Chanticleer show ( jazz) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chanticleer show ( jazz) - Essay Example However, the group generates substantial incomes from major global events and album sales (Weir, & Alfred Publishing Co. 2008). The following is an intense discussion on Chanticleer Jazz Show, with a reflection of the music genres, advancements, and revenue creation tactics. In the Grammy Awards ceremony, Chanticleer acquired an acknowledgement as the reigning global male chorus ahead of many other groups. Further, the group yields praise from its global audience and the media outlets. Over the past three decades, the group has continually blended the jazz music genre from an earlier and stagnant phase. Chanticleer is renown in San Francisco as an orchestra of voices, a factor that emanates from the combination of twelve members with unique voices. Their sales performances are overwhelming and consequently are leading in San Francisco (Weir, & Alfred Publishing Co. 2008). Opening with the songs, â€Å"The Siren’s Call†, and â€Å"Temptations†, Chanticleer Jazz show attracted a huge audience from all the American states. The countrywide tour in the U.S impacts effective reputation from the fans, and a probability is that the expected turnover at the events shall be overwhelming. As at March of 2013, the group targets to launch the anniversary tour, starting in New York City and spreading to other parts of the world. Chanticleer schedules to travel globally in an effort to complete the planned hundred concerts and performances. The tour will improve on the perceptions held on Jazz music. For example, a reflection of the 2011-2012 tour led to the birth of a music choir –The Louis A. Botto Choir. Therefore, presumptions are that the group serves as a motivating factor to rekindle and improve Jazz music, with a surety that the music genre will successfully pass to future generations. Another aspect that possibly reveals Chanticleer as a promotional choir to ensuring survival of Jazz is the fact that, the group focuses on encourages teenagers

How Current Issues Affect Our Economy Essay Example for Free

How Current Issues Affect Our Economy Essay It has been a common notion that current issues affect a country’s economy. Particularly, in the U. S. , issues such as election, war, and immigration are often pointed out to cause the economy to rise or fall. Also, there is a speculation tying up the economy with the prices of stocks, in that the rise in the prices indicates an improving economy and vice versa. Although existing studies have not established a sure claim that current issues truly affect the economy (Socioeconomic Foundation Website), we can point out reasons how such issues can make the economy rise or fall. First, let us consider how elections can improve or pull down our economy. As what we may hear during election periods, the success of our economy is somehow dependent on whoever wins. On the one hand, if the incumbent government stays in power, the economy, with all its budget appropriations, would be sustained. Therefore, there is a tendency that our economy could maintain its present status and there would be no fear of decline. On the other hand, if a new regime takes over, a new set of budget will be proposed, and there could be an economic recession, which could eventually lead to some losses. In the same way, war can affect the economy in two ways. It can have positive implications, as well as negative ones. On the positive side, involvement in war could make a country more powerful and prominent. In addition, it promises future alliances, which assure us of additional areas for investment. As such, the countrys power and territory widens, and this leads to developing trust of other nations on the countrys stability. This development of trust to the U. S. power could later mean more investments and alliances. On the negative side, involvement in war could also imply a lot of drawbacks. For instance, recipient countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan receive a funding of USD 1. 3 billion for their infrastructure, community action, and other local projects. As such, involvement in war could lead to economic slur or upsurge. Aside from election and involvement in war, immigration is another issue affecting the US economy. As Croddy Hayes (2007) note, the issue of illegal or unauthorized immigration has existed for the last thirty years. Illegal immigrants include all people who have been overstaying in the country, and those without proper documentation. While some of them may have jobs to support themselves and their family, a lot of these people do not have a livelihood and literally rely on what the US government can provide. Specifically, the government spends for their childrens education in public schools, medical benefits, and other projects that they benefit from such as infrastructure, telecommunication, etc. Similarly, these people contribute in depleting the countrys natural resources, and utilize energy, water, and air. Another issue that may be affecting the U. S. economy is the problem with HIV victims. As the fight against AIDS continues, the government keeps on spending a lot of money to discover the cure for the said disease. This also implies that as the cure for AIDS has not been found, the government will continue its effort to allocate some of its budget to inventions and researches. References Croddy, Marshall and Hayes, Bill.â€Å"Current Issues of Immigration, 2007. † 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2008 http://www. crf-usa. org/immigration/Current_Issues_of_Immigration_2007. pdf. . â€Å"Key Aspects of Socionomic Theory. † Socioeconomic Foundation. Retrieved 5 February 2008 http://www. socionomics. org/about/key_aspects. htm#contents. Lancaster, Carol. â€Å"U. S. Foreign Economic Aid in 2008: Winners and Losers in President Bushs Proposed Budget. † Retrieved 4 February 2008 http://blogs. cgdev. org/globaldevelopment/2007/02/us_foreign_economic_aid_in_200. php.

Developing Trust and Cohesiveness in Multidisciplinary Team

Developing Trust and Cohesiveness in Multidisciplinary Team XNB172 Nutrition and Physical Activity Assessment item number 1 – Case Study Part B Reflection Template Team Strength Identified: High Level of Cohesion, Communication Trust Team weakness identified: Lack of Goals Collaboration References Andersson, T., Liff, R. (2012). Multiprofessional cooperation and accountability pressures.Public Management Review,14(6), 835-855. Atwal, A., Jones, M. (2007).The importance of the multidisciplinary team. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants,1(9), 425-428. Bernthal, P., Insko, C. (1993). Cohesiveness without groupthink: The interactive effects of social and task cohesion. Group Organization Management, 18(1), 66-87. doi:10.1177/1059601193181005 Ellis, P. M. (2012). The importance of multidisciplinary team management of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Current Oncology (Toronto, Ont.),19(Suppl 1), S7-S15. doi:10.3747/co.19.1069 Erdem, F. (2003). Optimal trust and teamwork: From groupthink to teamthink. Work Study, 52(4/5), 229. Greene, C. (1989). Cohesion and productivity in work groups. Small Group Behavior, 20(1), 70-86. Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., Arends, L. (2011). The effect of goal setting on group performance: A meta-analysis.The Journal of Applied Psychology,96(6), 1289. Melis, A. P., Tomasello, M. (2013). Chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) strategic helping in a collaborative task.Biology Letters,9(2), 20130009. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0009 Nahrgang, J., DeRue, S., Hollenbeck, J., Spitzmuller, M., Jundt, D., Ilgen, D. (2013). Goal setting in teams: The impact of learning and performance goals on process and performance.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,122(1), 12-21. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.03.008 Offermann, L. R., Rosh, L. (2012). Too close for comfort?: Distinguishing between team intimacy and team cohesion. Human Resource Management Review,22(2), 116-127. doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.11.004 Vosmer, S. (2012). The usefulness of group analysis in the conceptualization and treatment of ‘Personality disorders’ and ‘Complex/Post-traumatic stress disorder’.Group Analysis,45(4), 498-514. doi:10.1177/0533316412462526 Weinstein, B. (2003). Conduct successful team meetings.Chemical Engineering Progress,99(11), 71. Appendix (Reference: Southern Cross University Division of Teaching and Learning (2013) Southern Cross University Teamwork Guide. Downloaded from scu.edu.au/teachinglearning/download.php?doc_id=12945 on 18th February 2014) 1 Claudia AmouzandehSemester 1 2014

The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lecter, American Idol Essay

The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lecter, American Idol Few modern horror movies have matched the critical acclaim of Jonathan Demme's 1991 The Silence of the Lambs, featuring Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal psychiatrist. The film, along with Alfred Hitchock's Psycho (1960), is one of few horror/suspense films accepted by movie critics as one of the best American films ever produced. However, as the trilogy of movies in the Hannibal Lecter series progressed, many feared that the character would become commercialized, as he has in many ways. In the two subsequent films, Ridley Scott's sequel, Hannibal (2001), and Brett Ratner's 2002 prequel, Red Dragon, Lecter often seems more of a parody of himself, playing up the larger-than-the-screen status bestowed upon him after Anthony Hopkins's superior performance in Lambs. While many critics were upset at the â€Å"commercialization† of one of the greatest characters in the history of American cinema, an even more interesting change may be indicated through the character's acceptance in mainstream culture. Hannibal Lecter is a different type of cannibal monster than those previously seen in horror films, as shown through his motivations and criminal actions, and has been accepted by the audience as an â€Å"anti-hero† instead of the antagonist of the movie. Cannibalism has become a prevalent theme in horror movies since the 1960s. According to Robin Wood, â€Å"[t]he cannibalism motif functions in two ways. Occasionally, members of a family devour each other [ . . . ]. More frequently, cannibalism is the family's means of sustaining or nourishing itself† (84). The latter theme has been seen throughout several movies, including Tobe Hooper's cult classic The ... ..., both the intellectual and the primal self. And, whether most viewers would admit it or not, he is, in many ways, the type of person we are encouraged to be. Works Cited Ebert, Roger. â€Å"The Silence of Lambs.† Chicago Sun-Times. 14 Feb. 1991. Gregory, Bettina. â€Å"Hannibal Lecter: The Honey in the Lion's Mouth.† American Journal of Psychotherapy 56.1 (2002): 100-14. Martingale, Moira. Cannibal Killers: The History of Impossible Murders. New York: Carroll, 1993. Sagan, Eli. Cannibalism: Human Aggression and Cultural Form. New York: Harper, 1974. Sanday, Peggy Reeves. Divine Hunger: Cannibalism as a Cultural System. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986. The Silence of the Lambs. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Orion, 1991. Wood, Robin. â€Å"The American Nightmare: Horror in the '70s.† Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan. New York: Columbia UP, 1986.

Five Steps to a Five: AP English Language Essay

The three types of essays mentioned in â€Å"Five Steps to a Five: AP English Language† are analysis, argumentative, and synthesis. An analysis essay is complied of different parts, it explains how the many parts can come together to produce a complete result. To have an argumentative essay you must acknowledge what you are defending and have sufficient and accurate information to support your claim. A synthesis essay should contain the main points of compared and contrast, cause and effect, and analysis of the writer’s topic. An analysis essay must analyze the author’s point of view, rhetorical devices used to achieve his or her purpose, stylistic elements, tone, real or imagined experience, and a discussion. To ensure that these points are made, simple tasks are recommended; for example spending one to three minutes reading and working the prompt, five minutes reading and making marginal notes regarding the passage, ten minutes preparing to write, twenty minutes writing the essay, and three minutes proofreading. To write an argumentative essay you must understand the nature of the position taken in the prompt, taking a specific stand with the assertion, and clearly and logically supporting the writer’s claim. When given an excerpt or statement you must understand what the passage is stating, then ask yourself if you agree or disagree. When you have successfully decided, the next step is to find information to support your opinion. Helpful tasks that can be taken to ensure that your essay is a success are to spend one to three minutes reading and working on the prompt, three minutes deciding on a position, ten to twelve minutes writing your essay, and three minutes proofreading. To have a presentable synthesis essay the writer must be able to read critically, understand the text, analyze the texts, develop a position on a given topic and support the position it, incorporate outside sources into texts of the essay, and always cite sources used in the essay. Before writing the author must read all prompts, deconstruct the synthesis, read and annotate each of the given texts, and decide how you will address the synthesis prompt. The tasks recommended for a excellent essay is to spend five to six minutes going back to the texts and deciding which you will use in your essay, eight to ten minutes planning the support of your position, twenty minutes writing the essay, three to four minutes checking to make certain that you have included the minimum number of sources and correctly cited them all, and three minutes proofreading. Analysis, argumentative, and synthesis are all excellent forms of essays in which you can state your opinion and support it in different ways. Analysis will allow the writer to read through and discover the main points that is needed, argumentative is a more aggressive statement in which the writer may defend his or her position. Whereas the synthesis essay is a way for the writer to compare and contrast different positions.

