The History of Pencils, Markers, Pens, and Erasers

Ever wonder how your favorite writing implement was invented? Read on to learn about the history of pencils, erasers, sharpeners, markers, highlighters and gel pens and see who invented and patented these writing instruments. Pencil History Graphite is a form of carbon, first discovered in the Seathwaite Valley on the side of the mountain Seathwaite Fell in Borrowdale, near Keswick, England, sometime around 1564 by an unknown person. Shortly after this, the first pencils were made in the same area. The breakthrough in pencil technology came when French chemist Nicolas Conte developed and patented the process used to make pencils in 1795. He used a mixture of clay and graphite that was fired before it was put in a wooden case. The pencils he made were cylindrical with a slot. The square lead was glued into the slot, and a thin strip of wood was used to fill the rest of the slot. Pencils got their name from the old English word meaning brush. Contes method of kiln firing powdered graphite and clay allowed pencils to be made to any hardness or softness — which was very important to artists and draftsmen. In 1861, Eberhard Faber built the first pencil factory in the United States in New York City. Eraser History Charles Marie de la Condamine, a French scientist and explorer, was the first European to bring back the natural substance called India rubber. He brought a sample to the Institute de France in Paris in 1736. South American Indian tribes used rubber to making bouncing playing balls and as an adhesive for attaching feathers and other objects to their bodies. In 1770, the noted scientist Sir Joseph Priestley (discoverer of oxygen) recorded the following, I have seen a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the mark of black lead pencil. Europeans were rubbing out pencil marks with the small cubes of rubber, the substance that Condamine had brought to Europe from South America. They called their erasers peaux de negres. However, rubber was not an easy substance to work with because it went bad very easily — just like food, rubber would rot. English engineer Edward Naime is also credited with the creation of the first eraser in 1770. Before rubber, breadcrumbs had been used to erase pencil marks. Naime claims he accidentally picked up a piece of rubber instead of his lump of bread and discovered the possibilities. He went on to sell the new rubbing out devices, or rubbers. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered a way to cure rubber and make it a lasting and useable material. He called his process vulcanization, after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. Goodyear patented his process in 1844. With the better rubber available, erasers became quite common. The first patent for attaching an eraser to a pencil was issued in 1858 to a man from Philadelphia named Hyman Lipman. This patent was later held to be invalid because it was merely the combination of two things, without a new use. History of the Pencil Sharpener At first, penknives were used to sharpen pencils. They got their name from the fact that they were first used to shape feather quills used as early pens. In 1828, French mathematician Bernard Lassimone applied for a patent (French patent #2444) on an invention to sharpen pencils. However, it was not until 1847 that Therry des Estwaux first invented the manual pencil sharpener as we know it. John Lee Love of Fall River, Massachusetts designed the Love Sharpener. Loves invention was the very simple, portable pencil sharpener that many artists use. The pencil is put into the opening of the sharpener and rotated by hand, and the shavings stay inside the sharpener. Loves sharpener was patented on November 23, 1897 (U.S. Patent # 594,114). Four years earlier, Love created and patented his first invention, the Plasterers Hawk. This device, which is still used today, is a flat square piece of board made of wood or metal, upon which plaster or mortar was placed and then spread by plasterers or masons. This was patented on July 9, 1895. One source claims that the Hammacher Schlemmer Company of New York offered the worlds first electric pencil sharpener designed by Raymond Loewy, sometime in the early 1940s. History of Markers and Highlighters The first marker was probably the felt tip marker, created in the 1940s. It was mainly used for labeling and artistic applications. In 1952, Sidney Rosenthal began marketing his Magic Marker which consisted of a glass bottle that held ink and a wool felt wick. By 1958, marker use was becoming common, and people used it for lettering, labeling, marking packages, and creating posters. Highlighters and fine-line markers were first seen in the 1970s. Permanent markers also became available around this time. Superfine-points and dry erase markers gained popularity in the 1990s. The modern fiber tip pen was invented by Yukio Horie of the Tokyo Stationery Company, Japan in 1962. The Avery Dennison Corporation trademarked Hi-Liter ® and Marks-A-Lot ® in the early 90s. The Hi-Liter ® pen, commonly known as a highlighter, is a marking pen which overlays a printed word with a transparent color, leaving it legible and emphasized. In 1991 Binney Smith introduced a redesigned Magic Marker line that included highlighters and permanent markers.  In 1996, fine point Magic Marker II DryErase markers were introduced for detailed writing and drawing on  whiteboards, dry erase boards, and glass surfaces. Gel Pens Gel Pens were invented by the Sakura Color Products Corp. (Osaka, Japan), which makes Gelly Roll pens and was the company that invented gel ink in 1984. The gel ink uses pigments suspended in a water-soluble polymer matrix. They are not transparent like conventional inks, according to Debra A. Schwartz. According to Sakura, Years of research resulted in the 1982 introduction of Pigma ®, the first water-based pigment ink ... Sakuras revolutionary Pigma inks evolved to become the first Gel Ink Rollerball launched as the Gelly Roll pen in 1984. Sakura also invented a new drawing material which combined oil and pigment. CRAY-PAS ®, the first oil pastel, was introduced in 1925.

Facing Past and Present Essay - 789 Words

â€Å"It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime† (Hosseini 52). Khaled Hosseini’s historical fiction novel, The Kite Runner, is a difficult adventure in Afghanistan about a boy and his friends childhood who made them who the adults they grew up to be. The adventure shows how Amir, the protagonist in the story, faces and endures rough times in his childhood, and how he wants to redeem himself from his past mistakes. Khaled Hosseini has a unique writing style in the first person point of view of Amir, which shows the rough journeys he experiences, and how he is motivated to please his father, which sets the theme of love of father and son, facing the past, and†¦show more content†¦Later on in the book, the time period changes to June of 2001. One of Amir’s friends wants to see him in Pakistan. Amir feels that he changed and wants to be his old self again. His friend, Rahim Khan gives him faith. â€Å"Come, there is a way to be good again† (Hosseini 192). When Amir lands in Pakistan, people are talking about how bad Afghanistan is. He will never forget the sights he saw of children smoking, drinking, and selling illegal things. â€Å"The Afghan town has the stench of rot, garbage, and feces† (Hosseini 196). In chapter sixteen through twenty, the author foreshadows Hassan’s death. Hassan does not celebrate when the other villagers are joyful. â€Å"God help the Hazaras now† (Hosseini 213). Hassan’s death impacts Amir greatly. Amir feels that he lost one of his best friends forever, but also feels guilty for wrongdoing him, and not apologizing for his ruthless behavior. In the end of the book, Amir does not receive the closure he would have liked to receive with his friends. He feels that he had not redeemed himself. 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And although when looking back at the past the majorityRead MoreCorrections Trend873 Words   |  4 PagesUOP Corrections Trend Evaluation In this paper the objectives that will be addressed are past, present and future trends of corrections. Also, analyze current and future issues facing prisons and prison administrators as well as the roles and issues of alternate correction systems as a developing trend. In today’s society the jails and prison pretty much function with the same protocol. In the past the history of the State prisons began at the Walnut Street Jail in 1790, it was the actuallyRead MoreSummary Of The American Family By Stephanie Coontz908 Words   |  4 Pagesis a gift. That’s why it’s called the present†, by Alice Morse Earle. The world has become a place taken for granted. Humans are beginning to wish they could live in the past, while others just want to skip over to the future but what ever happened to living right now? Or living in the moment? 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Probation Officer free essay sample

This paper will give some insight on the functional job analysis for the job of an investigative analyst. It will discuss the ways in which a functional job analysis can be used in an organization. This paper will also evaluate the various performance assessment methods and how they can be useful to the position of an investigative analyst. This paper will conclude with the explanation of various benefits and weaknesses of each of the methods of performance assessment regarding the position of an investigative analyst. Investigative Analyst: Functional Job Analysis. Investigative analyst are employed by various departments and organizations and take on many different roles, although the position of investigative analyst is primarily used for research of different types. In the event where an investigative analyst is hired for the services of a child support department the investigative analyst can make the determination whether or not a child support case requires a full criminal investigation, looking into the background and financial history of the delinquent party who is to pay the child support, and usually assists in the prosecution of that party. Investigative analysts who are used in an organization such as health insurance, health service investigative matters, fraud, or abusing medical resources. Investigative analyst can be used if a criminal investigation is needed in order to decrease the medical costs. Investigative analysts are also used in business sectors in retail settings in loss prevention in order to lower company costs in company inventory and make sure that employees are following the ethical guidelines of the organization. Some investigative  analyst only conducts internal investigation which sometimes may require occasionally leaving the officer for meetings. Other investigative analyst spend majority of their time outside of the office in order to conduct interviews and surveillance. On occasion, some investigative analysts have to confront individuals who may become irate or are in danger. Requirements for being an investigative analyst can differ depending on the position. For a investigative analyst a candidate must satisfy certain requirements. A candidate must have successfully completer post-secondary education in Criminal Justice, Law, Accounting, Computer Science, or Health Administration depending on the investigative purpose of the analyst. In some positions, previous experience dealing with an investigation field, which may be police work. Some forms of investigation require a significant amount of computer knowledge in order to be able to find information of the computer or over the internet. Investigative analysts usually need to operate in an independent manner and should be very detail oriented. Skills that one should posses in this position are analytical skills, organizational skills, and communication skills. Flexibility is also a key component because flexibility can be unpredictable. The selection process that is used for an investigative analysis is important. Making observations during the interview process and looking into an individual’s backgrounds is very important. Through the functional job evaluation, observing through interviews helps to assist in setting recommendations for the outline of the job. Job analysis is an essential part of I/O psychology. Analyzing a job involves determining what tasks a job is composed of, and what abilities are necessary to successfully carry out tasks in the position of investigative analysts. The results from a job analysis can be used for a variety of personnel management purposes but are more important for the decisions regarding selection of employees, or promotions. Job analysis is assumed before selection and promotional testing in the efforts to determine the attributes which qualify an individual for a specific position. The aspects that are recognized in the job analysis serve as the criteria for assessments used in the selection or promotion of employees. Functional job evaluation is a technique which is most helpful in gaining the most qualified candidates. This method can also assists various people who are not as well suited for the job or who needs to make improvements in certain areas. The evaluation techniques that are good practices for the companies and workers when a worker is employed by the Ohio Investigative Unit which has investigators who operate in Akron, Athens, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The Ohio Investigative Unit is the only state law enforcement in the state of Ohio who is solely dedicated to preventing and detecting illegal use of food stamp benefits. Investigators must work undercover and adept to playing any role that allows them to blend in with the clientele who is under investigation. In Ohio, Investigative unit agents must be certified with the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. Agents are required to carry out forty hours of exams and lessons in order to maintain the position they are in. Promotions and rewards are given to those employees who are able to carry out investigative tasks, work under strenuous conditions and who are able to get the information that is asked of them without being detected. Fundamentally, for parole/probation placements to be useful the company should have a system that is valid and dependable. Functional job evaluation can be time consuming and costly but the task of probation and parole officials needs staff that is highly trained The Reliability and Validity of Functional Job Analysis staff who have extensive coaching, useful knowledge, and a wide range of skills. The dependability of functional job evaluation associates with the credibility of functional job valuation as well. In case dependability has got a higher mean, this will assist support the credibility of the job evaluation. Studies indicate job analysis rankings are fairly dependable (Spector, 2012). The credibility is dependent on evaluating various ways or sources of information. The credibility defines the possibility and the usefulness of functional job evaluation. Benefits and Vulnerabilities of Performance Appraisal Methods Evaluation techniques have its advantages but there are also vulnerabilities and conflicts that take place also. The company and its employees are essential on evaluation techniques but what is most important is ensuring the workers have the coaching and support to fulfill requirements necessary for growth and the growth of the company. Management decisions in rewards and expectations utilize information that is obtained by I/O psychiatrists in assisting with making suggestions for rewards and also punishment for those  who violate (Spector, 2012). The drawbacks of weaknesses in the period of time and effort that s required to keep an eye on workers and the performances of their jobs. The requirements necessary for developing various methods assists in reducing the expenses in the event that the methods are useful. This would help in decreasing workers injuries, tardiness, and call-offs. Regrettably, the drawbacks or weakness is the period of time and effort required to keep an eye on workers and job performances. An excellent reward method replaces the expenses most companies acquire while keeping an excellent work environment which offers rewards for good performance. Performance evaluation techniques are performance data that assists management in making decisions, worker growth, suggestions, and researching the effectiveness of organizational practices. Conclusion The ideas of jobs analyses are utilized by companies who have various sizes, people, as well as various professions. The reason for the job evaluation is to examine if the job best suited for a qualified applicant. Some other reasons may include management decisions, worker feedback and growth, and criteria for research. Companies who employ these techniques have taken into consideration the dependability and credibility of job evaluation. Dependable sources may be timely and costly but, they are worth having for the company since the objective is to increase, reward, and maintain worker efficiency at high levels. Probation officials have a tough job and work in an atmosphere which supports its employees properly is necessary for worker efficiency and preparedness. Working for a company which cared for the well-being and the correct training of all workers promotes excellent performance and is part of a complicated system which is studied and created by I/O psychiatrists. This paper has conducted a functional job analysis for the job of a probation officer. It has also evaluated the reliability and validity of a functional job analysis of a probation officer. It has also assessed the various performance appraisal methods that can be applied to a probation officer. This paper concluded by giving explanation to the various benefits and vulnerabilities of every performance appraisal method.

