Real Estate Section of “The New York Times”

Real Estate Section of â€Å"The New York Times† strategist at TD Securities in Toronto. (Adler) Residential Sales prices are differs as per the region and facilities required in the apartment The average price for one bedroom apartment in Manhattan Upper West Side would cost $325,000 - $400,000 for 600 Sq. Ft. of accommodation space. Similarly, one bedroom apartment in Manhattan West Harlem will cost $400,000 - $600,000 for 700 Sq. Ft. Prices are higher for apartments in Upper East Side and Chelsea area ranging from $700,000 to $1.4Million. A four-five bedroom apartment in Four Boroughs will cost between $365,000 to $733,000 depending on the area Tottenville or Riverdale or Bayside. Apartment in Brooklyn Heights area are costlier. Two to Three bedroom apartment in Long Island will cost somewhere in between $270,000 to $775,000 if area is selected from Sound Beach or Port Washington or Cold Spring Harbor. Old Westbury area accommodations are costly and vary between $1.5 million to $2million for a four-bedroom apartment. In Westchester or Putnam, two-three bedroom apartment prices vary from $364,000 to $1.3million. In Rockland or Orange, one can find two-five bedroom apar tments in between $344,000 to $900,000. Similarly in New Jersey, it will cost $250,000 to $1.15Million for three-four bedrooms apartment. A three-bedroom 2002 Sq. Ft. apartment in Stuyvesant, N.Y will cost $299,000; two-bedroom at Miami Beach, FLA will cost $305,000 for 1,180 Sq. Ft and two-bedroom unit in Cincinnati will cost #309,000 for 3,400 Sq. Ft. The national home price index showed an 8.9 percent decline in the third quarter of 2009 from the third quarter of 2008, a substantial improvement over the 14.7 percent decline in the annual rate of return in the second quarter of 2009. (Hernandez) The data on home construction showed a decline in the rate of single and multiple-family home building, contributing to an overall decrease of 10.6 percent in housing starts from September. In total, construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,000 housing units in October, falling short of the 600,000 predicted by analysts. Building permits, an indicator of future construction, declined as well, to an annual rate of 552,000, from 575,000, also falling short of forecasts. (J. C. Hernandez) I found the real estate section very helpful. You can buy, sell or rent a home easily. It is extensively informative for people who are new or unfamiliar with real estate prices in United States.

Center571500 Essays - Economy Of China, World Wide Web, Economy

Center571500 Essays - Economy Of China, World Wide Web, Economy center571500 TENCENT Location: Astana Course Code: MGMT621 Course Name: Strategic Management Professor: Stephan J. Wirtz , MA, MBA, DDA Student(s) Name(s) : Nurzhan Sikhimov Identify and explain Tencent's value-creating capabilities and core competencies. By being able to gather over 780 million users in the course of a decade and a half, Tencent demonstrated that the company had superior capabilities to innovate and integrate its activities. By 2010, Tencent grew to be the third largest internet company in the world by market capitalisation , after Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. Unlike Google, whose core competency was based on a single business unit and their vast bulk of revenues came from online advertisements, Tencent's core businesses offered two major services: communications and online entertainment. As such, Tencent charged the direct users two types of fees, communication service fees (bundled with fees collected by telecommunication providers) and entertainment service fees (pay-as-you-go). Payment to the company could be done through banks, internet cafes, telecom operators and broadband service providers, as well as via prepaid cards and the notable Q coins. Q coins were accepted by mo re and more online stores and gaming sites. The broad range of payment methods enabled by various financial institutions was a key indication of Tencent's leverage on strategic partnerships Analyze the causes and driving forces that motivated Tencent to launch its e-commerce strategy. According to Penrose, motivations for diversifications can be categorized into internal and external inducements of growth. Internal inducements are certain conditions or characteristics within a firm that were unused, such as unused productive services, resources, and special knowledge. External inducements, on the other hand, are new opportunities that arise from the changes in the external environment, such as technological changes, policy changes, institutional and cultural changes that drive and demand the firm to grow. Furthermore, growing competencies and knowledge among staff gave the firm strong incentives to grow too. "That the knowledge possessed by a firm's personnel tends to increase automatically with experience means, therefore, that the available productive services from a firm's resources will also tend to change." The rationale behind Tencent's business diversification can be summarized as follows: Capitalizing on core competencies Based on a record of outstanding financial performance and excellent cash reserves, Tencent invested strategically in games, from games developers to popular titles, to leapfrog ahead of former leading firms. Increasing market power Maintaining growth The excellent financial performance and cash reserves represented an existence of unused resources, supporting the company as it developed its capabilities in a specific functional area, RD, resulting in the opening of localized RD facilities in different regions of China to continue the company's development in its service localization strategy. Reducing risks Tencent was distracted by unexpected external challenges. The gold rush atmosphere surrounding the internet began to be tamed by an increase in the number of regulatory measures by the Chinese government. An unpredictable and intermittent government crackdown on spam and anti-social content compelled the company's management to examine threats to its core instant message business. China Mobile, a crucial partner for Tencent's operations, followed the government directives to filter "bad" content by blocking certain content providers from sending text messages. The episode was an early warning that China's strict censorship regime could start to have an adverse impact on the country's internet boom. The company's president, Martin Lau, commented that the company might feel a negative impact from the regulatory environment, and that China Mobile's action had produced collateral damage for the industry. Analyze the rationale for business diversification, especially in the rapidly changing internet industry in China. E-commerce market is booming, due to the existence of multiple factors which stimulate the development In 2015 in China,penetration rate of online shopping reached to 56%. This means there is a huge space to further development comparing with the most-developed countries, anda great opportunity to companies coming to China. Although there are many factors which are promoting the trend, the main reasons can be summarized in a set of main points: Population : Until June 2015, China has 668 million netizens, 594 million mobile phone users and 374 million online shoppers. This leads us to a great size of online shoppers and a strong demand in domestic market.

AW3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

AW3 - Essay Example Additionally, the basic intention of this research is to offer a comprehensive overview of the key qualities and indicators of successful global IS, and an explanation of considerations that must be addressed when taking an information system to the global level. Global information systems could be described as information systems intended to gather, process, incorporate, communicate and evaluate the whole â€Å"body of knowledge† concerning to a specific field. Since, this type of information systems is used to support some application necessitating this knowledge in an â€Å"on-demand† mode through ultimate information quality evaluations (Rolland & Monteiro, 2002). According to Ouksel & Sheth (1999), the paradigm of global information system has the similar intentions and operational structure but having a completely different tasks as compared to geographic information systems. In addition, this type of information systems offers the context of worldwide setting, either for its development or utilization procedures. Additionally, these information systems are extremely concerned with distributed computing and distributed systems that can be located at global level. Since, through the current progresses in computer software and hardware technology, it is probable to develop the relational data management systems those can consistently uphold storage of huge amounts of information concerning to a specific field of science. Biehl (2007) stated that the novel interoperable is offering the ways of standardizing data communications that are based on the XML (i.e.: extensible markup language) technologies, advanced production software like that expe rt systems, as well as safe web based networks have produced extraordinary prospects intended for defining and establishing a new model of huge global information systems in science. Thus, the development of the global information systems has improved the scientific discovery procedures, knowledge communication and

