Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Persuasive research paper-- quit smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Persuasive research paper-- quit smoking - Essay Example dangerous smoking really is, the other day I saw a video of a man who was coughing incessantly and I saw him bleed and this really scared me to an unprecedented extent. I am completely motivated and geared up to stop smoking, I remember I smoked for the very first time when I was young and I knew nothing about the damage which smoking could cause, I got to know about the damage only later on and I have been trying hard to quit but the temptation always lingers on and it is quite hard to stop it but this time around I am going to do it and I have already been quite successful. I do not even remember the last time that I smoked and this I think is really a big achievement for me and I am going to carry on and completely stop it because I have realized that it is really dangerous and can cause lung cancer, I have already seen enough pain and suffering in those videos. Those videos have been really useful and have motivated me to quit. Chewing gum has also helped me a ton, whenever I feel the urge to smoke I start chewing and this has been of great help to me, the urge to smoke goes away as soon as I pop it into my mouth and the urge to smoke instantly goes away. â€Å"Nicotine replacement therapies work by giving you a small amount of nicotine, but without the dangerous effects of inhaling tobacco smoke. This helps relieve the withdrawal symptoms and cravings for a cigarette that you get when you stop smoking, and allows you to get on with breaking the psychological habit of smoking. If you are physically addicted to nicotine, using NRT has been shown to almost double your chances of successfully quitting smoking.† (Nicorette Gum) This idea was first suggested to me by a good friend and I tried it and it works like a charm for me, the first time I tried it and I was very happy with the results and I knew this was going to save me, I have bought several gums to help me quit. These are a couple of ideas that have really helped me, discipline in life is really

Monday, October 28, 2019

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay Gender can be defined as the socially constructed roles and duties society constructs, assigns and expects of males and females on the basis of their biological and physical characteristics. Gender is learnt, not permanent and differs from one community to another. Gender roles and responsibilities are found in all spheres of society be it economic, social, political or religious. Gender roles are affected by age, social class, ability, ethnicity and race. The gender roles help society to determine men and women access to rights, resources and opportunities. Gender in this perspective is not just a concept, but about perceptions and understanding concerning the affiliation between males and females in society and how gender influences their attitudes, behavior and responsibilities. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment of men and women that are against the legal and constitutional requirement such as the human rights provisions as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 The Convention on the Eradication of all forms of discrimination against females (1979). Most countries have, however, fallen short of entitling human rights and freedoms to everyone in society regardless of their sex (Michael 12). Gender inequality varies from developed countries to developing countries. Also considering that the world is comprised of different tribes and races that have distinct values and beliefs, gender inequality will vary with the same intensity. Such inequalities include the professional obstacles that women encounter in their workplaces. It is evident that women’s lack of leadership positions because such roles are considered to be meant for men. Those who are mothers may be penalized or discriminated for taking time off to attend to their children. The controversial issue concerning gender inequality is the need to acknowledge the unequal power relations between men and women in society and to work for greater gender equality and the advancement of women. It does not only mean the identification of specific areas that are important for women’s advancements, but also attempts to introduce a dimension of gender in all activities. It also means there is recognition of how important it is to work with both men and women to change the existing gender relations. According to the United States Census data, there is a gender wage gap in which women earn 77 cents for each dollar earned by a man. The gap is a matter of concern that has prompted  President Obama to announce the Paycheck fairness Act on Equal Pay Day. However, according to the one of the lead economist the statistics behind the gender wage gap are flawed. The flawed statistics have acted hindrance and distracter to the legislator and concerned public from finding the solutions that would solve the real problem-the gender jobs gap. The Census data that give the 77 cents on dollar comparison is based on aggregate earning of men and women thus ignoring job choice, education, experience, industry, and other factors that contribute to a person’s wage. If a comparison is made between men and women with the same background such as education and experience, same employer, among other the gender gap disappears. The reasons why the gender job gap exists is the due to low number of female occupying high executive levels and director positions. Men also are earning higher than women despite being in the same senio r-level jobs. The choice of work is a major that determine potential earnings. Men tend to take relatively high-paying jobs in engineering and IT, while women take low-paying jobs like education and human resources. The gender gap persists because men and women choose to pursue different careers (Autor et al, 2008). The gender job gap can be closed, if women are encouraged to pursue high-paying career in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. Legislation should be formulated to bridge the gap in men and women career choice. An enabling environment should create in the workplace where women can be empowered and helped to rise to top executive positions. Comparing the job to job is not tenable solution in addressing the gender wage gap; more need to be done to bring women earning close to that of men (Juhn et al, 2014). Gender inequality also involves feticide and infanticide. For instance, in India and China, a male child is more appreciated than a female child. Parents have to find out the sex of the baby they are carrying so as to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy or kill the child after its birth (Kristoff, 69). One of my family members in China, my cousin who has a bias th at boys better than girls. I was very angry that he convinced his wife went to abortion because his wife pregnant with a girl when I knew he did that. He explained that China has the birth control policy and he just want to a boy to continue his family name. In the legal area at China, it wasn’t involve in crime for what he did. However, in the ethical area, he deprive his wife’s thought and the  baby who didn’t has chance come to the world. I think he against the humanity and nature. There are also a number of organizations in society that play key roles in the construction of gender. These organizations need to be gender sensitive so as to ensure they continue in the positive construction of gender equality. Such organizations include the family, the most imperative socializing proxy, school, media and religion. Several theoretical perspectives exist that tend to explain the origin of gender inequalities. Radical feminists argue that the gender inequalities arise from the biological differences among individuals that produce a form of social organization that equip men and women with the different roles they play in society. For example, women are handicapped by their biology in terms of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding that makes them dependent on men. This dependence creates an une qual power relationships and power psychology. They also argue that, in every society, a high value is placed on culture rather than nature. Through culture, supernatural forces can be sought in order to achieve success, hence it is considered a means by which humanity governs and regulates nature. Women are seen closer to nature than men because of their social roles as mothers and reproduction (Hekman 52). Men, on the other hand, participate in activities such as warfare, politics that involve culture. This makes them better to women. From a Marxist perspective, gender inequality arose during the earlier stages of development when there was ownership of private property. Men gained control over the women and property hence the patriarchal system of family where property was passed down through the male’s line. Marxists thought this would change with the capitalist system but women still continue to be disadvantaged compared to men. On the contrary, liberal feminists approached gender inequality in a more elaborate way. They argued that nobody benefits from the existing gender inequalities since both men and women are harmed by inequalities. While women do not get opportunities to develop their talents and become successful and skilled members, men are also denied the o pportunity of having a close relationship with their children. Gender inequality is caused by the general credence that males are superior to females; because of this idea, women have spent some significant amount of years suffering under their counterparts. Males also tend to be more emphatic and absolute because of their natal hormones or intuitive  intellect. Sexual discrimination is also another major cause of gender inequality where women are viewed by men as just sex objects rather than real human beings with standards and morals. Other general contributing factors of gender inequality include unequal power relations, assumptions about male and female behavior, insufficient laws against gender inequality, cultural, traditional and religious practices. I became aware of this problem through the campaigns that the government and other Non-Governmental Organizations have held. Their efforts are directed towards ensuring that gender inequality is minimized all over the world. Awareness is being created among women where they get to be educated on their rights and freedoms (Hurst, 96). The women are being empowered through sponsoring women projects as a way of generating income that makes them less dependable on women. The media is al so playing a vital role on the sensitization of ways of minimizing gender inequality in the societies. Higher education in universities and colleges also promotes women support and all levels of society. The government is doing everything in its power to increase the productivity of women by initiating income generating projects. However, they do not take into account that women are already overburdened with work, they do not control family budgets and many of them have difficulties of freedom and movement. It is evident that the informal sector has limited employment opportunities and these projects will not be taken with the seriousness it deserves despite having the ability to empower the women. It is also easy to mobilize individuals or groups for a specific goal such as a political action or assisting members who are in need. In this case curbing, the menace of gender inequality in the society will be of great help. This is because it has charged most nations more harm than good. Most people have depicted that certain duties and tasks are to be performed by certain persons making gender imbalance. Heavy duties are usually dedicated to men while the simple ones are left to the females creating a huge difference in genders. Until all these issues are addressed there is no way that the nation and the globe will ever achieve gender balance. Work cited Michael G. Peletz, Gender, Sexuality and Body Politics in Modern Asia. Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Asian studies, 2011. Kristoff, Nicholas D. (August 23, 2009). â€Å"The Women’s Crusade. New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2011. Burstein, Paul. â€Å"Equal Employment Opportunity: Labor Market Discrimination and Public Policy.† Edison, NJ: Aldine Transaction, 1994. Hekman, David R.; Aquino, Karl; Owens, Brad P.; Mitchell, Terence R.; (2009) An Examination of How Racial and Gender Biases Influence Customer Satisfaction. Autor, D. H., Katz, L. F., Kearney, M. S. (2013). Trends in US wage inequality: Revising the revisionists. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 90(2), 300-323. Juhn, C., Ujhelyi, G., Villegas-Sanchez, C. (2014). Men, women, and machines: how trade impacts gender inequality. Journal of Development Economics, 106, 179-193.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay --

Mohamed Baiya Research paper 11-12-2013 Language and Culture Nothing distinguishes the human race from the rest of the species clearly more than owning the language and culture; Using language attributes unique to our species, we can connect any something notify minds. This ability enables us to learn from the lessons of previous generations and added to them; we live the values that you have gained in the past , as well as trial and error, to improve our lives . Has developed a combination of culture and language invincible human beings on the planet throne. However, the question remains oriented anthropologists and linguistics is not about the reason behind the greatness of language and culture to this point, but what makes them Important in the first place. We know that those two tools interrelated, and the core issue is to understand the nature of this relationship. Since the philosophical era of Aristotle and Plato, I found two basic ways, it is the Platonic perspective comes  « innate theory that believes that language is predetermined, and that it has a constant form is subject to change dictated by genes (or gods) . It is through the one-way; where facilitate language culture while not affecting the culture, the language, but in a minimalistic. But the idea of Aristotle says that many of the features identified by the language and cultural traditions serves socially. Over the past fifty years ago, followed the prevailing theory see Plato, saying that language is an innate ability ... ...e differ from those used by men; phrase  « I love those blouse with purple pale  » often will be the one who says lady, , unlike women who tend to the classical formulas . Similarly, differentiate culture among the spelling, the men and women of the language because they  « are interested in it. Any language that does not include the feature repeatability will be an example inversely refute this hypothesis, and this is what would argue that it applies to the language; This language refutes feature repeatability alleged Even when can learn repetition in other languages or show evidence of thinking recursively, as is the case with speakers language. Thus, if there is one language can exist without tag repeatability, all other languages can in terms of principle, and this contrasts with the claim that the repeatability is a prerequisite indispensable for human contact.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Adulteress & adulteress order

Because this portion of the gospel of John (John 7:53-8:11) does not appear in many ancient manuscripts, many scholars regard it as highly questionable (i.e. whether inspired and therefore must be included in the whole gospel of John) as to its place in the New Testament canon. Moreover, the so-called church fathers, in their writings, did not have comments for they did not, in the first place, refer to this portion of the currently widely accepted as John’s gospel.And so, early manuscripts’ (the copies of the original) forms do not include 7:53 to 8:11. If ever this periscope appears in some of the early copies, it is there in a special position, and just like many scholarly journals today, it has asterisk markings at its opening and also at its ending.Some even believe it to be Luke’s writing rather than John’s because of its structure, of which, obviously very unlikely. When one will just read through before and after, without any hunch regarding these scruples among scholars, one will not sense any inconsistency nor anything different in this contested portion.It is as much the writing of John like all of the other parts and chapters in the gospel (Constable, 2000). The pertinent question now which bears upon the readership of the gospel of John is whether this portion to be taken as authentic part of the whole (i.e. part of the inspired word of God) or not.Well, it is now beyond any shadow of doubt that the gospel of John is without a doubt the gospel of John. 1) Why was this small portion contested among scholars, 2) Why is it now well-established as authentic part, and 3) What spiritual truths is John 7:53-8:11 conveying to its readers, are the issues which will be dealt in what follows.John 7:53-8:11 – A Contested PortionAs what has been said above, scholars debate relentlessly over this portion ever since the canonicity of the New Testament scriptures has been studied. And so, because this issue has been put forth, th e concerned matter must be settled once and for all for the benefit of those who are/would be affected by it.Those who have been, at least, given the background of the gospel of John, know that the basic truth about this gospel is that it, like all the rest of the books of the canonized scriptures, was a product of the process of numerous copyings of the original autograph of its author. In the ancient biblical times, there were no publishing companies nor printing machines, and computers, as what modern day world has for its use today.Hence, the way that a manuscript was made public in those days was through the then called copyists. These professionals (they were also called â€Å"scribes†) would copy the original copy; and most of the times, because certain materials were fragile (like the papyrus) and would not last for long periods of time, these scribes would recopy the â€Å"copies† of the original.The copies nevertheless were received as good as the original by the recipients. The trustworthiness of the scribes were a given and beyond doubt in those days. The same is the case with other non-biblical writings. Such classics as the Iliad by Homer, Socrates’ Apology, Antiquities of the Jews by Josephus, and others like the historical accounts written by known ancient Roman historians, etc., were all copied and recopied.The only marked difference these ancient manuscripts have which is in total contrast to the manuscripts of the Bible is that they (i.e. non-biblical classics) are received today without cynicism by the critics. This is very much unlike any biblical manuscripts. And so, John’s gospel as it is today is a copy of many copies. Before it reached its current forms with its many translations in many different languages, it had undergone numerous recopyings.When early Christian scribes were in the process of putting together the inspired books, and when they go through John’s gospel (like perhaps the translators w ho were commissioned by King James in 1600), they incorporated the parts which they saw were rightfully belonging to John. Some of them, as was mentioned in the Introduction portion, expressed their misgivings by making this portion of John (7:53-8:11) appear like an appendix or footnote.The whole background of this pericope has made it to be irresistibly taken as it actually is (whether it was then a well established oral tradition or something else), a narrative which is to be taken as real incident which actually happened at certain point in the life of the Savior.However, in any ways, this questionable portion (for definite reason of providence) has eventually become part of John’s gospel and not anywhere in the so-called synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). And so, the gospel of John is like it is today because of careful and responsible consideration on the part of the translators (McArthur, 2009).Beyond Reasonable Doubt – A Part Of John’s GospelThe re are practical considerations which can be helpful to anybody considering the issue of authenticity of John 7:53-8:11. First to be considered is the fact that it does not interrupt the flow of John’s style of writing. It actually fits his writing style.It would be observed that from chapter 5 through chapter 8, John’s pattern has been presenting a scene or incident and then proceed to Jesus’ teaching or elaborating spiritual truths. John 7:53-8:11 flows out of the same said pattern of the author. Another thing to be considered is the fact that it never (the truths taught in this pericope) contradicts the teachings of the whole Scripture.In fact, it reinforces the well-established truths about God and Jesus in the entire inspired Scripture. Being thus (John’s original writing and God’s authentic revelation), why should it be left out or considered not a genuine part of the revelation God is giving to humanity.To excise this important portion from the gospel is to deprive many of a very important account in the life of Christ which reinforces the fact of his grace towards sinners and the reality of hypocrisy which so often illusively deceives and eats the best of the religious sector of the human populace. It ought to be studied and meditated and benefited from as much as the other portions of the Bible.Apostle John wrote it to point out an occasion in the life of Jesus while ministering and backs his claims of Jesus’ divinity, it supports the whole biblical revelation, and it is legitimate part of the gospel and important part of God’s revelation.The attitude therefore among its readers should be an attitude of trust and assurance (and without any hint of a doubt) that the story of the adulteress and those Pharisees who caught her in an actual adulterous situation (probably, she’s a prostitute), who then brought her to Jesus interrupting his discourse in the temple, was a historical and inspired narrativ e of John.Spiritual TruthsOne more note as to its questionable legitimacy. Veteran pastor and scholar in his own right, John McArthur critically observed that probably the reason for early scholars hesitation to include John 7:53-8:11 was its seeming contradictory presentation of the Old Testament’s treatment of adultery (McArthur, 2009).The story appears to be condoning the adulteress for her sinful act. It seems to violate the holiness of the Savior himself. Well, it only appears to be when looked at superficially. Actually, there’s a lot to be seen and discovered in this passage. When it is treated properly, important truths about God and his redemption would surface and become obvious to the observant eyes.The scenario presented here does in no way introduce Jesus as one who disregards the issue of the woman’s life of immorality. John’s intention was not to put Jesus in a bad light. He was upholding as he writes all along the fact that God hates all f orms of sin – adultery included. The issue, however, that was pertinent to John at the moment of his writing, was not whether adultery should be tolerated or not.The issue being treated here was the Pharisaic attitude of hypocrisy. What really was happening at this point of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry was that the religious sector of the Jewish population were getting incensed at him, more especially, the Sanhedrin (this political group consisted mainly of the Pharisees).At this particular point in time, there was already a plot to assassinate Jesus. And so, speaking in context, John was highlighting at the background of his presentation of Jesus as God in the flesh, the fact that there was already a very serious hostility building among the religious and political leaders of Israel. John was trying to convey here this reality of the whole situation (7:53-8:4).This arrangement has supposed to have prepared everyone who has been following the narratives in this gos pel to the spiritual truths and lessons it is conveying.1.) Christ’s Wisdom & Humility. The first to note here about Jesus is his incredible wisdom. He knew full well what was going on in the background. He knew the Pharisees’ true intentions. Yet, in spite of this, he was able to compose himself in genuine humility. Remember that Jesus was introduced by Apostle John as God the Creator.God himself incarnated in human flesh. Look at how Jesus responded to the whole thing – the evil scheming and maneuvering all directed against this God who became flesh. If   this truth about Jesus is upheld at this junction of his life in this occasion involving all these characters in this narrative while reader reads, a deep and profound awe and admiration would inevitably overpower him/her.It’s difficult to comprehend and unbelievable to see God in the flesh in such humble attitude enduring unjustifiable hostility in the midst of the people he created. Jesus’ p rofound wisdom and humility cannot be elaborated nor will ever be explored completely in its full sense in any study of the Scripture.His wisdom and humility as they were both revealed can only be benefited from through the profound lessons they exude as they come from the fact that God the Creator showed them in his humanity.2.) Christ’s Forgiveness. This narrative shows how much God can forgive. It also shows the fact that God is not impressed with hypocritical observance of his laws and cannot be swayed by man’s superficial understanding of his commands.God who planned redemption understands in the first place the sinfulness of man – how sin has actually corrupted the entire human race. And so, in his incarnation, he knew the deception of Israel’s spiritual leaders. He knew they were self-deceived.The lesson then being conveyed in this story of the adulterous woman is the fact of humanity’s deluded perception of itself; even the best of its repr esentatives – the religious Pharisees. No one here in this incident is sinless in the eyes of Jesus.Yet, as the story unfolds, he was seen forgiving even the obvious adultery of this woman. As was noted earlier in this paper, this passage of John is not meant to condone adultery. The passage is critical of hypocritical righteousness as well as it condemns the sin of adultery in the life of the woman. Overruling all these sins is the fact that God forgives.THE STORY OF THE ADULTERESS (7:53-8:11) INTERERRUPTS THE TABERNACLES DISCLOSURES BUT HAS THEOLOGICAL CONNECTIONS WITH IT. HERE IS A CASE WHERE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE IS SIGNIFICANT. THIS IS PROBABLY A FLOATING GOSPEL PERICOPE WHICH ENTERED JOHN (AND LUKE) LATE.References:1. McArthur, John. John Volume 3 (12 Part Series) Jesus Confronts Hypocrisy: A Study of John 7:53-8:11 Code: 1519. Date Accessed: May 12, 2009 at http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/15192. Constable, Dr. Thomas L. Notes on John. 2000 Edition. Published by DTS Publications.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Christine de Pizan

