Beans and More Beans

Beans and More Beans Beans and More Beans Beans and More Beans By Maeve Maddox Considering the flurry of comments triggered by my inclusion of a bean idiom in a recent post, I decided to give the humble bean a post of its own. The noun bean is Germanic in origin. August Fick (1833-1916) German comparative linguist, suggested that bean was cognate with faba, the Latin word for bean, but according to the OED, â€Å"phonetic considerations render this doubtful.† Originally, the word bean referred only to the broad bean (Faba vulgaris), but now it refers to any seed that resembles it. Human beings and beans have had a long relationship; Egyptians buried them with their dead, and Homer mentioned them in the Iliad. On the ancient Roman feast called the Lemuria (or Lumuralia), the pater familias (father of the family) got out of bed at midnight to walk around the house barefoot, throwing black beans over his shoulder. The rite was intended to exorcise any malevolent spirits that had accumulated in the household during the previous year. Pythagoras instructed his followers â€Å"not to love beans,† but he may have been warning them against meddling in politics, not forbidding them to eat beans; beans were used as markers in political elections. Artistotle equated the bean with venery (pursuit of sexual pleasure); to him, â€Å"abstaining from beans† meant â€Å"keeping the body chaste.† As common objects of daily life, beans found their way into literary and proverbial use. â€Å"Not worth a bean† came to mean worthless. Chaucer (1343-1400) uses the expression in â€Å"The Merchant’s Tale.† The hero of the tale is a knight who, after 60 years of bachelorhood, finally decides to marry: â€Å"For no other way of life,† he said, â€Å"is worth a bean.† A person who â€Å"does not have a bean† is poor indeed, although the bean in this expression may originate elsewhere than with the legume. A slang term for a sovereign or a guinea was bean. â€Å"Not to have a bean† meant â€Å"not to have a cent.† â€Å"Not to know beans about something† is to know nothing about it: Charles Faddis Does not Know Beans About Nuclear Energy â€Å"To spill the beans† is â€Å"to reveal a secret†: Drunk Whistleblower Spilled The Beans On Chemtrail Front Company For CIA The business world has a couple of bean expressions all its own. A â€Å"bean counter† is a contemptuous term applied to an accountant or other financial expert by people who feel that creativity is more valuable than mere record-keeping. A beanfeast or beanfest is an annual dinner given by an employer to his employees. The word bean is slang for head: â€Å"Im a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use, dont you know†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œP. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves Wodehouse and other British writers used â€Å"Old Bean† as a friendly term of address: â€Å"You don’t mind my asking, do you old bean?† â€Å"Use your bean† means â€Å"think!† The little cap called a beanie gets its name from this meaning of bean, as does the baseball term bean ball, â€Å"a ball thrown at a batter’s head.† This application of bean has also given us a verb bean, â€Å"to hit someone on the head.† A beanery is a cheap restaurant, presumably because the meals are heavy on beans. The American city of Bostonfamous for its baked beansis often referred to as â€Å"Bean Town.† The expression that inspired this post is â€Å"full of beans,† meaning â€Å"full of energy and high spirits†: [In winter I try] to rise and shine, full of beans, every day.   [Reba] seems fresh, fit and full of beans, projecting herself the way I’m told she always does When I defined â€Å"full of beans† as â€Å"full of energy and high spirits,† several readers informed me of another meaning: â€Å"full of baloney† (or what bologna becomes once it is digested.) â€Å"Full of beans† in the sense of â€Å"energetic† probably originated as stable slang. Bean-fed horses were observed to be in good condition and lively, as in these examples from the OED: 1870  Ã‚   Daily News 27 July 5  Ã‚   The horses [] looked fresh and beany. 1843  R. S. Surtees Handley Cross II. vii. 199  Ã‚   [Hounds, horses], and men, are in a glorious state of excitement! Full o beans and benevolence! Another 19th century use of â€Å"full of beans† noted as stable slang was applied to a person â€Å"whom sudden prosperity had made offensive and conceited.† I suppose that such a stuck-up person could be seen as â€Å"full of beans† in the sense of being â€Å"full of it.† Apparently both meanings are current, so don’t be surprised if you get a puzzled look if your meaning doesn’t match that of your listener. I’ll end with what is probably the best-known bean quotation in popular culture, Rick’s farewell to Ilsa in the movie Casablanca: Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 1017 Patterns of Sentence StructureHyphenation in Compound Nouns