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY - Essay Example There are several reasons for the crisis. But they can collectively be classified as those about the taking of systematic risks in the financial system. An effective approach to explain the causes of the 2007-2009 financial crisis is to outline the three main solutions developed in Britain to address the problem. FRC Update The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is one of the primary agencies mandated with overseeing and development of the standards in corporate governance in the United Kingdom. Every other year, it reviews the UK Corporate Governance Code, which is a combination of principles set in reports and codes of good corporate governance required for the organizations that are listed in the London Stock Exchange. In 2009, after the financial crisis, FRC reviewed and updated the Code so that it better addressed the variables that have led to the financial crisis. Stricter regulations has been proposed and seriously considered as corporate managements were found to have taken e xtreme risks by making bad operating, investing and financing decisions. (Saunders and Allen 2010, p. 21) Particularly, the on-going development initiated by FRC since 2009 has focused on the need for disclosure, the increase in overall level of prescription and the emphasis on independent and authoritative for the chief risk officers and group risk management departments. (Picket and Pickett 2010, p. 148) The on-going update and developments within- and those initiative by the FRC underscored the fact that British policymakers saw the need to examine and update its corporate governance codes and requirements because it was identified as a major precursor of credit crunch. For instance, before 2007, the financial system has been undertaking systematic risks because of the so-called shift in the banking model from "originate and hold" to "originate and distribute". (Saunders and Allen, p. 21) This change supposedly exposed the financial system to risks because it led to the deteriora tion of the credit quality and the rapid increase in consumer and corporate leverage. (p. 21) FRC’s focus on corporate responsibility, accountability, transparency, regulation and prescription were all reflective of the need to address systematic risks. Introduction of ICB The establishment of the UK Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) also served to highlight the systematic risks responsible for the financial crisis that are sought to be avoided in the future. It was created in June 2010 and was mandated with the following purposes: reduce the systematic risk in the banking sector and explore the risk posed by banks of different size, scale and function; mitigate moral hazard in the banking system; reduce the likelihood and impact of firm failure; and, promote competition in both retail and investment banking with a view to ensure the needs of banks’ customers and clients are efficiently served. (UK Parliament 2011, p. 95) The objectives clearly reinforce the upda tes undertaken by the FRC by emphasizing the need to reduce risk-taking in both the financial and corporate sectors. By September 2011, ICB is expected to come up with a report containing the recommendations in regard to how to ensure financial stability and competition in the British industry. The ICB also underscored the role of regulation by states because prior to 2007, the policy that have permeated allowed for the ratio of banks assets to their capital base to grow far too high and that

Feature of a just society Essay Example for Free

Feature of a just society Essay Assess whether an unequal distribution of property between individuals could be a feature of a just society? (50 marks) By a ‘just society’ we are referring to the principle of people getting what they deserve – or desert theory. Those such as Nozick believe that individuals have an absolute right to property of income that they themselves create; Marx outlined his belief in absolute equality; Rawls, however, is the only philosopher able to claim the middle ground and suggest a sensible solution: claiming that an unequal distribution of property can, with certain constraints, benefit the poorest in society. Nozick’s view on the distribution of property focuses on the issue of how it came about. Self-ownership of one’s own talents and abilities is key to his way of thinking. If, for example, Cristiano Ronaldo asked his football club to pay him 25p for each ticket sold, the fans being happy to pay the extra, and 400,000 people watched him play that season – then he would be ? 10,000,000 better off. This is perfectly just according to Nozick, since Ronaldo is using his own talents to make money; which the fans voluntarily gave to him. However, in some philosophers eyes, this would be seen as unjust is Ronaldo was allowed to keep all, or even any, of that money. Be that as it may, Nozick stated that people were ‘ends in themselves’ and any attempt to use them in ways they don’t agree to = even for some ‘greater good’ – would violate their liberty. Such as example would be taxation. People, thus, have a right to own what they produce: conservatives would even argue that property becomes part of a person’s personality. The only constraints Nozick places on property is that it should be ‘justly acquired’ (not stolen or gained via the forced labour of others), ‘justly transferred’ (fair price given – not cheated or robbed), and the ‘rectification of injustice’ (giving back property that was stolen or otherwise unjustly taken). If one were to accept Nozick’s view, the result would be a society with huge economic inequalities. There is also the problem with individuals, through no fault of their own, not being able to support themselves. Relying on philanthropy and personal savings that one has been able to save doesn’t seem ‘just’ – especially if one is a pauper and kept at the mercy of the bourgeoisie. In this sense a worker may accept a wage cut, but how much true liberty do they have in making this decision? It could be argued in a society which has no ‘safety net’ welfare system, very little. Nozick goes onto state that we have ‘self-ownership’ of the things we create. This would therefore suggest that the proletariat working in factories, and the like, would have a right to what they produce since they have mixed their labour with it. But in a capitalist society, which Nozick supports, this would be, and is, the case. There therefore seems to be a rule for some and another for others with Nozick’s idea of ‘self-ownership’, which seriously undermines the legitimacy of his justice. Furthermore, history shows us that a great deal of initial acquisition of property was unjust: based on theft, slavery and colonisation. All property that derives from unjust acquisition being unjustly held, one does not have the right to transfer said property, nor does the recipient have the right to what they are receiving. It would, moreover, prove very difficult, if not impossible, to rectify the injustice of the past, as Nozick thinks one should do, since we have no way of establishing what belongs to who in many cases. The conclusion we are forced to draw is that Nozick’s theory has no application if we cannot start from a just beginning. Marx, on the other hand, focused on the plight of the proletariat, who, having nothing but their labours to sell are exploited by the bourgeoisie; who are in turn protected by the state which keeps private property legal: allowing a small number of individuals to own the ‘commanding heights’ or means of production. In such circumstances people cannot make use of their right to ‘self-ownership’ as Nozick claims, for they are creating items for the profit of the bourgeois and not themselves. Marx therefor believed in a needs based theory of justice. This would entail the abolition of private property and see that every man, woman and child gets what they need and gives what they can. The principle can be summed up as thus, â€Å"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. † Property does, however, seem to come naturally to human beings with philosophers such as John Locke claiming it is a ‘Natural Right’. When one takes the liberal view that we are rational, self-seeking, egotistical beings, it only seems right that the acquisition of property should follow. It is also true that the large percentages of the states in the world are run this way. Though this on its own cannot justify private property, it does heavily suggest that there will always be a place for private property no matter what your vison of the ‘prefect’ society is. Furthermore, one could argue that private property offers the allure of material success that motivates people to work. Even if one does not buy this argument, Rawls claimed that injustice in the distribution of property in society can work to the advantage to the poorest in society – via a welfare state etc. Rawls invented the ‘veil of ignorance’ to prove in the ‘original position’ what justice should be. As virtue of us, humans, being free rational beings, we would consent to a free market state, but only as long as rights were guaranteed and protection for the poor put in place. For the freedom to starve is no freedom at all. We would agree to these conditions for human life, since we would not know, in theory, what our race, creed, religion, talents, opinions or health would be in advance. In this sense it is reasonable to assume that we are rational egotistical beings, for it makes sense, and is in our own self-interest, to want these conditions. As for the capitalist free market aspect, wealth creation can be the only means by which the poorest in society can benefit; via the state taxing the rich and redistributing some of it to the poor. In this hypothetical situation we would have legal and foundational equality, as well as equality of opportunity. No one should be disadvantaged by the outcome of natural chance, the contingency of circumstances or choice of principles. In this light, the racist and the liberal would both be permitted to criticise each other; prevented from physically harming each other; and neither allowed to alter or remove foundational equality from the constitution. Importantly, Rawls thinks that once a certain level of martial wealth has been acquired (? 26,000 a year in the UK), then we would value such legal and foundational rights more; as well as basic liberties such as freedom of speech and association. Thus liberty will be preferred to less liberty, but greater wealth. This leads to Rawls’ ‘difference principle’, that we would choose to maximise the minimum level of welfare. This would create a society with a smaller gap between the rich and the poor, but also a smaller average wealth. One can object to this and state that it makes more sense to maximise the average level of wealth, especially if there is equality of opportunity meaning that one can improve oneself. However, one could imagine a society which is less prosperous, but more ‘just’ –something based alone the lines of Marx’s desert theory. Conversely, however, justice, in terms of the distribution of property, actually comes from prosperity and wealth creation gained and produced by some, so that others can benefit from the resulting taxation of said people. In conclusion, only Rawls can offer a theory of justice that appears sensible to the rational egotistical being; as well as avoiding the un-pragmatic approaches of Marx and Nozick. Even is one does not accept Rawls’ theory of justice – for one may be very rich and have lots of land – then at least it shows one what justice should look like.

