Sunday, August 18, 2019

Legend of the Covered Bridge :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Jericho Covered Bridge in Kingsville, Maryland The Jericho Covered Bridge in Kingsville, Maryland was built in 1865 and restored in 1982. The bridge is 100 feet long and cased in cedar planks and timber beams. Legend has it that after the Civil War many lynchings occurred on the bridge. Passersby were supposedly captured on the bridge and hung from the upper rafters. The bridge is very close to my house and I have driven over it several times. The storyteller, age 19, also lives a couple minutes away from the bridge. He has lived in Kingsville, Maryland his entire life. He recalled a dramatic story he had heard from his older brother involving the haunted bridge. Approximately a year ago the storyteller’s older brother was driving home with two friends after leaving a party. They decided to smoke a joint and drive over the legendary Jericho Covered Bridge. The night was chilly and foggy. As they crossed over the bridge, the driver decided it would be funny to follow the legend to see if it was true. The driver turned off the head lights, rolled all windows down, and turned off the ignition. After a dramatic pause, the storyteller explained that the driver honked his horn 3 times in a row. As the driver shifted his focus onto his rear view mirror and yelled â€Å"What the F**k!† Before the two passengers knew what happened, the driver quickly turned on the ignition and sped away from the bridge. One of the passengers asked, â€Å"Dude, what was that about?† The driver explained he had seen three ashy, male bodies hanging from the bridge each suspended by a long, frayed rope. While telling the story the storyteller used very specific details to produce an effective presentation. He paused several times for dramatic effect, indicating that something important was going to happen. Also, he told the story confidently, rarely stuttering in a short of words. The storyteller appeared to be extremely knowledgeable on the subject because the incident happened to his older brother and due to the bridge's close proximity to his home. While listening to the story I noticed several details that seemed to be exaggerated for effect, such as the three male bodies hanging from the rafters. When reaching the climax of the story the teller did a great job in portraying the frightened expressions of the driver and passengers. Upon researching the story, I stumbled across one Web page (http://www.

Organizational Behavior Essay -- Organization Group Business

Organizational Behavior, by definition, is the study of human behavior, attitudes, individual differences, and performance in organizational settings. Understanding the internal and external forces within an organization is important to the success of any business. The internal and external forces that are to be understood are restructuring, economy, competition, fiscal policies, organizational mission and globalization and economy. Economic factors for an educational institution are greater than is generally thought. Internal and external economic issues affect continued success and profitability of the organization. Receiving no tax monies, private educational institutions depend solely on students for their income stream. Economic forces affecting educational forces usually work in reverse of the current economic conditions present in the private sector. As the economy worsens on a national level more people consider returning to school. As a general rule enrollment standards during periods of economic slumps tend to increase as schools tighten admission requirements to admit only the most qualified students. Although outside economic forces on private educational institutions are minimal, internal forces on the University of Phoenix prove to be of greater impact on the profitability of the parent organization. Private organizations respond to internal economic forces by limiting expenses due to the fact that limited funds and controllable expenditures are the most easily manipulated items in any budget. Many organizations feel that salaries are the greatest controllable cost for the organization. However, â€Å"Colleges are faced with 3 types of costs: 1. uncontrollable costs, which include utilities, books, supplies, and equipment, 2. controllable costs, which include wages, salaries, and contracted services, and 3. mixed costs, which include employee benefits and employment taxes.† (Bernard & Beaven, 1985, 78) The University of Phoenix feels that reducing staff and therefore reducing salaries is counterproductive. Reducing staff levels inhibits the universities ability to service students and lessens the likelihood that students will complete the educational goals and graduate with the degree they desired. The University of Phoenix and the parent company The Apollo Group approach the subject of economic forces as opportunities. By increasing staff... ...es transcontinental interactions and global networks of activity, which increases the diffusion of ideas, goods, information and people. In conclusion, the internal and external factors of Organizational Behavior thrive in each of our team member’s workplaces. Each of these factors goes hand in hand, and can produce both positive and negative impacts on any organization. Understanding the factors of Restructuring, Economy, Competition, Fiscal Policies, Organizational Mission and Globalization and how they relate to an individual’s specific workplace is necessary to the success of any organization. References Global Transformations. (1999, March). Retrieved July 31, 2005, from http://www.polity.co.uk/global/executiv.htm#whatis Schermerhorn, J.R., Osborn, R.N. & Hunt, J.G. (2005). Change, innovation and stress. Organizational Behavior, 16, pp. 6, 21 & 34. Retrieved July 28, 2005 from UOP Online, 9th Edition, rEsource. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. (2005). Introducing Organizational Behavior. In Organizational Behavior (p. 25). John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Saturday, August 17, 2019

