E-Learning Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

E-Learning Master - Essay Example I will lso use cse study to support the evidence of the theory. It hs been rgued tht computer-bsed communiction is the most fundmentl chnge in communictions technology in the lst 150 yers (de l Sol Pool 1984). The prolifertion of the personl computer combined with the Internet hs precipitted fr-reching chnges in society. Electronic communictions nd digitl networks re trnsforming the wy we work nd re reshping personl communiction nd entertinment. This trnsformtion hs hd tremendous effect on the need nd opportunity to lern. Unfortuntely, the trnsmission model tht still domintes eduction hs chnged little. Notwithstnding the widespred doption of computer communictions in society, we hve yet to fully experience the trnsformtive effects of this medium, prticulrly its effect on e-lerning. We re in wht John Seely Brown (2000) described s the grdul development phse of this trnsformtive medium nd re yet to experience its explosive impct. We re only experiencing e-lerning in its erly forms nd hve much to lern of its inherent cpbilities nd the cretion of new 'lerning ecology' (Brown 2000). s hs been suggested, e-lerning is not simply nother technology or dd-on tht will be quietly integrted or ultimtely rejected. E-lerning represents very different ctegory nd mode of communiction. Since communiction is t the hert of ll forms of eductionl interction, it is likely tht its impct on eduction systems nd individul techers nd lerners will be significnt. It mkes little sense to replicte or simulte trditionl fce-to-fce pproches. Clerly, if we relly re experiencing new lerning ecology, simulting prctices bsed on very different ecology simply misses the point. Not only would opportunities to improve the lerning experience be lost, but merely simulting trditionl prctices resists cpitlizing on the chrcteristics of new er of lerning. E-lerning will inevitbly trnsform ll forms of eduction nd lerning in the twenty-first century. Notwithstnding tht e-lerning's influence in trditionl eductionl institutions hs been wek - in relity, little more thn n enhncement of current prctices - s we gin better understnding of its potentil nd strengths, e-lerning will effectively trnsform how we pproch the teching nd lerning trnsction (Grrison nd nderson 2000). E-lerning trnsforms eduction in wys tht extend beyond the efficient delivery or entertinment vlue of trditionl pproches. E-lerning cnnot be ignored by those who re seriously committed to enhncing teching nd lerning. 1. new relity with ccess to E-lerning t the core of the e-lerning trnsformtion is the Internet. report of the US Web-bsed Eduction Commission (on-line) stted: The question is no longer if the Internet cn be used to trnsform lerning in new nd powerful wys. The Commission hs found tht it cn. The Web-bsed Eduction Commission clls upon the new Congress nd dministrtion to embrce n 'e-lerning' gend s centrepiece of our ntion's federl eduction policy. (Retrieved July 2001) The report recommended tht vstly expnded development nd innovtion progrmme 'should be built on deeper understnding of how people lern, how new tools support nd ssess lerning

Reort Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reort - Research Paper Example ‘implementation stage’ (which is fourth stage of system development life cycle) of new information system so that other problems related to time wastage, decrease in productivity and organisational inefficiency could be resolved. As far as other solution is concerned, it must be highlighted that all information and data files prepared on new office system could be converted into old format by using convertibility option in new MS Office. For instance, Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2010 versions (very user friendly) offer a tool through which an end user could convert word 2007 and word 2010 documents into MS word 1997 and MS word 2003 formats. Indeed, this solution is though feasible, yet time consuming as word, power point or excel files have to be first converted and then to be mailed to all other store managers who do not newest Microsoft Office System. Another possible solution is that store managers could send those new word documents on their personal email and open as a ‘Google document’ or in HTML format. (Laudon, Kenneth and Jane) and (Wong) Wong, Bianca â€Å"Managing positive intranet change: Watch out for the J Curve† Prescience Digital June 4, 2010 Available at http://www.prescientdigital.com/articles/best-practices/managing-positive-intranet-change-watch-our-for-the-j-curve/ As far as the strengths of current system are concerned, it must be pointed out that our Intranet has the capability to facilitate open information sharing and communication among employees as it offers real time discussion facility, email and organisational calendar. This in turn enhances coordination and collaboration among workers. In addition, timely communication resulted in increased workers’ productivity, efficiency and task accomplishment as they could easily access organisational database for information. Moreover, the intranet system is being used for self training purposes as store managers can download training material directly by using this