Gender-Based Problems of Women in Management Essay -- Psychology, Fem

Gender-Based Problems of Women in Management Early Research The focus of a good deal of the early research on gender-based problems at work has attempted to determine factors responsible for the problems. As noted by Talley (1988), women in management, especially the upper levels of management, were shown by this early research to have consistently been underrepresented and underutilized. An example of the kind of research that was being conducted at this time can be seen in research conducted by Gerike (1983) who compared a group of 34 women in upper- and middle-level management positions, most of them the sole woman at their level, with a group of 34 men matched to them only by job position or job title. Data were collected by mailing a lengthy researcher-designed questionnaire to the sample of female managers. According to Gerike (1983), the findings of the study showed a repeated pattern of gender-based discrimination. Specifically, it was found that female managers were lower in power and status than the males, on the basis of lower salaries; they were also less involvement than males with budgetary matters. In addition, managers more often trained and supervised employees of their own sex. Female managers had longer average tenure with their organizations but less managerial experience. They were paid significantly less than equally experienced males when job tenure for both was less than five years. Income for females but not for males was positively correlated with previous policy-making experience. Female managers were less involved in informal interactions with colleagues, such as lunching and socializing, and more of them were single (11 women, 1 man). Somewhat lower levels of risk-taking behaviors... ... used in the study was from the Current Population Survey, March 1982. Analyses revealed that education was significant in explaining the salary differential for the sample of salespeople only. Marital status was significant for the sample of male salespeople only. Age and hours worked were also found to be significant in explaining the wage differentials for female salespeople, male sales managers or department heads, and male salespeople. Hours worked was the only variable significant in explaining salary differences between married and single female buyers. Birth-order and its effects on the gender-related factor of attitudes toward female mangers was examined in a study conducted by Brenner and Beutell (1989). Since birth-order is one of the variables that will be examined in this study, Brenner and Beutell's study is pertinent to the proposed research.

HIV, homosexuality and poverty Essay

Human lives are rented, thus, for every action there is a consequence that must be paid. At the same time, life should be maximized before death claims its dues. Just like the craft of Jonathan Larson, the musical RENT portrays every character trying to find and create meaning in a life full of cruel realities. Their avant-gardism approach in life revolved on how they struggle to make something out of their skills and talents by drawing out their purpose of their life. The musical is a colorful illustration of how the lives of the struggling artists are interconnected by the issues of HIV, homosexuality, and poverty. In the middle of a highly urbanized New York, the characters are shaped by their eclectic beliefs and plunged into a never-ending search of their lives’ purpose. It is depicted in RENT that the search continues despite of the chaos which encapsulated their ambitions and goals as artists. Their difficulties are further aggravated because they are part of issues which set them apart from the society, making it harder for them to survive in the corporate environment of New York. RENT centralized the characters as part of the marginalized sector of the society. Their lives revolved around coping with sexually transmitted disease, fighting off the taboos of same sex relationships, and the miserable impoverished state of their residence. As the characters battled against these circumstances, the story continues to focus on the bonds of their friendship and unrequited love. The issues of STD, poverty, and homosexuality are central to the plot of the musical and portrayed how the characters revolved around these aspects. Four of the characters namely Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel are all HIV positive. Though masked by their lively and merry performances and songs, they’ve been struggling with the illness as its effects are felt by the time it slowly robbed them off their loved-ones’ lives. Based on the film, it gives the impression that HIV is prevalent in the community where they live in. HIV somehow symbolizes the illness that surrounds the characters, their illness to survive and thrive for life’s purpose. The scene of the second Life Support meeting showed other HIV positives, asking how they ought to move on with their life even though their days are numbered. Amidst the experiences of being sick, the Life Support group still holds importance for self-preservation. To pursue a life of dignity despite of the prejudices and judgments that should be dealt with having sexually transmitted disease. They openly expressed their fear of isolation and death itself as the disease slowly eats them up inside. HIV is presented as a disease which penetrates into society as a challenge to preserve their lives and change their meaningless life. Two pairs of characters are engaged in same-sex relationship. The open-mindedness displayed by people in East Side Manhattan as bohemians when they tolerated this relationship despite of it as being considered a taboo in the society, was portrayed in the movie. Homosexuality is being exercised freely in the community where the characters moved around. One can see that the other person within the same-sex relationship portrays a character to become similar with heterosexual relationship more. Such example of this would be the cross-dresser Angel and the lawyer Joanne who dressed in coat and tie. Though affections are openly exchanged in the same-sex relationship, the idea of cross-dressing for a man to look like a woman and vice-versa, is a way they used to blend into the society just like normal couple. The film portrayed that it was easier for the characters of Maureen and Joanne, and Tom and Angel to be homosexual couples when one of them dressed the part. It can be seen how society’s opinions against homosexual have been prevalent and by portraying some of the characters as cross-dressers, it made the homosexual relationships a bit subtle. RENT , first and foremost revolved around the lofty apartment wherein the characters lived in. They faced the danger of having their home being evicted due to the plans of building a digital studio and an extra lot. From the film, the East Side Manhattan is a residence to a lot of people struggling financially, and spiritually. Its impoverished state will be aggravated when Benny announced their eviction and he gave the condition to his friends that the rent will be free if Maureen’s protest will be stopped. As the story progressed revolving on this particular plot, the sceneries in the musical showed a great amount of poverty surrounding the apartment and Maureen knows that building the digital studio entails a displacement of a lot of the residents leaving no place for them to consider as home. It can be said that poverty, in the musical, has been presented as the root cause of the artists’ struggle to hopefully uplift themselves not just from the slums they live in but from the restless lifestyle that they have. Their struggles to carry out their ambitions equates with their impoverished soul that hungers for direction and sense out of life. It presented a gap as well between Mark, Roger, and Benny. Having married the daughter’s landowner, Benny alleviated from the kind of life that he shared with his former roommates. In a scene where all of them are inside Life Cafe, Benny told them to steer their life into purpose by making a move that showed maturity and responsibility, not the same laid-back attitudes that most of the character has. To alleviate from poverty, it is the same as finding direction in life. RENT is definitely a mirror of life itself, for all of us share the same struggles to be as carefree as we can and at the same time, to find our place in this world. The musical touched the realities which every human being may encounter, in a certain way or another. The importance that this film has pointed out is that the rented life that God bestowed should be felt in its full advantage. An individual’s role in the earth may be difficult to achieve because this is not a tangible thing that can be grasped by hand or can be seen by the naked eye. RENT focused on the concept that life can be measured by love. That love can be the very thing that an individual has been searching for all of his or her existence. For love, is one of the things that can not be bought nor rented, it is one of the aspects that can measure the purpose of one’s life.

