My grandmother Essays

My grandmother Essays My grandmother Essay My grandmother Essay My grandmother and grandfather have kept a small group of extremely close friends, which she has found to be very rewarding as a social support group. The hardest part of getting older that my grandmother has found is seeing many of their close friends leave for the great social circle in the sky as she put it, but she found that working hard at keeping those who were important to her close to her was incredibly rewarding. The close friendships she maintained were the best support she ever found throughout her life. Friends that she kept close had many of the same values she did, or values she admired and aspired to obtain. Social support has also come from her family, a value that she obtained at an early age living with so many close relatives. Her entire family, two children, son and daughter-in laws and grandchildren all keep very close ties and provide frequent visits, phone calls, and e-mails to make sure that she is doing well. Although she a world-renowned writer and one would think her pride would lie mostly with her career, it is a true showcase of my grandmothers character that out of everything in life she is proudest of her children. She is especially proud of her son (my father) Joseph who is an incredible parent to his two children. Being a parent has been an unparalleled and most rewarding experience, and she takes great pride in her children and grandchildren as well. Secondly, she is most proud of her wonderful 56-year relationship with my grandfather and the strength of their marriage. Taking a back seat to family and friendship, my grandmother is also very proud of the National Book Award that she won in 2000 for her book Homeless Bird. The award was an exciting validation of a continuing career in childrens literature. The most prominent aspect of my grandmothers life has been her faith. Beginning when she was young, she was impressed and influenced by her fathers faith and hope throughout the Great Depression. All of her decision-making has been guided by the hand of God, and she feels that her faith really formed her. She believes that choices we make and the path we chose are all part of Gods plan for us, mistakes and lessons are learned and we are so often blessed with that which we might not deserve to help us see his guiding hand. Her great faith has helped her realize the incredible benefits of aging; the on-going quest and acquiring of knowledge is a truly spiritual and nearly inconceivable process. As one grows older they gain massive quantities of life experience to draw on and become more cognizant of their faults, often utilizing the looking glass self which allows others to reveal their failings to them. Aging, my grandmother has found, ultimately leads to a greater sense of identity and self. My grandmother is truly the picture of generativity. Her concern for the next generation is very apparent in her writing as she tries to preserve historical evidence and present it to children through her fictional writing. She is obviously aware of the many ways in which she has been blessed and very sensitive to the wants and needs of her husband who now genuinely needs her support. She has reached old age and faces death with a sense of integrity; her faith has lead her through a satisfying and meaningful life. Although she realizes that she is reaching the end, she is celebrating the many gifts life has presented her with and is satisfied with what she has been able to offer to others. The respect that I have for my grandmother is continually increasing, I do not know if I will ever be able to put into words how much of an idol she has served as for me in how I have shaped and the courses I have chosen in life. She has taught me the importance of a strong sense of self, how to value close friendships. She has shown me the wonderful support system and overall warmth family brings to ones life. Her amazing faith, which guided her through hardships and times of joy, showed me the importance of self-transcendence and the relationship I would someday like to build with God. Her steadfast and strong relationship with my grandfather has re-emphasized the importance of finding a true life partner and developing a relationship where conflict can be overcome. In her telling me about the social development and self-discovery she achieved in college I realize the importance of maximizing my college career and truly finding what I am passionate about as early in my life as I can. My father is a wonderful parent and I see how having children and watching them raise their own children can become the most rewarding experience in a persons life. I have inherited my passion for writing from my grandmother and I hope that someday I will be as skilled at using words to paint a picture is she is. The chapters of my grandmothers life have enlightened me greatly, as a quote from Anton Chekhov suggests her writing inspires me to do the same, Dont tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