Japan During Us Occupation History Essay

Japan During Us Occupation History Essay In any nation of the world, there come such incidents and historic events which result in changing or altering the dimensions and policies of the nation. These events or happenings sometimes work as a blessing for a nation and sometimes as a curse. When a nation faces the challenges occurring from those incidents with a great deal of courage and nerves, they prove out to be a blessing for the nation as the people of that specific nation get a new dimension which leads to the success of the nation whereas if a nation doesnt manage to face those challenges valiantly and confidently, then they may lead to the collapse of the nation. Talking about those incidents and historic events, lets mention US occupation of Japan after the World War II which initially seemed like a catastrophe and devastation for the Japanese nation but due to the huge moral and patriotism of Japanese people, it led to such dimensions of success through which the Japanese nation moved towards the heights of success in the next decades. To be accurate, Japan changed during the US occupation due to the fact that representation of the Japanese emperor as a character with all the state powers in his hands was changed by the American General, Douglas MacArthur. This lead to the way towards various political, economic and civil value changes occurred due to American governments impact on not only the public but also on all sectors during the US occupation. American occupation of Japan Before probing into the issue of discussing the reasons of why Japan changed to a large extent during the US occupation, lets first get to know a brief history of American occupation of Japan. When the World War II ended in 1945, it became a common mission and intent of the allied powers to demilitarize Japan. Molasky (1999) found that America wanted to demilitarize Japan for the purpose of rendering Japan incapable and powerless to come back to the field of war ever again. Molasky and Rabson (200) found that for the purpose of demilitarizing Japan and promoting democracy, United States and the allied powers moved towards the occupation of Japan. Policy of allied forces This policy of demilitarization was applied by the allied forces and the steps which were taken in order to achieve this objective were abolishment of Japanese armed forces, dismantling the military industry so that it cant become able to assist the forces of Japan and the next step was elimination or exclusion of the sense of patriotism and devotion from the mind of the public of Japan. Allied forces thought that in this way, they would be able to not only occupy Japan for a long duration abut also it would be really workable for the mission of demilitarization of Japan. So, these steps were seen as the primary objectives for the accomplishment of that mission because they thought that if the emotion of patriotism gets excluded from the mind of the Japanese people, it would become very easy for the allied forces to occupy Japan and establish their rule in the country. American governments view regarding policy Apart from the decided policy of the allied forces, the government of the United States thought differently from the allied forces perspective. United States, who was commanding the allied forces, felt that this policy would not be workable and justifiable for the people of Japan. Moore and Robinson (2002) found that General Douglas MacArthur, who was appointed as the supreme commander of the allied forces, considered bringing Japan to a democratic state from an emperors state. He thought that rather than having the mission of occupying Japan for a long time, it would be better if the dimension of governance is changed from the one man show to a democratic form of governance because it would not only help in maintaining peace of the world but also would be an appropriate decision for the public of Japan. General MacArthur had a view that aggression and dictatorship should be discouraged all over the world. He had a view that the United States and Great Britain are peaceful countries because they have a democratic form of government rather than the countries like Germany and Japan where dictatorship was at extreme at that time and there was just no democracy in any field of life in those countries. He thought that if democracy is prevailed throughout the world, specifically Japan, then it would be a great effort in promoting and maintaining peace in the world. American governments view regarding democracy in Japan McCormack (2001) found that in order to bring democracy in Japan, American government didnt think that bringing democracy in just the government would be enough. There were certain reasons for such thinking by the American government. They thought that democracy should be brought in all institutions regarding every field of life in Japan. We all know that bringing democracy in just political institutions doesnt make any sense because the right of free elections and the right to vote just dont mean democracy. Schaller (1997) found that democracy is something which should be applied in all sectors in order to strengthen the basis of the nation. No political institution can be able to survive when the economic and financial matters are in few hands. Its necessary to promote democracy all over the nation to enjoy real peace and outcomes of democracy. That is the reason why it was assumed by the American government that democracy should be applied to all institutions including political, social, educational, economic and religious institutions of Japan. American government believed that bringing democracy in Japan means bringing democracy in all field of life, not just in political institutions. For this purpose, General MacArthur worked in collaboration with the Japanese people and in just few years, tremendous and incredible changes took place in Japan which not only changed the dimensions of Japanese government style but also made Japan progress in all fields of life in the next decades. Schonberger (1989) found that democracy and other related changes not only enabled Japan to progress significantly but also restricted Japan from any sort of battle in the future. Now Japan is also an ally of the United States and despite of the fact that Japan is no more under occupation of the United States, It hasnt changed many policies regarding various political and economic affairs because Japanese know that it is due to those reforms and changes that Japan has gained so much success and development in the present era. Affect of occupation The occupation of Japan by the United States of America and the allied forced totally changed the future of Japan. Japan not only got demilitarized but also various reforms took place which enabled the Japanese nation in getting visible success in all fields of life. The occupation altered the face and also the fate of Japan completely. A peaceful and very responsible government was formed by the United States during occupation. It was also like an opportunity for the government of America to form a new government because the existing political government was totally defeated both physically and psychologically. All those industries like military industry were closed for the purpose of promoting peace. The general policies regarding Japan were the far eastern commission and an allied council in Tokyo. But due to the tensions between the USSR and some of the western countries, this commission could work up to the level of expectations. That was the reason which brought in the forces o f the United States for the purpose of controlling Japan. But it was not an easy task for the United States to control such a state which is totally different in all aspects of life from the other countries. This was also the first time in history of Japan that a foreign government was ready to take control as Japan had never lost any war before that. Judging all these circumstances, General MacArthur went on to control the complexities of Japanese form of government and with his wise and astute mindset, he was able to not only control Japan but also enabled it to change the current style of government. General rationale of MacArthurs mission While talking about US occupation of Japan and changes that were made on Japan due to that occupation, lets also get to know the actual purposes of the General MacArthurs mission in Japan. As we have discussed earlier that one of the main purposes of that occupation was to establish such type of government with such people given the charge who want democracy in their country. To establish a democratic government was one of the major tasks of the United States government. Next purpose was to make sure that Japan would not ever again become a threat for the peace of the world. Not only this, it was also to be made sure that Japan would not be able to become a threat for the United States and the allied countries again in the future. For that reason, demilitarization of Japan was carried out as the main task by the General MacArthurs mission. Next purpose was to create individual liberty among the Japanese people and to develop a sense related to the rights of the humans. This was of crucial importance for the Japanese people because the American government thought that once that sense is injected in the minds and hearts of the Japanese people, they would never want to become a trouble for the peace of the world and would like harmony everywhere. The next purpose was to create such a legal or judicial system in Japan which would be able to protect the individuals rights and be able to maintain peace and security regarding every single individual living in Japan. It was a great purpose because we all know that when there is not justice, crimes prevail and security of individuals vanishes away from the country. So, it was a real challenge for the American government to develop a proper legal system in Japan for the protection of rights of the civilians. The most important step which the American government took during US oc cupation of Japan was that they formed the government in Japan according to the will of the Japanese people. They didnt want to impose any government on the people of Japan and wanted to work according to the will of the civilians. We can say that General MacArthur was a very responsible person. He didnt take this occasion as an opportunity to occupy Japan forever by establishing his own government. Rather he went on to develop such policy which was really beneficial not only for the peace of the world but also for the people of Japan. Political balance in Japan If we talk about those measures which were taken by General MacArthur for the purpose of establishing political balance in Japan, we can say that his strategy regarding political balance was exceptionally remarkable. The main steps regarding his strategy were: To establish and give confidence to left wing movement in Japan which could be led by labor unionists and social coalitions. Educational reform also took place according to the strategy To introduce industrial and land reforms in Japan, and Representation of all sectors in the newly formed government of Japan This strategy of the American government worked exceptionally for the people of Japan because communist movements were discouraged through the strategy. In educational reforms, all text books which were being taught in the schools were rewritten and whole educational system was reformed from the level of schools to the university level for the betterment of the education sector of Japan. And also the phenomenon of land lordism was discouraged and free working rights were given to the farmers for the purpose of developing a new rural world for the farmers of Japan. This strategy not only influenced major pillars of power of Japan but also had a very positive impact on the rights of civilians of Japan. Changes which occurred due to occupation If we talk about the changes and developments which took place during the United States occupation of Japan, we can say that a lot of significant changes occurred which resulted inn a heavy influence on all sectors of Japanese life. Pyle (1996) found that the affects of changes ranged from a single civilian to whole political scenario of Japan. But here it should also be mentioned that these affects were not at all negative for the people of Japan. Rather they had a very positive and beneficial impact on the future of Japan as it resulted in huge level of progress and development in all sectors including technological, educational, political, and economic and human rights sectors. Lets now discuss all those changes which occurred during the United States occupation of Japan. Concept of sovereignty We can say that the biggest and the most valuable changes that occurred during the United States occupation of Japan was related to concept of sovereignty. America became able to make such improvements in this regard, the affects of which were seen in all other sectors. The concept of power was shifted from just one persons government to the people of Japan. Emperor was only left to the indirect influence and he had no much to do with the government activities. The older generation of Japanese people earlier rejected this proposal that powers will be shifted to the people instead of the emperor. But after all they recognized that this would be in their own favor when they will be able to make decisions for themselves rather than giving this right to just one person who would then be the king of all peoples fates. So when they recognized this, shift of powers took place and emperor was just left as a symbol of the state instead of being head of the state. Assembly consisting of the representatives of Japanese people from all fields of life was formed in order to run the government activities. This form of government consisting of peoples representatives replaced the military government which had been the block of power during the past. Formation of constitution Another major change was that of formation of a constitution for the government of Japan. Before that, there was no such clear constitution because all powers were restricted to just an emperor whose words were taken as the last words by everyone and whatever he said was the constitution for the public of Japan. Inoue (1991) found that in order to regularize the governing activities, a proper constitution was developed by the United States in collaboration with the Japanese people. And the main objective was to clearly show the dimensions and regularities regarding each and every branch of the government. This was a continuation of democratic process in Japan because when the government was being formed, it was essential for the United States to give them a way to operate all activities regarding the government. Hook and McCormack (2001) found that roles of each branch and the responsibilities were set to make it sure that none of the government branches could do anything other than the defined roles and responsibilities. Foreign policy Hook (2001) found that setting a suitable foreign policy was also one of the main tasks of the American government in the reformation of Japan. For this purpose, American government worked with full collaboration with the Japanese people in order to create such a foreign policy which should not only be beneficial for the relationships between Japan and the American government but also should prove to be helpful in strengthening relations of Japan with all other countries. Almost all issues had similar American and Japanese viewpoints and even in the present era, American and Japanese foreign policies go side by side. Land reforms Another major issue which was given much importance during the United States occupation was regarding setting up the land reforms. It was also one of the main steps in democratization of Japan because land was distributed to all people of Japan from just a few land lords. Farmers were subjected to pay the rent to the land lords before the land reforms but after that, they were given equal rights to cultivate their own land and earn for themselves. The credit of reallocation of lands goes to the American government because it was the American government who took initiatives to allocate the land to the deserving people of Japan and not restricting it to just a few hands. Social liberalization Social liberalization was also a very important task which was done by the American government during Japans occupation. Politics of Japan and other social ideas were influenced by the social liberalization because the American government made efforts to inject social values, human rights sense and social liberties in to the mind of the people of Japan. American government was able to inject the right of self freedom and speech in people from all fields of the Japanese life. Americans took over the control of radio and the newspapers inn order to educate Japanese people regarding civil rights and political freedom rights. Educational reforms One of the major changes was regarding educational reforms in Japan which produced long lasting affects on the mindset of the Japanese people. The main objective of educational reforms was to deconstruct the value of an emperor in the minds of people. Giving social and economic opportunities to the average class of the Japanese people was also an objective of the educational reforms. The concept of nationalist mythology was eliminated from the syllabus of the Japanese schools and universities. This concept was also eliminated from the books that emperor is the only source of power in a nation. This was done in order to educate people regarding their rights. The new educational system was a remarkable one and in that equal rights to study were given to all Japanese people regardless of financial or social stability of any family. Reconstruction of power relationships Both politically and economically, reconstruction of power relationships took place during the United States occupation of Japan. Bureaucracy was tried to be broken and labor movements were established in order to distribute the powers to all sectors of Japan. Local politics were promoted which worked as the roots for the development of a perfect democracy. It was thought that when the democracy would be at the grass root level, only then the people of Japan would become able to enjoy the real outcomes of a democratic state. Conclusion Summing it up, it can be said that American government, during the occupation of Japan, really tried to promote democracy in all fields of the Japanese life. It was the American occupation which resulted in a progressive Japan. A perfect relationship was developed between the United States and Japan during and after the occupation which reveals the success of the American occupation. Enabling Japan in becoming a real democratic state, the American occupation should be given credit in this regard.

Aristotelian :: essays research papers

Can a Child be Virtuous?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper I will argue against Aristotle and his idea that children cannot be virtuous, as we discussed in class. I will do this by giving concrete examples that a certain widespread religion believes in this virtuosity of a child. I will also use a more common example that occurs all the time in America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle says that children cannot be virtuous because virtues are something that, to be acquired must be practiced over and over again. A child has not had enough practice, time or understanding of what he is doing to be considered virtuous. However, I think that there are virtuous children, and that not only â€Å"Athenian gentlemen† are virtuous, but some other people also, these including children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For my first example let us consider the religion of Tibet. These people elect a child, in fact a newborn to be in charge of their entire religion, this child is the Dali Lama. They think that this child is holy, and pure. Obviously they think that he is good, and virtuous. He has the most power in their entire religious system of beliefs. There are many many people who believe in this religion, and have done so for centuries. This child is trained from a very young age on and is selected to lead a virtuous life. He practices things that Aristotle would view as virtuous, for example, courage, pride, justice, and temperance. This child could easily get in more â€Å"practice time† of virtuous activity than the average person, even more than a person who is on their way to being virtuous who is an adult. According to Aristotle’s own beliefs, there is a certain amount of virtuous activity that must be done to become a virtuous person. This child could easily do as many virtuous activities by the age of 10 as say someone who is 20 in another situation. That is one problem with Aristotle’s theory, when does the virtuous activity start adding up so that one may become a virtuous person? How long is someone considered a child? Do his activities not count until he reaches a certain age, and then suddenly there is a breakthrough and they start to count? I think not. A good act is a good act no matter what the age, if the intent is correct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who wish to support Aristotle could in a certain context use the Christian religion to counter the Dali Lama example. Christians believe that all â€Å"men† are born sinful and not good. There is no way that a child is any better than anyone else. The Dali Lama would be considered just

