Living In Clip free essay sample

I dont know why folk-rock singer Ani Difranco hadnt thought of doing this sooner. A two CD set featuring live recordings of her remarkable, inspirational music from concerts around the country. Its terrific! A brilliant, wild, fun and evocative CD. A perfect amalgamation of almost all her best songs morphed into one long concert and whether you have experienced Ani live or not, youll love this CD! Many of Ani Difrancos fans, mainly young women who can relate to her poetic writing and raw sound, agree that her songs sound more vivid and life-like on stage than in a studio. Now you can have these 30 live songs on your personal stereo, experiencing every concert from Anis point of view. She tells her stories and sings her poems of fame, emotions, settings, boyfriends, girlfriends and making independent music. She also does an funky version of Amazing Grace, from her new 1996 album Dilate. We will write a custom essay sample on Living In Clip or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Perhaps youre not familiar with Ani Difranco, whos sold more albums than Hootie and the Blowfish, all on her own record label Righteous Babe Records. Or maybe youre more into Jewel, Alanis Morissette or Fiona Apple. Hopefully this two-hour recording Living in Clip can outlive them. We all know theres good music out there, and Ani is it! .

Why Compromise was Necessary for US Government essays

Why Compromise was Necessary for US Government essays In the process of creating a new Federal government, inevitable conflicts made compromise absolutely necessary. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, there were a number of differences between the delegates and the interests they represented. These delegates came from different backgrounds, and held different political views. One issue that was hotly debated was the argument of how many representatives each state should be allowed. The issue of including a Bill of Rights was also addressed. As a result, compromise was desperately needed. One major issue the delegates encountered was giving fair representation to both large and small states.. The large states favored Madisons Virginia Plan. According to the Virginia Plan, there would be a bicameral (2 houses) legislature with membership based on each states population. The voters would elect members of the lower house who would then elect members of the upper house. Both houses would vote for the countrys president and judges. This was clearly not fair to the smaller states, who would have less representation in this system. The Virginia Plan would give the largest states the majority of power. Instead, small states favored Patersons New Jersey Plan. The New Jersey Plan proposed a single-house congress in which each state had an equal vote. There were seven small states, meaning if they all voted together they would have the majority power. Once again, this system was not fair to the larger states. This conflict between the small and large states was so heated tha t it almost threatened to break up the Constitutional Convention. There was only one solution compromise. The compromise reached has come to be known as The Great Compromise. A delegate from Connecticut, Roger Sherman, proposed a two-house legislature, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Accordingly, Sherman had combined both the Virginia Pla...

The Logic and Evidental Problem of Evil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Logic and Evidental Problem of Evil - Essay Example All materials presented in this paper will come from class notes and a secondary source. Logical Problem of Evil Atheist J.L Mackie presented this argument where he argued that there is a contradiction between the existence of God and the existence of evil (Kelly 218). Mackie formulated his argument that there seems to be an evident contradiction between four main premises. One of them is that God is an omnipotent (Kelly 219). This premise translates that God is all-powerful, meaning that he is supposed to have the power of eliminating all evil that exists in this world (Meister 132). The second premise is that God is an omniscient. This second premise translates that God is all-knowing, meaning that he could have the ability to detect the occurrence and existence of evil in order to prevent or eliminate it. The third premise according to Mackie is that God is Omni-benevolent (Meister 132). This argument translates that God is all-good, meaning he would have the will to prevent all t he evils from happening in this world (Meister 132). The fourth premise indicates that evil and suffering exists in this world (Meister 132). This premise translates that there is evidence of moral and natural evil existence in this world. Reflecting on all of the above four premises Mackie concluded that God does not exist. The above four premises leads to a contradiction between the existence if evil and God. This derives to a point that God does not exist. For example, it is easy to reject the premise that God is omnipotent. This is because if God is not able to stop evil and most importantly know before it occurs in order to do something to stop it, then probably there is no God. There is also a possibility to reject the second premise; God is omniscient, by stating that if God is really all knowing, he could have the ability to stop evil. The above information indicates that no one is able to know what individuals can do even God himself. Moreover, this means that if God does e xist, evil occurs and surprises even him. It is also possible to reject the third premise indicating that God is Omni-benevolent. This is because if God is perfect good, he ought to have the ability of knowing when evil might occur and then have the power to stop it. However, it seems that God does not care about evil and possible he does not have the ability to stop it. Rejecting the first three premises translates into the fourth one, evil and suffering exists, and therefore giving a possible conclusion that there is no God. The Evidential Argument One of the well-known individuals who have firmly supported the evidential argument is William Rowe (Kelly 220). Through the evidential argument, Rowe and many other philosophers argue that much of the evils that people experiences in this world seem to be pointless. Rowe presented his arguments on four main statements. One of the statements indicated â€Å"E†, is an evil that no one established its justifier. However, many peopl e especially philosophers have been trying to find the justifier without any success. The second statement according to Rowe shows there is a high probability â€Å"E† has no justifier. The third statement indicates that if there are some evil that depict to have no justifier, then all the facts presented on theism about God depicts to be false (Meister 135). The fourth statement as presented by Rowe then concludes there is a high probability that theism is false. According the above statements

434Mod1Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

434Mod1Case - Essay Example Often cyber ethics education is based on one significant theory or combination of two theories. The two major theoretical approaches are teleological and deontological theories. Teleological theories states action’s consequences to be a measure of action’s good. On the other hand deontological theories consider action’s righteousness to be above goodness. Utilitarian foundation is a part of teleological theories. This foundation states that action of an individual should be able to maximize happiness and good for all who are affected by such actions. It highlights the factor that actions of a person should be based on probable consequences that may be resulted by the action before it is been executed. This theory claims that a person should think about each and every individual and not just person taking a decision. Deontological theory is an ethical study based on duties. It considers duty and fidelity toward principle to be most essential factors (Gold, 2010). This theory states that an action’s consequences are not that important in comparison to rightness of the action. As per this theory an action is said to be valid if actions that are taken by individuals do not lead to any form of contradiction. The basic concept of this theory is that individuals should work according to their intelligence and virtue; act justly, should tell truth and avoid any form of injury towards others. Both the theories have different elements which state the importance of cyber ethics. This form of education has gained its importance in the recent years where stealing music or video is considered to be equivalent to actual theft. Students are made aware about the different cyber crimes and its impact on others (Starr, 2011). Information technology in the present scenario has given liberty to individuals to access various data but also it has posed a threat to one’s privacy. In American schools

Discussion Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Discussion Questions - Coursework Example Saying anything at all is not doing something; one who says anything neither has control over what he says nor the consequences, most of which are normally negative. In light of this argument, saying anything means raising the eyebrows and counter-sayings or counter-actions along one’s path to a desired destination (Soccio 58). By advocating for inaction, it is fair to describe Asian philosophers as passive. Asia is technically a closed society where open reactions to issues are highly unlikely. In Buddha, the Middle Path is the cure for suffering (Soccio 59). The Path requires the faithful to avoid either extremes of life which would keep them in indulgence or denial. Successful individuals do not yearn for endless satisfaction, and they refrain from painful scenarios either. In all these, ego is always the trigger of all the negative stimuli in the brain, and thus it is the basis of denial and suffering. Tzu’s observation is accurate; Buddha’s approach to suffering ensures that adherents are always prepared to avoid suffering by staying away from extreme pleasures or overindulgence (Soccio 44). The approach can cure virtually all kinds of suffering because pain is often associated with both