Role of Parents Towards Their Children in a Society That Does Not Help in Raising Children Properly free essay sample

bismiAllah hir Rahman nir Raheem Role of parents towards their children in a society that does not help in raising children properly A very common problem seen in youth in western countries is that their parents allow them to indulge in some form of haram in the hope that that will stop them from committing worse haram. An example of this is that parents will say that they allow their children to indulge in music in the hope that that will stop them from going out with bad people or leaving their home all together. Parents are afraid that if they enforce the law of Allah in their homes, that their children will leave. What is Islam’s position on this sort of compromise? Some parents also say that they only have the duty to tell their children something is haram, and then their children have to choose for themselves because they are already young adults (i. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Parents Towards Their Children in a Society That Does Not Help in Raising Children Properly or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page e. 13 -18 yrs old and unmarried, living at home). Don’t the parents have to forbid haram by all means, or do they just say that is haram and then leave them be? To what extent do parents have to go to forbid their children from haram? Parents also believe that once their children reach the age of puberty they are no longer responsible for their sins or actions, and so say they will have no sin if they advise their children something is haram and then leave them. Is this true? Or do parents always have the responsibility of forbidding their children from haram, and will they be responsible if they see their children doing haram and just leave them after advising them?. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The success or failure of the Muslim in raising his children depends on a variety of factors, which undoubtedly includes the environment in which they live, which plays a major role in the success or failure of that upbringing. Please see the answer to question no. 52893. Secondly: The parents have to understand that Allaah has given them responsibility over their children, and they have to fulfil the trust as Allaah has enjoined in the Qur’aan. The Sunnah also confirms this command in many saheeh ahaadeeth. The texts of the Revelation also warn the one who does not look after his lock sincerely and who neglects the trust with which Allaah has entrusted him. It was narrated that Ma’qil ibn Yasaar al-Muzani said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: â€Å"There is no person whom Allaah puts in charge of others, and when he dies he is insincere to his subjects, but Allaah will forbid Paradise to him. † According to anothe r report: â€Å"†¦ and he is insincere towards them, but he will not smell the fragrance of Paradise. † Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6731) and Muslim (142). See the answer to question no. 20064. Thirdly: Allaah has enjoined those who are in charge of children to raise them from when they are very small to obey Allaah and love Islam. Even though they are not accountable because they have not reached puberty, one should not wait until puberty to teach them, guide them and tell them to obey Allaah, because in most cases at that age (i. e. puberty) they will not respond unless they have been brought up in this manner and have learned it from their families since a young age. Hence parents are enjoined to teach young children how to pray from the age of seven and to smack them if they do not pray when they are ten. The Sahaabah used to make their young children fast, so as to get them used to loving Islam and its rituals, so that it would be easy for them to follow its commands and keep away from the things it forbids when they grow up. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old, and smack them if they do not do so when they are ten, and separate them in their beds. † Abu Dawood (495), classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. It was narrated that al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh ibn ‘Afra’ said: On the morning of ‘Ashoora’, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent word to the villages of the Ansaar around Madeenah, saying: â€Å"Whoever started the day fasting, let him complete his fast, and whoever started the day not fasting, let him complete the rest of the day (without food). † After that, we used to fast on this day, and we would make our children fast too, even the little ones in sha Allaah. We would make them toys out of wool, and if one of them cried for food, we would give (that toy) to him until it was time to break the fast. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1960) and Muslim (1136). Just as they raise them to do acts of worship, they should also prevent them from doing haraam things. If the child does an act of worship, the reward will be for him and for the one who taught him and encouraged him to do it. As for doing acts of disobedience or sins, the minor does not sin, rather the one who enabled him to do it and left the door open for him to do it and did not close it, is sinning. As for the one who tells him to do it, he is like the one who did it. Hence it is not something extreme at all if a Muslim raises his children to obey Allaah and prevents them from doing haraam things, such as males wearing gold or silk, or females wearing male clothing, or lying, stealing, swearing and other sins. Similarly, it is not something extreme if a Muslim raises his daughter to be modest and chaste and not to mix, because if a person gets used to something when he is young, there is the fear that he may persist in it. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Even though the child is not accountable, his guardian is, and it is not permissible for him to enable him to do something haraam, for he will get used to it and it will be difficult to wean him from it. Tuhfat al-Mawdood bi Ahkaam al-Mawlood (p. 162). And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The one who neglects to teach his child that which will benefit him and leaves him with no care has done a very bad deed. The corruption of most children is due to their parents and their neglect of (their children), because they neglect to teach them the obligations and Sunnahs of Islam. So they neglected them when they were small, and (the children) turned out unable to benefit themselves or to benefit their parents when they are old. Tuhfat al-Mawdood, p. 229 The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: With regard to my small children, should I teach them the etiquette of Islam and make the young girls wear Islamic clothes, or this regarded as extremism? If my doing this is correct, what is the evidence for it from the Qur’aan and Sunnah? They replied: What you have mentioned about making girls wear loose and concealing clothing and making them get used to that from a young age is not extremism, rather you are doing the right thing in giving them an Islamic upbringing. Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (25/285, 286). In his book Majmoo’ah As’ilah Tuhimm al-Usrah al-Muslimah, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars say that it is haraam to dress a child in clothes that it is haraam for an adult to wear. Clothing on which there are images is haraam for an adult to wear, so it is also haraam for a child to wear it. What the Muslims should do is to boycott such clothes and shoes so that those who want to spread evil and corruption will not be able to reach us by these means. If they are boycotted they will never find a way to make them reach this land. After that, he was asked: Is it permissible for male children to wear things that are only for females, such as gold and silk, etc, and vice versa? He replied: This is to be understood from the first answer. I said that the scholars say that it is haraam to dress a child in clothes that it is haraam for an adult to wear. Based on this, it is haraam to dress male children in that which is only for females, and vice versa. After that, he was asked: Does this include isbaal or making clothes come below the ankles for male children? He replied: Yes, it includes that. End quote. And Allaah knows best. http://www. islam-qa. com/en/ref/103526 Praise be to Allaah. There is no greater calamity than that which befalls one’s religious commitment. That is true calamity. We ask Allaah to keep us safe from it. Nothing is more precious to a person – after his own self – than his child. Children are the apples of our eyes. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"And those who say: ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqoon (the pious)’† [al-Furqaan 25:74] But the heart cannot find true joy except through righteous offspring. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: â€Å"This joy means seeing one’s wife, brother and close friend obeying Allaah. Tuhfat al-Mawdood by Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 424. Undoubtedly the most important thing that is asked of parents is to protect their children and take care of them, to bring them up to worship and obey Allaah and to keep them away from disobeying Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) †¦Ã¢â‚¬  [al-Tahreem 66: 6] Mujaahid and others of the salaf said: Advise your families to fear Allaah and discipline them. Qataadah said: Tell them to obey Allaah and forbid them to disobey Him. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler who is in charge of the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. A servant is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock. Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. † Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2554; Muslim, 1829. This hadeeth indicates that the one who is accountable will be brought to account for any shortcomings in those who are under his authority and under his care. The hadeeth states that parents are included in the general principle: â€Å"A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s household and is responsible for her flock. So the parents are responsible for their children, because they have been commanded to strive to protect them from the Fire and to follow the commands of Allaah and to avoid the things that He has forbidden. If the parents do that which has been enjoined upon them, namely giving the children a sound upbringing and not falling short in that, then there is no sin on them if their children go astray. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): â€Å"and no bearer of burdens shall b ear the burden of another† [al-An’aam 6:164] If a person understands Islam clearly and has an ounce of common sense, he will understand that if he neglects his duty of guiding and teaching his children, then he is responsible for any deviation that they fall into. The responsibility of families who live in the west towards their children is of another kind that is even greater than that, because they are responsible for throwing the apple of their eyes into the sea bound and tied. It is even worse than that, it is the Fire and torment of Allaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. In the case of your son, and many others, you should have closed the door to temptation before things got out of control. In Islam there is no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman who is not his mahram, especially at this dangerous stage of your son’s life. But the important question now is: what to do about it? You and his father have to act quickly to get your son away from these sinful relationships and cut off all ties with non-mahram women, even if you know that these relationships have not reached the level of zina. As we have stated, these relationships are not allowed in Islam in principle. One of the most important means of getting him away from these haraam relationships may be to protect him by means of marriage. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: â€Å"O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let him do so, and whoever cannot, let him fast, for it will be shield for him. † Agreed upon. What is meant by it being a shield is that it will protect him from falling into sin. But you know that keeping young men away from such haraam relationships is no easy matter; it may be almost impossible in the country in which you are living, because the western environment in which the hearts and minds of this generation have grown up is completely contaminated with every kind of temptation and whims and desires, temptations which surround the second and third generations of Muslims there, generations which are losing touch, day after day, with the symbols and laws of Islam, and imbibing instead the values and attitudes of the west, until there is nothing left but the â€Å"blessing† of their background? I ask you again: Are you serious about following the command of Allaah, and do you really fear betraying the trust towards your own soul first of all, then towards your offspring? Do you have the desire to set things straight? Do you have any motive to sacrifice the worldly pleasures and comforts of the west and bring your children back to your own land, or go to a place where your religious commitment will be safer, before it is too late and death comes when you are in this state, then one may say: â€Å"‘My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind! ’ No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected† [al-Mu’minoon 23:99-100]; before we see the outcome of our deeds, i. e. , the consequences: â€Å"On the Day the event is finally fulfilled (i. e. the Day of Resurrection), those who neglected it before will say: ‘Verily, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth, now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf? Or could we be sent back (to the first life of the world) so that we might do (good) deeds other than those (evil) deeds which we used to do? ’ Verily, they have lost their ownselves (i. e. destroyed themselves) and that which they used to fabricate (invoking and worshipping others besides Allaah) has gone away from them† [al-A’raaf 7:99]. Or does this responsibility not deserve such a sacrifice? You may say that most of the Muslim lands nowadays are filled with temptations and evils, so we will never find the right atmosphere to raise our children in an Islamic way, so what would be the point of making this move? The answer is: Yes, you are right to a great extent, but even if we cannot achieve all the good things, we should do as much as we can; if we cannot ward off all evils we should ward off as much as we can; and some evils are less serious than others. All that is needed is to be sincere with oneself. Allaah has indeed spoken the truth: â€Å"Nay! Man will be a witness against himself, 15. Though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds)† [al-Qiyaamah 75:14-15] May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.

Top 5 Women of the Twentieth essays

Top 5 Women of the Twentieth essays In a male dominated society, women have previously taken a back seat to men. But in the 20th century women have shown what they are capable of accomplishing. I have created a list of the top five most influential women of the 20th century whose accolades put them in a league of their own. 5. Babe Didrikson- Babe gave sports in the 20th century a complete face lift. As a young girl Babe excelled in many sports: baseball, swimming, track, and basketball. At the modest age of 21 she won four events and placed in two others in the national AAU championships. This accomplishment was only the beginning; as Babe went on to win two events in the Olympics at Los Angeles. Having far surpassed any expectations for women in sports Babe went on to superstardom in golf. She won 17 tournaments as an amateur then went on to win 33 as a professional. She dominated in a way no women had before. Babe Didrikson rewrote the book on women in sports and opened the floodgates for future women athletes. This is the reason she makes my list. 4. Margaret Thatcher- Margaret Thatcher changed the face of women in politics, and showed that a woman could run a major country as well as a man. Thatcher was born in a small town in England and made her way up to Oxford University where she earned two degrees in chemistry and law. She made her way into politics at the age of 34 and never looked back. She challenged for the head seat in Tory and won, leading to her to be the first female prime minister of England. She took control over the major issues of the day and proceeded to put England back where it belonged. Thatcher ruled with fairness and honesty and set the standard for excellence for women in politics. She comes in at number four for her contributions to women in politics. 3. Marie Curie- Curie was a Polish born scientist who changed ...

