company’s departments. Here, ideal leadership combines the sense of urgency with the ability to persuade the followers that the first failure does not indicate the need to give up the whole change management process. The sense of urgency is always reasonable and important: â€Å"when the urgency rate is not pumped enough, the transformation process cannot success and the long-term future of the organization is put in jeopardy† (Kotter, 1995). A successful leader will never be too safe; a successful leader will not be too cautious, but will constantly move towards the predetermined goal, overcoming obstacles, meeting challenges, and inspiring the followers. The urgency rate is high enough to transfer to the next stage of change management, when the three quarters of the company management are convinced that change is inevitable. â€Å"People in the organization may need to hear a message over and over before they believe that this time, the call for changes is not just a whim or a passing fancy. It takes time for people to hear, understand, and believe the message† (Duck, 1993). A successful leader is not only able to deliver the message, but can objectively evaluate the responses from team members. Duck (1993) says that â€Å"what counts is the point of view of everyone else in the organization†, and the success of change management depends on whether the leader is able to interpret, reinterpret, and reevaluate the way followers see the ultimate goals of organizational changes. Communication and balance requires understanding whether followers believe in the success of change, and whether they know what this change means for them and for the organization in general. The leader’s role is to understand whether employees require leadership assistance to better understand the ultimate goals of the implemented change, and whether they are able to communicate their concerns to the leader. When the leader is able to pass the first stage of change management and to incorporate his vision into the minds and souls of employees, the next stage is to make the followers communicate their opinions. A perfect leader will never compel his followers to deliver â€Å"a winning love vision† as soon as employees are involved into change management process (Davenport, 2005). To expect this type of response means to put the whole change management process under the threat of failure. The need to communicate is justified by the need to create different systems of employees’ opinions and thoughts; these subsequently form cohesive working teams that further lead the organization to a new changed position. For a good leader, the followers’ viewpoints are the keys to creating an integrated and well guided coalition of thinkers who realize the need for the change and are ready to act. A good leader understands that a good team is not created overnight; â€Å"the leadership coalition grows and grows over time† (Kotter, 1995). A good leader understands that it is not necessary to involve all senior managers into change management process; on the contrary, a careful analysis of the team members is required before they enter the change process altogether. â€Å"In both small and large organizations, a successful guiding team may consist of only three to five people during the first year of a renewal effort. But in big companies, the coalition needs to grow to the 20 to 50 range before much progress can be made in phase three and beyond† (Kotter, 1995). A good leader realizes that the number of team members is not critical; content is more important when it comes to guiding change initiatives. Leadership implies the importance of team integrity and performance integrity (Sirkin, Keenan & Jackson, 2005). â€Å"By performance integrity, we mean the extent to which companies can rely on teams of managers, supervisors, and staff to execute change projects successfully† (Sirkin, Keenan & Jackson, 2005). The integrity between the leader, managers, supervisors and the staff determines the stability and success of leadership. Senior managers are frequently reluctant to invite key performers into the team, but a successful leader realizes the value and importance of these performers for the whole process of change management. That is why the company should make everything possible to free these performers from their routine work and to provide them with sufficient â€Å"change freedom† within the change team. With the key performers being involved, the project team will be able to handle a wide range of pressures, challenges, and obstacles.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Rudolf Laban

Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) is considered to be one of the founders of European Modern Dance. He was a dancer, choreographer and movement theoretician. In his new ideas on dance notation and strong belief that dance should be available for everyone; he has transformed modern dance and dance education. After refusing to Join the army, as his father had planned for him, aged 33 he moved to Munich as an artist. His previous study of architecture in Paris led to him to develop an interest for the moving body and its spaces.It was in Germany he furthered this interest by spending his summer trying to redesign Bewegungskunst (the art of movement). In 1919 Rudolf Laban set up two Dance Theatre Company's, a movement class for armatures, opened a main dance school, wrote articles and books, performed himself and also choreographed. In 1927 he moved to Berlin and opened the Choreographisches Institut and 3 years later he was appointed director of movement and choreographer of the Prussian State T heatres in Berlin.After failing to Join the ‘Nazi way of life' in 1936, his name and work was destroyed by the Government Propaganda Ministry whilst at the height of his career. So in 1938 he took refuge in Britain. When Rudolf Laban was sixty he began to introduce dance study methods such as Laban's analysis (splitting the analysis of dance into 4 simple categories: action, space, dynamic, relationship) with the help of Lisa Ullmann. Then finally in 1946 he opened the Movement Studio in Manchester.Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) is considered to be one of the founders of European Modern Dance. He was a dancer, choreographer and movement theoretician. In his new ideas on dance notation and strong belief that dance should be available for everyone; he has transformed modern dance and dance education. opened the Movement Studio in Manchester. and also choreographed. In 1927 ne moved to Berlin and opened t turtnered this interest by spending his summer trying to redesign egungskunst

