Community Collaborator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community Collaborator - Essay Example Second, government officials, through their programs and reform initiatives affect student productivity, attendance, and the rate of students promoted to subsequent grades, while at the same time serving as role models for future students. Third, local groups like Elks, by providing financial and other forms of support, provide significant assistance to teachers in taking effective leadership positions among their students. Fourth, veterans, with their knowledge and the respect they earned in the community, serves as a source of wisdom in imparting to younger generations priceless life experiences to guide their futures. And last, local newspapers and district public relations offices help boost student esteem and morale by serving as an outlet for student works and publishing morale boosting articles about students and their schools. Each group successfully improves student learning through programs and strategies unique within the segment they represent. 4-H, for example, improves student behavior and encourages healthy development by involving all members of the community to work together to support learning both in school and beyond the classroom.

National Health Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

National Health Services - Essay Example The researcher states that most of the services provided by National Health Services or NHS are free. It is funded by the money raised through taxes. The payments made under National Insurance are also utilized for the funding of its health services. In view of the recent budget cuts announced by the government, there will be an impact on taxation. This will lower the fund availability of the NHS as it is mainly dependent on taxation for discharging free health services. Therefore it is important that it identifies alternative sources of funding or it will face the problem of scarce resources in the future. NHS receives a significant chunk of the total budget allocated for the Department of Health. Out of the  £94 billion amount allocated for this Department the NHS received nearly  £92.5 billion in the year 2008-09. The Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are the principal fund holders of NHS and they distribute funds to the system on a contract basis or at a tariff agreed upon. NHS appl ies charges on prescriptions of adults. Apart from this, they also charge money for dentistry and optician services. Most of the costs of the system are funded by taxes, implying that the contributions from UK taxpayers comprise most of its funding. NHS receives money from dentistry as well as optical services. The dentistry charges on examination at NHS as on April 2009 was  £16.50,  £45.60 for extraction or filling and  £198 was charged for other complex procedures.