Brennan Surname Meaning and Origin

Brennan Surname Meaning and Origin One of Irelands most frequent surnames, Brennan generally derived as a form of one of several Irish language surnames: From the Irish  Ãƒâ€œ Braonin, meaning descendant of  Braonn.  The Irish personal name Braonn is believed to mean sorrow, from the Irish  braon, meaning moisture or drop.From the Irish names Mac Branin and Ó Branin, both meaning descendant of Brann,  from the given name Brann, derived from  bran, meaning little raven. The Mac Branin were chiefs of a large territory in present-day County Roscommon, and many of the Brennan families in the counties of Mayo, Sligo and Roscommon descend from them. The OBrennans were chiefs of the  Uà ­ Duach sept located in northern Osraighe (Ossory), which  included all of county Kilkenny and part of county Laois. Brennan is one of 50 common Irish surnames of modern Ireland.   Surname Origin:  Irish Alternate Surname Spellings:  BRENNEN, MCBRENNAN, MACBRENNAN, BRANNON, BRANNAN, BRANNEN, BRANNIN, OBRAONAIN, BRANNY Where do People with the Surname BRENNAN Live? Irish Brennan families were very widespread, settling in Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, and Westmeath. According to WorldNames publicprofiler, individuals with the Brennan last name are now found in largest numbers in central Ireland, especially in County Sligo and the province of Leinster. The surname is much less common in Northern Ireland. Famous People with the Surname BRENNAN Walter Brennan - American actor, veteran of over 100 filmsWillie Brennan - Irish highwayman of legend, immortalized by Brennan on the MoorWilliam J. Brennan Jr. - former US Supreme Court justiceMaeve Brennan - Irish short story writer and journalist Genealogy Resources for the Surname BRENNAN The Brennans of ConnachtPat Brennan has put together a great deal of information on the origins of the Brennan surname, genealogies of early Brennan families, a list of MacBranan chiefs, and history of the families after the famine. British Surname Profiler - Distribution of the Brennan SurnameTrace the geography and history of the Brennan surname through this free online database based on a University College London (UCL) project investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic. Brennan Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Brennan surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Brennan surname query. FamilySearch - BRENNAN GenealogyAccess over 1.9 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Brennan surname and its variations. BRENNAN Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Brennan surname. DistantCousin.com - BRENNAN Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Brennan. Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Marriage in Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marriage in Crisis - Essay Example After this, the next step is to analyze the families based on the multi-generational transmission concept. Since it is generally accepted that those who were abused generally repeat the cycle by becoming abusers, this is probably the case with Luis. By allowing him to understand this and reviewing his own feelings as a child, he can develop empathy for what he is putting his children through. Furthermore, some of the issues Jessica is causing also need to be addressed. Jessica's relationship is unstable, as Bowen argued that many two-person relationships are. Therefore, to bring about stability, she tends to involve her older son. This is unhealthy for her son, since he is too young to understand fully the repercussions of what is going on. Therefore, this situation needs to be addressed, and Jessica needs to be taught alternate methods for handling her issues. Genograms cam be a very helpful tool in a number of situations. In the situation of Jessica and Luis, it can provide a helpful visiual chart that may help to make them more aware of their bad situation. Jessica and Luis are undergoing many relationship issues, and genograms can be helpful in providing awareness in issues like this. The genogram itself "is a visual representation of an individual's family of origin and is similar in concept to a family tree" (Daughhetee, 2001, p. 21). It has been used for many decades in family therapy and was initially created by Murray Bowen. The genogram allows the counselor and the family to take a look at the relationships, roles, patterns, and functions that are common within the family. This can therefore allow the counselor to gather important data, cover levels of functioning, create hypothesis, and increase the awareness of the family regarding the emotional processes and repercussions their family structure may be undergoing (Daughhetee, 2 001). Genograms can be quite helpful as far as many theoretical models are concerned. Genograms have been seen as a very effective way to analyze marriage and family relations. However, genograms have also been healthy in other areas as well; health care being one, and addictions treatment being another. Genograms can be useful for people of all ages and across the lifespan, and therefore can also be used with all ages. In this case, it can be used for Jessica, Luis, and the children (Daughhetee, 2001). The genogram, with its emphasis on patterns and relationships, is therefore a relevant and appropriate intervention tool for use with a struggling family. When a genogram is used in counseling, the counselor gains a abundance of information concerning systemic patterns within the client's family of origin. Although a genogram is advantageous simply as a method of gathering and analyzing information, it is also capable of deepening client awareness and insight. The family history that comes alive on a genogram can often explain disturbing or confusing behaviors of family members, and the insight and understanding that are realized through discussion of these insights can promote healing and growth. As the client perceives the connection between systemic patterns and behavior, the tendency to same is diminished, and healing can begin (Daughhetee, 2001). In the case of Luis and Jessica, the genogram can be used to track the

Change management and employee motivation strategies for a business Essay

Change management and employee motivation strategies for a business process reengineering cycle - Essay Example The company that is the subject of this research is   ABC Company, a world famous chain of automobile manufacturing company, which is operated in many of the countries. Now at this point of time, the operations are so expanded for the company that the management at the centralized hub feels to facilitate the individual continental operational units so that the whole network can work in a better way. The centralized system is good but the management of the variety of sale points can be more effective if the individual units have the authority. In order to facilitate the individual units of the continents, there is a need of business process re-engineering, which will hold at a larger level, thus affecting many of the areas and departments and the stakeholders including, employees, suppliers, dealers and the customers. The business process re-engineering in which the ABC Company will authorize its units in different continents; there is need of highly mechanized communication system between the individual units so that the network of all the units of the ABC Company can be effective. There will be many of the changes in the internal systems of the company, which will affect the employees’ performance. Therefore, it is highly recommended to facilitate the internal control system and the employees first so that they can be a part of the change, which the company management wants to implement. It will be very difficult for the company employees to adapt and adjust to the new and technological communication system but the training programs can develop them in positive ways. Here the training and the motivation of the employees is highly required. The re-distribution of data means that initially when the whole control of the ABC Company was centralized then the center of the employee data and the other knowledge databases was only in the main office. Now the individual units of the company will have to sort out their relevant files and then store the relevant data and knowledge at their own particular main and centralized office.

Water Hardness Essay Example for Free

Water Hardness Essay METHODS: 1. Prepare an approximate 0.004 M disodium EDTA solution. To prepare this solution, weigh about 0.7-0.8 g of Na2EDTA and dissolve in 500 mL deionized water in your plastic bottle. Make to to shake the bottle to dissolve the salt. 2. Obtain a 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask and transfer a 10 mL of CaCO3 using a buret into the flask. 3. Measure 30 mL of deionized water and add it into the titration flask. 4. Make sure to stir the solution 5. Inside a fume hood, add 3mL of ammonia/ammonium chloride buffer (pH10) into the flask and stir for another 30 seconds. 6. Add four drops of Eriorchrome Black T indicator solution. Stir for another 30 seconds 7. Begin titration. Record your initial volume and final volume. At the endpoint, the color will change to pink to violet to blue. 8. Repeat this titration two more times. Now that you recorded the volume, your second and third trial should be a lot easier. 9. Take your water sample that you obtain from the stockroom and record the unknown number. 10. Transfer 25 mL of the unknown water sample to a 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask. 11. Add about 20 mL of deionized water to the titration flask. Stir for 30 seconds 12. Inside a fume hood, add about 3 mL of ammonia/ammonium chloride buffer (pH10) and stir for another 30 seconds. 13. Add four drops of Eriorchrome Black T indicator solution to your flask and stir for 30 seconds. 14. Begin titrating. Record you initial volume and final volume. Repeat this twice more. Calculate the average hardness and your experimental precision from the three trials. RESULTS: EDTA Solution: 0.7533g of Na2EDTA mixed with 500ml DI water Table A: Standardization of EDTA Trial| Start Volume| End Volume| Amount of EDTA| 1| 3.90ml| 29.85ml| 25.95ml| 2| 5.35ml| 28.35ml| 23.00ml| 3| 0.45ml| 23.50ml| 23.05ml| Moles EDTA calculations 1st and 3rd trial (10.1 mL CaCO3) x (1L/1000ml) x 1.000g CaCO3/1L) x (1 mole CaCO3/100.1 g CaCO3) x (1 mole EDTA / 1 mole CaCO3) x (1000ml/L) = 0.101moles EDTA/L 2nd trial (9.90 ml CaCO3) x (1L/1000mL) x (1.00 g CaCO3/L) x (1 mole CaCO3/100.1g CaCO3) x (1 mole EDTA/1 mole CaCO3)x (1000 mL/1L) == 0.099 moles EDTA/L Mean molarity: (0.101 + 0.099 + 0.101)/3 = 0.100 moles EDTA / L Water hardness calculations Unknown water sample #24 Table 2. Water sample Trial| EDTA | Water sample #24| 1| 13.45ml| 25.1ml| 2| 13.35ml| 25.5ml| 3| 13.50ml| 25.0ml| CaCO3 molar mass: 100.1g/mole 1st trial (13.45 mL EDTA/25 mL of unknown water sample) x (1L/1000mL) x (0.101 moles EDTA/1L) x (1mole CaCO3/1 mole EDTA) x (100.1 g CaCO3/1 mole) x (1000 mg CaCO3/1g) x (1000mL/1L) == 5439.2 mg CaCO3/1L 2nd trial (13.35 mL EDTA/25 mL of unknown water sample) x (1L/1000mL) x (0.099 moles EDTA/1L) x (1mole CaCO3/1 mole EDTA) x (100.1 g CaCO3/1 mole) x (1000 mg CaCO3/1g) x (1000mL/1L) == 5291.9 mg CaCO3/1L 3rd trial (13.50 mL EDTA/25 mL of unknown water sample) x (1L/1000mL) x (0.101 moles EDTA/1L) x (1mole CaCO3/1 mole EDTA) x (100.1 g CaCO3/1 mole) x (1000 mg CaCO3/1g) x (1000mL/1L) == 5459.5 mg CaCO3/1L Calculate the total hardness in ppm CaCO3 1st trial 13.45ml EDTA x (0.004M/1000ml) x (100.1g CaCO3/1mole CaCO3) x (1000mg CaCO3/1g CaCO3) x (1000L/25.1ml) = 214.6 ppm CaCO3 2nd trial 13.35ml EDTA x (0.004M/1000ml) x (100.1g CaCO3/1mole CaCO3) x (1000mg CaCO3/1g CaCO3) x (1000L/25.5ml) = 209.6 ppm CaCO3 3rd trial 13.50ml EDTA x (0.004M/1000ml) x (100.1g CaCO3/1mole CaCO3) x (1000mg CaCO3/1g CaCO3) x (1000L/25ml) = 216.2 ppm CaCO3 Average ppm (216.2 + 209.6 + 214.6)/3 = 213.5ppm CONCLUSION: The concentration was concluded to be 213.5 ppm in the unknown which is right about in between Phoenix’ water hardness which is 164-291 ppm. REFERENCE: Department of Chemistry.(2012,February).Complexometric Determination of Water Hardness.Mesa Arizona City of Phoenix Official Website http://phoenix.gov/waterservices/quality/index.html

Cultural Differences Between Hong Kong and the U.S. Essay -- American

Cultural Differences Between Hong Kong and the U.S. Hong Kong has been one of the most prosperous cities in the world for many years. The idea of Hong Kong being returned to China was frightening many Hong Kong people in the early 80s, but the handover turned out to be a memorable moment for most of the citizens. Today, Hong Kong is no longer a colony of Britain and Chinese are holding most of the top positions in the government. Not only the political and economic issues have been changed a lot, but also the school system has. Before 1997, most subjects at schools were taught in English. Although it has been hard for students to learn materials with their second language, they have been pushing themselves to move along with it. However, after Hong Kong was returned, many of the secondary schools had been forced by the Chinese government to change almost all the subjects to Chinese. It is true that the contents of the books would be more understandable for the students, but the sad thing was that everything would be changed back to En glish at universities, which would course a pain for the students. Also, the studying style in Hong Kong is different from the one in the United States. Most of the people in the U.S. pay more attention to the process while Hong Kong students mostly focus only on the result of the courses. In average, students in Hong Kong usually do not have much work to do between the first day and the final two weeks of a semester, but they will put al...