Christine de Pizan: c. 1365-c. 1430 1. Christine’s life shows a glimpse into the changing worldview in numerous ways. For one, she became educated as a child and continued her education throughout her life, she also was able to support her family as a single mother on her own by working independently, and he writings were symbolically revolved around women in such a way that they rebuked the negative teachings by most scholars. 2.As a girl, Christine had an unusual life because her father, who was the Astrologer for Charles V, ensured that she would receive the best education possible. Later when she became older and was married, her husband also encouraged her to continue her studies. Unlike most women during the middle Ages, she was able to receive an education, as well as the support to do so. After the death of her husband she had to support her family on her own, she did so by writing short stories and poems, which people paid for. She was able to get herself out of debt this way. . Basically Christine is saying, that’s she never doubted God and his perfection, creation of all things good, wisdom. But what she doesn’t understand is how it is that women have been so heavily scrutinized and labeled with flaws if people of the faith truly believe that God created all things good. This is why she’s so angry and frustrated, she then goes on to say why wasn’t she made a man, since men are all said to be so perfect. She apologizes &and asks forgiveness for her negligence of his service, due to the fact that she is not a man. . Christine says it is not about gender, that does not make one lower than the other. It lies within that individual’s conduct and virtue. 5. She says that not all men’s opinions are based on reason, it can’t be assumed that becoming educating and learning the natural sciences can be bad for mores. Men also don’t like it when women know more than they do. 6. They say that educatin g women has become beneficial and still is beneficial, being taught a good doctrine can in no way have a negative effect on anything.It is simply irrational. 7. Christine’s mother wanted her to do girly things, things that women should do such as spinning and weaving. On the other hand, her father wanted her to be educated and watch her learn and grow to become an intelligent young woman. This illustrates the clash between the Medieval and Renaissance worldviews because her mother wanted her to do things women â€Å"should† do and her father wanted her to do the opposite, by gaining an education. 8. The auses of misogyny are from men who are ignorant, these men blame women because they either hate women because they are simply far more intelligent than they are and naturally good hearted, others who hate women are crippled and the only way for them to impose their misery on others is by blaming women who make others happy, and finally men who have spent much of their y oung years sleeping around can’t anymore and they like to sabotage women’s lives by disgusting others because they can’t enjoy sexual pleasures.I do think that all of these still exist in our society, as well as in others. For example, I had a discrepancy with a guy friend of mine, who is a boxer like I am and he had the idea that he could beat me; his reasoning for it was solely because I was a girl. He did not have any other valid reason as to why he could beat me, he didn’t bring in my statistics either, which made even more pathetic that he would think such a thing. Another example in our society is of a young man who was in college that contracted aids.This man went around the entire college campus sleeping with other women so that they would also have the disease without telling them prior to their relations. He was miserable, so he wanted to make other women feel his pain. I think these attitudes are rooted deep in our society and I’m not su re that they will ever go away. 9. They contribute much of civilizations advancements to Minerva, Isis, and Ceres. Isis was an Egyptian goddess, who has been mostly named as the goddess of rebirth. She was known for spending time amongst her people and taming men.She also taught women how to weave, grind corn, spin flax, and make bread. Minerva was a Roman goddess, who was associated with poetry, medicine, wisdom, weaving, crafts, war, artillery, and trading. It is said she developed numbers and musical instruments. Ceres was a Roman goddess also, she was known for being the goddess of agriculture and fertility of the land. 10. No I think Christine suggests that it shouldn’t be excluded from men. She implies in the first paragraph that if men read the truth they’d shut up, hold their tongues, and lower their heads in shame for such stupid ignorance.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Got Milk Case Essays

