A Series of Embarrassing Events, Part 1

A Series of Embarrassing Events, Part 1 I wrote the post below on Tuesday. Because of weird formatting issues (ExpressionEngine hates me) I decided to hold off on publishing until Wednesday. On Wednesday, something mortifying happened that totally eclipsed my original story, so I decided to write a post with both stories and hold off on publishing until Thursday. On Thursday, something mortifying happened that eclipsed both stories. At this point, a post with all three wouldnt do justice to any of them, so Im going to write three posts. Heres Part 1, unmodified. The last sentence is particularly cute and naive, since it ended up being completely false but Im getting ahead of myself. Tuesday, February 11 Yesterday, I woke up at 8, poured myself a bowl of Raisin Bran, read the syllabus for Zumba (my new PE class) and choked on a bran flake when I saw that the first sentence of the description was Ditch the workout, Join the Party (with that capitalization). A one of a kind experience, it continued. Dynamic, exhilarating, calorie-burning. A little alarmed (the Party?) I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, and pulled on a pair of sweatpants (to protect my legs against the sub-zero temperatures). I stuffed a few more calories down my throat, packed my bag for class, and walked to the DuPont T-Club Lounge. The T-Club Lounge has a pale wooden floor, one wall made of windows, and one wall made of mirrors. When I walked in, there were 20 +/- 2 girls sitting on the floor, wearing leggings and t-shirts and facing the mirror wall. The instructor, Ashley, looked like someone out of a workout video; she was short, composed of 99% muscle, and wore a white hat with a brown braid sticking a couple of feet down her back. Beaming, she asked me to sit on the far side of the room, which meant that I couldnt see myself in the mirror a blessing, as I would later discover. As the clock ticked towards 9:10, a few other girls trickled in, and sat down. Ashley welcomed us to the course, and explained the format. She would dance; we would follow. She would try to yell over the music, but would have to do a lot of gesticulating. We would probably get confused, and confuse gesticulation with dance moves, but would get used to it after a couple of sessions. She asked whether anyone had dance experience. Two other girls and I raised our hands; one girl had Latin dance experience, I think the other said salsa, and I took ballroom last spring. Not that it mattered. Introduction over, the warm-up music began, and we stood up. Ashley immediately demonstrated astonishing coordination: she screeched instructions to us, while dancing, and her smile never wavered. Warm-up over. The song switched, Ashley screamed SALSAAAA! and began doing things with her hips involving muscle groups that most human begins do not actually have. She pointed right, and, while continuing to move her hips, began tapping her feet in a rhythm that magically transported her a few meters to the right. As I stumbled right, frantically swinging my hips around, Ashley pointed left, then did the same thing in that direction. I stumbled left. Ashley stopped, and tapped her feet in front of her, reverted to the hip movements, stopped, jerked her arms in front of her, jerked them up, jerked them out, as the rest of the class whipped our limbs in a variety of directions. I thought of my first swim lesson; when I was three, my parents took me to the pool, and the instructor put a hand on top of my head and pushed me underwater, to teach me to blow bubbles. My parents didnt take me back for another year. Just as my brain began to catch up with my body, the music switched, Ashley yelled MERENGUE! and off we went again into uncharted body movement territory. At this point, I made the mistake of looking behind me to see whether the rest of the class was as flustered as I was, and was shocked (and impressed) to see that it looked like a class full of girls dancing merengue. I considered the possibility that everyone had lied about their lack of dance experience, that ten years of Latin dance was secretly a pre-requisite for this class, and that there was a camera filming me with the goal of entertaining Youtube viewers. It then occurred to me that everyone might feel just as awkward as I did, and that I actually looked more coordinated and confident than I felt. Or maybe Latin music just makes everyone look awesome. At 9:50, class was over, and my overflowing-with-adrenaline, fuzzy brain was left with two conclusions: 1) In no way was this ditching a workout, and 2) If I can get the hang of this, I will look AWESOME at parties I swung my backpack over my shoulder, wincing, and scurried down the stairs and across campus to Astrophysics lecture. I drew some weird looks; it was freezing outside, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and was speedwalking along with a pair of pants and a gigantic marshmallow coat flailing behind me. Astrophysics was far along the infinite and up two flights of stairs. I sat down, babbling to my friend Eric about the zumba experience, and started to freeze about fifteen minutes after the professor began talking. I passed Eric a note asking whether it would be inappropriate for me to try and put my sweatpants back on. He wrote back that he didnt think so. So, I un-laced my sneakers, stuck my feet through the sweatpants holes, and tried to surreptitiously pull them up and realized that I hadnt considered how to get them over my butt. Awkward. I sat there for a few more minutes, trying to take notes, with my pants bunched up on my thighs. Finally, I got over my shame, and stood up for a few seconds to tug them the rest of the way up, before sitting back down, cheeks redder than they were in zumba. Tomorrow morning, Ill be back in the T-Club Lounge, trying very hard not to care about whether I humiliate myself. And I admit: Im kind of excited, although next time I will put on my pants before going to Astrophysics.