Relationship between SMC1A and Chromosome Related Disease

Relationship between SMC1A and Chromosome Related Disease 1. Introduction[A1] The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes 1 alpha (SMC1A) gene is located in Xp11.22-p11.21, consisting of 25 exons and 24 intron. SMC1A gene encoding a core subunit of the cohesin complex, which is essential to sister chromatid cohesion. SMC1, SMC3, SCC1 (also known as MDC1 and RAD21) and SCC3 (also known as SA2 and STAG2) subunits could interact with each other and form a ring-shaped cohesin complex [1-3]. As is known, central component of the cohesin and condensin complexes are required for conversion of interphase chromatin into mitotic-like condense chromosomes[4]. Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) proteins are core component of the cohesin and condensin complex and essential for chromosome condensation during DNA replication and chromatid segregation of the genome in all organisms. They are also involved in checkpoint responses and epigenetic silencing of gene expression[5]. Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a dominantly developmental disorder with multisystem abnormalities including slow growth before and after birth, characteristic facial features, upper extremity defects, hirsutism, gastroesophageal dysfunction and cognitive retardaion. The incidence is as high as one in 10,000 to 30,000 newborns. Both sexes have the same phenotypic variability. To date, the three genes, NIPBL, SMC1A, and SMC3 involving in chromosome function, gene regulation and double-stranded DNA repair, could cause CdLS when mutated[6, 7]. Six in ten of the probands with CdLS have heterozygous mutations in NIPBL gene, whereas 5% have mutations in SMC1A and SMC3 genes [6, 8]. Eleven different SMC1A mutations in 14 unrelated patients have been reported. All patients had a mild to moderate CdLS phenotype [8-10]. In several decades, we focus on the relationship between SMC1A and chromosome related genetic disease. In recent years, we found that SMC1A may play a key role in tumorigenesis. Sun. M et al. determined that the effects of SMC1A knockdown on the cell cycle and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cells. The results indicated that SMC1A is a novel oncogene, which modulates lung cancer cells in their proliferation and migration capabilities through arresting cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and promoting apoptosis [11]. The similar conclusion also was found in glioblastoma cells [12, 13]. However, SMC1A functions as a novel oncogene in human prostate cancer metastasis and progression has still not been reported. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Patient Samples All of the patient samples were obtained from the Urinary Surgery Department of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai, China. This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, and the informed consents were acquired from all of the subjects. 2.2. Reagents and antibodies DMEM (cat no.12430-054), F12 (cat no. 21127022) and RPMI-1640(cat no. 11875-093) medium and fetal bovine serum (cat no. 10099-141) were purchased from GIO (Grand Island, NY). TRIzol Reagent was from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA). Giemsa was from Chemicon International (Temecula, CA). M-MLV Reverse (cat no. M5301)Transcription was purchased from Promega (Madison, WI, USA). Oligo-dT(18) was synthesized by Sangon Biotech (Shanghai, China). Terraâ„ ¢ qPCR Direct SYBR ® Premix (cat no. 638318) was from Takara (Otsu, Japan). Anti-SMC1A antibody (cat no. SAB4300451) was from Sigma-Aldrich (Munich, Germany). Mouse anti-GAPDH (cat no. sc-32233), Goat anti-Mouse IgG (cat no. sc-32233) and goat anti-rabbit IgG (cat no. sc-2030) were from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Texas, USA). All the other chemicals were of analytical grade. 2.3. Cell culture Human embryonic kidney cells 293T, Human prostate cancer cell lines PC-3, DU145, LNCap, and 22RV1 were purchased from the Cell Bank of Type Culture Collection of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai, China). 293T were cultrued in DMEM containing 10%FBS. PC-3 and DU145 cells were maintained in F-12 medium supplemented with 10% FBS, 100U/ml penicillin and 100ÃŽ ¼g/ml streptomycin. 22RV1 and LNCap cells were incubated with RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% FBS, 100U/ml penicillin and 100ÃŽ ¼g/ml streptomycin. LNCap cells were maintained in Corning Corning ® CellBIND ® Surface cell culture flasks (Corning, cat no. #3289) for a better attachment efficiency. All cells were cultured in a humidified incubator at 37oC under 5% CO2 atmosphere and used for analysis during exponential phase of growth. 2.4. RNA interference The synthesized 21-bp oligonucleotides encoding SMC1A-specific shRNA held the sequence 5’-TAGGAGGTTCTTCTGAGTACA-3’. The sequence of the negative control shRNA oligonucleotides was 5’-TTCTCCGAACGTGTCACGT-3’. The oligos were annealed and ligated into pH-L vector (Hollylab, Shanghai, China) through NheI/PacI to generate pH-Lv-shSMC1A and pH-Lv-shCon. The resulting constructs were confirmed by sequencing. 2.5. Recombinant lentivirus Transduction PC-3 or DU145 cells were plated at 5Ãâ€"104 cell/well in 6-well plates. After 24 h of culture, lentivirus recombinant encoding shRNA against SMC1A was added at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 50 into F-12 basic medium. After 6h incubation, the cells were added with complete growth medium replacing the basic medium containing the lentivirus. Then, 5 days post-transfection, gene reporter (EGFP) expression was examined using fluorescent microscopy (Olympus, cat no. CKX41). 2.6. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis of SMC1A mRNA expression Total RNA was extracted using TRIzol reagent according to the manufacturer’s instruction. 2ÃŽ ¼g total RNA was used to synthesize the first strand of cDNA using M-MLV Reverse Transcriptase. Real-time PCR reactions using Terraâ„ ¢ qPCR Direct SYBR ® Premix were run on Takara TP800-Thermal Cycler DiceTM Real-Time System. The following primers were used: SMC1A: 5’- AGCGAAAGGCAGAGATAATGG-3’ and 5’-GGTAGTCAAGAGGCAAGAAGG-3’; ÃŽ ²-actin: 5’- GTGGACATCCGCAAAGAC-3’ and 5’-AAAGGGTGTAACGCAACTA-3’. Thermal cycling condition were 1 min at 95 °C followed by 45 cycles of 95  °C for 5 s, 60 °C for 20 s, read absorbance value at the extension stage. The data was analyzed with Takara Thermal Dice Real Time System software Ver3.0. SMC1A relative mRNA levels was calculated using the 2-ΔΔCt method with normalization to ÃŽ ²-actin. And the conditions 2.7. Western blot analysis of SMC1A protein expression Cells were washed twice with ice-cold PBS and suspended in cell lysis buffer (2% Mercaptoethanol, 20% Glycerol, 4% SDS in 100mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 6.8), and incubated for 15 min on ice. After centrifugation at 12,000 g for 15 min at 4oC, the supernatants were collected, and the protein content were measured using BCA protein assay kit. Equal amounts of protein were subjected to SDS-PAGE. After electrophoresis, blots were transferred onto PVDF membrane using an electro-blotting apparatus (Tanon, Shanghai, China). The membrane was blocked with TBST buffer containing 5% nonfat milk at room temperature for 1 h, and incubated with the primary antibodies in the blocking solution at 4oC overnight. After 3 washes with TBST buffer, the membrane was incubated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) -conjugated secondary antibody (1:5000) at room temperature for 1 h. The signals of detected proteins were visualized by Pierce ECL western blotting detection kit (thermo scientific, USA). GAPDH protein level was used as an internal control to verify equal protein loading. 2.8. MTT assay Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. Exponential growth phase cells were plated at a final concentration of 2000 cells/well in 96-well plates and cultured for five consecutive days. MTT (10 µl, 10mg/ml) was then added, followed by incubation for another 4 hr at 37oC under humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere. The MTT was removed and addition of 150ÃŽ ¼l DMSO. Optical density (OD) of each well was measured at 490 nm using an ELx808 Absorbance Reader (Bio-Tek Instruments, USA). 2.9. Colony formation assay Cell growth and survival ability was also determined by the plate-colony-formation assay. In brief, 200 transfected cells were plated in 6-well plates. Cells were cultured for 14 days at 37oC under humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere. Culture medium was changed at 3-day intervals. Afterward, cells were incubate in 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature. The colonies were stained with Giemsa for 15 min, then washed with ddH2O and air-dried. The number of colonies (>50 cells/colony) was counted. 2.10. Flowcytometry Analysis Cell cycle distribution was assessed by propidium iodide (PI) staining. Briefly, the transfectedcells were harvested by trypsinization, centrifuged at 250 g for 5 min, washed twice with ice-cold PBS, and fixed in 70% ethanol at 4oC or -20oC for at least 1 h. Cells were collected and resuspended in PBS containing 100ÃŽ ¼g/ml RNase A and 40ÃŽ ¼g/ml PI, and then incubated at 4oC for 30 min, in dark. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (Becton-Dickinson, San Jose, CA). The percentage of the cells in sub-G1, G0/G1, S, and G2/M phases were analyzed using ModFit (Verity Software House, Maine, USA) software. 2.11. Migration assay To explore the effect of SMC1A in the migration of prostate cancer cells, 24-well transwell chamber with 8.0ÃŽ ¼m pore polycarbonate filter inserts (Corning, cat no. #3422) was performed. In the upper chamber of each transwell, cells were suspended in serum-free F-12 containing 0.2% BSA. And F-12 supplemented with 10% FBS was added in each lower chamber. Then, the inserts were incubated at a 37 °C, 5% CO2/95% air incubator for overnight and the cells that had not penetrated the filters were removed. The migrated cells attached to the bottom side were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 10 min and stained in0.1% crystal violet for 30 min, rinsed in PBS and examined under a bright-field microscope. 2.12. Tumorigenesis assay The influence of SMC1A silence on the tumor development of prostate tumor in vivo was examined. DU145, DU145-Lv-shCon or DU145 Lv-shSMC1A at 5 Ãâ€" 106 per mouse were injected subcutaneously into 4 weeks old Balb/c nude mice (n = 10 per group, Shanghai Laboratory Animal Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China). The development and growth of solid tumors were monitored by measuring tumor size using a vernier caliper in a blinded fashion every five days for a 27-days period. The tumor volume was calculated using a standard formula: tumor volume (mm3) = width (mm)2Ãâ€"length (mm)Ãâ€"0.5. At the end of the experiment, all mice were sacrificed and individual tumor weights were measured using a electronic balance. All the animal experiments were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the Second Military Medical University. 2.13. Statistical analysis The statistical analyses were performed with Graphpad Prism 5.0 software. The values are expressed as the mean of at least three different experiments  ± S.D. The results were analyzed by Student’s t-test, and P 3. Results 3.1. Expression of SMC1A in prostate cancer tissue and prostate cancer cells. To study the function of SMC1A in prostate cancer, we first analyzed its expression pattern in prostate cancer tissues. As shown in Fig 1A, SMC1A was strongly stained in prostate cancer tissue with a clear subcellular localization in the cytoplasm and nucleus of abnormal prostate epithelial cells. Then, the expression level of SMC1A was further analyzed by western blot, which showed that SMC1A was upregulated in prostate cancer tissues (Ca) compared to the adjacent normal tissues (N) (Fig 1B), implying a possible correlation between SMC1A and prostate cancer. To find a cell model for further investigation of SMC1A’s function in prostate cancer, we first analyzed the expression of SMC1A in four commonly used prostate cancer cell lines. Both WB and qPCR indicated that SMC1A expressions were elevated in PC-3, DU145 and 22RV1 cells in comparison to the androgen-sensitive LNCap cells (Fig 1C and D), which had less aggressiveness than the other three cell lines. We also found that S MC1A expression level was negatively correlated to AR expression level (Fig 1C and E), suggesting that SMC1A might be correlated with the malignancy of prostate cancer and involved in AR signaling. 3.2. Lentivirus-mediated knockdown of SMC1A in prostate cancer cells. As PC-3 and DU145 cells expressed much higher levels of SMC1A, they were used for further investigation. Both PC-3 and DU145 cells were untreated or transducated with Lv-shCon or Lv-shSMC1A. The transduction efficiencies were above 90% in both cells confirmed by fluorescent microscope (Fig 2A). WB analysis demonstrated that Lv-shSMC1A efficiently knocked down SMC1A expressions in PC-3 and Du145 cells (Fig B and C). Q-PCR results indicated that SMC1A was down-regulated more than 80% and 90% in PC-3 and DU145cells respectively. 3.3 Down-regulation of SMC1A inhibited cell proliferation in prostate cancer cells. After confirming the knocked down efficiency of SMC1A, PC-3 and DU145 cells were analyzed for cell growth rate with MTT assay. As shown in Fig 3A and E, cells transducted with Lv-shSMC1A displayed suppressed growth rate in comparison to the control or Lv-shCon transducted cells. The cells were then seeded onto 6-well plates for the analysis of colony formation ability. PC-3 and DU145 cells transducted with Lv-shSMC1A formed colonies with much smaller sizes compared to the control and Lv-shCon transducted cells (Fig 3B and F).The colonies formed in 6-well plates were photographed (Fig 3C and G), and counted (Fig 3D and H). The results suggested that both PC-3 and Du145 cells showed impaired colony formation abilities after SMC1A knockdown,indicating a pivotal role of SMC1A in regulation of prostate cancer cells proliferation.