The Host Chapter 32: Ambushed

The caves were quiet; the sun had not yet risen. In the big plaza, the mirrors were a pale gray with the coming dawn. My few clothes were still in Jamie and Jared's room. I snuck in, glad that I knew where Jared was. Jamie was sound asleep, curled into a tight ball in the top corner of the mattress. He didn't usually sleep so compactly, but he had good reason to at the moment. Ian was sprawled across the rest of the space, his feet and hands hanging off the edges, one appendage to each of the four sides. For some reason, this was hysterical to me. I had to put my fist in my mouth to choke back the laughter as I quickly snatched up my old dirt-dyed T-shirt and shorts. I hurried into the hall, still stifling the giggles. You're slaphappy, Melanie told me. You need some sleep. I'll sleep later. When†¦ I couldn't finish the thought. It sobered me instantaneously, and everything was quiet again. I was still rushing as I headed for the bathing room. I trusted Doc, but†¦ Maybe he would change his mind. Maybe Jared would argue against what I wanted. I couldn't be all day. I thought I heard something behind me when I reached the octopus-like juncture where all the sleeping halls met. I looked back, but I couldn't see anyone in the dim cave. People were beginning to stir. Soon it would be time for breakfast and another day of work. If they'd finished with the stalks, the ground in the east fields would need to be turned. Maybe I would have time to help†¦ later†¦ I followed the familiar path to the underground rivers, my mind in a million other places. I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything in particular. Every time I tried to focus on a subject-Walter, Jared, breakfast, chores, baths-some other thought would pull my head away in seconds. Melanie was right; I needed to sleep. She was just as muddled. Her thoughts all spun around Jared, but she could make nothing coherent of them, either. I'd gotten used to the bathing room. The utter blackness of it didn't bother me anymore. So many places were black here. Half my daylight hours were lived in darkness. And I'd been here too many times. There was never anything lurking under the water's surface, waiting to pull me under. I knew I didn't have time to soak, though. Others would be up soon, and some people liked to start their day clean. I got to work, washing myself first, then moving on to my clothes. I scrubbed at my shirt fiercely, wishing I could scrub out my memory of the past two nights. My hands were stinging when I was done, the dry cracks on my knuckles burning worst of all. I rinsed them in the water, but it made no noticeable difference. I sighed and climbed out to get dressed. I'd left my dry clothes on the loose rocks in the back corner. I kicked a stone by accident, hard enough to hurt my bare foot, and it clattered loudly across the room, bouncing off the wall and landing with a plunk and a gurgle in the pool. The sound made me jump, though it wasn't all that loud next to the roar of the hot river in the outer room. I was just shoving my feet into my scruffy tennis shoes when my turn was up. â€Å"Knock, knock,† a familiar voice called from the dark entry. â€Å"Good morning, Ian,† I said. â€Å"I'm just done. Did you sleep well?† â€Å"Ian's still sleeping,† Ian's voice answered. â€Å"I'm sure that won't last forever, though, so we'd best get on with this.† Splinters of ice pinned my joints in place. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I'd noticed it before, and then forgotten it in the long weeks of Kyle's absence: not only did Ian and his brother look very much alike, but-when Kyle spoke at a normal volume, which so rarely happened-they also had exactly the same voice. There was no air. I was trapped in this black hole with Kyle at the door. There was no way out. Keep quiet! Melanie shrieked in my head. I could do that. There was no air to scream with. Listen! I did as I was told, trying to focus in spite of the fear that stabbed through my head like a million slender spears of ice. I couldn't hear anything. Was Kyle waiting for a response? Was he sneaking around the room in silence? I listened harder, but the rush of the river covered any sounds. Quick, grab a rock! Melanie ordered. Why? I saw myself crashing a rough stone against Kyle's head. I can't do it! Then we're going to die! she screamed back at me. I can do it! Let me! There has to be another way, I moaned, but I forced my ice-locked knees to bend. My hands searched the darkness and came up with a large, jagged rock and a handful of pebbles. Fight or flight. In desperation, I tried to unlock Melanie, to let her out. I couldn't find the door-my hands were still my own, clutched uselessly around the objects I could never make into weapons. A noise. A tiny splash as something entered the stream that drained the pool into the latrine room. Only a few yards away. Give me my hands! I don't know how! Take them! I started to creep away, close to the wall, toward the exit. Melanie struggled to find her way out of my head, but she couldn't find the door from her side, either. Another sound. Not by the far stream. A breath, by the exit. I froze where I was. Where is he? I don't know! Again, I could hear nothing but the river. Was Kyle alone? Was someone waiting by the door to catch me when he herded me around the pool? How close was Kyle now? I felt the hairs on my arms and legs standing on end. There was some kind of pressure in the air, as though I could feel his silent movements. The door. I half turned, easing back in the direction I'd come, away from where I'd heard the breath. He couldn't wait forever. The little he'd said told me he was in a hurry. Someone could come at any time. Odds were on his side, though. There were fewer who would be inclined to stop him than there were who might think this was for the best. And of those inclined to stop him, even fewer who'd have much of a chance of doing that. Only Jeb and his gun would make a difference. Jared was at least as strong as Kyle, but Kyle was more motivated. Jared would probably not fight him now. Another noise. Was that a footstep by the door? Or just my imagination? How long had this silent standoff lasted? I couldn't guess how many seconds or minutes had passed. Get ready. Melanie knew that the stalling would soon be at an end. She wanted me to clench the rock tighter. But I would give flight a chance first. I would not be an effective fighter, even if I could bring myself to try. Kyle was probably twice my weight, and he had a much longer reach. I raised the hand with the pebbles and aimed them toward the back passage to the latrine. Maybe I could make him think that I was going to hide and hope for rescue. I threw the handful of small stones and shied away from the noise when they clattered against the rock wall. The breath at the door again, the sound of a light footfall headed toward my decoy. I edged as quietly along the wall as I could. What if there are two? I don't know. I was almost to the exit. If I could just make the tunnel, I thought I could outrun him. I was lighter and fast†¦ I heard a footstep, very clearly this time, disrupting the stream in the back of the room. I crept faster. A gigantic splash shattered the tense standoff. Water pelted my skin, making me gasp. It spattered against the wall in a wave of wet sound. He's coming through the pool! Run! I hesitated just a second too long. Big fingers clutched at my calf, my ankle. I yanked against the pull, lurching forward. I stumbled, and the momentum that threw me down to the floor made his fingers slip. He caught my sneaker. I kicked it off, leaving it in his hand. I was down, but he was down, too. It gave me enough time to scramble forward, ripping my knees against the rough stone. Kyle grunted, and his hand clutched at my naked heel. There was nothing to catch hold of; I slid free again. I wrenched myself forward, pulling to my feet with my head still down, every second in danger of falling again because my body was moving almost parallel to the floor. I kept my balance through sheer force of will. There was no one else. No one to catch me at the exit to the outer room. I sprinted forward, hope and adrenaline surging in my veins. I burst into the river room at full speed, my only thought to reach the tunnel. I could hear Kyle's heavy breath close behind but not close enough. With each step, I pushed harder against the ground, throwing myself ahead of him. Pain lanced through my leg, crumpling it. Over the babble of the river, I heard two heavy stones hit the ground and roll-the one I'd been clutching and the one he'd thrown to cripple me. My leg twisted under me, spinning me backward to the ground, and in the same second he was on top of me. His weight knocked my head against the rock in a ringing blow and pinned me flat against the floor. No leverage. Scream! The air blew out of me in a siren of sound that surprised us all. My wordless shriek was more than I'd hoped for-surely someone would hear it. Please let that someone be Jeb. Please let him have the gun. â€Å"Uhng!† Kyle protested. His hand was big enough to cover most of my face. His palm mashed against my mouth, cutting off my scream. He rolled then, and the motion so took me by surprise that I had no time to try to find an advantage in it. He pulled me swiftly over and under and over his body. I was dizzy and confused, my head still spinning, but I understood as soon as my face hit the water. His hand locked on the back of my neck, forcing my face into the shallow stream of cooler water that wound its way into the bathing pool. It was too late to hold my breath. I'd already inhaled a mouthful of water. My body panicked when the water hit my lungs. Its flailing was stronger than he'd expected. My limbs all jerked and thrashed in different directions, and his grip on my neck slipped. He tried to get a better hold, and some instinct made me pull myself into him rather than away, as he was expecting. I only pulled half a foot closer to him, but that got my chin out of the stream, and enough of my mouth to choke some of the water back out and drag in a breath. He fought to push me back into the stream, but I wriggled and wedged myself under him so that his own weight was working against his goal. I was still reacting to the water in my lungs, coughing and spasming out of control. â€Å"Enough!† Kyle growled. He pulled himself off me, and I tried to drag myself away. â€Å"Oh, no, you don't!† he spit through his teeth. It was over, and I knew it. There was something wrong with my injured leg. It felt numb, and I couldn't make it do what I wanted. I could only push myself along the floor with my arms and my good leg. I was coughing too hard to do even that well. Too hard to scream again. Kyle grabbed my wrist and yanked me up from the floor. The weight of my body made my leg buckle, and I slumped into him. He got both my wrists in one hand and wrapped the other arm around my waist. He pulled me off the floor and into his side, like an awkward bag of flour. I twisted, and my good leg kicked against the empty air. â€Å"Let's get this over with.† He jumped over the smaller stream with a bound and carried me toward the closest sinkhole. The steam from the hot spring washed my face. He was going to throw me into the dark, hot hole and let the boiling water pull me into the ground as it burned me. â€Å"No, no!† I shouted, my voice too hoarse and low to carry. I writhed frantically. My knee knocked against one of the ropy rock columns, and I hooked my foot around it, trying to yank myself out of his grip. He jerked me free with an impatient grunt. At least that loosened his hold enough that I could make one more move. It had worked before, so I tried it again. Instead of trying to free myself, I twisted in and wrapped my legs around his waist, locking the good ankle around the bad, trying to ignore the pain so that I could get a good hold there. â€Å"Get off me, you -† He fought to knock me loose, and I jerked one of my wrists free. I wrapped that arm around his neck and grabbed his thick hair. If I was going into the black river, so was he. Kyle hissed and stopped prying at my leg long enough to punch my side. I gasped in pain but got my other hand into his hair. He wrapped both arms around me, as if we were embracing rather than locked in a killing struggle. Then he grabbed my waist from both sides and heaved with all his strength against my hold. His hair started to come out in my hands, but he just grunted and pulled harder. I could hear the steaming water rushing close by, right below me, it seemed. The steam billowed up in a thick cloud, and for a minute I couldn't see anything but Kyle's face, twisted with rage into something beastlike and merciless. I felt my bad leg giving. I tried to pull myself closer to him, but his brute strength was winning against my desperation. He would have me free in a moment, and I would fall into the hissing steam and disappear. Jared! Jamie! The thought, the agony, belonged to both Melanie and me. They would never know what had happened to me. Ian. Jeb. Doc. Walter. No goodbyes. Kyle abruptly jumped into the air and came down with a thud. The jarring impact had the effect he wanted: my legs came loose. But before he could take advantage, there was another result. The cracking sound was deafening. I thought the whole cave was coming down. The floor shuddered beneath us. Kyle gasped and jumped back, taking me-hands still locked in his hair-with him. The rock under his feet, with more cracking and groaning, began to crumble away. Our combined weight had broken the brittle lip of the hole. As Kyle stumbled away, the crumbling followed his heavy steps. It was faster than he was. A piece of the floor disappeared from under his heel, and he went down with a thud. My weight pushed him back hard, and his head smacked sharply against a stone pillar. His arms fell away from me, limp. The cracking of the floor settled into a sustained groan. I could feel it shiver beneath Kyle's body. I was on his chest. Our legs dangled above empty space, the steam condensing into a million drops on our skin. â€Å"Kyle?† There was no answer. I was afraid to move. You've got to get off him. You're too heavy together. Carefully-use the pillar. Pull away from the hole. Whimpering in fear, too terrified to think for myself, I did as Melanie ordered. I freed my fingers from Kyle's hair and climbed gingerly over his unconscious form, using the pillar as an anchor to pull myself forward. It felt steady enough, but the floor still moaned under us. I pulled myself past the pillar and onto the ground beyond it. This ground stayed firm under my hands and knees, but I scrambled farther away, toward the safety of the exit tunnel. There was another crack, and I glanced back. One of Kyle's legs drooped farther down as a rock fell from beneath it. I heard the splash this time as the chunk of stone met the river below. The ground shuddered under his weight. He's going to fall, I realized. Good, Melanie snarled. But†¦! If he falls, he can't kill us, Wanda. If he doesn't fall, he will. I can't just†¦ Yes, you can. Walk away. Don't you want to live? I did. I wanted to live. Kyle could disappear. And if he did, there was a chance that no one would ever hurt me again. At least not among the people here. There was still the Seeker to consider, but maybe she would give up someday, and then I could stay here indefinitely with the humans I loved†¦ My leg throbbed, pain replacing some of the numbness. Warm fluid trickled down my lips. I tasted the moisture without thinking and realized it was my blood. Walk away, Wanderer. I want to live. I want a choice, too. I could feel the tremors from where I stood. Another piece of floor splashed into the river. Kyle's weight shifted, and he slid an inch toward the hole. Let him go. Melanie knew better than I what she was talking about. This was her world. Her rules. I stared at the face of the man who was about to die-the man who wanted me dead. With him unconscious, Kyle's face was no longer that of an angry animal. It was relaxed, almost peaceful. The resemblance to his brother was very apparent. No! Melanie protested. I crawled back to him on my hands and knees-slowly, feeling the ground with care before each inch I moved. I was too afraid to go beyond the pillar, so I hooked my good leg around it, an anchor again, and leaned around to wedge my hands under Kyle's arms and over his chest. I heaved so hard I nearly pulled my arms from their sockets, but he didn't move. I heard a sound like the trickle of sand through an hourglass as the floor continued to dissolve into tiny pieces. I yanked again, but the only result was that the trickle sped up. Shifting his weight was breaking the floor faster. Just as I thought that, a large chunk of rock plummeted into the river, and Kyle's precarious balance was overthrown. He began to fall. â€Å"No!† I screamed, the siren bursting from my throat again. I flattened myself against the column and managed to pin him to the other side, locking my hands around his wide chest. My arms ached. â€Å"Help me!† I shrieked. â€Å"Somebody! Help!†