Scribing for Children With Writing Problems

Scribing for Children With Writing Problems Scribing is an accommodation  for children who have difficulty with writing. When scribing is included in a students specially designed instruction,  the teacher or a teachers aide will write the students responses to a test or other evaluation as the student dictates. Students who are able to participate in all other ways in the general education curriculum may need support when it comes to providing evidence that they have learned the content of a subject area, such as science or social studies. These students may have fine motor or other deficits that may make it difficult to write, even though they can learn and understand the material. Importance Scribing may be especially important when it comes to doing your states high stakes annual evaluation. If a child is required to write an explanation of the process for solving a math problem or the answer to a social studies or science question, scribing is permitted, since you are not measuring a childs ability to write but her understanding of the underlying content or process.  Scribing is not, however, permitted for English language arts assessments, since writing is specifically the skill that is being assessed.   Scribing, like many other accommodations, is included in the IEP.  Accommodations are permitted for both  IEP  and  504  students since the support of an aide or teacher on content area testing do not detract from a students ability to provide evidence of proficiency in a subject that is not specifically reading or writing. Scribing as an Accommodation As noted, scribing is an accommodation, as opposed to a modification of curriculum. With a modification, a student with a diagnosed disability is given a different curriculum than his same-age peers. For example, if students in a class have an assignment to write a two-page paper on a given subject, a student given a modification might only write two sentences. With an accommodation, the student with a disability does exactly the same work as her peers, but the conditions of completing that work are changed. An accommodation may involve extra time given for taking a test or allowing the student to take an exam in a different setting, such as a quiet, unoccupied room. When using scribing as an accommodation, the student speaks his answers verbally and an assistant or teacher writes those responses, without giving any extra prompting or help. Some examples of scribing might be: When Angela took the state educational test, the teachers aide scribed her responses to the written math sections.While the students in a science class wrote a three-paragraph essay about the  first dinosaurs, Joe dictated his essay as the teacher scribed his responses.While students in the sixth-grade class solved  math word problems  on rate, time, and distance, and listed their answers in the blank spaces on a worksheet, Tim dictated his answers to the teachers aide, who then wrote Tims solutions on the worksheet. While it may seem like scribing provides an extra- and perhaps unfair- advantage for special needs students, this particular strategy can mean the difference between enabling the student to participate in general education and segregating the student into a separate classroom, depriving him of opportunities to socialize and participate in mainstream education.

Dostoyevskys Underground Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dostoyevskys Underground Man - Essay Example Dostoyevsky’s Underground Man In the process of writing the novel, Dostoyevsky was much more concerned on remote ideals of European liberalism, because he did not believe in them anymore. In the beginning of his writing career, Dostoyevsky was a dreamer and an ideal romanticist. The ideas of utopian socialism inspired Dostoyevsky in his early writings. When he was in exile, these ideas vanished into thin air and he became more pragmatic and was focused not on the political principles, but on the ideas of an individual’s nature and the essence of a human being. The Irrationalism of the Underground Man Both the irrational and the rational exist in the human being. There is no need to discard the principles of irrationality, because it is another form of self-reflection. The Underground Man and his nature are close to any individual. A study of a disturbed mind and the existential nature of an individual was discussed by Dostoyevsky. The author managed to try his prey or the main characters of the novel in or der to show the limit of their rationality. Sometimes, in the situation of despair an individual becomes a piece of meat, which may be easily eaten by the stronger species. His heroes like being tortured and it is the way of their self-definition and self-expression. The same principles can be traced in existentialist philosophy, where individuals experience tortures in the name of tortures. It is a kind of exam for an inner world of an individual. The man’s irrational nature is dominant over his rational mind. In the Underground Man Dostoyevsky attacks human rationality, the ideas of materialism and utopianism. A man wants to gratify his self-will. The basic features of a hero of the Underground Man should be searched in his ability to be a typical, an ordinary man. Existentialists are focused on the nature of a man, his ability to proud of his inner emotions, both negative and positive. The way of an inner corruption is the means for self-analysis. The fundamental principle s of existentialism are reflected in the novel by Dostoyevsky. In order to comprehend his being, a man considers it more interesting, integrative and universal than outer world. Existentialists are not focused on logic, because actions taken by an individual are subjective and the responsibility for these actions is assigned for individuals only. There is more irrational in the actions of an individual and there is no point to consider human actions from the perspective of logic. The main character of the novel defines himself as a sick, depressed man and there is a need to find some remedy for him. Is there a need in it? That is really interesting question. The being, who is able to evaluate him critically, is the real individual. The main character of Dostoyevsky underlines his desire to identify him: â€Å"I did not know how to become anything; neither spiteful nor kind, neither a rascal nor an honest man, neither a hero nor an insect†) (Dostoevsky 1). Thus, one of the mai n principles of existentialism works in the novel. The main character also claims that despair and suffering are the greatest enjoyment for him, because he may feel them acutely. He realizes his hopelessness and he enjoys having a chance to identify himself. Despair is a wide road for self-identification. In case the main character manages to define him, he would be able to understand the essence of his being and also the directions of his future

