Sek Lung is a Marginal Character free essay sample

Generally, it is hard for a person, who is stuck inside the third space, to deal with the relationships from two different cultures, and the result of such a situation is that this person would be marginalized as an outsider by his or her group. In the novel The Jade Peony, Sek-Lung is depicted as a character who feels that it is hard to blend inside himself either Chinese or Canadian culture, and his closest relationship with Poh-Poh also makes him marginalized by other family members. Thus, Sek-Lung is considered as an outsider from both China town and Canadian society and even in his own family. As a Chinese child who was born in Canada, Sek-Lung is living in an immigrant family, and he gets attracted by the local culture so that makes him drop into the third space and become an outsider of Canadian society. The first reason leading to this matter is mostly due to the fact that he is Chinese. We will write a custom essay sample on Sek Lung is a Marginal Character or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is the truth that never can be changed. No matter how much he wants to be Canadian, he is still a Chinese. The third part of the book also mentions that Sekky knows this fact â€Å"[B]ut even if I was born in Vancouver, even if I should salute the Union Jack a hundred million times, even if I had the cleanest hands in all the Dominion of Canada and pray forever, I would still be Chinese†(Choy 152). What Sek-Lung said shows that he knows he is an outsider of Canadian society and that he could never be a real Canadian. Sek-Lung’s bad health condition is another reason why he is an outsider of Canadian society. In the novel, Sek-Lung is the character that was born with serious a breathing problem so that he could not go to school like his brothers or sister, and he has to stay at home. â€Å"[B]ut the school doctor rejected my attempt to get back into the classroom. [†¦] ‘Sek-Lung still has breathing problems,’ he told Kiam to explain to Father. ‘I recommend he stay with his home studies and try again next year† (Choy 173). He really wants to go to school and study English to become more familiar with Canada culture. However, due to the lung disease, the opportunities to absorb the Canadian society and to make Canadian friends are being missed and that makes him further away from the Canadian society. In addition, when Sek-Lung stays at home, the traditional Chinese culture is instilled into his mind by Poh-Poh so that he cannot blend in with Canadian society. He believes all of Poh-Poh’s words, especially her superstitious beliefs. When Sek-Lung’s condition is getting better and he goes to school in September, he still thinks it is because of Poh-Poh although she is already dead. Sek-Lung thinks that â€Å"Grandmama had kept her promise† (Choy 197). He is influenced by Poh-Poh’s traditional Chinese mentality and it is totally different from the Canadian culture and foreign to Canadian society. He cannot tell Canadian people about the superstitious belief because no one would listen to him and no one would believe it. Consequently, Sek-Lung is an outsider of Canadian society, not only because he is Chinese, but also because he is denied the chance to touch the Canadian society by his illness and is influenced deeply by Poh-Poh’s traditional Chinese culture. On the other hand, Sek-Lung is also an outsider of the Chinese group. He was born in Canada and the different environment in which he grows up makes him different from other Chinese people so that he cannot be a fully Chinese person like others. First of all, he knows very little about Chinese. For example, he feels a headache about family ranking and Chinese kinship terms which are contained in the Chinese culture and he uses wrong titles for other family members. He mentions in the third part of the book that â€Å"I would say ‘Third Uncle’ instead of ‘Great Uncle’† (Choy 145). Stepmother and Poh-Poh both think that Sek-Lung being confused about the way to call people is brainless. That is how Chinese people think about him and that makes Sek-Lung feel a sense of loss because he is poor in Chinese so that he cannot fully understand Chinese values. In the second place, Sek-Lung is worshipping everything foreign. That is entirely different from learning foreign culture. In the book, Sek-Lung wants to be a Canadian rather than Chinese and he wants to have an appearance like white people. â€Å"I sometimes wished that my skin would turn white, my hair go brown, my eyes widen and turn blue, and Mr. and Mrs. O’Connor next door would adopt me and I would be Jack O’Connor’s little brother† (Choy 151). This kind of idea makes Sek-Lung feels marginalized in the Chinese group due to the conflict of his appearance and his wish that pushes him to be an outsider to the Chinese. What’s more, Suk-Lung does not like the Chinese language. For instance, he has the strongest reaction to Chinese language of all the characters in the book and that makes him be outside the Chinese group. He thinks that Chinese is harder than English. He says â€Å"English words seemed more forthright to me, blunt like road signs. Chinese words were awkward and messy, like quicksand† (Choy 150). That means he likes English much more than Chinese. Thus, it can be seen that Sek-Lung has strong western ideas which are contrary to the Chinese culture although he was born in a Chinese family. To sum up, living in a Chinese group, Sek-Lung does not have the same Chinese opinions like others. He doesn’t know a lot about the Chinese culture, he wants to look like a foreigner and he even does not like the Chinese language. Those things make him grow farther and farther away from the Chinese group. Moreover, Sek-Lung has been marginalized in the family due to his close relationship with his grandmother. As the book mentions, Poh-Poh is the most powerful person in the family who occupies the highest status and she prefers Suk-Lung above all other kids. For starters, because of his good relationship with Poh-Poh Suk-Lung attracts much jealousy from his family members especially from Jook Liang. For example, in Jook-Liang’s part, she said â€Å"For years, I had been nagged to remember to wash diapers and generally clean up after my baby brother, who was now three years old and sickly. I was tired of his always leaking at both ends. [†¦]Baby brother was sick again. Always sick. Always getting all the attention [†¦]† (Choy 27). Compared with the way Jook Liang is treated by Poh-Poh: washing diapers of little brother, always being told that she is useless, never being taught but expected to work. The ways Liang and Sekky were treated by Poh-Poh are unequal and that is why Sek-Lung has been jealous and marginalized by Liang. Furthermore, Sek-Lung follows Poh-Poh, and does abnormal thing which makes the whole family ashamed of them. In order to make wind chimes they search the garbage so as to find materials with the result that other family members feel ashamed. Second brother Jung Sum said â€Å"All of our friends are laughing at us! They also make the first son Kiam feel unhappy and said they are beggars. The whole family is ashamed of them and Sek-Lung being ashamed of following Poh-Poh so that makes him be marginalized by other family members and become an outsider in the family. Finally, Sek-Lung becomes marginalized by the family because he has shown his belief in superstition by Poh-Poh. After Poh-Poh’s death, Sek-Lung says that he can always see Poh-Poh’s ghost in the house, so that makes other family member feel weird because only he can see the ghost in the house but they cannot, so they dont believe him and think he is abnormal as well. â€Å"Sister Liang refused to take me out anywhere her jitterbugging girlfriend might see or hear me† (Choy 178). His behaviour is not accepted by his brothers and sister or even his parents. Although he lives with them together and they love him, his superstitious opinions of seeing Poh-Poh’s ghost still confused him to be marginalized by the whole family. All in all, Sek-Lung is an outsider like a marginal member in his family because he spends too much time with Poh-Poh so that makes him be treated better than other kids, does shameful things and is deeply influenced by Poh-Poh’s opinion. Sek-Lung is a person who wants to be a simple Canadian, a kid who knows very little about Chinese culture, a son who is affected by grandmother’s old traditions and an outsider of society. He wants to be Canadian but he can’t; he is living in a traditional Chinese family but he knows nothing about their traditions. He has the best grandmother who loves him most in the world but he is marginalized by other family members because of his grandmother. To conclude, Sek-Lung is an outsider of society. He belongs neither to Canadian society nor Chinese group, and even is marginalized by his own family.