Difference Between Subjective and Objective Forms of Appraisal

Difference between subjective and objective forms of appraisal Subjective appraisal is of where the appraisal is evaluated on the feelings of the evaluator. This isn’t judged on criteria as the objective appraisal is judged on set criteria and has no basis on how the evaluator feels about the performance, just how he views each select sector. Explain the process of creating movement. There are many steps that are relevant to the sport of rugby league in creating movement.There are many elements that influence and create the process of movement; these include coaches, improvising, motivating factors, rules and variations. Coaches play a large amount in the structure of a team, so therefore they play are large part in the what movement is done by the individual players. Often the coaches and administrators will practice what movements they want their chargers to do. Improvising is an integral part of movement in rugby league as the dynamics of the general play is always changing and often you cannot stick to a set play that is practiced.This is because you have direct opposition and it is unpredictable of what they are going to do. Motivating factors are another major factor in the process of movement. Often this is directly related to the score of the game. A good example is in rugby league upon a field goal is a great idea at equal scores with a minute left. The main motivating factor of sport is to win and therefore all movements are drawn on accordingly. Rules govern how the game is played and have an immense impact on the decisions made by the players and coaches and what movements are done.In rugby league, it is well known to go for the legs or the midriff in a tackle so you don’t slip and go around the head which results in a penalty. Variations are small differences in plays, this is normally attributed to the opposition understand what you are trying to, and varying to get a different outcome. These can often include different and more diff icult changes to the basic skills, like look away passing. These elements of rugby league and many others create a basis of which movement is created in game.The elements not only affect movement but are an integral part of the process and the creation of movement. Each sport is different and has different examples of what elements affect the process of movement. Using a movement medium of your choice critically analyse how each of the elements of composition can be applied to the activity when comprising and performing Combining and arranging movement so that it is fluent and unpredictable to the defence. This is the main component of creating successful movement in the sport of Rugby League.Some of the things that effect composing and performing in rugby league include the space, dynamics, time and rhythm and relationships. Space plays a big part in the game of Rugby League. Playmakers in the game are always trying to exploit space to use it to the team’s advantage to score points. This use of space is personsified no better than with the kick and chase. This uses the space behind the defensive line and uses a small chip kick over the line with the player chasing through the line to attempt to catch the ball and make a run to the tryline.This type of play utilizes the space that is often not thought about and can often make a large difference to the mindset of the opposing players. Patterns and Formations play a large key in the sport of Rugby League. A lot of the the attacking and defensive plays are practiced rigiously and in detail at training. They are used to correct any possible faults that would usually occur during a defensive position that was unplanned. A usual formation that occurs in defence is the fullback staying behind the play in case of a line break through the defensive line.Also having the wing players drop back to align with the fullback on the 5th tackle is another ploy to stop the effectiveness of an attacking kick that attempts to gain field position. Dynamics is an important part of rugby league, most notably in defence when force and flow can create a strong tackle to stop the attacking player. This can often change the feeling of the game and the team morale, as well as the momentum of the general play that is current. Force can also help you break tackles as the defenders arms cannot react to the physical contact they receive in the tackle.Flow is the degree of control of movement through time and space. This is imperative in the success of an attacking team as having bound flow usually presents a positive effect in a rugby league team. Timing and rhythm is imperative in the game of rugby league. Many aspect of this are more important than other, momentum is crucial as an attacking player, as the defensive player rarely has more momentum, the attacking player often needs to use this to his advantage. Timing of the run and timing of the pass is also important for a play to work successfully.If the timin g of either the runner or the passer is out of the zone then often the pass will be unsuccessful and the play will break down due to either a failed pass or a failed catch. Timing is something that is picked up to almost a telepathic event after much time spent as partners or teammates, a lot also derives from direct communication. Relationships are a huge key to a positive performance in a rugby league game. Having positive relationships with your fellow teammates can have them help you to be in position and create a movement they need for what they are trying to achieve.This can stem back to team formations and positional play. Often knowing your teammates positive attributes and their strengths can result in better movements suited to them and their style. In conclusion, these elements of composition can easily be applied to the sport of Rugby League in many different ways. All of the elements are important and can have a profound effect on the overall performance and the result of the game. The positive use of all elements of compositions can maximise the potential of the performance and all of the possible results that can occur.

Outlines for Every Type of Writing Composition

Outlines for Every Type of Writing Composition An outline is a plan for or a summary of a writing project or speech. Outlines are usually in the form of a list divided into headings and subheadings that distinguish main points from supporting points. Most word processors contain an outlining feature that allows writers to format outlines automatically. An outline may be either informal or formal. Informal Outlines The working outline (or scratch outline or informal outline) is a private affair - fluid, subject to constant revision, made without attention to form, and destined for the wastebasket. But enough working outlines have been retrieved from wastebaskets that something can be said about them...A working outline usually begins with a few phrases and some descriptive details or examples. From them grow fragmentary statements, tentative generalizations, hypotheses. One or two of these take on prominence, shaping into the main ideas that seem worth developing. New examples bring to mind new ideas, and these find a place in the list of phrases, canceling out some of the original ones. The writer keeps adding and subtracting, juggling and shifting, until he has his key points in an order that makes sense to him. He scribbles a sentence, works in a transition, adds examples...By then, if he has kept expanding and correcting it, his outline comes close to being a rough summary of the essay its elf. Wilma R. Ebbitt and David R. Ebbitt Using the Outline as a Draft Outlining might not be very useful if writers are required to produce a rigid plan before actually writing. But when an outline is viewed as a kind of draft, subject to change, evolving as the actual writing takes place, then it can be a powerful tool for writing. Architects often produce multiple sketches of plans, trying out different approaches to a building, and they adapt their plans as a building goes up, sometimes substantially (it is fortunately much easier for writers to start over or make basic changes).   Steven Lynn The Post-Draft You might prefer...to construct an outline after, rather than before, writing a rough draft. This lets you create a draft without restricting the free flow of ideas and helps you rewrite by determining where you need to fill in, cut out, or reorganize. You may discover where your line of reasoning is not logical; you may also reconsider whether you should arrange your reasons from the most important to the least or vice versa in order to create a more persuasive effect. Ultimately, outlining after the first draft can prove useful in producing subsequent drafts and a polished final effort. Gary Goshgarian Topic Sentence Outlines Two types of outlines are most common: short topic outlines and lengthy sentence outlines. A topic outline consists of short phrases arranged to reflect your primary method of development. A topic outline is especially useful for short documents such as letters, e-mails, or memos...For a large writing project, create a topic outline first, and then use it as a basis for creating a sentence outline. A sentence outline summarizes each idea in a complete sentence that may become the topic sentence for a paragraph in the rough draft. If most of your notes can be shaped into topic sentences for paragraphs in the rough draft, you can be relatively sure that your document will be well organized. Gerald J. Alred and Charles T. Brusaw Formal Outlines Some teachers ask students to submit formal outlines with their papers. Here is a common format used in constructing a formal outline: I. (main topic) A. (subtopics of I)B. 1. (subtopics of B)2. a. (subtopics of 2)b. i. (subtopics of b)ii. Note that subtopics are indented so that all letters or numbers of the same kind appear directly under one another. Whether phrases (in a topic outline) or complete sentences (in a sentence outline) are used, topics and subtopics should be parallel in form. Make sure that all items have at least two subtopics or none at all. Example of Vertical Outline To outline your material vertically, write your thesis at the head of the page and then use headings and indented subheadings: Thesis: Though many things make me want to score goals, I love scoring most of all because it momentarily gives me a sense of power. I. Common reasons for wanting to score goals A. Help teamB. Gain gloryC. Hear cheers of crowd II. My reasons for wanting to score goals A. Feel relaxed 1. Know Im going to score a goal2. Move smoothly, not awkwardly3. Get relief from pressure to do well B. See world in freeze-frame 1. See puck going into goal2. See other players and crowd C. Feel momentary sense of power 1. Do better than goalie2. Take ultimate mind trip3. Conquer anxiety4. Return to Earth after a moment Besides listing points in order of rising importance, this outline groups them under headings that show their relation to each other and to the thesis. James A.W. Heffernan and John E. Lincoln Sources: Ebbitt, Wilma R. and David R. Ebbitt. Writers Guide and Index to English. 6th edition, Scott, Foresman, 1978. Lynn, Steven. Rhetoric and Composition: An Introduction. 1st edition, Cambridge University Press, 2010. Goshgarian, Gary and Kathleen Krueger. An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 8th edition, Pearson, January 19, 2014. Alred, Gerald J. and Charles T. Brusaw. Handbook of Technical Writing. 8th edition, St. Martins Press, March 7, 2006. Heffernan, James A.W. and John E. Lincoln. Writing: A College Handbook. 3rd edition, W.W. Norton Co, 1990. Coyle, William and Joe Law. Research Papers. 15th edition, Cengage Learning, June 10, 2009.