Professional and legal implications Essay

This assignment will explore the professional and legal implications of a scenario which took place within a healthcare setting during the last year. Health care is very complex and decisions about how services are provided can have a huge effect on people’s lives. Therefore it is imperative that the care offered has the best chance of benefiting a patient and not harming them. However, in the following scenario a decision made by a healthcare professional for the best interests of their patient is challenged by the patient’s mother. To protect confidentiality the real names of the individuals involved have been changed (NMC, 2008). Katie is a 24 year old woman who has been admitted to hospital with a severe chest infection. Katie suffers from recurring chest infections due to her condition and also has cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and epilepsy. Due to these conditions Katie is unable to communicate, requires a Naso Gastric Tube for feeding, is doubly incontine nt and has one to one care from a Health Care Support Worker for all her personal and clinical needs. Katie lives with her mother at home, who provides her care during the night. The medical team discovered that her chest infection is Pneumonia and begin the relevant treatment, however believe that due to Katie’s quality of life she should be Not for Resuscitation (NFR) in the event of a cardiac arrest. However, Katie’s mother argues that her daughter should be resuscitated and the decision should be made by her, because she is her mother and that the health care team are neglecting her daughter’s right to life and are acting illegally by making such a decision. Katie’s mum also believes that the health care team are basing their decision on Katie’s learning disability rather than her best interests. This essay will encompass the ethical considerations that need to be sought when a decision such as NFR is made. Taking into account the legal and professional implications this has on the health care team involved. Before making any decision the health care professional will need to consider if the Katie has the mental capacity, what are in the her best interests and protecting the her human rights. All these topics will be included in this essay. This essay will also explain why it is important for a health care professional to take into account the Bolam Test and Section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), taking into consideration a patient’s best interest when they lack capacity, before they make any decision. The Medical Team must act in accordance with the practice  that is accepted at that time and by a recognised professional body (Dimond 2008). All these issues are relevant in this scenario. Making a decision such as NFR is taken very seriously due to the known outcome in the event of a cardiac arrest. A Not For Resuscitation (NFR) decision indicates that a decision has been made not to call the resuscitation team if in the future that patient, such as Katie, suddenly stops breathing or suffers cardiac arrest. Resuscitation decisions are very controversial and have been the subject of much media interest. Especially when that patient has a learning disability. There is evidence of this in the appendix at the back of this essay and it will be discussed further on in the essay. A decision such as NFR is the responsibility of the most senior clinician for the specific patient, according to a revised guidance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (2007). Every health board should have a resuscitation policy. The Local Health Board’s policy involved in this scenario can be found in the appendix of this essay. The policy, published in (2009) states that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be commenced unless; the patient has refused CPR; the patient is at the palliative stage of illness or the burdens of the treatment outweigh the benefit. The Health Care Team are required, before they make any decision to determine if Katie has mental capacity and if she is able to understand and contribute to the decisions of her treatment. If Katie had capacity and was not consulted about the decision then the heath care professional could be seen as acting unlawfully and the decision maker would be legally and professionally accountable (B v An NHS Trust [2002]). The Mental Capacity Act (2005) describes capacity as an individual’s ability to make a certain decision at a specific time and not on their ability to make decisions generally. Legal capacity depends on the patients understanding rather than their wisdom. They should be able to retain and understand the information that they are given and then communicate their decision with the appropriate professional (Simpson, 2011). A patient’s competency to capacity should not be presumed. An assessment of capacity should be made before a person can be said to be incapacitated (NMC, 2008). Nurses have the ability to assess capacity, if they feel that it is needed. However, they do not have the authority to make a decision such as NFR (Hawley 2007). Therefore, they must  refer to a doctor or psychologist to assess the patient’s capacity and make such a decision (Hutchison, 2005). Katie’s mental capacity, following the Mental Health Act (2005), will need to be assessed by a doctor or a psychologist due to the significance of the decision. The Case of Re C (1994) helped produce the 3 stage test of capacity and this has proved to be a suitable test used in the assessing process of capacity. However, the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act resulted in a 4th Stage being added (Section 3 MCA). The test decides whether the individual is able to: Comprehend and retain information, Believe information given and weigh it up, balance the risks and needs, make a choice. The fourth stage is to communicate the decision. In this particular scenario, after an assessment of Katie’s Mental Capacity using this test, determined that Katie did not have the Mental Capacity to make decisions due to her inability to understand the information and communicate the decision. This enables the team to make this decision for her as long as it is in her best interests. Katie’s mother believes that she should be the one to make this decision for her daughter because she is her next of kin and Katie’s power of attorney. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) allows a person to legally set up a lasting power of attorney. The chosen person or persons have the power to make decisions on the individual’s financial and personal behalf. The act does not allow enduring power of attorneys to be set up; however those already in existence can continue to be used. The lasting power of attorney has the power to give consent on behalf of a patient who is incapacitated if it is in their best interest (Thomson et al, 2006). However, the lasting power of attorney does not have the power to order a patient who is NFR or who is becoming NFR, as in this scenario, to be resuscitated if a health care professional has assessed that the outcome would not be in the best interest of the patient. There is no obligation to give treatment that is futile or burdensome as seen in the case of Re J (A Minor) (Wardship: Medical Treatment [1990]). As in the case of R (Burke v General Medical Council [2004]) no person has a legal right to insist on specific treatments either for themselves or relatives. The health care professional is not obliged by law to resuscitate Katie irrelevant weather Katie’s mother is next of kin or has power of attorney. It was discovered afterwards that Katie’s mother was not her power of attorney because Katie had never had the capacity to  appoint one. The health care professional will make their decision after assessing the patient and following the appropriate legal frameworks which are set to protect them and the patient and examining what decision would be in Katie’s best interests. Section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) sets out the legal framework for a best interest decision to be made, for people without mental capacity. This can be found in the appendix of the essay. The Act states that the health care professional making the decision must not make it simply on the basis of the patient’s age or appearance. The patient’s condition and aspects of behaviour must not affect the judgements of best interests and duty of care. The health care professional making the decision must consider all the relevant circumstances and consider the possibility of the patient gaining capacity (MCA, 2005). However, if this is not possible then the health care professional must revise the past and present wishes of the patient, especially if an advance directive has been made. In relation to the scenario, it is crucial that this checklist is considered when making a decision such as NFR, due to Katie’s Learning disabilities’. Mencap (2007) published a report called ‘death by indifference’ which can be found in the appendix of this essay. The report examines cases where families believed that doctors used inappropriate use of Do Not Resuscitate Orders simply because the patient had a learning disability rather than assessing the best interest of the patient resulting in institutional discrimination. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) adds that the health care professional must consult anyone caring f or the patient or who is concerned for their welfare and gain their views on the decision (Dimond, 2008). In this scenario Katie’s mother was addressed and informed of the decision and her views were taken into account, despite the disagreement of the overall decision. Katie’s mum’s attitude and opinion towards the decision could be biased. She may genuinely not recognise that an NFR decision would be in the best interests of her daughter. Katie’s mother has her own values and beliefs that are likely to be factors that can influence her disapproval. The health care professional involved with Katie’s care will need to reassure Katie’s mum, show compassion and empathise with her situation. As stated earlier in the essay, the best interests of Katie can be determined via consideration of a checklist of circumstances within Section 4 of the MCA (2005). The benefits of treatment  and the probability of them arising are considered (Griffiths and Tengnah 2008). In this scenario the benefits of resuscitation would be measured. If it was agreed that res uscitation would do more harm than good then it would be considered that NFR would be in Katie’s best interests (Re A (mental patient: sterilisation) [2001]). Due to Katie’s quality of life, because of her cerebral palsy and epilepsy, it was considered by the health care professionals that it was in the best interest of Katie that she becomes NFR, as the outcome of resuscitation would not improve her quality of life. It was also agreed that resuscitation would do more harm to Katie than good, due to the probability of resuscitation being unsuccessful. However, Katie’s mum believes that the health care professionals are depriving her daughter of a right to life as was in the case of Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993]. The Human Rights Act (1998) is an Act of Parliament produced to protect the rights of individuals. The Act incorporates convention rights and protocols and is comprised of several articles. Schedule 1 Article 2, the Right to Life is of particular relevance in this scenario. The Article legally entitles every person’s individual’s right to life to be protected by law. It states that an individual†™s life should not be deprived intentionally. Katie’s mum believes that the decision of NFR is infringing her daughter’s human rights. If this is proved to be the situation then the professional could face legal action (Dimond, 2008). In this scenario the health care professionals are acting in Katie’s best interests and will not face any legal proceedings as long as they can justify their decision. This was illustrated in the cases of; National Health Service Trust A V D and others [2000], NHS Trust A v M [2001] and NHS Trust B V H [2001] indicates that decisions such as NFR, which are found to allow the individual to die with dignity and be in the best interests of the person, are not legally classed as infringing human rights. It could be implied that the decisions of NFR supports Katie’s human rights. If it is considered that Katie’s quality of life would remain poor or that resuscitation could potentially cause her harm and not be in Katie’s best interests then it could be implied that resuscitation in the event of Katie experiencing a cardiac arrest could prove a degrading treatment (Thompson et al, 2006). In this particular scenario Katie’s mother is accusing the health care professionals of being negligent. The case of (Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957])  initiated the Bolam test. The Bolam test is used to examine if a health care professional has been negligent. If the health care professional has acted in accordance with an accepted practice which is approved by a recognised professional body then they cannot be thought as negligent. However, it could be disputed that the health care professional could be assumed negligent if they resuscitated Katie since it is not in her best interests as the health care professionals have a legal duty of care to preclude acts or omissions which can potentially injure the patient (Donogue v Stevenson [1932]). If the health care professionals were to resuscitate Katie and it resulted in her becoming harmed then the health care professionals could be accused of being negligent under the Bolam test. Once a decision such as NFR has been justified and documented then if Katie was resuscitated in the event of a cardiac arrest then this treatment could been seen as battery and it is unlawful as in the case of (Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993]). Such as in the case of Bland where the patient’s recovery was not going to happen due to him being in a Permanent Vegetative State, then the courts can decide that treatment can be withdrawn and not infringe the human rights of the individual (NHS Trust v M [2001]). In this scenario the health care team have decided, that due to Katie’s ongoing chest infections, the pain that she experiences from her conditions and her poor quality of life, it would not be in Katie’s best interests for her to be resuscitated in the event of a cardiac arrest. Consequently health professionals are not infringing her right to life and consequently not legally negligent. All health care professionals have a duty of care to their patients (Dimond, 2008). For this section of the essay the author will focus on how a decision such as NFR can have on a nurse and discuss the legal implications that may occur. Registered nurses are governed by The Code: Standards of conduct, performances an d ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2008). The code is not a legal document however, it sets a framework of standards that a nurse must adhere to within their practice and it enables them to act lawfully. Decisions such as NFR can cause professional issues for a nurse. The nurse is the frontline provider of their patient’s care (Dimond, 2008). They have the most contact with the patient and their relatives. They often develop a therapeutic relationship with both. This could cause the nurse to face a dilemma of being criticised by the family and friends of the patient if they  do not commence CPR or even face criticism from their colleges if they did proceed with CPR (Dimond, 2008). The nurse may feel duty-bound to commence CPR due to the relationship they have formed with the patient. However, the nurse must always act lawfully. Due to the nurse’s role as the care provider, they often have contact with the family members. This may provide difficulties for the nurse if the family, such as Katie’s mum, disagree with a decision that has been made. Therefore, the nurse may be faced with a possible confrontation from the family or friends of the patient due to their disapproval (Hughes and Baldwin, 2006). The nurse has a responsibility to their patients to provide a high standard of care (NMC, 2008). However, at times they may feel as though they are being prevented from providing this standard when a decision such as NFR is issued and could cause them professional implications. However, it could also be argued that the nurse is fulfilling their role in such a situation as the nurse has a duty to alleviate the suffering of patients (Rumbold, 2002). The nurse would not be alleviating a patient’s suffering if they commenced CPR and it had been decided that it was not in the patients best interests. Nurses are accountable for their actions (NMC, 2008). The accountability of not providing CPR to a patient can present the nurse with a professional implication. Therefore, as the essay mentioned earlier, if the decision of NFR is legal then the nurse will not be held professionally accountable for not commencing CPR if their patient experiences a cardiac arrest. All Health care professionals are responsible for maintaining standards set in the code of professional conduct. The NMC (2008) governs nurses to ‘Adhere to the laws of the country in which you are practicing’. This implies that nurses are required to act lawfully. They are required to follow orders such as NFR regardless of their own values and beliefs. A decision such as NFR creates the question of: who has the right to decide what is in the best interests of a patient. Even though the person making the decision is professionally qualified to do so they may find it complicated in proving that it is in the best interests of a patient without capacity (Runciman et al, 2007). The professional has a duty to act lawfully and be able to sustain this when making such an important decision. The attitudes of a nurse can offer professional implications for a decision such as NFR. Attitudes are governed by personal values and beliefs. If the nurse did not agree that it is in theà ‚  best interests of the patient to become NFR this could create some difficulties. The nurse may decide to vocalise what they consider is in the best interests of their patient and this could conflict with the NFR decision made by the health care professional resulting in an ethical dilemma (Thompson et al, 2006). According to Schlutz (1998), there is considerable evidence that many nurses experience the feeling of powerlessness when confronted with an ethical dilemma and fear conflict with other professionals such as consultants and doctors. Due to this they may abide by instructions regardless of it conflicting with their own professional values and beliefs. This could imply that the nurse involved with Katie’s care could follow an instruction as NFR despite it being against their own professional opinion. However, the nurse must be accountable for their actions and must indicate a satisfactory reason for their conduct (NMC, 2008) therefore potentially resulting in a professional implication. Rundell (1992) claims that the nursing of a palliative patient and providing them with a dignified death, uncomplicated or uncompromised by CPR could prove to be more