Comparative Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative Political Science - Essay Example In essence, the political violence experienced was as a result of different ethnic groups seeking political superiority (O’Neil 2). In some instances, political violence may take place when people protest against poor leadership by their governments or even when governments fail to take action where necessary. With this in mind, religion and political violence are not entirely related because religion does not necessarily cause political violence. It is incorrect to conclude that religious homogeneity can guarantee sectarian peace. In fact, religious homogeneity cannot guarantee sectarian peace. Religious homogeneity has to do with sameness in all religious beliefs, opinions, doctrines, and thoughts. If there is sameness in all aspects of religion, the likelihood of sectarianism and other religious differences is greatly reduced. Even if everyone was to belong to one particular religion, there would still be sectarianism because they would still have other differences such as race, ethnicity, and culture to fight about. For this reason, it would still be difficult to attain sectarian peace (O’Neil 78). Sectarian conflict does not always occur as a result of religious diversity. The differences in beliefs and opinions among religions can be used to explain religious diversity. Different religions might have different beliefs and ideas, but that does not always lead to sectarian conflict. The hatred and discrimination that arises from the different beliefs among religions are what can be called sectarianism. Religious diversity does not always mean sectarian conflict because different religions have learned to tolerate each other and get along for the overall good. A good example is America, which has diverse religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha’i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism among others (O’Neil 99).  Ã‚  

Poetic form meter Essay Example for Free

Poetic form meter Essay Exploring how Allen Curnow portrays the search for inspiration in Continuum In the poem ‘Continuum’ by Allen Curnow, he tells us about his lack of inspiration. The theme of the poem revolves around poetic inspiration, and how he is unable to get inspiration. Allen Curnow uses a variety of stylistic devices to portray this. The title, â€Å"Continuum†, shows us that the problem Allen Curnow talks about, his lack of inspiration, is never ending and is continuing all the time, i.e., it is continuous. The first stanza signifies the first stage of poetic inspiration and also shows us Curnow’s unstable thoughts; â€Å"the roof falls behind†, as he is unable to compose poetry he is in a sense, rolling and falling all over the place so to speak. In the first line, the word â€Å"moon† is used as an image: a symbol for Curnow. As the moon is unable to shine on its own (it has to draw its light and energy from the sun), just like that Curnow depends on his writing to keep him going in life. The first stanza also tells the reader about the setting and time of the poem which is at night. The moon also evokes images of loneliness and a solitary state in that it is the only bright object in the night sky just like Curnow is the only (and therefore lonely) person awake at night. The poem has no definite rhyme scheme, suggesting to us that the poet is finding it difficult to express his thoughts, and he cannot tap into the world of imagination. The last line of the first stanza; â€Å"I am talking about myself.† Is a clear statement of his frustration and his inability to write. In the next stanza, Curnow is seeking connection with nature to find poetic inspiration. The line, â€Å"It’s not possible to get off to sleep†, tells the reader that the poet is unable to sleep which shows that something is troubling him. He tries to convey that it’s as tough to get rid of his thoughts as it is to get rid off the planet. Curnow goes out â€Å"barefoot†, to rid himself of the human material and wants to connect with nature†¦.