IP addressing scenario Essay

When is it worth setting up a DHCP server for your office and how many computers would you say is the minimum amount that really justifies the work of setting up the server? Let’s first explore what DHCP is so we can understand what it does and can accurately answer the question at hand. DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and provides a mechanism for conveniently assigning network addresses and other network configuration parameters to a system upon request, usually when it is first bootstrapped or attached to the network. This is what allows you to manage the IP address of any given computer on your network from one location. Being that we ran out of addresses for IPv4 and are now basically only using borrowed addresses Maintaining the IP address for a network individually would be a huge chore for any network professional. Thankfully DHCP was invented making our job a little easier. Now the question is when is it worth setting up a DHCP server? In my opinion that would be, with anything larger than 2 computers. I am going to want to be able to manage the computers on my network from one location, my location. I am not going to want to have to get up from my desk, interrupting my current task to configure your IP address while making sure the IP address I am assigning isn’t a duplicate. This basically comes down to how much work you want to do as a network manager. Do you want to continually update and configure computers, at each individual desk, every time their IP address is released, or anytime you need to add computers to your office, or do you want to be able to do it from the comfort of your own computer? For me, I would be ok with 2 computers to maintain but any more then that and I am going to want the DHCP server set up.

Banyan Tree Essay

Minimal advertising, still high level of brand awareness through company’s public relations and global marketing programs. Faced the challenge of translating and maintaining the success of a niche Asian hospitality brand into various market segments on a global scale ‘Innovative niche product that could also bridge the price gap in this market’ Building a resort comprising individual villas with locally inspired architectural design and positioned as a romantic and intimate escapade for guests; ‘Sanctuary for the senses’. Banyan Tree Gallery: ‘local culture and heritage and promoting cottage Crafts, retail outlet showcasing indigenous crafts, works closely with village cooperatives and not-for-profit craft marketing agents.  Marketing: high-end travel magazines in key markets – public relations – global marketing programs (increase editorial coverage) – few key wholesalers in each targeted market – agents specializing in exlusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers – membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World – GDS cose ‘BY’ (own global distribution system used by travel providers to process airline, hotel, car rental and other distribution partners around the world. Actively caring for the natural and human environment, revitalizing local communities, worked actively to preserve, protect, and promote the natural and human environments in which BYT resorts where located. Minimizing the impact on the environment Green Communities = planted trees, engage local communities, associates, guests to share the causes of climate change and actions that can reduce our collected carbon footprint. Green Imperative Fund to further support community-based and environmental initiatives in the regions where it has a presence. The company believed in building profitable resorts that would benefit the surrounding environment and contribute to local economies through the creation of employment and community development projects. Businesses with local farmers and traders by making it a point to purchase fresh produce from them. Community Relations Department was set up to develop and manage community outreach programs. Seedling: BTHR’s formalized program which aimed to help oung adults from local communities and motivate them and provide the means for completing their education to successfully enter the labor force as adults. Future: openening city hotels and angsana hotels in Dubai and London (angsana brand in response to the demand for hotel operators in Asia that were keen to introduce spa services in their hotel, it is more contemporary and affordable brand. Musem Shop by banyan tree: joint partnetship with Singapor’s national heritage board to showcase Asi’a rich and diverse cultural heritage through unique museum-inspired merchandise. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is an investment holding company involved in managing and developing premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific. To date, the Banyan Tree Group manages and/or has ownership interests in close to 36 hotels and resorts, around 73 spas, 91 galleries  and 3 golf courses in 28 countries The company operates in Asia, Mexico and Morocco, New Zealand, Africa, Dubai, and the UK. Banyan Tree operates through three business segments: hotel investment, property sales, and fee-based. The hotel investments segment relates to hotel and restaurant operations. : The property sales segment comprises hotel residences, Laguna property sales and development project/site sales. Hotel residences business relates to the sale of hotel villas or suites which are part of hotel operations, to investors under a compulsory leaseback scheme. Laguna property sales business relates to the development and sale of properties which are standalone vacation homes in Laguna Phuket. Development project/site sales relates to pure development land sales or development land sales which are fully or partially developed with infrastructure. The fee-based segment comprises the management of hotels and resorts, the management of an asset-backed destination club, the management of private-equity funds, the management and operation of spas, the sales of merchandise, the provision of architectural and design services, the management and ownership of golf courses, and rental of retail outlets and offices. The company’s subsidiaries (dochterbedrijf) include Banyan Tree Spa Bangkok, Banyan Tree Spa Bintan, Banyan Tree Spa Ringha, Banyan Tree Spa Phuket, Banyan Tree Sanya, and Banyan Tree Macau, among others. Banyan Tree Holdings (Banyan Tree) is engaged in the management and development of premium resorts, hotels and spas. The company’s key services include the following. Hotel and restaurant operations Sale of hotel villas or suites – Development and sale of properties – Pure development land sales – Management of hotels and resorts – Management of an asset-backed destination club – Management of private-equity funds -Management and operation of spas – Architectural and design services – Management and ownership of golf courses – Rental of retail outlets and offices. The following companies are the major competitors of Banyan Tree Holdings Limited: Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited – Four Seasons Hotels Inc – Associated International Hotels Ltd In the past few years, such events risks as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, bird flu, floods and riots in Thailand have been hard on our industry, causing tourism as a whole to dry up in their wake. By comparison, economic recessions are part and parcel of the business cycle, which we are able to take in our stride and counter with a variety of measures. During the year, the world remained mired in the European sovereign debt crisis and American economic weakness. Although these conditions affected our arrivals primarily from Europe, we were able to capitalise on the flourishing Chinese market. At our four resorts in the Maldives, for example, the number of Chinese guests surpassed those from Europe. In our continuing efforts to rebalance the Group’s assets, we made the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles which gave rise to a net gain. We also sold and leased back Angsana Velavaru in January 2013. The hybrid structure of this deal is a first for Banyan Tree, and we are pleased with how it allows us to rebalance our portfolio while still participating in the profits from the operations of Angsana Velavaru. 2012: with overall revenue growing 3% to S$338. 4 million. Due to improved results from our hotel investments and fee-based businesses, as well as a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. Group EBITDA was S$74. 5 million, up 51% on the back of higher revenue and a gain on the bargain purchase of Banyan Tree Seychelles. This in turn resulted in PATMI increasing by 856% (S$14. million), tempered by higher finance costs and income tax expenses. HOTEL INVESTMENTS Our hotel investments delivered a stronger performance in 2012, with Group-owned hotels posting total revenue of S$187. 7 million, up 15% from the previous year. This was due to the higher contribution from our Thai properties and the consolidation of revenue from Banyan Tree Seychelles from 2Q12 onwards. These gains were partially offset by lower revenue from our Maldives properties as Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru were temporarily closed for refurbishment. As a result of the increase in revenue, EBITDA for this segment grew by a healthy 69% to S$36. 6 million. PROPERTY SALES Revenue from property sales was S$42. 7 million. The 36% decrease was due to the sale of development sites in Lijiang, Yangshuo and Huangshan to our China Fund in 2011. Excluding those transactions, revenue and EBITDA from property sales saw growth of 43% and 74% respectively, thanks to a higher contribution from completed sales of property units. FEE-BASED Total revenue from our fee-based businesses registered growth of 9% to reach S$108. million. This was attributable to an increase in fees from hotel management and architectural and interior design and other services. Accordingly, EBITDA for our fee-based businesses grew by 23%. 