Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Traditional religion as well as religious beliefs and practices are important issues which are discussed in ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe. The major theme focuses on the conflict between the Igbo society and culture as well as the religion of the colonists. The Umuofia society is religious as it is characterized by the worship of Chuckwu the chief the god, spirits and the ancestors. It is clear that the religion practiced in Umuofia is animistic in nature similar to other  traditional religions in other parts of Africa.   The people of Umuofia believed that most of both the living and non living things had the ability of possessing souls and the spirits. For instance, members of the society believed that forests like the evil forests had sprits of  evil and that is why twins were abandoned there as they  were considered to carry bad luck. Further studies indicate  that it was possible for a man to buy a craving in the market and make it to be an object o f worship after invoking his spirit in it.   There were other spirits like the spirits of rivers, lakes, wells and the earth, to name just a few.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the Umuofia society, men and women were regarded differently as they did not hold the same positions. For instance, men were rulers as well as leaders while women were considered   Ã‚  as servants. Therefore, the spirits of women were inferior to the spirits of men although women were also allowed to carry out religious rituals since they could become priests. According to Achebe (pp. 30), the Umuofia community had a female deity who was known as ‘Ani’. In addition, there was also a male deity who was known as Agbala or the ‘Oracle of the Hills and the Caves’ (Achebe pp.30). According to Achebe, (pp. xxxv) ‘chi’  was a personal god for an  individual  which had the ability to  follow people throughout  their whole life.   One of the major characteristic of ‘chi’ was the fact that it was  capable of either  being  good or bad.   Such a characteristic was very important because  it  determined the success of an individual. Therefore, incase someone had a good ‘chi’, such a person ended up being successful while people with a bad chi were full of misfortunes. However, although ‘chi’ was powerful,  a person had the power of determining his destiny. In addition, medicine men could intervene and help someone with a bad ‘chi’  to become successful. The Umoufia society was powerful among its neighbors and was greatly feared. The neighbors considered going into war  with it as a last option, incase all the  other options  failed.   The priests and medicine men who were vey powerful contributed  greatly to  its  superiority.    Its source of the military power was the war medicine although the age of the same was not known.   The medicine  which was the source of  the strength was known as agadi-nwayi which meant an old  woman. Villagers  believed that an old woman with one leg was often seen by someone who passed by the shrine which was centrally placed in the evenings.   Since  the villagers believed that she was sacrificed when the village was being formed, that explains why she was capable of being powerful.   In addition, the villagers believed that performing religious practices and rituals made someone to be powerful. As a result, the woman could have derived  her power from the sacrifices  that took place during the formation of the village.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Achebe, Chinua. Things fall apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996. Print.

Mineral Photos - How to Take Great Photos of Minerals

Mineral Photos - How to Take Great Photos of Minerals Do you want to take great pictures of your mineral specimens? Here are some tips and tricks to help your mineral photos turn out looking wonderful. Mineral Photography Tips Know your camera.You can take wonderful pictures of mineral specimens using a disposable camera or cell phone; you can take terrible photos using a high-end SLR. If you know what works in terms of distance and lighting for the camera you are using then youll have a much better chance of taking a great shot.Be accurate.If you are taking a photo of a mineral out in the field, then take the picture of the mineral where you found it rather than moving it to a pretty location.Take multiple pictures.If youre in the field, approach your specimen from different angles and take a variety of shots. Do the same back home. Taking ten shots of the exact same angle, background, and lighting is less likely to give you a great photo than taking several different photos.Make the mineral the center of attention.If possible, make it the only object in the photo. Other objects will detract from your specimen and may cast nasty shadows on your mineral.Choose your background wisely.I take the majority of my pictures on a white plastic cutting board because it doesnt cast reflections back toward the camera and because I can apply light behind the mineral. White is great for specimens with good contrast, but it doesnt work as well for light-colored minerals. Those minerals may do better with a gray background. Be careful using a very dark background because some cameras will take a picture that washes the detail out of your specimen. Experiment with different background to see what works best. Experiment with lighting.You are going to get different pictures in sunlight than you will under fluorescent or incandescent lights. The angle of the light makes a big difference. The intensity of the light matters. Look criticially at your photo to see if it has distracting shadows or whether it flattens out any three-dimensional structure of your mineral specimen. Also, keep in mind some minerals are fluorescent. What happens in you add black light to your specimen?Process your image, with care.Pretty much every device that takes pictures can process them. Crop your images and consider correcting them if the color balance is off. You might want to adject the brightness, contrast, or gamma, but try not to go beyond that. You might be able to process your image to make it prettier, but dont sacrifice beauty for accuracy.To Label or Not To Label?If you are going to include a label with your mineral, you can photograph a (neat, preferably printed) label along with your mineral. Otherwi se, you can overlay a label on your picture using photo editing software. If you are using a digital camera and arent labeling your specimen right away, its a good idea to give your photo a meaningful name (like cordundum rather than the default filename, which is probably the date). Indicate ScaleYou may wish to include a ruler or coin with your specimen to indicate scale. Otherwise, when you describe your image you might want to indicate the size of your mineral.Try the ScannerIf you dont have a camera, you may be able to get a good picture of a mineral specimen by scanning it with a digital scanner. In some cases a scanner can produce a nice image.Take NotesIts a good idea to jot down what works and what fails miserably. This is especially helpful if you are taking a large sequence of pictures and making a lot of changes.