complex than simply intervening and commencing CPR. Therefore not intervening when a patient is suffering a cardiac arrest can res ult in a professional implication of the NFR decision. The nurse could find it very difficult to watch a patient suffer a cardiac arrest and not be allowed to intervene because of an NFR decision made by a health care professional who may not even have had a therapeutic relationship with the patient or their family. Doctors and nurses are professionally responsible to perform beneficently, justifying and respecting the rights of others (Thompson et al, 2006). Beneficence can be defined as an action taken that will benefit others and prevent and remove harm. Examples of harm are suffering and death (Herbert, 1998). If a health care professional fails to act beneficently it violates social, moral and professional standards (Beauchamp and Childress, 1989). This principle implies that the health care professional would be acting unprofessional by not commencing CPR. However, Casteldine (1993) implies that it is of greater beneficence for the health care professional to acknowledge end of life on certain occasions rather than using CPR, which could potentially cause harm, to prevent death. This implication is seen within the scenario. However it is imperative that the staff perform lawfully. Health care professionals are often faced with the  dilemma as to whether a certified decision has been made morally and legally accepted. This could result in disputes due to differentiating values and beliefs (Herbert, 1998). The NMC (2008) states that a patient, who does not possess capacity, should be protected. This may cause conflict in role responsibility in an NFR decision, as a health care professional not commencing resuscitation in the event of a cardiac arrest could potentially cause the issue of passive non-voluntary euthanasia. This is a further professional implication that the nurse may experience when a decision such as NFR is initiated. Passive non-voluntary Euthanasia can be defined as when the individual who dies is unable to give their consent and the individuals competent requests concerning euthanasia are not known, such as Katie’s wishes are not know due to her not having the mental capacity. In effect it involves not providing or discontinuing treatments that would be relatively successful in preventing the patient’s death because death is considered to be kind to the patient by the health care professional making the decision. Therefore, this type of euthanasia depends on other factors for its achievement in causing death, such as Katie’s underlying pneumonia which if left untreated could kill her or promote her inability to breathe satisfactorily without oxygen or respiratory assistance. By withdrawing treatment or as in Katie’s case creating an NFR that would normally be done for a patient with this condition, with the objective of causing the patient’s death out of compassion could be regarded as passive euthanasia and be interpreted as allowing the patient to die rather than killing them. Again when faced with such a situation the nurse must always abide by the NMC Code (2008) and act lawfully in their practice and they will not be accoun table for breaching their professional duties. In conclusion, this essay has contained numerous reasons why legal implications could arise due to Katie’s mother disagreeing with the NFR decision. When a health care professional makes a decision such as NFR, it is taken very seriously and as this essay has explained the health care professional has a legal obligation to justify their decision. They are required to follow the appropriate assessments and procedures before making their decision. The health care professional has a duty of care to their patient and they must ensure that they are considering the overall outcome and quality of life if CPR was performed and if it would be in their patient’s best interests or  potentially cause harm. It is imperative that they discuss all decisions with the immediate family and reassure the family that they are acting in the best interest of the patient (Hawley, 2007). Decisions such as NFR need to be regularly reassessed because a patient’s condition may improve or they may regain their capacity to make decisions. There are many legal and professional implications that the health care professional could encounter due t o such a decision. Therefore it is essential that they are aware of the law because they will be accountable for their actions. Ultimately they must be able to prove that they are acting in the best interests of the patient and be able to provide relevant evidence to support this. In this particular scenario, Katie’s mother was made fully aware of the NFR decision and what it meant if Katie was to have a cardiac arrest. She was involved in the decision making process and consulted regarding her daughters condition. Soon after the health care professional made the NFR decision Katie’s health deteriorated due to the Pneumonia and subsequently her quality of life was poorer than previously. It was at this point that Katie’s mum finally accepted the NFR decision and realised that it was in the best interests of her daughter that she should not be resuscitated. As the essay has shown, in the event that Katie’s mother pursued a clinical negligence claim against the Health Board, on the grounds that she believed the health care professionals in charge of Katie’s care were neglecting her daughters right to life, the likelihood of a ruling that Katie be for resuscitation in the event of a cardiac arrest would be unlikely due to Katie’s mental capacity, overall outcome, quality of life and the evidence supporting the health care professional’s decision that it would be in Katie’s best interest. In conclusion, the essay draws on the fact that all health care professionals, when making a decision such as NFR are required by law to assess patients mental capacity, follow a code of practice and always act in the best interest of the patients regardless of the patients families views and a patients disability. In order for this to be achieved, the Bolam Test and Section 4 of the MCA (2005) should be considered. The health care professional in this scenario conducted their decision process accordingly, following the correct assessments and legal frameworks, basing their decision on Katie’s best interests due to her ill health rather than her learning disability. Word Count 4,268 References * Airedale NHS Trust v Bland [1993] 1 ALL ER 449 * B v An NHS Trust [2002]2 ALL ER 449 * Beauchamp TL and Childress JF, (1989), Principles of biomedical ethics, third edition, Oxford University Press * Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [1957] 1 WLR 582 * British Medical Association (2007) Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing, Decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, BMA. * Campbell A, Grant G and Jones G, (2005) Medical Ethics, Fourth Addition, Oxford publishers * Castledine G, (1993), The Nursing Way of Death, British Journal of Nursing, 16: 138-146. * Degrazia D, (1999), Advanced Directives, Dementia and the ‘Someone else problem’ Journal of bioethics, 13 (5): 373. * Dimond B, (2008) Legal aspects of Nursing, Fifth edition, Pearson education publishers. * Donogue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562 599 * Grifiths R and Tengnah C, (2008), Mental Capacity Act; determining best interest, British Journal of Community Nursing, 13 (7): 335-340 * Hawley G (2007) Ethics in clinical practice: an interpersonal approach. Pearson Education. * Herbert C L, (1998), ‘To be or not to be’ an ethical debate on the not for resuscitation status of a stoke patient, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 6: 99-105 * Hughes JC and Baldwin C, (2006), Ethical issues in dementia care; making difficult decisions, Jessica Kingley Publishers * Hutchinson C, (2005), Addressing issues related to the adult patient who lack the capacity to give consent, Nursing Standard, 19 (23): 47-53 * http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artcle-2101445/NHS * http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/writing_references.asp * http://www.mencap.org.uk/74deaths * http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/9/contents * http://www.lawcf.org/CMS/uploads/611/documents/Case Note on Leslie Burke * National Health Service Trust A v D and others [2000] Lloyds rep med 411 * NHS Trust A v M [2001] 1 ALL ER 801 * NHS Trust B v H [2001] 1 ALL ER 801 * Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code of Professional Conduct: Standards for Conduct, performance and ethics, NMC * R (on the application of Burke) v General Medical Council and Disability rights commission and the official solicitor of the Supreme Court [2004] Lloyds Rep Med 451 * Re A (Mental Patient: Sterilisation) [2001]) 1 FLR 594 * Re C (Adult refusal of treatment) [1994] 1 ALL ER 819 * Re J (a Minor) (Wardship: Medical treatment) (1991) Fam 33; [1990] 3 All ER 930; [1991] 2 WLR 140; Times, 03 October 1990; [1992] 1 FLR * Rumbold G, (2002) Ethics in nursing practice, Third edition, Bailere Tindall Publishing * Rundell s and Rundell L, The Nursing Contribution of the resuscitation debate, Journal of clinical nursing, 1: 195-198 * Runicman B, Merry A and Walton M (2007), Safety and ethics in healthcare; a guide to getting it right, Ashgate publishers * Schluzt L, (1998), Not for Resuscitation; two decades of challenge for nursing ethics and practice, nursing ethics, 4 (3): 227-240 * Thomson IE, Melia KM, Boyd KM and Horsburgh D, (2006) Nursing ethics, Fifth edition, Churchill Livingstone.