Got Milk Case Essays Got Milk Case Essay Got Milk Case Essay Realizing that the dairy industry is declining and needed outside assistance, the California Department of Food and Agriculture formed the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) in 1993. A few months later the CMPB released it’s famous ‘‘Got Milk? ’’ campaign. For this purpose they hired Jeff Manning as executive director and raised a reasonable budget for promotion. The ad agency Goodby, Silverstein and Partners (GSamp;P) created ‘‘Got Milk? ’’ with the CMPB’s $23 million annual budget. Previous campaigns had been intended at people who did not consume milk, but the agency’s research led it to target a sundry audience: people who were already milk drinkers. The consumers of California responded the campaign quickly, embracing the ads and also started consuming more milk. In USA outside California, the milk moustache ‘Got Milk? ’ campaign is jointly funded by Americas milk processors and dairy farmers: The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) and Dairy Management. The goal of the multi-faceted campaign is to educate consumers on the benefits of milk and to raise milk consumption. The campaign was founded on a milk deprivation strategy and recognized that milk is not often a stand-alone beverage. Its consumption is permanently linked to a select number of meals and food occasions. And also, perhaps, the only time anybody cares passionately about milk is when they run out. The campaign was very successful in the USA. BRIEF OVERVIEW AND FACTS * According to the Exibit#1 from 1980 to 1993 annual milk consumption in California dropped from around 29 to 24 gallons of milk per person. * Milk industry spends less than 10 percent what beer spent on media. The change in school district policy in 1982, which increases the options for children in lunch further reduce the milk consumption. * Two major reasons for declining in milk consumption are: the modern family size was shrinking and the number of working women had increased. * Hispanic population was increasing in USA (California in particular) and they drank significantly more whole milk than the rest of the populat ion. MAJOR ISSUES AND PROBLEMS * Got milk? Campaign was a huge success in California resulted in quick increase in milk consumption but it was not equally successful nationally or internationally. : National sales continue to decline for some time and then stables up to some extent but didn’t increased like in the California. * The milk market was declining market as compared to beverages market. Consumer study revealed that there are some reasons behind the continuous decline like proliferation of other beverages, lack of portability, lack of flavor variety, not thirst quenching, lack of consumer mind share and shared nature of consumption. * High price of milk in California during 1999 as compared to the rest of the country was another major issue as compared to its competitor beverages industry. Positioning milk as cool refreshing and energy boosting drink suffered due to its increasing prices also results in declining in sales. * Mind set of consumer. Although many people drink milk everyday, but still milk suffered a complete lack of consumer mind share. Milk has always been a somewhat forgettable beverage. * Media spending in the beverage categories approached $ 2 billion with half of the total accounted for beer and soft drinks but still Milk being a commodity suffered from lack of promotion as compared to the other beverages. Budget is also very low as compared to other similar category products. * Marketing expenditures are more or less concentrated on television advertising and billboards. Lack of BTL activities, experiential marketing and social event promotion were evident which can be one of the reasons of low recall and decline in consumption. * Considering the nature and storage limitation of milk the consumer attitude towards milk was wobbly and strong reasons to change the attitude were required. * Lack of support from the farmers and local milk processor results in small budget. Considering the size of the milk industry and high promotional cost running a successful nation wide campaign in small budget is rarely possible. Where Got Milk? Went wrong? * Hispanics were the major milk consumers in California; there population was increasing at a constant rate according to the US census. Initially when the ads were made it was found that running out of milk or rice in Hispanic family is not considered funny also the translation of got milk in Spanish is quite weird. * Got milk? took a step away from its deprivation formula in October 1997 and launched a new campaign of Drysville. But research revealed that Drysville campaign was unable to effect consumer’s immediate consumption or purchase decision. ANALYSIS OF PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY The ‘Got Milk? Promotional campaign has some objectives, Manning begin a grass root campaign keeping in mind the following objectives. * To change the public’s behavior about the consumption of milk and other milk products * To create the idea of ‘‘milk occasions’’ by associating the product with certain foods, recognizing that milk is not often a stand-alone beverage. * To control the decline in sales by persuading people to buy milk more often and in larger quantities. To achieve each of the objectives Manning carefully designed strategies, like changing behavior, in addition to attitudes, was done with carefully placed media. A consumption strategy focused on organizing the appropriate food with the time of day that a commercial was telecast (for example, a cereal commercial in the morning or late at night), because most milk drinking occurred at home. Beside the TVC, in 1998 CMPB launched a gravity tour. In this tour they travelled throughout the state high schools and featured top professionals and insisted on the importance of milk to young athletes and there bone density. In 2003 the CMPB took milks health message to a new level and developed the theme: strength comes from within† They also signify and highlight the importance of research on milk benefits including how to increase bone mass in teens and adult and prevent them from osteoporosis. PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY UPSHOTS The Got Milk campaign was very successful and worked more than the expectations. Following are some of the upshots of the campaign. * The original objectives of the campaign were exceeded. * ‘Got Milk? ’’ had overtaken the ‘‘long-running ‘Does a Body Good’ campaign in top-of-mind awareness by mid-1994. * The campaign objective to change behavior and increase milk consumption was also met. * Household penetration had increased from 70 percent in 1993 to 74 percent in 1995. * Results showed that, except for the first two months of the campaign, milk consumption in California increased over the previous year, while it declined national ly * Dairy Management, Inc. ’s decided to take the California ‘‘Got Milk? ’’ campaign nationwide in 1995 * The ‘‘Got Milk? ’’ campaign made its mark in advertising by collecting nearly every industry award * The CMPB reported that the campaign had a 97 percent awareness rate in California. HOW TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND DO BETTER IN FUTURE * As we can see in many of the commercials, individuals find themselves in an uncomfortable situation with a mouth full of dry or sticky food without a glass of milk. In print advertisements, celebrities are featured with the signature white mustache and got milk? in text. For an international advertisement we must create an appeal in the advertisement and ads should also involve a family environment or give a sense of oneness so that international user should associate themselves with advertisement according to their culture. Number of collaboration with other brands should be increased to cover the issue of low budgets. Got Milk name has itself a huge equity, CMPB can effectively use it to increase the awareness. * Social media is another cheap source of creating awareness. CMPB can also use YouTube channels, face book page and twitter to increase the awareness about milk consumption and spread the benefits of milk usage. * To increase brand recall brand persona should be created and endorsement through celebrities can be useful in communicating the awareness in advertising. As it can be seen the increase in price results in the decline of sales. Therefore, pricing should be competitive considering the other competing beverage industries. Also the flavored milk which is sold through vending machine must be priced bearing in mind the other beverages sell through vending machines. * Currently the BTL activities are on the lower side while experiential marketing was not used to create the awareness. Experiential activities at school and college levels to create awareness and product trial for new dairy product would be useful.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Get on the Fast Track With These Car Sayings

Get on the Fast Track With These Car Sayings Some people insist its a guy thing- this fascination with cars that starts at a young age and lasts throughout life. You probably know guys who cant stop talking about the features, shape, accessories and safety mechanisms of their favorite vehicles. For some of them, the four-wheel machine becomes a passion- a symbol of success, power or freedom. What is it that makes guys swoon over these expensive contraptions? Perhaps these car quotes can give us insights. Francoise Sagan Money may not buy happiness, but Id rather cry in a Jaguar than on a bus. Anita Clenney All human males were as fascinated with cars as they were with breasts. Marshall McLuhan The car has become the carapace, the protective and aggressive shell, of urban and suburban man. James M. Cain Stealing a mans wife, thats nothing, but stealing his car, thats larceny. Prince Philip When a man opens a car door for his wife, its either a new car or a new wife. Ralph Waldo Emerson The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. H. G. Wells Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race. Albert Einstein Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. Bill Vaughan A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works. Charles M. Hayes Remember the street car cannot turn out. Dale Earnhardt The winner aint the one with the fastest car; its the one who refuses to lose. Bertrand Russell Its a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly, just as it is to be angry with a car that wont go. Dr. Laurence J. Peter Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car. Erma Bombeck Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth. Stephen Wright I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights so it looks like Im the only one moving. Rodney Dangerfield My wife wants sex in the back of the car, and she wants me to drive. Mitch Hedberg I know a lot about cars, man. I can look at any cars headlights and tell you exactly which way its coming. E. B. White Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car. George Bernard Shaw What Englishman will give his mind to politics as long as he can afford to keep a motor car? Bill Watterson Shutting off the thought process is not rejuvenating; the mind is like a car battery - it recharges by running. Budd Schulberg Living with a conscience is like driving a car with the brakes on. Kevin Sinclair There is a clear link between protecting your car and home and protecting your life. So life insurance was a logical addition to the AAs range.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Bring and Take

Bring and Take Bring and Take Bring and Take By Jacquelyn Landis Writers tend to get confused about when to use bring and take. Many think that the two words can be used interchangeably, but they do have two distinctly different uses. Which one you use depends entirely on your perspective for the action. Bring indicates action coming toward the speaker; take means action taken away from the speaker. So from your perspective, your kids will bring their homework to you to check, and then they’ll take it to school tomorrow. From your kids’ perspective, they’ll take their homework to you and then bring it with them when they go to school tomorrow. The trick is to think about your location. Something coming your way is brought to you. Something going away is taken from you. It can get confusing occasionally, and when it does you have to depend on the surrounding context to help you determine the point of reference. Check out these examples: Be sure to bring a jacket with you in case it gets cold. Be sure to take a jacket with you in case it gets cold. Both can be correct. In the former example, the meaning is to carry the jacket with you to where you are going. It’s likely that this would be something the person you’re joining would say to you. In the latter example, the meaning is to take it away from your starting point. It sounds a lot like something Mom would say as you’re running out of the house. To simplify the concept even more, think of it like this: you bring things here and take them there. It’s not an infallible method, but it works most of the time. 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictIs There a Reason â€Å"the Reason Why† Is Considered Wrong?How to Style Legislative Terms

Saturday, October 19, 2019

My View of the Film the Red Detachment of Woman Movie Review

My View of the Film the Red Detachment of Woman - Movie Review Example From lowest working class, she represents her social class by bravely joining the red army which fought willingly for a cause in the liberation of china. The strength of a woman in fighting for a common cause is portrayed when Qionghau takes a short ata Nan Baitian while on strict scouting trip. With the main theme â€Å"politics† the movies clearly depicts woman’s position in the attainment of political agendas. Communist being the main idea advocated in the movie, lack of sexuality between the two main character enforces the idea of communist main cause which comes above other things. Qionghua returns the four coins she was given by Hong to him before the war breaks out for the registration of her party membership fee. This depicts woman as conservative and good manager of resources. This is centrally to the main picture painted to woman in that time and many years that followed as resource spendthrift. Her strength is depicted by participating up to the last event of the battle against Nationalists and old society. Although the movie portrayed woman positively and as the agent of change the hero of the movie who was made a martyr towards the end is a male character. This makes the film more complicated in terms gender picture. In conclusion the film stands as an example of linking the struggle against property and the struggle for women’s liberation (Zhongguo