An Overview of The Sport: Astroturf

levels, athletes may no longer be seen as just people, but more as expensive liabilities. The health of these athletes become more and more important as it is not only their health which is on the line, but also millions of dollars. Injuries do occur in sports, especially contact sports, but astroturf increases these odds of injury. It will be shown that astroturf causes increased wear on the body and an increased number of, as well as more severe injuries. Because of this, safer alternatives should be used in the stadiums. Astroturf is an unsafe surface to play on and should not be used by athletes. The wear on a players body after a game is incredible, so new innovations are always being created to lessen the impact of the sport on the athletes body; better shoes, more protective pads. These things allow the athlete to compete at the same level, but at the end of the game be in better condition to play in the next one. If this is the case, then owners of teams should consider getting rid of their artificial turf. Astroturf increases wear and tear on the body and causes more minor injuries than grass. This wearing down of the body would lead to quicker fatigue and decreased performance. Ever since astroturf was introduced, people have been complaining about its effects and these complaints are heard even louder in this era. â€Å"Athletes blame artificial turf for tendinitis, shin splints, and broken bones. † (Schrier,1987) Warren Sapp of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is one of many football players who suffers from the effects of the astroturf. He says, It feels like you've been running on bricks for two miles, your knees are real sore and usually you come out with nine or 10 crapes and you don't even know it until you get into the shower and it's burning like hell. † (Wharton, 1999) Sapp's pain comes from the fact that running on astroturf is only a little better than running on asphalt. Astroturf is made of nylon fibers which are five-eighths of an inch long stitched into a tightly woven mat. It is then laid over a five-eighths-inch-thick foam pad for cushioning and glued to an asphalt base. (Schrier,1987) So all that separates the athlete from asphalt is less than two inches of rubber. The other problem which Sapp mentions is â€Å"turf burn†. Since nylon resists tearing it also means that superficial wounds are more likely to occur. Though these wounds are not detrimental to the immediate health of the athlete they are painful and do affect the performance and possibly the longevity of the athlete's career. Steve Young of the San Francisco 49er's says, It's not easy playing on your back patio. If you wonder what playing on artificial turf is like, go out there and fall down a couple of times. Then do what we do – run and scrape across. â€Å"(Unknown,1998) These ill feelings toward artificial turf are felt throughout the NFL. Another player described it as, â€Å"sandpaper laid over concrete. A poll done in 1994 revealed that ninety-six percent of more than nine-hundred players said artificial turf leaves them feeling sorer than after playing on grass. Ninety-four percent believe turf is more likely to contribute to an injury and half the players identified a previous injury they believed to be caused by astroturf. And many of these injuries are serious injuries; there have been many season ending and career ending injuries on turf. These more serious injuries though are the primary reason why artificial turf should not be used in stadiums. A Cornell University study showed that, †¦ foot and knee injuries occur on synthetic turf about 50 percent more than on grass. And when injuries do occur, they often are more serious and difficult to heal than those that occur on This was the case for three premier players in the NFL this season as Vinny Testaverde, Wayne Chrebet and Jamal Anderson were all severely injured because of Astroturf. The players were severely injured in a situation where there was no contact with other players. In Chrebet's case two trainers said they had no doubt in their minds that he broke his foot because of the surface and nothing more. (Kirwan,1999) In the former two cases what occurred was â€Å"foot lock†. The friction between the shoe and the turf was too great and so as the players tried to cut their foot stayed, but the rest of the body kept moving. This would not have happened on grass Dr. Willibald Nagler of Cornell University explains, â€Å"When you play tennis on a soft court, you can slide into the stroke. That takes a lot of stress away from the ankle and knee. Grass allows you to slide too, a tiny bit, but it suffices, the same for football. † (Bernard,1996) So when making a cut, the foot will not give stay planted and the injury will not occur. Nagler goes on to say, Football on grass results in fewer ligamentous injuries, and those that do occur are not as severe, according to the published scientific articles. Furthermore, synthetic turf may exacerbate existing injuries, or make healing take longer. (Bernard,1996) These ligamentous injuries are usually the most severe injuries to occur because of the artificial turf. In an interview with Dr. Wayne Woodland, he explained that, â€Å"there is also an increased risk of concussions, and the turf causes many athletes to get turf toe. † Turf toe is a strain to the ligament in the big toe which is not only likely to reoccur, but it can also be a serious injury. Deion Sanders was lost for the end of last years season and was required to have surgery to fix the injury and the Atlanta Falcon's Chuck Smith missed more than a month this season with the injury. Even more disturbing than the obvious increase in injuries is that there are at least three deaths and several more cases of paralysis which have been blamed on artificial turf. Players in the NFL are so livid about not wanting to play on artificial turf that in the past, the NFLPA have filed numerous lawsuits trying to get artificial turf labelled a â€Å"hazardous substance†. With the advancements of technology, astroturf needs to be replaced with something which is safer and less punishing for the players. In most cases this alternative is grass. Though, many stadiums will not switch to grass due to the economics of the situation. Grass is expensive to maintain and will limit the income of the stadium by limiting the erformances that can be put on there, such as concerts. Many people feel that the controlled environment is needed to allow for a better game. Players are looking for the safety of grass combined with a controlled environment and low cost. There are now many products on the market which claim to meet these standards. A new company called Fieldturf, in alliance with Nike, has released a product which more closely resembles the texture and response of grass. It is made of synthetic blades and is held up byan artificial dirt composed of silica and ubber that can be made of recycled running shoes. John Ingram, the Nebraska Cornhuskers' director of athletic facilities says that, â€Å"It is the closest thing to natural grass I've seen,† (Barnes,1999) The Cornhuskers' played their entire season on the field and did not have any injuries this year. This coupled with the controllable environment made the players and management happy with the field. This new field may be the wave of the future as not only is it cheaper than grass and astroturf, but it is durable and safe. In a study done by Dr. Bill Barnhill, he found that Fieldturf had less than fifty percent fewer injuries than grass and seventy-five percent fewer than astroturf. Of these injuries, ninety-three percent were minor injuries resulting in fewer than seven days lost. Though some naturalists may not like the idea, the Fieldturf system and other systems soon like it may begin to make grass and even astroturf obsolete saving people money and players from injury. Injuries to players such as Vinny Testaverde and Jamal Anderson should not occur. Artificial turfs are dangerous and should not be used in any situation. The studies of injuries in professional athletes on grass compared to turf clearly demonstrate the risk that athletes are at when playing on these surfaces. Whether they are small or large, many of them should not happen and would not happen if the surface would have been on grass or the newer, more innovative surfaces. Management should recognize that they are paying their athletes millions of dollars and should be put in a situation where they will perform and continue to perform to their expectations for many years.

Racism Alive in America Essay

Racism is said to be complex and hard to characterize however it is obvious that it is alive and still going on. Racism was said to have ended in the early 1960’s when equity for all was the statement. Are we all equal here in America? What happened to â€Å"We the People of the United States†? However even now in 2012 racism is alive and going strong. Most people say let’s not make it about race yet in America everyone is not treated equally. There are so many injustices in America for minorities from racial profiling, to the housing equality, even to the President now that we have and African America president. Just since January of this year there have been several injustices around the world not just with African Americans but to all minorities. Minorities are African American, Hispanics, Indians, and Arabs. Racial Profiling Racial Profiling, although it is illegal, is a form of discrimination in which a person’s race or cultural background is cause for them to be considered a suspect. Right now there is a case of injustice in Sanford Florida. On February 26, 2012 a seventeen year old young man by the name of Trayvon Martin was gun down because he was in a rich area and was wearing a hoodie. His life was taken because he was â€Å"WWB† walking while black. He was racially profiled because the neighbor he was walking in was and upscale area. Martin was visiting his father in Sanford when he was shot to death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. The unarmed teen was returning from a local 7-Eleven carrying only Skittles and an iced tea at the time of the shooting. I can’t believe that in more than five decades we are still not treating everyone equally. There are other forms of racial profiling such as â€Å"DWB† driving while black. This means that African Americans are targeted and stopped by law enforcement more often because of their race and not for traffic violations. After watching an ABC special on DWB and getting the information that profiling is still going on even after the law is to be in effect. Studies show that African Americans are more likely to be stopped and search because of being targeted by law enforcement. Just in the state of Maryland on I-95 72% of the drivers that have been stopped or pulled over were African Americans. Thanks to all the Civil Rights attorneys for educating the African American community with the knowledge of their rights. If you feel you are stopped due to racial profiling be aware you are not required give permission to search your car politely say no. Do not argue or provoke the police if they try to intimidate you. Make note of location, time of day, officer’s name, badge number, squad car and file complaint if you feel you was mistreated. (http://www. ethnicmajority. com/racial_profiling. htm). In 1995 a State Trooper filed a law suit against his department because he refused to make illegal stops of Blacks and Hispanics in order to meet his quotas for arrests. The head of New Jersey state police Carl Williams, is quoted in saying â€Å"that cocaine and marijuana traffickers were most likely to be either black or Hispanic† to the Newark Star- Ledger. An invitation to police scrutiny is being a black driver. (http://www. counterpunch. org/1999/06/15/driving-while-black/) Another type of profiling is called â€Å"FWA† flying while Arab. Since September 11th there have be racial profiling in the airports as well. Some believe racial profiling justified, some even say they are ashamed but still do it. Former President Clinton is Quoted in saying â€Å"racial profiling is morally indefensible†. Kennedy also stated â€Å"†Racial profiling poisons the water. It’s one of the things that makes racial minorities distrust the police and that makes their work more difficult†. Let’s stop judging a book by its cover. Racial Housing Discrimination In 1968 Congress enacted the fair housing Act which stated that all Americans no matter what race, religion not sexual origination everyone has an equal right to own a home. In 2005 the housing market fail due to mortgage fraud and to buying more than one can afford. Studies suggest that the gains for minority groups owning or purchasing a house, increase from 1995 to 2004, were disproportionately tied to relaxed lending standards and subprime loans. In 2008 the homeownership for African Americans declined by 43. 5 percent. Unlike John McKinley, most minorities are not able to understand what they are signing. Mr. McKinley , an African American , after reviewing the loan that was drawn up for him and was told that it was a 30 year fix discovered that it was a 10 year fix rate that would increase his interest so he declined the agreement. In those few years of increase minority homeownership, the African American and Hispanic people who only wanting to live the American dream of owning their own home lives began to crumble. (http://www. usatoday. com/money/economy/housing/2007-04-25-subprime-minorities-usat_N. tm) What is a subprime loan? â€Å"Well a subprime loan is a type of loan that is offered at a rate above prime to individuals who do not qualify for prime rate loans. Quite often, subprime borrowers are often turned away from traditional lenders because of their low credit ratings or other factors that suggest that they have a reasonable chance of defaulting on the debt repayment†. (http://www. investopedia. com/terms/s/subprimeloan. asp#ixzz1qXGXjGzP). According to Pew Hispanic Center African Americans and native Latinos has increased in the economic downturn then those of Whites. Studies show that Hispanics and African Americans are twice as likely to have subprime loans as whites even if they are in the same income bracket. Compared to the 17 percent of Whites in 2006 that took subprime loans minorities were 52 percent. This information shows how little or no down payment for minorities with low credit scores lead to the high rate of foreclosures in the U. S. In 2007 compared to the 12 percent of whites rejected Latinos and African Americans were 26 percent and 30 percent. (http://www. nytimes. com/2009/05/13/us/13homeowner. html? r=1) â€Å"The decision by some banks to not follow the FHA’s policy is cutting qualified borrowers off from accessing credit, and in doing so, causing harm to their ability to prosper, build wealth and for our economy to grow,† NCRC president and chief executive John Taylor said in a statement. How are minorities able to avoid being fooled into subprime loans? President Obama Who is President Obama? Where did he come from? What did he do to the American people to make them disrespect him in so many ways? What elf-respecting person would heckle the President of the United States? He is the commander and chief the man elected to office in 2008 right. Since President Obama has been in off the Republican Party has been more focused on getting him out of office instead of helping and rebuilding the economy. Sadly the within and outside of the GOP most of the racist and disrespectful messaging are embraced. Reaching the history of the last 43 presidents none of them have gone through such scrutiny as President Obama. The vicious attacks on the race of this president and his wife have been called offensive and inappropriate. The Republican Party committee member that it was funny enough to spread a raciest email, depicting a family portrait of apes, with President Obama’s face in the place of the infant ape of the family. The photo has a caption at the bottom that reads, â€Å"Now you know why no birth certificate. † The racism is so horrible to the fact that two pastors in 2009 came forward stating that they pray Obama would die. Pastor Anderson of Phoenix Arizona ask his congregation to join him in a prayer to end President Obamas life. This pastor is also quoted in saying â€Å"I hope that God strikes Barack Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy and I hope it happens today,† he said. â€Å"I’m gonna pray that he dies and goes to hell when I go to bed tonight. That’s what I’m gonna pray. † Why would any God fearing man of God wish death to another human being? The term â€Å"tar baby† has long been used as a derogatory term to reference black people, taken from the stories of an old black male character named Uncle Remus. We are in the year 2012 and still dealing with racism. We all have the same type of organs, bones, and blood. Why does it matter that our skin is a darker shade? Does the color of our skin really make us inferior? I have never seen any other Presidents in the past that has been so disrespected in the history of Presidency. With groups like the Tea Party, making statements like, â€Å"We want our country back! ,† members of the black community have begun to question whether these expressions are code words for wanting America to return to a land that promoted racial segregation and black oppression.

Ask a Literary Publicist Vol 2 First Steps and Social

Ask a Literary Publicist Vol 2 First Steps and Social Ask an Award-Winning Literary Publicist #2 First Steps and Social Media Sandra Goroff is a veteran award-winning literary publicist with Reedsy. Over her illustrious 30-year (and counting) career, she has worked in-house at Houghton Mifflin and represented authors the likes of Clive Cussler, Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, and former president Jimmy Carter.In her second guest post, Sandy will answer questions submitted by authors, shining some light on how to best approach publicity as an author.(Face)book publicityQ: â€Å"What does a publicist cover in today’s social media environment?†You are right that social media has changed the landscape of publicity. It has transformed much, but not all of it. It is only one (albeit an important one) of the many tools and venues we use to promote our work, and, in this instance, books and authors.The social networksThe benefit that professional publicists bring to the process is all about experience, access and contacts.   An experienced publicist brings years of strong working relationships to the table. They know how to develop story angles, use the news, find the journalists and writers, match you with appropriate media (print, broadcast and social), build upon your core audience, and maximize exposure. In addition, they understand timing, how to work (or not work) with bookstores, set up events, and, when needed, how to collaborate with an in-house team.This does not mean that a hard-working author - even a first time author - cannot do this by themselves, for themselves. It means that most of time, a good publicist can do it faster and more effectively, with all the right contacts and know-how already in place. The learning curve for first time writers (or all authors who are writers and not publicists) is steep. And while all things are possible, it depends on how hard you want to work and whether you are familiar with this often overwhelming world. Is there anything you’d like to ask Sandy about book publicity? Drop your question  at this link  and it might feature in our next column.