The United States

The United States Introduction The cold war emerges as significantly distinctive in U.S. relations with Latin America because ideological considerations acquired a primacy over U.S. policy in the region that they had lacked in earlier moments. From the late 1940s until about 1960, ideology was just one of the important factors in the design of U.S. policy towards Latin America. In its subsequent conduct of the key aspect of its policy towards Latin America, the U.S. government often behaved as if it were under the spell of ideological demons.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The United States-Latin America Relations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Since the end of the cold war, U.S. presidents have all placed Latin America at the center of their foreign policies arguing that the region is integral to the role of the U.S. interests (Smith 2). However, the truth of the matter is that the U.S. gestures towards Latin America have been a c ontinuity of its Cold War ideologies in the region (Stokes 2). In order to understand the nature of U.S. relations with Latin America in a better way, it is important to first understand what really caused the Cold War. In his book titled Talons of the Eagle, Peter Smith observes that the Cold War was an ideological struggle and not just a contest between superpowers. To that end, the U.S. was prepared to pay any price and bear any burden to deal with what it perceived to be an evil empire. Actually, most U.S. elites and much of the public believed profoundly in the righteousness of their cause and deeply feared and loathed what they understood as communism. This ideology explains U.S. military intervention, direct and indirect, and other belligerent U.S. actions during the Cold war. Actually, the Cold War as Smith (8) explains did not give birth to the significance of ideological themes either in U.S. foreign policy generally or in U.S. relations with Latin America specifically. Sm ith says that this was all a part of the Monroe Doctrine, which had sought to quash any attempt by the surrounding powers to â€Å"extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere† thus posing danger to the peace and safety of the U.S (Smith 8). Actually, Smith notes that it was not just their power but also their system, which was essentially different that Monroe sought to keep in check (Smith 9). From these facts, it now becomes easy to see how the U.S. has continued its policies in the Latin region. After the Cold War, Latin American politics quickly became ideological as dictators wrapped themselves in the cloak of anti-communism to be accepted by a Washington, which was at that time more concerned with carrying out its ideologies than promoting democracy.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This conflicted expediency is crystallized in John F. Ken nedy’s assessment of the situation of the Dominican Republic in 1961. In trying to access the situation, President Kennedy observed that â€Å"there are three possibilities in descending order of preference: a descent democratic regime, a continuation of the Trujillo regime, or a Castro regime. We ought to aim at the first but we cannot renounce the second until we are sure we can avoid the third† (Smith 142). What this means is that no matter the actions taken by the Dominican State, America was willing to do anything within its power to restore what it believed to be a functional government. Indeed, the range of dynamic interaction between the United States and what Smith would call collaborationist regimes is as broad as between the United States and regimes of resistance. According to Smith (194), President Kennedy approved the Bay of Pigs operation in 1961 even before Castro had declared his revolution to be Socialist and admitted his own Marxism. In fact, Smith i s not alone in his claim that the U.S. is continuing its Cold War ideologies in the Latin American region. In her book titled Predatory States: Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America, American author Patrice McSherry argues that the invasion on Condor was an organization of â€Å"paramilitary and parapolice groups operating in the nebulous zone between military command and partial autonomy, creating terror, eliminating democratic rights, and keeping the population fearful and politically inert† (McSherry 243). McSherry’s story compellingly relates how the Latin American paramilitary operations of the mid-to-late-1970s represented a shadowy covert war, significantly aided by U.S. military assistance to fight individuals or groups deemed to be a threat to the United States (McSherry 18). As the global realities around the globe have been changing, America has also changed its mode of operation in dealing with Latin American countries (McSherry 2). In December 1 989, President Bush ordered a military invasion of Panama to overthrow its government accused of participating in drug trafficking. The ‘restoration’ of democracy to Panama was also cited as a goal of the U.S. invasion. In the years that followed, not much progress was made towards ending Panama’s role in international money laundering-the main role Panama had long had in this international trade.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The United States-Latin America Relations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the U.S. destruction of the Panamanian military did make a direct and powerful contribution to setting a sounder basis for democracy in Panama. The same scenario was replicated in September 1994 when President Clinton ordered the U.S. invasion to occupy Haiti and overthrow its government (Smith 130). Apart from using direct military invasions, America has also been trying other means to en sure that it keeps the Latin American region under subordination. In his book titled America’s Other War, author Doug Stokes notes the case of Colombia, which is used by the U.S. to carry out its foreign policies in the region. Over the years, Colombia has been receiving financial assistance and military assistance from the U.S. Although this might be a welcome move, the motivation behind it has not been lost to critics like Stoke. Currently, Colombia finds itself in the precipice of civil war entrenched in a model of neoliberal economics and general subordination to the United States. According to Stoke, 3% of the wealthiest Colombians own over 70% of the farming land, while 57% subsist on less than 3% of the same land (129). Stoke notes that the ratio of income between the wealthiest and poorest 10% was 40:1 in 1990 and rose to 80:1 a decade later. In this manner, Stoke (130) concludes that America has succeeded in shelving all political and legal events in Colombia and all that the people now think of is the economy. Conclusion U.S. relations with Latin America during the Cold War exhibited important continuities with preceding U.S. policies. The Cold War years proved distinctive, however, because anti-communist ideological objectives overwhelmed other U.S. foreign policy goals towards Latin America in each case when the United States chose to deploy its military or chose to overthrow a Latin American government through some other means. When the ideological fear of communism was absent, the United States did not deploy its military forces but used other covert means to destabilize Latin American governments with a view of ensuring that they have the upper hand in the region, as it is currently the case in Colombia. Indeed, America took the Cold War so seriously such that its gestures towards Latin America are a continuity of its Cold War ideologies in the region. The only difference in these ideologies is that the latter is currently being turned i nto constructive ways due to the changing global realities. As McSherry rightly puts it in her book, if the American government is not in the battle front line, then it is behind the scenes with the Latin American military and intelligence forces providing resources, administrative assistance, intelligence and financing.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More McSherry, Patrice. Predatory  States: Operation Condor and Covert War in Latin America. Roman and Littlefield, 2005. 18-243. Print. Smith, Peter. Talons of the Eagle: Latin America, the United States, and the World. Oxford University Press, 2007. 2-194. Print. Stokes, Doug. America’s Other War: Terrorizing Colombia. Zed Books, 2005. 2-130. Print.

8 Steps to Landing a Job By Graduation

8 Steps to Landing a Job By Graduation Graduation can be terrifying, especially if you haven’t yet set up a job. But there are a few sure fire things that you can absolutely do to set yourself up to be employed right out of college. Follow these steps and you’ll set yourself up very well. 1. Network, Network, NetworkYou know it’s all about who you know. And the more people you know the better. If you haven’t built your massive web of connections yet, don’t panic. It’s never too late to start. Start shaking hands, dusting off your LinkedIn page, tweeting, joining professional organizations, getting mentored. Play the student card while you have it. Hit up your alumni database and milk your college career department for everything you can. Then just water your contacts and watch them grow!2. Hone Your Soft SkillsYour resume may be maxed out to the gills with valuable skills and experiences, but there are a few things you can’t necessarily acquire in the same fashion. People s kills, emotional intelligence, self-awareness†¦. these are things you can dig deep to work on gradually, but will serve you immensely in the end.3. Focus on Your PassionHiring managers can tell if you’re not really all that keen to work at a certain company. The best way to project the kind of positive attitude you need is to make sure you’re focusing on interviewing for the jobs that make you most excited. This will also help you make sure you’re well prepared for every interview. Remember: interviewers will be reviewing your application and every inch of your online presence they can find. You should expect to do the same. Do your homework, get the job.4. Hone Your Hard SkillsNo matter how well you’ve prepared for your first job market during your college years, there will be some holes in your resume that you wish you could fill to land your top jobs. Take a course, or a series of webinars, and start developing those skills you’ll need to g et where you most want to be.5. Sell YourselfYou’re not merchandise, but as far as landing a job goes, you sort of are. Embrace the shameless self-promotion now. It’s a lesson you have to learn early in your career if you want to have one. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to snuff, build yourself a web site, and take your resume and business cards with you- everywhere. Push your comfort zone and build yourself a reputation that will get you hired.6. DiversifyDon’t put all your eggs in one basket. Spread your net a little wider. Seek out a wide variety of experiences and opportunities to learn. See what you like while you have time to make a go at anything.7. Be EntrepreneurialMaybe you don’t have to be the goody-goody with five internships under your belt. You could be the college kid that started her own business and so wowed the interviewer that you got the job over the candidates who looked better on paper. Show that you’re gutsy and a self -starter and that can go a very long way.8. Sharpen Your Job SearchLearn the tricks of job searching early. Figure out what kind of company you want to work for, do your research, get your foot in the door. Seek out people who have worked there for intel, or mentorship. And keep an eye out for the really cool opportunities.