How to Use a Hurricane Tracking Chart

How to Use a Hurricane Tracking Chart A popular activity during hurricane  season is to track the path and progress of tropical storms and hurricanes. Known as hurricane tracking, its a creative way to teach hurricane awareness, learn about storm intensities, and to create and keep your own hurricane records from season to season. Materials Needed: Access to the latest tropical storm and hurricane forecastsA hurricane tracking map/chartA pencilAn eraserColored pencils (blue, light blue, green, yellow, red, pink, magenta, purple, white)A ruler (not required) Getting Started: Monitor the National Hurricane Center for current tropical cyclone activity. Once an invest develops into a tropical depression, subtropical depression, or stronger, its time to start tracking it.Plot the storms first position.To do this, find its geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). (The positive () number, or the one followed by the letter N, is latitude; the negative (-) number, or the one followed by the letter W, is longitude.) Once you have the coordinates, move your pencil along the right edge of the chart to locate the latitude. Using a ruler to guide your hand in a straight line, move your pencil across horizontally from this point until you find the longitude. Draw a very small circle at the point where the latitude and longitude meet.Label the storm by either writing its name next to the first plot point, or drawing a small box and writing the storm number inside.Continue to track the storm by plotting its position twice daily, at 12 UTC and 00 UTC. Dots repres enting the 00 UTC  position should be filled in. Dots representing the 12 UTC position should be left unfilled. Label each 12 UTC plot point with the calendar day (i.e., 7 for the 7th).Use the Hurricane Tracking Chart key (at the bottom of the page) and your colored pencils to connect the dots with the appropriate colors and/or patterns.When the storm dissipates, write its name or storm number (like in step #3 above) next to its final plot point.(Optional) You may also want to label the storms minimum pressure. (This tells where the storm was at its strongest.) Find the minimum pressure value and the date and time it occurred. Write this value next to the corresponding section of the storm track, then draw an arrow between them.Follow steps 1-8 for all storms forming during the season. If you miss a storm, visit one of these sites for past hurricane data: National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Advisory ArchiveAn archive of advisories and storm summary information. (Click on the storm name, then choose the 00 and 12 UTC public advisories. Storm location and wind speed/intensity will be listed under the summary section at top of the page.) Unisys Weather Tropical Advisory Archive 404An archive of tropical cyclone products, advisories, and bulletins from season years 2005-present. (Scroll through the index to choose the desired date and time. Click on the corresponding file link.) Need an Example? To see a finished map with storms already plotted, check out the NHCs Past Track Seasonal Maps. Hurricane Tracking Chart Key Line Color Storm Type Pressure (mb) Wind (mph) Wind (knots) Blue Subtropical Depression 38 or less 33 or less Light Blue Subtropical Storm 39-73 34-63 Green Tropical Depression (TD) 38 or less 33 or less Yellow Tropical Storm (TS) 980 + 39-73 34-63 Red Hurricane (Cat 1) 980 or less 74-95 64-82 Pink Hurricane (Cat 2) 965-980 96-110 83-95 Magenta Major Hurricane (Cat 3) 945-965 111-129 96-112 Purple Major Hurricane (Cat 4) 920-945 130-156 113-136 White Major Hurricane (Cat 5) 920 or less 157 + 137 + Green dashed (- - -) Wave/Low/Disturbance Black hatched (+++) Extratropical Cyclone

Other Ways of Using the Spanish Preposition ‘A’

Other Ways of Using the Spanish Preposition ‘A’ Although the Spanish preposition a is usually used to indicate motion toward and thus often translated as to, it also is frequently used to form phrases that can explain how something is done or to describe nouns as well as in time expressions. Using A to Mean ‘In the Style Of’ One common use of a is similar to its use in a few English phrases, such as a la carte and a la mode that come to us via French. This use indicates the way in which something is done or, less commonly, forms a phrase that functions as an adjective. Spanish phrases using a in this way usually cant be translated word for word, although it is often useful to think of a as meaning in the style of. Here are some examples of a being used in adverbial phrases (phrases that act like adverbs): Amar no es nada ms que andar a ciegas. (Love is nothing more than walking blindly.)Imgenes de televisià ³n muestran a un soldado ejecutando a quemarropa a una madre. (Television images show a soldier executing a mother at point-blank range.)La actriz se casà ³ a escondidas. (The actress was secretly married.)La votacià ³n se hizo a mano alzada. (The voting was done by a show of hands.)El zumo y la leche se vende a galones. (Juice and milk are sold by the gallon.)El bebà © andaba a gatas, descubriendo el mundo. (The baby is walking on all fours, discovering the world.)El sentido del olfato es a menudo el primero en advertirnos acerca de un peligro que somos incapaces de ver. (The sense of smell is often the first to warn us of a danger that we are unable to see.) A similar construction can used to form adjectival phrases (phrases that describe nouns): Walter conocià ³ a Nadia en una cita a ciegas que le ha organizado su hermano. (Walter met Nadia on a blind date that his brother set up.)Nunca entre a una casa con un nià ±o a solas. (Never enter a house with a child alone.)Era el viaje a caballo ms largo de la historia. (It was the longest horseback ride in history.) ‘A La’ Phrases It is common to form adverbial (and sometimes adjectival) phrases by using a la followed by noun that has the form of a feminine adjective. These phrases typically of the meaning of in the _____ style and are most iften used with geographical terms. There are also a few phrases beginning with a lo followed by a masculine adjective or noun. Las papas fritas a la francesa se llaman chips en Inglaterra. (French-fried potatoes are called chips in England.)Hoy en Europa es imposible un liberalismo a la americana. (Today in Europe, an American-style liberalism is impossible.)Se sirve un desayuno a la mexicana. (They serve a Mexican-style breakfast.)A la moderna, optaron por no casarse. (In the way things are done today, they chose not to marry.)El cantante dijo adià ³s a lo grande. (The singer said goodbye in style.)Se lava a lo gato. (He washes himself like a cat (i.e., while barely getting wet). Using A for ‘At’ A can also be used to indicate how often something occurs or indicate relationships in much the same as as the English at when it isnt being used in the context of a location.  ¡Un paso a la vez! (One step at a time!)Venden a dos pesos el kilo. (They sell at two pesos per kilo.)El encontrar calidad en un producto a un precio bajo puede crear ms satisfaccià ³n. (Finding quality at a product at a low price can create more satisfaction.)Le agencia aceptar a 10 por ciento de aspirantes a licenciatura. (The agency will accept applicants for licensing at a rate of 10 percent.) Using A in Time Expressions Many time expressions use a much like at and sometimes per is used: Patricia y yo salimos a las 9:30. (Patricia and I are leaving at 9:30.)Comienza a las cinco de la tarde. (It begins at 5 in the afternoon.)Muchos trabajamos 40 horas a la semana. (Many of us work 40 hours per week.) ¿Es posible amar a dos personas a mismo tiempo? (Is it possible to love two people at the same time?) Key Takeaways Although the common Spanish preposition a usually means to, it can be used in ways that dont refer to motion or location.An abundance of phrases beginning with a can function as adverbial or adjectival modifiers.A is also often used in time expressions, usually to mean at.