How to Write a Great College Application Essay 7 Questions to Ask Yourself

How to Write a Great College Application Essay 7 Questions to Ask Yourself 7 Questions to Ensure You Write a Great College Application Essay There’s big news in the college admissions world: Many colleges are no longer requiring the SAT or ACT essay as a component of the college application! This month, Princeton and Stanford joined a growing list of schools (including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and the University of Chicago) who have dropped the SAT/ACT essay requirement. Brown University is the only Ivy League college still requiring a score, along with non-Ivies like Duke and the University of California. While applicants are still highly encouraged to submit an essay score, if they don’t, their writing skill will be assessed in other ways.* How will colleges assess students’ writing ability? Some schools will count on the multiple-choice part of the tests which assesses writing skills on some level. But no multiple-choice exam can test how a student puts ideas together, or how they use language creatively. Princeton now requires a graded writing sample from a high school class (preferably English or history), which is definitely a measure of a student’s ability to write. But it’s the only school as of now that does so. What’s left? To me, it seems intuitive that the application essay will hold more weight than ever before. Here’s a clip of my WBBM radio interview on that topic – High School Seniors: Brace for Big College Application Changes: What makes a great college application essay? Rumors abound as to what makes a good essay topic and what topics should be off limits. I hear often, for instance, that students should never write about sports. That’s simply not true. There are effective ways to write about sports and ineffective ways to write about sports. No, we don’t want to read a play-by-play of a football game in 650 characters. But leadership growth can be a great topic, as can relationship building or coming back from an injury or other challenge. You just need to be self-aware and creative in your presentation. The fact is, there are no good or bad essay topics in themselves. There are only good or bad essays. Harry Bauld hammers this point home in his book, On Writing the College Application Essay: Secrets of a former Ivy League Admissions Officer. How do you know which category your essay falls into – the good or the bad? Here are seven questions you can ask yourself to see if your essay will fall into the â€Å"good essay† category, regardless of the root topic: Am I using most of my 650 characters to talk about myself (good)? Or am I defaulting to explaining some topic or describing someone else (bad)? Am I telling a true story of how I’ve grown (good)? Or am I bending the truth to sound good (bad)? Am I using clear, persuasive language (good)? Or am I using overly flowery language to try to sound like a good writer (bad)? Am I using mostly active voice (good)? Or is my essay written mostly in passive voice (bad)? When I read my essay aloud, does it sound natural and compelling (good)? Or am I tripping over the words or getting bored (bad)? Did I give good thought to the conclusion (good)? Or did I rush it because I was running out of space (bad)? Does the conclusion build on the opening (good)? Or does it sound like a disconnected wrap-up (bad)? Do all the things in the first half of those seven questions, and you’ll be on the road to a great college application essay. And what about the topic? If you’re applying to college in the fall, start thinking about your essay topics now – and be aware of these seven questions and possible pitfalls. The application essay has never been as important as it is now. The Essay Expert is here to support you in writing a great college application essay on a great topic! Contact us  to find out how. *  This change was implemented because many states and school systems pay for their students to take the SAT or ACT – and since the essay adds up to $17 per student to the price tag, many students dont have that option. They would have to sign up and pay to take the test on their own.

Technology for the Disabled Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology for the Disabled - Essay Example Obtaining information on the Internet, making online reservations to obtain discounts, making a friend is imposable for those who are blind or visually impaired. Adaptive technology can provide a means for those with little or no visions to access online tools and basic computer programs. Computer software can read screens and Braille printers and keyboards and make information usable for the visually impaired. Self-service kiosks are becoming a convenience in the service industries particularly in hotels and airports. Despite the convenience to the customer, self-service kiosks exclude the disabled and are less then convenient for the mobility, visually, and hearing impaired. Technology has made great strides over the centuries but had left out a large portion of the population in the process. Adaptive technology can make self-service kiosks friendlier and accessible for the disabled, however, the expense of such technology is extensive. â€Å"For example, to make check in kiosks w ork for travelers with visual impairments, the machines would have to undergo a costly retrofit to add a Braille reader or audio prompts†.These adaptations are very expensive and would cut into the companies profit margin extensively causing many companies to fight legislation that could force them to include adaptive technology. Technology makes information more accessible for everyone except the disabled. Web designers fail to consider low-resolution monitors and adaptive technology when designing web sites creating a problem for disabled users. â€Å"Web sites that are not carefully coded can be rendered useless to blind travelers who are using special screen readers to get access†

Applying Standardized Terminologies in Practice - Informatics Essay

Applying Standardized Terminologies in Practice - Informatics - Essay Example The defining characteristic in stroke treatment and management is neck-artery blockage which could be either symptomatic or asymptomatic. Individuals without any stroke symptoms are also likely to suffer from the disease. However, those who have shown stroke symptoms face a higher risk. Factors related to stroke management include micro-clots in the carotid arteries’ bloodstream, asymptomatic carotid disease, amarousis fugax (a TIA affecting the eye), cognitive impairment, brain stroke and ischemic stroke (Lovrencic-Huzjan, Rundek, & Katsnelson, 2012). Other related factors are symptomatic carotid stenosis and plaque instability. When a plaque is ulcerated or has irregular morphology, the risk of a clinical event increases. NOC outcomes suggested in the management of stroke using medical intervention include improved muscular and brain functioning. The main indicator showing improved status of a stroke patient with medical intervention is elimination of clots in the carotid blood stream. The elimination of neck artery blockage reduces the likelihood of suffering from stroke. Inherently, the use of standardized language in nursing profession is becoming prevalent in education and practice Suggested NIC interventions for stroke patients include use of surgery such as carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for the prevention of secondary stroke. A more recent and less invasive surgical alternative is carotid stenting. The nurse could also advise patients to stop smoking and limit intake of cholesterol for stroke prevention and management. Emboli monitoring is also recommended in order to minimize the risk of later developing stroke. Between the 1980s to early 2000s, aspirin was the only anti-platelet therapy for treatment of stroke. Since the start of the new millennium, medical interventions have increased to include statins, new

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

Childhood obesity - Research Paper Example Obesity is issue that has cropped up and is on the increase if prevention mechanisms are not put in place. It has become epidemic in many developed nations and especially in the United States. Statistics shows that about 58 million people are overweight and 40 million have been proved to be suffering from obese. This represents nearly one third of the Americas population. Related to the wellbeing of children, childhood obesity is one of main issues these days in almost every part of the world. This medical condition adversely affects the mental and physical health of children, as well as their level of self-confidence. On academic level, it puts an unpleasant impact on the mind and confidence of obese children because of which they usually do not show good academic performances (Sabia, 2007, p. 871). In developed countries, childhood obesity has become a serious health concern. Obese children usually do not perform well in their studies because they feel inferiority complex when their peers make fun of them. Their level of confidence and self-esteem go down as the result, which makes them unable to talk to their teachers and peers in a confident way. It is obvious that at school level, children are not as mentally mature as they get when they grow up. So they do not have any idea whether they are doing a good act by laughing at a comparatively fat fellow or not. They laugh at him/her, make fun, and call him/her by improper names because of which the confidence level of the targeted fellow goes down and he/she becomes unable to cope with the situation. This results in making the child self-conscious and less focused towards studies. Moreover, obese children feel low due to such situations because of which they participate neither in extra-curricular activities nor in classroom ac tivities. In extra-curricular activities, the participation of obese students is almost

Analysis of Linguistic Theory in Transpotting (1996)