What significance should transnational actors and processes have for Essay

What significance should transnational actors and processes have for the foreign policy analyst - Essay Example It is mainly the role of the foreign policy analyst who is expected to take into account the transforming nature of the statehood which has been experienced and witnessed in the second part of the 20th century. This is derived from the different insights collected from a number of disciplines that include anthropology, sociology and social psychology. From one of the aspects of IR researchers have questioned the happenings during the last two decades. It has resulted in the argument by various scholars that the processes of privatization, internationalization and trans-nationalization have in a great way resulted in the transformation of how international politics are currently conducted. However, there is great level of competition that is faced by the privileged actors and the foreign offices. These are increasingly faced not only from the available ministries but also the agencies in the governments as well as the non state actors and the international organizations. In this paper, the trends that have resulted to the role and behavior of these actors as well as their processes on the foreign policy analysts and practitioners will be discussed. In addition, it will also analyze the role of the researchers in these activities. Therefore, in this case, a question is presented on the extent to which foreign policy analysis, the sub field of International relations that are actor centric has taken the various related accounts of non states actors who have currently become of growing importance to this subject. The Foreign Policy analysts have made a disapproval of viewing the state as a unitary actor. Because of this the scholars within the field of foreign policy analysis should make appropriate analysis in decision making to involve the non state actors within the first elements of international relations. However, most of the studies have revealed that foreign policy analysis is still focused on the state actors while it tends to

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Service Excellence Management Report Research Paper

The Service Excellence Management Report - Research Paper Example It is clear from analysis that the management of Cathay Pacific Airlines is operating with the vertical organizational structure. Moreover, the organization is focusing on too much centralization in its decision making and strategy development process. Employee management has become one of the biggest challenges for the management of the organization. Too much centralization and flatter organization structure is affecting the motivation level of employees, which can reflect in the customer service management process. The organization has adopted old industrial model. Therefore, they are failing to retain their skilled employees. Some recommendation plans have been provided in the report to overcome the contemporary issues. Service excellence can be considered as an attitude that engrained in each and every organization. It begins and ends with people within the organization. Global business environment has become highly competitive as several organizations within the industry are trying to implement unique strategies in business operation process in order to gain potential competitive advantages over the competitors. Customer experience, customer expectation level and customer satisfaction level are the three major aspects in service excellence. In this present era of globalization, consumers always expect better service from the organizations beyond high quality products. It is true that, demand for high quality and differentiated services is increasing significantly among the consumers around the globe. Therefore, several organizations in this contemporary global business environment are looking to provide effective customer service in order to gain potential competitive advantages over the competit ors. Effective customer service and service excellence of organizations highly depends upon the knowledge and skill of

Team creativity Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team creativity - Article Example Emotional intelligence of the team members plays a vital role in enhancing cognitive and affective trust. Cognitive trust may build up between the team members based on the reliability and competence of his/her peers. Professional behaviour increases the cognitive trust between the team members. Affective trust is based on emotional bonds resulting from interpersonal care and concern for each other. Self-awareness about own emotions may help the team members to manage other’s emotions. Team members’ trust is based on individuals’ confidence upon the actions of the team members. All team members will assess the actions of other members based on its benefits and consequences. Knowledge and skill about one’s function is critical to creativity. High cognitive trust teams have members with strong functional as well as interpersonal capabilities. These capabilities can create a feeling that the team can jointly make decisions, take risks and share ideas without fear of criticism. In short, collaborative culture is a strong predictor of creativity (Barczak et al, p.332-345) The primary objective of this study was to explore backgrounds of team creativity, namely, team emotional intelligence and team trust. It also investigates the relationships between team emotional intelligence and team trust to increase creativity. Emotional intelligence promotes team trust. Trust, in turn, fosters a collaborative culture which enhances the creativity of the team. Cognitive trust moderates the relationship between collaborative culture and team creativity. This study was conducted using a survey of 82 student teams at a large university in the northeast United States. Some of the variables used for this study were trust, collaborative trust, cognitive trust, affective trust, creativity, control of own emotions, aware of own emotions, aware of others’ emotions, control of others’ emotions etc. The findings of this study are suitable only to

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Cause & Effect of Sept. 11th Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cause & Effect of Sept. 11th - Essay Example The social effect is captured by the way the catastrophe altered the American people’s perception, behavior and interaction towards Muslims living within and outside the country. The political effect is manifested by the labeling of certain states as the axis of evil and the American-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. The economic effect can be seen from the increased use of resources to secure production, distribution, finance, and communication at the expense of national productivity. What caused the September 11 attacks? In retrospect the big question still is: what led to 9/11 in the first place? There is no clear answer to this question; however, numerous conjectures have been raised. Even the US government’s 9/11 commission failed to provide clarity on the real causes of September 11. The commission only gave an unqualified response on who was responsible for the heinous act. There is not a single event in modern times that has elicited as many explanations as this tragedy. According to Bergen (2006) the theories on the causes of the September 11 attacks could be categorized into three: (1) the outright absurd, which state that the attacks were orchestrated by the US government; (2) the believable but flawed that argue that the attacks were done as a response to foreign occupation in the Arab lands; and (3) the credible, which postulates that September 11 was simply a collateral damage resulting from a clash within Islam. The al Qaeda angle In its findings, the US 9/11 commission concluded that the al Qaeda was solely responsible for the terrorist attacks. Osama Bin Laden was at war unambiguously with the United States. Levingston (2010) argued that this was the case because Osama was irked by the multiple engagements of the US in the Arab lands and its unequivocal support for Israel. This theory fits the second categorization of Bergen (2006); the-believable-but-flawed argument. At this juncture, it is important to note that Osama ’s critique towards America had never been cultural. Osama was not fighting Western culture; his was a personal war against the US. Bergen (2006) stated that Bin Laden was astute enough to know that he could not wage an all-out battle against the world’s sole superpower. He therefore craftily embodied his vision inside al Qaeda and attracted similar disgruntled Islamists whom he managed to convince that America was the enemy. Osama saw terrorism as the only achievable mode of operation to wage war against the US. This argument is believable but flawed because it fails to provide sufficient reasons as to why an individual in the Middle East would be so obsessed with waging a war against the US. Western interference The second plausible root cause of al Qaeda’s attack was perpetual Western interference in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. This interference can be traced back to colonization of Arab states by France and Britain, the creation and unequivocal support for the Jewish state – Israel, and currently American hegemony that is exemplified by acts such as the Gulf War in 1990. Western interference is a broader cause than Osama’s war in that it does not merely point the finger at one Western state – America – but at the entire Western world. The heart of this argument on Western interference is that the West has slowly and steadily been eroding the Arab culture by permeating Western ideologies in the Persian

Career goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career goals - Essay Example To ensure my goal is achievable, I have an exceptional advantage in business as my father,The most advantaged superiority for me to achieve the career goal is that my father, Mr. Duan Yongji, who is one of the most successful and famous entrepreneurs in China, and is extremely supportive of my business goals and academic pursuits. will support me. MMy father is the As a founder of Stone Group and SINA Corporation , heand currently serves as both of these two companies as Chairmanperson and He is also the President of Zhongguanchun Development, considered the "Silicon Valley" in Beijing. His different business activities include: Throughout my father's twenty-three years in the business field, he has had plenty of experience dealing in both practical and entrepreneurial management skills. His refusal to work within state operated companies in the early 1970s laid the groundwork for starting his own business. He has also experienced By endeavoured in the business field for about 23 years, my father is full of experiences with practical project management skills and entrepreneurship. He was one of the first few of people who refused to work in the state operated companies and switched to ran their own businesses in the beginning of 1970s. He experienced the the whole process of seeing the Chinese economy move from athe closed market to anthe open market, which has only added to his skills in . Those precious experiences makes him sharpen in proper opportunity evaluation as well as the knowledge that isare required to run turn an idea into a sound business opportunity. Those preciousness experiences are also ve ry important for me in the same time. As you know, my country's economy has been growing as the worlds fastest for almost two decades; the marketing is also changing fast. Then to make a reliable perspective proposal before start seems more and more important than ever before. Through utilizing my father's advice on business decisions along with my education, I feel that My advantage is that I can get so many important information and valuable advices from discussing my proposal with my father andI can make a dependable plan for my future steps which is so important for a start-up company. And I could also share my father's