Evaluation of Differential Research Methods Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of Differential Research Methods Essay In this essay we will look at the positive and negative aspects of the group presentation of remit 1. We will also look into the different research methods we took on to gather relevant information that we needed. Then recommendations we want to include for improvement from our verbal feedback alongside with any constraining factors we, as a group encountered. The essay will then look into the use and analysis of theory that we used that assisted us in making our final campaign. Once our group was given the idea of the university application we began to group ideas together as to what will work most effectively. We chose to use the campaign idea of viral marketing. To do this we took on a semantic and semiotic approach, whereby used signified linguistics to identify what we wanted to communicate and how. Semantic is better defined as ‘the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form’ [Semantics 2, 1994] our campaign idea was developed around the concept of transferring different meanings, for example in our campaign we developed the idea from the message we wanted to transfer across, which was the ease of use of the application along with the ability to make the video viral. Taking a semantic approach can allow the user to interpret form and meaning for them, the implementation of the meaning is posed but is left entirely to the user to self-interpret. Our campaign did however briefly touch over on semantic advertising, as we aimed the campaign as an viral video aimed at the social networking side of things we implemented the thoughts of just how effective it can be to specific target audiences to advertise on particular mediums. Our campaign idea could of better utilised the semantic concepts by identifying key phrases or words and adapting those words to create alternate meanings. Many semantic campaigns today are internet based, with a high increase of internet cookie tracking data being used by companies to then forward on products to consumers with similar search data. We decided to stay away from this concept as it falls into the category of anonymity and as an academic foundation we felt it more reputable to remain known. Semiotics is better defined as ‘The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation’ [U, Eco, 1979] in our campaign we used many semiotic concepts and in fact it is arguably what our final idea was based around. In our storyboard campaign we decided to use the cartoon to real like to cartoon to real life effect which we used to indicate different scenarios, for example when the person first starts off he is a real life person standing with the application in his hand representing real life. The user then enters the University College Birmingham application whereby he is taken into another dimension and we see the use of different symbols and signs to recreate a fictional dimension. The use of this was to indicate exciting ways to being able to receive the information you need. In the cartoon storyboards the use of colours that we used were primary colours, which were used to indicate simplicity while portraying the ability to enjoy the application. It is also important to mention the signified and signifier model which we briefly used in the construction of our campaign, using key word associations it quickly gave us access to relevant wording which tied in with the possible campaign ideas. Finally to talk about the last concept that was used in the campaign we chose is rhetoric, better defined as ‘Language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience’ [G,Tom Eves, A 1999] in our campaign we opted for the viral video, in hope that this would tap into our target market which were young students. In the campaign with the concepts we used by interacting on social networking sites we intending to create a persuasive advertising campaign that attempted to eliminate any preconceived ideas that university information was complicated and hard to get a hold of. The use of language we used in the campaign was simplistic while informative; we left no vital pieces of information out of the campaign while also making the thought of this information entertaining. The overall effect we intended to make on our target audience was to leave a lasting impressive imprint that the viral video we had created was informative, fun and appealing to our audience. In a highly competitive market it is essential for students to understand exactly what they seek and for it to be easily accessible, by creating the viral campaign with the use of social networking sites it allows the audience to access the information they need directly or through friends. To conclude, with the campaign we ran with and the concepts we took on board to get to the final decision we used a variety of different models, in particular the semiotic model whereby we used a variety of different colours, forms and meanings to portray different emotions to the user to engage them. We then took on board some semantic concepts by allowing the campaign to become a viral video and publishing this online it acted not only as a source of information but in turn an advertisement of the application and university. To recommend what could have changed with the campaign final idea or what could have been done instead to better our chances of the campaign idea being successful there would be a few recommendations. The implication further of semantic concepts could have been implemented in to the campaign idea of using social networking. The application draft idea picked up little criticism other than the presentation of the application and its data. If the project was to be undertaken again the use of rhetoric alongside semantic would be heavily prevalent to tap into the internet advertising market alongside the use of websites which creating platforms to share videos, blogs and articles.