CELTA written Assignment 3: Language Skills Related Task Essay

Section 1: chosen text For this assignment I have a chosen a text which is an interview with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, called ‘Interview with Jamie Oliver: I’m a big fan of chillies’, by Nandy Priyadarshini, published on DNA India website (http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-interview-with-jamie-oliver-im-a-big-fan-of-chillies-1897063). The level of students for which the article and tasks are intended is intermediate. I think students will be interested in reading an interview with Jamie Oliver because food tends to be a universal topic that everyone can relate to. Despite the fact that different nationalities and cultures have different cuisines, overall, people all around the world love food and enjoy talking about it. Jamie Oliver is one of Britain’s celebrity chefs and what makes him stand out is his outspoken, passionate and no-nonsense philosophy about cooking that people find appealing. He is seen on many TV shows and his books have made him a familiar face all over the world, so there is a good chance the students, who have different nationalities, have heard of Jamie Oliver. Additionally, a healthy lifestyle has become a very current topic which is why this article is interesting and relevant material, suitable for reading activities. The text has a good length, around 1 A4. Too long a text will require too much from the students, too short a text and the students aren’t challenged enough. Section 2: Lead-in In order to raise students’ awareness, I would consider showing them some realia in the classroom, for example a frying pan and ask the students WHOSE name comes to mind when they see it. Perhaps they can come up with some names of famous cooks. Then show a book by Jamie Oliver and elicit his name. I would ask the students what they know about him, whether they have ever seen his shows, if they have ever tried his recipes, if they like cooking in general. If so why, or why not. â€Å"If we can get the students engaged in the task there is a much better chance they will read (or listen) with commitment and concentration, whether or not they were interested in the topic to start with† says Jeremy Harmer in ‘The practice of English Language  Teaching, 3rd edition, 2001, page 206. By allowing the students to work in pairs, they get the chance to practise their speaking skills a little bit. Section 3: Initial receptive skills task On a hand-out, students would be given the interview text and my initial receptive skills task would be to ask the students to come up with a different title for the text. The original title is of the text is: ‘I’m a big fan of chillies’. Jamie Oliver does mention chillies in the interview but talks about many other things. In order for the students to find another title, they would have to read the entire interview and to get a general understanding of the article. Purpose of this task is to practise reading for gist. Students will probably not understand all the vocabulary but they will hopefully get a feel for the passion Jamie Oliver feels towards food and cooking, and how he wants to accomplish his mission(s). The article contains quite a bit of vocabulary that the students may be unfamiliar with. Examples are: in fashion, chat, have it rough, merchandise, noble, knowledge, affordable, treat, do justice, prepare, tastier, chopping board, equipment, sink, rubbish, fortune, contributions, inspired, accessible, watchable, consider, transform, bland, excitement, sneak, flavour, versatile. The students, however, are asked to skim the text, as explained by Jeremy Harmer in ‘The practice of English Language Teaching 3rd edition, 2001, page 202: â€Å"the reader has made a choice not to attend to every detail but to use their processing powers to get more of a top-down view of what is going on†. I would refrain from pre-teaching vocabulary at this stage because â€Å"if we want to give students practice in what it is like to tackle authentic reading and listening texts for general understanding, then getting past words they do not understand is one of the skills they need to develop. By giving them some or all of those words, we deny them that chance† stated Jeremy Harmer in ‘The practice of English Language Teaching 3rd edition, 2001, page 203. After the students have invented a new title, I would ask them to discuss their ideas with their partners to give them some speaking practice. In the class room session, some suggestions would then be shared with the entire class and the teacher is able to do some error-correction. Section 4: Second receptive skills task The second task is a more difficult one and requires the students to read the