Haiti opposition candidate realesed essays

Haiti opposition candidate realesed essays Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Haitian authorities released an opposition candidate and four associates Saturday, nearly three weeks after they were arrested following regional elections, an opposition leader said. Authorities dropped charges of incitement to violence against candidate Jean Limongy and the four others, said Evans Paul of Limongy's Space for Concord five-party coalition. Limongy, a candidate for a lower house seat, and the others were arrested May 23, two days after local and legislative elections. More than 2 million Haitian voters, about 60 percent of the electorate, cast their ballots in the violence-free elections. The Lavalas Family party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide gained control of the upper house and was leading in most lower-house races as vote counting continued this week. Since the vote, police have arrested at least 37 opposition candidates and activists. Sixteen have been released. Space for Concord militant Laurore Noel, who was arrested with Limongy, remained in prison in Petit-Goave jail, about 35 miles southwest of the capital, Paul said. On Wednesday, three candidates projected as the winners for seats on the Port-au-Prince city council under Aristide's Lavalas Family banner were arrested on charges of having false police identification cards. Elections for legislative seats in Haiti's troubled Grand'-Anse district, where the vote was delayed due to technical difficulties, are set for Sunday, officials said. Haiti has been without a Parliament since President Rene Preval dismissed legislators in 1999 to resolve a power struggle. Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, r ...