Analysis of Linguistic Theory in Transpotting (1996) Introduction The main argument of this dissertation is that the language of John Hodges screenplay Trainspotting, even though it appears to contain sub-cultural social contexts, cannot be categorised within the framework of linguistic theory as representing a youth subculture. The verbal conflict formation in the text should be read as reflective of the larger worldview that verbal conflict behaviour is inevitable in all societies, as are the existence of social dialectsand the usage of common slang. 1. Gumperz Term: Speech Community In his 1982 volume Discourse strategies, John Gumperz discusses the concept of a speech community. He defines speech community as a system of organized diversity held together by common norms and aspirations. He also states that the speech community must form the starting point of linguistic analysis. He further states that although members of the same speech community may differ in terms of their beliefs and their behaviours, that this is a normal variation and has been shown to be a systematic regularity of communities. For, the most part, however, members of speech communities generally share norms of evaluation. Gumperz stresses the point that it is not the individual speakers of a language that make up a speech community. He cites the theories of Saussure and others of that time period to support this statement: It was believed that these reflect either momentary preferences, personal idiosyncrasies, or expressive or emotive tendencies, which rely on universal signalling mechani sms and are thus not part of the system of meaningful sounds by which substantive information is conveyed (11-12). According to Gumperz, although the ability to form grammatical statements is common to all speakers of a certain language, the more complex knowledge of contextualization convention varies widely. He also points out that contextualization is not something that can be attained through formal education or reading, but must be learned through face-to-face interactions. Discourse at this level is marked by conventions that reflect prolonged interactive experience by individuals cooperating in institutionalized settings in the pursuit of shared goals in friendship, occupational and similar networks of relationships (209). Language and social identity, a volume published in the same year, was co-authored by Jenny Cook-Gumperz. In this work, he discusses the role of communicative skills in our society, asserting that they have been radically altered. It is absolutely essential for individuals in todays society to be capable of managing or adapting to a variety of diverse communicative situations. In addition, they must be able to interact freely with people who are virtual strangers to them. These abilities are an absolute necessity if one is to acquire a sense of personal control and to establish a sense of order in ones life. The cause for this change, he asserts, is the bureaucratization of public institutions, which have become increasingly pervasive in our day-to-day lives. He sees this as a result of our post-industrial society and states that it exists in both Western and non-Western countries. The skills required to function at this level are far more complex, but must be mastered if one is to function autonomously as a member of a speech community. 2. Hallidays Notion: Antilanguages In Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation oflanguage and meaning, M.A.K. Halliday explains the initial acquisitionof language as part of the development of the child as a socialcreature: Language is the main channel through which the patterns ofliving are transmitted to him, through which he learns to act as amember of a â€Å"society† (9). The child does this, she goes on toexplain, through associations with family, neighbourhood, and varioussocial groups; these comprise the foundation on which the child baseshis or her belief systems and values. The child does not learn these things directly, but ratherindirectly, Halliday explains. It is through the accumulatedexperience of numerous small events, insignificant in themselves, inwhich his behaviour is guided and controlled, and in the course ofwhich he contracts and develops personal relationships of all kinds'(9). The unifying factor here is language; language is the mediumthrough which all of this takes place. She develops her discussion further by introducing the notion of anantisociety which is in direct contrast to society, describing theantisociety as a conscious alternative that can also be viewed as aform of resistance. This resistance can take a number of forms. It canbe passive, in which case it will appear, at least outwardly, to causeno harm. On the other hand, it can be actively hostile to the point ofcausing actual destruction. The antilanguage is the language of the antisociety. It isparallel to the antisociety, which of course generates it. Bothlanguage and its counterpart, antilanguage, share equal linguisticsignificance. According to Halliday, either pair, a society and itslanguage or an antisociety and its (anti) language, is, equally, aninstance of the prevailing sociolinguistic order (164). Halliday describes the antilanguage as a form of resocialization,as a mechanism that creates an alternative reality. In this sense, shedoes not see it as a negative construct, but rather of reconstruction(170). The significant aspect of the language/antilanguage dynamicexists in the distance between the two, and in the tension that iscaused by that distance. The individual may function in either worldand may go back and forth with relative comfort. In this sense, it mayseem that he is living a double existence. Still, it should not be forgotten that both aspects—language andantilanguage—originate from the same place. Because of this commonbackground, there is continuity between them which parallels thatbetween society and antisociety. Not only is there a continuity, thereis also tension. Hence, although the languages may be expressed bymembers of different social strata, they are both parts of the samesocial system. In other words, the antisociety is, in terms ofLà ©vi-Strausss distinction between metaphor and metonymy, metonymic tosociety—it is an extension of it, within the social system (Halliday175). Thus, basically, an antilanguage is just another language. However,the world it exists in is a counter-reality, which in itself hascertain implications: It implies preoccupation with the definition anddefence of identity through the ritual functioning of the socialhierarchy. It implies a special conception of information and ofknowledge (172). In addition, there will be a certain amount of secrecy in anantilanguage; this is inherent in its nature. The reality in which itfunctions is a secret reality. Generally, the members of this realitydo have secrets. Often these secrets may have something of an illegalassociation to them. It is just as likely, however, that the secretsare not illegal, but merely lacking in respectability and socialsanction. They may be the secrets of a segment of the population whichexists at least partly in its fringes, although its members may notwant this known in the mainstream. The antisociety is, then, a metaphorfor the society, and it joins society at the level of the social system. The perspective of the antilanguage is generally that of adistinctly different view of the world, one which is thereforepotentially threatening, if it does not coincide with ones own'(Halliday 179). The purpose of the antilanguage is primarily fordisplay as its speakers struggle to maintain their counter-realitywhile existing within the confines of the world. An antilanguage, according to Halliday, brings into sharp reliefthe role of language as a realization of the power structure ofsociety (181). The antilanguages of countercultures, such as prisonsand criminal networks, are often full are defined against the socialstructure. Essentially, they are defined by what they are not. This isnot unlike the jargon or nomenclature of certain highly-specialisedprofessions, which may in some sense be seen as having a similar—thoughacceptable by society—counter-reality. Members of mainstream society who are speakers solely of standarddialect may have negative reactions to antilanguage. However, they willusually express this indirectly. For example, they may state that theydont like the vowels as they are pronounced by the speakers of theantilanguage, when in essence what they are saying is that they dontlike the values held by the speakers of the antilanguage. 3. Labovs Finding: The Concept of Sounding Labov and his colleagues (Paul Cohen, Clarence Robins, and JohnLewis) studied the vernacular of young American black males in theinner city areas of New York. The youths ranged in age from eight to 19years old, and they spoke a relatively uniform grammar, the language ofstreet culture. Labov and his team used a variety of methods to gather their data,the most important of which was long-term participant-observation withpeer groups (via). They collected tape-recorded conversations that tookplace on school buses, field trips, and parties—essentially, any typeof gathering where the youths got together and socialized. They thencarefully analyzed the data they collected, noting the patterns theyfound in speech events. Two examples of these exchanges are below. A: Eat shit. B: Hop on the spoon. A. Move over. B. I cant, your mothers already there. The following exchange is between two adolescents, John and Willie, with an observer (Rel) looking on: John: Who father wear raggedy drawers? Willie: Yeh the ones with so many holes in them when-a-you walk they whistle? Rel: Oh . . . shi-it! When you walk they whistle! Oh shit! (326) Given the insults against the person, his family, his poverty, aperson who is not a member of a given culture might expect thesituation to escalate into physical conflict. However, Labov points out that these are actually ritual insults. Herefers to this as sounding, which he describes as a complex patternof verbal conflict. Sounding has also been called playing the dozensor signifying. It consists of a dialogue that is usually performedfor an audience of observers who are usually peers. The dialogue itselfconsists of ritual insults, most of which are directed towards theother speakers mother, self, or housing situation. The speakers tradethese sounds back and forth as though in competition, and theaudience looks on. Occasionally an audience member will comment, approve, ordisapprove of the statements of one or both speakers. Labov points outthat the audience is an essential ingredient to this process: It istrue that one person can sound against another without a third personbeing present, but the presupposition that this is public behavior caneasily be heard in the verbal style. The presence of an audience has a definite impact on the speechevent. The sounds are no longer spoken in a direct, face-to-faceconversational mode when others are present. The speakers voices tendto be raised and they become more projected, suggesting full awarenessthat the audience is there. In the second exchange above, Rel makes acomment on Willies insult, praising it. In a sounding session, Labovpoints out, everything is public—nothing significant happens withoutdrawing comment. The rules and patterning of this particular speechevent are therefore open for our inspection (327). In fact, theexistence of an audience is considered a defining factor, according toLabov. A primary difference between sounding and other speech events isthat most sounds are evaluated overtly and immediately by theaudience (325). By closely analyzing the discourse of this segment of thepopulation, Labov was able to isolate certain characteristics and todiscern patterns in the structure of this ritua l exchange of insults.After a while, the fundamental difference that divides ritual insultsand personal insults became clear. For example, there was a very clearopposition between an insult that is made during this ritualperformance and an actual, personal insult. The appropriate responsesare quite different: a personal insult is answered by a denial, excuse,or mitigation, whereas a sound or ritual insult is answered by longersequences (335). The ritual insults must be exaggerated to thepoint of being ridiculous and clearly untrue. This is clear to both thespeakers and to the audience that is following the exchange. If theinsults violate this rule—for example, one speaker makes a comment thatis both derogatory and which is known to be accurate—the ritual mayturn into conflict. The speech event we call sounding is not isolated from other formsof verbal interaction: it can merge with them or become transformedinto a series of personal insults, asserts Labov (330). He points outthat when ritual insult passes over into a different level ofdiscourse, that of interpersonal conflict, the difference between thetwo is unmistakably clear. Audience reaction is a key tool in assessing sounds. Laughter isthe primary mark of affirmation. A really successful sound will beevaluated by overt commentsAnother, even more forceful mode ofapproving sounds is t repeat the striking part of the sound oneself'(325). Negative reactions to sounds happen with a similar frequency andare equally overt. At the end of any sounding contest, all members,speakers and audience alike, are keenly aware of the who has come outahead. 4-a. Goffmans Notion: Face in Politeness Goffman writes that the ritual order seems to be organizedbasically on accommodative lines (109). These lines allow individualsto build and maintain illusions about themselves, and are not governedby laws or justice. Rather, Goffman asserts, the main principle of theritual order is not justice but face (110). Hence, the governingprinciple is what allows individuals to save face. Individuals whocross the line do not suffer retribution, but rather receive what isnecessary to bolster the illusion of self to which they are committed. The ways in which an individuals may insulate themselves aremyriad. Some of them include half-truths, illusions, andrationalizations. Therefore, not only are they able to convincethemselves of the beliefs necessary to his continued sense of self,they are further bolstered by the support of those close to them. Thusthey continue to believe in the illusion of self, and this illusion isfurther maintained and reinforced by the members of their immediate,intimate circle (109). 4-b. Does face exist in the discourse when verbal conflict occurs? An incidence of verbal conflict requires the individual uponwhom the offense has been committed to react in some way. The type ofreaction will depend on the level of offense. One mechanism for savingface is avoidance. That is, if a person is offended by anotherindividual, but can let the incident go without losing too much face,then it is likely that the offended person will let the situation go.He or she may rationalize this by telling themselves that they willdeal with the offender at some point in the future, perhaps when thecircumstances are optimal—although it is just as likely that when thispoint in time presents itself, no action will be taken. If the offense committed against the person is great, an actionmust be taken by the offended person. They may decide to withdraw fromthe situation and may avoid future encounters with individuals whobreak the ritual code. Alternately, they may arrange to have theoffending person removed, thus ensuring that there will be no furthercommunication necessary with this individual. Societies must mobilize their members as self-regulatingparticipants in social encounters Goffman asserts. Ritual is one wayof doing this. Members of society are taught the importance of face,and that they should value such qualities as pride, honor, dignity, andpoise (110). Maintaining face then is a one way in which individuals protectthemselves and maintain their illusions of who they are and where theystand in the social hierarchy. This does not mean that face is realor authentic: Universal human nature is not a very human thing,asserts Goffman. By acquiring it, the person becomes a kind ofconstruct, built up not from inner psychic propensities but from moralrules that are impressed upon him from without (110). This constructis necessary for the individuals sense of self and helps him tomaintain the ritual equilibrium that is essential for his survival. 5. Brown and Levinson and the politeness phenomena Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson derive their definition offace from Goffman. They also include the English folk term, whichincludes the concept of being embarrassed or humiliated—or, simply put,losing face. They explain this further: Thus face is something thatis emotionally invested, and that can be lost, maintained, or enhanced,and must be constantly attended to in interaction (Brown and Levinson61). Brown and Levinson also point out that one individuals sense offace is dependent upon the continued maintenance of everyone elsessense of face. A threat to one individuals face, then, becomes athreat to all. Individuals in the community soon learn that it is intheir best interest to defend not only their own faces, but those ofthe other members of the community as well. Brown and Levinson discuss two kinds of linguistic politeness: positive politeness and negative politeness. Central to our model is a highly abstract notion of â€Å"face†which consists of two specific kinds of desires(â€Å"face-wants†) attributed by interactants to one another: thedesire to be unimpeded in ones actions (negative face), and the desire (in some respects) to be approved of (positive face)(13). Brown and Levinson offer fifteen strategies that speakers use to establish positive politeness: [H= addressee] 1. notice, attend to Hs interests, wants, needs, goods 2. exaggerate interest, approval, sympathy with H 3. intensify interest to H 4. use in-group identity markers -address forms -use of in-group language or dialect -use of jargon or slang -contraction and ellipsis 5. seek agreement 6. avoid disagreement 7. presuppose/raise/assert common ground–gossip, small talk 8. joke 9. assert or presuppose Ss knowledge of and concern for Hs wants 10. offer, promise 11. be optimistic 12. include both S H in the activity, using we 13. give (or ask for reasons) 14. assume or assert reciprocity 15. give gifts–goods, sympathy, understanding, cooperation If positive politeness is defined as redress directed to theaddressees positive face, then negative politeness is redressiveaction addressed to the addressees negative face: his want to have hisfreedom of action unhindered and his attention unimpeded (129).Strategies used by speakers in the process of establishing negativeface include: 1. be conventionally indirect–opposing tensions, indirect speech acts 2. question, hedge 3. be pessimistic 4. minimize the imposition 5. give deference 6. apologize 7. impersonalize S H 8. state the FTA [face-threatening act] as a general rules 9. nominalize 10. go on record as incurring a debt, or as not indebting H Brown and Levinson have a third category for speech actions. Thisone is off record. A communicative act is done off record if it isdoe in such a way that it is not possible to attribute only one clearcommunicative intention to the act (211). 1. give hints 2. give assocation clues 3. presuppose 4. understate 5. overstate 6. use tautologies 7. use contradictions 8. be ironic 9. use metaphors 10. use rhetorical questions 11. be ambiguous 12. be vague 13. over-generalize 14. displace H 15. be incomplete, use ellipsis Off record politeness is a sort of hybrid strategy that falls in between the two and is difficult, if not impossible to definitively categorize (Brown and Levinson, 230). 