Spains Geography and Culture

Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Spain’s Geography and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Spain, claiming over half a million acres on the Iberian Peninsula, fronts on the North Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Balearic Sea. It borders the Pyrenees of France. and Portugal to the West. Morocco is its nearest Southern neighbor, across the Straits of Gibraltar (known in Classical times as the Pillars of Hercules) (n.a., Spain) . Archeological evidence shows long habitation ranging from the pre-human (n.a., Spain History). Today’s populations represent a mix of Iron-Age Celtiberians, and subsequent conquerors; Romans, Visigoths, and Arabs, plus European allies/enemies (Gascoigne) . More recently, Spain has absorbed expatriates, ‘snow birds’ (Govan), and immigrants from less advantaged regions, including former New World colonies (Worden). Gypsies have alwa ys had a presence as well (n.a., Spain – The Gypsies). The rich legacy thereby bequeathed includes the Paleolithic cave art of Altamira to the north, Neolithic passage tombs at Los Millares to the South (n.a., Los Millares (3200-2200 B.C.)), Alhambra’s Moorish beauty (n.a., Alhambra), traditional bull-fighting, Flamenco music and dancing, the Prado’s treasures, medieval walled communities such as Toledo, and magnificent cathedrals and shrines everywhere. All are compelling. Daily life in Spain is idiosyncratic, although the siesta is disappearing (Deschenaux) . One wonders whether its demise will doom the nightly round of tapas bars; only feasible given a daytime rest. Gastronomy is unlikely to abate, given Madrid’s self-proclaimed ‘museum of ham’ (McLane). The distinctive cuisine of Spain includes the bounty of sea and land, plus colonial acquisitions such as potatoes and tomatoes.Advertising Looking for essay on geography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When might we journey there? Works Cited Deschenaux, Joanne. Less Time for Lunch: the siesta in Spain is disappearing under the pressures of international business and big-city commuting, from HR Magazine. June 2008. 5 January 2010 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_6_53/ai_n27875070/. Gascoigne, Bamber. History of Spain. From 2001, ongoing. 5 January 2010 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab50. Govan, Fiona. â€Å"British Expatriates March In Spain To Protest Against Chaotic Planning Laws.† 10 January 2009. The Telegraph. 5 January 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/4213997/British-expatriates-march-in-Spain-to-protest-against-chaotic-planning-laws.html. McLane, Daisann. â€Å"In Madrid There’s No Such Thing As Too Much Ham.† 9 July 2000. New York Times. 5 January 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/travel/frugal-tra veler-in-madrid-there-s-no-such-thing-as-too-much-ham.html. n.a. A Traveller’s Geography of Spain. 2010. 5 January 2010 http://goeurope.about.com/library/bl_spain_geography.htm. —. Alhambra. 2010. 5 January 2010 http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/The_Alhambra.html.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Spain’s Geography and Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More —. Los Millares (3200-2200 B.C.). 2010. 5 January 2010 http://www.unique-almeria.com/los-millares.html. —. Spain. 27 December 2010. Central Intelligence Agency. 5 January 2010 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html. —. â€Å"Spain – The Gypsies.† Country Studies. US Library Of Congress. 5 January 2010 http://countrystudies.us/spain/41.htm. —. â€Å"Spain History.† 2010. Brittanica. 5 January 2010 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/557573/Spain/ 214578/History. Worden, Tom. â€Å"Spain Sees Six-Fold Increase in Immigration Over Decade.† 10 February 2010. The Guardian. 5 January 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/08/spain-sixfold-increase-immigrants. This essay on Spain’s Geography and Culture was written and submitted by user Malik B. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Funny Birthday Quotes to Tickle Your Imagination

Funny Birthday Quotes to Tickle Your Imagination A birthday is a joyous occasion. What could be a better birthday gift than the gift of happiness? This birthday, share happiness by spreading laughter using a funny birthday quote. If you enjoy wisecracks, this page has funny birthday quotes to suit your sense of humor. Robert FrostA diplomat is a man who always remembers a womans birthday but never remembers her age.You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.Sir Norman WisdomAs you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I cant remember the other two.AnonymousA well-adjusted woman is one who not only knows what she wants for her birthday, but even knows what shes going to exchange it for.AnonymousI never forget my wifes birthday. Its usually the day after she reminds me about it.AnonymousWhen I have a birthday I take the day off. But when my wife has a birthday, she takes a year or two off.AnonymousAge is a number and mine is unlisted.Larry LorenzoniBirthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.John GlennThere is still no cure for the common birthday.