2013 appears to be another challenging year for the global economy. We anticipate continued weakness in our European target markets. In Asia, which has been the world’s economic engine these past four years, growth is likely to moderate. Despite the cooling of China’s economy, the tourism market both inbound and outbound is expected to continue to grow. The Chinese government is aggressively promoting domestic tourism as part of its strategy to increase domestic consumption, thereby cushioning the slowdown in export manufacturing. Banyan Tree’s strong branding and rapidly expanding footprint in China will position us to take advantage of this trend. Our seven regional marketing offices in China will be invaluable in enabling us to tap the vast potential of this market and to enhance awareness of our hotels with key accounts in China. Our strategy going forward will include continuing with our asset rebalancing to unlock value and deploy capital to more promising markets. At the same time, we are exploring the possibility of extending the successful Fund model into other areas. In terms of growing particular segments, we will be focusing on increasing income from our fee-based and property sales businesses. We have built the fee-based segment to a point where it now has an impetus of its own. On the property sales front, we plan to move into selling more primary and serviced residences. Primary residences under the Banyan Tree brand, â€Å"We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. † Rather than compete with local property developers, we will leverage our branding and design skills to market to a niche audience in China. We will also be going forward with the establishment of a third brand of residences to be wholly sold and managed by us. Catering to an entirely new market of price-conscious buyers, these properties will be smaller in size yet deliver the quality and innovation that are hallmarks of Banyan Tree. Strongly associated with our brand is the concept of a triple bottom line. In our pursuit of economic, social and environmental success, we made major investments in resource conservation, training and benchmarking, greening and community efforts in 2012. Under the EarthCheck system of sustainability certification, we also planted in six-year a total to over 220,000 trees. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts offer an intimate retreat experience featuring its signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. Our philosophy is based on providing a place for rejuvenation of the body, mind and soul – a Sanctuary for the Senses. Placing special emphasis on providing guests with a sense of place, each Banyan Tree property is designed to fit into its natural surroundings, using indigenous materials as far as possible and reflecting the landscape and architecture of the destination. Pioneering he tropical garden spa concept with Asian health and beauty remedies passed down from generations, Banyan Tree Spa was created as the signature experience in all Banyan Tree resorts, to complement the â€Å"Sanctuary for the Senses† wellness concept. With the emphasis on high service standards and consistency, therapists are professionally trained at Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Phuket, Thailand, and Lijiang, China. The Banyan Tree Gallery supports local communities by exhibiting and retailing indigenous handicrafts, which are also found in the resorts. A quintessential highlight of the Banyan Tree experience, Banyan Tree Gallery aspires to recreate the unique Banyan Tree experience with  its extensive selection of  Asian-style furnishings, Banyan Tree Spa collection, eco-friendly products, indigenous village handicrafts, ethnic apparel and accessories, and objects d’art. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. Its innovative business model is based on seven business segments generating multiple income streams that is unique in itself within the hospitality industry. This formula of developing and managing complementary product offerings with in-house talent makes it difficult for competitors to duplicate with the same level of success. Banyan Tree’s vertically integrated business model comprises: Hotel investment– Banyan Tree owns and manages luxury hotels under its brands, as well as hotels that are managed by other world-class operators. Hotel management– Banyan Tree additionally manages properties under the Banyan Tree and Angsana brands for other owners. Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd – A company wholly owned by Banyan Tree Services, Canopy Marketing Group Pte Ltd provides high-level strategic insights on various global niche markets to drive top line performance of our diverse range of lifestyle products including hotels, resorts, spas, gallery, destination club and residential ownership. It has a full-suite of marketing capabilities specializing in the branding, marketing and promotion. Spa operations– Banyan Tree Spa pioneered the tropical garden spa concept, and has since grown to over 60 outlets worldwide. Gallery operations– The retail arm is consolidated under Banyan Tree Gallery, which comprises five brand segments located in over 70 stores worldwide. Hotel residences – Hotel inventory are primarily sold under the brand name Banyan Tree Residences. Property sales – Properties that are not part of hotel operations are sold by our subsidiary company, Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and its subsidiaries, in Laguna Phuket. Design and other services – Revenue from design services is earned by Architrave, Banyan Tree’s in-house architectural arm. Other service fees include income from operating golf clubs. Real Estate Hospitality Funds – Banyan Tree Capital was set upto tap private equity and other sources of investments in order to provide a cost efficient structure to fund the Group’s future developments. With about 8,000 associates of over 50 nationalities, the diversity of its workforce is a key feature of the Group and helps to inspire its international outlook. To address its talent development needs, Banyan Tree launched Banyan Tree Management Academy (BTMA) in 2008. This centralised training facility located in Phuket, Thailand will train future Banyan Tree leaders needed to sustain organisational effectiveness and to meet the demands of its rapid global growth. Part of Banyan Tree’s vision has always been to grow into a global business, with a portfolio of properties strategically placed around the world. The Group’s mission is inextricably intertwined with its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable growth, as it continues to expand globally. The launch of Banyan Tree Residences, which allows investors to buy their own signature villa, townhouse or apartment in Banyan Tree resorts. Banyan Tree Private Collection was launched to cater to the growing niche for destination club membership 2005: Marking the group’s long awaited foray into China is Banyan Tree Ringha, in Yunnan. 2001: Banyan Tree established the Green Imperative Fund to formalise its corporate social responsibility efforts. The Banyan Tree Spa Academy was set up to provide training for new therapists as well as research new treatment recipes and techniques. Banyan Tree Capital is a real estate fund management company established by the Banyan Tree group, a renowned luxury hospitality company listed in Singapore, to focus on hospitality-based real estate investment. Banyan Tree Capital raises, develops and manages branded hospitality funds in key development markets of the Banyan Tree group. With a combination of fund management and asset development capabilities, Banyan Tree Capital leverages on the group’s expertise in premium hospitality real estate development and anagement to generate attractive investment returns for its investors. Banyan Tree Capital is headquartered in Singapore with offices in China and Vietnam. We have successfully achieved higher room rates than the existing market in locations such as Lijiang, the Maldives and Seychelles. We have also found that our iconic brands also help raise the value of the surrounding land. Our innovative city products combine all the iconic elements of our brand and differentiat e developers within established, high cost city markets. We have the flexibility and capabilities to adapt our model to various locations so as to maximize returns for the developer As part of our strategy of enlarging our footprint in China, we will also be launching two more hotels in Shanghai and one in Tianjin, adding to our ever growing presence in various gateway cities. We are also employing our capabilities all across China, where large tracts of land are being developed into gated residences and luxury hotels offered to the Chinese elite. One of Banyan Tree’s prime concerns is its associates. We pride ourselves in providing high levels of service excellence and providing tailor made training and career development programmes for our employees. No stone is left unturned in regards to training and proper introduction before a Banyan Tree is put into operation. Trained to the basic standards of 5 star hotels. Employees were empowered to exercise creativity and sensitivity although the strict administrative rules of the management. Employees were taken to and from work in air-conditioned buses, access to various amenities (good-quality canteens, medical services, childcare facilities). Banyan Tree is one of the world’s biggest and well known spa operators. Our levels of quality and service are unparalleled and uncompromised. We are the only vertically integrated hospitality company with strong capabilities to tackle and anticipate the challenges of master planning and developing an integrated resort. We are able to take a property from inception to delivery with efficiencies that is entirely brand specific. Our n-house design team, Architrave, and project services team are extremely involved in all phases of the development – master planning, designing, developing and coordinating, to ensure developers a timely delivery of their asset. Being experienced developers, we are able to ensure that efficiencies and economies of scale are maximized along with guest experiences. Bintan, the Maldives and Phuket where the Angsana resort is positioned next to a Banyan Tree resort with shared back of house facilities. This model has allowed us to lower costs without cannibalizing rates, thereby boosting returns for our developers.