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Cause & Effect of Sept. 11th Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cause & Effect of Sept. 11th - Essay Example The social effect is captured by the way the catastrophe altered the American people’s perception, behavior and interaction towards Muslims living within and outside the country. The political effect is manifested by the labeling of certain states as the axis of evil and the American-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. The economic effect can be seen from the increased use of resources to secure production, distribution, finance, and communication at the expense of national productivity. What caused the September 11 attacks? In retrospect the big question still is: what led to 9/11 in the first place? There is no clear answer to this question; however, numerous conjectures have been raised. Even the US government’s 9/11 commission failed to provide clarity on the real causes of September 11. The commission only gave an unqualified response on who was responsible for the heinous act. There is not a single event in modern times that has elicited as many explanations as this tragedy. According to Bergen (2006) the theories on the causes of the September 11 attacks could be categorized into three: (1) the outright absurd, which state that the attacks were orchestrated by the US government; (2) the believable but flawed that argue that the attacks were done as a response to foreign occupation in the Arab lands; and (3) the credible, which postulates that September 11 was simply a collateral damage resulting from a clash within Islam. The al Qaeda angle In its findings, the US 9/11 commission concluded that the al Qaeda was solely responsible for the terrorist attacks. Osama Bin Laden was at war unambiguously with the United States. Levingston (2010) argued that this was the case because Osama was irked by the multiple engagements of the US in the Arab lands and its unequivocal support for Israel. This theory fits the second categorization of Bergen (2006); the-believable-but-flawed argument. At this juncture, it is important to note that Osama ’s critique towards America had never been cultural. Osama was not fighting Western culture; his was a personal war against the US. Bergen (2006) stated that Bin Laden was astute enough to know that he could not wage an all-out battle against the world’s sole superpower. He therefore craftily embodied his vision inside al Qaeda and attracted similar disgruntled Islamists whom he managed to convince that America was the enemy. Osama saw terrorism as the only achievable mode of operation to wage war against the US. This argument is believable but flawed because it fails to provide sufficient reasons as to why an individual in the Middle East would be so obsessed with waging a war against the US. Western interference The second plausible root cause of al Qaeda’s attack was perpetual Western interference in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. This interference can be traced back to colonization of Arab states by France and Britain, the creation and unequivocal support for the Jewish state – Israel, and currently American hegemony that is exemplified by acts such as the Gulf War in 1990. Western interference is a broader cause than Osama’s war in that it does not merely point the finger at one Western state – America – but at the entire Western world. The heart of this argument on Western interference is that the West has slowly and steadily been eroding the Arab culture by permeating Western ideologies in the Persian

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The systems approach Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The systems approach - Case Study Example This would also make the solution less cost effective and a delay in solution deployment. Ans) Prototyping model would not suit Saint James Hospital as in such an organization employees have very less time due to continuous involvement and work. On the other hand, waterfall model would suit such an organization which would take time analyzing the organization thoroughly and deploying a one time solution with minimal changes in the process. Ans 1) Yes. A problem persists. Don Lehnert, Vice President of Marketing, has not shown any interest in the development of MKIS. On the contrary he is more focused on extending into the New England Market. His involvement in the development of the solution is mandatory as he and his team is the one who would be using the information produced from the system. All the reporting procedures and reports to be generated must be in alignment with the Marketing department which make it mandatory for Mr. Lehnert to be involved in the project. Ans 2) The synergy that Sue has mentioned can only be achieved when the solution involves all the related departments into one body. Absence of the marketing department would loose the essence of the solution as the solution should be able to input the data from the manufacturing and accounting department and can help the marketing department to efficiently and effectively use the information output in the form of reports to decide on the factors of marketing and help him make a better decision when marketing his product. Ans 3) Rankin is currently focused towards the New England market. Lehnert's focus should be towards developing the MKIS so that when the company launches its product into New England, he would be in a better position to market his product into the new market. A meeting needs to be setup between the department heads, Sue Ranking and myself to ensure the requirement of one person in one role. Lehnert and Rankin both focusing on the new market would cause redundancy. I would probably be the best choice to chair the steering committee from then onwards as I have the financial and Information Systems background and can take information from all the required perspectives and get a solution made which would best suit everyone's requirements. CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS Ans 1) Making reports web accessible will affect the confidentiality availability and integrity of the reports available. Trojan horses, worms, spyware, hackers are just a few threats that Fair Heights will have to encounter maintaining the confidentiality of the reports when making them web accessible. Disaster management and risk management are two of the factors that Fair Heights will have to deal with when considering availability of the reports. Hackers and spyware will be an issue when considering maintaining the integrity of the reports. Ans 2) Threats that Fair Heights may have to face include internal or external and accidental or deliberate. Virus, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and adware are few of the external threats; Disclosure, theft, use, destruction, denial of service and modification are a few of the internal threats

Monday, October 14, 2019

South India and Maharashtra Essay Example for Free

South India and Maharashtra Essay Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is the second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the wealthiest state in India, contributing 15% of the countrys industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP. Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the north and northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is Indias largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Maharashtra is the worlds second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its own right, Maharashtra would be the worlds twelfth most populous country ahead of Philippines. Etymology The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit,[7] and the word Marhatta (later used for the Marathas) is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root. However, their exact etymology is uncertain.[8] The most widely accepted theory among the scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derive from a compound of Maha (Sanskrit for great) and rashtrika.[8] The word rashtrika is a Sanskritised form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or a dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region.[9] Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha (great) and rathi or ratha (great chariot driver), which refers to a skillful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area.[9][10] History The Nashik Gazetteer states that in 246 BC Maharashtra is mentioned as one of the places to which Mauryan emperor Asoka sent an embassy, and it is recorded in a Chalukyan inscription of 580 CE as including three provinces and 99,000 villages.[11][12] The name Maharashtra also appeared in a 7th-century inscription and in the account of a Chinese traveller, Hiuen-Tsang.[11] In 90 AD Vedishri,[13] son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the  unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. It was also ruled by Kharavela, Satavahana dynasty, Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before Yadava rule. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd century BC. Around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty which ruled the region for 400 years.[14] The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni. The Chalukya dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 6th century to the 8th century and the two prominent rulers were Pulakesi II, who defeated the north Indian Emperor Harsha and Vikramaditya II, who defeated the Arab invaders in the 8th century. The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century.[15] The Arab traveler Sulaiman called the ruler of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (Amoghavarsha) as one of the 4 great kings of the world.[16] From the early 11th century to the 12th century the Deccan Plateau was dominated by the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty.[17] Several battles were fought between the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty in the Deccan Plateau during the reigns of Raja Raja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I, Jayasimha II, Somesvara I and Vikramaditya VI.[18] In the early 14th century the Yadava dynasty, which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate ruler Ala-ud-din Khalji. Later, Muhammad bin Tughluq conqu ered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Tughlaqs in 1347, the local Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150 years. After the break-up of the Bahamani sultanate, in 1518, Maharashtra split into and was ruled by five Deccan Sultanates: namely Nizamshah ofAhmednagar, Adilshah of Bijapur, Qutubshah of Golkonda, Bidarshah of Bidar and Imadshah of Berar. These kingdoms often fought amongst each other. United, they decisively defeated theVijayanagara Empire of the south in 1565. Also present area of Mumbai was ruled by Sultanate of Gujarat before capturing by Portugal in 1535 and Faruqi dynasty ruled Khandesh region between 1382 and 1601 before Mughal annexation. Malik Ambar was the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar from 1607 to 1626. During this period he increased the strength  and power of Murtaza Nizam Shah and raised a large army. Malik Ambar is said to be the one of proponent of guerilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted Shah Ja han wrestle power in Delhi from his stepmother, Nur Jahan, who had ambitions of seating her son-in-law on the throne. By the early 17th century, Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general in the service of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur, attempted to establish his independent rule. His son Shivaji succeeded in establishing Maratha Empire which was further expanded by Bhonsle of Nagpur, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior and Peshwas (prime ministers). The Marathas defeated the Mughals, and conquered large territories in Northern and Central parts of the Indian subcontinent. After the defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha restored their supremacy and ruled central and north India including New Delhi till the end of the eighteenth century. The Third Anglo-Maratha war (1817–1818) led to the end of the Maratha Empire and East India Company ruled the country in 1819. After Indias independence, the Deccan States, including Kolhapur were integrated into Bombay State, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950. In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act reorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions of Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and Vidarbha region from the Central Provinces and Berar. Also, southernmost part of Bombay State was ceded to Mysore one. From 1954–1955 the people of Maharashtra strongly protested against bilingual Bombay state and Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti under the leadership of Dr. Gopalrao Khedkar was formed. Mahagujarat Movement was also started for separate Gujarat state. Gopalrao Khedkar, S.M. Joshi, S.A. Dange, P.K. Atre and other leaders fought for a separate state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital. On 1 May 1960, following mass protests and sacrifice of 105 human lives the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing earlier Bombay state into new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The demand of the local people of merging some of the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka namely Belgaum, Karwar and Nipani is still pending. Geography Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km ² (119,000 mi ²), and is the  third largest state in India. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Havelisandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtras west coast. Pune is located at the confluence of theMula and Mutha rivers. The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. To the west of these hills lie theKonkan coastal plains, 50–80 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats form one of the three watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers originate, notable among them beingGodavari River, and Krishna River, which flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India. Protected areas Several wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92 national parks, of which six are located in Maharashtra.There are 4 project tiger areas in Maharashtra. viz Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Sahyadri and Pench. A large percentage of Maharashtras forests and wildlife lie along the western Ghats or western Maharashtra and eastern Vidarbha. Navegaon National Park Nagzira wildlife sanctuary Tadoba Andhari Tiger Projec Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the worlds largest national park within city limits. Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state. Aashadi Ekadashi is one of most important festivals celebrated across Maharashtra. It is also referred to as Wari and pilgrimage from all over Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of India walk to Pandharpur from their respective villages. Devotion to the god Ganesh is celebrated in the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in August–September of every year.[64] Town of Pen in Raigad district is famous for Ganesh Idols made of special Shadu Clay. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati,Lalbaugcha Raja, Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Shri Ashtavinayakas are the major holy places for Maharashtrians.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

What Ideas Would You Bring To Classroom?