Operations Management MBA program Quality Management case study Essay

Operations Management MBA program Quality Management case study - Essay Example These parts are then accumulated and sent to the film assembly machines to produce a 10-frame cartridge. The completed cartridges are then inventoried and sent to the packaging section to fill a large shipping carton. The shipping cartons are then stacked, palletized and stored ready for shipment. The management of the R2 plant focuses on high volume output, low operating costs, timely production and low defect rates in their manufacturing processes The quality control department was responsible for sampling the lot of finished cartridges for defects and create a disposition whether to release the lot to the market or hold the lot for further testing and rework or reject the whole lot as unacceptable. This is a traditional approach of quality control where the efforts of quality control are focused on the last stage of production prior to delivery of products. This type of approach is very costly, time consuming and wasteful. In 1985, the R2 plant introduced and implemented a new process control program which they named Project Greenlight. The program involves a statistical process control chart that measures the variability of the product attributes and variables such as Pod Weight and Finger Height.

Assessment item 4 Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assessment item 4 Report - Essay Example Pepsi was able to maintain such big reputation in international markets because of their innovative distribution strategies. This paper briefly analyses the distribution strategies of Pepsi in international markets. Distribution strategies of Pepsi Pepsi has concentrated in developing a wide range of distribution channels like, supermarkets/retail stores, fountain/restaurant, convenience stores, vending machines etc for marketing their products. Their product distribution philosophies or objectives were based on; making available all or most of the products in its portfolio within a distance easily reachable by consumers. Pepsi has realized that the beverage market is highly competitive and the customers may not take many efforts in locating the products. Most of the customers who like to purchase a soft drink will select the drink which is easily accessible to them. They will never travel long distances to purchase a soft drink even if they like a particular drink very much. Pepsi k nows better about the above consumer psychology and they structured their distribution channels in such a way to meet the customers at their doorsteps rather than asking the customers to travel lengthy distances in search of Pepsi products. In order to meet the above objective of shortening the distance between the customers and Pepsi products, â€Å"PepsiCo had developed various distribution models to offer its products and services to customers including the Direct Store Delivery (DSD), Broker Warehouse Distribution (BWD) and Vending & Food Service (V&FS) systems etc† (PepsiCo's Distribution and Logistics Operations, n. d). Advanced logic systems were also incorporated to the distribution channels in order to ensure hassle free transport of Pepsi products across the world. Moreover, in order to serve the customers more effectively and efficiently, Pepsi has made agreements with the local bottling companies. Direct channels, retailer channels, wholesaler channels, agent or b roker channels, dual channel or multiple channels etc are some of the common channels opted by product manufacturers to distribute their products. The distribution channels is selected based on the nature of the product, type of customers, market size, the producer’s level of control, the size of the producing company, the size of the retailers etc (The Retail Distribution Channel, n. d, p.36). PepsiCo is one of the largest companies in the world and they can opt for any type of distribution channels because of their immense financial capabilities. Pepsi has made use of different distribution channels based on the geographical characteristics and the cultural and economical aspects of the country in which they operate. For example, in countries like America and Middle East, Pepsi vending machines are available large in number whereas in countries like India instead of vending machines,