State of the current economy (Economics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

State of the current economy (Economics) - Essay Example rici declares "we are in a depression (Shinkle, p1)."   He signifies a recession as an economic decline from which an economy can eventually recover but poses that the state the American economy is in today is much worse and can’t be resolved with a quick fix. "My feeling is that . . . if (the president) doesnt fix whats structurally broken, what caused this, well be back into this after the federal stimulus has had its effect," says Morici (Shinkle, p1).   Many different aspects of the American economy have come under fire as the cause of this financial crisis, most infamous of these methods to date are credit default swap contracts and short selling. The very first credit default swap contract was constructed in 1997 by JP Morgan and it is given credit for what initiated the market to balloon up to a $45 trillion value in 2007 (Pinsent, p1). In a CDS contract, credit risk from emerging market bonds, mortgage-backed securities, municipal bonds or corporate debt is transferred between two parties.   It is a bilateral contract in that both parties are obligated to carryout their end of the contract.   CDS contracts were designed because as Stephan Teak puts it in his article Did Credit Default Swaps Cause the Financial Market Meltdown?, lenders were encountered with a problem they needed solved.   He best describes the factors leading up to this revelation by lenders when he says, â€Å"When a lender provides financing in the form of a loan, it has to keep a certain amount of cash, called capital, on hand to cover any problems with the loans such as defaults. For larger financial institutions like JP Morgan, this meant havin g huge amounts of money tied up and doing nothing. The credit default swap was designed to deal with this problem (Teak, p1).†Ã‚   The basic goal of the credit default swap is to free up the unused ‘safety-net capital by selling off the risk of the loan to a third party for a premium.   Once the capital was freed-up it would be available for

Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example In epidemiology, there are certain steps done systematically to successfully cure diseases (Page, Cole & Timmreck, 1995). The first step is to identify the problem, or the disease, then make a community or a population assessment by determining whether there are actual or potential health problems present. In this step, questions such as which among the population is the least or the most susceptible is determined. By performing demographic profiling, it can determine the percentage of individuals affected, and can be a reliable indicator of the overall health of the population (Yarnell, 2007). This step is followed by the determination of the causes of the disease. After having a conclusion as to how an ailment affects individuals, epidemiologists give out information on what the disease is, as well as causes, effects and prevention methods. The last step would be on the hands of an individual and his or her personal decisions after being informed about a certain disease. The person can choose whether to do actions that could prevent the onset of the disease or just do nothing to prevent it (Page et al., 1995). Diseases can be studied either by the number of affected individuals in a given population (quantitative epidemiology) or by studying the causes and effects of the disease in the affected individuals (qualitative epidemiology), which are both important in determining risk factors (Yarnell, 2007). In order to search for the causes of diseases, a model is used in determining those factors. Figure 1. The Epidemiology Triangle The epidemiology triangle is a traditional model used in determining the causes of diseases (Page et al., 1995). The vertices consist of the host, or the carrier of the disease, the agent or the cause of the disease, and the environment where the host and the agent are brought together (ibid.). Another part of the triangle is TIME, or the incubation period before a disease becomes full blown (Merril & Timmreck, 2006). After all compon ents of the formation of the disease are identified properly, epidemiologists break the legs of the triangle, disrupting the connections between environment, host and agent in order to prevent the outbreak of the disease and prevent it from spreading. However, in non-infectious diseases this triangle model is not always reliable due to some particular components that are not easily classifiable whether they are agents or environmental (Page et al., 1995). This paper would be tackling the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, and attempt to create a disease model as well as to list the steps in its prevention, focusing on presentation of qualitative obesity epidemiology. Definition of Obesity Body mass index or BMI is used to determine whether a person’s weight is below normal, normal, or above normal, which can be overweight, obese or morbidly obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). A percentage of at least 25-30% fat in the body can consider a child as fat (Williams et al., 1992). BMI that is 25 up to 29.9 is overweight, and beyond that is considered obese. Being obese, or obesity is defined as an excessive or abnormal accumulation of fat that presents various risks to health (WHO, n.d.). Problems that can arise from excessive fat include high blood pressure and cholesterol, increased impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, breathing

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Literature review - Essay Example [ Gà ¡bor Takà ¡cs,2005] The concept would be to use a well of dimension 400x400x400mm, with a compressor attached to it and fitted with a foot valve. The user would press the footvalve to start the flow in the shower when required. This way the device lift will be activated by a start action and the device will remain in the lowered state until activated. The canister would be placed inside a cylinder (cubicle in this case) of dimensions 400cm x 400cm x400cm.The cubicle would extend to a height of 10 feet and is closed from the top to increase the pressure in the cylinder.[Michael] In his book, Water wells and Pumps, Michael describes various devices to lift water from wells. He describes the reciprocating pump as a pump having a piston or plunger working in a close-fitted cylinder. The movement of the piston/plunger displaces the water in the well and through the outlet. Reciprocating pumps can be either lift pumps that are designed to lift water to the spout , generally at a height of 2’-3’ from the ground or force pumps that are designed to lift water to greater heights from wells .This principle is used in supplying water to overhead tanks in domestic water supply. Because the top of the cylinder is closed in a force pump, water can be pumped to higher levels. In a single acting plunger type pump, the pump body consisting of the cylinder and plunger attached to a valve is located at ground level. The plunger when moved up and down by the movement of the pump rod displaces air through the cylinder through the non return valve at the bottom. On the downward stroke, the bottom valve closes and water passes through a second non return valve in the plunger. On the next upward stroke, this water is forced out of the spout. In a deep well lift pump, the principle of drawing water is the same, though it is pushed to a greater height

Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Obesity - Research Paper Example Most Americans have adopted a culture of taking fast/convenient foods instead of cooking food at home. This behavior is particularly extravagant among children. Children prefer taking sweetened drinks and snacks for lunch instead of taking full meals. Sweetened drinks and snacks contain a high content of calories. Routine taking of high calories foods leads to accumulation of fats in the body and thus children become obese. Due to the addictiveness of convenient foods, children end up taking more fast foods and lesser healthy foods. The lifestyles that most American families have adopted contribute to obesity. Children are not involved in physical activities. Children have little or no play time. Physical exercise activities have been proven to reduce effectively accumulated calories in the body. The same children who take high intake of junk food do not participate in any forms of physical exercise. The children thus end up being obese. USA’s economic status has improved. The rates of unemployment have reduced and thus a large percentage of the population is in a ‘good’ socio-economic status. Therefore, most American children can afford to buy fast foods. Moreover, mot junk foods are associated with people of a certain higher social class, and, therefore, most children want to take them. Purchasing and taking a lot of junk food leads to children being obese. The business of selling fast foods is doing very well in the USA. The kind of advertisements being used is very appealing. Most of the advertisements make an impression that the foods are very sweet and healthy. The health risk of these foods is not included in the advertisements. Most people fall into the advertisements trap and end up purchasing them and, in the long run, suffer from obesity. There is little education among the children and the parents on the dangers of taking junk food and the need for physical exercise. This has led to the current imbalance in

Money,Banking&Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Money,Banking&Finance - Essay Example The present prices of the bonds would help in the determination of the market rate of interest, or the price that would be paid for the use of the money for a period of time. There exists a functional relationship between the rate of interest and the time of the bonds. The term structure of interest rates or the yield curve shows the relationship between the rate of interest and the yields of the bonds with the terms to maturities. The curve is a representation of the various opportunities that may exist for the arbitrage as well as the expectation of the markets about the interest rates that may prevail in future. Interest Rates While carrying out the analysis of the yield curve it is essential to know the components of the nominal interest rates. This equation shows that the real rate of interest represented by r is the main component of the rate of interest. On the other hand, sigma is the risk premium that is being added to the rate of interest which is open to fluctuations due t o various events. On the other hand, ? is the representative of the rate of inflation while l is the component that would capture the liquidity. The various financial markets would offer bonds and other long term instruments that would be offering a variety of interest or the rates of return (Kettell, 2001, pp. 19-26). The premium is the representation of the consumer behaviour that would depict that the consumers would be unwilling to hold that particular asset class. The following diagram shows the break-up of the various components of the rates of interest. The loans that are provided for the long term cost higher because the premium for liquidity would increase with the increase in the tenure of the bonds. The people would always want to hold liquidity at the present period of time rather than a later period. The opportunity cost of keeping the money in the hand would be less in the present period as compared to the future period. Yield Curve The yield curve is drawn from the yi eld to maturity of the bonds. The yield to maturity (YTM) is considered to be the approximate value of the rate of interest for a particular term to maturity of a bond. The various points of the terms to maturity and the corresponding yields to maturity are plotted on a plane and the curve that is fitted along these points is known as the yield curve. The following diagram is an example of a yield curve. In the plane the vertical axis measures the yield of the bonds and the horizontal axis measures the term to maturity of the bond. Figure 1: Yield curve The yield curve thus summarises yield of the different bonds that are being traded on a particular date. The yields or the different tenors in such cases may be different. The yield of a bond is the unique rate at which the cash flows that is provided by a bond is discounted. Thus even though the accrual of the cash flows are taking place at the different points in time the rate at which it is taking place is the same (Rossi, 2007, p p. 225-241). This rate is known as the yield to maturity of the bonds. In most cases the interest rates are considered to be fixed for the entire tenor. This would give rise to a flat yield curve as shown in the diagram below. Throughout the tenure of the bond the rate of interest that has been offered in case of this yield curve is 3.5%. Figure 2: Flat Yield Curve The

Spanish Cuisine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Spanish Cuisine - Essay Example There are several fantastic contributions as well as influences (from Arabs and Romans who conquered Spain and stayed there) to Spanish cuisine and recipes. However, other dishes came from American and European influences and later adaptations were made to suit the Spanish taste. As a matter of fact, food prepared in Spain is usually abundant, fresh, as well as filled with flavor. In addition, Spaniards dearly love their food. It is important to note that the 2 essential ingredients that are must in Spanish food include garlic and olive oil. However, since Spain comprises of discrete geographical zones, settled by various cultural and ethnic groups, in addition to varying weather from one region to another, the regional cuisines vary a lot. The following are typical Spanish ingredients as well as food. The first ingredient is olive oil which is also called lard. Spain being the world’s largest producer of olive oil grows numerous olives all over the country and it is therefore no surprise that several Spanish dishes are prepared using this ingredient. Secondly is the Ham or jamon in Spanish which is a much cherished food and Spaniards take it very seriously and usually will pay a lot for quality ham. In fact, Spaniards are so proud of their ham that they have many museums for the same. The third common cuisine is seafood and fish. Spain is found in Iberian Peninsula and thus surrounded by water on 3 sides; there is always plenty of fresh seafood in the markets. Spaniards thus consume shellfish or fish every day. Anything, ranging from shrimp to halibut, in addition to octopus as well as baby eels is widespread on restaurant menus and markets. The fourth delicacy is cheeses which are of great quality and can be f ound everywhere in Spain. Spaniards make cheeses from goat, cow, sheep, milk as well as mixed milks. Various kinds vary from soft cheeses like