What Ideas Would You Bring To Classroom? To make the learning of vocabulary more interesting, a variety of activities can be conducted. Students can have a board race in class, to practice the language use. The class is divided into two groups. The board is divided into two parts. One student from each group goes to the board. The teacher gives them a sentence to write. For example: write the word in the middle of the board, and the prefix and suffix at the right and left hand side of the root word. Students are to race to the board to indicate whether the word has a prefix or suffix. All students are allowed to help the person at the board but they are not allowed to refer to any books or reference materials. No points will be awarded if any one of the teams uses a book or any reference materials. This enables the students to review a lot of material and identifies common problem areas. Furthermore, it fosters cooperation and unifies the students as a group. The next activity is the dictagloss. The dictagloss has originally been devised as a technique for learning vocabulary in a foreign language. It is also a useful technique to encourage students to work together to extract meaning from complex text. The dictagloss is a very useful activity that helps students to use language in order to learn. Students will have to listen to a text being read and reconstruct it. As students can also construct written summaries, a dictagloss also requires the students to consciously focus on their knowledge of the content and the relationship between ideas and words. Another activity is the use of a short text. A selected short text is read to the class at normal pace. The students listen for meaning. The text is read again and as it is being read, students are to jot down key words and phrases. Working in small groups the students pool their words and phrases and attempt to reconstruct the text from their shared resources. Their version should contain the main ideas of the text and approximate the language choices of the passage. Each group of students produces their own reconstructed version, aiming at grammatical accuracy and textual cohesion but not at replicating the original text. Each group presents their finished version to the class and each text is analysed and compared and the students should then refine their own texts in the light of the shared scrutiny and discussion. Next, a library can be set up within the classroom. The library can be graded. This encourage the student to read as they can have access to library books easily. Through reading, students pick up new words and thus widen their vocabulary. The student who read the most number of books will be rewarded. To make learning of vocabulary more enjoyable, students can also act out or have a pantomime where they are given cards with instructions like Open the parcel noiselessly, or Walk across the room cautiously, and perform the actions without speaking. The other students will try to guess the word or expression that the student is pantomiming. Each time, a student guess correctly, points will be awarded. To teach synonyms and antonyms, the teacher hands out a list of words to each student. There should be two columns next to each word, label the heading of each column, synonym and antonym. The teacher then read out the synonyms and antonyms of those words. The students have to write these words next to the word they are the same or the opposite of. It can be presented as such:- At the end of the lesson, the teacher goes through the lists with the class using a board. When reading a passage, students can be taught different meanings of familiar vocabulary so long as the words are not out of context, recognizing definitions, guessing cause and effect, opposite or contrasting words or phrases, focus on Subject-Verb-Order, where students guess what the general sense of the word it is. If it is a noun, specify whether it is a person, place, thing, abstract idea. If it is a verb, state whether it is an action, or a feeling or emotion.. If it is an adjective, state what the adjective is describing- Good or bad, Size, Colour, Shape or Emotion? To enable students to learn vocabulary in a fun way, a game called Password can be introduced. In this game, the class is divided into two teams. One person from each team sits in a chair in front of the class. Those two people receive a card with a vocabulary card. The first person gives a one-word clue to his/her team. If no one from the team can guess, the second person gives a clue to his/her team. This alternates back and forth until someone from one of the team guesses the word, or until a specified number of clues has been given. Points will be given to each team with the correct answer. The winning team will be awarded. Bibliography: http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol42/no2/p16.htm http://www.collaborativelearning.org/howearthwasformed.pdf http://www.learnenglish.de/Teachers/synonymantonym.html The TESOL textbook Using what you have read in this introduction to TESOL and your own knowledge, what do you consider to be the blocks which may prevent language learning? One block of language learning is language learning style, as students learn differently from others. Getting to know the students learning style will help to match the kind of activities carried out in class to ensure effective learning. Teachers can also be more versatile and adopt a variety of teaching styles to suit the different learnings styles of the students. Fossilization and false learners can hinder the student from learning the new language. Fossilization often means that certain aspects of the language were learned incompletely or incorrectly, such as grammatical features like conjugating verbs in the wrong fashion or using the wrong vocabulary, in such a manner that they cannot be unlearned and replaced with correct usage. Fossilization may also consist of a sort of subconscious clinging to aspects of the learners mother tongue, for instance, with syntax and phonology. This may reflect an inability to similarly unlearn characteristics of a mother language for the purpose of learning another; the native language so deeply hardwired into the brain that its paradigms cannot be replaced when attempting to learn a new and foreign language. Another block to language learning is language prejudice. Stereotypes and cultural bias, the teachers accent are factors that may affect the learning of the language. For example, foreign accents are everywhere and are here to stay; nevertheless, accented English, for example, is looked down upon, generally quite sternly. In addition, within what is refer to as a language, certain ways of speaking that language (AAE, for example) meet with great prejudice, social and racial in nature. Thus, all language teachers must work to overcome language prejudice, as it generally serves as a mask over class and racial prejudice should be tolerated too. One of the biggest challenge ESL teachers face is that one ESL class may consist of students from many nations, even if, for example, they are all Spanish-speaking countries. The cultures of Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Columbia, and Mexico , for instance, are very much different, so teachers should not assume that students who share a common native language will share similar cultural backgrounds. Even students from different regions of the same country will have different cultural beliefs and traditions that should be honored and preserved. Being more conscious of the different cultures will help to make a better teacher. Extensive research has already been done in the area of native language interference on the target language. Dulay et al (1982) define interference as the automatic transfer, due to habit, of the surface structure of the first language onto the surface of the target language. Lott (1983: 256) defines interference as errors in the learners use of the foreign language that can be traced back to the mother tongue. Ellis (1997: 51) refers to interference as transfer, which he says is the influence that the learners L1 exerts over the acquisition of an L2. He argues that transfer is governed by learners perceptions about what is transferable and by their stage of development in L2 learning. In learning a target language, learners construct their own interim rules (Selinker, 1971, Seligar, 1988 and Ellis, 1997) with the use of their L1 knowledge, but only when they believe it will help them in the learning task or when they have become sufficiently proficient in the L2 for transfer to be possible. Other factors that may prevent language learning is being overly self-conscious about their use of language, and a fear of being misunderstood. Not having enough exposure within the class and outside will also prevent language learning, as students will not have enough opportunities to use the language. Generally, the difficulties adults face include the following: 1. Self conscious 2. no respect for teacher 3. fossilized errors 4. personal issues / politics 5. intrusions 6. different levels / abilities However, the difficulties teachers face include 1. lack of interest 2. time management 3. body language 4. Teacher Talk Time 5. ensuring participation Bibliography http://hufs.davidboesch.com/GSE_YLDownloads/Reid.Joy.LearningStylePreferenesESLLearners.pdf http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/63102.aspx http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/interviews_W-ONeil.php http://www.yourdictionary.com/esl/ESL_Classroom-and-Cultural_Sensitivity.html http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/English_as_an_additional_language_-_Difficulties_for_learners/id/5023415 It seems reasonable to suggest that the motivation that students bring to class is the biggest single factor affecting their success. Comment (500-750 words) Students of all ages, all around the world, are learning to speak English. Some students want to learn English because it is on the curriculum in school, but for others, it reflects a kind of choice. Like an instrument, students may learn it for a practical purpose. They may have moved into a target-language community and they need to operate successfully within the community. Students could also learn English for a Specific Purpose, where they may need to learn the language for legal purposes, business, tourism, banking or nursing. For those who are studying at an English speaking University, they may need to take English for Academic Purposes. Some learn English as it will be useful for travel. A variety of factors can create a desire to learn. Perhaps the learners love the subject, some are motivated for a practical reason, like being able to acquire a skill or knowledge. The desire to achieve some goal is the bedrock of motivation and if it is strong enough, provokes a decision to act. For an adult, it may involve enrolling in an English class. This kind of motivation which comes from outside the classroom and may be influenced by a number of external factors such as the attitude of society, family and peers, to the subject in question, is referred to as extrinsic motivation, that is, the motivation that is generated outside the classroom. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is the kind of motivation that is generated by what happens inside the classroom; this could be the teachers methods, the activities that students can take part in, or their perception of success or failure. Students may be both extrinsically and intrinsically motivated. However, the danger of being extrinsically motivated is that it is harder to sustain than intrinsic. As the subject gets harder, students may give up or get bored with it. As adult learners, they may have a wider range of life experiences to draw on, both as individuals and as learners, than younger students do. They are more discipline, and have a clear understanding of why they are learning things, and can sustain their motivation. However, they come with a lot of previous learning experience which can hamper their progress. Students who had negative learning experiences in the past may be nervous of new learning. Students used to failure may be consciously or subconsciously prepared for failure. The task of the teacher would be to sustain their motivation. This could be done through the activities the teachers ask the students to take part in, will, excite their curiosity or provoke their participation help them to stay interested in the subject. The teacher needs to select an appropriate level of challenge so that things are neither too difficult nor too easy. Appropriate teacher qualities need to be displayed so that students can have confidence in their abilities. Students feedback is important as it shows how students feel about the learning process. Students need to feel that the teacher really cares about them; if students feel supported and valued, they are more likely to be motivated to learn. Encourage the students to make decisions in class over the choice of activities. This make the students feel they have some influence over what is happening, rather than always being told exactly what to do. In this way, they are often more motivated to take part in the lesso n. Nevertheless, however much the teacher does to foster the motivation of the student, we can only offer our support and assistance by word and deed. Real motivation comes from within each student themselves. Without motivation, the students are unlikely to succeed. Bibliography: How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer. Knowing a language is not just a matter of having grammatical competenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We have seen that we also need to add to communicative competence that is the understanding of what language is appropriate within certain situations The Practice of Language Teaching Harmer. Is there any place for teaching grammar in a formal manner? Give reasons for you answer and include a formal discussion of what you mean by a formal manner. One of the main reasons that people need to pick up a language is for the purpose of communication. Lessons hence ought to facilitate language use where it is not just bits and pieces of vocabulary slotted in, but also involves language functions such as inviting, agreeing and disagreeing, suggesting and so on which students need to learn using a variety of language components. As teachers of communication, we have to facilitate the communication built in by personalized and imaginative exercises where the student can use the structure for himself. (Harmer). Teaching grammar in the formal manner refers to teaching grammar by translating grammar, where students would look at the word, dictionary and change it into their own language; in other words, using meta-language. Another method of teaching grammar is the direct approach forming sentences around new words. For example, students are given 10 sentences in aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (achieving grammatical competence?). Grammar translation still has relevance today, though it is not practiced in the same way. Nevertheless, most language learners translate in their heads in very much the same way by comparing it to their mother tongue. However, a total concentration on grammar translation stops students from getting the kind of natural language input that will help them acquire language and it fails to give them opportunities to activate their own language knowledge. Translation and mindless repetition of grammatical structure that is taught in formal grammar will be avoided as students need to k now not only the correct grammar, but also where and how to use it. Audiolingualism capitalized on the suggestion that if we describe the grammatical patterns of English, we have students repeat and learn them. Grammatical structures were presented in simple situations which exemplified their usage. Crucially too, the structures were hence graded so that students learnt the easy ones first before moving onto things that were more complex. Audiolingualism argued that learning is the result of habit formation, where performing the correct response to a stimulus means that a reward is given; constant repetition of this reward makes the automatic response.Audio-linguak classes hence made extensive use of drilling in which students produced the same grammatical pattern, but were prompted to use the different words within the grammatical pattern, in the hope that they would acquire good language habits. Nevertheless, audiolingualism does not expose students to real or realistic language, and were therefore unlike to produce natural sounding language themse lves. Language is not just patterns of grammar with vocabulary items slotted in, but also involves language functions such as inviting, agreeing and disagreeing, suggesting which students should learn how to perform using a variety of language components. Students also need to know about the appropriacy of the when talking and writing to people in terms of the kind of language they use (formal, informal, tentative, technical). Hence communicative competence is not just about the language but also about language use. The second principle of Communicative Language Teaching in gaining communicative competence is that so long as the students get enough exposure to language and opportunities for language use the language learning will take care of itself. As a result, has been teaching students to communicate real messages, and not just grammatically controlled language. Giving students different kinds of language, pointing them towards aspects of style and appropriacy, and above all giving th em opportunities to try out real language within the classroom humanized what had sometimes been rigidly controlled. Another approach to teaching English, which Berlitz adopts is the Lexical approach, which teaches learners to be fluent in the language in a short 6 months. The last method used today in teaching grammar is characterized as postmodern; where there is a return to grammar and blended learning. Learning to communicate alone might not be sufficient in effectively conveying themselves, as spoken grammar differs from written grammar, and some phrases appear in spoken English that we would not necessarily write; spoken grammar moreover is more informal than written grammar. Nevertheless, classroom technique is important to good effective communication, and for the right application of grammar for students to convey themselves meaningfully.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Masters of Disguise :: essays research papers