The American Renaissance Essay -- American Renaissance Literary Master

The American Renaissance period, circa 1876-1917, heralded a new sense of nationalism with a pride linking to a spirit akin to Greek democracy, the rule of Roman law, and a cultural and educational reform movement often referred to as Renaissance humanism. This American nationalism focused on the expression of modernism, technology, and academic classicism. Renaissance technological advancements include wire cables supporting the Brooklyn Bridge in the State of New York, along with cultural advancements found in the Prairie School houses, Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in architecture and sculpture. The political heir of American nationalism evolved with the Gilded Age and New Imperialism school of thought. The American Renaissance produced major influential literary works from some of the most brilliant minds in U.S. history, including Ralph Waldo Emerson's the "Representative Man (1850)", Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlett Letter (1850)" and "The House of Seven Gables (1851)," Her man Melville's "Moby-Dick," Henry David Thoreau's "Walden (1854)," and Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass (1855)." American Renaissance Literary Masterpieces The American Renaissance, a literary and cultural period circa extending from 1820 to the mid-1860s, gained inspiration from the unresolved issues of the American Revolution. The American Renaissance literary style was coined as "Romanticism," an international philosophical movement that redefined the perceptions of Western cultures, and seldom refers to the preconceived notions of love. Some important authors arising out of this era include: James Fenimore Cooper, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Jacobs, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe, and Herman Melvill... ...nt known as Transcendentalism and its impact on the American Renaissance. Apocalyptic and Utopian Society: A symbolic presentation of post-apocalyptic America and the utopian society. Romanticism: Musical Composition: Course material covering the musical composition of the Romantic period, also known as the American Renaissance. The American Renaissance period brought about major cultural, social, political, and philosophical change. Pioneers who stood for the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, expansion, and literary experimentalism challenged and withstood opposition to those comfortable with the old social order. These developments continue to influence our society today, despite overcoming major obstacles within the last century. Only we can take advantage of present opportunities to influence and bring about positive change for future generations.