text for specific information. The purpose of this task is read for detail and interpret the opinion of the interviewer as well as the person being interviewed. Because the majority of difficult words are in context, students should be able to understand the meaning of them. I could encourage the students to read fast, as mentioned in ‘Learning Teaching’ by Jim Scrivener, 3rd edition, 2011, page 264: â€Å"A good first strategy could be to help them to read fast; not worrying about understanding every word; not, perhaps, even understanding most words, but still achieving a specific and useful goal†. In this task, the students will be given a number of statements – see Appendix – and they will have to indicate whether they are true or false. After this activity, students get the opportunity to check their answers with their partners which will enable to correct their own mistakes before the answers are discussed in class. In the class room feedback session, the really difficult words that students struggled with, can be addressed. I would use realia, pictures and/ or mime to elicit the meaning of vocabulary. For example, show pictures of a chopping board, sink, rubbish, merchandise. To convey the meaning of for example ‘noble’ or ‘have it rough’, I could revert back to the context in the article and use concept checking questions. Section 5: Productive skills follow-up activity As a follow-on task, it might be good idea for the students to practise speaking language related to food and food culture in groups and have a little debate about it. Students should think about what people like to eat in the country where they are from. If there are foods their countries are famous for. For example Spain: tapas; Netherlands: cheese, France: also cheese, bread etc. What would you recommend a visitor to eat in your country and why? Or why not? The students get some freer oral fluency practice related to different food cultures. Afterwards, one person may present some of the group’s findings to the rest of the class. Another follow-on task might involve some writing practice where students, individually, write a paragraph with ‘all your favourite foods in one day’. To start off with, students should describe their ideal breakfast, followed by lunch and  dinner, including drinks. What would the perfect menu look like? This may include foods from the country that they are from or from another country. For example: in the morning, I want to eat bread with cheese and have cup of tea. I would also like to drink a glass of milk or orange juice for breakfast etc. This would enable to students to have controlled written practice in the context of food. Section 6: References Sources: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-interview-with-jamie-oliver-im-a-big-fan-of-chillies-1897063 Learning Teaching, the essential guide to English Language Teaching, 3rd edition 2011 by Jim Scrivener The Practice of English Language Teaching, 3rd edition 2001 by Jeremy Harmer Appendix True/False Statements 1) Jamie Oliver is like all the other cooks on TV because he is just an entertainer cannot really cook (false) 2) In Food Revolution, he is trying to teach people that tasty food does not have to cost much and it can be healthy (true) 3) He also believes that ‘fast food’ is ok and that people can eat it as much as they want (false) 4) Jamie Oliver thinks that if you want to cook a really good meal, it always takes a lot of time in the kitchen (false) 5) Jamie likes to keep his kitchen as clean as possible when he is cooking (true) 6) What Jamie Oliver really likes is to think of new recipes with other chefs (true) 7) He says that the fish from Marrakesh is the best (false) 8) Jamie Oliver hopes that young people stop eating all junk food (false) 9) His mission is to give people new ideas about food and how to cook it (true) 10) He believes that you have to use garlic, lemons and chillies in every meal if you want your food to taste better (false) Wednesday, 2 October 2013 – 4:30pm IST | Agency: dna / Priyadarshini Nandy Interview with Jamie Oliver: I’m a big fan of chillies Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is always in fashion. With two of his famous television shows currently on Indian television, we decided to have a little chat with him about them. And what he tells us is to love food — from the heart. Celebrity chefs often have it rough. While most of them are heroes on television, in the real culinary world they are sometimes considered to be simply showmen and not real chefs. British chef Jamie Oliver is a bit different though. Yes, he is cute for sure, but the talented chef and restaurateur, who also has a line of television shows to his credit (a few of them are currently airing on Big CBS Love) as well as a line of irresistible merchandise, can sure put together a decent meal. In an interview with After Hrs, he talks about his food mantra†¦ We’d like to start with Food Revolution†¦ The show has been on for a while and you’re trying to do something extremely noble that the world can learn from. Did you achieve what you set out to do? My goals are really to make sure that children and adults around the world are given the knowledge to be able to feed themselves and their families properly — and by that I mean with fresh ingredients, not expensive ingredients. With a bit of knowledge, you can prepare quick, affordable, delicious and nutritious meals