Biography of José Santos Zelaya

Biography of Josà © Santos Zelaya Josà © Santos Zelaya (1853-1919) was a Nicaraguan dictator and president from 1893 to 1909. His record is a mixed one: the country progressed in terms of railroads, communications, commerce, and education, but he was also a tyrant who jailed or assassinated his critics and stirred up rebellions in neighboring nations. By 1909 his enemies had multiplied enough to drive him from office, and he spent the rest of his life in exile in Mexico, Spain, and New York. Early Life Josà © was born into a wealthy family of coffee growers. They were able to send Josà © to the best schools, including some in Paris, which was quite the fashion for young Central Americans of means. Liberals and Conservatives were feuding at the time, and the country was ruled by a series of Conservatives from 1863 to 1893. Josà © joined a Liberal group and soon rose to a position of leadership. Rise to the Presidency The Conservatives had held onto power in Nicaragua for 30 years, but their grip was beginning to loosen. President Roberto Sacasa (in office 1889-1893) saw his party splinter when former President Joaquà ­n Zavala led an internal revolt: the result was three different Conservative presidents at different times in 1893. With the Conservatives in disarray, the Liberals were able to seize power with the assistance of the military. Forty-year-old Josà © Santos Zelaya was the Liberals’ choice for President. Annex of the Mosquito Coast Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast had long been a bone of contention between Nicaragua, Great Britain, the United States and the Miskito Indians who made their home there (and who gave the place its name). Great Britain declared the area a protectorate, hoping eventually to establish a colony there and perhaps construct a canal to the Pacific. Nicaragua has always claimed the area, however, and Zelaya sent forces to occupy and annex it in 1894, naming it the Province of Zelaya. Great Britain decided to let it go, and although the US sent some Marines to occupy the city of Bluefields for a while, they, too, retreated. Corruption Zelaya proved to be a despotic ruler. He drove his Conservative opponents into ruin and even ordered some of them arrested, tortured and killed. He turned his back on his liberal supporters, instead surrounding himself with like-minded crooks. Together, they sold concessions to foreign interests and kept the money, siphoned off of lucrative state monopolies, and increased tolls and taxes. Progress It wasn’t all bad for Nicaragua under Zelaya. He built new schools and improved education by providing books and materials and raising teacher salaries. He was a big believer in transportation and communication, and new railroads were built. Steamers carried goods across the lakes, coffee production boomed, and the country prospered, especially those individuals with connections to President Zelaya. He also built up the national capital at neutral Managua, leading to a decrease in the feuding between traditional powers Leà ³n and Granada. Central American Union Zelaya had a vision of a united Central America- with himself as President, of course. To this end, he started stirring up unrest in neighboring countries. In 1906, he invaded Guatemala, allied with El Salvador and Costa Rica. He supported a rebellion against the government of Honduras, and when that failed, he sent the Nicaraguan army into Honduras. Together with the El Salvadoran Army, they were able to defeat the Hondurans and occupy Tegucigalpa. The Washington Conference of 1907 This prompted Mexico and the United States to call for the Washington Conference of 1907, at which a legal body called the Central American Court was created to solve disputes in Central America. The small countries of the region signed an agreement not to meddle in one another’s affairs. Zelaya signed but did not stop trying to stir up rebellions in neighboring countries. Rebellion By 1909 Zelaya’s enemies had multiplied. The United States considered him an impediment to their interests, and he was despised by Liberals as well as Conservatives in Nicaragua. In October, Liberal General Juan Estrada declared a rebellion. The United States, which had been keeping some warships close to Nicaragua, quickly moved to support it. When two Americans who were among the rebels were captured and killed, the US broke off diplomatic relations and once again sent Marines into Bluefields, ostensibly to protect US investments. Exile and Legacy of Josà © Santos Zelaya Zelaya, no fool, could see the writing on the wall. He left Nicaragua in December of 1909, leaving the treasury empty and the nation in shambles. Nicaragua had much foreign debt, most of it to European nations and Washington sent experienced diplomat Thomas C. Dawson to sort things out. Eventually, the Liberals and Conservatives returned to bickering, and the US occupied Nicaragua in 1912, making it a protectorate in 1916. As for Zelaya, he spent time in exile in Mexico, Spain, and even New York, where he was briefly jailed for his role in the deaths of the two Americans in 1909. He died in 1919. Zelaya left a mixed legacy in his nation. Long after the mess he had left had been cleared up, the good remained: the schools, the transportation, the coffee plantations, etc. Even though most Nicaraguans hated him in 1909, by the late twentieth-century opinion of him had improved enough for his likeness to be featured on Nicaragua’s 20 Cordoba note. His defiance of the United States and Great Britain over the Mosquito Coast in 1894 contributed greatly to his legend, and it is this act which is still remembered most about him today. Memories of his dictatorship have also faded due to subsequent strongmen taking over Nicaragua, such as Anastasio Somoza Garcà ­a. In many ways, he was a precursor to the corrupt men that followed him into the President’s chair, but their malfeasance eventually overshadowed his. Sources: Foster, Lynn V. New York: Checkmark Books, 2007. Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.

What do you stand for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

What do you stand for - Essay Example n a story, reflect on the perceptions of the author to such topics and compare it on your own so that the message being conveyed by the author will be fully appreciated by the reader. In this paper, specific themes on three essays discussed in class are analyzed and compared with that of my own values. John Edgar Wideman’s â€Å"Our Time† tells a compelling story about his brother Robby and the obscurities and poor choices he had in life which led him to the ultimate consequence of his actions, being locked up forever in prison for murdering his best friend. Using three different points of views namely himself, Robby’s and their mother’s, Wideman was able to convey three distinct events in his brother’s life such as the death of Garth, the change in the family’s choice of neighborhood from Homewood to Shadyside and the time of Robby birth. For instance, Wideman acknowledged Robby’s perception of the world, on why felt nothing but hate and resentment stating, â€Å"The world’s a stone bitch. Nothing true if that’s not true.† (Wideman 694). Because of this approach, he has successfully presented a three-dimensional view of Robby’s personal troubles and difficulties that may have influenced the person his br other became in the present. In addition, Wideman tried to identify with the reasons behind his brother’s struggles and unfortunate pronouncements in life by making himself understand the personal circumstances from Robby’s childhood to the present without subjecting into any prejudice. With the help of the different standpoints on Robbie’s story, I came into realization that the fate of a person does not solely rely on where or how he was raised but a consequence of each choices he decide on life. Though it may be true that one’s upbringing and relationships can shape his values and morals, an individual has always a conscious choice in his every action throughout his life. I believe that free will is a special human ability to select