A Bet Against Internet Gambling :: essays

A Bet Against Internet Gambling I love gambling. Who doesn’t? The minute you walk into a casino you are overwhelmed by exciting noises, flashing lights and people having a good time. There is so much excitement it isn’t hard to become addicted, especially after your first big win. The rush you get from winning is something that is hard to parallel. Trust me I know. I almost became addicted. I realized the trouble I was heading for before it was too late. I was a lucky one. Many people aren’t as lucky. It is especially easy for people who live very close to a casino to get addicted because it is so easily accessible. Now imagine if everyone who had a computer had 600+ casino’s right in their own living room. It is like everyone having access to crack cocaine all the time. Not quite as addictive, but you get the idea. That is why I am for Internet gambling prohibition. Some people might say that prohibition isn’t fair, that there are people who can handle the responsibility. Why should everyone suffer because some people can’t handle it? I would tell them that in making a decision like whether or not Internet gambling prohibition should be enforced the benefits should outweigh the risks. In this case they definitely do. Internet gambling is easy to get hooked on. There are advertisements for casinos at almost all of the major search engines and home pages (ex: yahoo, metacrawler, excite etc.) Many of these advertisements claim that they have free gambling or give away free money. For example one casino will give you $125.00 for a $50.00 deposit. Do you think they would really give you that money if they weren’t confident that you would get hooked and spend it all there or if they thought that they wouldn’t get it all back? Once they have lured you to their websites it is easy for them to get your money. It seems a lot easier to spend virtual casino tokens purchased with a credit card than it is to spend your actual hard earned cash at a real casino. Another obvious problem with having online casinos is that children have easy access to them. There is no way to check ID. Anyone with a credit card number can play. Parents of children who gamble online are legally responsible for the de bt that their children accumulate.

High School and Movie Rudy Essay

The movie Rudy is about a person named Rudy who wants to play football for the Notre-Dame Irish. Rudy has been told his entire life that he wasn’t good enough, he was too small and that his goals will never come true. He dreams of playing on the team but since his marks aren’t high enough his teacher didn’t let him apply for the school. There are three main aspects about Rudy that helps him get into Notre-Dame and its football team, his decision making, goal setting and values. Rudy’s decisions were well thought out, letting him work his way into Notre-Dame. After Rudy graduated from high school he went to work at a mill with his father. In an accident at a mill his best friend Pete died in an explosion and after this explosion he went to a priest. The priest told him that his marks need to be very good for him to get into Notre-Dame and suggested that he go to Holy Cross till he can get his marks up high enough. When he started studying at Holy Cross he met someone who was willing to be his tutor. From him he found out Rudy suffered from dyslexia, a learning disorder which made it hard for him to recognize and comprehend written words. Finally after 3 semesters Rudy got into Notre-Dame and was accepted into the football team because of how he played, giving it his all and trying harder than most. Rudy didn’t get dressed to play in a football game for about 2 years, then finally all the other players appealed on his behalf to the coach and he was finally got to play a game. Near the end of the game the players started to chant â€Å"Rudy† because he wasn’t able to get dressed for the game