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 7

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 7 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Chapter 7 marks the climax of The Great Gatsby. Twice as long as every other chapter, it first ratchets up the tension of the Gatsby-Daisy-Tom triangle to a breaking point in a claustrophobic scene at the Plaza Hotel, and then ends with the grizzly gut punch of Myrtle’s death. Read our full summary ofThe Great Gatsby Chapter 7to see how all dreams die, only to be replaced with a grim and cynical reality. Image: Helmut Ellgaard/Wikipedia Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. The Great Gatsby: Chapter 7Summary Suddenly one Saturday, Gatsby doesn't throw a party. When Nick comes over to see why, Gatsby has a new butler who rudely sends Nick away. It turns out that Gatsby has replaced all of his servants with ones sent over by Wolfshiem. Gatsby explains that this is because Daisy comes over every afternoon to continue their affair - he needs them to be discreet. Gatsby invites Nick to Daisy's house for lunch. The plan is for Daisy and Gatsby to tell Tom about their relationship, and for Daisy to leave Tom. The next day it is extremely hot. Nick and Gatsby show up to have lunch with Daisy, Jordan, and Tom.Tom is on the phone, seemingly arguing with someone about the car. Daisy assumes that he is only pretending, and that he is actually talking to Myrtle. While Tom is out of the room, Daisy kisses Gatsby on the mouth. The nanny brings Tom and Daisy's daughter into the room and Gatsby is shocked to realize that the child actually exists and is real. Tom and Gatsby go outside, and Gatsby points out that it's his house is directly across the bay from theirs. Everyone is restless and nervous. From the way Daisy looks at and talks to Gatsby, Tom suddenly figures out that she and Gatsby are having an affair. Daisy asks to go into Manhattan and Tom agrees, insisting that they go immediately. He gets a bottle of whiskey to bring with them.There is a short, but crucial,argument about who will take which car. In the end, Tom takes Nick and Jordan in Gatsby's car while Gatsby takes Daisy in Tom's car. On the drive, Tom explains to Nick and Jordan that he's been investigating Gatsby, which Jordan laughs off.They stop for gas at Wilson's gas station. Tom shows off Gatsby's car, pretending it's his own. Wilson complains about being sick and again asks for Tom’s car because he needs money fast (the assumption is that he will resell it at a profit). Wilson explains the he's figured out that Myrtle is cheating on him, so he's taking her the way from New York to a different state. Glad that Wilson hasn't figured out who Myrtle is having the affair with, Tom says that he will sell Wilson his car as he promised. As they drive off, Nick sees Myrtle in an upstairs window staring at Tom and Jordan, whom she assumes to be his wife. (It’s critical to realize that Myrtle now also associates Tom with this yellow car.) It's still crazy hot when they get to Manhattan. Jordan suggests going to the movies, but they end up getting a suite at the Plaza Hotel.The hotel room is stifling, and they can hear the sounds of a wedding going on downstairs. The conversation is tense. Tom starts picking at Gatsby, but Daisy defends him.Tom accuses Gatsby of not actually being an Oxford man. Gatsby explains that he only went to Oxford for a short time because of a special program for officers after the war. This plausible-sounding explanation fills Nick with confidence about Gatsby. Suddenly Gatsby decides to tell Tom his version of the truth - that Daisy never loved Tom but has always only loved Gatsby.Tom calls Gatsby crazy and says that of course Daisy loves him - and that he loves her too even if he does cheat on her all the time. Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom that she has never loved him. Daisy can’t bring herself to do this, and instead said that she has loved them both. This crushes Gatsby. Tom starts revealing what he knows about Gatsby from his investigation. It turns out that Gatsby's money comes from illegal sales of alcohol in drugstores, just as Tom had predicted when he first met him. Tom has a friend who tried to go into business with Gatsby and Wolfshiem. Through him, Tom knows that bootlegging is only part of the criminal activity that Gatsby is involved in. These revelations cause Daisy to shut down, and no matter how much Gatsby tries to defend himself, she is disillusioned. She asks Tom to take her home. Tom's last power play is to tell Gatsby to take Daisy home instead, knowing that leaving them alone together now does not pose any threat to him or his marriage. Gatsby and Daisy drive home in Gatsby’s car. Tom, Nick, and Jordan drive home together in Tom's car. The narration now switches to Nick repeating evidence given at an inquest (a legal proceeding to gather facts surrounding a death) by Michaelis, who runs a coffee shop next to Wilson's garage. That evening Wilson had explained to Michaelisthat he had locked up Myrtle in order to keep an eye on her until they moved away in a couple of days. Michaelis was shocked to hear this, because usually Wilson was a meek man. When Michaelis left, he heard Myrtle and Wilson fighting. Then Myrtle ran out into the street toward a car coming from New York. The car hit her and drove off, and by the time Michaelis reached her on the ground, she was dead. The narration switches back to Nick's point of view, as Tom, Nick, and Jordan are driving back from Manhattan. They pull up to the accident site. At first, Tom jokes about Wilson getting some business at last, but when he sees the situation is serious, he stops the car and runs over to Myrtle's body. Tom asks a policeman for details of the accident. When he realizes that witnesses can identify the yellow car that hit Myrtle, he worries that Wilson, who saw him in that car earlier that afternoon, will finger him to the police. Tom grabs Wilson and tells him that the yellow car that hit Myrtle is not Tom's, and that he was only driving it before giving it back to its owner. As they drive away from the scene, Tom sobs in the car. Back at his house, Tom invites Nick and Jordan inside. Nick is sickened by the whole thing and turns to go. Jordan also asks Nick to come inside. When he refuses again, she goes in. As Nick is walking away, he sees Gatsby lurking in the bushes. Nick suddenly sees him as a criminal. As they discuss what happened, Nick realizes that it was actually Daisy who was driving the car, meaning that it was Daisy who killed Myrtle. Gatsby makes it sound like she had to choose between getting into a head-on collision with another car coming the other way on the road or hitting Myrtle, and at the last secondchose to hit Myrtle. Gatsby seems to have no feelings at all about the dead woman, and instead only worries about what Daisyand how she will react. Gatsby says that he will take the blame for driving the car. Gatsby says that he is lurking in the dark to make sure that Daisy is safe from Tom, who he worries might treat her badly when he finds out what happened. Nick goes back to the house to investigate, and sees Tom and Daisy having an intimate conspiratorial moment together in the kitchen. It's clear that once again Gatsby has fundamentally misunderstood Tom and Daisy's relationship. Nick leaves Gatsby alone. It’s amazing how immediately suspect and creepy Gatsby becomes once Nick turns on him. Has our narrator been spinning Gatsby’s behavior from the get-go? Key Chapter 7 Quotes Then she remembered the heat and sat down guiltily on the couch just as a freshly laundered nurse leading a little girl came into the room. "Bles-sed pre-cious," she crooned, holding out her arms. "Come to your own mother that loves you." The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed across the room and rooted shyly into her mother's dress. "The Bles-sed pre-cious! Did mother get powder on your old yellowy hair? Stand up now, and say How-de-do." Gatsby and I in turn leaned down and took the small reluctant hand. Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed in its existence before. (7.48-52) This is our first and only chance to see Daisy performing motherhood. And "performing" is the right word, since everything about Daisy's actions here rings a little false and her cutesy sing song a little bit like an act. The presence of the nurse makes it clear that, like many upper-class women of the time, Daisy does not actually do any child rearing. At the same time, this is the exact moment when Gatsby is delusional dreams start breaking down. The shock and surprise that he experiences when he realizes that Daisy really does have a daughter with Tom show how little he has thought about the fact the Daisy has had a life of her own outside of him for the last five years. The existence of the child is proof of Daisy's separate life, and Gatsby simply cannot handle then she is not exactly as he has pictured her to be. Finally, here we can see how Pammyis being bred for her life as a future â€Å"beautiful little fool†, as Daisy put it. As Daisy’s makeup rubs onto Pammy's hair, Daisy prompts her reluctant daughter to be friendly to two strange men. "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon," cried Daisy, "and the day after that, and the next thirty years?" "Don't be morbid," Jordan said. "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."(7.74-75) Comparing and contrasting Daisy and Jordan) is one of the most common assignments that you will get when studying this novel. This very famous quotation is a great place to start. Daisy's attempt at a joke reveals her fundamental boredom and restlessness. Despite the fact that she has social standing, wealth, and whatever material possessions she could want, she is not happy in her endlessly monotonous and repetitive life. This existential ennui goes a long way to helping explain why she seizes on Gatsby as an escape from routine. On the other hand, Jordan is a pragmatic and realistic person, who grabs opportunities and who sees possibilities and even repetitive cyclical moments of change. For example here, although fall and winterare most often linked to sleep and death, whereas it is spring that is usually seen as the season of rebirth, for Jordan any change brings with it the chance for reinvention and new beginnings. "She's got an indiscreet voice," I remarked. "It's full of- - " I hesitated. "Her voice is full of money," he said suddenly. That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money- that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. . . . High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. . . . (7.103-106) Here we are getting to the root of what it is really that attracts Gatsby so much to Daisy. Nick notes that the way Daisy speaks to Gatsby is enough to reveal their relationship to Tom. Once again we see the powerful attraction of Daisy's voice. For Nick, this voice is full of â€Å"indiscretion,† an interesting word that at the same time brings to mind the revelation of secrets and the disclosure of illicit sexual activity. Nick has used this word in this connotation before - when describing Myrtle in Chapter 2he uses the word â€Å"discreet† several times to explain the precautions she takes to hide her affair with Tom. But for Gatsby, Daisy's voice does not hold this sexy allure, as much as it does the promise of wealth, which has been his overriding ambition and goal for most of his life. To him, her voice marks her as a prize to be collected. This impression is further underscored by the fairy tale imagery that follows the connection of Daisy's voice to money. Much like princesses who is the end of fairy tales are given as a reward to plucky heroes, so too Daisy is Gatsby's winnings, an indication that he has succeeded. "You think I'm pretty dumb, don't you?" he suggested. "Perhaps I am, but I have a- almost a second sight, sometimes, that tells me what to do. Maybe you don't believe that, but science- - " (7.123) Nick never sees Tom as anything other than a villain; however, it is interesting that only Tom immediately sees Gatsby for the fraud that he turns out to be. Almost from the get-go, Tom calls it that Gatsby's money comes from bootlegging or some other criminal activity. It is almost as though Tom's life of lies gives him special insight into detecting the lies of others. The relentless beating heat was beginning to confuse me and I had a bad moment there before I realized that so far his suspicions hadn't alighted on Tom. He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world and the shock had made him physically sick. I stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before- and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well. Wilson was so sick that he looked guilty, unforgivably guilty- as if he had just got some poor girl with child. (7.160) You will also often be asked to compare Tom and Wilson, two characters who share some plot details in common.This passage, which explicitly contrasts these two men's reactions to finding out their wives are having affairs, is a great place to start. Tom’s response to Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship isto immediately do everything to display his power. He forces a trip to Manhattan, demands that Gatsby explain himself, systematically dismantles the careful image and mythology that Gatsby has created, and finally makes Gatsby drive Daisy home to demonstrate how little he has to fear from them being alone together. Wilson also tries to display power. But he is so unused to wielding it that his best effort is to lock Myrtle up and then to listen to her emasculating insults and provocations. Moreover, rather than relaxing under this power trip, Wilson becomes physically ill, feeling guilty both abouthis part in driving his wife away and aboutmanhandling her into submission. Finally, it is interesting that Nick renders these reactions as health-related. Whose response does Nick view as â€Å"sick† and whose as â€Å"well†? It is tempting to connect Wilson’s bodily response to the word â€Å"sick,† but the ambiguity is purposeful. Is it sicker in this situation to take a power-hungry delight in eviscerating a rival, Tom-style, or to be overcome on a psychosomatic level, like Wilson? "Self control!" repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out. . . . Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white." Flushed with his impassioned gibberish he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization. "We're all white here," murmured Jordan. "I know I'm not very popular. I don't give big parties. I suppose you've got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends- in the modern world." Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth. The transition from libertine to prig was so complete. (7.229-233) Nick is happy whenever he gets to demonstrate how undereducated and dumb Tom actually is. Here, Tom’s anger at Daisy and Gatsby is somehow transformed into a self-pitying and faux righteous rant about miscegenation, loose morals, and the decay of stalwart institutions. We see the connection between Jordan and Nick when both of them puncture Tom’s pompous balloon: Jordan points out that race isn’t really at issue at the moment, and Nick laughs at the hypocrisy of a womanizer like Tom suddenly lamenting his wife’s lack of prim propriety. "She never loved you, do you hear?" he cried. "She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!" (7.241) Gatsby throws caution to the wind and reveals the story that he has been telling himself about Daisy all this time. In his mind, Daisy has been pining for him as much as he has been longing for her, and he has been able to explain her marriage to himself simply by eliding any notion that she might have her own hopes, dreams, ambitions, and motivations. Gatsby has been propelled for the last five years by the idea that he has access to what is in Daisy's heart. However, we can see that a dream built on this kind of shifting sand is at best wishful thinking and at worst willful self-delusion. "Daisy, that's all over now," he said earnestly. "It doesn't matter any more. Just tell him the truth- that you never loved him- and it's all wiped out forever." ... She hesitated. Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she realized at last what she was doing- and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late†¦. "Oh, you want too much!" she cried to Gatsby. "I love you now- isn't that enough? I can't help what's past." She began to sob helplessly. "I did love him once- but I loved you too." Gatsby's eyes opened and closed. "You loved me too?" he repeated. (7.254-266) Gatsby wants nothing less than that Daisy erase the last five years of her life. He is unwilling to accept the idea that Daisy has had feelings for someone other than him, that she has had a history that does not involve him, and that she has not spent every single second of every day wondering when he would come back into her life. His absolutism is a form of emotional blackmail. For all Daisy's evident weaknesses, it is a testament to her psychological strength that she is simply unwilling to recreate herself, her memories, and her emotions in Gatsby's image. She could easily at this point say thatshe has never loved Tom, but this would not be true, and she does not want to give up her independence of mind. Unlike Gatsby, who against all evidence to the contrary believes that you can repeat the past, Daisy wants to know that there is a future. She wants Gatsby to be the solution to her worries about each successive future day, rather than an imprecation about the choices she has made to get to this point. At the same time, it's key to note Nick’s realization that Daisy â€Å"had never intended on doing anything at all.