Biography of Angelina Grimké, American Abolitionist

Biography of Angelina Grimkà ©, American Abolitionist Angelina Grimkà © (February 21, 1805–October 26, 1879) was a southern woman from a slaveholding family who, along with her sister Sarah, became an advocate of abolitionism. The sisters late became advocates of womens rights after their anti-slavery efforts were criticized because their outspokenness violated traditional gender roles. With her sister and her husband Theodore Weld, Angelina Grimkà © wrote American Slavery As It Is, a major abolitionist text. Fast Facts: Angelina Grimkà © Known For: Grimkà © was an influential abolitionist and womens rights advocate.Born: February 20, 1805 in Charleston, South CarolinaParents: John Faucheraud Grimkà ©Ã‚  and Mary SmithDied: October 26, 1879 in Boston, MassachusettsSpouse: Theodore Weld (m. 1838-1879)Children: Theodore, Sarah Early Life Angelina Emily Grimkà © was born on February 20, 1805, in Charleston, South Carolina. She was the 14th child of Mary Smith Grimkà © and John Faucheraud Grimkà ©. Mary Smiths wealthy family included two governors during colonial times. John Grimkà ©, who was descended from German and Huguenot settlers, had been a Continental Army captain during the Revolutionary War. He served in the state House of Representatives and was the states chief justice. The family spent their summers in Charleston and the rest of the year on the Beaufort plantation. The Grimkà © plantation produced rice until the invention of the cotton gin made cotton more profitable. The family owned many slaves, including field hands and household servants. Angelina, like her sister Sarah, was offended by slavery from an early age. She fainted one day at the seminary when she saw a slave boy her own age opening a window and noticed that he could barely walk and was covered on his legs and back with bleeding wounds from a whipping. Sarah tried to console and comfort her, but Angelina was shaken by the experience. At age 13, Angelina refused confirmation in the Anglican church of her family because of the churchs support for slavery. When Angelina was 13, her sister Sarah accompanied their father to Philadelphia and then to New Jersey for his health. Their father died there, and Sarah returned to Philadelphia and joined the Quakers, drawn by their anti-slavery stance and their inclusion of women in leadership roles. Sarah briefly returned home to South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia. It fell on Angelina, in Sarahs absence and after her fathers death, to manage the plantation and care for her mother. Angelina tried to persuade her mother to set at least the household slaves free, but her mother refused. In 1827, Sarah returned for a longer visit. Angelina decided she would become a Quaker, remain in Charleston, and persuade her fellow southerners to oppose slavery. In Philadelphia Within two years, Angelina gave up hope of having any impact while remaining at home. She moved to join her sister in Philadelphia, and she and Sarah set out to educate themselves. Angelina was accepted at Catherine Beechers school for girls, but their Quaker meeting refused to give permission for her to attend. The Quakers also discouraged Sarah from becoming a preacher. Angelina became engaged, but her fiance died in an epidemic. Sarah also received an offer of marriage but refused it, thinking she might lose the freedom she valued. They received word about that time that their brother Thomas had died. He had been a hero to the sisters, for he was involved in emancipating slaves by sending volunteers back to Africa. Abolitionism The sisters turned to the growing abolitionist movement. Angelina joined the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, which was associated with the American Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1833. On August 30, 1835, Angelina Grimkà © wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, a leader of the American Anti-Slavery Society and the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator. Angelina mentioned in the letter her first-hand knowledge of slavery. To Angelinas shock, Garrison printed her letter in his newspaper. The letter was reprinted widely and Angelina found herself famous and at the center of the anti-slavery world. The letter became part of a widely-read anti-slavery pamphlet. The Quakers of Philadelphia did not approve of Angelinas anti-slavery involvement, however, nor of Sarahs less radical involvement. At the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Quakers, Sarah was silenced by a male Quaker leader. The sisters decided to move to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1836, where the Quakers were more supportive of abolitionism. In Rhode Island, Angelina published a tract, Appeal to the Christian Women of the South. She argued that women could and should end slavery through their influence. Her sister Sarah wrote An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States. In that essay, Sarah confronted Biblical arguments typically used by the clergy to justify slavery. Sarah followed that with another pamphlet, An Address to Free Colored Americans. While these were published by two southerners and addressed to southerners, they were reprinted widely in New England. In South Carolina, the tracts were publicly burned. Speaking Career Angelina and Sarah received many invitations to speak, first at anti-slavery conventions and then at other venues in the north. Fellow abolitionist Theodore Weld helped train the sisters to improve their speaking skills. The sisters toured, speaking in 67 cities in 23 weeks. At first, they spoke to all-woman audiences, but then men began to attend the lectures as well. A woman speaking to a mixed audience was considered scandalous. The criticism helped them understand that social limitations on women were part of the same system that upheld slavery. It was arranged for Sarah to speak to the Massachusetts legislature on slavery. Sarah became ill and Angelina filled in for her. Angelina was thus the first woman to speak to a United States legislative body. After returning to Providence, the sisters still traveled and spoke but also wrote, this time appealing to their northern audience. Angelina wrote an Appeal to the Women of the Nominally Free States in 1837, while Sarah wrote an Address to the Free Colored People of the United States. They spoke at the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women. Catherine Beecher publicly criticized the sisters for not keeping to the proper feminine sphere, i.e. the private, domestic sphere. Angelina responded with Letters to Catherine Beecher, arguing for full political rights for women- including the right to hold public office. Marriage Angelina married fellow abolitionist Theodore Weld in 1838, the same young man who had helped prepare the sisters for their speaking tour. The marriage ceremony included friends and fellow activists both white and black. Six former slaves of the Grimkà © family attended. Weld was a Presbyterian; the ceremony was not a Quaker one. Garrison read the vows and Theodore renounced all legal power that laws at the time gave him over Angelinas property. They left obey out of the vows. Because the wedding was not a Quaker wedding and her husband was not a Quaker, Angelina was expelled from the Quaker meeting. Sarah was also expelled for attending the wedding. Angelina and Theodore moved onto a farm in New Jersey and Sarah moved in with them. Angelinas first child was born in 1839; two more and a miscarriage followed. The family focused their lives around raising the three Weld children and on demonstrating that they could manage a household without slaves. They took in boarders and opened a school. Friends, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her husband, visited them at the farm. Angelinas health, however, began to decline. American Slavery As It Is In 1839, the Grimkà © sisters published American Slavery As It Is: Testimony From a Thousand Witnesses. The book was later used as a source by Harriet Beecher Stowe for her 1852 book Uncle Toms Cabin. The sisters kept up their correspondence with other anti-slavery and pro womens rights activists. One of their letters was to the 1852 womens rights convention in Syracuse, New York. In 1854, Angelina, Theodore, Sarah, and the children moved to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, operating a school there until 1862. All three supported the Union in the Civil War, seeing it as a path to end slavery. Theodore Weld traveled and lectured occasionally. The sisters published An Appeal to the Women of the Republic, calling for a pro-Union womens convention. When it was held, Angelina was among the speakers. The sisters and Theodore moved to Boston and became active in the womens rights movement after the Civil War. All three served as officers of the Massachusetts Womens Suffrage Association. On March 7, 1870, as part of a protest involving 42 other women, Angelina and Sarah illegally voted. Death Sarah died in Boston in 1873. Angelina suffered several strokes shortly after Sarahs death and became paralyzed. She died in Boston in 1879. Legacy Grimkà ©s activism had a profound effect on the abolitionist and womens rights movements. In 1998, she was posthumously inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame. Sources Browne, Stephen H.  Angelina Grimke Rhetoric, Identity, and the Radical Imagination. Michigan State University Press, 2012.Grimkà ©, Sarah Moore, et al.  On Slavery and Abolitionism: Essays and Letters. Penguin Books, 2014.