History of Video Games

History of Video Games The History of Video Games One of the youngest forms of entertainment to date, the path that led the video game industry to be the giant multibillion dollar industry that it is today is about as humble as World War II. Mounted in mystery and finding its roots in gambling dens and the minds of defense contractors, the history of video games is obtuse and then some. This essay will present a summary of the history of videogames, as it started in the mind of Ralph Baer, the ‘Father of video games, to its place in present and future society as the place holder for billions of dollars in the entertainment industry. Although he is barely spoken of today, except by those the behind scenes, the idea of interacting with televisions further than changing the volume and channel sprang out of the mind of Ralph Baer. After escaping Germany with his parents at the age of 16, Ralph came to America and began working in a television and repair factory. In 1943 he was drafted in the United States Army and served in World War II in Army Intelligence. (Game Informer, 2009) Baer learned much of his knowledge in electronic technology while working for Loral, a military contractor that specialized in airborne technology. Loral approaches Baer with a mission: He is to make the best television technology and money can create. It was at this time that Baer had an idea to make a television that people can be actively engaged with. Loral wasnt nearly as enthusiastic as Baer was and shot his idea down, an action that may have been hastily made. (gamespot.com, 2009) In the year of 1966, Baer approaches his associates with a full page paper on his idea, which is now in the Smithsonian. â€Å"That Document was basically the Magna Carta of the home game industry. Within a year and a half, we were playing video ping-pong, hand ball, and shooting the screen with light guns,† Ralph Baer told Game Informer Magazine. (Game Informer Magazine, Gamespot.com) Sanders and Associates gave Baer the thumbs up. They provided Baer with the backing he needed to start development on his beloved idea. Baer successfully created interactive games such as a chase game, a video tennis game, and a game involving a toy gun that could distinguish between different of types light emitted from a television screen. Baer and other engineers on his team begin creating a prototype. In 1968, the Brown Box was created, named for its faux wood-grain housing. All that was left for Ralph Baer was to put his brainchild in the hands of the populous. This was much more difficult than expected. Sanders asked Baer to find a production partner for his invention. Many of the television and entertainment companies that he approached enjoyed the idea but did not want to enter into contractual obligations. Then he found Magnavox. In 1972, the Brown Box was released as the Magnavox Odyssey. One of its first games was the forever famous, Pong. (Game informer Magazine) Before the first home console hit the stage, in 1958 the very first invention to resemble a video game was a table tennis like game played on an oscilloscope. Willy Higinbotham sought to keep visitors to the Brookhaven National Laboratory interested. A year later, he added a fifteen inch monitor to his unique device. He never placed a patent on his machine. (gamespot.com) An MIT graduate by the name of Steve Russel created the first computer game, called SpaceWar. SpaceWar was played on a rigged up Digital PDP-1. This machine spurred the mind of many imaginative thinkers, one such being was Nolan Bushnell. (gamespot.com) During his academic career, Bushnell sees SpaceWar and is left an everlasting impression. While working a summer job at a carnival, he sees the local coin-operated arcade filled with dozens of computer machines. Realizing it is only a dream, he sees that the cost of computers in that day makes this feat impossible. (gamespot.com) In the early 1970s, Nolan, with the help of Ted Dabney, wanted to make an arcade booth with a SpaceWar based game. The result was Computer Space, the first video arcade game. Placed in a futuristic housing cabinet and crowned with a whopping (for those days) thirteen inch television, Bushnell and Dabney immediately gained support from Nutting Associates, an arcade game manufacturer. 1972 heralded the publics mass exposure to video arcades. Computer Spaces success was short lived, as the public found the gameplay too challenging. (gamespot.com) 1972 was a busy year for video games. The dynamic duo Bushnell and Dabney, left Nutting to start Atari, naming it after a word equivalent to ‘check in the Japanese game Go, which is similar to chess. The two enlisted the help of Al Alcom to program the games. Alcom was given a preliminary assignment, and programmed the first ever Pong. A Pong machine was thrown together and placed in a bar, Andy Capps. Less than two weeks later, the machine broke down. The culprit was the coin storage bin, which was flooded with quarters. Pong was a hit, and paved the way for modern day arcade games. (gamespot.com, Game Informer) Years later, Baer took Bushnell, along with several other video game companies, to court for Bushnells version of Pong. A settlement was reached out of court, where Bushnell finally agreed to pay the licensing fees. (Game Informer) Nintendo, a Japanese word meaning, â€Å"leave luck to the heavens,† is one of the oldest gaming companies today. Its roots began in the