† Daisy has never planned to leave Tom. We've known this ever since the first time we saw them at the end of Chapter 1, when herealized that they were cemented together in their dysfunction. It passed, and he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made. But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room. (7.292) The appearance of Daisy's daughter and Daisy’s declaration that at some point in her life she loved Tom have both helped to crush Gatsby's obsession with his dream. In just the same way, Tom's explanations about who Gatsby really is and what is behind his facade have broken Daisy's infatuation. Take note of the language here – as Daisy is withdrawing from Gatsby, we come back to the image of Gatsby with his arms outstretched, trying to grab something that is just out of reach. In this case it's not just Daisy herself, but also his dream of being with her inside his perfect memory. "Beat me!" he heard her cry. "Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward!" (7.314) Myrtle fights by provoking and taunting. Here, she is pointing out Wilson’s weak and timid nature by egging him on to treat her the way that Tom did when he punched her earlier in the novel. However, before we draw whatever conclusions we can about Myrtle from this exclamation, it’s worthwhile to think about the context of this remark. First, we are getting this speech third-hand. This is Nick telling us what Michaelis described overhearing, so Myrtle’s words have gone through a double male filter. Second, Myrtle’s words stand in isolation. We have no idea what Wilson has been saying to her to provoke this attack. What we do know is that however â€Å"powerless† Wilson might be, he still has power enough to imprison his wife in their house and to unilaterally uproot and move her several states away against her will. Neither Nick nor Michaelis remarks on whether either of these exercises of unilateral power over Myrtle is appropriate or fair - it is simply expected that this is what a husband can do to a wife. So what do we make of the fact that Myrtle was trying to verbally emasculate her husband? Maybe yelling at him is her only recourse in a life where she has no actual ability to control her life or bodily integrity. The "death car" as the newspapers called it, didn't stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment and then disappeared around the next bend. Michaelis wasn't even sure of its color- he told the first policeman that it was light green. The other car, the one going toward New York, came to rest a hundred yards beyond, and its driver hurried back to where Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust. Michaelis and this man reached her first but when they had torn open her shirtwaist still damp with perspiration, they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long. (7.316-317) The stark contrast here between the oddly ghostly nature of the car that hits Myrtle and the visceral, gruesome, explicit imagery of what happens to her body after it is hit is very striking. The car almost doesn’t seem real – it comes out of the darkness like an avenging spirit and disappears, Michaelis cannot tell what color it is. Meanwhile, Myrtle’s corpse is described in detail and is palpably physical and present. This treatment of Myrtle’s body might be one place to go when you are asked to compare Daisy and Myrtle in class. Daisy’s body is never even described, beyond a gentle indication that she prefers white dresses that are flouncy and loose. On the other hand, every time that we see Myrtle in the novel, her bodyis physically assaulted or appropriated. Tom initially picks her up by pressing his body inappropriately into hers on the train station platform. Before her party, Tomhas sex with her while Nick (a man who is a stranger to Myrtle) waits in the next room, and then Tom ends the night by punching her in the face. Finally, she is restrained by her husband inside her house and then run over. Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table with a plate of cold fried chicken between them and two bottles of ale. He was talking intently across the table at her and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while she looked up at him and nodded in agreement. They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale- and yet they weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together. (7.409-410) And so, the promise that Daisy and Tom are a dysfunctional couple that somehow makes it work (Nick saw this at the end of Chapter 1)is fulfilled. For careful readers of the novel, this conclusion should have been clear from the get-go. Daisy complains about Tom, and Tom serially cheats on Daisy, but at the end of the day, they are unwilling to forgo the privileges their life entitles them to. This moment of truth has stripped Daisy and Tom down to the basics. They are in the least showy room of their mansion, sitting with simple and unpretentious food, and they have been stripped of their veneer. Their honesty makes what they are doing - conspiring to get away with murder, basically - completely transparent. And it is the fact that they can tolerate this level of honesty in each other besides each being kind of a terrible person that keeps them together. Compare their readiness to forgive each other anything - even murder! - with Gatsby’s insistence that it’s his way or no way. The image of Tom and Daisy holding hands, while discussing how to flee after Daisy kills Myrtle, is the crux of their relationship. They are willing to forgive each other everything. Are they secretly the most romantic couple in the book? The Great GatsbyChapter 7 Analysis It's no surprise that this very long, emotional, and shocking chapter is laced through with the themes ofThe Great Gatsby. Let's take a look. Overarching Themes Morality and Ethics. In this chapter, suspicion of crime is everywhere: Gatsby’s new butler has a â€Å"villainous† (7.2) face a woman worries that Nick is out to steal her purse on the train Gatsby lurks around outside the Buchanans’ mansion like â€Å"he was going to rob the house in a moment† (7.384) Daisy and Tom sit and conspire together at the kitchen table This air of the illegal heightens the actual crimes that take place or are revealed in the chapter: Gatsby is a bootlegger (or worse) Daisy kills Myrtle Gatsby hides the car with its evidence of the accident Daisy and Tom decide to get away with murder This descent into the dark side of the Wild East (contrasted with Nick's version of the calm and strictly above-board Middle West) reveals the novel’s perspective on the excesses of the time period. It is interesting that the vast majority of the crime or near crime that is described is theft – the taking of someone else’s property. The same desires that spur the ambitious to come to Manhattan to try to make something of themselves also incite those who are willing to do the kind of corner-cutting that results in criminality. Only Daisy, who is already so established that theft is unnecessary to her, takes crime to the next level. Love, Desire, Relationships. Just as crime is everywhere, so too is illicit sexuality. However, the heat and tension seem to reverse the behavioral tendencies of the characters we have come to know over the course of six chapters. The usually reserved Nick wonders about his train conductor and â€Å"whose flushed lips he kissed, whose head made damp the pajama pocket over his heart† (7.23). He also makes a dirty joke about the Buchanans’ butler having to yell over the phone that he simply cannot send Tom’s body to Myrtle in this heat. The usuallypassive Daisy kisses Gatsby on the mouth in front of Nick and Jordan in a display of rebellion. Later she calls Tom out on his euphemistic description of the times he cheated on her right after their honeymoon as a â€Å"spree† (7.252), a word that just means â€Å"fun good time.† On the other hand, the womanizing Tom primly and hypocritically rants about the downfall of morality and the possibility that people of different races will be allowed to intermarry. Similarly, the normally weak and ineffectual Wilson overpowers his wife enough to lock her up when he finds out about the affair she’s been having. He also feels as bad about the situation as if he had gotten a woman pregnant by accident. Everyone’s desire for someone who is not their spouse is underscored by the way that an ongoing wedding is continuously described as deeply unappealing throughout the chapter. Eventually, the wedding music pops up in the middle of the climactic argument like this: â€Å"From the ballroom beneath, muffled and suffocating chords were drifting up on hot waves of air† (7.261). Married life is suffocating, and these characters spend significant energies trying to break free. Motifs: Weather. The overwhelming heat of the day plays a vital role in creating an atmosphere of stifled, sweaty, uncomfortable breathlessness. Each scene’s overwhelming tension and awkwardness arefurther heightened by the physical discomfort that everyone is experiencing (it’s also key to remember that being hot and slightly dehydrated elevates the level of intoxication that a person feels, these characters pour back whiskey after whiskey). The hot mugginess ratchets up anger and resentment, and also seems to elevate the recklessness with which people are willing to expose and pursue their sexual desires. So crucial is this atmospheric element, that every movie adaptation of this novel makes sure that the actors are covered in sweat during these scenes, making it almost as uncomfortable to watch them as it is to imagine making it through that day. Here’s a quick clip that shows you what I mean. Mutability of Identity. It is fitting that just as lots of wool is removed from lots of eyes, as Gatsby is source of wealth is revealed, and as Daisy is shown not to be the fairytale figment of Gatsby’s imagination, the idea of faà §ades, false impressions, and mistaken identity is front and center. First, on this blisteringly hot day, Daisy is entranced by Gatsby’s projecting an image of looking â€Å"so cool† and resembling â€Å"the advertisement of the man† (7.81-83). Gatsby’s glossy appearance is perfect but also clearly shallow and fake, like an ad. Later, Myrtle seethes with jealousy when she sees Tom driving next to Jordan, and assumes that Jordan is Daisy. This case of mistaken identity contributes to her death, as she assumes that Tom would be driving the same car back from the city that he took there. Third, Daisy and Jordan remember a man named Biloxi who talked his way into Daisy and Tom’s wedding, and then talked his way into staying at Jordan’s house for three weeks as he recuperated from a fainting spell. Their memories make clear that his entire story about himself was a sham – a sham that worked, until it didn’t, like the faà §ades of the main characters in the story. Fourth, Wilson briefly assumes that Michaelis is Myrtle’s lover. His failure to understand who it is that is a really having an affair with his wife leads to the novel’s second murder. The Treatment of Women. Also key this chapter are women characters. First, there is the pairing of Daisy and Jordan, whose outlooks on life are confirmed to be diametrically opposed. Daisy is rich, overindulged, and endlessly bored with her monotonously luxurious life. She grabs on to the romance with Gatsby is a possible escape, but is soonconfronted with the reality of the perfect, idealized being that he would like her to be. Daisy realizes that she prefers the safe boredom and casual betrayal of Tom to the unrealistic expectations – and thus inevitable disappointment – of being with Gatsby. Her fundamental cowardice is a better fit for Tom, as we find out after the car accident when she kills Myrtle. It’s Tom who offers her complicity, understanding, and a return to stability. On the other hand, Jordan is a pragmatist who sees opportunity and possibility everywhere. This makes her attractive to Nick, who likes that she is self-contained, calm, cynical, and unlikely to be overly emotional. However, this approach to life means that Jordan is basically amoral, as revealed in this chapter by her almost complete lack of reaction to Myrtle’s death, and her assumption that life at the Buchanan house will go on as normal. For Nick, who clings to his sense of himself as a deeply decent human being, this is a dealbreaker. Next, we have the comparison between Daisy and Myrtle, two women whose marriages dissatisfy them enough that they seek out other lovers. There are many ways to compare them, but in this chapter in particular what seems important is whether each woman is able to maintain coherence and integrity. What Gatsby wants from Daisy is a complete erasure of her mind, history, and emotions, so that she will match his weirdly flat and idealized notion of her. By demanding that she renounce ever having had feelings for Tom, Gatsby wants to deny her fundamental sense of self-knowledge. Daisy refuses to compromise herself in this way and so is able to maintain psychological integrity. On the other hand, Myrtle, whose physicality has always been her most defining feature, ends up losing even the most basic integrity – bodily integrity – as her body is not only ripped open when she is hit by a car, but this mutilation is witnessed by many people and then also graphically described. Finally, we can look at all three women in terms of whether and how they are controlled by the men in their lives, and whether and how they escape that control. Jordan’s cool aloofness prevents her from being trapped in the same way that Myrtle and Daisy are. Despite even her admission later that breaking up with Nick hurt her feelings, we certainly get the sense that Jordan could take him or leave him. She retains a lot of power in their relationship. For example, when Nick suddenly freaks out about turning 30, she shows him how to be â€Å"too wise ever to carry well-forgotten dreams from age to age† (7.308) and by putting her hand over his with â€Å"reassuring pressure† (7.308). Neither of the other two women is ever on top even in this very mild way. For example, Tom, who is used to putting his hands on people as a way of showing his power over them (in this chapter he does it to the policeman, and then to Wilson), puts his hand over Daisy’s at the end of the chapter to indicate that she is back within his circle of control. But at least Daisy’s escape attempt led her to Gatsby’s presumably gentlemanly treatment. The same can’t be said for Myrtle, who goes from bad to worse, as she escapes her marriage to have an affair with Tom, who feels free to beat her, and then is forced to return to her husband, who feels free to imprison and forcibly remove her from her home. Death and Failure. Death comes in many forms, both metaphorical and horribly real. Of course, the primary death in this chapter is that of Myrtle, gruesomely killed by Daisy. But this is also the chapter where dreams come to die. Gatsby’s fantasy of Daisy undergoes a slow demise when he meets her daughter, and when he learns that she is simply unwilling to renounce her entire history with Tom for Gatsby’s sake. Similarly, any romantic ideas Daisy may have had about Gatsby vanish when she learns that he is a criminal. New York’s Plaza Hotel, famous for being the place where Eloise lives in those kids books, and for being the setting for this novel’s scene of confrontation. Crucial Character Beats Gatsby stops throwing parties at his house and instead carries on an affair with Daisy. Nick, Gatsby,Daisy, Jordan, and Tom have lunch together and decide to go to Manhattan for the day to escape the heat. Both Tom and Wilson realize that their wives are having affairs; however, only Tom knows who Daisy's affair is with. Wilson decides to take Myrtle to live somewhere else. Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Tom end up in a suite at the Plaza Hotel where everything comes tumbling into the open. Gatsby and Daisy admit that they've been having an affair, Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom that she has never loved him. Daisy cannot do this, and Gatsby's dreams are dashed. Gatsby and Daisy drive home together. On the way, with Daisy driving the car, they hit and kill Myrtle, who is trying to escape being imprisoned in her house by Wilson. Gatsby decides to take the blame for the accident, but doesn’t quite realize that it is all over between him and Daisy. Daisy and Tom have an intimate moment together as they figure out what they are going to do next. What’s Next? Compare the novel’s four trips into Manhattan: Nick at Myrtle’s party in Chapter 2, Nick’s description of what it’s like to be a single guy around town at the end of Chapter 3, Nick at lunch with Gatsby in Chapter 4, and insanity at the Plaza in this chapter. Does Manhattan affect the way the characters behave? Does it make them more or less likely to act out to be there? Do they feel comfortable there? Explore this chapter’s many significant motifs: Tom’s insistence on everyone drinking, the ridiculously hot weather, Jordan’s calm excitement about the fall season, dangerous cars, and the strangely invasive music from the hotel wedding. Move on to the summary of Chapter 8, or revisit the summary of Chapter 6. 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:

Drug Testing vs. Employee Assi essays

Drug Testing vs. Employee Assi essays Introduction: Drug Testing vs. Employee Assistance Programs In our last meeting we were asked to offer proposals on how we can cut costs. In looking into this I found some interesting research on eliminating drug testing in favor of Employee Assistance Programs. By eliminating our drug-testing program, we will do away with $1,000,000 in the cost of testing and also lost employee productivity in the time it takes to administer the test. (ACLU 5) Also, in this time of low unemployment, it is harder to recruit people with the right skills. The research shows that for people who only used drugs once, the possibility of a test will deter them from applying for a position with that company. This report outlines the results of research I have done to offer a solution; an alternative to drug testing First, I will discuss new findings on how effective drug testing really is. Then, I will discuss Employee Assistance Programs answering the following questions, are Employee-Assistance Programs effective. What are they? How do they help? How do they work? Are they worth the hassle? We have been bombarded with the notion that drug use has reached epidemic proportions in the work force. That we need to screen for drug users because they produce sloppy work, cause accidents and so on. What we must realize is that most drugs that can cause such problems are legal. We must remember that legal drugs can also become addictive. We have always thought that the cost of our drug-testing program is less than the cost of lost productivity due to drug use on the job. Where did all this information come from? In 1986 President Ronald Regan issued and executive order prompting urine testing for all Federal employees. Now, 81 percent of all companies in the United States test their workers. But there was little scientific evidence to back these claims, so the promoters of drug tests gave businesses their statistics and studies. I would i...

6 Disappeared LinkedIn® Partner Applications and What to Do About Them †Part III Box.net

6 Disappeared LinkedIn ® Partner Applications and What to Do About Them – Part III Box.net For a long time, I have been recommending to job seekers and other professionals that they use Box.net to post a copy of their resume (with street address and any other confidential information removed) to their LinkedIn profile. I have also offered Box.net as an option for attaching scanned recommendation letters when your recommender is not a LinkedIn member or just doesn’t come through with a LinkedIn recommendation. Box.net was a useful way to attach any documents you might want your LinkedIn visitors to view. Although the partner application for Box.net no longer exists, the website Box.net does- and my advice has not changed. If you want to post a document to your LinkedIn profile, the current way to do so is through entering a link to the document. In your Summary and Experience sections, you can add links to videos, images, documents or presentations by clicking on the blue box with a + sign in the corner. Once you click on that box you will be brought to a box where you can paste a link: If you don’t have a website where you can conveniently create pages with the documents you want to link to, just create a Box.net account! Box.net will give you a link you can use. Upload your document to Box.net, click on Share; you will receive a link to share the document. Here are the instructions sent out by Box.net regarding the change: Recently, LinkedIn announced its new profile design that replaces the current inApps platform with a new method for viewing content like documents, presentations and videos. You likely received a message from LinkedIn as well, but we wanted to be sure that as a user of the former Box inApp you know the best way to display and share a Box file on your new profile. After opting in to the new profile type, you’ll be able to easily add a specific Box file. To get started, copy and paste the file’s direct link in the LinkedIn professional gallery on the page. Find the direct link by previewing the file as you normally would in Box, selecting File Options Share Get Link to File and then clicking on Direct Link to generate the URL. Paste it directly in the LinkedIn professional gallery. Repeat the same steps for other files you’d like to add to your profile. Note that the LinkedIn professional gallery supports a limited set of file types, so check the Box support site if you experience any issues adding a file to your profile. We hope you enjoy the new way to share your important files from Box on LinkedIn. Here’s what my profile looks like with the resume linked from Box.net: What documents do you want to share with your LinkedIn audience? You can build your image through adding links using Box.net. Have fun! For more LinkedIn tips and tricks, go to the #1 best-selling e-book How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile! Next week: What to do about TripIt and SlideShare? Category:Archived ArticlesBy Brenda BernsteinFebruary 11, 2013

Regulatory Response to the Financial Crisis which began in 2007 Essay

Regulatory Response to the Financial Crisis which began in 2007 - Essay Example 1). The debate still rages as to the real cause of the crisis. King (2011, p. 48) indicates that a major contributor to the global crisis was global imbalances which requires rebalancing of global demand in order to facilitate a sustainable recovery. This paper provides a brief synopsis of the events and the regulations which followed in the US, Germany, UK, Netherlands and Spain. According to Blundell-Wignall and Atkinson (2010, p. 2) every banking crisis has been associated with major disruptions as well as recessions and this is the reason for certain bank regulations. New regulatory responses are generated by every global financial crisis (Helleiner 2010). This was no different for the crisis which started in 2007 resulting in what has been described as ‘the Great Recession.’ Regulatory Response in the United States According to the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee (2010) a multitude of events led to the Great Recession of 2008-2009. They include the housing b ubble which was caused by cheap credit made to persons who would not qualify for a loan under normal circumstances; low interest rates; failure of regulatory agencies; and inflated rating grades provided by credit rating agencies. In order to mitigate the crisis United States government introduced what they described as Targeted Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) – (Eubanks 2010b, p. 2). The TARP was later expanded to include automobile companies such as GM and Chrysler (U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee 2010). A number of regulatory proposals were put forward in relation to consumer protection, modernisation of the regulatory system and restoring stability (Eubanks 2010a). These led to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of July 2010 and a consolidation of the regulatory bodies. The objective of the act is to â€Å"create a sound economic foundation to grow jobs, protect consumers, rein in Wall St reet and big bonuses, end bailouts and too big to fail, prevent another financial crisis†. According to Lo (2009, p. 27) there has been a recent proposal to suspend Fair-Value – FASB Statement No. 157. Fair-value or mark-to-market accounting requires the valuations of firms’ asset at fair market prices and not on a historical cost basis. The practice which has forced a number of firms to write down their assets and thus triggering defaults and insolvencies has been blamed for the financial crisis. Regulatory Response in Germany In Germany the single regulator of financial services – the German Financial Supervisory Authority which was established in 2002 in order to improve stability and integrity in the German financial system had its regulatory authority greatly increased in 2009. This was done in order to improve its capacity to manage the financial crisis. The act for strengthening the financial market and insurance supervision became effective on Augu st 1, 2009 (Eubanks 2010b). This act was a measure which had the objective of increasing the preventative, supervisory and intervening powers of this regulatory authority. The act also facilitated the strengthening of informational and reporting requirements for financial institutions, insurance companies