The s Ontological Proof For The Existence Of God Essay

In his Proslogion, written in 1077-1078, St. Anselm of Canterbury, introduced the first formulation of his ontological proof for the existence of God. In an effort to gain a deeper knowledge and acquaintance with his creator, Anselm set out to logically deduce God’s existence from the very definition of God. In the Proslogion he writes, â€Å"God is that which a greater cannot be thought. Whoever understands this properly, understands that this being exists in such a way that he cannot, even in thought, fail to exist† (Anselm, 101). Anselm uses this definition as the fundamental argument for his proof of God’s existence. He argues that if the â€Å"fool† or disbeliever denies the existence of God, he is still capable of understanding the definition of God, thereby God exists in his mind as a mental image but not necessarily in reality. However, since the very definition of God is â€Å"that which a greater cannot be thought† and surely what exists both mentally and in reality must be greater than what exists only mentally, then God’s existence in the fool’s thoughts must inevitably imply his existence in reality, as well. If that’s not true, than the thought the fool has cannot be of God, since if that thought only exists mentally then there must be something greater than it is and that goes against Anselm’s definition. Ultimately, according to Anselm’s definition, it would be self-contradictory to deny the existence of such a being. About two centuries after the writing ofShow MoreRelatedAugustine s Ontological Proof For The Existence Of God1456 Words   |  6 PagesAugustine’s Ideo-Ontological proof for the existence of god. However, as with most things of a philosophical nature, there is no simple right or wrong, A or B reading of the Ideo-Ontological proof. Despite any possible contention that may occur over the interpretations of the Ideo-Ontological proof, there is no doubt tha t the proof contributed greatly towards the development of western philosophy, as started by Plato centuries prior. The primary concept behind the Ideo-Ontological proof is that god is a thinkerRead MoreThe Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesconcerning the existence of God. If God exists, we probably have to make him accountable. The universe would probably have a meaning and a purpose. Also, our very existence may not be cease after physical death. But if God does not exist, we are probably here by chance and we have no accountability to any transcendent. This life is probably all we have, so we should live as we please. The question arises - Does God exist? At first glance, it seems contradictory to prove the existence of somethingRead MoreHeidegger, Kant, And The Ontological Argument985 Words   |  4 PagesHeidegger, Kant, and the Ontological Argument In the introduction to The Basic Problems of Phenomenology, Martin Heidegger explains that throughout the history of philosophy, there has been many discoveries of the â€Å"domains of being† viz., â€Å"nature, space, and soul†. However, none of these discoveries could be appreciated in a way that clarifies â€Å"their specific being.† As an example, Heidegger interprets this problem, as the reason Plato understood why the soul, along with its logos, was a differentRead MoreEssay on Hegel and Kant on the Ontological Argument1748 Words   |  7 PagesKant on the Ontological Argument ABSTRACT: I intend to present Kants refutation of the ontological argument as confronted by Hegels critique of Kants refutation. The ontological argument can be exposed in a syllogistic way: everything I conceive as belonging clearly and distinctly to the nature or essence of something can be asserted as true of something. I perceive clearly and distinctly that existence belongs to the nature or essence of a perfect being; therefore, existence can be statedRead More Gods Existence Essay1554 Words   |  7 Pageshas challenged the existence of God. This may happen for a number of reasons. For example he or she might have been at a point in their life when their faith alone was just not enough for them to believe. Humans have a natural instinct to find reasons for events that canamp;#8217;t be explained. For some, the existence of God may help give them the answers they are looking for. Philosophers spend a great deal of their time trying to prove or to disprove the existence of God. One philosopher thatRead MoreValidity And Effectiveness Of Anselm s Ontological Argument On The Existence Of God1095 Words   |  5 PagesSkeen Essay 1 Assignment Phil 141 Fall 2016 Frank In this philosophical paper I will be examining the validity and effectiveness of Anselm s Ontological Argument on the existence of God. I will begin by presenting Anselm’s Ontological Argument from the ground up. This includes the argument, basic idea, initial assumptions, Anselm’s definition of god, and Anselm s distinctions which are needed to completely understand the nature of my argument. Furthermore, I will present concepts of logic and defineRead MoreAnshelm ¬Ã‚ ¥s Proof of God ¬Ã‚ ¥s Existence1466 Words   |  6 PagesThe question about the existence of God or, more generally speaking, of a supernatural entity that steers the course of the world, is probably as old as humanity itself. Many great philosophers were concerned with this basic and yet so important question which remains to be a controversial issue to this day! In the following I will commit myself to the above-mentioned question by firstly reconstructing Anselm ´s proof of God ´s existenc e and secondly considering his position in the light of the critiqueRead MoreOntological Argument For The Existence Of God1083 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout this paper I will discuss the argument of Anselms ontological argument for the existence of god. His basis of his argument being an analytical breakdown for the reason fot gods exsistence. While also establishing that Anselms inferences found with his use of deduction and logical means to prove the existence of a higher being are indeed true. In addition I will defend Anselms argument by depicting other people’s objections against his argument. Specifically the argument made by GauniloRead MoreThe Arguments For The Existence Of God1056 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2015 Rough Draft for The arguments for the Existence of God. The question Does God Exist? is a well-known asked question in the world. Most people believe they know the answer to it. The religious people would say, well of course he does, while the non-religious people or atheist would say no He does not exist. Because evil exist and chaos exists, God cannot be all-powerful. In the modern world, there are many different opinions as to whether a God exists or not. This has been an issue of greatRead MoreEssay on Anselm’s Ontological Argument1217 Words   |  5 PagesThe ontological argument for God’s existence is a work of art resulting from philosophical argumentation. An ontological argument for the existence of God is one that attempts the method of a priori proof, which utilizes intuition and reason alone. The term a priori refers to deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the type of reasoning that proceeds from general principles or premises to derive particular information. The argument works by examining the concept of God, and arguing that it implies