and also understand that there’s nothing wrong with things like fast food but only as a treat, not as everyday food. Referring to your 30 Minute Meals show, don’t you think that meals don’t quite do justice to a dish, unless you’re just throwing something together to avoid staying hungry? Cooking doesn’t have to be a slow process – you can make a delicious meal in five minutes if you know what you’re doing. You can even prepare something at home in the morning that you can eat for lunch and you’ll save money and it will probably be tastier than something you buy from a shop. It also depends on what you are cooking. Some dishes are simple and they only take one pot and a chopping board and a knife to put together. Others use more equipment. I find working into an empty sink or dishwasher, and having a bowl for rubbish near you when you prep, really helps minimise the mess. You’ve had the fortune of travelling across the globe. Can you share one or two of your favourite experiences as far as your culinary expeditions are concerned†¦ I’ll always remember my first night in Marrakesh as well as the freshness of the fish in Greece. But I’ll tell you that every few months, I get to work in the kitchens with my chefs from Jamie’s Italian and also an American chef I’m working with called Adam Perry Lang, and the things we come up with are always exciting. What do you think are your major contributions in the world of food? I would like to think that I’ve inspired people all over the world to try new things, to cook a bit better and to be a bit more adventurous with their cooking. I also hope I’ve inspired children to get excited about fresh food. What makes you different from other colleagues that have their own TV shows? I’ve always tried to make my television series interesting and accessible so whether it’s something like Jamie at Home or Jamie’s School Dinners, they’re always very watchable and there’s something in each one that makes the viewer think about food in a new way. What is that one ingredient you consider basic in any kitchen — the one thing that can transform a bland meal into a banquet? I’m a big fan of chillies and so I’d probably choose those – there’s so much you can do with them. They don’t work in every meal, of course, but they can really add excitement to so many things. I know I’m only supposed to choose one ingredient, but if I can sneak two more in, I’d also say lemons and garlic, both add so much flavour and are incredibly versatile.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Man Inthe Black Suit – Presence of Evil

Stephen King's â€Å"The Man in the Black Suit† is a short story that makes us think. Who are we in this world? Is our destiny in our hands or is it already written? Can we avoid being in contact with evil? â€Å"The Man in the Black Suit† proves that evil is omnipresent in our world and that there is no way to avoid it. It does not matter who you are, where you are and when you are there, if evil wants to meet you, it will wind a way to do so. We would not be shocked so much if an adult has met the Devil, because we all know that adults are more likely to commit sins. But what when a child meet the Devil?What would a child do wrong to be punished by the Devil? It is difficult to say. â€Å".. This is something that happened to me when I was very young, only nine years old. â€Å"(page 821) Our main character Gary was a young child when he saw the Devil for a reason he has never understood â€Å"Until that Saturday in 1914, I had thought that bears were the worst thi ng the forest could hold. â€Å"(page 831) Kids think that bears are the most terrific creatures in the forest. We can see their huge innocence. Why does evil attack those innocent children? Because evil can attack anybody.Our nine-year old character Gary meets the Devil in the town of Motton as he defines like this : â€Å"The town of Motton was a different world in those day – more different then I could ever tell you. That was a world without airplanes droning overhead, a world almost without cars. † (page 821) As he talks about Motton, we learn that it is a little rural town in western Maine. There was no phone, no doctors, no paved roads and not more than a dozen of houses. All those little things make Motton a completely innocent place. Why would the Devil attack a little innocent farmer town?It does not seem so attractive†¦ But evil does not have any criteria, it is omnipresent. In â€Å"The Man in the Black Suit†, Gary's meeting with evil happens d uring the summer of 1914. â€Å"†¦ one afternoon in the summer of 1914. † (page 821). As we all know, the begging of the 20th century is a very religious period of time in the United States. Also, religion has a lot of power especially in the small rural communities like in the town of Motton. People back then believed in God, and that God will protect them from the Devil if they were good believers. Also the part of pagans was really slim in the society.We could call that period of time an innocent period of time that should have not met the Devil in any case. If the 1910s have not been â€Å"saved† from evil, how could our generation be? We can see that any period of time can be in contact with evil. In conclusion, we can see that in â€Å"The Man in the Black Suit†, evil attacks an innocent child, in an innocent place during an innocent period of time. What can we find more innocent than that to avoid evil?. With those three things combined, we can concl ude that there is not a way to avoid evil in our world, it is absolutely omnipresent.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Notes Safety Management