Review of of John Kotter and Dan Cohen's book, The Heart of Change Essay

Review of of John Kotter and Dan Cohen's book, The Heart of Change - Essay Example For people to change their behaviour, they should be shown the truth that influences their feelings. Failures in change management occur mostly in large organizations where managers deal with mergers, acquisitions, new strategies, globalization, cultural transformation, e-business, new technologies, and new structuring of the whole organization or departments of an organization. The two authors found out that: Successful organizations know how to defend the organization against anything that rejects changes. The organizations know how to avoid risks and make use of arising opportunities. They recognize the importance of continuous improvement and know that taking big leaps have bigger rewards. That change is a complex affair that goes through eight stages. The stages are; creation of a sense of urgency, creation of visions and strategies, putting together a guiding team, removal of barriers of action, effective communication of vision and strategies, carrying out short term wins, cre ation of a new culture and making it persist, and keeping the work consistent (Kotter & Cohen, 2002, p. 2). Main focus in change management in the eight stages is the people’s behaviour. ... Ivancevich, Robert Konopaske and Michael T. Matteson†. Discussion Summary of ‘Organizational Behaviour and Management’ by John M. Ivancevich, Robert Konopaske and Michael T. Matteson The book covers organizational management through explanation of various issues in organizational behaviour, organizational culture, individual differences and work behaviour, perceptions, attributions and emotions, and motivation. Organizational behaviour: This is viewed in a multidisciplinary manner. This explains various points about it. Organizational behaviour is believed as operating at individual, organization and group levels. These levels must be defined when studying organizational behaviour. Organizational behaviour makes use of theories, principles, models, and methods from other disciplines. A third point is that organizational behaviour encompasses a distinct humanistic orientation. People and their learning capacities, attitudes, goals, perceptions and feelings are very important to the organization (Ivancevich, Konopaske & Matteson, 2011). Organizational behaviour is performance oriented. The book recognises the role of leaders in organizational behaviour. It describes how everything facing a leader in an organization is in motion and churning. It also explains that a leader accomplishes success through properly aligning the human resources of the organization with the changing conditions, understanding of the organizational structure and design, the organization's environment, group behaviour, individual characteristics, decision making, and organizational change processes. It communicates the following about workers. That workers feel important when recognized, individual behaviours are modified by

Short History of Socialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short History of Socialism - Essay Example But if anthropologists wish to engage the contemporary world and come to terms with all its interconnectedness they certainly cannot afford to ignore the role of intellectuals in shaping-and occasionally perhaps inventing-new cultural traditions. Holy's portrayal of the actors who, as the voices of the Scandinavian nation, precipitated that country's 'Velvet Revolution' is the most dramatic of a number of illustrations provided in this volume, several of which deal with Africa. Socialism when analyzed, is found to embrace four main elements. The first of these is the common ownership of the material instruments of production. It is not stated precisely how this common ownership is to be brought about, or exactly what form it is to take (Lichtheim, 1970).. Opinions may and do differ about the practical steps which are to be taken to secure the desired end, and also about the nature of the collective organization in which this ownership is to be vested. But no one can be called a socialist in the modern technical sense who does not accept the doctrine of the common ownership of the material instruments of production. ... It is simply necessary to exercise one's imagination, and to picture to one's self the extension of that which already exists in a comparatively small way (Lichtheim, 1970).. It is said substantially all land and capital, because it is held that it is not necessary that the common ownership should be absolutely all-inclusive. It is a weakness of the extremists to insist on all -- inclusiveness in common ownership, which much damages their cause. What is necessary is that the collective ownership should become dominant in such manner as to control all other ownership and confine it within narrow limits. All the great instruments of production, like telegraphs, telephones, railways, forests, arable lands, and large manufacturing plants, must become collective property; but socialism does not imply that it is necessary to restrict individuals in the acquisition of the instruments of production on a small scale, -- for example, a wheelbarrow or a cart. Socialism, then, presented in the s trongest form, does not proceed so much negatively as constructively. Society is to acquire the instruments of production; but individuals, for the most part, are not to be restrained, except indirectly, by positive social action. Modern socialism is the natural outcome of modern industrial conditions, and its origin is contemporaneous with the origin of those conditions. We must seek its beginnings in the beginnings of modern industry. We can express this thought differently by saying that modern socialism is the product of the industrial revolution. It has grown with this revolution, becoming international as the industrial revolution has spread over the nations of the

1. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, encouraged Essay

1. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, encouraged his followers to live their lives in the service of others. How do you plan to serve others in your future endeavors - Essay Example Being a servant leader, I try and clean up my ethical or moral issues that would prevent me from leading and eventually serving others. To serve others, I plan to willingly do humble tasks such as creating time to take care of the sick, visit orphaned children, support the elderly when they need it and engage in clean up activities voluntarily. I will always try to be open to listen since people are more willing to share their struggles and experiences to persons who are free to others and hence I will be able to support them in any way that I can. When I choose to be honest and make impartial judgments that administer justice effectively, people will have more trust in me since they appreciate someone who is fair. Lastly by assisting others to nurture personal or professional values I will enable them to have a strong belief in themselves. In the long run, I acknowledge that by serving others, my rewards will be so much greater than if I were to serve with self-serving motives since I will be serving others and adding value to their

Summary and analyze of No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald Essay

Summary and analyze of No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald - Essay Example The core there is that he came to realization that a small unit of people in USA did operate under their unique set of rules, receiving real protection from the government. As a result, the book came up as a result of vent up anger of the injustice in the society (Greenwald, pg. 30). The second chapter reveals the meeting point of Greenwald; MacAskil and Poitras spend in a debriefing session in Hong Kong. They have some fears that their conversations are overheard within their hotel vicinity. The fifth chapter reveals the unequal life that exists in the elite population. A clear rift is demonstrated. Those in that class did condemn the exposers of the matter greatly. In fact, they claim that a school dropout is not at the verge of production of such condemning messages to the government. Most significantly, he makes use of an â€Å"inexperienced journalist to pass the

Business law concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business law concepts - Essay Example An employer has to pay wages even if no work is there for the employee to do. The common principle is that wages has to be paid if an employee is accessible for work. This again depends on whether the terms in the contract are expressed or implied. The case on hand with regard to Lessex Police Constabulary agree with Highspots Nightclub is similar to the case of Scottbridge Ltd v Wright wherein a night-watchman was called for to be on the building between 5 pm and 7 am every night. Other than some minor duties the watch man was mainly required to be in the premises to prevent any intruders. When the night watch-man claimed his wages the employer refused to pay saying that he had no work. The Court of Session preserved the EAT judgment that he has to be paid at least the national minimum wage rate for the hours he was at work. It was in the hands of the employer to render him with work and just because he did not have any work to do will not nullify his right to be paid.

1. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, encouraged Essay

1. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, encouraged his followers to live their lives in the service of others. How do you plan to serve others in your future endeavors - Essay Example Being a servant leader, I try and clean up my ethical or moral issues that would prevent me from leading and eventually serving others. To serve others, I plan to willingly do humble tasks such as creating time to take care of the sick, visit orphaned children, support the elderly when they need it and engage in clean up activities voluntarily. I will always try to be open to listen since people are more willing to share their struggles and experiences to persons who are free to others and hence I will be able to support them in any way that I can. When I choose to be honest and make impartial judgments that administer justice effectively, people will have more trust in me since they appreciate someone who is fair. Lastly by assisting others to nurture personal or professional values I will enable them to have a strong belief in themselves. In the long run, I acknowledge that by serving others, my rewards will be so much greater than if I were to serve with self-serving motives since I will be serving others and adding value to their

Business law concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business law concepts - Essay Example An employer has to pay wages even if no work is there for the employee to do. The common principle is that wages has to be paid if an employee is accessible for work. This again depends on whether the terms in the contract are expressed or implied. The case on hand with regard to Lessex Police Constabulary agree with Highspots Nightclub is similar to the case of Scottbridge Ltd v Wright wherein a night-watchman was called for to be on the building between 5 pm and 7 am every night. Other than some minor duties the watch man was mainly required to be in the premises to prevent any intruders. When the night watch-man claimed his wages the employer refused to pay saying that he had no work. The Court of Session preserved the EAT judgment that he has to be paid at least the national minimum wage rate for the hours he was at work. It was in the hands of the employer to render him with work and just because he did not have any work to do will not nullify his right to be paid.