Reading Is An Activity With A Purpose - 1476 Words

Introduction Reading is an activity with a purpose. A person may read in order to gain information or verify existing knowledge, or in order to critique a writer s ideas or writing style. A person may also read for enjoyment, or to enhance knowledge of the language being read. The purpose(s) for reading guide the reader s selection of texts (NLRC, 2005, 2010). Reading research shows that good readers: †¢ Read extensively †¢ Integrate information in the text with existing knowledge †¢ Have a flexible reading style, depending on what they are reading †¢ Are motivated †¢ Rely on different skills interacting: perceptual processing, phonemic processing, recall †¢ Read for a purpose; reading serves a function Reading is Fundamental: Why do†¦show more content†¦This brings us to the top five reasons nonreaders hate to read: †¢ The material is too BORING †¢ The material is too TRICKY and hard to REMEMBER †¢ The material is too TIME CONSUMING †¢ The material is IRRELEVANT †¢ The material makes them feel SLOW or ‘STUPID’ The 2007 report To Read or Not to Read from the NEA provides troubling statistics on reading rates for young people (Teaching Strategies, 2012): †¢ Less than one-third of 13-year-olds read every day †¢ Fifteen- to 24-year-olds spend only seven to 10 minutes a day reading voluntarily †¢ Half of 18- to 24-year-olds do not read for pleasure at all Students who don’t read often do not develop good reading skills. How does this affect the big picture? To Read or Not to Read and the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy illustrate how people who do not read well struggle in their adult lives (Teaching Strategies, 2012): †¢ 63 percent of employers rate reading comprehension skills â€Å"very important,† but 38 percent find high school graduates deficient in this skill †¢ One in five U.S. workers reads at a lower skill level than their job requires †¢ 44 percent of low-skilled readers lack a full-time or part-time job, which is twice the percentage of proficient readers †¢ 43 percent of adults with very low literacy skills live in poverty, compared with only 4 percent with a high level of literacy †¢ Only 3 percent of adults in U.S. prisons read at a proficient level TheShow MoreRelatedBalance Approach to Teaching Reading955 Words   |  4 Pages Balance Approach to Teaching Reading A balanced literacy program providesRead MoreReading And Learning Abilities Through Writing1389 Words   |  6 Pagesto read and understand complex texts, read higher level informational texts, expand their academic vocabulary and communicate their reading and learning abilities through writing, in order to meet the Common Core Standards (Buehl, 2014). Researchers indicate that comprehension occurs when a reader engages with the text by creating meaning from what he or she is reading (Buehl, 2014). Four conditions that determine what meaning a reader will construct are, the readers, the text, the task, and the contextRead MoreThe Theory Of Mind Reading Robot977 Words   |  4 PagesMind reading Robot Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to design a greatest technology system called mind reading robot. It will be able to detect any suspicious activity from humans. Here, the focus is on mind reading mechanism, which is indispensable in humans’ activity and evil thought. I propose a model of utterance understanding based on this mechanism. My hypothesis will be following: by reading human’s mind robot can estimate the object’s intention with ease. And moreover, it can detectRead MoreComprehension Is The Purpose Of Reading1039 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Thompkins (2016) comprehension is the purpose of reading, students need to understand and enjoy what they are reading to learn from it. It’s the creative process of activating prior knowledge, to explore and apply what is read. For example, if students need to know how to play a new board game, they read the instructions for direction. Comprehension implies different levels of thinking: from literal to infe rential, then critical and evaluative. Literal is the first level of comprehensionRead MoreReading Activities Help Students Comprehend A Complex Text1344 Words   |  6 PagesResearch has shown that close reading activities help students comprehend a complex text. This means that through the close reading instruction, the learner would be able go deeper into the text and understand complex vocabulary exposed in the text. 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Teachers also taught me that reading could be fun, which encouraged students to want to read in their free time. Reading and writing are unique activities to me because these activities can be used academically or for personal entertainment. Reading has had a huge impact on my life in the past, present, and hopefully in the future. As a child, reading and writing always came with craft activities or competition. In Kindergarten, we studied a letter a week, so thisRead MoreOutline Of A Balanced Literacy1398 Words   |  6 Pagesprogram include the following: Teacher-Directed Reading/Instruction Small Group Instruction Word Development Writing Across All Content Areas Read Aloud Self-Selected Reading Each component is important in daily instruction in order to give students the opportunity to master all the parts necessary to be highly effective readers. Integration of literacy skills is the most effective way for students to understand how word development, writing, and reading all work together. Teachers will use formativeRead MoreReading And Analyzing For Comprehension Unit Plan1677 Words   |  7 PagesReading and Analyzing for Comprehension Unit Plan Name: Sacha Richards Language(s): English Language Arts Topic(s) of Unit: Annotating –Reading and Analyzing for Comprehension. Estimated Time: Five to Six 45 –minute sessions. Population: 40 students for both grade levels. Proficiency Level(s): Above Level Below Level On Grade Level Grade Level(s) :4th and 5th grade OVERVIEW Students learn about the purposes and techniques of annotation by examiningRead MoreNature vs Nurture Physical Development1595 Words   |  7 PagesDecoding is the process translating a written word into a spoken word (cracking the code). An individual who has developed adequate decoding skills can begin to acquire fluency when reading no longer requires a conscious, deliberate effort. When fluent, reading becomes automatic and consists of word recognition rather than sounding out and combining syllables necessary to decode words. Teaching decoding provides students with the keys to unlock new words. Teaching the regular phonetic patterns