year 1889, as a Japanese playing card company. Nintendo quickly gained a following, as the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, began using Nintendos cards in their illegal gaming and gambling dens. This provided a steady income allowing the company to flourish. Nintendo first appeared in the United States in 1907, creating American styled cards. Impressed with Nintendo, Disney approached the company in 1959, commissioning Disney character cards. This brought Nintendo into the home of more upstanding families. In the late 1970s to the early 1980s Nintendo put its foot in the door for electronic gaming, creating sundry unsuccessful arcade games, that is, until Donkey Kong. 1981 saw the flight of Donkey Kong, a game which took the nation by storm. It success was only bested by games with the likes of Pac-man. This movement caused Nintendo to switch gears, and give serious thought to the video game industry. In 1985, it put the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in homes worldwide, giving itself the concrete foothold into the home console market that became the mainstream concept of most gaming companies of the day. (Wii for Dummies, nintendo.com) The other large scale production companies of the day were Sony and Sega, both starting out as electronic repair and development companies. Those companies, along with Atari, Activision, Coleco, Magnavox, Mattel, and Nintendo, produce more than 15 home-based consoles in the span of six years, while gaming was only out of the womb for less than five years. (Game Informer) Original games such as Pong were played on a very limited plane comprised of dots and squares. The first games were also immovable programs that came with the consoles, which usually only had a few games. Optional peripherals could be purchased to slightly increase gameplay. In 1976, cartridges debuted, allowing games and consoles to be purchased separately, and for more games to be created and implemented well after a consoles release. Cartridges, along with VHS tapes, held strong until 1992 when the compact disk killed cartridges for most consoles. Other than computers, the Sega Genesis was one the first consoles to use this form of the medium . Today, handhelds are the only platforms to see their usage, and we are actively watching them disappear and go the way of the VHS. Most games today float through airspace, are on CDs, or flow through cables. (gamespot.com, Game Informer) Games also have under gone massive prosthetic changes. In the days of Odyssey, games were pixilated and simple to look at. In 1981, one of the first three dimensional games was created: Battlezone. It was also one of the first first-person games. One player played as a tank and faced enemies in a battle like simulation. It was met with much success and gratification. It even fell into the lap of the US Army, and an enhanced version was commissioned and used as a battle simulator to train troops. (gamespot.com, Know the Score) Today, games continue to push the envelope. In 2000, Sony placed the Playstation 2 in the market, dazzling gamers with its almost lifelike games. It was met with Nintendos Gamecube and Microsofts Xbox. Four years later, the Xbox 360 hit the scene, with graphics that looked like works of art. A year later the Wii and Playstation 3 burst into the market, after much speculation about both. The Wii falls short of the other two consoles at first because of its graphics, but quickly gains fame do to its new wireless motion sensed controller. By November 16, 2006, it had sold more than fifty million units worldwide; more than that of Sony and Microsoft Combined. However, the undisputed champion of sales, is that of Nintendos first handheld, the Gameboy. The Gameboy sold over one hundred-sixty million units worldwide. (nintendo.com, Game Informer) The gaming phenomenon has reached heights that were never expected, especially given its complicated history. Its memorabilia have gained collective value faster than any franchise before it, with games less than 20 years old being bought and sold for more than three-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars. They are even moving in the direction of removing controllers from gameplay by having cameras capture and process movement and simple or complex gestures to advance the player in the game, such as Project Natal. (Game Informer) This essay has captured the rocky surface of the video game movement. It began with its speculated beginnings, and ended with its present and future outlook. Video games have stretched the relative views of space and time, pointed out infinite possibilities, have been emulated on the ‘Big Screen and allowed expressive outlets for the mind and bodies of my generation, and will continue to dazzle and amaze us for the remainder of our lives. References Corporate history (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2009, from http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp Game Informer. (2009, May). Ralph Baer. Game Informer Magazine, 193, 30-31. Game Informer. (2009, June). The Fate of a Generation. Game Informer magazine, 194, 16-17. Herman, L., Horwitz, J., Kent, S., Miller, S. The history of video games. Retrieved November 13, 2009, from http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hov/ Orland, K. (2008). Wii for dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing. Skurzynski, G. (1994). Know the score. New York: Macmillian.