10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English

10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English 10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English 10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English By Ali Hale If you’re learning English as a second language, you might want some extra help and support beyond your regular lessons. Alternatively, you might decide to dispense with lessons altogether and learn from websites or apps. There are loads of great apps out there, whether you want an entire course of tuition or simply a bit of help. Some are free (and all will at least have a free trial), so do try out a few different ones: they all take slightly different approaches, and some are great for specific styles or learning or for different needs. These are ten of the best, ordered alphabetically: #1: Babbel (Android and iOS) Babbel offers bite-sized English lessons, which are connected to one another and work progressively to build up your knowledge. The lessons are engaging and aimed at beginner to intermediate students. Cost: Varies, but if you want to pay monthly, it’s $12.95/month. Pros: Great way to learn the basics, without spending a huge amount of time. Works by getting you to match words to the appropriate images, and will repeat words the next day if you make a mistake (or immediately if you make a mistake more than once). Has lots of conversational language that you’re likely to use in real-life situations. Cons: A bit more expensive than many other alternatives. Free trial is restricted to just one lesson, which you may not feel is enough to get a good sense of whether you’ll get on well with the app or not. #2: Beelinguapp (Android and iOS) This app is designed to help you to read English texts (and to some degree to help you with listening to spoken English). It takes an innovative approach, compared with most other language-learning apps: it shows books and other texts in your native language plus English, side by side, and reads out the English for you too. Cost: Free, but you’ll need to pay for access to many of the longer texts. (You can pay about $1 per text, or $1.99 for monthly membership, or $24.99 to remove all ads and unlock all current and future texts.) Pros:   The audio recordings are from native speakers: they’re not machine-generated. If you want to improve your pronunciation, this is a great and fun way to do so. The texts include novels, but also fairy tales, news stories, and science papers. If you’re studying English literature or other texts, this app could help you feel more confident reading in English. You might even find it helpful if you’re learning to translate from your native language into English, or vice versa. Cons: Pricing plans are a little complex, and it might be tricky to work out the best deal. Focuses on reading comprehension; you may want to pair this with another app to help you with speaking English. #3: BBC Learning English (Android and iOS) The BBC Learning English app simply brings together lots of different lessons into one place. It includes transcripts and quizzes, and you can watch the videos with subtitles. The lessons appear on the app before they arrive on the website, and there’s new content every weekday. Cost: Free, with no ads. Pros: Great way to watch the BBC’s most popular programs aimed at English learners (you can find the full list, and the publishing schedule, on their website here). If you already enjoy the BBC’s content online, this is a handy way to get it on your mobile device. Lessons are short and bite-sized (normally 2 -6 minutes), so they’re easy to take in. There are no ads or â€Å"pro† options: this app is completely free. Cons: The quizzes are scored, but there aren’t other â€Å"game† type elements, so if you’re used to apps like Duolingo, you might find this harder to stick with. Some users reported difficulties with the interface of the newest version of the app. #4: Duolingo (Android and iOS) You’ve almost certainly heard of Duolingo, which can help you learn a large number of languages, including English. It’s designed to be fun (and addictive!) with bite-sized lessons and a system where you earn points for correct answers and â€Å"level up† once you’re doing well enough. You can earn virtual coins, unlock new levels, and see your â€Å"fluency score† rise. Cost: Free, but if you want to remove ads and download courses to use offline, you’ll need to pay for Duolingo plus, which is $6.99/month. Pros: It’s designed to be fun and work like a game, so if you enjoy playing games on your mobile phone, this could be a great way to learn while you’re doing so. The interface is slick and well designed. Many, many people use Duolingo it’s hugely popular around the world and is even used in many classrooms for language learning. Cons: A number of people have criticised it for using unrealistic computer-generated sentences that won’t particularly help you in real life situations. Duolingo is monetized, in part, by selling user translations of web content you may not feel happy about this. #5: FluentU (Android and iOS) FluentU takes a different approach to language learning, using videos sourced for YouTube with captions so you can immerse yourself in hearing and understanding the language. It’s available for a number of other languages as well as English, too. Cost: Free trial, then $30/month (which includes all languages). Pros: It’s easy to use, and you can commit as much or as little time as you want †¦ many videos are just a minute or two long. You can easily pause the video player to look up words or even get example sentences. If you enjoy watching YouTube videos, then this is a great way to do so while also learning English. Cons: No requirement to speak or write the language: this is fine for passive learning but you’ll want to use another app or method to do more active learning. FluentU is expensive compared with other apps, especially if you want to learn just English (rather than several of the other languages included too). #6: Hello English  (Android and iOS) This beginner-friendly app has instructions in your native language (with 22 different languages to choose from here). It’s easy to get started with, and you can select your level of English from â€Å"beginner†, â€Å"intermediate†, or â€Å"advanced†. Cost: Free; the pro version is $59.99/year. You can also make in-app purchases for a wide range of advanced features (e.g. access to live tutors.) Pros: Like many other English-learning apps, it uses features like ranks and levels to keep you motivated. Encourages you to complete lessons and activities each day, which are assigned to you. If you complete all the lessons, you can get bonus coins from extra lessons. Helpline is responsive, even on the free version. Cons: The free version, while extensive, has a lot of ads that you may find quite intrusive. #7: Lingbe  (Android and iOS) Lingbe takes a very different approach to most other language learning apps. Instead of watching videos or matching photos to words, the app connects you with a real native speaker of the language you want to practice (i.e. English). Cost: Free, so long as you’re happy to act as a teacher of your own language too! You can purchase coins to buy minutes to talk with native English speakers. Pros: Really simple to use: press the call button and wait for someone to answer! Great way to practice speaking English if you don’t know any native English speakers. You can use it completely free of charge, so long as you’re willing to reciprocate by talking to people who are learning your language. Cons: Not ideal for complete beginners, as you’ll already need to know at least a bit of English in order to hold a conversation. Only allows voice calls: if you want video calls or the option to text, then try HelloTalk instead. #8: Memrise  (Android and iOS) Memrise is another app with a bit of a difference: it’s a learning platform which has thousands upon thousands of different courses related to language and vocabulary. Most of the courses are created by users, rather than being provided by Memrise itself. Cost: Free (and doesn’t even have ads) at the basic level. You can pay for a Pro version if you want more features, though, which is $9/month. Pros: Loads of courses available †¦ whatever your level and learning style, there’ll be something for you. Uses a â€Å"flashcard† system to help you learn new vocabulary, which is helpful when you’re just beginning to learn English and need to acquire a reasonable amount of new vocabulary. You can even create your own course: teaching English to beginners could be a brilliant way to consolidate your own learning. Cons: There’s not any quality control on courses, so you might need to look through a lot before figuring out which you want to take. Only useful for getting a fairly basic vocabulary: beyond that, you’ll want to move on to another app. #9: MindSnacks: SAT Vocab and Kids’ Vocab  (iOS only) While it’s aimed at US college students rather than people learning English as a second language, mindSnacks is a great app to try out if you’re already reasonably good at English and you want to improve your vocabulary. Like Duolingo, it takes a gaming approach. The SAT Vocab and Kids’ Vocab apps are both fun ones to try. Cost: $4.99 per app (or $19.99 if you want all the MindSnacks apps). Pros: If you’re a native English speaker but want to improve your vocabulary, the Kids’ Vocab and SAT Vocab apps are great ones to try out. There are multiple different games included to keep things interesting as you learn. Fairly cheap compared with some other apps, if you just want to focus on growing your vocabulary. Cons: The Kids’ Vocab app is designed for children, so you might find the interface a bit garish. The free level only gives you access to a small amount of content, so you can’t try it out in any amount of detail before paying. #10: Rosetta Stone  (Android and iOS) Once the most popular language learning software out there, Rosetta Stone has been displaced for many English learners by other software. Many users still find it really useful, though, especially if they’re travelling. The app links with the full version of Rosetta Stone, which isn’t cheap. Cost: Varies, but