The Vision Failed

The Vision FailedQuestion 1:If I were to consult with the HTE board of director soon after Harold started making changes, I would advise them, regarding the transformational perspective, to follow carefully how Harold is implementing these. In fact, to benefit from those changes and achieve Harold’s goal, the board of director should encourage him to adopt a transformational leadership.First of all, to be such a leader, Harold would have to be an example in the company. As a leader, he should inspire trust and communicate a clear vision on the changes he wants to make in the company and why. Moreover, those changes would rather emerge from the common interest and not from Harold only. The board should encourage Harold to review his vision with employees’ that inspire them.Then, I would explain to the board of director that a leader’s influence is inseparable from follower’s needs. Meaning that, all the changes, implemented by Harold, must be accepted by al l employees. I would advise them to warn Harold to take into account all employees’ needs and not favor some among others. Unfortunately, designing changes with only a few senior managers may have created a feeling of unfairness for those left aside. Consequently, they could be reluctant to the reorganization.Furthermore, the board should expect Harold to promote collaboration and rewards. As a result, employees would be able to innovate, improve their efficiency and commitment to work.To finish with, I would explain the significance of Harold’s behavior in order to achieve their goal because people are not always at ease with changes at work. They need someone to rely on to face their fear of uncertainty. That’s the role I would advise the board of director to help Harold with.Question 2:To answer the question, I think Harold had a clear vision for HTE but I assume he did not know how to implement it.As we can read in the case, Harold’s vision, was:† to prove new technologies  and advanced management techniques could make HTE one of the best manufacturing companies in the country†. We can say it is an â€Å"attractive, realistic, and believable future† (Bennis and Nanus, 1985). This clear vision is simple and understandable. In fact, it should create energy and motivation for the employees to take part in this change. Unfortunately, this vision did not come from the whole company but only from Harold. He chose to reorganize things that would more reduce employees’ efficiency than improve it. Because he did not take intoaccount all employees’ opinion he did not took the accurate decisions. As a consequence, it is challenging for the employees to support something they did not participate in. Over and above, the changes did not correspond to employees’ needs. They did not identify themselves in this vision and rather consider it as a forced change.Then, even if the vision seemed clear to Haro ld, his role in implementing it wasn’t a success. While Harold wanted to positively transform HTE the result was that the company felt apart. Harold lost his employees’ trust. They needed a sense of identity within the organization and a sense of self-efficacy (Shamir et al., 1993) that Harold did not clarify it. To finish with, the sentence â€Å"no one understood in which direction they were going† highlights doubts among employees. As a matter of fact, the vision was only correct and appropriate for Harold but he did not know how to shape the company’s future.Question 3: From my point of view, Harold wasn’t effective as a change agent or a social architect for HTE.In most cases, a change agent comes out as a strong role model for employees. They are the competent agent articulating the organization and expressing strong ideals. Harold failed this mission. He wasn’t able to fit together different parts of the organization. Whether Harold s hould have created trust and be predictable, he was a mystery and an arbitrary manager. In addition, to be a reliable change agent, they have to listen to followers and accept criticisms. Harold should have cooperated with his team for them  to trust him and believe in his ideas. On the contrary, at one point Harold appeared careless to employees’ concerns, which is the opposite behavior of an effective change agent.To continue, we should define a social architect: â€Å"This means they created a shape or form for the shared meanings people maintained within their organizations† (Peter G. Northouse chapter 9 â€Å"Transformational leadership p197). A social architect is also here to help people find their role in the new company’s identity. They need to understand how to contribute to the vision of the organization. Unfortunately employees lost this vision because of Harold actions. Employees couldn’t identify themselves to him and disconnected to HTE. They did not know which future, or new values and norms to expect for the company. Harold lost his employees whereas he was supposed to lead them into this transformation. To finish with, an active change agent, as a social architect, would appear effective by working with others by listening to them, encouraging them and celebrates their accomplishment. On the contrary, Harold often failed to listen to his employees ‘anxieties and misunderstood their needs.Question 4:If Harold had the chance to return as president of HTE, I would advise him to always take into account his employees’ needs.I would recommend Harold to build his identity as a leader using: – Idealized Influence: He should develop his charisma and act as a strong role model for employees. Harold must provide them with a sense of mission and reduce uncertainty. He would rather have evaluated impacts of changes before implementing them, by asking employees† advice.– Inspirational Motivati on: Harold’s behavior should inspire employees to commit themselves in the organization and achieve a common goal. Instead of appearing as an â€Å"enigma†, Harold may have gain to stick to his vision, to his statement as being a democratic leader and a hands-on manager instead of being arbitrary.– Intellectual Stimulation: I would advise Harold to encourage employees being creative and innovative in order to become the best manufacturing company in the country. By using employees’ ideas, Harold would implicate them in the implementation of changes. In other word, the  employees would become a part of the shared vision of the organization. Moreover, they would feel responsible for the success of this vision they contributed to create. Furthermore, they would develop their fullest potential in their work.– Individual Consideration: Harold could win followers by providing a supportive climate in the organization. Followers may need help in their pe rsonal challenges. They require someone to talk to and rely on.As a conclusion, I would remind Harold that change is a good thing but changing on your own won’t make any difference. Harold may have good ideas for the company but he necessitates to be followed by his employees. In fact, employees’ needs are inseparable from Harold success as a leader.

Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl

Daddy’s Little Girl Mary Higgins Clark is a well-known author of top-selling suspense novels. Although she started out only writing in a magazine, she has now written well over a dozen novels. In addition, many of those novels have been made into movies. Because of her accomplishments, Mary Higgins Clark was awarded â€Å"The Woman of Achievement† award by the Federation of Women’s Clubs, among many other outstanding honors and awards. Daddy’s Little Girl is one of many suspenseful novels by Mary Higgins Clark. Clark’s writing style in this mystery is important because it keeps the reader interested in what is going on; in such a way that you don’t want to put the book down because you are eager to see what is going to happen. While illustrating the theme of justice and injustice, she leads you down a path where you think you have figured out the mystery, then there’s a twist and you must continue reading to find the outcome. Another aspect of the author’s writing style is the use of description. While using many details to describe scenes and characters to give the reader a better view, Clark doesn’t use so much detail that the reader becomes bored with the reading. She definitely has a way of keeping the reader interested in what they are reading. The story takes place in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, which is a small town that is located in Westchester County, New York. This small town setting is important to the story because the reader is able to relate to this type of setting. Because of this, the setting has an impact on the mood in the novel. In this small town, as well as small towns in reality, people are treated differently based on who they are and their wealth, which is a major part of the story. The main character in the novel is Ellie Cavanaugh, who is now thirty years old. When Ellie was seven years old, her fifteen year old sister, Andrea, was murdered. Since the story is ... Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl Free Essays on Daddy’s Little Girl Daddy’s Little Girl Mary Higgins Clark is a well-known author of top-selling suspense novels. Although she started out only writing in a magazine, she has now written well over a dozen novels. In addition, many of those novels have been made into movies. Because of her accomplishments, Mary Higgins Clark was awarded â€Å"The Woman of Achievement† award by the Federation of Women’s Clubs, among many other outstanding honors and awards. Daddy’s Little Girl is one of many suspenseful novels by Mary Higgins Clark. Clark’s writing style in this mystery is important because it keeps the reader interested in what is going on; in such a way that you don’t want to put the book down because you are eager to see what is going to happen. While illustrating the theme of justice and injustice, she leads you down a path where you think you have figured out the mystery, then there’s a twist and you must continue reading to find the outcome. Another aspect of the author’s writing style is the use of description. While using many details to describe scenes and characters to give the reader a better view, Clark doesn’t use so much detail that the reader becomes bored with the reading. She definitely has a way of keeping the reader interested in what they are reading. The story takes place in Oldham-on-the-Hudson, which is a small town that is located in Westchester County, New York. This small town setting is important to the story because the reader is able to relate to this type of setting. Because of this, the setting has an impact on the mood in the novel. In this small town, as well as small towns in reality, people are treated differently based on who they are and their wealth, which is a major part of the story. The main character in the novel is Ellie Cavanaugh, who is now thirty years old. When Ellie was seven years old, her fifteen year old sister, Andrea, was murdered. Since the story is ...

Review of the Book Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner

Review of the Book Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner Chris Gardner’s life story is impressive. Despite having never gone to college, and after a period of being homeless, he became a wildly successful stockbroker and wrote his memoir, Pursuit of Happyness. It’s not surprising that Hollywood turned his story into a blockbuster film starring Will Smith. Pursuit of Happyness  tracks this happy, rags-to-riches story, starting in early childhood and including Gardners adult progression through a few different careers. About the Book Chris Gardner went from an impoverished childhood to become a wealthy stockbroker and entrepreneur and managed to juggle single fatherhood before it was culturally accepted. His memoir, Pursuit of Happyness, spends a lot of time recounting that difficult childhood and his transition to the military and to time spent working in medicine. The story picks up more speed two-thirds of the way through when Gardner is living in San Francisco determined to raise his son and succeed as a stockbroker, despite having never gone to college. Gardner’s message can seem inconsistent. On the one hand, he was moved by his own troubled childhood to vow that he would be a good father to his children. On the other hand, a flashy red Ferrari caught his eye one day, prompting him to adopt the goal of becoming a stockbroker in order to earn enough money to buy his own Ferrari. The two goals aren’t incompatible, of course, but Gardner doesn’t mention any tension he may have felt between his selfless love for his son and his more superficial-seeming financial goals. Any self-reflection present in Gardner’s story seems to be mostly the self-reflection of a motivational speaker, which Gardner has become. There is much discussion of working hard to overcome the paucity of other African-Americans on Wall Street, not to mention Gardner’s lack of a college degree. The Pursuit of Happyness makes for an enjoyable story, and an inspiring one, but leaves the reader looking for something more. What Makes the Book Worth Reading (or Not) Chris Gardners story is unique in more ways than one. A child who grew up largely in foster care, he found the tenacity, strength of character, and talent within himself to become extraordinarily successful. A black man growing up in poverty, he built a reputation that turned him into a major motivational speaker for people of all backgrounds. Perhaps most significantly, Gardner is a father (not a mother) who did whatever it took to ensure that his son would grow up in a safe, loving home. If you are struggling against the odds, you may well find reassurance and motivation in Gardners experience. If you dont find motivational biographies inspiring, you may also want to read the book as background before viewing the movie version starring Will Smith. The movie includes only a portion of the full story, and skips or changes some of the details. Both book and movie, however, have similar pros and cons. As with many rags-to-riches stories, the emphasis is on the grit and determination of the individual and not on the systemic issues that placed the individual in a seemingly  impossible situation. Much of Gardners achievement is related, not to relationship-building or self-discovery, but to the ability to find a niche in which he could fit in and make the money he craved. For many people, Gardners story will be inspirational; for others its likely to be frustrating.