Automation and Artificial Intelligence Free Essays

Automation is on an increase across all technologies and fields. This increase has led to the transformation, and the future role people play in Global workforce. The rise of artificial intelligence will result in the need for new skills and roles. We will write a custom essay sample on Automation and Artificial Intelligence or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some Skills and roles may disappear and others will evolve. Some industries may need more people and others may need less or none. The balance in human workforce will be impacted hard. Non-availability of required skills re-skilling will disrupt the workforce in all industries. Organizations and people would need to adjust to this change. While machines need to be built and maintained, artificial intelligence leads to job loss due to the skill gap and jobs eliminated by machines. Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Workforce Automation Artificial intelligence will result in improvement of productivity and economic growth, but millions of people may need to switch occupation or upgrade themselves to stay in the global workforce. Automation will have a far-reaching impact on the global workforce. By 2030 at a 15% midpoint level of automation adoption, 400 Million workers will be displaced by adoption of automation. According, to a 2-year independent study by the McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017). It is estimated that in 60% of the occupation almost one-third of the activities could be automated. A SurveyMonkey poll on AI conducted for USA TODAY also had overtones of concern, with 73% of respondents saying that would prefer if AI was limited in the rollout of newer tech so that it doesn’t become a threat to humans. USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). Unfortunately, with the pace at which automation and artificial intelligence are growing, 3 to 14% (75 to 375 Million) of the workforce will need to change their occupational category. Historical data on the technology shift â€Å"Innovation has generally liberated humans to be more productive,† says Rep. John Delaney. â€Å"Similar to the personal computer in the 1980s, AI will reshape our personal and business lives in such a dramatic manner, most companies today cannot comprehend the full impact,’ said Anand Rao, PwC US Data Analytics Innovation leader. Fear of technology advancement had always been there. From the textile revolution in 1811 with the advent of personal computers in 1980 world leaders and the Global workforce are worried about technological advancement. â€Å"The major challenge of the sixties is to maintain full employment at a time when automation is replacing men.† President Kennedy (1961). Although there had been concerns, every time a technology shift has happened more jobs had been created than lost. When a workforce is shifted from the usual mundane jobs, they have focused on more creative and productive areas, resulting in the advent of the human race. The past may not be an exact reflection of present or future. The advance of automation and artificial intelligence could be far reaching. A robot that could just build is different from a robot that could design and build. Artificial intelligence, Skill Gap Workforce Transition To be successful in an automated world, Man machine need to work together. One cannot replace the other. This would require new and niche skills with exceptional leadership skills. However, However, â€Å"77% of CEOs say they see the availability of key skills as the biggest business threat.† USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). According to an EY poll, 80% of the organization recognize the shortage of required talent to drive Artificial Intelligence adoption as the top challenge. Technology and Innovation along with the on demand human capabilities like leadership, creativity, problem solving, and passion will make organizations thrive in the market. Eventually an automated world is a possibility, however in the process will create major ripples in the workforce. The change would go beyond Man versus Machine and require re-learning and retooling. Impact on society Large corporations like Apple, Amazon, and Facebook had refused to comment on Artificial Intelligence. However, they do have people tasked with monitoring Artificial Intelligence. Microsoft had announced that they have created a review board called Aether – AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research. USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). Trusting and allowing Artificial Intelligence to control, drive cars and aeroplanes, and automated trading may eventually lead to AI taking control of learning and updating themselves resulting in an uncontrolled growth of machines. A study by McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017) suggests countries like China, India, USA and Germany will have more percentage of work activities displaced by automation. A 38 % of automation achievement would throw some western democracies to authoritarian policies to control the civil chaos as suggested by Brookings institution. Calum McClelland (2018). Governments and policy makers should handle this situation carefully. Conclusion Even if we successfully transition, we would lose all jobs to artificial intelligence and automation. Being creative and keeping us educated will give a good chance in this changing world. Reference Artificial intelligence: Doomsday scenario – or age of wonder? – USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018) You can’t have a machine age without humans – PwC report – ENP Newswire. (Mar. 1, 2017) AI creates jobs, yet talent crisis remains, according to EY poll – ENP Newswire. (May 1, 2018) Jobs lost, Jobs gained: workforce transitions in a time of automation – McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017). How to cite Automation and Artificial Intelligence, Papers

Process Management Ikea free essay sample