How to write numbers, figures, dates and times - Emphasis

How to write numbers, figures, dates and times How to write numbers, figures, dates and times How good are you at watching your figures? These can be a crucial part of your document and the more clearly you express them, the better. Here are our guidelines for expressing time, money, statistics, data, dates and anything else involving numbers: 1. Write out numbers one to ten in words. 2. Use figures for 11 and above. 3. Avoid mixing words and figures in the same phrase. For example: You can order in multiples of 9, 12 or 16, not nine, 12 or 16. 4. Always use figures in data if decimals or fractions are involved: 6.25 or 6 1/4. 5. Write ordinals (first, second, third etc) in full, not 1st, 2nd, 3rd. 6. Write fractions in full and hyphenate them in the body of text eg two-thirds of the class. 7. Write thousands as 60,000, not 60K. 8. Use a comma for tens of thousands or more: 9000; 12,000; 50,000. 9. Write millions as 60 million or 60m, not 60,000,000. 10. File sizes should always be written as abbreviations eg 45Kb, or 1.8Mb. 11. A billion is a thousand million (1,000,000,000), not a million million. Write billions as 6 billion or 6bn, not 6,000,000,000. 12. Use per cent in running text (as opposed to tables etc.), not the % sign. 13. Use these forms rather that the 24-hour clock: 9.30am, 12 noon, 5pm, 12 midnight. 14. Write dates in this format: 7 September 2008. 15. Use twentieth century, not 20th century. 16. When indicating time span, use from/to, between/and or X-X. But dont mix and match: use from 9am to 5pm; or between 9am and 5pm; or 9am5pm. 17. If spanning dates in the same century, drop the first two digits of the second date. But keep them if the dates span different centuries: 196769, 19992008. 18. Do not use apostrophes for collective dates: 1990s, not 1990s. A few of these are issues of style rather than hard-and-fast rules. If youre not sure, or if you still have any questions on writing numbers, leave a comment and well get back to you.

How can colleges increase their minority students population Essay

How can colleges increase their minority students population - Essay Example Colleges such as University of Southern California, University of San Francisco and even Stanford University have gained many benefits from having a diverse population both in terms of students and faculty. However, it must be noted that, obtaining a high level of diversity is not an easy objective and a lot has to be done by many colleges before they can claim to have diversity as an advantage that the offer to their students. Diversity can be clearly understood as a competitive advantage since it allows students to experience the world as it would be in their real life work environment. As per the suggestions given by Sherman (1996), the experience of diversity can help in breaking any stereotypes that a person may have and this would help in improving not only the overall outlook of the student but also improve their chances of having better future encounters with individuals coming from diverse backgrounds. There are several strategies that can be recommended to colleges for increasing their level of diversity. The most practical advice in this case is given by Dr. Campbell (2006) who works with the NAMCE (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering). She suggests that colleges should try and reach out to diverse populations rather than sit back and hope that diverse populations will seek them out. She also applauds the GE Foundation that funded the Math Excellence program which helped colleges get more diverse engineering students through financial education support and by creating connections between colleges and students. As suggested by Trumble and Overstreet (2006), such connections work in the corporate world quite affectively when it comes to retention and recruitment and there is no reason why they can not work in the education sector. These connections were formed when colleges brought students from a diverse background to the campus in order to help them understand why

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example Firstly, the pathos of the video is clear and apparent from the very first frame of the video; as the viewer is greeted with an expansive cemetery perforated by concentric lines of seemingly endless white crosses. Further pathos is invoked due to the dramatic elements of the music that is represented to the listener. Hardship and drama with regards to the emotional connection that the viewer must have to the individuals on the screen is represented through a steady stream of images connecting homelessness, poverty, orphans, and a post-apocalyptic environment. Each of these emotionally charged images is capable of invoking a response upon the part of the viewer; a response that the director and producer of this brief advertisement were fully aware could be evoked. Similarly, the ethos of the particular advertisement in question is much less complex and much easier to define as compared to the pathos which is been discussed above. Due to the fact that UNICEF is a global outreach entity that is represented in nearly each and every nation throughout the globe, the degree and extent to which ethos is directly represented merely by mentioning the name UNICEF is innate. As such, even though this ethos is not directly linked to the advertisement until the credits screen flashes just prior to the advertisement concluding, it nonetheless is evident and cannot be ignored by an individual interviews the contents of such a message. It is further arguable that without the UNICEF emblem being represented at the end of this advertisement the overall believability and trust an individual might have with regards the contents therein could greatly be diminished. Finally, seeking to understand this advertisement from yet another perspective, the rhetorical approach of logos, demands that the individual focus upon the moment in time it just prior to the advertisement concluding and/or the moments prior to the UNICEF emblem being flashed upon the screen. Within this brief period of time all of the preceding information that has been driven by thoughts and a sense of emotional distress and need for action is juxtaposed with the logos of the statement: â€Å"What we see as fiction... Is real in Ethiopia† (Unicef 2007). Such a statement of fact links all of the seemingly disjointed emotionally charged imagery and tax that was presented previously and the advertisement to a definitive and logical conclusion. Whereas it may be hard for the individual to accept the images of orphans, innately poor, struggling to survive in burned out towns with no viable means of support or education as a fictitious rendering of a post-apocalyptic world, this is very much unfortunately the case within many parts of Ethiopia and Eastern Africa that are heavily impacted by the AIDS epidemic. By referencing all of this information and utilizing all three of the previously denoted rhetorical strategies, the director and producer, and indeed all of the people responsible for the p roduction of this ad, effectively integrated with as large a market audience as is possible. As has been denoted through previous levels of research, effectively representing pathos, logos, and the post in