leadership Essay -- essays research papers

Performance appraisals are conducted yearly for each staff employee. Semiannual or quarterly reviews are recommended to foster better communication between supervisors and employees in assessing progress, jointly developing new plans and objectives, and clarifying expectations for the coming year. This process is designed to improve job understanding, promote more effective job performance, and establish future goals for career growth. Some goals of the performance appraisals are to provide staff members with feedback on their performance and accomplishments for the previous year. This program should also assist staff members in understanding their job responsibilities and supervisor's performance expectations. Performance goals for the upcoming year and specific plans to help staff members meet those goals should also be established through this process. During each annual appraisal conference the employee and supervisor review the employee's performance during the previous year measured against standards set at the start of the year. Both successes and failures are reviewed. It is constructive to take the time to understand why certain objectives were successfully achieved and what prevented the successful achievement of other objectives. This review helps to set and achieve new objectives in the year ahead. A key part of the appraisal process is a self-review by the employee, which will allow the employee to review his or her own performance. This can enhance two-way comm... leadership Essay -- essays research papers Performance appraisals are conducted yearly for each staff employee. Semiannual or quarterly reviews are recommended to foster better communication between supervisors and employees in assessing progress, jointly developing new plans and objectives, and clarifying expectations for the coming year. This process is designed to improve job understanding, promote more effective job performance, and establish future goals for career growth. Some goals of the performance appraisals are to provide staff members with feedback on their performance and accomplishments for the previous year. This program should also assist staff members in understanding their job responsibilities and supervisor's performance expectations. Performance goals for the upcoming year and specific plans to help staff members meet those goals should also be established through this process. During each annual appraisal conference the employee and supervisor review the employee's performance during the previous year measured against standards set at the start of the year. Both successes and failures are reviewed. It is constructive to take the time to understand why certain objectives were successfully achieved and what prevented the successful achievement of other objectives. This review helps to set and achieve new objectives in the year ahead. A key part of the appraisal process is a self-review by the employee, which will allow the employee to review his or her own performance. This can enhance two-way comm...

Essay --

The Gothic novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontà « can be depicted as a novel that lacks a hero. Heathcliff, the protagonist of the novel, lacks many characteristics of a traditional hero; therefore, causes him to reflect the definition of a villain in a work of literature. Wuthering Heights illustrates that a predictable hero is not presented and that Heathcliff is the antithesis of a hero in the novel. Heathcliff is characterized as a vengeful character, who becomes destroyed and corrupted due to his rejection from Catherine, his overwhelming jealousy, and his mistreatment as a child by Hindley. He is a cynical character and due to his cruel and wicked attitude that grows throughout the novel, he grows to be a villain. Wuthering Heights lacks what a reader might assume to be an established hero. The novel lacks a hero due to the protagonists' personality, actions, and use of his qualities towards specific characters. Heathcliff, who develops into a wicked character from a young age, lacks heroic attributions because he shifts roles from a young age. Heathcliff develops into a misanthrope and a "...man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself." as described by Lockwood (4). Heathcliff grows up to become isolated from the rest of the world, having obtained Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange after his true loves', Catherine's, death. Although Heathcliff portrays hero related characteristics, he does not utilize his traits in appropriate situations or in acceptable ways, which causes the story to lack a hero figure. Heathcliff does not use his traits to present the archetypal hero in the work of literature. He has been treated harshly as a child himself; however, he uses his past to fu lfill his future. Heathclif... ..., the protagonist of the novel, lacks many characteristics of a traditional hero; therefore, causes him to reflect the definition of a villain. Due to his wicked and vengeful attitude that grows throughout the novel, Heathcliff grows to be a villain. Although he was mistreated as a child, he utilizes and carries out his past to continue his future, which still caused him pain and suffering in the end. Heathcliff took advantage and sought revenge over the ones who mistreated him, which is why he can be characterized as a major villain and why the novel Wuthering Heights lacks a hero. Although Heathcliff and Catherine illustrate an endless love, the two characters take advantage of each other and cause harm to one another in numerous ways. They do not feel sympathetic towards each other because they both state how they have killed each other emotionally and mentally.