Furnishing In order to compete in today’s challenging environment, the organization needs well-designed and well-executed work processes and understand of the importance of continuously improving as well as the customer needs and expectations. Economic growth has increased that led to the improvement in the lives of people so that it requires the products and services are given out with the better quality to meet the customer requirements. However, the service quality of the organization does not come from just the quality criteria that it comes up with. It is dependent on the level of satisfying the expectations of the customer and smarter designs and more effective process that lower cost and ultimately raise profits. Thus, like three other departments, furnishing department is also designed with its own characteristics and layout strategies aiming to satisfy the customer needs and strive for excellence in performance. In order to do that, the process management of furnishing department focuses on conformance to customers’ expectations. We will write a custom essay sample on Process Management Ikea or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In fact, customers today are the judge of quality because they are very intelligent to recognize the quality issues of a business. Therefore, understanding and fulfilling the needs and expectations of customers is the key to success for the business. It means that the business needs to identify what the customer expects relating to its products and services. From the understanding of the customer expectations, the business converts them into the requirements. Based on these requirements, the business comes up with the right improvements on its product and services through the right process management that is depicted as follows: Resources Process Customer Product expectations Service Quality = Conformance o expectations Customer expectations According to Evans J. R (2008), most managers agree that the main reason to pursue quality is to satisfy customers. To do that, the organization needs to understand customers. From that, it can anticipate and monitor their needs and expectations and respond sensitively and appropriately to those ever-changing needs and expectations. For customers, a product or a service is c onsidered to have good quality as that product or service meets their requirements and expectations. That is absolutely true in almost all service industry. However, in today’s highly competitive market, satisfying customers’ expectations is not enough to achieve success. To beat the competition, the organization must exceed customer expectations. Understanding the importance of customer-driven quality, furnishing department has determined the customer expectations for its products and services. Based on its target market including middle-income earners of the age 25 – 40, the customers expect furniture that can meet criteria as follows: * well-designed * functional * convenient * especially affordable Well-designed: the first impression of the customer about the product is designed. The eye-catching product is often easy to attract the customer’s attention, especially the customers who are in the age of 25 – 40. For the home-furnishing products, well-designed factor plays the crucial role in their decision-making because furniture in the house is used to evaluate the host’s aesthetic sense and personality. Functional: In modern living, the customer always considers carefully the functional factor of the home-furnishing products that they intend to buy. Convenient: The customers often expect home-furnishing products to have the high convenience. With such high convenience, they can utilize all functions of the products thoroughly. Hence, the products must be designed to foldable, easily movable and suitable for all spaces. Affordable: the furnishing department mainly focuses on the middle-income earners and wishes to create a better everyday life for many people. Therefore, the furnishing department always strives for giving out the high quality home-furnishing products at a low cost Process management Processes that drive the creation of products and services are critical to customer satisfaction and have a large impact on the strategic goals of an organization (Evans J. R. , 2008). Applying the principles of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the process management of furnishing department Satisfaction and dissatisfaction information are important because understanding them leads to the right improvements that can create satisfied customers who reward the company with loyalty, repeat business, and positive referrals. Understanding customer needs, both current and future, and keeping pace with changing markets requires effective strategies for listening to and learning from customers, measuring their satisfaction relative to competitors, and building relationships. Customer needs – particularly differences among key customer groups – must be linked closely to an organization’s strategic planning, product design, process improvement, and workforce training activities. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction information are important because understanding them leads to the right improvements that can create satisfied customers who reward the company with loyalty, repeat business, and positive referrals. Creating satisfied customers includes prompt and effective response and solution to their needs and desires as well as building and maintaining good relationships. Customer opinion surveys and focus groups can help companies understand customer requirements and values IKEA have a user-friendly website from which you can view products and prices from shelving to candle sticks. Its customer service section offering a store locator, tips and ideas for organizing and decorating and even a virtual style guide You can also order a color photographic catalogue depicting all the products from the website to flip through at your leisure So you choose your items from the website or catalogue and go and pick them up from the warehouse, in some ountries they even deliver. The warehouse are laid out in a simple functional style with a bit of appropriate quirkiness, like a big clear plastic tank filled with bold solid colored balls for kids to play in Function is subservient to experience and style to the individual Quality is part of our heritage, one of our core values A process is how work creates value for customers Improvements in the work processes may lead to major reductions in scrap and defects and hence to lower costs. This is why an understanding of quality is still vital to every employee in every organization The results achieved by companies that have embraced quality and performance excellence as basis business principles Firms implementing effective quality and performance excellence approaches improve their business results on measures of income, sales growth, cost control, and growth in employment and total assets Customer-driven quality is fundamental to high-performing organizations. Quality excellence derives from well-designed and well-executed work processes and administrative systems that stress prevention. Customer-driven firms measure the factors that drive customer satisfaction. A company close to its customer knows what the customer wants how the customer uses its products and anticipates needs that the customer may not even be able to express.