Definition of Terms: Accident – an unplanned, undesired event that may result in harm to people, damage to property or loss to process. Near miss or near accident – an incident resulting in neither an injury nor property damage. Hazard – is any existing or potential condition in the workplace that by interacting with other variables, can result in death, injuries, property damage, and other losses. Hazard control -involves developing a program to recognize, evaluate, and eliminate (or at least reduce ) the destructive effects of azards arising from human errors and from conditions in the workplace.Loss control – is accident prevention, achieved through a complete safety and health hazard control program. Loss control involves preventing employee injuries, occupational illnesses, and accidental damage to the company's property. It also includes preventing injuries, illnesses, and property damage that may involve visitors and the public. Responsibility †“ is having to answer to higher management for activities and results. Authority- the right to correct, command, and determine the courses of action. Delegation – the sharing authority and responsibility with others.Even though we delegate responsibility, we cannot be completely relieved of it. Accountability – an active measurement taken by management to ensure compliance with standards. Safety Management: Safety Management will help us understand our safety responsibilities, take positive actions to prevent accidents, and give you a way of measuring how well we perform our safety duties. As a necessary part of the management process, hazard control is made up of safety audits and evaluation, sound operating and design procedure, perator training, inspection and testing programs, and effective communication regarding hazards and their control.A hazard control program coordinates shared responsibility among departments and underscores the interrelationships among wor kers, their equipment , and the work environment. Many of us mistakenly believe that accidents are only those incidents that result in serious injuries. If a minor injury or property damage results in an accident, some supervisors shrug off the incident and return to their routine work. They let the results of an accident determine their evel of interest in investigating its causes and preventing a recurrence.But we know that the results of an accident ( the degree of loss resulting from it ) are a matter of chance. It would be better to try to control the hazards that lead to accident than try to minimize, the damage done once and accident occurs. Loss control through accident prevention must be accomplished at all times. During safety inspection, be alert for anything that may cause an accident, such as tripping hazards, fire hazards, poorly stacked materials, poor housekeeping, safeguards are missing from machines, nd/or unsafe worker practices.Safety responsibilities cannot be s eparated from the other parts of your work. The best way to describe your Job is to say that you are responsible for safe production. Safety Responsibility as Performance Measure: Areas ot Responsibility: There are tour areas that supervisors must control: 1 Production 2. Quality 3. cost 4. Loss control Production, quality, cost, and loss control are of equal importance in measuring Job performance and cannot really be separated. When you accept a supervisory Job, you lso assume responsibility for the safety of your people.Every supervisor in any company is responsible for the safety of his or her workers. The top manager cannot handle all the details of every Job, so he or she delegates accident prevention responsibilities, along with commensurate authority, to various middle managers. In turn, the middle manager, will delegate responsibility for safety and accident prevention to the supervisor. Thus, you are accountable to your manager for accident prevention, Just as he or she is accountable to the top manager.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Food Inc. Documentary Essay

Food Inc. is a documentary directed by Robert Kenner targeted towards the general public about the ugly truths behind the food industries. The documentary outlines the procedures taken to process the food that surrounds us, with the aim to expose and change the basis, footprints, and corruption behind this process. Kenner successfully does this through several techniques and strategies used to persuade and motivate others to make a difference. Throughout the documentary Kenner covers the basis of how these products are manufactured through many techniques. One of the main techniques used in this piece is correspondence about how the products are truly made. Most do not think to question where it is that the food they eat comes from and Kenner shows just that with statistics, footage, and interviews. He shows the unethical methods used by food industries in order to maximize profit. Methods such as feeding animals food which makes them obese, at a significantly fast and unnatural rate , to the point that they cannot stand on their own and their organs are beings crushed. Kenner gains the viewer’s sympathy by showing footage of these animals in pain, which in turn pushes