Islamic finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Islamic finance - Essay Example In this regard, the Islamic financial system with the assistance of macroeconomic models is able to conduct their operations effective in the Islamic economy. Islamic financial system came into existence in the mid-1980s wherein this system was practiced mostly in the Muslim communities that eventually nurtured trade and commercial activities in numerous nations. Islamic merchants became the brokers of trade related activities in Spanish and Mediterranean regions, which helped in promoting Islamic finance amid European financiers and capitalists. In the modern day context, Islamic finance has made a huge impact in various parts of the world, as it has been promptly growing in the financial sector. Islamic finance is not just limited to Islamic nations, but it has spread to other nations wherein the Muslim community is quite large. It has been identified that there are over 100 financial institutions using Islamic finance and the system is presently practiced in more than 45 nations. Industries using Islamic finance have witnessed a growth rate of 15% in their annual turnover from the estimation of the last five years financial performance s. Accordingly, it has been witnessed that the market’s annual turnover has grown to about 70 billion USD as compared to 5 billion USD in the year 1985. It has been further estimated that markets, which use Islamic finance will witness a growth of 100 billion USD by next century. In reality, Islamic finance commenced successfully from the time when the Islamic nations obtained surplus profit in their oil exporting businesses. It will be worth mentioning that anatomic and macroeconomic reforms in the financial system, privatisation of industries, assimilation of the financial markets and liberalisation of capital have cemented the growth of the Islamic financial system (Iqbal, 1997). The paper is primarily intended to summarise the chapter ‘The Financial System and Monetary Policy in an Islamic

SBU Objective and Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SBU Objective and Goals - Essay Example Reposition Strongbow Cider in the Australian market and try to capture market share of the particular segment by new product launches. Introduce the brand in the US and selected European market, which have a strong potential for this kind of product sales. Develop the brand in South Eastern markets like China and Malaysia by effective product penetration and repositioning the brand. Introduce Strongbow Cider in emerging markets like India which has a huge youth population. Recommended Strategies Recommendation of strategies is similar to envisioning the desired upshot for and organization or SBU in a perfectly planned and well designed manner2 (Jurgen C Schmidt and Martyn Laycock, 2011). The most important theory that comes in to play in this context is the Ansoff Matrix, which has been associated with designing organizational growth strategies with relation to identification and development of new and existing products and markets. A very crucial part of it involves around the devel opment of new product in an effort to capture an existing market or even a market. At times, product development is needed to capture the minds of the customers and to promote innovativeness in the product. An innovative product which gives the company with some growth in product sales is worth the financial and manpower expenses that are associated with the product development3 (Queensland Government, 2011). Many a times, product innovation is promoted in response to market research that is conducted over a particular geographical area, region or location. At times, innovative ideas related to the product development originate even at the shop floors, which is then taken up for consideration by the top officials4 (Gary Yakimov and Lindsey Woolsey, 2010). Also another important factor is the price, when a new product is launched in a new market. Choosing the right kind of pricing technique in the strategic marketing and business plan is very essential when it comes to placing the pr oduct in a completely new market. In the UK market, the brand Strongbow has a high recall amongst the consumers and is continuously trying to connect with the target audience by promoting the brand strongly by using the social media like Facebook and Twitter5 (James Hall, 2011). So as a part of the recommended strategy for the UK segment, it is advisable to hold and retain the strong brand recall that the brand has in the market through continuous efforts of connecting with the young target audience by organizing various marketing and promotional campaigns. For the Australian market, which happens to be the home ground for the brand, it is recommended that a new variation of the product, which will be a part of the product development process, has to be introduced under the same brand as an effort to appeal to the consumers of the local market. It has also been point of discussion in various reports that Strongbow cider is available for distribution only in markets of UK, China, Mal aysia and Singapore. So it can be said that the product is opting for selective market distribution and as a part of the previously designed strategy, the US and some of the key European markets have been left out. But in order to develop and position the brand in a global manner, and to increase the recall for this brand from consumers all over the globe, it is considered increasingly essential to promote the brand of