Finding good day care can certainly pose a problem these days, unless, of course, you're an African widow bird. When it comes time for a female widow bird to lay her eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearby Estrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggs inside. That's the last the widow bird ever sees of her offspring. But not to worry, because the Estrildid finch will take devoted care of the abandoned birds as if they were her own. And who's to tell the difference? Though adult widow birds and Estrildid finches don't look at all alike, their eggs do. Not only that, baby widow birds are dead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both having the same colouration and markings. They even act and sound the same, thus ensuring that the widow bird nestlings can grow up among their alien nestmates with no risk of being rejected by their foster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Things aren't always as they seem, and nowhere is this more true than in nature, where dozens of animals (and plants) spend their time masquerading as others. So clever are their disguises that you've probably never known you were being fooled by spiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look like shrews, worms copying sea anemones, and roaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animals that look like themselves, which can also be a form of impersonation. The phenomenon of mimicry, as it's called by biologists, was first noted in the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, Henry W. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests of Brazil, Bates discovered that many members of the Peridae butterfly family did not look anything like their closest relatives. Instead they bore a striking resemblance to members of the Heliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closer inspection, Bates found that there was a major advantage in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile, slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiids are ideal targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birds never touch them because they taste so bad. Imagine that you're a delicious morsel of butterfly. Wouldn't it be smart to mimic the appearance of an unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird would bother you either? That's what Bates concluded was happening in the Brazilian jungle among the Pieridae. Today, the imitation of an inedible species by an edible one is called Batesian mimicry. Since Bates' time, scientists have unmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature. It hasn't always been an easy job, either, as when an animal mimics not one, but several other species. In one species of butterfly common in India and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no less than three versions. One type resembles the male while the others resemble two entirely different species of inedible butterflies. Butterflies don't "choose" to mimic other butterflies in the same Masters of Disguise :: essays research papers Finding good day care can certainly pose a problem these days, unless, of course, you're an African widow bird. When it comes time for a female widow bird to lay her eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearby Estrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggs inside. That's the last the widow bird ever sees of her offspring. But not to worry, because the Estrildid finch will take devoted care of the abandoned birds as if they were her own. And who's to tell the difference? Though adult widow birds and Estrildid finches don't look at all alike, their eggs do. Not only that, baby widow birds are dead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both having the same colouration and markings. They even act and sound the same, thus ensuring that the widow bird nestlings can grow up among their alien nestmates with no risk of being rejected by their foster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Things aren't always as they seem, and nowhere is this more true than in nature, where dozens of animals (and plants) spend their time masquerading as others. So clever are their disguises that you've probably never known you were being fooled by spiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look like shrews, worms copying sea anemones, and roaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animals that look like themselves, which can also be a form of impersonation. The phenomenon of mimicry, as it's called by biologists, was first noted in the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, Henry W. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests of Brazil, Bates discovered that many members of the Peridae butterfly family did not look anything like their closest relatives. Instead they bore a striking resemblance to members of the Heliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closer inspection, Bates found that there was a major advantage in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile, slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiids are ideal targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birds never touch them because they taste so bad. Imagine that you're a delicious morsel of butterfly. Wouldn't it be smart to mimic the appearance of an unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird would bother you either? That's what Bates concluded was happening in the Brazilian jungle among the Pieridae. Today, the imitation of an inedible species by an edible one is called Batesian mimicry. Since Bates' time, scientists have unmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature. It hasn't always been an easy job, either, as when an animal mimics not one, but several other species. In one species of butterfly common in India and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no less than three versions. One type resembles the male while the others resemble two entirely different species of inedible butterflies. Butterflies don't "choose" to mimic other butterflies in the same