them towards his point of view on the subject. Another technique used by Kenner is the illumination of truth of how these food industries have corrupted the government as well as the farmers to their advantage. He does this by showing his viewers government officials who side with the food industries and in fact used to be a part of them. This documentary also shows the workers and farmers, most of which are afraid to talk the crew in fear of losing everything, who admit they have very little control over their farms and the business. One of the farmers even goes as far to say that â€Å"it is degrading; it’s like being a slave to the company†. The narrator also states how once these jobs were seen as the best jobs in the country and now they are struggling to get by. He uses real life experiences and facts to open the eyes of his viewers and is successful in doing so. Once again correspondence plays a big role in this documentary to show the footprints left behind by these companies. Kenner shows footage of people speaking out, who have lost their loved ones due to illnesses they have gained from the infected product, which may have been avoided if not for the unethical procedures used to manufacture it. This immediately gains the viewer’s sympathies towards the families, as well as become more aware of  the danger which these companies present. He also shows statistics of the dangers in genetically modified organisms and how they surround us making us more aware of what it is we are eating. One of the main aspects to the documentary that makes it so successful is that Keener gives alternatives. Throughout the documentary the viewers are asking themselves what can they do and he answers this. He shows the benefits to organic foods and the prosperity in farms independent from the big corporations. All in all, Kenner’s techniques, to spread awareness of what one consumes as well as promoting beneficiary alternatives, is successful in leaving his aud ience wanting to make a change. Work Cited Food Inc.. Dir. Robert Kenner. Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2009.Film.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

The Excellent Consuting Group Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Excellent Consuting Group - Coursework Example The revenue of product X5 was fairly stable but low, while that of X7 was extremely low but exceptionally stable for the year 2011 and would be low up to 2015. Profit Like the revenue performance, X5 and X6 products meet the profit threshold while X7 continue to make losses. It is below bar to a tune of -$31million dollars. Total Income The breakeven point for the three products is determined by the fixed costs, selling price and the number of units sold. The total sales in 2015 reduced compared to sales realized in 2015. Similarly, the total revenue reduced. Since the fixed and R&D costs remained constant, the average profitability reduced from 10% to 4%. X5 income The sales and revenue reduced in 2015 as compared to 2014 showing a great reduction from 3% to 1% profitability. The fixed and R&D costs remained high. X6 income The revenue and sales reduced by almost half in 2015 as compared to 2014. The profits also reduced from 16% to 10%. R&D costs were higher compared to the other p roducts. X7 income This product realized increased revenues since sales went up. In contrast to the other products, variable costs increased while the total profits went up. The product was making losses but well performing when compared to Product X5 and X6. Market Information Sales The sales for product X6 was exceptionally on the rise from the year 2011 and 2013 but gradually reduced from the 2013 to 2015. ... Product Performance X6 is highly performing in the market when compared to X5and X7. However, X5 is reducing in performance while X7 has stable performance. Market Report 2011 X5 Market Report The installed customer base of product X5 shows an increase from 2014 to 2015. The number of remaining customers has reduced while market saturation increased from 37% to 41%. First time customers reduced while repeat sales increased. X6 Market Report The installed customer base of product X6 shows an increase from 2014 to 2015. The number of remaining customers was exhausted while market saturation increased from 90% to 100%. First time customers reduced to zero while repeat sales increased. X7 Market Report The installed customer base of product X7 shows an increase from 2014 to 2015. The number of remaining customers has reduced while market saturation remained at 3%. First time customers and repeat sales increased. Proposed Alternative Strategy Suppose the prices of X5, X6 and X7 products a re set at price $400, $360 and $200 respectively. Also by apportioning the research and development (R&D) allocations as follows; X5(25%), X6(40%), and X7(30%). The cumulative profits for 2012 will be 192,479,522. The X5 is less expensive than other similar products in the market. X6 sales are in the growth phase of the product lifecycle. The majority of X6 customers have not yet purchased the product. The X5 compares more favorably with other tablets in the category. The cumulative profits for 2013 are 463,673, 489. The decisions for 2014 will be effective if X7 handheld is priced higher than competing products and is in the growth phase. There are many X7 customers remaining in the market. Most of the customers for the X7