The eNotes Blog 21 Famous Authors and Their PenNames

21 Famous Authors and Their PenNames For centuries, writers have created pen names to publish their literary works. Adopting a pseudonym grants writers the ability to conceal their true identity for personal, political, and ethical reasons. Some of our literary world’s most beloved, bestselling authors have formulated their entire careers using alternative identities. Female writers, especially during the 19th century, have often used male pen names to combat sexism and prejudice in a traditionally male-dominated craft. Other reasons for using a nom de plume include privacy, avoiding overexposure, crossing into different genres, creating a sense of individuality, and even simplifying one’s birth name in hopes of making it more memorable. Whatever the case may be, choosing a pen name remains a personal choice that ultimately aids writers in their publishing pursuits. Here’s a list of 21 famous writers and their real names you might not have known until now! 1. Anne Rice Real Name: Howard Allen Frances OBrien Originally named after her father, the author of Vampire Chronicles changed her name to â€Å"Anne† upon her first day of school to avoid being bullied. After marrying her now deceased husband Stan Rice, she used her married name to publish the majority of her work. Rice adopted a couple other pen names including Anne Rampling and A.N Roquelaure when she published some erotic novels. 2. Dr. Seuss Real Name: Theodor Seuss Geisel Dr. Seuss, one of the more well-known pen names, was adopted from Geisel’s middle name once he started writing children’s books. He added the â€Å"Dr.† because his father had always wanted him to pursue a career in medicine. Some say that Geisel was saving his real name to one day publish his â€Å"great American novel†;  others suggest that Geisel simply felt more inclined to tell an â€Å"entertaining† story rather than a â€Å"true† one. 3. Mark Twain Real Name: Samuel Clemens While scholars have never been clear about the origin of Clemens’s pseudonym, the most recent investigations suggest that the name Mark Twain came from a short-lived, popular humor journal that he often read. Other stories indicate that Mark Twain had been used by Clemens’s former riverboat captain when he worked on the Mississippi river. If the man checking the depth called out â€Å"mark twain,† it meant a depth of twelve feet- meaning that the water was safe for riverboats that day. 4. Currer, Ellis, Acton Bell Real Names: Charlotte, Emily, Anne Brontà « In 19th-century England, women were not permitted to publish poetry, so the Brontà « sisters created the pen names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Each male pseudonym matched the corresponding sisters’ names, helping them publish their first anthology of poetry in 1846. Initially, Emily’s Wuthering Heights and Charlotte’s Jane Eyre were both published under their male names. It wasn’t until the Brontà « sisters traveled to London to meet their publisher in person were their true identities revealed and, fortunately, they were given the credit they deserved. 5. Boz Real Name: Charles Dickens In the early stages of Dickens’s writing career, the author often published his work anonymously. It was not until one of Dickens’s earliest pieces of fiction titled â€Å"The Boarding House† featured an epithet that was signed by â€Å"The Inimitable Boz.† Boz was originally derived from the nickname Dickens had given his younger brother, Augustus. Dickens would call him Moses after a character in Oliver Goldsmiths The Vicar of Wakefield. Pronounced through the nose, the name became Boses, and was easily shortened to Boz. 6. A.M. Barnard Real Name: Louisa May Alcott Early in her writing career, Alcott used the pen name Flora Fairfield to publish her poems and short stories throughout the 1850s. A decade later, some of Alcott’s melodramas were produced in Boston theatre under the pseudonym, A.M. Barnard. Knowledge of Alcott’s alias did not surface until the 1970s when historians discovered letters from the author signing off with the androgynous pseudonym. Digging deeper, they were able to find other works published by Barnard in various periodicals. 7. C.S. Lewis Real Name: Clive Staple Lewis   Lewis published his first work titled Spirits in Bondage (1919) under the name, Clive Hamilton to avoid ruining his reputation as a tutor at Oxford University. The name was adapted from the author’s birth name and his mother’s maiden name. After Lewis’s wife passed away in 1960, he went on to publish a few more works under the name N.W. Clerk to again avoid being identified as the author. Eventually, Lewis published some of his greatest literary works under his abbreviated birth name. 8. Silence Dogood Real Name: Benjamin Franklin Franklin created several pseudonyms during his lifetime, each one possessing an ironically witty persona. His first pen name was Silence Dogood, a satirical middle-aged widower whom Franklin created when he was only fifteen years old. Some of his other pen names include Caelia Shortface, Martha Careful, Richard Saunders (Poor Richard’s Almanack), Busy Body, Anthony Afterwit, Polly Baker, and Benevolus. Franklin is one of the few male writers to take on a female alias- in fact, he often used his feminine personas to create a social critique of the patriarchy. 9. George Eliot Real Name:   Mary Ann Evans Like the majority of female writers in the 19th century, Mary Ann Evans used a male pseudonym so that her works would be taken more seriously. Her pen name, George Eliot, came around 1857 when Evans published her first short story titled Amos Barton. Evans took the name â€Å"George† from philosopher and her lover  George Henry Lewes to whom she never married but lived with until his death. Lewes oversaw Evans’s work and encouraged her to pursue her literary ambitions. Evans crafted her entire literary career and legacy under her pen name. 10. Lewis Caroll   Real Name: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. As a scholar and instructor at Oxford, Dodgson valued his privacy- especially when it came to his literary works. He translated the first two parts of his name (Charles Lutwidge) into Latin, which gave him â€Å"Carolus Ludovicus.† He then reversed the order and translated the name back to English, which left him withâ€Å"Lewis Carroll.† 11. Mary Westmacott Real Name: Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller Christie Under the pen name Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie was able to divert from her usual realm of writing mystery and crime novels. The alias allowed Christie to explore writing about human psychology and love without expectations from her already established mystery fan base. Agatha chose her new name by combining her middle name (Mary) and the family name of distant relatives (Westmacott). She successfully used the pseudonym for nearly twenty years without revealing her true identity. 