Money,Banking&Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Money,Banking&Finance - Essay Example The present prices of the bonds would help in the determination of the market rate of interest, or the price that would be paid for the use of the money for a period of time. There exists a functional relationship between the rate of interest and the time of the bonds. The term structure of interest rates or the yield curve shows the relationship between the rate of interest and the yields of the bonds with the terms to maturities. The curve is a representation of the various opportunities that may exist for the arbitrage as well as the expectation of the markets about the interest rates that may prevail in future. Interest Rates While carrying out the analysis of the yield curve it is essential to know the components of the nominal interest rates. This equation shows that the real rate of interest represented by r is the main component of the rate of interest. On the other hand, sigma is the risk premium that is being added to the rate of interest which is open to fluctuations due t o various events. On the other hand, ? is the representative of the rate of inflation while l is the component that would capture the liquidity. The various financial markets would offer bonds and other long term instruments that would be offering a variety of interest or the rates of return (Kettell, 2001, pp. 19-26). The premium is the representation of the consumer behaviour that would depict that the consumers would be unwilling to hold that particular asset class. The following diagram shows the break-up of the various components of the rates of interest. The loans that are provided for the long term cost higher because the premium for liquidity would increase with the increase in the tenure of the bonds. The people would always want to hold liquidity at the present period of time rather than a later period. The opportunity cost of keeping the money in the hand would be less in the present period as compared to the future period. Yield Curve The yield curve is drawn from the yi eld to maturity of the bonds. The yield to maturity (YTM) is considered to be the approximate value of the rate of interest for a particular term to maturity of a bond. The various points of the terms to maturity and the corresponding yields to maturity are plotted on a plane and the curve that is fitted along these points is known as the yield curve. The following diagram is an example of a yield curve. In the plane the vertical axis measures the yield of the bonds and the horizontal axis measures the term to maturity of the bond. Figure 1: Yield curve The yield curve thus summarises yield of the different bonds that are being traded on a particular date. The yields or the different tenors in such cases may be different. The yield of a bond is the unique rate at which the cash flows that is provided by a bond is discounted. Thus even though the accrual of the cash flows are taking place at the different points in time the rate at which it is taking place is the same (Rossi, 2007, p p. 225-241). This rate is known as the yield to maturity of the bonds. In most cases the interest rates are considered to be fixed for the entire tenor. This would give rise to a flat yield curve as shown in the diagram below. Throughout the tenure of the bond the rate of interest that has been offered in case of this yield curve is 3.5%. Figure 2: Flat Yield Curve The

Erving Goffman The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Essay Example for Free

Erving Goffman The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Essay Erving Goffman has completed a wonderful presentation of human behaviour and face-to-face interactions, of a first meeting between two people, who may or may not have an audience. The use of a theatrical performance to explain the interaction was indeed an ingenious idea that kept me intrigued until the very end. This book was written in 1959 but its referencing to human behaviour is still very much relevant to today’s life style. Human behaviour patterns have been written about by many individuals over the years, why we do the things we do or how long we have been undertaking these behaviours. Is there any relevance to the patterns in our behaviour? It would seem there definitely appears to be. As a society, to influence how another person perceives who we are. We give appearances and refinements of someone we want people to see, yet not particularly who we truly are. Goffman describes this as a performance, a play that we put on to give a good first impression. This play could become a nightmare, if we do not keep it under control. It can be difficult to play the part of someone you are not, for the reason that it can rebound on you. It is better to persist with who you are, and not reveal all of yourself in the beginning, like a good story. To present who we are, we should start at the foundation, begin with presenting an opening act. This act should be near to true life, the person you would like to be known as. Currently a person of importance gives the impression that they know what they are doing, example your doctor. If they were a person who, on first meeting gave the impression that they were unsure, confused and unconfident, would you go back to them? No, perhaps not. Even when they are having a bad day your doctor will always appear to be in control, so that we feel more at ease. When we first meet new people we try to acquire information about them, it is then how the person delivers this information, that we base our assumptions. People give information verbally and non-verbally by expressions, movements, gestures and other presumably unintentional communications, like a slight smile. Our brain takes all this information into consideration then makes a personal judgment based on the material it collects. There is so much information for us to collect and make our decision on, that we sometimes need a second meeting to be able to make a correct judgement on a particular person we have meet. Goffman concludes that his own assumptions are made upon a face-to-face interaction and the result of an encounter, the performance that is given to each particular participant and their performance as a basic point of reference. In conclusion, Goffmans writings clearly represent how we present ourselves in everyday life today, and possibly well into the future. References Erving, Goffman (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, New York, Anchor Books, pp. 1-16.