Minard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Minard - Assignment Example In the graphical image by Minard, he uses six organizational patterns in Technical Communication. The six organizational patterns shown in the figurative map of Napoleons disastrous Russian campaign of 1812-1813 include the army size. The army size is ideally the number of individuals in the army at any particular stage during the inversion. Secondly is the location. In the image, there is the location depiction at every stage, showing the reduction progression of the army men. The third organizational pattern shown is that of the direction of the army’s movement. The direction of the army’s movement is clearly shown as the movement progressed from the Niemen River to Moscow. Other organizational patterns included temperature variance, which also contributed significantly towards the reduction in the number of soldiers as they would not tolerate the low icing temperatures. The various challenges faced, also shown as an organizational pattern in the figure. It mainly identifies the various obstacles that contributed towards the reduction in the number of army men. These included diseases. The last of the organizational pattern observable is unity. The image shows that despite the numerous challenges that were faced by the army men, a majority of them remained unity in forging ahead with the

Pursuing Happiness Essay Example for Free

Pursuing Happiness Essay We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness All men are created equal, but are we all really treated equal? As of January 2013, nine states — Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington — have legalized same-sex marriage. Thats a mere 5.5% of the nation, whereas countries such as Canada, Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Sweden have already granted full marital status to same-sex couples and other countries (France, Columbia, the UK, Taiwan, etc. ) have pending bills to legalize it as well. We are a leading nation in the world, we should be setting an example. So why are we so behind on this important matter? It is hit by a number issues, many of which are religion-based. Personally, I do not follow any religion but I respect the belief of others because I wouldnt like someone to insult something I believe in and thus I wouldnt do the same to another human being. But I dont understand why they cant understand my beliefs. I believe in love. Crazy, stupid, happy love. Tell me, what is so wrong with seeing two people in love get married? Should it matter what gender they are? Just because someone is of a different sexuality than you are doesnt mean that they arent human. They have feelings just like you and I. They dont look any different from us either. These people could be your brother or sister, your uncle or aunt, your schoolmates or teachers, they could even be your best friend. Speaking of best friends, one of mine, Christian, is the reason this issue hits so close to home for me. Ive been to 6 different schools in my life and befriended many people but Ive never really been open about myself in any of them. But with Christian and our other best friend, Nardos, there were no secrets. I remember the day Christian came out of the closet to us as clearly as if it were yesterday, I recall him blushing when we asked if he liked anyone and gushing over his crush of five years. Someday, I hope to see him in a relationship with someone and as maddeningly happy as he was that day. I hope to see him get married, to see him be happy. I hope that someday hell be able to come out to a world that judges him less on love than who he loves and more on who he is. Sadly, I doubt that day will come anytime soon. That isnt to say that it will never come. I mean, interracial marriage was illegal in the US till anti-miscegenation laws (laws that banned interracial marriage, cohabitation and sex) were declared unconstitutional in 1967. Doesnt it seem ridiculous to you that it took a supreme court decision to define that it was alright for two people of different races to love and marry each other? Well, thats how it seems to me with same-sex marriage.

The Power of Painting in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

The Power of Painting in Kate Chopin's The Awakening The Awakening by Kate Chopin displays the struggle a woman goes through in order to break the current status quo. In this novel, Edna Pontellier releases herself to her deepest yearnings, plunging into an immoral relationship that reawakens her long dormant desires, enflames her heart, and eventually blinds her to all else. As she goes through these changes Edna involves herself in many different activities. Painting becomes one of her favorite pastimes and her artwork often depicts an important person in her life. Her impulse to paint is driven by her current emotion; this would explain the passion inserted into each peace of art. Edna is fascinated by painting and attempts to sketch and paint her friends. She has the opportunity to paint Adele Ratignolle, a woman she claims to be as poised as a Madonna. "Never had that lady seemed a more tempting subject than at that moment, seated there like some sensuous Madonna, with the gleam of the fading day enriching her splendid color" (22). Edna attempts to capture the scene with Adele and replicate it on her sketch pad but falls short. "After surveying the sketch critically she drew a broad smudge of paint across its surface, and crumpled the paper between her hands" (22). Edna in this way is a bit of a perfectionist. She will not accept anything less than faultless. If it does not successfully capture the image in the way that she herself sees it, it is deplorable. Luckily this is a recently acquired outlet and she has accepted the fact that her art might not be as good as it can be. Edna throws away some of her sketches, claiming to be an amateur artis t. If she held herself to a higher degree of talent it would more difficult for her to accept these imperfections. This attitude towards her painting relates just as easily to her attitude regarding life. Towards the beginning of the novel, Edna is more passive about the way she is living, the same way she is passive about throwing out her sketches. As Edna describes her youth and distant life in Kentucky, she paints images in her mind. She desperately wants to paint them, but instead uses the paint of memories.