Drama in English National Curriculum The WritePass Journal

Drama in English National Curriculum Bibliography Drama in English National Curriculum 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. 1.1   Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum.1.2 How we got to where we are now.CHAPTER TWO – ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECTCHAPTER THREE – ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECTCONCLUSIONBibliographyRelated The aim of this report is to understand where Drama stands in education within England at present. It searches for its’ mention within the National Curriculum and interprets what this means for the teaching of the subject. It looks at primary and secondary schools’ current trends towards Drama as a discrete subject, and argues the benefits and disadvantages of it having its’ own subject heading within the National Curriculum. The evidence will be evaluated and a conclusion formulated. 1. Drama in the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum website provides the most up to date information on how Drama is placed within the curriculum. At first glance Drama is absent but mention of it can be located, mainly within the subject of English. [See Appendix One for a description of the requirements and activities for Key Stages (KS) 1 2. (National Curriculum, 2011a)]. Whilst there are aims and objectives published for KS1 2, at KS3 4 there is mention of selected playwrights as subjects to be studied and the expectation that at least one Shakespearean play will be explored in depth at each stage (National Curriculum, 2011b c). References to the use of Drama appear under Literature [See Appendix Two] (National Curriculum, 2011d). For England the Teachernet (Teachernet, 2011), DFES Drama Objectives (DFES, 2011) and QCDA (QCDA, 2011) resources have been/are being decommissioned with edited highlights appearing in the National Archive. In fact most of the Government resources advocated by the Initial Teacher Education website for English are no more (ITE, 2011a). The Department of Education website is replacing it, but the only suitable material found for Drama is an item for the Speaking and Listening element at KS1 2 dated 2004 (Department of Education, 2011). In Ireland drama is within the ‘arts’ sector, alongside visual arts and music. The strand is â€Å"Drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding.†   They expect that when this subject is taught correctly it can help children at a young age to understand/relate and deal with life situations that can occur (Irish Curriculum, 2011). Whilst Drama is placed firmly in Arts Education as a trio with the visual and aural mediums, there is little support to be found in their Curriculum Planner as well (NCCA, 2011). Compare this to 52 resources for Drama in the Scottish Curriculum (Scottish Curriculum Resources for Drama, 2011). In Northern Ireland Drama is mentioned in Language Literacy and has its own subject within The Arts and resources are well provided (N. Ireland Resources, 2011). At KS1 2 the statutory subjects that all pupils must study are art and design, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology (ICT), mathematics, music, physical education and science. Religious education must also be provided at KS 1 and 2 (National Curriculum, 2011e), although there is a non-statutory program of study. From the National Curriculum (2011e) for Religious Education there are the following two points: 1). Explore how religious beliefs and ideas can be expressed through the arts and communicate their responses. 2). Using art and design, music, dance and drama to develop their creative talents and imagination. Art and design does not mention drama until KS 2 as follows from the National Curriculum (2011f): Exploring a range of starting points for practical work [for example, themselves, their experiences, images, stories, drama, music, natural and made objects and environments] Yet making puppet theatres, and also creating atmosphere in sounds, lighting, backdrops and costumes for full size plays would make the subject more fun whilst defining a practical purpose for the work. Drama in a similar way should be a fertile ground for scenery and special effects within Design and Technology yet it is not mentioned at all (National Curriculum, 2011g 2011h). Music and Physical Education in a similar vein have a relationship to Drama through Dance but there is no credit for it. History could conceivably use period dramas to illustrate points and the appreciation of accuracy in the texts and writers’ bias would then be covered in Drama. Stenhouse (1981, p.29) is against the idea that Drama is for teaching other subjects in the curriculum and rejects the imagined realities of Drama for the authenticated realities of pure history. ICT could provide a multi-media back drop similar to that of exhibition trade stands and modern performances that use computerised effects and giant screens. When the National Curriculum was being formulated teachers were vocal in their disapproval of the many curriculum subjects being loaded into the National Curriculum, such that subjects were curtailed following Music and Art (Baldwin, 2011). As the (NCCCE, 1999, p.75) report states ‘there are more than ten subjects in the world.† It also notes that Dance is not found with sport, games and athletics after education and that Drama is not just verbal. (NACCCE, 1999, p.76) points out that of all the countries in the QCA/NFER INCA archive, England was unique in having 10 discrete subjects from KS 1-4. â€Å"When the National Curriculum was introduced, specialist drama practitioners eagerly awaited the National Curriculum for Drama. They are still waiting.†Ã‚  (Baldwin, 2011). 1.1   Drama as part of English in the National Curriculum. One of the ongoing debates about the nature of English centres around its relationship [sic] the creative arts.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Is English an Arts based, creative discipline, or a much more functional, competency led subject?†, and â€Å"Is Drama itself an Arts based discipline or a method of education, a form of learning?† (ITE, 2011b) The role of drama in the curriculum remains in practice very much in doubt. It is believed that future employers have been unhappy with general educational standards of school leavers. A contributionary factor to this low estimation (for the subject) has been the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  political shift from a liberal view (of the centrality of aesthetic and artistic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  experience in education) towards a more vocationally – orientated view in which   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the secondary curriculum is seen rather as a feeder of commercial, industrial and post-industrial requirements as they have been immerging in recent years. (Morton, 1984, p.56). The Arts Council England (2003, p.6) explains that all pupils’ minimum statutory entitlements for the study of Drama are acknowledged within the National Curriculum for English. According to Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196), â€Å"The national curriculum firmly places drama within the English domain.† Neelands (2008, p.1) refers to the National Curriculum as the English Model where, â€Å"Drama was first introduced into the secondary curriculum through the English curriculum and timetable†. He amusingly cites the fact that Shakespeare was English to explain how we arrived at this unique position, which has not been followed elsewhere in the world except maybe Wales (Welsh Curriculum KS 1 (2008) Welsh Curriculum KS 2-4 (2008) where Drama is mentioned within English and to a lesser extent Welsh. Drama as a subject in its’ own right is not present in the primary curriculum, but as a part of English or R.E, or furnishing other areas and cross curricular themes. Even though Drama is absent from the curriculum for primary schools, it is still present through the activities and lessons which are taught using drama, â€Å"many primary schools already include drama in their curriculum, without realizing that the activities the children are involved in are actually drama.† (Arts on the move, 2010). For High School teachers, it can be a problem for them to know what to expect of pupils entering KS 3, this is because of the lack of continuity in Drama across all the Primary Schools, therefore only an educated guess can be made on the pupils’ prior drama experiences. Neelands (2004, p.9) offers 6 points of common reference which can be found in Appendix Three. According to Neelands (2008, p.2) statistics show that, †¦many schools in England do offer drama as a separate timetabled subject in Key Stage 3 and this makes drama the only ‘subject’ in the English system which is ‘unregulated’ in terms of a nationally agreed curriculum beyond the references to speaking and listening in the Orders for English†. So only at KS 3 do some pupils get the opportunity to take Drama as a separate subject but it is still an unofficial one. Whilst this offers a complete freedom in how the subject is taught and presented [see Neelands (2004, p.5) for three different approaches at secondary level], it also means there is little in the way of a safety net for its practitioners that standards, assessments, guidelines and official support can provide. So it would appear that Drama has become a Cinderella subject that is busy working in the shadows whilst the Ugly Sisters of English and Religious Education take all the credit. 1.2 How we got to where we are now. â€Å"Most of what young people know of the world, they know through representations of it.† (Neelands, 2008, p.9), suggesting that schools have a moral obligation to help shape the citizenship of their stundents. â€Å"There is little time allotted in the daily routine for drama in early childhood education settings, due to the pressure that many teachers feel to cover too many materials in too little time.† (Jones and Reynolds, 1992, p.7). This suggests that head teachers and teachers are forced to focus their concentration and resources on the subjects the ‘really matter’ For example, those subjects that are recorded as National statistics, showing how many A* C students have obtained; in particular on Maths, English and Science. Drama being mentioned in the curriculum saw a mixed reaction. Some celebrated the â€Å"fact† that Drama would now have to be taught. Others were quick to point out that there was a fundamental flaw here. There were few trained Drama teachers left. The reality has been, that hardly any Drama is happening (in Primary)  despite the fact that it is deemed statutory. (Baldwin, 2011). Yet Neelands (2008, p.1) states that, â€Å"In the English education system, all students in the 5-16 age range have an entitlement to drama within the National Curriculum Orders for English.