12. Voltaire Real Name: Franà §ois†Marie Arouet With a literary career stretching over 60 years, Voltaire may be one of the most immortal pen names of literature. While the origins of Franà §ois†Marie Arouet’s pen name are unclear, it’s been suggested that the adoption of Voltaire was a result of rejecting Arounet’s family name due to a strained relationship with his father. The most popular theory remains that â€Å"Voltaire† was an anagram of a Latinized spelling of â€Å"Arouet,† but others claim it could have been Arouet’s nickname â€Å"Voluntaire† (French for volunteer), which may have been a sarcastic nod to the writer’s stubbornness. 13. George Orwell   Real Name: Eric Blair Before Animal Farm and 1984, Eric Blair published a memoir titled Down and Out in Paris and London in 1933. He adopted the name George Orwell so his family would not be embarrassed as he recounted his experiences growing up in poverty. Being a fan of English tradition, Blair also felt that Orwell sounded like a reputable British name. 14. Ayn Rand Real Name: Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum Author of bestselling books The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand is known for promoting her philosophy of Objectivism. Rand adopted her pen name when she moved to the United States to pursue a writing career. Because her family was still living in Soviet Russia, Rand did not want to risk putting her family in danger with her outspoken, and often critical, works. 15. Pablo Neruda Real Name: Ricardo Eliecer Neftalà ­ Reyes Basoalto A young Neruda adopted his pen name around 1920 when he started writing for the literary journal Selva Austral.† To avoid conflict with his family, who disapproved of his occupation, Neruda crafted his alias from the deceased Czechoslovak poet Jan Neruda. By 1946, Neruda legally changed his name to match and embrace the poetic and politically charged identity he had created for himself over the years. 16. Maya Angelou   Real Name: Marguerite Annie Johnson Now a household name, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928. Married briefly to a Greek sailor named Tosh Angelos, the pen name Maya Angelou was created when the writer combined her nickname (Maya) with an alternative version of her ex-husband’s last name. 17. Richard Bachman Real Name: Stephen King The â€Å"King of Horror† has published seven novels under the alias Richard Bachman. Apparently, King came up with the name on a whim while on the phone with his publisher; with a Richard Stark book on his desk and a Bachman–Turner Overdrive song playing in the background, Richard Bachman was born. King concealed his true identity for about five years until a bookstore clerk named Steve Brown determined that the two authors were the same person. Once the secret was out, King retired Richard Bachman, crediting his death to the â€Å"cancer of the pseudonym.† 18. bell hooks Real Name: Gloria Jean Watkins   One of the most prominent feminist voices of our generation, Watkins derived her pen name from her maternal great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. Watkins never capitalizes her pen name in order to preserve and honor the memory of her great-grandmother; a women she admired for her sharp opinions. Watkins established a reputation of a woman that â€Å"talked back†, for she was not afraid to speak up against the injustice she experienced in everyday life. She first used her pen name to publish a short book of poetry and made the grammatical decision to never capitalize the name in order to place the focus solely on her writing rather than the person behind it. 19. Lemony Snicket Real Name: Daniel Handler   Lemony Snicket is both the author and the narrator of Handler’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; essentially, Lemony Snicket is Handler’s alter ego. During public appearances, Handler will introduce himself as Snicket’s representative explaining to the audience that the real author could not be in attendance due to some unforeseen disaster. 20. J.K. Rowling Robert Galbrath Real Name: Joanne Rowling   The bestselling author of the Harry Potter series has adopted a few different pen names throughout the course of her career. Originally, publishers feared young boys would not be inclined to read her series once they saw it was published by a female author. Rowling, who has no middle name, took the â€Å"K† from her grandmother’s name, Kathleen. As a dynamic writer, Rowling ventured into writing crime fiction where she adopted the pseudonym Robert Galbraith to release new work without hype or expectation. In fact, no one had any idea Rowling was Galbraith until an investigation into forensic linguistics led by England’s Sunday Times revealed an extremely similar writing style between the author’s works. 21. E.L. James Real Name: Erika Leonard   The British author of the bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey series initially used the pen name â€Å"Snowqueens Icedragon† in an online Twilight fan-fiction forum where she first showcased an early version of Fifty Shades of Grey titled Master of the Universe. Once Leonards works started gaining popularity and she began transitioning to print, she adopted a new pen name that, in her opinion, was a little more professional. E.L. James was derived from Leonard’s family name (James) plus her first and middle initial. Ultimately, Leonard’s use of a pseudonym granted her the ability to keep her success as an erotic romance author separate from her soft-spoken, housewife reality. Choosing a pen name is sometimes more than just a marketing strategy, and there are many ways an author decides on a pen name to embody the essence of their chosen alias. As we’ve seen as well, the majority of writers adapt them from their birth names- using abbreviations, translations from foreign languages, or variations of nicknames- to mark a personal claim on their chosen pseudonym. Regardless of why or how writers choose their noms de plume, there is no right or wrong way to go about it, for the work is bound to speak for itself. There are several pen-name generators sprinkled about the internet that provide witty and humorous suggestions for contemporary writers. Tell us what your pen name would be! Do you want to learn more about these authors and their other literary works? Check out  Ã‚  to find detailed biographies of your favorite authors alongside full summaries and study guides!