Pacific grove case study Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY By 2015, Pacific Grove (hereafter referred as â€Å"PG†) will reach a 55% ratio of interest/bearing debt to total assets and their equity multiplier will be 2.77 which is consistent with Peterson’s expectation. I must be noted that over the next 4 years, PG’s interest coverage is forecasted to increase suggesting that they will gradually be building up more earnings to cover its debt payment which is a good sign for the banks. Dilution of shares seems have to have little impact on the EPS of PG shares. Therefore, it is expected that PG shareholders would accept the issuing of shares. However, this information has to be clearly communicated by PG’s management to its shareholders in order to gain support of this share issuance. It is also fairly safe to say that it is a good decision for PG to enter into the television deal. It is noted that the project would yield a positive NPV at 10%, 15% and 20% discount rates. The project also requires only a modest initial investment The loss of confidence in credit by the overall market had left PG with no choice but to obey the demands of their bank as it would be difficult to obtain credit from other institutions during the time. In addition to that PG was also in the midst of a bearish stock market. This is justified by the fact that investors were anxious about the market and only willing to offer $27.50. A number of recommendations are given to help PG reduce their debt levels. These include improving their supply chain efficiency and forecasting so that they can reduce their inventory levels, negotiating with suppliers to reduce the rate they are paying for inventory and can extending the length of their accounts payable. Overall, it is recommend that PG accepts the investment group’s offer of $27.50 and issue 400,000 common stock to raise $11M for reasons mentioned earlier in the report. The extra funds will give PG more capacity to fund the television program in addition to reducing its debt to meet their bank’s requirement, as well as purchasing an underpriced High Country. 1.0 DEBT According to the forecast in Exhibit 1, PG seems to be on course in meeting their bank’s demand of 55% Debt to Total Asset ratio and 2.7 equity multiplier. Table 1 in the appendix illustrates a number of ratios relating to PG’s debt. Just by following their expected future growth plans they will almost reach the requirements of the bank within 4 years. Using the information provided from their forecasted financials, by 2015 Pacific Grove will reach a 55% ratio of interest/bearing debt to total assets and their equity multiplier will be 2.77 which is consistent with Peterson’s expectation. Although PG’s current future is projected to meet the bank’s demands, the issue that is yet to be known is whether the banks are willing to allow PG 4 years to achieve this. If the banks are reluctant to grant PG such a lengthy time period, PG will need to make smart changes in reducing these ratios. Recommendations for PG in to solve this problem are discussed later in the report. An another note, it must be noted that over the next 4 years, PG’s interest coverage is forecasted to increase suggesting that they will gradually be building up more earnings to cover its debt payment which is a good sign for the banks. This positive factor might help influence the bank to give PG the entire 4 years to meet their requirements. 2.0 SELLING NEW COMMON STOCK The issue with selling new common stock is that it can create dilution amongst existing shareholders. Shareholder dilution will lower share price in addition to sending a negative signal to the company’s shareholders. PG’s common shares outstanding would increase from 1,165,327 by 400,000 to 1,565,327. PG’s current EPS in 2011 is 2.037. According to the earning figures from the forecast in Exhibit 1, the EPS will be 2.136 after issuing  the new shares at year 2012. Table 2 (attached in the appendix) illustrating the EPS from 2012 to 2015 shows that dilution of shares seems have to have little impact on the EPS of PG shares. Therefore, it is expected that PG shareholders would accept the issuing of shares. However, this information has to be clearly communicated by PG’s management to its shareholders in order to gain support of this share issuance. 3.0 ACQUISITION OF HIGH COUNTRY The enterprise value of High Country was estimated in order to compare whether the acquisition price asked for it is would create impairment in the future. The forecasted financials of High Country is attached in the appendix. The discounted cash flow method gave an enterprise value of $37.56M. Assumptions are given in the appendix as to how this amount was achieved. This amount is way above the asking price of $13.2M (in excess of $24.36M). The excess amount will be recorded on PG’s balance sheet as goodwill if the acquisition occurs. As this goodwill amount is very large, it is expected not to be amortized in the future. Peterson has noted that PG would not consider the acquisition if it is anticipated that there will be future impairment and write-down of goodwill created by the purchase of High Country. As the book value(37.56M) is so much higher than its current market value ($13.2M), it is very unlikely that the goodwill will be impaired in the future. With that said, there will be no write down of goodwill. It must also be noted that based on the analysis of this report, High Country is heavily undervalued. The acquisition of High Country will be come off as a smart buy for PG. Overall, PG should look into acquiring High Country not only because of the unlikely write-down, but also because it is undervalued for what it is truly worth. 4.0 TELEVISION DEAL Judging by Exhibit 3, it seems fairly safe to say that it is a good decision for PG to enter into the television deal. It is noted that the project would yield a positive NPV at 10%, 15% and 20% discount rates. The project also requires only a modest initial investment of $1,440,000. Working capital for  the following years significantly lowers after the first year of operations from $2,459,543 to $122,977. On top of that, the show’s star is a reputable name in the cooking industry. This will boost PG’s perception in the market relative to its competitors. All these factors contribute to making the television deal an attractive deal for PG to undertake. 5.0 IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CLIMATE PG is exposed to difficult credit environment as banks are facing pressure from regulators following the financial crisis of 2008. Due to the loss of confidence in credit by the overall market, PG was left with no choice but to obey the demands of their bank as it would be difficult to obtain credit from other institutions during the time. This has impacted PG in the sense that PG might have to make changes in their operations to suit the bank’s needs if the bank demands that their requirements be met before 2015. In addition to poor confidence in the credit market, PG is also in the midst of a bearish stock market. From the fact that investors were anxious about the market and only willing to offer $27.50, which is below the market price, justifies that market participants have lost confidence in the stock market. Due to this market condition, PG will receive less capital funding if they were to accept the offer from the investment group. Overall, the market conditions are not in PG’s favour. The loss of confidence in both credit and stock market has negatively impacted PG. 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS In terms of reducing PG’s debt if the bank want the debt figures lowered to the required levels before 2015 then Pacific Grove must do something more aggressive reduce interest bearing debt levels. It is recommended that the company explore ways to reduce its need for working capital financing. They should see if there are ways of improving their supply chain efficiency and forecasting so that they can reduce their inventory levels. They should look to negotiate with suppliers to reduce the rate they are paying for inventory. PG should also see if they can extend the length of their accounts payable. Even if they have to pay a slight price premium, if the  rate (APR) is less than what the banks are charging them in interest, it could help to both save money and reduce their capital needs. They should also see if they can adjust the credit policy terms with their customers to shorten the number of days before payment. By reducing receivables and increasing payables they should be able to reduce their financing needs from the bank in notes payable and thus lower their interest-bearing debt. Another option to help PG meet the bank’s demand faster would be to accept the offer by the investment and raise funds by selling common stock. This would store up more cash for future usage and PG will be able to reduce their debt levels in the following years. 7.0 CONCLUSION Overall, it is recommend that PG accepts the investment group’s offer of $27.50 and issue 400,000 common stock to raise $11M for reasons mentioned earlier in the report. The extra funds will give PG more capacity to fund the television program in addition to reducing its debt to meet their bank’s requirement, as well as purchasing an underpriced High Country.