Rape and Behavioral Changes Essay

In this century, the term rape is common in every part of the world. According to a Firstpost. India, (2013), approximately 68,000 rape cases were reported alone in India during 2009-2012. But only 16,000 cases were sentenced. This shows how serious the rape cases are. Nowadays in different parts of the country, where these types of crimes are increasing, woman’s live in fear. They have no idea where, when or whom will attack them. For anyone it can be the most torturing and disgusting that would happen in their life. Rapists should be punished in such a way that no one else would ever think about committing a rape. But, without harsh actions, the situation will not improve and women’s protection will stay as an incomplete hallucination. Firstly, people should learn how to take such cases seriously, most importantly police. It can be one of the easiest ways to reduce such crimes. Some people say that, rape is not equal to murder, so death penalty is not suitable for this. In my opinion those people who commit this crime does not deserve any respect to live. It is because, the victim suffers a lot throughout her life, and they lose trust and self confidence in themselves. Victims try to suicide or they are even murdered, moreover effects on children due to physical attack, and other kinds of social complications. The victim suffers a lot through her life due to rape. Since the childhood, children are told to ignore strangers who offers them sweets, as for teenagers in this century, they need to be very careful who they have relationships with, it will not be too difficult to understand what I am saying. As there is news everywhere about some close friend or someone who you believe as a family member raped someone. According to Barker (2012), 73% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows somehow. And two-thirds of rapes are committed by someone well-known to the victim. Everyone’s life is valuable, no one have the right to take the life from them. Pregnancy and other kinds of physical damages are suffered by victims. If the victim is alive, remembrance of such assaults is tormenting. This may even lead to brain damages. So due to this those people who commit the murder have no right to live. Secondly, when someone goes through such kinds of mistreatment, the victim find it difficult to trust anyone. They wish to stay alone; in addition the victim loses him or her self-confidence. In order to continue their life, a lot of self-confidence is important. Or else there will not be any success in life, rather down-fall. They may even feel angry and shame, due to this they may try to seek revenge. This may lead to unexpected downfall in the society. Thus, the whole future of the victim is ruined, because in most of the cases the victim is ignored by the society. Some people believe that hanging the rapist, will not stop them. But in my opinion they will step back, this will reduce the crime rate. At the same time, victims commit suicide or they are even murdered. According to Mulugeta, Kassave & Berhane (1998), In Ethiopia, 6% of raped schoolgirls reported having attempted suicide. Now think how much it might have increased until 2013. Victims feel humiliated to talk about what had happened to them. And rapists murder the victim inorder to hide their mistake. Or else they want to unidentified. Letting the rapists walk freely will result in, repeating of such cases by the same person. This will lead to fear in the society. You may see in everyday news, people protesting against the rapists. But the justice is not given to these people. In contrast, physical attack on children or infants may lead to different problems such as, anxiety, behavioral changes, depression, eating disorders, school learning problems and many more. This might affect the growth of the child. Ancestral rape has been shown to be one of the supreme life threatening forms of juvenile distress, a trauma that repeatedly does serious and long-standing emotional loss, mainly in the incident of maternal incest. A murder is like abolishing the physical frame of the victim such as rape degrades the helpless life of the victim. To this end, there are many social problems faced due to such cases. It could spread dangerous diseases, such as HIV. This is a fact that should not be ignored. Moreover, if these people are set free, chances of increase in crime rates is high. For example, the rapists go into the jail due to committing this crime, but he is let out after few weeks or years, then the first think in his mind will be taking the revenge from that person who let him into the jail. This is a fact that everyone believes. In addition, social problems, like murder will occur. The parent or anyone closer to the victim, may murder the rapists. This will lead to many other problems which do not have an end. To conclude, letting the rapists walk freely is dangerous for both society and the victim. Since we have no idea what type of a crime will he commit next. Similarly, crime that rapists commit cannot be forgiven, they should be hanged. Since, due to such crime, the victim suffers a lot, such as physical damages, behavioral changes and mind damages. Moreover, victim loses her self-confidence which will lead loss of future to the victim if victim tries to seek revenge. Furthermore, victims of such crimes commit suicide, which is unacceptable for the family of the victim. A physical attack on infants and children ruins their childhood, leading problems of education, distress, and loss of self-esteem. Continuing the discussion it also causes many social problems in the society as well as the country. This includes, women’s and children living in fear, spread of dangerous diseases such as HIV, murders and many more. Finally, in my opinion a rapist does not deserve to live, as I believe that raping is equal to the murder and an action to stop such people should be taken seriously.