Charles Henry Turner, Pioneer Animal Behaviorist

Charles Henry Turner, Pioneer Animal Behaviorist Zoologist and educator Charles Henry Turner (February 3, 1867- February 14, 1923) is known for his work with insects and numerous animal behavioral experiments. Turner was the first to demonstrate that insects can hear and learn. He was also the first to demonstrate that honey bees have color vision and distinguish patterns. Fast Facts: Charles Henry Turner Born: February 3, 1867 in Cincinnati, OhioDied: February 14, 1923 in Chicago, IllinoisParents: Thomas and Addie Campbell TurnerSpouses: Leontine Troy (m. 1887-1895) and Lillian Porter (m. 1907-1923)Children: Henry Owen, Darwin Romanes, and Louisa Mae (with Troy)Education: Turner was the first African American to receive a graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati (M.S. in biology), and to earn a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of ChicagoPublished Works: The Homing of Ants: An Experimental Study of Ant Behavior (1907), Experiments on Color Vision of the Honey Bee (1910)Key Accomplishments: First to discover that bees see in color and recognize patterns. Early Years Charles Henry Turner was born in  1867 to Thomas Turner and Addie Campbell Turner in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father worked as a custodian in a church and his mother was a nurse. The couple were avid readers, who owned hundreds of books and encouraged their son to learn and discover more about the world around him. As a young boy, Turner was fascinated by insects and was curious about their behaviors. After graduating as class valedictorian from Gaines High School, he enrolled in the University of Cincinnati in 1886. Turner married Leontine Troy in 1887. The couple had three children during the marriage: Henry, Darwin, and Louisa Mae. While at the University of Cincinnati, Turner majored in biology and went on to earn his B.S. (1891) and M.S. (1892) degrees. In doing so, he became the first African American to earn a graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. Career and Accomplishments An educator at heart, Turner gained employment at several schools and an assistantship at the University of Cincinnati. His ultimate desire was to head an African American institution of higher learning. After reportedly contacting Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute about potential teaching opportunities, Turner landed a position as a professor at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. He also served as chair of the Department of Science and Agriculture at the college from 1893 to 1905. During his time in Atlanta, his wife, Leontine, passed away (1895). Turner continued to pursue education and earned a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1907. He became the universitys first African American recipient of such an advanced degree. That same year, he married Lillian Porter and taught biology and chemistry at Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Atlanta. The couple later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after Turner acquired a position at Sumner High School, where he continued to teach African American students from 1908 to 1922. Groundbreaking Research Charles Henry Turner is most noted for his groundbreaking research in animal behavior. He is reported to have published more than 70 papers in scientific journals, including the Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, American Naturalist, Journal of Animal Behaviour, and Science. Despite his impressive degrees and numerous published works, he was denied employment at major universities.   Turners research focused on the behaviors of various animals, including birds, ants, cockroaches, honeybees, wasps, and moths. One of his most notable research discoveries focused on the navigation of ants and was the subject of his doctoral dissertation, entitled The Homing of Ants: An Experimental Study of Ant Behavior, published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. Turner designed controlled experiments and mazes for testing the navigational abilities of ants. His experiments demonstrated that ants find their way by learning about their environment. He also identified a specific type of behavior in some ant species that later became known as Turners circling, as was referred to by French scientist Victor Cornetz. This circling behavior was observed when the ants returned to their nest. His later experiments with honey bees contributed to the better understanding of invertebrate animal behavior. These studies established that bees see in color and recognize patterns. His two papers on these studies, Experiments on Color Vision of the Honey Bee and Experiments on Pattern-Vision of the Honey Bee, appeared in Biological Bulletin in 1910 and 1911 respectively. Unfortunately, Turners contributions to the study of honey bee behavior were not cited by his contemporaries, such as Austrian zoologist Karl von Frisch, who published works concerning honey bee communication several years later. Turner conducted many other experiments and published papers that elucidated insect phenomenon such as hearing in moths, insects that play dead, and learning in cockroaches. Additionally, he published studies on bird and crustacean brain anatomy and is credited with discovering a new species of invertebrate.   Death and Legacy Throughout his life, Charles Henry Turner was an advocate for civil rights and argued that racism could be conquered through education. He published papers on the subject in 1897 and 1902. Turner retired from Summer High School in 1922 due to failing health. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he lived with his son Darwin until his death on February 14, 1923. Charles Henry Turner made lasting contributions to the fields of zoology and animal behavior. His experimental designs, observational methods, and investigations of vertebrate and invertebrate learning elucidated new ways of studying animal life. Sources Abramson, Charles I. Charles Henry Turner: Contributions of a Forgotten African-American to Honey Bee Research. Charles Henry Turner, Oklahoma State University, psychology.okstate.edu/museum/turner/turnerbio.html.DNLee. Charles Henry Turner, Animal Behavior Scientist. Scientific American Blog Network, 13 Feb. 2012, blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/charles-henry-turner-animal-behavior-scientist/.  Turner, C. H. The Homing of Ants: An Experimental Study of Ant Behavior. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, vol. 17, no. 5, 1907, pp. 367–434., doi:10.1002/cne.920170502.  Turner, Charles Henry. Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Encyclopedia.com, www.encyclopedia.com/science/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/turner-charles-henry.  Vincze, Judit. Turner, Charles H. (1867–1923) JRank Articles, encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/4485/Turner-Charles-H-1867-1923.html.