A Literature Review On Adventure Tourism Tourism Essay

A Literature Review On Adventure Tourism Tourism Essay Adventure tourism has become more popular as an outdoor recreation activity in the tourism industry (Travel Industry Association of America, cited 2005). The term adventure can actually mean differently to different tourists because things that fill up the fear of one tourist may not fill up for another tourist (Buckly, 2006). Therefore, there is no any specific way to define adventure tourism. The word adventure is described as the risky activities in nature that are taken on by the tourist or the risky destination visited by the tourist and the tourist get an exciting and unusual experience from what the tourist had did (Farlex, The Free Dictionary). Adventure also is where the participants voluntarily putting themselves in a position that the participants believe that they are taking a step into the unknown where challenges will be faced and something valuable from the experience will be discovered or gained (Swarbrooke, Beard, Leckie, and Promfret, 2003). Consequently, adventure tourism is something related to nature and it is consisting of risk taking. Muller and Cleaver (2000) (cited in Swarbrooke et al. 2003, p. 29) defined adventure tourism as the capability to provide tourists with relatively high degrees of sensory stimulation. It is usually contained some physical challenging elements with the (typically short) tourists experience. While Buckley (2006) mentioned that the term adventure tourism is used to mean as guided commercial tours where these major attraction is an outdoor activity that has natural environment features and normally needs specialized sporting or equipment. It must be exiting for the tourists also. This definition does not mean that the tourists or clients have to prepare the equipments themselves, they may purely be travellers and rely on the agents to prepare the equipments for them. For example, tandem parachute harness or white water raft, etc. Therefore, adventure tourism can refer to activities done by the tourists, which have high level of perceived or real risk like diving, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, caving, sky-diving, skiing, snowboarding, white water rafting, kayaking, sailing, and sea kayaking. It also refer to a specific location of place with high degree of risk such as visiting desserts, jungles or mountaintops, polar regions and safaris. All these places have strong elements of adventure. Adventure tourism can be divided into soft adventure and hard adventure. These terms are developed by researchers who devised a scale to explain the diversity of behaviour, beginning with mild adventure also known as soft adventure at one end of the scale and progress to hard adventure at the other extreme. This continuum, illustrate in Figure 1.1, involves different degrees of challenge, uncertainty, setting familiarity, personal abilities, intensity, duration and perceptions of control (Lipscombe, 1995: 42). A simpler way to describe soft and hard adventure is that soft adventure does not necessarily require past experience whereas hard adventure requires some experiences and proficiency in the activity prior to the tourism experience (Millington and Locke, 2001). Hard Adventure Refers to activities with high levels of risk, requiring intense commitment and advanced skills. Soft Adventure Refers to activities with a perceived risk but low levels of real risk, requiring minimal commitment and beginning skills; most of these activities are led by experienced guides. Figure 1: The continuum of soft and hard adventure (source: Hill, 1995, cited in Beard et al. 2003, p. 33). Tourist behaviour is an in-depth topic as the behaviour of tourist change from time to time and sometimes it can be difficult to judge because not everyone shares the same behaviour. In order to understand tourist behaviour, psychologists have found that certain concepts are useful to understand the behaviour (Bhatia, 2006). According to Bhatia (2006), tourist behaviour can be understand by determining the motive, drives, or concerns being satisfied by the action and the attitudes and information that the person use to decide what kind of response should be made in a given situation. Motivation is one ways to describe tourist behaviour. Motivation is a verb derive from motivate Motivation is factor that influence or motivate trekkers to travel to Everest Base Camp. Motivation is defined as a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way or the desire or willingness to do something (Oxford online Dictionary). Hence, motivation of travel is why tourists travel to a place . It is important to know tourist travel motivations because motivations will affect travel decision process (Crompton and McKay, cited in Pan 2009, p. 216) and motivations are drivers that influence and affect the specific behaviour of a person or traveller. Furthermore, it also helps to develop strategies to attract tourists to a particular destination by understanding tourist behaviour. For example, travel agent or local authorities can find a way to increase the volume of tourists visiting a destination by understanding the tourist behaviour when the destination is kind of new in the tourism market or the number of tourists in the destination had decreased. Travel motivation is a wide theory where it can not be understood by looking at one part of the theory only. Figure 2: The Motivation Process (source: Holloway, Humphreys Davidson 2009, p.62). The process of translating a need into motivation to visit a specific destination or undertake a specific activity is quite complex and can be best demonstrated by means of a diagram (refer to Figure 2) (Holloway, Humphreys Davidson 2009, p.62). Potential consumers must be able to recognize their needs and wants and know what kinds of product actually satisfy their needs. Figure 2 shows that consumer perception of what will satisfy their need has to match with consumer perception of the attractions. Only when the consumer agrees on these 2 points, consumer will be motivated to visit a particular destination. For example, customer A and customer B have the same kind of need, where both of them like to do adventure activities and their think that trekking up to a mountain satisfies their need. Both customer A and B have the same interest but their perception on a particular destination may be different. Customer A may think that trekking to Mount Everest actually fulfils what he wants and his perception towards the destination is positive. While customer B may think that trekking to Mount Everest fulfil what he wants but he has a bad perception towards the destination as he think that the destination is very risky to him. Therefore, customer A will be willing to buy the package and climb up to Mount Everest because both the perception of the need and the attraction match. Customer B will not be motivated to go to Mount Everest as the perception of need and attraction do not match. According to Beerli and Martin (cited in Correia, Valle and Moco 2007, p. 46), motivation is the needs that drives and individual to act in a certain way to achieve the desire satisfaction. Therefore, people travel base on many different reasons. Motivation has also been referred as psychological / biological needs and wants including integral forces that arouse, direct, and integrate a persons behaviour and activity (Dann; Pearce; Uysal Hagan, cited in Shin 2009, p. 32). Travel motivators are the factors that create a persons desire to travel and are usually the internal psychological influences affecting individual choices (Bhatia, 2006). Travel motivations usually include a wide range of personal experiences and behaviours. Various studies have been done to find out why people wish to travel after the advent of mass tourism, especially after the Second World War. Macintosh (cited in Bhatia 2006) has group the basic travel motivators into four categories. Physical motivators, which are related to physical relaxation, refreshment of body and mind, sports, pleasure, and special medical treatment. All these are connected with individuals bodily well beings and connected to activities which help to reduce tension. Cultural motivators, which are related to individuals desire to travel in order to know more about other countries, natives of the countries and cultural heritage of the countries which expressed in art, music, dance, folklore, etc. Interpersonal motivators, which are related to individuals desire to meet new people, visit friends and relatives, and to seek new and different experiences. Travel is simply to escape from the daily routine or get away from the usual life or environment. Status and prestige motivators, which are related to the needs of personal esteem and personal development in an individual. Such motivators are more likely to be concerned with the desire for recognition and attention from others, in order to boost personal ego. Under this kind of motivations, people usually travel for business, for the purpose of education and the pursuit of hobbies. Crandall (cited in Hall Page 1999) who did a study on the motivations of the leisure travellers, outlined 17 motivational factors which derived from a synthesis of previous studies in this field. Below are the 17 motivational factors listed by Crandall. 1 ENJOYING NATURE, ESAPING FROM CIVILISATION To get away from civilisation for a while To be close to nature 10 RECOGNITION, STATUS To show other I could do it So other would think highly of me for doing it 2 ESCAPE FROM ROUTINE AND RESPONSBILITY Change from my daily routine To get away from the responsibilities of my daily life 11 SOCIAL POWER To have control over others To be in a position of authority 3 PHYSICAL EXRCISE For the exercise To keep in shape 12 ALTURISM To help others 4 CREATIVITY To be creative 13 STIMULUS SEEKING For the excitement Because of the risks involved 5 RELAXATION To relax physically So the mind can slow down for a while 14 SELF-ACTUALISATION (FEEDBACK, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, ABILITY UTILISATION) Seeing the results of your efforts Using a variety of skills and talent 6 SOCIAL CONTACT So I could do things with my companions To get away from other people 15 ACHIEVEMENT, CHALLENGE, COMPETITION To develop my skill and ability Because of the competition To learn what I am capable of 7 MEETING NEW PEOPLE To talk to new and varied people To build friendships with new people 16 KILLING TIME, AVOID BOREDOM To keep busy To avoid boredom 8 HETEROSEXUAL CONTACT To be with people of the opposite sex To meet people of the opposite sex 17 INTELLECTUAL AESTHETICISM To use my mind To think bout my personal values 9 FAMILY CONTACT To be away from the family for a while To help bring the family together more Table 1: Crandalls list of motivations. Source: Crandall 1980 (cited in Hall Page 1999). Pearce (cited in Pan 2009, p. 218) who had based and expanded on the theory of Maslows hierarchy of human needs, first developed the travel career ladder approach to travel motivation in 1988 and later made conceptual adjustment to the travel career ladder in 2005. The fundamental nature of this model connects the level of travel experiences with the hierarchy of travel needs. According to Pearce (cited in Pan 2009, p. 218), travellers who had more experiences in travel usually seek experiences that meet their higher order of travel needs such as self-esteem and self-actualization. On the other hand, inexperienced travellers will tend to seek experiences that meet their basic travel needs such as security and psychological ones. Tourism industry is a services industry and the products which offer in tourism industry are intangible. It is widely known that to travel is to experience. Consequently, tourist experience is fundamentally a service experience. The five level of travel career ladder, starting from the bottom are (1) concern with biological needs (including relaxation), (2) safety and security needs or level of stimulation, (3) relationship development and extension needs, (4) special interest and self-development needs, and (5) fulfilment of deep involvement needs which formally defined as self-actualization (Pearce cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p.8). This travel career ladder is later presented graphically by Ryan (cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p.8), refer to figure 3. It is not necessary that everyone has to start from the bottom because people change from time to time and some may try to seek for activities which satisfy high level of needs in pursuit of leisure and recreation (Marafa, Ho Chau, 2007). Figure 3: Travel Career Ladder by Ryan (cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p. 9). Another theory which often use by researchers when describing travel motivations is the push and pull theory. This theory shows that people travel because they are pushed and pulled to travel by some factors. Dann (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) whom had combined and analyzed the relevant travel motivation literature, concluded that travel occurs due to the internal factors of indentified and unfulfilled desires (motivational push) and reinforce by external factors which is destination pull. Push factors are either internally generated or externally induced (Dann, cited in Pan 2009, p. 218). The desire to conquer a mountain by reaching the summit of the mountain is one of the examples of push factors. While pull factors are related to the attributes of the destination that serve to satisfy the needs and wants of travellers. Several authors assume that internal and external factors are factors that motivate human behaviour. For example, Kotler (cited in Correia, Valle and Moco 2007, p. 46) states that motivations can be the result of internal and external stimuli. Internal factors are factors derive from personal needs and wants such as psychological, social egocentric, self-actualization and safety. While external factors are usually result from promotion and publicity. Travel motivation can be either personal (personal training, compensation rest and knowledge) or interpersonal (resulting from social relation) (Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1977; Yoon and Uysal, 2005, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). Iso-Ahola; Ryan Glendon (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) argued that travel motivation is closely related to leisure motivation and the former should not be studied independent of the latter. Iso-Ahola (cited in Alexandris, Kouthouris, Funk Giobani 2009, p. 482) defined tourism motivation as a meaningful set of mind which adequately disposes an actor or a group of actor to travel. Approach (seeking) and avoidance (escaping) are the two components in leisure motivation, identified by Iso-Ahola. Therefore, people travel in order to seek friendship, novelty, challenge, achievement, experience, and etc. while at the same time escape from the daily routine or personal problems. While Ryan Glendon (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) applied an abbreviated version (14 items) of the Leisure Motivation Scale of 1,127 United Kingdom holidaymakers and identified four motivation factors from the scale which were intellectual, social, competence mastery and stimulus avoidance. The first three factors could be categorized as seek components and the last factor as escape component. Crompton (cited in Kao, Patterson, Scott, and Chung 2008, p. 18) studied travel motivation by using push and pull model and developed seven socio-psychological or push motives (escape from a perceived mundane environment, self-exploratory, relaxation, prestige and regression, enhancement of kinship relations, facilitation of social interaction) and two cultural motives or pull motives (novelty and education). This study refers to motives which are more specific and direct that can affect tourists decision on the travel decision or the type of holidays (Crompton, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). The author identify that psychological or social motives (push motives) sustain the desire to travel. While on the other hand, travel decision if affected by pull motives and pull motives are also associated to the destinations characteristic (Lundberg, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). A study was done to explore the motivations and satisfactions of Taiwanese Tourists who visit Australia (Kao, Patterson, Scott, and Chung, 2008). Push and pull approach was used to find 17 push motivations and 18 pull motivations for travel in this study. The most important push factor found in this study is Travelling around the world, while the most important pull factor is sunshine and scenery and most of the Taiwanese tourists are satisfied after visiting Australia. Study done by Chang (2007) on travel motivation of package tour travellers suggested that socio-psychological needs were an important motivation for travel, and socio-economic considerations were regarded as a crucial motivation for travel decision making. Furthermore, social relationships friends or relatives recommendations had a strong impact in the decision makings of the Taiwanese travellers (Chang, 2007). This study was done to examine travel motivations and travel decision-making of Taiwanese tourists with a g roup package tour abroad. Therefore, it can be said that tourists travel to a destination is strongly influenced by their socio-psychological needs. Tourist builds his/her perceptions based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (Gartner, 1993; Dann, 1996; Baloglu, 1997; cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). Everyone receives and processes information differently. Therefore, individuals perception is also formed differently base on how the information is received and transformed. According to Oxford online dictionary, perception means the ability to see hear, or become aware of something through senses or the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. Perceptions are also defined as the perceived value of product by many previous researchers (Correia and Crouch, 2004; Correia et al., 2007C; Holbrook, 1996; oh, 2000; Sheth et al., 1991; Zeithaml, 1998; cited in Correia and Pimpao 2008). This concept develops based on cognitive and behavioural perspectives which result from the learning and motivational processes rendered by the tourist. Therefore, perception is the point of views about what the tourist think ab out the destination. Perception of a destination is linked to the destination image. Based on the image of the destination, perception of the destination will be generated and each tourist will have their own perception about the destination. Destination image is described as overall perceptions of individuals regarding a place or total set of impressions about a destination (Bigne et al., 2001; Fakeye and Crompton, 1991; cited in Alvarez and Korzay 2008). Destination image is usually formed through media, either positive or negative images. This is based on how the country promotes the destination in its country and through world news, people can easily know the problems or issues in the country. Hence, the destination image will be easily affected and it changes over time because people build up the destination images and representations based on the information that they receive (Avraham, 2000; So ¨nmez and Sirakaya, 2002; cited in Alvarez and Korzay 2008). In 21st century, internet is the most powe rful media that affect customers perception and destination image. In the world of internet, people can easily source for information regarding the destination and leave comments on the blogs or travel discussion forums after visiting the destination. Therefore, people nowadays not only listen to their friends past travel experiences but also read the worldwide tourists experiences from travel blogs or travel discussion forums. It is important to know what Malaysian trekkers think about Everest Base Camp which can be risky. Corriea et al. (2007) did a research on why people travel to exotic places by combining motivations and perceptions. This is the first time and they are the first few researchers that combine motivations and perceptions in order to understand how people can be pushed to travel to exotic places and how they form their perceptions. In this research, Corriea et al. (2007) try to find the relationship between push and pull motivation, push motivation and perception, and pull motivation and perception, based on a group of Portuguese tourists who go to exotic places such as Brazil, Morocco, Egypt, Sao Tome, and Principe. This study proves that perception of tourist destinations are formed based on push and pull factors but the relationship between push factors and perceptions in not significant and this proves that tourist decides to go for travel because he/she need to solve a conflict arousal (rest, social, and intellectual rewards) (Corriea et al. 2007). After that, the tourist will dec ide where to go based on the destination attributes. Destination attributes (pull motives) are seen as the way to solve intrinsic motives (push motives) in this study, but these constructs are not directly related to the overall perceptionof the destination because they are apparently solved when the tourist turns the attention to specific attributes (Corriea et al. 2007). Gnoth (1997) reports that the perception of a destination may be analysed from a cognitive or behavioural perspective. There are several types of perceptions which are cognitive component (which results from the evaluation of the destination attributes) and personal component (which results from the evaluation of the destination attributes) that a person can have, argued by Gnoth (1997). Travel motivation is an extensive researched area in tourism (Pan, 2009). Consequently, there are many theories that describe about tourist motivation to travel suggest by several authors or researchers as different tourist have different mindset and behaviour. Furthermore, there are many forms of tourism and tourists can be clustered into various types of groups. Perceptions of travellers on a particular destination can be unlikely because everyone thinks differently. Due to different in culture and the way they receive and transform the information will affect the perception of the tourists. Conceptual Framework Figure 4: Conceptual Framework Hypothesis Trekking in Everest region is the dream of most of the Malaysians trekkers. Its part of self-fulfillment of the trekkers and they want to challenge themselves as Malaysia does not have mountains which are more than 5000m and Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Malaysians trekkers travel to Everest Base Camp but not to the summit of Mount Everest because budget and time limit them to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. Additional information Objective To know the factors that motivate them to take Everest base camp trek To understand travelers perception on Everest base camp, Nepal as a tourism destination