Tips for Scanning Restoring Digital Photos

Tips for Scanning Restoring Digital Photos Do you have old faded or torn photos that youd like to give a facelift? Have you been meaning to take that box of old photos from Grandma and scan them? Learning to create and edit digital photos is fairly easy and very worthwhile. Digitally restored photos can be used to create digital scrapbooks, post to websites, share through email, and print for gift-giving or display. You dont have to be a technology whiz or a graphic designer to become proficient at photo restoration, but you will need a computer, a scanner, and a good (not necessarily expensive) graphics program. Scanning Tips for Digital Photos Check your photos for dirt, lint, or smudges. Gently remove surface dust and dirt with a soft brush or lint-free photo  wipe. Canned air, available at most office supply stores, helps to blast away dust and lint from photographic slides but is not recommended for heirloom print photos.Check the scanner glass for lint, hair, fingerprints, or smudges. Use a lint-free pad or wipe to thoroughly clean the glass (basically anything that is sold as safe for cleaning camera lenses will also work for your scanner). Household glass cleaner can be used to clean your scanner glass, as long as youre careful to spray it directly on the cloth before wiping, not directly on the glass surface. When using your scanner or handling photographs, it is best to wear clean white cotton gloves (available from photo stores and hardware stores) to avoid leaving fingerprints on your scanner or photos.Specify the type of scan. If youre scanning photos, you have a basic choice of color photo vs. black and white . When scanning family photos, it is usually best to scan in color, even if the source photo is black and white. Youll have more manipulation options, and you can change a color photo to black and white (grayscale), but not the other way around. Determine the best scan resolution to assure the quality of your digital photos. The optimal resolution depends on how the image will be printed, saved, or displayed. A good rule of thumb is to scan your photos at a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch) to assure decent quality for enhancement and restoration techniques. Its even better to do 600 dpi or greater if you plan to eventually store these photos on CD or DVD, and have space on your computer hard drive to handle such large images.Carefully position your photo on the scanner face down on the glass, just like on a photocopy machine. Then hit prescan or preview. The scanner will take a quick pass of the image and display a rough version on your screen. Check to see that its straight, that no part of the photo has been cut off, and that the photo appears free of dust and lint.Crop the previewed image to include only the original photo. For archival purposes, do not crop only a portion of the photo at this point (you can do that lat er if you want a cropped photo for a specific purpose). However, you should make sure that all you are scanning is the actual photograph. (Some scanners and software will do this step for you automatically.) Avoid corrections while scanning. After scanning, youll be able to edit the image in a graphics software program which offers much more control. The order of steps should be: scan a basic image, save it, play with it.Check your file size before scanning. Youll want to make sure the chosen resolution you wont create a photo that is so large it will crash your computer. Some computers have enough free memory to handle 34MB photo files, and some dont. If the file size is going to be larger than you thought, then adjust the scan resolution accordingly before making the file scan.Scan the original image. This shouldnt take too long, but it could take a few minutes if youre scanning at a very high resolution. Take a quick bathroom break, or get your next photo ready for scanning. Saving Editing Your Digital Photos Now that youve got your photo scanned in, its time to save it to your hard drive. Be sure to choose an archival method and select a good photo-editing program. Storage Tips for Digital Photos Choose your file type. The best file type for scanning and saving archival photos is TIF (Tagged Image Format), the undisputed leader when the best quality is required. The popular JPG (JPEG) file format is nice because its compression algorithm creates smaller file sizes, making it the most popular photo format for web pages and file sharing. However, the compression that creates the small files also causes some quality loss. This loss of image quality is small, but becomes important when dealing with digital images that you plan to modify and re-save (something that you are likely to do when restoring damaged or faded photographs) because the loss of image quality compounds itself at each saving of the file. Bottom line- unless space on your computers hard  drive is at a real premium, stick with TIF when scanning and saving digital photos.Save an archive copy of the original photo in TIF format. You can then place it in a special folder on your hard  drive or copy to CD or DVD. Resist the urge to edit this original photo, no matter how bad it looks. The purpose of this copy is to preserve, as closely as possible, the original photograph in a digital format- a format that, hopefully, will outlast the original print photo. Make a copy of your scanned photo to work on. Use the copy instead of manipulating your original scan. Save it with a different filename (i.e., you can use the original file name with -edited on the end) to help prevent accidentally overwriting the original as you work on editing the photo. Choosing a Graphics