The Third and Final Continent Essay

Joel Wilson Wilson1 Ms. Lewis English 112 (3) 17 October 2012 Critical Response Throughout â€Å"The Third and final continent† by Jhumpa Lahiri, arranged marriage can be the best thing that can happen to some people, but sometimes in another case it might not be the best idea, in the â€Å"The third and final continent, the arranged marriage was a good idea because at the end they fall in love with each other and make a good family after all.The man might not be thinking about getting married because he will be preoccupied by other thing like getting a job or taking of he’s mother and maybe little brothers. â€Å"It was a duty expected of me† (Lahiri, P. 181) He did what he’s family wanted him to do, or maybe the woman’s family might be concern about the daughter getting married, â€Å" †¦Had begun to fear that she would never marry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lahiri, P. 181) The narrator did what he’s family’s wanted him to do, not only be cause it’s a family duty, but the wife’s family has begun to worry about her getting married.Arranged marriage can make a happy family just as normal marriages, the narrator and he’s wife live a happy life after getting adapter to each other’s presence. The arranged marriage in â€Å"The third and final continent† was a successful, they even â€Å"†¦ had a son who attend Harvard University† (Lahiri, P. 197) arranged marriages are not the worst thing that can happen it just need to people to love each other and get adapter to the new situation.

mexican political socilazation essays

mexican political socilazation essays All People have Political beliefs and ideals. Political culture is defined as the political attitudes, beliefs, values and skills [within] an entire population.(e+h 55) Political culture comes about through the political socialization of the people of that population. In this essay, I will examine and discuss my own political ideals and ideologies. I will also examine the political system of Mexico, and discuss how my political beliefs would be different if I were born in Mexico. The structure of the Mexican Government is similar to that of the United States. There is a constitution, 2 branches of legislature, an executive branch, and a separate judiciary branch. While the government of Mexico is structurally similar to Americas, the way it is run is vastly different. Until recently, the government could be described as an authoritarian system governed by president, who cannot be reelected to another six-year term. (://memory.loc.gov) There was only one political party that has any real power, the Institutional Revolutionary Party which generally is a working class, middle class and labor union party. That party finally lost control of the presidency to the conservative Party of National Action. Another part less powerful than the other two is the Democratic Revolutionary Party. The political culture in mexico is described by Ethridge and Handelman as a subject political culture(456) that is they lack the confidence in their ability to influence government behavior.(456) Having grown up in a strong Republican upper-middle class household in the suburbs of New York and having attended a traditional Catholic school, my political beliefs and ideologies were shaped accordingly. Since both of my parents were and still are Republican, I have always had a tendency to support the Republican aspect of most issues. Generally, the political ideologies ...