Neoliberalism in Latin America Essay Example for Free

Neoliberalism in Latin America Essay From the 1930s until the 1980s state intervention and protection were key components of most Latin American economies. In these years many Latin American countries were used an Import-substitution industrialization based economy trying to reduce dependence on foreign imports and replacing them with domestic production. Due to the use of an Import-substitution industrialization based economy Latin American countries were forced to keep high tariffs to protect the private companies of their countries. This combined with many Latin America countries providing numerous government subsidized programs eventually led to the 1982 debt crisis. This debt crisis created a vacuum affect in Latin America with many of the countries taking on a new neoliberal economic model, and by the early 1990s John Charles Chasteen claims that almost every Latin American country was led by a president that was pro neoliberalism. This neoliberal economic model called for the slashing of tariffs as well as the reduction of removal of all nationalist-inspired subsides. Also following the neoliberal model, Latin American countries stopped the printing of money to slow inflation effectively undermining the functionality of their local markets. All of this was done so that a completely â€Å"free market† could be created. It was believed that this free market would not only help improve the economies of Latin American countries, but also create more personal freedoms for the people of Latin America. In the article â€Å"Neoliberalism, Neoclassicism and Economic Welfare†, John T. Harvey claims the complete opposite, arguing although a neoliberal economic model was created to produce conditions conducive to social provisioning or democratic problem solving, the exact opposite has occurred. Harvery states in his article, â€Å"Instead of growth, stability, and the narrowing of income gaps, we have seen stagnation, volatility, and increased inequality. † By researching neoliberalism a clear picture can be drawn. Neoliberalism created class stratification with the upper and middle class greatly benefiting from the new policies sanctioned by neoliberalism, while the poor continued to become more impoverished and unable to provide for themselves. Many historians argue that the neoliberal economic model was most beneficial for the small wealthy upper-class of Latin America as well as many upper-class business owners from other countries. The existence of a â€Å"free market† due to neoliberalism in Latin America created many opportunities for upper-class citizens to continue to become considerably wealthier. The upper-class benefit from neoliberalism in many ways but the two largest benefits come from the privatization of government subsidized programs and the lowering of tariffs. Not only did both of these policies line the pockets of the upper-class of Latin America but foreign investors as well. In order to balance their federal budget many Latin American governments privatized their government subsidized programs as well as cut federal jobs. First, the privatization of federal jobs allowed many upper-class citizens to take over these businesses and use them in their benefit to create capital. Former government projects such as constructing roads and government buildings were now being completed by companies that were owned by the upper-class. Prior to neoliberalism these jobs were paid out of the federal budget and were used as a way to lower unemployment by hiring more workers than were really needed. Now that private companies were doing the work efficiency was the most important thing leading to the loss of many jobs for the poor class of Latin America. In the article, â€Å"Neo-Liberalism in Latin America: Limits and Alternatives† Ian Roxborough argues that the immediate beneficiaries of the privatization of government subsidized programs and federal jobs, or what he calls real assets, were foreign investors and people with â€Å"flight cash†. This was because when these programs became privatized upper-class people from other countries as well as Latin America were able to come in and by penny cheap shares of these programs and soon to be private companies. This excrementally helped the upper-class because after they bought this stock at largely discounted prices it quickly grew in value. Clearly, lower classes that did not have extra cash could not benefit from this because they were unable to purchase any of the shares of these newly privatized commodities. This created two problems, not only did real assets of Latin America get lost to upper-class foreign investors, it also created a significantly larger wealth gap between the poor and upper-class because of the large amounts of money the upper-class made from the gains of the stock that they bought at such cheap prices. Another benefit the upper-class of Latin America and other foreign countries gained from neoliberalism was the reduction of tariffs. The reduction of Tariffs allowed foreign companies to come into Latin America and build maquiladoras. This was beneficial for the foreign investors because they could now come into Latin America where working wages were much cheaper and produce their goods at lower prices, which entail created more profit. Lower tariffs were beneficial for Latin American upper-class citizens because as the foreign companies came into Latin America they were able to invest in these companies. The ability to invest in these companies that wouldn’t have come to Latin America with the previous tariffs was just one more way people who already had money in Latin America were able to benefit even more from a neoliberal economic model. Neoliberalism also benefitted the middle class of Latin America. Chasteen argues the middle class benefited from a neoliberal economic model because of the cheap products that were produced due to the maquiladoras in Latin America as well as cheap products that were being imported to Latin America because of the newly reduced tariffs. This was very beneficial for the middle class for two reasons. First, under neoliberalism the middle class society who had money to spend, now had more choices because the large influx of items that were now being imported into Latin America. In his article, â€Å"Magical Neoliberalism†, Alberto Fuguet argues that neoliberalism was what led to amenities like large scale movies from Hollywood and other services, like fast food chains, to come to Latin America. Secondly, neoliberalism was beneficial to the middle class because with a larger selection of goods comes competition. With competition companies foreign and local now had to produce the best quality goods at the lowest price in order to continue to receive business from the middle class. Neoliberalism also benefited the middle class of Latin America because of the advancement in technology that occurred because of the privatization of water resource centers, electrical companies, and telecommunication companies. The privatization of these companies allowed them to modernize as well as make them more reliable. Some argue that neoliberalism was also beneficial for the women of Latin America. In her article â€Å"Love in the Time of Neo-Liberalism: Gender, Work, and Power in a Costa Rican Marriage†, Susan E. Mannon argues neoliberalism allowed women to gain more power and independence then they previously had. Mannon claims that neoliberalism, and the reduced tariffs that come with it, led to the creation of maquiladoras where women could seek employment. Latin American women’s new ability to gain employment in maquiladoras allowed them to earn a wage creating dual-income households. Not only did this give them more power and independence in their individual households, but the ability to buy goods also allowed them to participate in the local economy giving them more power as well. Those who stood to gain the least under a neoliberal economic model were the poor people of Latin America. This is because the privatization of state-run corporations and public service programs made them unaffordable for the poor working class, leaving many homeless and hungry. In the article, â€Å"From Democracy to Development: The Political Economy of Post-Neoliberal Reform in Latin America†, Alfred P. Montero states claims that neoliberalism leads to deepening levels of inequality, a growing percentage of people living below the poverty line, decaying infrastructure, poor access to even low-quality primary education, rising criminality, and inefficient productivity. All of these problems can be linked to privatization of government subsidized programs and the loss of government jobs. With neoliberalism the loss of jobs and government programs made unemployment skyrocket and education too expensive for much of the poor class of Latin America to afford. This lack of education is what many argue led to the problems that Montero claims such as a rise in criminal activity. Also, because neoliberalism privatizes companies that control commodities such as water, telecommunications, and electricity the poor class was unable to afford them, essentially leaving the poor of Latin America in the dark without water or electricity. Neoliberalism also led to the creation of Maquiladora’s which initially created what poor Latin American believed to be desirable jobs. Quickly the poor found out that many of these jobs did not pay a wage that was enough for a person to survive. With the poor pay of maquiladoras also came very poor working conditions that were conducive to creating injury. Omar Gil a former maquiladora worker stated in an interview that his first maquiladora job paid him a dismal forty dollars a week in working conditions that were less than safe. Omar attested that maquiladora workers were injured often because of the intense pressure of Forman’s to produce as much product as possible. Also with neoliberalism came the lack of available occupations. Due to the reduction of tariffs foreign companies were able to bring mass produced goods into Latin American countries at prices cheaper than local inhabitants were able to produce them. This created large scale unemployment and forced Latin American people into the unsafe and low paying maquiladoras. Chasteen argues that for the poor class the inability to produce goods far outweighed the benefits of being able to be a small-time consumer from the dismal wages that were earned in maquiladoras. It is clear that the neoliberal economic model is not beneficial for anyone but the wealthy elites and middle class of Latin American Countries. A neoliberal economic model became fashionably popular in Latin America because the people who were in charge were upper-class citizens and during a down turn in 1982 neoliberalism seemed like a solution due to its approach to better balance the budget of Latin American countries. Unfortunately, either the leadership of these countries assumed wrong, or just didn’t care about the wellbeing of its impoverished people, but clearly a neoliberal economic model does nothing but create a larger wealth gap, create more social stratification, and deplete living conditions for the poor even more. In the article, â€Å"Exploring the Impact of Neoliberal Economic Development on Poverty in Costa Rica: What Went Wrong? †, Paul B Lubliner argues that in order for economic prosperity to complement poverty reduction the state should have more control over the economy not less. I agree and argue by privatizing all state subsidized programs as well as depleting the amount of government jobs to almost zero Latin American countries actually went backwards in their pursuit to shorten the wealth gap as well as social stratification. Abusing your population to closer balance budget is in no way the solution to guarantee countries prosperity in the foreseeable future. Neoliberalism was clearly one sided only benefiting the rich and middle class, disfranchising each countries poor setting them back further then they were before.