Software Program The key to good digital photos is selecting a good graphics software program. If you dont have photo editing software yet, there are a lot of good options available- ranging from free photo editors to beginner photo editors, to advanced photo editing software. For photo restoration, a mid-range graphics software program offers the best balance of function and price. Step-by-Step Photo Repair and Restoration Now that youve done all the tedious work of scanning and saving your photos as digital images, its time to get started with the fun part- photo retouching! Pictures with stains, creases, and tears may have character, but they arent as pretty for framing or photo projects. These photo editing tips will help make your old pictures album-ready. Editing Tips for Digital Photos Open your photo editing software and select the photo. Be sure that it is a copy and not your original digital image. (This way you can always start over if you make a mistake.)Crop your photo using the crop tool. This is good to do in cases where there is a mat or extra wasted space in the photo. Depending upon your purpose, you may also wish to use the crop tool to cut out the background or focus in on a particular person. Since you have saved a copy of the original photo, you dont have to worry about losing important historical details by getting a bit creative with cropping.Fix photo flaws including rips, tears, creases, spots, and smudges, with a variety of handy fix-it tools.Creases, Tears, Spots, Smudges: Most image-editing programs have a cloning or copying tool to help fix photo flaws by filling them in with patches from similar areas in the picture. If the area is large, you may wish to zoom in on the area a bit before applying the cloning tool. The best alternative in low -budget photo editing software is usually the smudge tool.Dust, Speckles, Scratches: Set Radius and Threshold settings at their lowest settings and then slowly increase the Radius until you find the lowest setting that will rid your image of the dust or scratches. However, since that makes your whole image look blurry, you should then bring the Threshold setting way up and then slowly lower it until you find the highest setting that still removes dust and scratches from your photo. Check the results carefully- sometimes this process ends up removing eyelashes and other important content that mimic scratches. Many graphics programs also have a global dust/speckles filter, which looks for spots that differ from their neighboring pixels in color or brightness. It then blurs the surrounding pixels to cover the offending ones. If you only have a few large specks, then zoom in on them and edit the offending pixels by hand with a paint, smudge, or cloning tool.Bye, Bye Red Eye: You can re move that annoying effect in your photos with automatic red-eye removal, or with the pencil and paintbrush found in most photo-editing software. Sometimes an automatic Red-eye Removal tool will change the original eye color. If in doubt, check with someone who has knowledge of the persons eye color. Correct the color and contrast. You may find that many of your old photos have faded, darkened, or become discolored with age. With the help of your digital photo-editing software, you can easily repair and restore these photographs to their former glory.Brightness: Lighten up a dark photo with the brightness adjustment. If its too light, you can darken it a bit.Contrast: Best used in conjunction with Brightness, this feature adjusts the overall contrast- bringing out features in pictures that are mostly middle tones (grays with no true blacks and whites).Saturation: Use the Saturation tool to help turn back the clock on faded photos- giving photos more richness and depth.Sepia-tones: If you want to give your color or black-and-white photo an antique look, then use your photo-editing software to create a duotone (two-color picture). If your original photo is color, youll first have to convert it to greyscale. Then select duotone and choose your two colors (brown shades are the most c ommon for this effect). Sharpen: Use this to add focus to a blurry photo as the final step before saving. Enhancing Your Digital Photos If you have plans to use your newly-edited digital photos in a scrapbook, slideshow, or another digital project, then you may wish to jazz them up with colorization, captions, airbrushing, or vignettes. Enhancement Tips for Digital Photos ColorizationHave you ever wondered how your 19th-century great, great-grandfather may have looked in color? Or perhaps you want to see how that old black-and-white photo would look with a few touches of color- a pink bow here and a blue dress there. If your photo-editor is fairly full-featured, its easy to find out! Begin with a black-and-white photo.Using a Selection tool Lasso), select an area of the image that you wish to add color to. The Magic Wand can also be used for this step, but it requires a bit of technical knowledge and practice to use with black-and-white photos.Once the area is selected, go to the tint or color-balance controls and alter the color level values.Experiment until you get the desired effect.Repeat these steps for each area of the picture you wish to colorize.Colorizing photos can get a lot fancier than what weve detailed above, with techniques such as channel-splitting and transparent layers, plus tips for using the Magic Wand for selecting photo areas. Adding Captions If youve spent any time going through an ancestors collection of largely unlabeled photos, youll understand why we say that you owe it to your descendants (and other relatives) to properly label all of your digital photos. Many photo-editors offer a