6a. Grimshaws concept of conflict talk In the introduction to his 1990 volume Conflict talk:Sociolinguistic investigations of arguments in conversations, AllenGrimshaw writes: Conflict talk is at the same time so complex a phenomenon andone so deeply implicated in every dimension of human sociallife that it would be possible to identify dozens of reasonswhy it should be a focus of systematic inquiry; by thesame token one would be left wondering why its study hasbeen so neglected (3). Grimshaw points out that conflicts may have as their focus a numberof subjects, including beliefs, objects (things), persons, groups, orinstitutions (294). Interestingly, he asserts that as long as conflicttalk is sustained and the participants do not withdraw, conflicts need not increase in hostility. The increase in hostilityseems to occur only with an increased sense of intensity on both sides 6b. Goodwin and Goodwin: interstitial argument In their essay Interstitial argument, Charles Goodwin andMarjorie Harness Goodwin present the findings of their researchregarding verbal conflict. During the course of their research theywere able to closely study the relationship between participants andtheir local environment. One thing they found is that despite thedisruptive behavior that accompanies an argument, the participants payextremely close attention to the details surrounding them. During theargument, what goes on is actually a process of very intricatecoordination between the parties who are opposing each other (85). For a year and a half M.H. Goodwin audiotaped a group of urbanblack children as they played together in the street. This was onesegment of a larger project in which a range of speech activities werebeing studies. These activities included gossip, arguments, stories,and directives, and similar activities. Specifically, four childrenwere audiotaped during oppositional exchanges, and these exchanges werethen transcribed and analyzed. One of the issues at hand was aslingshot battle. All exchanges, from the planning stages to theselection of teams to the preparation of weapons, were studied inmeticulous detail. From these data Goodwin examined content shift andcontext within argument, multi-party argument, and piggybacking, oraffiliation in argument. Analysing their findings, the Goodwins discovered that by followingthe sequence of utterances, it was clear that the four individualsinvolved in the exchange did not have equal positions (107). It seemedclear that each side had a primary spokesman, followed by a secondindividual who followed the behavior of the primary spokesman. This ledGoodwin and Goodwin to conclude that the structures utilised in theprocess of negotiating opposition also provide resources for theparticipants, enabling them to duplicate types of social organization.Thus, the process of arguing essentially gives the participants resources for reproducing a life that is greater than that of the argument itself (113). Finally, Goodwin and Goodwin write that it has been argued that thetalk people produce during their dealings with each other is oftenconsidered to be too disorderly to be properly organized and studied.In response to this, they write that in analysing the data from thisstudy they found anything but disorder. The participants themselves,within the space of a very few turns, produce a range of systematicpermutations on a basic structure with a precision that would tax theingenuity of even the most inventive experimental design to replicate'(114). 6c. Schiffrin: argument: the role of opinions and stories Deborah Schiffrin asserts that everyday forms of talk are guidedby norms of co-operation and competition. Even argument, a form of talkwhich might seem to be the paradigm example of conflict talk, can be aco-operative way of speaking as well as (or instead of) a competitiveway of speaking (241). Schriffin uses Goffmans concepts of footing and frame asadditional links. Footing and frames are very similar to eachother. Schriffin explains the frame as the definition of thesituation, and the footing as the sort of alignments taken up byparticipation (242). She then goes on to explore opinions and stories. With regard toopinions, she admits that it is not always possible to find linguisticfeatures which mark a declarative statement as the presentation of an opinion, and that because of this,one needs to look elsewhere, and she presents her criteria fordiscerning what an opinion actually consists of, concluding thatopinions are unverifiable, internal, subjective depictions of anexternal worldthe facts presented by the author cannot remainundisputed, but the principals stance toward that proposition cannotbe/ disputed 248-9). This, she explains, also gives opinions aparadoxical status in argument, such that they can either initiate orend an argument (249). She then discusses the role of stories, breaking them down into: †¢ selective interpretation †¢ deictic (time) shifts †¢ evaluation †¢ contextualization First of all, she asserts, one must consider that theinterpretation of stories is highly selective. Individuals will choosecertain stories and interpret them in a way that justifies certainbehaviors and actions. Second, there are deictic, or time shifts, to beconsidered. For example, frequently a speaker must re-orient him orherself back to the actual time of the story, to a time when they mighthave had less knowledge or information about the story. The thirdaspect of stories that Schiffrin finds significant are the evaluativedevices used by the storyteller. These devices can be phonological,grammatical, or textual in nature. Finally, she asserts, stories arepresented as frames within certain events are explained,contextualizing them. Text Analysis on Verbal Conflict, using examples from the screenplay of Trainspotting 1. Overview. Trainspotting is a coming-of-age story in story of a group ofheroin-addicted young people from Edinburgh. It is a very vividdepiction of junkie life as well as a cross-section of life in the 90s.The title of the book, Trainspotting, is also a term used in theBritish Isles for people who, as a hobby, keep track of local trainschedules with excessive vigilance. Essentially, the term is synonymouswith wasting time, making this activity a sort of metaphor for heroinaddiction. Both activities are essentially pointless and futile. Drugs are a central focus of the story, and in particular (but notexclusively) heroin. This is very clear from the language that is used.This can be noted from the frequency of the occurrence of terms whichrelate to heroin. There are numerous references to the sale,acquisition, preparation, injection, and withdrawal of heroin. Thedrug-related words which appear with highest frequency include hit,junk, shot, and inject, each of which appear more than ten times.Other commonly used drug words include of course the drugitself—heroin—along with its many variations, such as smack and skag. However, despite the omnipresence of drug and drug-relatedactivities, the story does not set out to glorify heroin use; neitherdoes it condemn or moralize use of the drug. It does, however, give aclear depiction of the bleak environment this group of young peoplemust survive in. The area is working-class. References are made to DSSchecks and Giro, which are terms associated with the life of povertyand struggle. This dismal backdrop, and the fact that they have littlehope of physical escape, makes their wreckless behaviour a bit moreunderstandable. Their addictions seem to be the most reliable, if notthe only, escape. Trainspotting is very definitely a movie about youth culture. Itshows an intricate understanding of the issues and influences uponyouth at that period in time, and it realistically reflects thecultural experiences had by young people. Trainspotting appeals to acult-prone youth because it contains the elements that comprisefoundations of subculture in British culture. Alt hough other worksappealed to the youth culture of that period, Trainspotting enjoyed apopularity that exceeded most of them. This may have been due to itsauthenticity in replicating the youth culture experience. When it first premiered (and even now), the graphic detail ofits language and content was found to be rather shocking by some.However, it resonated very strongly with anyone familiar with drugculture. It reflects, sometimes quite graphically, the underbelly ofEdinburgh in the 1980s, and focuses, as mentioned earlier, mainly onone group of heroin addicts, as well as their friends and families.Their experiences as they struggle with very real issues that many canidentify with: life, work, family, death, the struggle to survive.Other issues—ones that may not have been part of mainstream culture—arepresented as well: AIDS, heroin overdose, heroin withdrawal, and raves,among others. The use of dialect is very powerful in Trainspotting. Inaddition, the social, political, and economic views expressed by thecharacters would have mirrored the views of societys fringemembers—specifically members of the youth and/or drug cultures. Renton and his mates do not rebel against society, but they doattempt to transcend in their destructive ways. Renton often parodiesfamous Thatcher quotes through his â€Å"Choose life† rants and frequentcomments regarding the emptiness of society, as demonstrated in thefollowing examples from the screenplay: †¢ Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family.Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compactdisc players, and electrical tin openers. †¢ Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choosefixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose yourfriends. †¢ Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suiton hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY andwondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting onthat couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffingfucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the endof it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than anembarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned toreplace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life. †¢ I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And thereasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when youve gotheroin? The lifestyle portrayed in Trainspotting has been described asrepresenting a detached subculture of British youth. However, thereis no evidence in the screenplay to support this assertion. The youngcharacters in this story simply attempt to survive in the largerenvironment by adapting in whatever ways they can, primarily throughmusic and through drugs. They do not attempt to change the status quo,nor are they champions of social reform. They simply react to the bleaksocial conditions that they were born into. Unable to physically escape their environment, they find release in music, drugs, alcohol, and sex. Renton is a prime example of this. He is not proactive, he issimply a survivor. He assesses situations with the manipulative eye ofan addict, and he reacts accordingly, taking advantage when he sees theopportunity. He and his contemporaries are merely representative ofyouth who are struggling for a sense of identity. Their mindset isambiguous; they react to outside societal pressures by employing theirchosen means. But they cannot be considered as a youth subculture basedon their language that has been described in the previous section. Language T Analysis of Linguistic Theory in Transpotting (1996) Analysis of Linguistic Theory in Transpotting (1996) Introduction The main argument of this dissertation is that the language of John Hodges screenplay Trainspotting, even though it appears to contain sub-cultural social contexts, cannot be categorised within the framework of linguistic theory as representing a youth subculture. The verbal conflict formation in the text should be read as reflective of the larger worldview that verbal conflict behaviour is inevitable in all societies, as are the existence of social dialectsand the usage of common slang. 1. Gumperz Term: Speech Community In his 1982 volume Discourse strategies, John Gumperz discusses the concept of a speech community. He defines speech community as a system of organized diversity held together by common norms and aspirations. He also states that the speech community must form the starting point of linguistic analysis. He further states that although members of the same speech community may differ in terms of their beliefs and their behaviours, that this is a normal variation and has been shown to be a systematic regularity of communities. For, the most part, however, members of speech communities generally share norms of evaluation. Gumperz stresses the point that it is not the individual speakers of a language that make up a speech community. He cites the theories of Saussure and others of that time period to support this statement: It was believed that these reflect either momentary preferences, personal idiosyncrasies, or expressive or emotive tendencies, which rely on universal signalling mechani sms and are thus not part of the system of meaningful sounds by which substantive information is conveyed (11-12). According to Gumperz, although the ability to form grammatical statements is common to all speakers of a certain language, the more complex knowledge of contextualization convention varies widely. He also points out that contextualization is not something that can be attained through formal education or reading, but must be learned through face-to-face interactions. Discourse at this level is marked by conventions that reflect prolonged interactive experience by individuals cooperating in institutionalized settings in the pursuit of shared goals in friendship, occupational and similar networks of relationships (209). Language and social identity, a volume published in the same year, was co-authored by Jenny Cook-Gumperz. In this work, he discusses the role of communicative skills in our society, asserting that they have been radically altered. It is absolutely essential for individuals in todays society to be capable of managing or adapting to a variety of diverse communicative situations. In addition, they must be able to interact freely with people who are virtual strangers to them. These abilities are an absolute necessity if one is to acquire a sense of personal control and to establish a sense of order in ones life. The cause for this change, he asserts, is the bureaucratization of public institutions, which have become increasingly pervasive in our day-to-day lives. He sees this as a result of our post-industrial society and states that it exists in both Western and non-Western countries. The skills required to function at this level are far more complex, but must be mastered if one is to function autonomously as a member of a speech community. 2. Hallidays Notion: Antilanguages In Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation oflanguage and meaning, M.A.K. Halliday explains the initial acquisitionof language as part of the development of the child as a socialcreature: Language is the main channel through which the patterns ofliving are transmitted to him, through which he learns to act as amember of a â€Å"society† (9). The child does this, she goes on toexplain, through associations with family, neighbourhood, and varioussocial groups; these comprise the foundation on which the child baseshis or her belief systems and values. The child does not learn these things directly, but ratherindirectly, Halliday explains. It is through the accumulatedexperience of numerous small events, insignificant in themselves, inwhich his behaviour is guided and controlled, and in the course ofwhich he contracts and develops personal relationships of all kinds'(9). The unifying factor here is language; language is the mediumthrough which all of this takes place. She develops her discussion further by introducing the notion of anantisociety which is in direct contrast to society, describing theantisociety as a conscious alternative that can also be viewed as aform of resistance. This resistance can take a number of forms. It canbe passive, in which case it will appear, at least outwardly, to causeno harm. On the other hand, it can be actively hostile to the point ofcausing actual destruction. The antilanguage is the language of the antisociety. It isparallel to the antisociety, which of course generates it. Bothlanguage and its counterpart, antilanguage, share equal linguisticsignificance. According to Halliday, either pair, a society and itslanguage or an antisociety and its (anti) language, is, equally, aninstance of the prevailing sociolinguistic order (164). Halliday describes the antilanguage as a form of resocialization,as a mechanism that creates an alternative reality. In this sense, shedoes not see it as a negative construct, but rather of reconstruction(170). The significant aspect of the language/antilanguage dynamicexists in the distance between the two, and in the tension that iscaused by that distance. The individual may function in either worldand may go back and forth with relative comfort. In this sense, it mayseem that he is living a double existence. Still, it should not be forgotten that both aspects—language andantilanguage—originate from the same place. Because of this commonbackground, there is continuity between them which parallels thatbetween society and antisociety. Not only is there a continuity, thereis also tension. Hence, although the languages may be expressed bymembers of different social strata, they are both parts of the samesocial system. In other words, the antisociety is, in terms ofLà ©vi-Strausss distinction between metaphor and metonymy, metonymic tosociety—it is an extension of it, within the social system (Halliday175). Thus, basically, an antilanguage is just another language. However,the world it exists in is a counter-reality, which in itself hascertain implications: It implies preoccupation with the definition anddefence of identity through the ritual functioning of the socialhierarchy. It implies a special conception of information and ofknowledge (172). In addition, there will be a certain amount of secrecy in anantilanguage; this is inherent in its nature. The reality in which itfunctions is a secret reality. Generally, the members of this realitydo have secrets. Often these secrets may have something of an illegalassociation to them. It is just as likely, however, that the secretsare not illegal, but merely lacking in respectability and socialsanction. They may be the secrets of a segment of the population whichexists at least partly in its fringes, although its members may notwant this known in the mainstream. The antisociety is, then, a metaphorfor the society, and it joins society at the level of the social system. The perspective of the antilanguage is generally that of adistinctly different view of the world, one which is thereforepotentially threatening, if it does not coincide with ones own'(Halliday 179). The purpose of the antilanguage is primarily fordisplay as its speakers struggle to maintain their counter-realitywhile existing within the confines of the world. An antilanguage, according to Halliday, brings into sharp reliefthe role of language as a realization of the power structure ofsociety (181). The antilanguages of countercultures, such as prisonsand criminal networks, are often full are defined against the socialstructure. Essentially, they are defined by what they are not. This isnot unlike the jargon or nomenclature of certain highly-specialisedprofessions, which may in some sense be seen as having a similar—thoughacceptable by society—counter-reality. Members of mainstream society who are speakers solely of standarddialect may have negative reactions to antilanguage. However, they willusually express this indirectly. For example, they may state that theydont like the vowels as they are pronounced by the speakers of theantilanguage, when in essence what they are saying is that they dontlike the values held by the speakers of the antilanguage. 