Diagnosis of Middle Ear Disorders Using Wideband Energy

Diagnosis of Middle Ear Disorders Using Wideband Energy CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF MIDDLE EAR DISORDERSÂ  USING WIDEBAND ENERGY REFLECTANCE A Doctoral Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Copyright 2008 by [Alaaeldin Elsayed] CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF MIDDLE EAR DISORDERS USING WIDEBAND ENERGY REFLECTANCE Communication Sciences and Disorders ABSTRACT Accurate diagnosis of middle ear disorders in adults and children is a challenging task because of the complexity of disorders. Wideband energy reflectance (WBER) technique provides simplicity and accuracy in diagnosing middle ear disorders across wide frequency range. This research is expanding the studies of WBER to investigate the middle ear function in normal and pathological conditions of the middle ear in adults and children. Findings showed that WBER not only can distinguish abnormal from normal middle ear function but also can characterize different middle ear disorders in adults and children. Several specific WBER patterns were established in a variety of middle ear disorders among adults and children that will help in early diagnosis of such pathologies. The ER pattern was including significant higher ER in the children control group than the adult control group at 0.5 kHz and 1 kHz, abnormally high or shallower in otosclerotic ears, abnormally low in ears with TM perforati on and abnormally low ER with deep notch in ears with hypermobile TM. In presence of negative middle-ear pressure, elevated ER at ambient pressure is also expected. Results also showed that standard tympanometry was less sensitive in diagnosing middle ear disorders when compared to WBER especially in otosclerotic cases. Further studies are still required to validate the clinical use of ER in larger number of individuals with confirmed middle ear disorders. KEYWORDS: wideband energy reflectance, otosclerosis, otitis media with effusion, eustachian tube dysfunction, tympanometry. This abstract is approved as to form and content Wafaa Kaf, MD, MS, PhD Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State Universit CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF MIDDLE EAR DISORDERS USING WIDEBAND ENERGY REFLECTANCETITLE OF THESIS By Alaaeldin Elsayed A Doctoral Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctorate, Audiology ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank so many who encouraged me along this dissertation. First and foremost, I am thankful to God for all his blessings. I am very grateful to Dr. Neil DiSarno for all his support and kind caring throughout my graduate school education. Further, I am indeed grateful to Dr. Wafaa Kaf, my doctoral advisor, for her guidance, encouragement, and support throughout this work. In addition, I would like to show appreciation to my committee members for their helpful comments and direction for this dissertation. Special thanks also to the faculty and secretarial staff of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders. Thanks to Dr. Walid Albohy, and Dr. Ahmad Alhag for their help in collecting data for this study. Special thanks and appreciation for my wife Enass and my children Mohamed and Nada, your love and delightful spirits has kept me going forward. DEDICATION This work is dedicated To My dear parents, My beloved Enass, Mohamed, and Nada, Who made all of this possible, for their endless encouragement and patience. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Hearing mechanism and the middle ear Sound transmission. The hearing process includes the transmission of sound energy through the auditory canal to the tympanic membrane (TM). This sound energy results in vibration of the TM with an equal atmospheric pressure on both sides of the TM. The mechanical vibrations are, then, transmitted from the TM to the air-filled middle ear space and ossicles (malleus, incus and stapes), which further amplify the sound energy and transmit it, via oval window, to the fluid-filled inner ear. At the inner ear, the mechanical vibration is converted into electric waves and transmitted as nerve signals that are interpreted by the brain as sounds. Mechanical properties of middle ear. The middle ear is an air-filled cavity that connects the outer ear canal to the labyrinth of the inner ear. This connection is established through the middle ear ossicels-malleus, incus and stapes. The malleus is attached to the TM by its handle; the incus bone lies in the middle between the malleus and the stapes while the footplate of the stapes is attached to the oval window of the inner ear. The middle ear cavity is also connected to the nasopharyngeal cavity through the Eustachian tube (Musiek and Baran, 2007). The Eustachian tube is important in maintaining an equal pressure on both sides of the TM and ventilation of the middle ear cavity. The tube also drain the middle ear into the nasopharynx (Channell, 2008). Figure 1 demonstrates schematic representation of the anatomy of the ear. When the sound pressure moves the TM the mallus and incus consequently move together as one unit around a pivotal point. In doing so, both bones act as a lever; the lever arm formed by the manubrium of the malleus is slightly longer than that of the incus (about 1:1.3 ratio). In turn, the rotation of the long process of the incus around its pivotal point leads to the back and forth (piston-like) movement of the stapes footplate in the oval window of the inner ear. The movement of the stapes footplate is directly proportional to the frequency and amplitude of the sound waves. This route of sound transmission is called the ossicular route. Acoustic route is another way of transmitting sound waves directly from the TM and the oval window to the cochlea. The direct acoustic stimulation of the oval and round windows, by passing the ossicles (acoustic route), plays a part in sound transmission In normal ears both routs are functioning but the upper hand is for the ossicular route (Voss, Ro sowski, Merchant, and Peake, 2007). From the above information, it appears that the middle ear plays important role in the hearing process. The middle ear mainly helps to correct the impedance mismatching between the air-filled middle ear and the fluid-filled cochlea and to transform the acoustic energy at the TM into mechanical energy that will eventually be transferred to the inner ear. The Impedance matching function of the middle ear is carried out by three mechanisms: the lever action of the ossicles of the middle ear, the area difference between the TM and the area of the stapes footplate, and the buckling of the curved TM. An outcome of these mechanisms is that the vibration obtained from the large area of the TM is focused to the much smaller oval window of the inner ear (21:1 area ratio), resulting in a differential pressure between the oval window connected to scala vestibuli and the round window connected to the scala tympani. This pressure differential is critical in maximizing the flow of sound energy and activation of the cochlear structures (Cummings, 2004). Accordingly, middle ear disorders are expected to affect the normal transmission of sound, resulting in conductive hearing loss (discussed below). An illustration of the anatomical structure of External, Middle and Inner ear. Modified from Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Ear anatomy. In addition to correcting the impedance mismatch between the air-filled middle ear and the fluid-filled cochlea, the middle ear also protects the inner ear from loud sound via the acoustic reflex. This mainly occurs as a result of reflex contraction of the two middle ear muscles, the tensor tympani and the stapedius, in response to loud sound leading to increased stiffness of the oscicular chain, and hence diminished sound transmission (Allen, Jeng, and Levitt, 2005). Given that the acoustic reflex mainly decreases the transmission of low frequency sounds thus, it improves speech discrimination in loud, low-frequency noisy environments. Unfortunately, the reflex does not protect the ear against impulsive sounds as gun shots due to prolonged latency in muscle contraction (Lynch, Peake, and Rosowski, 1994). Pathophysiology of middle ear disorders To further understand the pathology of middle ear disorders, it is important to consider the middle ear system as a vibrating mechanical system. Such a system is composed of three elements: mass, stiffness, and friction. When the mass and stiffness components are equal, so-called resonant frequency of the middle ear, it is expected that the amplitude of vibration of the middle ear is at maximum. On the other hand, when there is an increase in the mass without change in stiffness or friction the resonant frequency is lowered and the amplitude of vibration is lowered at frequencies above the resonant frequency. In contrast, when there is an increase in the stiffness component of the middle ear the resonant frequency increases and the magnitude of vibration reduces for frequencies below the resonant frequency (Roeser, Valente, and Hosford-Dunn, 2000). Middle Ear Disorders are a variable group of pathological conditions that includes, for example, middle ear infection (Otitis Media with Effusion: OME), chronic otitis media with perforation of the TM, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD), ossicular disruption or dislocation and or/ otosclerosis. Such middle ear disorders may lead to conductive hearing loss due to their effects on mass, stiffness, and/or friction elements of the normal middle ear. Perforated TM is induced by chronic otitis media or trauma to the ear. As a result, the normal structure and the function of the TM are altered. The degree of hearing loss is directly related to the size of the perforation (Voss et al., 2000) The perforation leads to equalization of pressure on both sides of the membrane which consequently leads to disturbance of the ossicular route and hearing loss (Voss et al., 2000). Normally the inward movement of the stapes is followed by an outward movement at the round window (push and pull mechanism). In the presence of TM perforation, this push and pull mechanism of the ossicles is disturbed and the sound waves energy reaching the oval window is reduced. Ossicular dislocation usually follows a violent trauma to head or as a consequence of chronic otitis media and/or cholesteatoma. Disarticulation of the incudostapedial joint due to traffic accident was the most common pathlogy of ossicular disruption(Yetiser s, 2008). With the exception disruption due to chronic otitis media, the dislocation of the ossicles may or may not be accompanied by TM rupture. The injury results in loss of the impedance matching mechanism of the middle ear and a conductive hearing loss of about 40-60 dB (Merchant, Ravicz, and Rosowski, 1997). Otosclerosis is a progressive disease of bone resorption and reformation that affects bones derived from the otic capsule. The etiology of the disease is not fully understood. The disease leads to osteodystrophy and fixation of the stapes in the oval window. Among the most accepted eatiological factors is genetic factors and viral infection. Otosclerosis is characterized clinically by progressive hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo (Menger and Tange, 2003). Both conductive and sensory neural hearing loss has been reported in otosclerotic patients (Ramsay and Linthicum, 1994). Otosclerosis may affect the cochlea and other parts of the labyrinth as well (Menger and Tange, 2003). The resulting fixation of the footplate of the stapes leads to increased stiffness of the ossicular chain early in the disease. Increased stiffness of the middle ear affects the transmission of low frequency sounds. At later stages of the disease, the bone starts to grow adding a mass effect. This increase in ma ss of the middle ear affects the transmission of high frequency sounds as well (Shahnaz and Polka, 1997). More disorders include inflammatory conditions of the middle ear such as otitis media (OM) and media with effusion (OME), chronic otitis media, and cholesteatoma. OM usually results from upper respiratory infections or allergies that lead to obstruction of the Eustachian tube (Channell, 2008). As a consequence, negative pressure develops in the middle ear resulting in otalgia due to stretching of the TM and mild hearing loss due to the increased stiffness of middle ear transmitting mechanism. If the negative pressure inside the middle ear is not relieved, a transudate accumulates inside the middle ear. The condition is then called OME. The hearing is further affected by the mass- friction effect. The degree of hearing loss depends on the type and the amount of the transudate. The combination of fluid and pressure in the middle ear was found to reduce TM movement at the umbo by 17 dB over the auditory frequency range (Dai, Wood, and Gan, 2008). Middle ear function measures Tuning fork testing. The tuning fork testing is one of the traditionally used qualitative hearing tests. They are used to examine the conductive component of hearing loss (external or middle ear pathology). Several tests have been descried including: Rinne, Schwabach, Bing, and Weber tests. For Rinne test, the vibrating tuning fork is held against the skull, usually on the mastoid process bone behind the ear to cause vibrations through the bones of the skull and inner ear. To cause vibrations in the air next to the ear, the vibrating fork is then held next to, but not touching, the ear. In the test the patient is asked to determine if the sound heard through the bone is louder or that heard through the air. The results of the test are categorized as positive, negative, or equivocal. A negative Rinne test is indicated when the sound is heard louder by bone conduction than by air conduction which suggests a conductive component of the hearing loss. Although Rinne test was found to be highly specific in one study; the same author has suggested that it should be carried out only as a pack up test for pure tone audiometry in audiological evaluation of hearing loss (Browning and Swan, 1988; Thijs and Leffers, 1989). The Schwabach tuning fork test compares patients bone conduc tion to the normal examiner. Bing tuning fork tests determines the presence or absence of the occlusion effect. Weber tunning fork test determines the type of a unilateral hearing loss. While Rinne test compares air conduction to bone conduction in the same patient. Although the tuning fork testing is easy and reliable; it is still a subjective test that depends on the response of the patient and the degree of hearing loss. Additional drawbacks are that tuning fork testing is a qualitative and not a quantitative test, and does not diagnose the etiology of the conductive hearing loss. Pure-tone Audiometry. Pure-tone Audiometry is a behavioral test that measures hearing threshold. The test has been used to diagnose type and degree of hearing loss for more than one hundred years. During test setting, the patient is subjected to different tones to test the hearing mechanisms via air-conduction and bone conduction. Typically, the normal level of pure tone audiogram air and bone conduction will lie between 0-15 dB HL for children and 0-25 dB HL for adults. According to Northern and Downs (1991), the degree of hearing loss can be classified in adults as (0-25 dB HL) within normal limits, Mild (26-40 dB HL), Moderate (41- 55 dB HL), Moderate-Severe (56-70), Severe (71-90 dB HL) or Profound (91 + dB HL) hearing loss. In children it is classified as normal (0-15 dB HL), Slight (15-25 dB HL), Mild (25-30 dB HL), Moderate (30-50 dB HL), Severe (50-70 dB HL), Profound (70 + dB HL) hearing loss. This classification is applied to PTA of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz (Roeser et al, 2000). Different types of hearing loss are interpreted by