caption option which allows you to actually embed a caption within the header of JPEG or TIFF format files (known as the ITPC standard), allowing it to be transferred directly with the picture, and be read by the majority of graphics software programs. Other photo information that can be embedded with this method includes keywords, copyright info, and URL data. Most of this info, with the exception of the caption in some photo software, is not displayed with the photo but is stored with it and can be accessed under the photos properties by almost any user. If your photo editing software supports this feature, it can usually be found under Add Caption or File - Info. Check your help file for details. Creating Vignettes Many old photos have soft-edged borders, called vignettes. If your photos dont, its an easy effect to add. The classic vignette shape is an oval, but you can get creative and use other shapes such as rectangles, hearts, and stars. Or you can create a free-hand vignette, following the irregular outline of the subject- as in a portrait.Select an image with plenty of background around the subject. You need this to allow room for effective fading. Use the Selection tool in the shape of your choice (rectangular, oval, etc.), adding the feather option to feather the edges of your selection by 20 to 40 pixels (experiment to find the amount of fading which looks best for your photo). Then drag out the selection until you encompass the area you want to start the blend. The line at the edge of your selection will eventually be at the midway point of your faded edges (in other words, pixels on both sides of the line youve created will be feathered). Use can also use the Lasso selection tool if you wish to create an irregular border. Under the Selection menu choose Invert. This will move the selected area to the background (the part you wish to remove). Then select delete to cut this remaining background from the picture. Some photo-editing programs offer an easy one-click option for adding vignette borders, as well as other fancy frames and borders. Using these strategies, you can save family photographic heirlooms and create a historical record that can be shared digitally and in print.

EC320 CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

EC320 CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT 2 - Essay Example This is because everyone wants to meet the baby. As the first few days pass the newborn child’s day becomes less hectic and it begins to settle into normal routines with feeds and sleeping patterns. Throughout its early life it will get comfortable with the people that it interacts with on a regular basis. This is usually the mother, father and siblings. By feeling comfortable the child may cry less and be more settled. The mother is the person who goes through the actual birth; therefore it is understandable if she is slightly shocked and overwhelmed at the occasion. The mother is usually the first person who holds the child. As a result there is that automatic bond between mother and child. The female gains a lot of responsibility from the birth of a child due to the fact that a mother is responsible for the breastfeeding of the child at different intervals during the day. The mother in particular will be very over protective of her child and will not want to let the newborn child out of her sight. If the newborn child is the mother’s first child then the female has a massive shock to her life. She will have to feed the child, be kept up by the child during the night and change the child’s nappy when it needs to be. Simple procedures like changing a nappy can be demanding for new parents. Father’s reactions are very similar to that of the mothers. However it seems that the father views things from a distance compared to the mother. The mother spends more time with the child, as she is in hospital with the child. If this is the first child then the male gains a huge amount of responsibility. One example is financially as children do not come cheap. The father has to financially analyse how the family are going to support the extra person while trying to spend as much time with his new child as possible. Also parents to a newborn child are really protective. For example if the newborn child has a rash, they

History - Annexation of Hawaii Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History - Annexation of Hawaii - Term Paper Example The Armed forces of the United States were ordered to provide this support on the directives of the minister of the United States to Hawaii. In reality they were missionaries who had been welcomed for several years by the Hawaiians who did not see the annexation in advance. Subsequently they became influential politicians and destabilized the monarchy. They indirectly wanted Hawaii to become a part of the U.S. so that they did not have to face the dilemma of paying the tax. Despite her plea â€Å"to undo the actions of its representatives† U.S. government did not allow her to access the throne again. One side of the story told by the businessmen was that the reason they overthrew the queen was because it was a corrupt and dissolute regime. They were more interested in installing the advance democratic principles. The Western power was keen on acquiring the island because of its rich coaling station and a promising naval base. The native population became an ethnic minority by 1891 due to western diseases, cholera, smallpox and leprosy, they were vulnerable to. America used the imperial force to attain Hawaii (Thurston 1897). Imperialism, as it is defined, is an extension of country’s ideals and values over another nation, and primarily acted upon the less developed