The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East Essay

The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East - Essay Example 142). Other theories such as international relations, religious conflict and civil war theories have been used to explain the sources of conflict in the Middle East. Theories of international relations conceptualize what drives state-to-state relations and state behaviour. There are essentially two main theories of international relations: liberalists and neo-realists theories. Liberalists theorize that the spread of liberal politics will eventually lead to world peace while neo-realists theorize that the forces driving the international system encourages all states to â€Å"look to their own self-interests and to prepare for war† (Linklater 2000, p. 833). Looked at from the liberalist theory of international relations the sources of conflict in the Middle East derive from the fact that the region is comprised of non-liberal or non-democratic regimes. Liberalists argue that â€Å"political systems externalize norms of behviour that characterize their domestic process and inst itutions† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Therefore, democratic political systems focus on â€Å"peace† and â€Å"compromise† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Non-democratic political systems on the other hand, focus on â€Å"the elimination or subjugation of political opponents and the forceful resolution of political conflict† (Attar 2009, p. 97). ... It is conceptualized that liberal states temper conflicts among the citizenry because it not only protects human rights, but encourages citizens to express discontent (Sorli 2001). However, it can be argued that non-liberal states can also temper conflict by suppressing citizens’ rights to express discontent (Sorli 2001). It therefore follows that the liberalist theory of international relations is not a satisfactory explanation for the source of conflict in the Middle East. The non-democratic regimes in the Middle East can just as easily contribute to peace as it can contribute to conflict. According to Maoz, Landau and Malz (2004), the neo-realists theory of international relations finds currency in the modern history of the Middle East. According to the neo-realist theory of international relations, states are driven by self-interests and power politics to such an extent that conflict regionally and/or globally is unavoidable. As Maoz et al (2004) argues, Arab states in the Middle East often express a â€Å"common heritage†, yet they may exhibit conduct and values that are inconsistent with that heritage. Egypt made an attempt to harmonize Arab heritage in the Middle East during the 1950s and 1960s and was frequently in conflict with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Other attempts to harmonize the Arab Middle East such as the Baghdad Pact sponsored by the UK and the US also resulted in regional conflicts such as the Egyptian-Iraqi conflict during the 1950s (Maoz et al 2004). Power politics as espoused by neo-realist theories is also confirmed by Nasser’s attempt to circumvent and dismantle the monarchies in Arab and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Jordan responded with hostility. As Maoz et al (2004) observed:

1 Year Strategic Digital Marketing Plan with a view as to how this may Essay

1 Year Strategic Digital Marketing Plan with a view as to how this may be developed over three years - Essay Example The company is dedicated to inspire the disabled youngsters in the United Kingdom to actively participate in different kinds of sporting activities and events. The company also provides the disabled kids and young people with sports grants which can be used in the training, travel, physiotherapy, competition fees and development and design of sports wheelchairs. The aim of Get Kids Going (GKG) is to provide long term support and encourage the disabled children and youngsters in the country to achieve the dreams regarding their sports careers and their goals to become sporting athletes. The company recognizes that there are many talented youngsters in the country who dream to become athletes and runners. However, the enormous expenses required for training to become an athlete and to participate in the sports events like marathon act as restraints to the achievement of these dreams by the young disabled sports aspirants. The activities of the company are supported by the sponsorships of different marathon runners and athletes. Hundreds of athletes and runners in the country are supportive of the activities of Get Kids Going (GKG). These runners support the functioning of Get Kids Going (GKG) by running in various national and international sporting events like the Bupa Great North Run, Paris Marathon, New York marathon, Virgin London marathon, Ride London 100 Cycling Challenge, Berlin Marathon, L’Etape du Tour and other sports events taking place indifferent countries of the world. The support of donation and charity given by many companies, schools, trusts and individuals are also critical for the continuity of the activities of Get Kids Going (GKG). A digital marketing plan involves the use of digital and electronic medium as an important medium for promoting and selling the products and services of a company (Sadler, 2001). Get Kids