Assessing Young Learners Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang Essay Example for Free

Assessing Young Learners’ Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang Essay Learning (1721) , Learners (44) , Elementary school (34) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints A. Background of the Problem Communicative view development in English learning makes the focus on English teaching changed. What once became structurally focused, it now moves toward meaningful language-focused. Students are not asked to memorize structure-based dialogues without knowing the meaning anymore. There are no more grammatically controlled sentences for students’ meaningless repetition. Dialogues, if used, center around communicative functions and are not normally memorized (Richards & Rodgers, 1986). That makes the teaching of speaking becomes the core part of English teaching. Just like the adults, young learners today are also taught speaking meaningfully and communicatively. However, young learners have distinctive characteristics compared with adult learners. One of them is children are still developing cognitively, linguistically, socially, emotionally, and physically (Teaching Knowledge Test Young Learners: Handbook for Teachers, 2010). In other words, in teaching speaking to them, teachers need to consider children’s development of skills in the native language first. Young learners also enjoy rhythmic and repetitive language more than adults do. They are more likely to play with language than adults are, and they can be more effectively engaged through stories and games (Peck, 2009). The different techniques and approaches in teaching speaking to young learners lead to different ways in the speaking assessment. This is the problem faced by Indonesian young learners’ teachers nowadays. Most teachers do not know how they should assess their young learners’ speaking ability; some finally choose to skip the speaking assessment and focus on pencil-paper-tests. Thus, this research is conducted to discover and reveal ways of assessing young learners’ speaking ability. B. Identification of the Problem Based on the background above, the speaking assessment techniques used for young learners should be different from the adult. It should be suited with their cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development. As we looked upon Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices by Brown (2010) and integrated it with curriculum standard in Indonesia, KTSP 2006, young learners will be better to be assessed in imitative and intensive speaking categories, such as imitating teachers’ saying, directed response tasks, read-aloud tasks, and dialogue completion tasks. Alternative assessments such as interviews and conferences can also be applied for them. C. Limitation of the Problem In this research, the problem will be focused on the speaking assessment techniques in the fifth grade of three selected elementary schools in Padang. D. Formulation of the Problem * What kind of speaking assessment technique used by elementary school English teachers? * Why do they use such techniques? E. Purpose of the Research The purpose of this research is to discover and reveal the technique used by English teachers to assess elementary school students’ speaking ability. F. Significance of the Research Theoretically, this research is aimed to give a description of how speaking assessment for young learners done in Indonesia. Practically, some techniques used by English teachers provided here can be a source of alternative speaking assessment. CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. The Nature of Assessment There has been various explanation of what assessment is. Brindley (as stated in Linse, 2005) refers assessment as â€Å"collecting information and making judgments on a learner’s knowledge†. It means that in assessing students, we need to find out what students know about the subject being taught and how far that understanding has reached the learning indicator. In the same line with Brindley but with an addition, Brown (2010) states assessment as â€Å"an ongoing process of collecting information about a given object of interest according to procedures that are systematic and substantively grounded.† In his statement above, Brown implies that the process of collecting and judging students’ understanding is not done orderly in one single time; it is done continuously. Harris and McCann (1994) also give an essential note that in doing assessment teachers have to measure the performance of their students and the progress they make, as well as diagnose the problems they have and provide useful feedback. In other words, collecting and judging students’ intelligence is not enough; finding out what becomes students’ problem and giving advice to them to overcome the problems is also important to create a more successful learning process. Based on the theories above, it can be seen that assessment involves collecting information about students’ knowledge and judging their understanding in order to diagnose the learning problems they have so that students can get useful feedback to be more-successful learners. B. The Nature of Speaking As stated in the previous chapter, today’s English teaching focuses more on communicative purpose of language learning than in the past. It leads to the more important consideration of speaking skills than in previous time. Just like assessment, there is also various definition of speaking. One of them is from Lingua Links (1998) that defines speaking as productive skill in the oral mode that involves more than just pronouncing words. Referring to today’s communicative view, of course speaking cannot be thought as just pronouncing words; it needs to be meaningful, and communicative. Furthermore, Noonan (2003) states that, if pronunciation included, speaking involves three areas: mechanics (pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary), functions (transaction and interaction), and social cultural norms and rules (turn-taking, rate of speech, etc). All of them are connected to each other and prove that speaking is not only about what is uttered, but also the meaning and social purpose. C. The Nature of Young Learners Young learner is a child who is in their first six year of formal education, from age 6 to 12 (Teaching Knowledge Test Young Learners: Handbook for Teachers, 2010). Many experts argue that it is beneficial to teach the children English since young age. TKT Young Learners (2010) notes one of the advantages that those children will have positive self-esteem toward English and it will help them to learn English more once they are adult. That is why teaching English to young learners considered important today. However, young learners have characteristics that make them different from the adults (Teaching Knowledge Test Young Learners: Handbook for Teachers, 2010). First, they are still morally, cognitively, psychologically developed. Based on Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, children