countries. Grover Cleveland, the new president withdrew the treaty handed over to him by the former Benjamin Harrison, for the purpose of re-examining, who was compelled to do so by the American businessmen convincing the Congress. After discovering how the island was conspired into this seizure, Cleveland recommended that the monarchy should be restored. In a message to the Congress, specifically addressing Minister Wallis, Cleveland urged to restore the condition of the island as it was previous to the â€Å"lawless landing† of the forces of the United States at the Honolulu. He proposed that â€Å"the past should be buried† and the â€Å"restored Government should resu me its authority† without being affected. But Congress did not act upon this command. In 1894, Hawaii came under Stanford Dole, who, declared himself president of the Republic without much consent from the natives. The queen was placed under house arrest held for the guilt of treason. A fine of $5000 was also placed on her. In 1896, the Republican Party called for the annexation of Hawaii in the presidential election. In 1990, Hawaii legitimately became a U.S. territory under William McKinley, out of fear that it may be annexed by Japan. He also feared that he lacked majority support for the annexation in the Senate. Eventually, several immigrant laborers from all over the world joined the sugar business. Today Hawaii comprises of people belonging to China, Japan, and Portuguese from Madeira and the Azores including Puerto Rican’s, Koreans and Filipinos. This resulted in Hawaii having the most diverse population of the world. Located far from the world, it became to be known as the paradise on earth. It attracted a lot of people from all over the world and thus began the Hawaii Tourist Bureau’s active role from the 1900s. Brown states in his paper how the Hawaii was simultaneously starting to be treated as a tourist destination. He shows how colorful pamphlets were released to encourage people from all over the world to visit the â€Å"vividly gorgeous kaleidoscope of thought† where one could â€Å"catch a whiff of fragrant jasmine† or the like and enjoy the South Sea. These attractive features were used by businessmen

Important Attributes Of Body Language Cultural Studies Essay

Important Attributes Of Body Language Cultural Studies Essay An ideal manager avoids adaptors that convey negative meaning e.g. fidgeting or playing with objects to indicate nervousness. Also, an ideal manager effectively utilizes various gestures, which are referred to as kinesics by researchers, to give clues that he / she is actively listening to a conversation or to communicate his / her agreement or disagreement over an argument. Facial expression and eye contact: Facial expressions convey various human emotions and an ideal manager uses facial management techniques to convey right expression at right time. Managers can exhibit confidence and earn credibility by making and maintaining constant eye contact with their audience. Personal space: Although not a direct part of nonverbal communication giving appropriate personal space to a person depending upon his / her preference, liking, gender and age is a key consideration for an ideal manager while trying to project a good image. Touch: At workplace an ideal manager can use touch to communicate nonverbally either in a social context or business context. The professional touch is businesslike and impersonal. The external factors that affect the body language of a manager at work place are: Regional effects: An ideal manager should be aware of the regional interpretations of various body language signals e.g. nodding of head might signal a yes in some regions whereas same gesture may be interpreted as a no in others. Gender effects: The gender of a manager affects the message communicated by his / her body language. Status effects: Body language signals given and interpreted by individuals depend upon the status that the person holds in society or at workplace. Managers at various levels in hierarchy in an organization need to adopt different style of nonverbal communication. Culture effects: The degree and rules of expression of some aspects of nonverbal communication differ across cultures. With increasing globalization a manager should be cognizant of the cultural context of the audience to be able to effectively utilize nonverbal communication. REPORT TEXT TABLE OF CONTENT OVERVIEW Turabian / Chicago style of formatting has been followed while creating this report. Business and managerial communication may be defined as the use of language or graphics in business. While the two important parts of managerial communication viz. written and oral communications take center stage, managers tend to overlook nonverbal communication which forms an equally important aspect of their communication. Nonverbal communication may constitute two-thirds or more of total communication. Since nonverbal signals can be very helpful in responding to others and making stronger connections with clients and colleagues they can be used by managers to create an impression about themselves. Body language plays a very important role in our day-to-day business activities. Since a role of manager demands that he / she achieves the goals with or through other people the need for good interpersonal skills becomes increasingly important. Nonverbal communication forms a very important part of interpersonal communication along with verbal and written communication. Mastering nonverbal communication helps manager decode the silent signals of others and align their body language with the attitude they want to project thus gaining a competitive advantage in business. Excelling in