comparing air conduction thresholds to bone conduction thresholds. When the air conduction threshold elevated to a maximum around 60-70 dB HL in the presence of normal bone conduction threshold, this type of hearing loss is called conductive hearing loss. In sensorineural hearing loss the pure tone audiogram shows both air and bone conduction thresholds are elevated and with a 10 dB HL or less in between. Mixed hearing loss displays elevation in both air and bone conduction thresholds, but with the bone conduction threshold at better intensities than the air conduction by 10 dB HL or more. In both conductive and mixed hearing loss, the difference in air and bone conduction thresholds is called air-bone gap; and it represents the amount of conductive hearing loss present (Roeser et al, 2000). The use of pure-tone audiometry provides quantitative information regarding the degree and type of hearing loss. However, it does not diagnose the cause of hearing loss and cannot be used in infants, young children, and difficult-to-test subject. Mannina (1997) reported that the diagnosis of middle ear disorders in school-aged children is less efficient when using pure-tone audiometry alone. To improve the diagnosis of middle ear disorder, Yockel (2001) demonstrated that the addition of tympanometry to audiometry does improve the diagnosis of OME than using audiometry alone. Assessing Middle ear function is a very important step in early diagnosis and treatment of conductive hearing loss. Since the usually used subjective tests, the tuning-fork and pure tone audiometry, cannot identify the etiology of underlying middle ear disease, other objective measures such as acoustic immittance are needed for differential diagnosis and accurate diagnosis of specific middle ear disorders. Acoustic Immittance. Several objective measurements of middle ear function have been developed over the last four decades. Various anatomical structures of the middle ear represent complex network system that affects the sound presented to the ear. Not all the sound represented to the middle ear is delivered to the cochlea, but some of the power is absorbed by the bony structure of the middle ear (Zwislocki, 1982). Acoustic Immittance using tympanometry assess the middle ear status by measuring the transmitted sound energy to the middle ear. Acoustic Immittance provides objective information about the mechanical transfer function in the outer and middle ear. Acoustic Immittance is defined, as the velocity with which an objects moves in proportional to an applied force, while Acoustic Impedance (Za) is the opposition offered by middle ear and the TM to the flow of energy. Mathematically acoustic admittance (Ya) of a system is the reciprocal of impedance. Acoustic Immittance refers collectively to acoustic admittance, acoustic impedance or both (Tympanometry. ASHA Working Group on Aural Acoustic-Immittance Measurements Committee on Audiologic Evaluation, 1988). Investigators have found that abnormalities in the middle ear transmission might be reflected in the acoustic condition of the TM (Allen et al, 2005). Acoustic Immittance can be measured to single probe-tone frequency (single frequency tympanometry) or to series of multiple probe frequencies (multifrequency tympanometry). Single frequency tympanometry. Tympanometry is one of the earliest objective methods used to evaluate middle ear function. Tympanometry measures the acoustic immittance of the middle ear as a function of changing the air pressure in the ear canal. A single probe tone tympanometry is the conventional measure of middle ear function in response to low frequency probe tone, 226 Hz, under varying static air pressure. Evaluation of the acoustic immittance of normal and different middle ear disorders was done by Otto Metz, 1946, and confirmed later by Feldman, 1963 (Katz, 2009) In 1970, James Jerger began to incorporate immittance measurement into the routine audiological evaluation. Jerger classified tympanograms as type A, B, or C depending on the shape of the tympanogram (with or without peak) and location of the peak when present. Type A is the normal tympanogram with the peak at or near the atmospheric pressure (+25 to -100 daPa). Type A is further divided into subtypes Ad and As for high and low peaked type A tympanograms respectively (Feldman, 1976). Type B tympanogram has no peak and relates to middle ear effusion, infection with normal ear canal volume, or due to large TM perforation with large ear canal volume. Type C is a negatively shifted tympanogram that reflects Eustachian tube dysfunction, a precursor of serous OM, mostly evolved from type B (Katz, 2009). Since 1970, single frequency Tympanometry is the conventional clinical middle ear measure because it is a non-invasive, objective, and cheap indicator of many middle ear pathologies in children and adults. Unfortunately, low frequency probe tone tympanometry has high false negatives in infants younger than seven months (Holte, Margolis, and Cavanaugh, 1991). This is explained by the movement of the infants ear canal wall with pressure changes in the external ear canal due to immaturity of the bony part of the external auditory canal. In addition, tympanometry was found to be relatively insensitive to many lesions that affect the ossicular chain of the middle ear (Lilly, 1984). Furthermore, Keefe and Levi (1996) reported false positive tympanometry results compared to energy reflectance, a recent middle ear function measure. They found normal middle ear energy reflectance at higher frequencies in infants with flat low probe tone tympanometry. Multifrequency tympanometry. Multifrequency Tympanometry (MFT), which was first introduced by Colletti in 1976, measures middle ear impedance using multiple frequency probe tones ranging from 226-Hz to 500 Hz and up to 2000 Hz (Colletti,1976) . Similar to previous discussion about the three elements of the mechanical system of the middle ear, admittance of the middle ear has three components: stiffness (compliant susceptance), mass susceptance and conductance (resistance). A tympanometric pattern was developed by Vanhuyse and colleagues in 1975 that helped in interpreting the underlying middle ear pathology using MFT. The Vanhuyse tympanometric pattern is based on the assumption of the shapes and locations of reactance (X) and resistance (R) tympanograms. Using a conversion equation the model can predict the shapes of susceptance (B) and conductance (G) tympanograms. Vanhuyse et al proposed four normal patterns: 1B1G, 3B1G, 3B3G, and 5B3G as shown in Figure 2. 1B1G pattern is the normal tympanogram with a one susceptance (B) and one conductance (G) peak. It occurs when reactance (X) is negative and its absolute value is greater than resistance (R) at all pressure used (the ear stiffness is controlled). As the probe frequency increases the curve becomes more complex and notched. 3BIG model has three peaks of susceptance (B) and one conductance (G) peak. It represent negative reactance (X) with an absolute value greater than resistance (R) at low pressur e and smaller than resistance (R) at high pressure. The third model (3B3G) appears when the ear is mass-controlled. In 3B3G model the reactance is positive and less than resistance (X R) at low pressure and becoming negative at high pressure (Margolis, Saly, and Keefe, 1999). Figure 2. A graphic presentation of the model presented by Vanhuyse, Creten and Van Camp (1975). The resistance (R) , negative resistance (-R) and the reactance (X) tympanograms is shown in the upper left corner of each panel. Negative R is shown to compare the magnitude of the reactance X. The corresponding admittance (Y), (lower left corner), susceptance (B), (upper right corner) and conductance (G), (lower right corner) are also shown in each panel. Four patterns are presented and classified according to the number of extrema in the susceptance B and conductance G tympanograms. The pattern (1B1G) in panel one shows both susceptance and conductance have single extrema and reactance is negative. The pattern (3B1G) in panel two shows conductance G is single peaked with three extrema in susceptance B, reactance X is still negative but its absolute value is greater than resistance at high pressure. The pattern (3B3G) in panel three shows three extrema in susceptance B, conductance G, and admitta nce Y tympanograms, reactance Y is positive but less than resistance R . The pattern (5B3G) in panel four shows five extrema in susceptance B tympanogram and three extrema in conductance G, and admittance Y tympanograms, reactance Y is positive and greater than resistance R at low pressure. Because of the use of measuring middle ear function to several probe tone frequency, MFT is considered superior to single frequency tympanometry in detecting high impedance pathological conditions of the middle ear such as middle ear effusion, otosclerosis, and cholesteatoma. Such pathological conditions were not detected by conventional tympanometry (Colletti, 1976, Keefe and Levi, 1996, Shahnaz et al 2009). Several studies have shown that MFT has higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting middle ear pathologies such as TM mass or adhesions (Margolis, Schachern, and Fulton, 1998). Also, MFT is more sensitive than single frequency tympanometry in identifying normal and abnormal middle ear condition in neonates (Shahnaz, Miranda, and Polka, 2008). However, MFT is of limited clinical use for several reasons: long testing time, limited frequency range, and unreliable data above 1000 Hz (Allen et al, 2005). The use of wideband energy reflectance is shown to address the above limitat ions of MFT. Wideband energy reflectance. The wideband energy reflectance (WBER) is a new technique that has been introduced recently to evaluate middle ear dysfunction (Keefe, Ling, and Bulen, 1992). Simply the idea of WBER is that incident sound to the ear is transmitted through the ear canal and TM, some of this sound energy is absorbed through the middle ear and cochlea and part of it is reflected back (Figure 3). The energy reflectance (ER) is defined as the square magnitude of pressure reflectance ÂÂ ¦R(f) ÂÂ ¦2, which represents the ratio of the sound energy reflected from the TM to the incident sound energy at frequency (f). ER ratio ranges from one to zero (1.0 = all incident sound energy is reflected, and 0.0 = all sound energy is absorbed) (Allen et al, 2005). ER is an indicator of the middle ear power to transfer sound (Feeney, Grant, and Marryott, 2003). Energy reflectance (ER) measurers middle ear function over a wide band of frequencies (0.2- 8 kHz). ER is the ratio of the reflected energy (red arrow) to the incident energy (yellow arrow). When all incident sound energy is reflected back ER ratio equals one. When all incident sound energy is absorbed ER equals zero. Red arrow represents reflected sound energy; yellow arrow represents incident sound energy; green arrow represent absorbed sound energy. Modified from Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Ear anatomy. WBER measures middle ear function using a chirp stimulus at 65 dB SPL over a wide frequency range, typically 0.2 to 8 kHz and at fixed ambient pressure (Feeney et al, 2003) . Normative data has shown that most incident acoustic power is reflected back to the ear canal (ER ratio closes to 1) at frequency range below 1 kHz or above 10 kHz that also show poor hearing threshold or at frequencies below 1 kHz and above 4 kHz (less efficient middle ear function) (Keefe, Bulen, Arehart, and Burns, 1993). More specifically, 50% of the acoustic power is transmitted to the middle ear between 1-5 kHz frequency range, indicating that the most effective middle ear transfer function (ER is at its lowest values, closer to one) occurs around 1-5 kHz (Allen et al, 2005; Keefe et al, 1993; Schairer, Ellison, Fitzpatrick, and Keefe, 2007). WBER has been used in measuring normal middle ear function and middle ear disorders using ambient pressure (Allen et al, 2005; Feeney et al, 2003; Shahnaz et al., 2009). In other studies the researchers used pressure to measure the acoustic stapedial reflex (Feeney and Sanford, 2005; Schairer et al, 2007). Development of the middle ear in infants was also investigated using WBER (Keefe and Abdala, 2007; Keefe e al, 1993; Keefe and Levi, 1996). Wideband energy reflectance in neonatal screening Keefe et al. (1993) and Keefe and Levi (1996) reported that the acoustic response properties of the external and middle ear varies significantly over the first 2 years of life. These changes, mostly physical changes, are responsible for the mass-dominant infants middle ear system with lower resonant frequency. The main components of this mass-dominant effect is the pars flaccida of the TM, ossicles, and perilymph in the cochlea (Van Camp, Margolis, Wilson, Creten, and Shanks, 1986). The mesenchyme in infants middle ear may add to the mass effect (Meyer, Jardine, and Deverson, 1997). This is completely in contrast to adults middle ear, which is a stiffness-dominant system at low frequency (Holte et al, 1991; Keefe and Levi, 1996). The TM, tendons and ligaments, the space between the mastoid and the middle ear cavity, and the viscosity of the perilymph and the mucous lining of the middle ear cavity constitute the stiffness component of the middle ear (Van Camp, Margolis, Wilson, Creten , and Shanks, 1986). Recently, Shahnaz (2008) have compared MFT and WBER findings between normal adults and normal-hearing neonates in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU), who passed the neonatal hearing screening test. The researcher found maximum absorption of the incident energy at narrower range of frequencies (1.2 2.7 kHz) in normal babies compared to adults (2.8 4.8 kHz) (Shahnaz, 2008; Shahnaz et al, 2008). This preliminary normative data from 49 neonatal ears reflects the potential diagnostic benefits of the WBER test in detecting middle ear effusion in neonates. Wideband energy reflectance in otosclerosis Although the main definitive diagnosis of Otosclerosis is during surgery, an accurate preoperative audiological diagnosis is very important indication for surgery. Still, pure-tone audiometry has its own limitations that prevent accurate diagnosis of otosclerosis. Also, standard 226 Hz tympanometry is usually within normal type A tympanogram in most otosclerotic patients (Jerger, Anthony, Jerger, and Mauldin, 1974). While multiple frequency tempanometry may be helpful in diagnosing otosclerosis, it adds little information to the diagnosis (Probst, 2007). On the other hand, the WBER responses in three ears of otosclerosis fell outside the 5th to 95th percentile of the normative data and presented a distinctive pattern for the disease (Feeney et al, 2003); which suggests that WEBR is a sensitive middle ear measure. In a recent study WBER was found to be helpful in distinguishing 28 otosclerotic ears from normal and/or other causes of conductive hearing loss. A significantly higher ER w as found in otosclerotic ears at frequency range of 0.4- 1 kHz as compared to normal ears. In the same study WBER was found to be more sensitive in diagnosing otosclerosis than the conventional 226 Hz tympanometry and the MFT (Shahnaz et al., 2009). Wideband energy reflectance in other middle ear pathology Hunter and colleagues (2008) found higher sensitivity of WBER in detecting otitis media in infants and children with cleft palate (Hunter, Bagger-Sjoback, and Lundberg, 2008). Feeney and colleagues in 2003 studied WBER at ambient pressure in 13 ears with different middle ear disorders and comparative normal. Different middle ear disorders were involved in this study included: four ears with OME, one ear with ossicular discontinuity, two ears with otosclerosis, two ears with hypermobile TM, two ears with perforated TM, and one participant with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The results suggested a distinctive WBE