in age 6-12 years old are still in concrete operational thought stage, they already have the ability to do logical reasoning and understand reversibility with the help of concrete objects (Santrock, 1998). It means that explaining theory will not do for them, we need to make them move, do games, sing, etc. Second, young learners often have no obvious reason for learning English. Unlike adults who want to do it because of the career-related reasons or teenagers that do it to pass an exam, young learners do not have concrete reason why they must learn English. However, it does not mean they are not motivated to learn English; their goodwill, energy, and curiosity to learning overcome that. Third, they may not always have well-developed literacy skills to support their learning of English. Many children in the age of 6-12 years old are just getting to know their first language. It means that as a teacher we need to not have too-high expectation and do more. Fourth, young learners often learn slowly and forget quickly. It is related to the first characteristic that young learners are still developed morally, socially, and cognitively. Their still-ongoing developments in those basic things make them forget easily and learn slowly. This is why songs, agmes, and chants do best for them. D. Principles of Assessing Young Learners According to METU Open Course Ware (2006), principles of assessing children’s language learning are: 1. Assessment should be seen from a learning-centered perspective. It means that we cannot get a true assessment by testing kids what they can do alone. It has been stated by many experts that the goal of learning English is to be able to communicate meaningfully in English. Testing students, let alone young children, as a tool to get true assessment will not congruent with the real goal of English learning and it will just be wasting time. 2. Assessment should support learning and teaching. This is something that is not also becomes a problem with young learners, but also with the adult. Before performance-based assessment is introduced, teachers chose paper-and-pencil tests as their source of assessing (Puppin, 2006). It becomes a problematic then since students do not see the connection between the learning and the test they are doing, ; they see them as two different incongruent things. If the assessment done is congruent with the learning they did, children will feel that what they have learned is useful. 3. Children and parents should understand assessment issues. Their understanding will make the assessment process more meaningful since they can participate and supports greatly on behave of children’s English development. On the other hand, if they do not understand why the teacher does this and that, there will be no good communication between these three subjects to help children’s development. E. Techniques of Speaking Assessment Brown (2010) states some techniques of speaking assessment based on students’ language development level: Imitative Speaking This kind of assessment is intended to see whether students can imitate saying in English correctly. Eventhough it focuses on the accuracy of repeating words, it does not mean that it cannot be communicative and meaningful. Besides, in recent years many experts have discovered that an overemphasis on fluency can sometimes lead to the decline of accuracy in speech. Intensive Speaking There are four tasks in this kind of assessing: directed response task, oral questionnaire, and picture-cued task. In oral questionnaires, students are first given time to read the dialogue to get its main idea and to think about the appropriate lines to fill in. Then, as the tape, teacher produces one part orally; the students respond. In directed response task, students elicit a particular grammatical form of a transformation of a sentence. Such tasks are clearly mechanical and not communicative, but they do require minimal processing of meaning in order to produce the correct grammatical output. Picture-cued task requires a description from the students. Pictures may be very simple, designed to elicit a word or a phrase, or composed of a series that tells a story or incident. This task is meaningful since sometime a little sense of humor is injected. Responsive Speaking Assessment of responsive tasks involves brief interactions with an interlocutor, differing from intensive tasks in increased creativity given to the student and from interactive tasks by somewhat limited length of utterances. The kinds of this assessment are question and answer, giving instructions and directions, and paraphrasing. Questions and answers involve oral interaction with teacher. Assessing Young Learners’ Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang. (2016, Sep 10). ng-learners-speaking-ability-in-the-fifth-grade-of-three-elementary-schools-in-padang-essay We will write a custom sample essay on Assessing Young Learners’ Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang specifically for you We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Introduction and Executive summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction and Executive summary - Essay Example However, the architectural marvels and the grounds of the park fell into a state of disrepair in the eighties of the past century. The existing state of affairs has forced the authorities to have a relook at the best way to utilise the space. The site is optimally suitable for mixed use development of utilities/ structures type that can stand on their own but will undoubtedly benefit from the other product types within the development. Thus, the development team has arrived at the conclusion that the construction of office tower surrounded by smaller buildings housing a myriad of different retail uses and restaurants would utilise the site in the best possible way. Also minimum alterations would be done to some of the existing paths and walkways that contribute greatly to the overall character. Overall structure is planned in such a way so that the office building, which will be the centrepiece of the construction, would be placed in the centre so as to pull people inside. As per our estimates, mixed use development of the site would cost $79,905,200. While construction of residential structures would cost around $20,067,000, construction of office/hotel and industrial/retail structures and industrial/retail structure would cost around $74,000,000 and $21,990,600 respectively. Above incurred expenditure is forecasted to deliver an income of $18,301,356 / year. From residential structures alone the income is pegged at around $ 16,463,928. Income from office/hotel is forecasted at around $13,247,600 while that from industry/retail is estimated to be around $4,789,828. Utopia Development is keen to develop this site since its development coincides with the company’s aim of promoting the overall usability and utility of specific areas while also retaining its historical flavour. Utopia Development not only has the will and experience to do