3. Labovs Finding: The Concept of Sounding Labov and his colleagues (Paul Cohen, Clarence Robins, and JohnLewis) studied the vernacular of young American black males in theinner city areas of New York. The youths ranged in age from eight to 19years old, and they spoke a relatively uniform grammar, the language ofstreet culture. Labov and his team used a variety of methods to gather their data,the most important of which was long-term participant-observation withpeer groups (via). They collected tape-recorded conversations that tookplace on school buses, field trips, and parties—essentially, any typeof gathering where the youths got together and socialized. They thencarefully analyzed the data they collected, noting the patterns theyfound in speech events. Two examples of these exchanges are below. A: Eat shit. B: Hop on the spoon. A. Move over. B. I cant, your mothers already there. The following exchange is between two adolescents, John and Willie, with an observer (Rel) looking on: John: Who father wear raggedy drawers? Willie: Yeh the ones with so many holes in them when-a-you walk they whistle? Rel: Oh . . . shi-it! When you walk they whistle! Oh shit! (326) Given the insults against the person, his family, his poverty, aperson who is not a member of a given culture might expect thesituation to escalate into physical conflict. However, Labov points out that these are actually ritual insults. Herefers to this as sounding, which he describes as a complex patternof verbal conflict. Sounding has also been called playing the dozensor signifying. It consists of a dialogue that is usually performedfor an audience of observers who are usually peers. The dialogue itselfconsists of ritual insults, most of which are directed towards theother speakers mother, self, or housing situation. The speakers tradethese sounds back and forth as though in competition, and theaudience looks on. Occasionally an audience member will comment, approve, ordisapprove of the statements of one or both speakers. Labov points outthat the audience is an essential ingredient to this process: It istrue that one person can sound against another without a third personbeing present, but the presupposition that this is public behavior caneasily be heard in the verbal style. The presence of an audience has a definite impact on the speechevent. The sounds are no longer spoken in a direct, face-to-faceconversational mode when others are present. The speakers voices tendto be raised and they become more projected, suggesting full awarenessthat the audience is there. In the second exchange above, Rel makes acomment on Willies insult, praising it. In a sounding session, Labovpoints out, everything is public—nothing significant happens withoutdrawing comment. The rules and patterning of this particular speechevent are therefore open for our inspection (327). In fact, theexistence of an audience is considered a defining factor, according toLabov. A primary difference between sounding and other speech events isthat most sounds are evaluated overtly and immediately by theaudience (325). By closely analyzing the discourse of this segment of thepopulation, Labov was able to isolate certain characteristics and todiscern patterns in the structure of this ritua l exchange of insults.After a while, the fundamental difference that divides ritual insultsand personal insults became clear. For example, there was a very clearopposition between an insult that is made during this ritualperformance and an actual, personal insult. The appropriate responsesare quite different: a personal insult is answered by a denial, excuse,or mitigation, whereas a sound or ritual insult is answered by longersequences (335). The ritual insults must be exaggerated to thepoint of being ridiculous and clearly untrue. This is clear to both thespeakers and to the audience that is following the exchange. If theinsults violate this rule—for example, one speaker makes a comment thatis both derogatory and which is known to be accurate—the ritual mayturn into conflict. The speech event we call sounding is not isolated from other formsof verbal interaction: it can merge with them or become transformedinto a series of personal insults, asserts Labov (330). He points outthat when ritual insult passes over into a different level ofdiscourse, that of interpersonal conflict, the difference between thetwo is unmistakably clear. Audience reaction is a key tool in assessing sounds. Laughter isthe primary mark of affirmation. A really successful sound will beevaluated by overt commentsAnother, even more forceful mode ofapproving sounds is t repeat the striking part of the sound oneself'(325). Negative reactions to sounds happen with a similar frequency andare equally overt. At the end of any sounding contest, all members,speakers and audience alike, are keenly aware of the who has come outahead. 4-a. Goffmans Notion: Face in Politeness Goffman writes that the ritual order seems to be organizedbasically on accommodative lines (109). These lines allow individualsto build and maintain illusions about themselves, and are not governedby laws or justice. Rather, Goffman asserts, the main principle of theritual order is not justice but face (110). Hence, the governingprinciple is what allows individuals to save face. Individuals whocross the line do not suffer retribution, but rather receive what isnecessary to bolster the illusion of self to which they are committed. The ways in which an individuals may insulate themselves aremyriad. Some of them include half-truths, illusions, andrationalizations. Therefore, not only are they able to convincethemselves of the beliefs necessary to his continued sense of self,they are further bolstered by the support of those close to them. Thusthey continue to believe in the illusion of self, and this illusion isfurther maintained and reinforced by the members of their immediate,intimate circle (109). 4-b. Does face exist in the discourse when verbal conflict occurs? An incidence of verbal conflict requires the individual uponwhom the offense has been committed to react in some way. The type ofreaction will depend on the level of offense. One mechanism for savingface is avoidance. That is, if a person is offended by anotherindividual, but can let the incident go without losing too much face,then it is likely that the offended person will let the situation go.He or she may rationalize this by telling themselves that they willdeal with the offender at some point in the future, perhaps when thecircumstances are optimal—although it is just as likely that when thispoint in time presents itself, no action will be taken. If the offense committed against the person is great, an actionmust be taken by the offended person. They may decide to withdraw fromthe situation and may avoid future encounters with individuals whobreak the ritual code. Alternately, they may arrange to have theoffending person removed, thus ensuring that there will be no furthercommunication necessary with this individual. Societies must mobilize their members as self-regulatingparticipants in social encounters Goffman asserts. Ritual is one wayof doing this. Members of society are taught the importance of face,and that they should value such qualities as pride, honor, dignity, andpoise (110). Maintaining face then is a one way in which individuals protectthemselves and maintain their illusions of who they are and where theystand in the social hierarchy. This does not mean that face is realor authentic: Universal human nature is not a very human thing,asserts Goffman. By acquiring it, the person becomes a kind ofconstruct, built up not from inner psychic propensities but from moralrules that are impressed upon him from without (110). This constructis necessary for the individuals sense of self and helps him tomaintain the ritual equilibrium that is essential for his survival. 5. Brown and Levinson and the politeness phenomena Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson derive their definition offace from Goffman. They also include the English folk term, whichincludes the concept of being embarrassed or humiliated—or, simply put,losing face. They explain this further: Thus face is something thatis emotionally invested, and that can be lost, maintained, or enhanced,and must be constantly attended to in interaction (Brown and Levinson61). Brown and Levinson also point out that one individuals sense offace is dependent upon the continued maintenance of everyone elsessense of face. A threat to one individuals face, then, becomes athreat to all. Individuals in the community soon learn that it is intheir best interest to defend not only their own faces, but those ofthe other members of the community as well. Brown and Levinson discuss two kinds of linguistic politeness: positive politeness and negative politeness. Central to our model is a highly abstract notion of â€Å"face†which consists of two specific kinds of desires(â€Å"face-wants†) attributed by interactants to one another: thedesire to be unimpeded in ones actions (negative face), and the desire (in some respects) to be approved of (positive face)(13). Brown and Levinson offer fifteen strategies that speakers use to establish positive politeness: [H= addressee] 1. notice, attend to Hs interests, wants, needs, goods 2. exaggerate interest, approval, sympathy with H 3. intensify interest to H 4. use in-group identity markers -address forms -use of in-group language or dialect -use of jargon or slang -contraction and ellipsis 5. seek agreement 6. avoid disagreement 7. presuppose/raise/assert common ground–gossip, small talk 8. joke 9. assert or presuppose Ss knowledge of and concern for Hs wants 10. offer, promise 11. be optimistic 12. include both S H in the activity, using we 13. give (or ask for reasons) 14. assume or assert reciprocity 15. give gifts–goods, sympathy, understanding, cooperation If positive politeness is defined as redress directed to theaddressees positive face, then negative politeness is redressiveaction addressed to the addressees negative face: his want to have hisfreedom of action unhindered and his attention unimpeded (129).Strategies used by speakers in the process of establishing negativeface include: 1. be conventionally indirect–opposing tensions, indirect speech acts 2. question, hedge 3. be pessimistic 4. minimize the imposition 5. give deference 6. apologize 7. impersonalize S H 8. state the FTA [face-threatening act] as a general rules 9. nominalize 10. go on record as incurring a debt, or as not indebting H Brown and Levinson have a third category for speech actions. Thisone is off record. A communicative act is done off record if it isdoe in such a way that it is not possible to attribute only one clearcommunicative intention to the act (211). 1. give hints 2. give assocation clues 3. presuppose 4. understate 5. overstate 6. use tautologies 7. use contradictions 8. be ironic 9. use metaphors 10. use rhetorical questions 11. be ambiguous 12. be vague 13. over-generalize 14. displace H 15. be incomplete, use ellipsis Off record politeness is a sort of hybrid strategy that falls in between the two and is difficult, if not impossible to definitively categorize (Brown and Levinson, 230). 6a. Grimshaws concept of conflict talk In the introduction to his 1990 volume Conflict talk:Sociolinguistic investigations of arguments in conversations, AllenGrimshaw writes: Conflict talk is at the same time so complex a phenomenon andone so deeply implicated in every dimension of human sociallife that it would be possible to identify dozens of reasonswhy it should be a focus of systematic inquiry; by thesame token one would be left wondering why its study hasbeen so neglected (3). Grimshaw points out that conflicts may have as their focus a numberof subjects, including beliefs, objects (things), persons, groups, orinstitutions (294). Interestingly, he asserts that as long as conflicttalk is sustained and the participants do not withdraw, conflicts need not increase in hostility. The increase in hostilityseems to occur only with an increased sense of intensity on both sides 6b. Goodwin and Goodwin: interstitial argument In their essay Interstitial argument, Charles Goodwin andMarjorie Harness Goodwin present the findings of their researchregarding verbal conflict. During the course of their research theywere able to closely study the relationship between participants andtheir local environment. One thing they found is that despite thedisruptive behavior that accompanies an argument, the participants payextremely close attention to the details surrounding them. During theargument, what goes on is actually a process of very intricatecoordination between the parties who are opposing each other (85). For a year and a half M.H. Goodwin audiotaped a group of urbanblack children as they played together in the street. This was onesegment of a larger project in which a range of speech activities werebeing studies. These activities included gossip, arguments, stories,and directives, and similar activities. Specifically, four childrenwere audiotaped during oppositional exchanges, and these exchanges werethen transcribed and analyzed. One of the issues at hand was aslingshot battle. All exchanges, from the planning stages to theselection of teams to the preparation of weapons, were studied inmeticulous detail. From these data Goodwin examined content shift andcontext within argument, multi-party argument, and piggybacking, oraffiliation in argument. Analysing their findings, the Goodwins discovered that by followingthe sequence of utterances, it was clear that the four individualsinvolved in the exchange did not have equal positions (107). It seemedclear that each side had a primary spokesman, followed by a secondindividual who followed the behavior of the primary spokesman. This ledGoodwin and Goodwin to conclude that the structures utilised in theprocess of negotiating opposition also provide resources for theparticipants, enabling them to duplicate types of social organization.Thus, the process of arguing essentially gives the participants resources for reproducing a life that is greater than that of the argument itself (113). Finally, Goodwin and Goodwin write that it has been argued that thetalk people produce during their dealings with each other is oftenconsidered to be too disorderly to be properly organized and studied.In response to this, they write that in analysing the data from thisstudy they found anything but disorder. The participants themselves,within the space of a very few turns, produce a range of systematicpermutations on a basic structure with a precision that would tax theingenuity of even the most inventive experimental design to replicate'(114). 6c. Schiffrin: argument: the role of opinions and stories Deborah Schiffrin asserts that everyday forms of talk are guidedby norms of co-operation and competition. Even argument, a form of talkwhich might seem to be the paradigm example of conflict talk, can be aco-operative way of speaking as well as (or instead of) a competitiveway of speaking (241). Schriffin uses Goffmans concepts of footing and frame asadditional links. Footing and frames are very similar to eachother. Schriffin explains the frame as the definition of thesituation, and the footing as the sort of alignments taken up byparticipation (242). She then goes on to explore opinions and stories. With regard toopinions, she admits that it is not always possible to find linguisticfeatures which mark a declarative statement as the presentation of an opinion, and that because of this,one needs to look elsewhere, and she presents her criteria fordiscerning what an opinion actually consists of, concluding thatopinions are unverifiable, internal, subjective depictions of anexternal worldthe facts presented by the author cannot remainundisputed, but the principals stance toward that proposition cannotbe/ disputed 248-9). This, she explains, also gives opinions aparadoxical status in argument, such that they can either initiate orend an argument (249). She then discusses the role of stories, breaking them down into: †¢ selective interpretation †¢ deictic (time) shifts †¢ evaluation †¢ contextualization First of all, she asserts, one must consider that theinterpretation of stories is highly selective. Individuals will choosecertain stories and interpret them in a way that justifies certainbehaviors and actions. Second, there are deictic, or time shifts, to beconsidered. For example, frequently a speaker must re-orient him orherself back to the actual time of the story, to a time when they mighthave had less knowledge or information about the story. The thirdaspect of stories that Schiffrin finds significant are the evaluativedevices used by the storyteller. These devices can be phonological,grammatical, or textual in nature. Finally, she asserts, stories arepresented as frames within certain events are explained,contextualizing them. Text Analysis on Verbal Conflict, using examples from the screenplay of Trainspotting 1. Overview. Trainspotting is a coming-of-age story in story of a group ofheroin-addicted young people from Edinburgh. It is a very vividdepiction of junkie life as well as a cross-section of life in the 90s.The title of the book, Trainspotting, is also a term used in theBritish Isles for people who, as a hobby, keep track of local trainschedules with excessive vigilance. Essentially, the term is synonymouswith wasting time, making this activity a sort of metaphor for heroinaddiction. Both activities are essentially pointless and futile. Drugs are a central focus of the story, and in particular (but notexclusively) heroin. This is very clear from the language that is used.This can be noted from the frequency of the occurrence of terms whichrelate to heroin. There are numerous references to the sale,acquisition, preparation, injection, and withdrawal of heroin. Thedrug-related words which appear with highest frequency include hit,junk, shot, and inject, each of which appear more than ten times.Other commonly used drug words include of course the drugitself—heroin—along with its many variations, such as smack and skag. However, despite the omnipresence of drug and drug-relatedactivities, the story does not set out to glorify heroin use; neitherdoes it condemn or moralize use of the drug. It does, however, give aclear depiction of the bleak environment this group of young peoplemust survive in. The area is working-class. References are made to DSSchecks and Giro, which are terms associated with the life of povertyand struggle. This dismal backdrop, and the fact that they have littlehope of physical escape, makes their wreckless behaviour a bit moreunderstandable. Their addictions seem to be the most reliable, if notthe only, escape. Trainspotting is very definitely a movie about youth culture. Itshows an intricate understanding of the issues and influences uponyouth at that period in time, and it realistically reflects thecultural experiences had by young people. Trainspotting appeals to acult-prone youth because it contains the elements that comprisefoundations of subculture in British culture. Alt hough other worksappealed to the youth culture of that period, Trainspotting enjoyed apopularity that exceeded most of them. This may have been due to itsauthenticity in replicating the youth culture experience. When it first premiered (and even now), the graphic detail ofits language and content was found to be rather shocking by some.However, it resonated very strongly with anyone familiar with drugculture. It reflects, sometimes quite graphically, the underbelly ofEdinburgh in the 1980s, and focuses, as mentioned earlier, mainly onone group of heroin addicts, as well as their friends and families.Their experiences as they struggle with very real issues that many canidentify with: life, work, family, death, the struggle to survive.Other issues—ones that may not have been part of mainstream culture—arepresented as well: AIDS, heroin overdose, heroin withdrawal, and raves,among others. The use of dialect is very powerful in Trainspotting. Inaddition, the social, political, and economic views expressed by thecharacters would have mirrored the views of societys fringemembers—specifically members of the youth and/or drug cultures. Renton and his mates do not rebel against society, but they doattempt to transcend in their destructive ways. Renton often parodiesfamous Thatcher quotes through his â€Å"Choose life† rants and frequentcomments regarding the emptiness of society, as demonstrated in thefollowing examples from the screenplay: †¢ Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family.Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compactdisc players, and electrical tin openers. †¢ Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choosefixed-interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose yourfriends. †¢ Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suiton hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY andwondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting onthat couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffingfucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the endof it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than anembarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned toreplace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life. †¢ I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And thereasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when youve gotheroin? The lifestyle portrayed in Trainspotting has been described asrepresenting a detached subculture of British youth. However, thereis no evidence in the screenplay to support this assertion. The youngcharacters in this story simply attempt to survive in the largerenvironment by adapting in whatever ways they can, primarily throughmusic and through drugs. They do not attempt to change the status quo,nor are they champions of social reform. They simply react to the bleaksocial conditions that they were born into. Unable to physically escape their environment, they find release in music, drugs, alcohol, and sex. Renton is a prime example of this. He is not proactive, he issimply a survivor. He assesses situations with the manipulative eye ofan addict, and he reacts accordingly, taking advantage when he sees theopportunity. He and his contemporaries are merely representative ofyouth who are struggling for a sense of identity. Their mindset isambiguous; they react to outside societal pressures by employing theirchosen means. But they cannot be considered as a youth subculture basedon their language that has been described in the previous section. Language T