nonverbal communication can help manager excel in following areas: Leadership: To be able to influential as a leader it is important for managers to understand the message that employees want to communicate both verbally and nonverbally and to be able to effectively communicate congruently by aligning spoken words with their body language. Negotiation: Acquiring understanding of body language helps manager correctly read between the lines of what people are saying. This can act as an effective tool along with ability to establish credibility using good body language in process of negotiation. Sales: Ability to convey nonverbal cues effectively helps manager sell their ideas and products. Customer service: Understanding customers needs by their nonverbal signals can go a long way in delivering customer delight. Given the importance that nonverbal communication holds in professional life of a manager it is very important to understand various attributes that are associated with body language of an ideal manager and factors that affect the same. This research has been undertaken to analyze these attributes and their impact on communicating nonverbal cues effectively by a manager. This report outlines the analysis of these attributes and factors and draws some conclusions that will be helpful for managers to understand how they can effectively incorporate nonverbal communication at workplace. PROBLEM STATEMENT AND SCOPE The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze: What are the attributes that affect the body language of a manager? How can a manager effectively incorporate nonverbal cues to align body language with verbal communication? What are the external factors that affect nonverbal communication? The scope of this research is limited to: Nonverbal communication at workplace Nonverbal communication for managers RESEARCH ANALYSIS ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF BODY LANGUAGE OF AN IDEAL MANAGER In the workplace, people can convey a great deal of information without even speaking; this is called nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication can convey more than written and verbal communication, and human beings read and react to these nonverbal signals in the workplace. As per the cited study by Prof. Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, words, tone of voice and body language account for 7%, 38% and 55% of personal communication. Body language is kind of nonverbal communication that involves body movement and gestures, which communications researchers call kinesics. There are numbers of possible signs that can be communicated through body movements and gestures. In addition to body movements and gestures, the nonverbal cues can be expressed through facial expressions and eye contact, personal space, and touch, influence individual interactions in the workplace. In present dynamic business scenario, the quality of a good Manager seeks to communicate effectively through Non Verbal cue s i.e. body movements and gestures, facial expression etc. Body movement and gestures: Movement and gestures are key components of body language. Gestures or movements of the head, hands, arms, and legs can be used to convey specific messages that have important linguistic translations.Here are some helping tips to use gestures and movement effectively: How to stand: One should stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees relaxed. Body weight should be evenly distributed on both feet. Nervous pacing or shifting of one foot to other needs to be avoided. Stand up straight. Ones shoulders should be back and his/her head held high so he/she can make eye contact. This particular posture shows confidence and helps one breathe more fully. What to do with your hands: Hands always need to place in the neutral position, hanging loosely at both sides, so they will be available for natural gestures. Both arms folded across the chest is a universal gesture that signifies defensiveness or negativity. It signals an attempt to hide from an unfavourable situation. It can also signify disagreement, discontentment or discomfort. An ideal Manager should always be aware of these facts. Hands in pockets to be avoided since it can lead to a sloppier posture. Hands should be empty. Hand gesture can be used in conveying many important messages. If one must hold something (notes or the PowerPoint remote), he must be aware of what he is doing. One must not point at the audience. How to Use Gestures: Gestures can help in communicating ones ideas and a little goes a long way. Use of a variety of smooth, deliberate and natural gestures supports and visually illustrates a Managers message very effectively to audiences. A relaxed posture while walking or during a meeting always needs to be maintained. Relaxed posture indicates one is comfortable in his/her surroundings and not under stress. Even if in a stressful work atmosphere, one Managers calmness and relaxed posture help others around to feel more comfortable and to have more faith in his abilities to lead and delegate responsibilities. In workplace, it is often common that we offer handshake when we are introduced to a new individual. Handshake is a gesture of welcome: The interlocking of palms signifies openness and the touching signifies solidarity. The styles of handshakes are generally governed by the attitudes of a person, namely a) Dominance b) Submission c) Equality. For a manager, it is important ge nerally in a workplace, he goes with the equality attitude. Researchers also categorize certain nonverbal behaviours called adaptors, which are typically unconscious behaviours and are used when a person is tense or anxious. Examples of adaptors