Assessment History Essay

Then and Now: History of Assessments Used in Special Education In today’s world students are being diagnosed every day for multiple disorders. Over the history of special education both standardized (formal) and curriculum based (informal) assessments have been created and implemented to help make sure that students are receiving the proper support to help them meet their educational goals. Assessments within special education are implemented to determine a student’s strengths as well as pinpoint areas where they may need extra support and guidance. (Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2007) The results of the assessments given to students will be used to decide if the student qualifies for special education services. The assessments used in the United States have developed in conjunction with special education services, to what we know and use today. This paper will outline the history of assessments administered in the United States, discuss how today’s application of assessment differs, and how these changes have impacted special education as a whole. History of Assessments The history of special education has evolved greatly over the years. Prior to the 1970’s there were very few individuals with special needs being served within the public school system. There were two federal laws passed in 1975 that would aid in the process of children enrolling in the public schools. The first law was Education for All Handicapped Children (EHA), this law requires that children of all ability levels receive the right to public education. The second law that played a key role in providing students with disabilities appropriate education is the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). The IDEA not only requires students with disabilities access to public education but that the school district provides personalized services (special education) for individuals who qualify. (Special Education News, 2013) The laws and legislative acts passed advocate for these students, making sure they receive free and appropriate education. As special education evolved over the years so did many of the tools used to assess students with special needs. Although â€Å"Interest in intelligence dates back thousands of years, it wasn’t until [the early 1900’s that] psychologist. Alfred Binet was commissioned to identify students who needed educational assistance, that the first IQ test was born. † (Cherry, 2013). This type of assessment was a standardized test that measured the individual in areas such as their: skills, character traits, attitudes, knowledge, and educational measurement. As the special education field grew, the use of the Simon-Binet method spread quickly across the Western world. (Reschly, 2002). â€Å"Historically, educational assessment in the United States has been dominated by psychometric assumptions and approaches,† such as the Simon-Binet Scale. (McLaughlin & Rouse, 2000). However, as time as the years have gone by the assessments and protocols used for special education have adapted and evolved. Today’s Assessment / Impact of changes In today’s world there are a variety of assessments and tools to choose from when working with and identifying students with special needs. These assessments fall under two categories, the first being standardized assessments, and the second being curriculum based assessments. The Binet scale, now known has the Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale has been adapted since it was introduced to educators in 1905, and is one of the many standardized assessment tools still used today. Although standardized tests are a great starting point for diagnosing students with special needs it should not be the sole contributor to the diagnosis of a student. Two main concerns when using a standardized test such as the Stanford-Binet scale are that it is culturally unfair and testing conditions and interpretation of test results influence how the student will do on the assessment. Often the standardized tests that are implemented within the school district have been created in the UK or the United States and are mainly designed to be used among white, middle-class children. Therefor if this test is used for any child outside of the specific target group it will be unfair and could lead to the misdiagnosis of students who need special education services. (Newton, 2009) â€Å"For example, if a student with limited English proficiency were assessed using an IQ measure where the directions are given in English, this student’s performance would likely be compromised based upon limited understanding of the instructions, resulting in a significant underestimate of the student’s true intelligence. † (GCU, 2013) It is  extremely important for educators to properly assess the students and to make sure we work with them in their areas of struggle prior to labeling them as needing special education. Since every assessment has its pros and cons it is a teachers responsibility to become familiar with their students and know what assessment would best fit their needs. Since there can be some limitations with standardized tests educators may want to explore various curriculum based assessments to aid in the process of identifying these students. One common curriculum based assessments that is used today is the Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is a type of educational intervention that is implemented to provide students who are having difficulties extra assistance prior to referring them to a special education program. This informal assessment tool is a multi-level prevention system that helps students succeeds in their education. Teachers will follow RTI by monitoring the students’ progress on a regular basis, implementing evidence-based interventions of varying intensities depending on how the student is responding. (NCRTI, 2010). Curriculum based assessments such as RTI have many benefits to students and Educators. Educators today may choose to use these types of assessments because it allows them to be proactive about the problem at hand, they are easy to implement into a classroom routine, if interventions are successful the child will be brought back up to grade level without needing special education services. (Wilmshurst & Brue, 2013) Conclusion The assessments and protocols developed throughout the history of special education have evolved and implemented to benefit the students, as well as special education as a whole. Each assessment and intervention has been created to aid educators in the process of serving their students to the best of their abilities. School systems went from using one assessment tool to identify and work with students with disabilities to having a vast selection to choose from. Both formal and informal assessment tools used by educators in today’s society aid in the process of diagnosing and helping students who qualify for special education services. Although, there are some assessment tools that may be better than others, each one will have their pros and cons. Educators can create and use assessment tools that reflect what we know about the student and their learning abilities. The educators and their school districts â€Å"can do so by building on what we have learned during the past decade, and ensuring that the process and outcomes of their approach to alternate assessment are transparent and subject to review, stand up to both technical and ethical scrutiny, push practices and outcomes in the expected and desired directions, and can be improved through data-based oversight over time. † (Quenemoen, 2008). Educators will have to use the best judgment and knowledge to decide what assessment(s) will best work for them. Whether educators use one assessment or a variety of assessments, the main objective is to give the student the best chance to succeed in their education and assist them in becoming functioning members of our their community. References Cherry, K. (2013). History of Intelligence Testing. Retrieved from: http://psychology. about. com/od/psychologicaltesting/a/int-history. htm Grand Canyon University. (2013). Types of Evaluation. Received from: www. my. gcu. edu McLaughlin, M. & Rouse, M. (2000). Special Education and School Reform in the United States and Britain. New York, NY: Routledge. Newton, C. (2009). Problems with IQ and Psychometric Assessment. Retrieved from: www. inclusive-solutions. com/word/IQ_Problems_Jan. doc? NCRTI. (2010). Essential Components of RTI. Retrieved from: http://www. rti4success. org/ Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. (2007). Understanding Assessment in the Special Education Process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Quenemoen, R. (2008). A brief history of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (Synthesis Report 68). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes. Retrieved from: http://www. cehd. umn. edu/NCEO/onlinepubs/Synthesis68/Synthesis68. pdf Reschly, J. D. (2002). Change Dynamics in Special Education Assessment: Historical and Contemporary Patterns. Peabody Journal of Education, V77 n2 p117-36. Retrieved from: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/560/10/ The History of Special Education in the United States. (2013). Special Education News. Retrieved from: http://www. specialednews. com/the-history-of-special-education-in-the- united-states. htm Wilmshurst, L. & Brue, W. A. (2013). Advantages of Response to Intervention. Retrieved from: http://www. education. com/reference/article/advantages-rti/

The Extraction Of A Tooth Or Vision Testing - 2420 Words

Medical records are documents that are archived physically or electronically. They contain the personal health information (PHI) of people who have received services from health care providers in an agency relationship. Medical records are made accessible to outside sources based on a release signed by the owner of the records or a relevant need to know by emergency medical services or court order. State and federal laws protects the privacy and security of PHI and, financial penalties and imprisonment can be assessed on violators of such laws. Anyone who enters a hospital or sees a doctor for any health reason generates a medical record. The extraction of a tooth or vision testing culminates in a written document called patients health†¦show more content†¦There must be a filing system in place to safely contain patient health information. Written consent is required before a patient’s personal health information PHI) is released (Wing, 2009), except for emergency medical situations (Smugar, Spina Merz, 2000 ) as mandated by the legal system. Young adults are given the same rights of confidentiality as adults which differ from HIPAA regulations. Release consent must specify the entity to whom the patient information is authorized to receive, specific information to be disclosed, and must bare the patient’s signature. Information requested to be released for legal purposes must go through legal counsel prior to being released. Disclosed information must be quantitative or in a summarized format. Medical Records Security Patient health records must be protected from unauthorized personnel due to the confidentiality of content. A written consent must be documented by HIPAA certified personnel overseeing patient health