Fashion and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion and Gender - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and Gender" examines how the concept of fashion is connected with the idea of gender. The analysis of the issue will be performed from three different perspectives.To begin with, it may be particularly suitable to explain the exceptional role of gender when it comes to examining the role of fashion on the social environment. Thus, it is thought that â€Å"becoming visibly gender involves engagement with complicated, shifting coding system of colours, fabrics, trims, forms, shapes, and patterns and other body fashionings†. This means that fashion might be seen as a platform which allows people to adopt particular roles that are conditioned by their gender and finish their socialization. In other words, the concept in question implies that there is strict division between the genders. The importance of behaviour. Another point that should be mentioned with regard of the way fashion shapes identity of a person is the way people behave while wearing clothes. For example, when a man is dressed in a suit he is likely to be more polite and less aggressive since this kind of clothes is associated with formal events that require people to be on their best behaviour. On the other hand, if a person did not dress formally enough to a special occasion, this might be perceived as extremely rude. Nevertheless, in daily life people wear relatively similar clothes so there is another factor that truly makes difference in this case. The researchers argue that â€Å"it’s not about circumstances so much.

Financial Reporting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Reporting - Case Study Example In a brief history of the cases, Enron, On October 16, 2001 Enron declared to SEC a net loss of $ 618 million for the third quarter effectively reducing share holder equity by $ 1.2 billion. SEC opened enquiry the very next day and called for details from Enron officials who in turn notified their Auditor Arthur Andersen. Pursuant to this, Andersen had his team destroy Enron-related documents. As a result, Enron, Andersen and his lead partner Duncan were convicted of obstruction of justice. Enron's Chief Financial officer faced indictment on 98 counts of fraud and related offences. Besides Enron is now bankrupt, and civil and criminal investigations continue to examine Enron's complex accounting practices and byzantine financial schemes. (Brickey) Close on the heels of Enron episode, WorldCom's fraud surfaced dwarfing the former. Both the cases involved accounting frauds with the companies managements' sole aim of keeping the share prices higher in spite of huge losses which they covered by manipulation of accounts. But for the whistle blowers from both the corporations, the frauds would not have come to light though bubble would have ultimately burst by the operation of economics. But more money would have been swindled, more would have fled the scene had it not been for the whistle blowers who had little protection prior to Sarbanes -Oxley enactment. Sherron Watkins, a Vice-President at Enron who discovered accounting fraud disclosed it to its Chairman Ken Lay in five memos detailing Enron's off-book partnerships, special purpose entities and urged him to disclose a ccounting irregularities. Though he agreed to engage a law firm to conduct preliminary investigation, he appointed the firm of Vinson & Elkins in spite of Watkins' advice not to engage them as they were also party to structure some of the questionable deals. And the law firm not surprisingly gave clean chit to the questioned transactions. Watkins preferred to depose before congressional hearings probing the Enron's affairs. Similarly Cynthia Cooper, Vice-President, Internal Auditing, WorldCom exposed a larger accounting in her corporation when she came to know of a sample fraudulent transfer of $ 400 million from Reserve account to inflate the corporation's earnings. Here again Arthur Anderson was the Auditor for the corporation. While he tried to convince her by insisting no abnormality, the CFO Scot Sullivan literally tried to silence her. (Ripley Amanda) She therefore independently conducted inspection of account books and found that the management had capitalised operating expen ditures and converted a $662 million loss into a fictitious $2.4 billion profit.CFO Sullivan learnt of her attempts to unearth such manipulations and warned of her dismissal if she did not stop. "After going to the audit committee, she and her audit team remained hopeful that they could find something they might have missed that would explain the unorthodox accounting. But Cooper's hopes were dashed when she confronted WorldCom Controller David Meyers, who conceded that the entries could not be justified. " (Brickey) The charges against Andersen were that he had knowledge of accounting irregularities at Enron, and fraud relating special purpose entities used by Enron, that he hired an out-side law firm in anticipation of