†   Baldwin (2011) the president of the International Drama/Theatre Education Association provides a background to how Drama fell from grace, how a timely reaction to the rigid curriculum being built subject by subject stopped it being included at the eleventh hour and then, as it was no longer a subject, support for it fell away. Practitioners were left high and dry, as Drama was no longer part of Ofsted unless a fee was paid to assess it, which in one case ended up being marked as a ‘Satisfactory’ P.E. lesson. Dearing tried to soften the curriculum but then came the constraints of the National Literacy Strategy which concentrated on reading and writing for the ‘Literacy Hour’ at the expense of speaking and listening. However Winston Tandy (2001, p.75-86) in their chapter entitled ‘Drama and literacy’ provide some ideas for including Drama within the hour. Then at Secondary level we find a carte blanche where anything goes with Drama either as a separate subject taught by a Drama specialist or as a continuing addition within English or as another entity, which perhaps suits the more pronounced different streams of ability. Neelands (2004, p.5-6) noticed that the various sources of national guidance for Drama, for example the specific references to Drama in the Programs of Study for English showed a general agreement for the aims and objectives for Drama, such as: Drama as personal, social and moral education Drama as English Drama as a subject in its own right. As stated earlier he cites three very different secondary schools each illustrating one of these points as their individual approach to Drama. The demands of a nationally prescribed curriculum put considerable pressure on teachers to â€Å"fit everything in†; each subject has it own expectations and makes its own particular demands. Finding the time for Drama, however highly you and your class may value it in its own right, can be difficult- the more so if we are going to give the Drama time to develop, deepen the children’s involvement and understanding, and reach a satisfactory conclusion. (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.54) Ashcroft Palacio (1997, p.6) infer that longer serving teachers will find the prescribed nature of the National Curriculum and all its revisions to be a bone of contention. On the other hand The lack of core guidance for Drama, the parallel development of Drama within English with its development as a discrete Arts subject, together with the diversity of models of curriculum and assessment to be found in schools make it a particularly problematic area of English teaching for trainees. (ITE, 2011c) Especially as: School Drama Co-ordinators disappeared almost overnight, as did LEA Drama Advisers and advisory teachers.   Drama courses became few and far between, relying more and more on professional organisations, which were and are run voluntarily, by increasingly stretched full time teachers and lecturers. (Baldwin, 2011). CHAPTER TWO – ARGUMENTS FOR DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, drama has a significant contribution to make† (Winston Tandy, 2001, p.73). â€Å"Drama, more than any other subject in the curriculum, mirrors life as it is lived and experienced† (Winston, 2004, p.18). Please see Appendix Five for some positive results Winston (2004) notes as being seen in children’s writing due to their involvement with Drama.â€Å"At least a national agreement provides some external, relatively objective and visible materials to discuss† (Neelands, 2004, p.6). However, the absence of a nationally agreed framework for Drama gives two points of concern; The individual Drama teacher has no external framework to follow, therefore the success of the Drama class is completely at the mercy of the ability or lack thereof of the teacher; How Drama is perceived at the school may well be based on the head teachers’ predilections and prejudices. To illustrate this point I found at X High School, where the author has experienced Drama via a teaching training day placement, it was noticeable that Drama is thought of as a high priority subject. This was thanks to the Head realising that in a catchment area of high poverty Drama provided interest and expression for children that found reading and writing difficult. The school used Drama also as a marketing tool to promote itself to the wider community and its governors. It held annual Drama productions, school assemblies were punctuated with Drama in the form of funny sketches or more serious pieces designed to entertain and inform, it supported fundraising activities etc. Drama here is a timetabled subject throughout all the year groups, and is offered as an A-level subject. As Ashcroft Palacio (1995, p. 196) advocate, â€Å"Primary school pupils can develop through drama an extensive range of language uses, including the majority of those referred to in the national curriculum.† â€Å"†¦drama is a social process of making meaning†¦the framework and method of drama provides a unique context for developing a sense of identity and productiveness.† (Morton, 1984, p.37). â€Å"All Our Futures† had already clearly recognised the importance of Drama, both as a creative teaching and learning medium and as the most powerful pupil motivator:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"OFSTED data on pupil response to learning indicates drama to be at the very top in motivating learning† (NACCCE, 1999, p.77). Drama in education can help pupils learn and understand whatever is required, in ways that are emotionally, aesthetically and cognitively connected and meaningful to children who are natural dramatic players.† CHAPTER THREE – ARGUMENTS AGAINST DRAMA BEING A  DESCRETE SUBJECT â€Å"†¦drama is a process that cannot be divided into a series of discrete and accessible outcomes in the kind of way that curriculum theorists have managed to do with many other subjects in the curriculum† (Young, 1981, p.94). Baldwin (2011) states: Trainees are likely to encounter a diverse range of arrangements for drama within schools. In the absence of national orders and a statutory subject framework, schools are free to design their own local variations of a drama curriculum based on the specific value given to drama in a particular school. Cynics were heard to mutter, that with an assessment driven curriculum emerging, process based drama would be too problematic for SCAA (as it was then) to deal with. Assessment in Drama has always been tricky as so much goes on cognitively and emotionally during the Drama process that is not easy or even possible to assess.   It is noted that this argument appears amongst many professionals, but no suggestions as to what criteria could be used is suggested. Is this because they believe there is to be none. Baldwin, (2011) continues. â€Å"Assessment records were being revealed as lists of statements of attainment tick boxes and needed to be based on easily observable, extrinsic outcomes† suggesting that Drama specialists were not sure they wanted such a meaningful and aesthetic art form measured and graded in this way.. Neelaands appears to contradict his issues by stating The local curriculum can be based on a highly idiosyncratic and ideologically motivated selection. What is taught may be left to the whim of an individual teacher and may reflect personal prejudices and interests rather that the breadth of depth of study which is a pupil’s entitlement (Neelands, 2004, p.6). Yet according to Neelands on the Initial Teacher Education website (ITE, 2011d), The non-statutory Framework drama objectives might usefully form the basis of the programme of study for drama at KS3. However, these specific objectives are unlikely to be considered sufficient as core objectives for drama as a discrete subject because they do not cover physical, visual, design and technical aspects of drama. This suggests that although the concerns of Patrice Baldwin are relevant, the concerns of the ITE is that without a defined structure and specific objectives, the importance of Drama could be overlooked. This point of view is rejected by Way (1967, p.12) who points out, â€Å"If we make drama another subject, then we make another ‘progressive straight line’ – in fact many straight lines, one for infants, one for juniors, and so on through the different age groups.† Again, because of its ‘uniqueness’ there is a concern over how Drama can be ‘measured’ i.e. marked. Way (1967, p.3) wrote, â€Å"Education is concerned with individuals; drama is concerned within the individuality of individuals, with the uniqueness of each human essence. Indeed this is one of the reasons for its intangibility and its immeasurability.† As Drama is not in the National Curriculum as its own subject, it might be seen as unimportant. With the pressures on schools to be ranked via league tables on the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, it is perhaps not surprising that schools focus on these subjects to the detriment of all else. However, the subject still has its own written examinations and an external examiner is called in to mark performances. It is therefore unclear as to the reasons behind why the subject is deemed by some to be difficult to assess. CONCLUSION â€Å"Ultimately, drama is a valuable tool, but first the tool itself must be fashioned.† (Way, 1967, p.7). There appears to be a divide in international practice over whether Drama should be used across the curriculum or as a subject within its own right and/or as part of the arts agenda. There were those who thought that if assessment was going to be the name of the game, then drama could and should be made to fit, in order to ensure its place in the new curriculum.   And there were those who breathed a sigh of relief that drama did not fit and had been left outside the new curriculum, where at least it would allow a greater freedom of practice and content, within the broader curriculum (Baldwin, 2011). Therefore, unless the individual schools value Drama, and encourage Drama teacher training, the concern is that the level of teaching Drama will not be sufficient to add any value to teaching within the school as a whole. According to Ashcroft and Palacio (1995, p.203) there are two types of Drama within the National Curriculum spectrum, one being performance based activities, such as assemblies and school plays, and the other being educational Drama, which involves children in the active creation and exploration of situations based on fact or fiction. â€Å"it is regarded by many teachers as a learning method rather than a subject area because it can be employed to deliver many aspects of the curriculum very effectively.