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Power To Change Yourself essays

The Power To Change Yourself essays We have seen insight from different writers showing that all people have the ability to create his or her own person. Environmental factors play a huge role in the creation of a person, but the mental predisposition is the primary cause for who we become. It does not matter if individuals are surrounded by constant negativity and adversity, because they still have the choice to fall into conformity or stand up for themselves. We have witnessed the different outcomes as a result of strong determination in Fredrick Douglass and weaker determination in Frankenstein. Douglass and Frankensteins monster were very different people from different times, but they both had the same chance to work with their given opportunities and choose the path their life would follow. Cause and effect are highly predominant in certain situations, but people always have the option to become who they truly want to be. Fredrick Douglasss birth was considered insignificant, except to begin his live as a slave. Douglass was birthed by an African slave woman, who had been impregnated by a Caucasian slave master (most likely), whose identity remained unknown. He was then torn from his mother in order to hinder the development of the childs affection toward its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child (13). Douglass was denied the emotional support found within a family and was left to raise himself. The birth of Frankensteins monster, however, was a huge event, that marked the advancement of science and technology. He was made out of the sheer passion for science, yet was quickly abandoned by his own maker. Like Douglass, the monster was also denied any emotional connections and was left to experience the new world on his own. Both Douglass and the monster had difficult beginnings into the world with little or no foundation as to why th...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Countering Suicide Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Countering Suicide Terrorism - Essay Example Force by itself is never going to be a solution for terrorism. Terrorism springs from the bosom of people or culture that feels marginalized. This feeling of being of no consequence in an ever developing world has been and remains the breeding ground for terrorism. Given the fact that terrorism is on the rise all around the world, posing a threat to the entire civilized world, it is but natural that solutions are sought to contain this menace. It is only a systematic analysis of terrorism and its growing face of suicide terrorism that will provide solutions for removing this hovering destructive menace of the twenty-first century. There are several definitions to this complex issue of Terrorism. Some of the more meaningful definitions start with the simple definition coined in 1979, when the terrorism started making itself be felt around the world. This definition reads as â€Å"terrorism is the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends† (Harmon, 2000). Reid 2002, expands this definition to differentiate terrorism from acts of violence that occur during war, through calling terrorism as the practice of â€Å"a pattern of sudden violent or fear-inducing action against civilians, not part of a military action in declared war between nations†. However the more comprehensive and most often cited definition is the one used by the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency, which is as follows, â€Å"the term ‘terrorism’ means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant target by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience†. A terrorist group is any group or has a sub-group that indulges in terrorism. International terrorism occurs when terrorism involves more than one nation. (Stevens, 2002). Terrorism is not an invention of the modern era. It

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Case study #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

#2 - Case Study Example With the intention to solve these issues, the CEO started his activities firstly from visiting the workplace of one of its rigs, named ‘Voyager 7’. The rig was quite small comprising 150 employees with a blend of skilled, unskilled and immigrant labours. Soon he began to depict that there was clear discrimination practiced in the workplace with regard to the living conditions and the working conditions of the lower level employees and the upper level employees. The upper level employees, who were also the immigrants, were provided with far better treatment in comparison to that of the local African employees. The local authorities of the government, despite being aware of the situation were never involved in taking any potential action to resolve the racial discrimination practiced within the organisation. After analysing the situation from the view point of the CEO, inferences have been drawn through the SWOTT analysis. Weaknesses: The situation has major drawbacks with the workplace environment being full of discrimination. Employees are treated differently on the basis of their nationality, race and designations, raising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related concerns, which might diminish stakeholders’ confidence on the company. Threats: The discrimination prevailing in the workplace is a threat to the integrity of the workplace. Owing to the absence of communication between the lower level employees and upper level employees, the expectation of effective performance of this rig is highly unrealistic. Trends: If the situation continues in this trend, chances of conflicts between the upper level and lower level employees are highly uncertain. Moreover, legal authorities might also halt the operations of the entire business owing to the illegal practices of discrimination in the workplace. The alternatives will need to be evaluated considering the objectives of the company regarding CSR, ensuring equality