are adjusting ones clothes, biting ones nails, cracking of knuckles, or fidgeting and toying with an object. These indicate to others that a person is upset or nervous, and such kind of behaviour during a meeting with a co-worker may be interpreted very negatively. A Manager engaged in such behaviour may be seen as preoccupied or anxious. Gestures and movement provide the visuals that accompany your words. Learning to use them effectively helps to convey ones message with confidence and the audience will see the message instead of just hearing it. But use any gesture that is irrelevant to the message is strictly not recommended. Facial expressions and eye contact: Facial expressions and eye contacts are types of nonverbal communication that go very closely with body language and can have an noticeable effect on business relations. Researchers have found that people can identify with great accuracy seven separate human emotions, even after seeing only facial and eye expressions: sadness, happiness, anger, fear, surprise, contempt, and interest. Therefore, without speaking a word, a facial expression can convey a great deal of information to others. The face is the primary source of emotions. Similarly, eye contact or lack of eye contact can also indicate a persons attitudes and emotions. There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all. A simple smile can make others feel more at ease where a frown can make people see that one is aggressive or unsure of something. We use facial expressions to get our points across in the right context. For example, your message would suffer if you were saying how angry you are with a hu ge smile. Similarly use of positive facial expression with a genteel smile becomes very effective while a Manager tries to convince one of his clients. Eye movement is a key part of facial behaviour because the eyes are invariably involved in facial displays.When someone talks to you, do they look directly at you or look away? Maintaining eye contact when talking (or listening) to someone gives an impression that one is confident and honest. Making little eye contact gives a different kind of impression, like one is nervous or shy. The direct stare of the speaker can show candour or openness. Downward glances are generally associated with modesty; eyes rolled upwards are conveyed as a sign of fatigue. Personal space: Researchers use the term proxemic to describe the way that a person uses space in communication. Each individual has a personal space, which is like an invisible bubble surrounding them. This bubble becomes larger or smaller, depending on the person with whom we interact. We are comfortable standing or sitting closer to someone we like and standing or sitting at a distance with someone we dislike or dont know well. However, the amount of personal space that a person desires depends on many characteristics, including culture, situation, closeness of relationship, gender and age. One can use physical space to communicate many different nonverbal messages, including signals of intimacy, aggression, dominance, or affection. The most important observation one can make about a room full of people is the personal space each person commands. Human nature dictates that people considered more powerful are typically awarded greater personal space by the other people in the room. Research data s hows that, while interacting with friends, relatives, or conducting casual business, most people prefer a distance of one and a half to four feet. When conducting formal or impersonal business, most individuals prefer a personal space of 4 to 8 feet. Therefore, a person is likely to be more comfortable standing closely to a trusted co-worker than to a new customer. A good Manager must be aware of these kinds of behaviours to effectively convey his/her position and authority. Touch: In the workplace, people may use touch to communicate nonverbally. The functional-professional touch is business-like and impersonal. The social-polite touch, such as a handshake, is much more common. This type of touch is used to recognize other individuals. It is an expected touch in many business settings. Finally, the friendship-warmth touch shows how one treats another as a person. A pat on the back or a hug is a friendship-warmth touch. In most workplaces, the social-polite touch is the only necessary touch, and most Managers are encouraged to avoid the friendship-warmth touch in the workplace. Many people see a hand on a shoulder or a pat on the back as a useful touch to convey encouragement or concern for anothers well-being. Finally, personal space and touch are used differently in different nations. Americans tend to prefer larger amounts of personal space than do some Indians, Latin Americans, Italians, and Middle-Easterners. Germans, Chinese, and Japanese prefer larger am ounts of personal space, similar to what Americans prefer. Thus, when conducting business with people from other cultures, it is important to understand and respect their personal space needs. EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Regional effects: Â  People across the world recognize a set of common gestures. For an ideal manager, this is a great boon as there is no huge task of ensuring that his/her non-verbal cues are not misinterpreted. It is however important that the ideal manager is aware of the differences of meaning. For example, research shows that the shoulder shrug is a universal gesture. It means that the person who makes the gesture does not know whatever was asked for him. Gestures like clapping would mean calling somebody or could mean just plain applause. Although greetings change cross different countries, there are