† (Ashcroft and Palacio, 1995, p.204). Art is useful, not because it is true but because it is truly edifying. It is because drama – as – art functions in this way that a dramatic work cannot be explained, paraphrased or deconstructed into essays. Like any other art form, drama is unique and non – convertible†¦ it resists crassly utilitarian efforts to corral it into the service of geography, history or management training as much as it refuses to be the acquiescent servant of personal, social, or political education. In a secular age, the usefulness of drama lies in its ability to articulate meaning in particular direct and accessible ways so that we, in turn, can make better sense of the world in which we live. For these reasons, drama is an indispensible part of the arts curriculum.   (Hornbrook, 1991, p.40-41). Whilst we cannot expect the commitment of the National Theatre at every Primary School (Turner et al., 2004) they offer a model of best practice that can be used within the subject of Drama to really bring out the confidence and intellect of young children and this should be the ultimate goal whether Drama is housed within English or is a subject in its own right. Does this then mean that drama is yet another subject that has to be fitted into an already overcrowded curriculum? No. Drama is not another subject; theatre might be, with its ground work in history and its study of playwrights and their works but not drama. Drama is as intangible as personality itself, and is concerned with developing people. Indeed, it is as necessary to discard educational conventions as to disregard theatre conventions (Way, 1967, p.7). The arguments will rage on but only the will of the government can make a difference to the position Drama as a subject or non-subject is in. The conclusion drawn from all the evidence in this report is that Drama should be included as a subject in its own right in the National Curriculum, but not as the curriculum currently stands. There appears to be insufficient structure and no definitive way that the success of pupils taking Drama can be measured. To try and ‘fit’ it into the current curriculum could restrict its usefulness as a holistic well being tool for the personal growth of pupils. How could this be measured in academic terms? There could be pupils who come alive as actors and give wonderful performances, but cannot translate this successfully into a written piece of work. How does one measure personal growth? How can we mark a student who has grown in confidence, can express themselves better than before the introduction of the Drama lesson, and interacts wel l with other students in the class? Whereas before the use of Drama they may have been antagonistic, dealing with personal issues which had no voice except in eruptions of violent behaviour. One can set tests to measure the knowledge of the literacy greats, the search for meaning in the works of the playwrights but should this lie here or within the realms of English Literature, such that it cannot be used as a mark of success or failure for Drama students. The conclusion gathered is that this testing should be left within the English subject, thus allowing students of Drama more freedom to express themselves through this wonderful medium. It has been shown that Drama is a useful tool in the understanding of other subjects, but it should first be enjoyed and understood in its own right. The greatest problem for Drama being included in its own right in the National Curriculum appears to be the way the success of subjects are currently judged. There does not appear to be current procedures that can fairly measure the true success and positive impact Drama can have on a student’s life. For example with a Mathematics exam there is a definite right answer with marks available for showing your workings out, but what is the ‘right’ answer in Drama? The division between the teaching professionals as to the inclusion or not of Drama in the National Curriculum can be understood after researching and investigating this question. The concerns are that the importance of Drama within the schools is currently dependant on the will of the head teacher and the ability, passion and commitment of the Drama staff. Drama teachers’ experiencing schools who class Drama as a ‘fill-in’ subject and not that important will have experienced first hand the argument that Drama should be included. It could be very demoralising to the Drama teacher who feels that their work, however committed they are, maybe seen as unimportant. However those Drama teachers experiencing and enjoying a school that appreciates Drama and uses it throughout school life for example in assemblies, community gatherings and the annual school performance may enjoy the freedom of the subject not being included in the National Curriculum, as they do not feel threatened about the validity of their teaching skills. There appears to be no straightforward conclusion over Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum, however it must be pointed out that other parts of the British Isles make Drama a subject in its own right and provide excellent support for it. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the way they have gone about this by an exchange of ideas on best practice. For example what criteria are they using to measure Drama’s success as a subject; are more or less students choosing Drama as a subject at Secondary level; has its status had a positive or negative effect on the teachers? Without knowing the answers to these questions and many more besides we cannot hold these countries up as shining examples. There needs to be a way of trying to take the best from the arguments for and against Drama’s inclusion in the National Curriculum. For example this research has shown that most of the Drama professionals feel that both the subject and they benefit from its inclusion to put them on a level playing field with other subjects. They believe that they may be taken more seriously and have more support from training being given. The concern of its inclusion appears to be that it could stifle the very creativity and freedom of expression some professionals believe Drama should be. They all appear to agree that Drama cannot be measured in academic terms as easily as other subjects as no ‘marks’ are awarded for students personal development. Therefore after research and investigation into this question, the final conclusion is that Drama should be included in the National Curriculum as a discrete subject but only after the creation of relevant success criteria is added. Once there is an acceptable measurement formula in place Drama would then benefit from inclusion. As it stands at present there does not appear to be sufficient steps in place to recognise Drama students’ success. Bibliography Ashcroft, K Palacio, D. (1997). Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum. in Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (eds.) Implementing the Primary Curriculum: A Teacher’s Guide. London: RoutledgeFalmer, pp2-17. Ashcroft, K. Palacio, D. (1995). The primary teachers guide to the new national curriculum. The Falmer Press Arts Council England, (2003). Drama in Schools. 2nd Ed. London: ACE. Arts on the move, (2010). Drama in the Primary School [online]. London: Artsonthemove. [Accessed 13 April 2011]. Available at: artsonthemove.co.uk/education/primary/primary.php. Baldwin, P. (2011). Drama-coming out of the wings? [online]. London: PatriceBaldwin. [Accessed 01 April 2011]. Available at: patricebaldwin.com/publications/articles/wings.asp. Barbour, A. (2007). Dramatic Play and Imagination. [online]. California: Aplaceofourown. [Accessed 10 April 2011]. 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[Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/general-teaching-requirements/subject-requirements/index.aspx. National Curriculum, (2011b). KS 3 Programme of Study. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/key-stage-3/english/programme-of-study/index.aspx?tab=4. National Curriculum, (2011c). KS 4 Programme of Study. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/key-stage-4/english/programme-of-study/index.aspx?tab=4. National Curriculum, (2011d). KS 1 English. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/english/keystage1/index.aspx. National Curriculum, (2011e). KS 1 Religious Education. [online]. [Accessed 09 April 2011]. Available at: http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/religious-education/keystage1/index.aspx. 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Entering The Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Benefit Plan - Assignment Example They should have completed 1000 hours of service with the company which usually occurs around one year after joining the company to be eligible for the benefits. The basic benefit plan of Blue Rose includes Retirement plans and Life Insurance plans. Senior engineers and the management staff get paid vacations and sick leave. All employees are entitled to get basic benefits like workers compensation and Federal Family and Medical Leave. FICA taxes will be deducted from every employee’s salary. The normal retirement age is 65. The benefit is determined based on the annual compensation package. Normal retirement rate benefit will be equivalent to 10% of the actual compensation earned by the employee annually. Pension benefits can be gained from the date of completing service. This is applicable to voluntary retirement, employment termination and quitting due to disability. The company requires every employee who had completed a year with them to contribute 10% of their salary towards life insurance. The company gives coverage up to 10 times the actual amount stored in the employee’s insurance account in cases of medical emergencies, death or disability. They employees who had completed 5 years of working in Blue Rose are eligible to take a loan on their insurance savings. Senior engineers and management staff who have completed 8 years in Blue Rose and are permanent employees of the company can get paid leave up to 15 days a year for vacation or medical emergencies. They are also entitled to get travel allowance for in-country vacations and free accommodation in company guest houses in certain locations. The benefits given by Blue Rose are quite lenient considering the size and profit of the company. But, certain basic additions like medical and dental coverage and paid sick leave for all employees are required. The junior employees will benefit a lot from such plans. 1. A basic