number of features which are common: Close Proximity, direct orientation, eyebrow flash, smiling, mutual gaze, body contact, presenting the pal,- either visibly or for shaking. Similarly, gestures that denote emotions are very similar across cultures. Gender effects: The gender also decides the interpretation of gestures. For a male manager if he is in doing a presentation, with his hands in his pockets, it will be seen as gesture which shows his nervousness or insecurity. However the same gesture when a woman does, it is interpreted as aggression. Status effects: Research studies have shown that high-ranking officials resort to fewer gestures than their subordinates. The less educated rely more on gestures than on communication based on words. Culture effects: Different cultures have different interpretations of nonverbal cues. Moreover, an acceptable gesture in one culture might be considered as an offensive one in another culture. Hence, it becomes very important to take into consideration the cultural context of the audience while trying to use nonverbal communication. An ideal manager, equipped with knowledge of culture effects on body language, can effectively use nonverbal cues to communicate with target audience. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Body language constitutes 55% of the person communication of a manager. The image projected of an ideal manager is the sum total of various attributes of his non verbal communication; body movement, eye contact, touch and personal space. There are variations in the body language of a manager, depending on the set environment and sex. In spite of these extraneous influences, it is possible to identify some typical behavioral patterns that define his/her personality in positive and negative way. Many researches and observation have provided some standards for the observable attributes of the body language of an ideal manager. Body language of a manager is an integral part of communication across businesses and regional settings. There are some expected/favored attributes that can be developed to project an ideal image of a manager. Though these non-verbal communications are in a way natural reflection of overall social and educational upbringing of a being, these can be developed as well. The study of body language is a developed science and provides sufficient aids to a keen learner. There are some regional, status and gender influences on the body language and these distinctions are imperative to be known to managers communicating with wide range of people across geographies and culture. APPENDIX RESEARCH DATA Sketch of personality of the manager as defined by his / her body language: Nonverbal Message/Body Language Typical Interpretation Making Direct Eye Contact Self-Confident, Assertive, Friendly, Sincere Avoiding Eye Contact Nervous, Evasive, Indifferent, Passive Erect posture (head up, shoulders back) Self-confident, Assertive Smiling Contended, Understanding, Encouraging Clenching hands Nervous, Anxious, Fearful Shaking Head Disagreeing, Shocked, Disbelieving Biting the lip Worried, Anxious Raising eyebrows Disbelieving, Surprising Folding arms Defensive, Disagreeing Open arms Receptive Leaning forward Attentive, Interested Patting on the back Encouraging, Congratulatory, Consoling Fidgeting Impatient, Nervous Chin Stroking Making a decision Slouching in seat Bored, Uninterested Eye roll Dismissive gesture that indicates superiority Tilted to one side Showing interest Scratching the head Bewildered REFERENCES Kurien, Daisy. 2010. Body Language: Silent Communicator at the Workplace. The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. IV, Nos. 1 and 2: 29-36 Zhou, Hui and Zhang, Tingqin. 2010. Body Language in Business Negotiation. International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 3, No. 2, http://www.ccsenet.org/journal /index.php/ijbm/article/viewFile/1680/1588 (accessed 18 August 2010): 90-96 Dumbrava, Gabriela and Koronka, Adriana. 2009. Actions Speak Louder Than Words Body Language in Business Communication. Annals of the University of PetroÃ…Å ¸ani, Economics, 9(3): 249-254

Blind Date Script Essay

â€Å"Far From The Madding Crowd† Blind Date Script. Graham: It’s Blind Date! And here is your host, Miss Cilla Black! Cilla: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Blind Date. In a moment we’ll be meeting the lucky lady who gets to pick from one of these gorgeous guys! So, let’s meet the boys! So, hello number 1; what’s your name and where do you come from? Bo: Good Evening, Cilla. My name is William Boldwood, and I am from Weatherbury. C: Nice to meet you, William. So tell everyone a bit about yourself. Bo: Well, Cilla, I am a 42 year old bachelor, I own a large farm, and†¦. I’m incredibly wealthy! C: And, I understand, correct me if I’m wrong love, that you have had a nasty experience involving a Valentine’s card? Bo: That is correct, Cilla. I once received a Valentine’s card through in the mail, and I had no idea who the sender was. I was a little afraid, you see, it could have been anything. So, I erm, placed it on my mantelpiece. Well, then I couldn’t stop thinking of it, so I stared at it for quite some time. C: How long for, love? Bo: For a matter of days, Cilla. C: Oh dear. Well I for one am always scared when the postman comes, I mean, when them bills get posted through my door I know I’m too terrified to open them for a week! C: Alright love, well, best of luck tonight, and please don’t be scared of the date cards if you’re picked ’cause we’ve only got so long, you know. Okay, number two, what’s your name and where do you come from? T: Hello, Cilla, my love, my name’s Frank Troy and I’m from Weatherbury too! C: Hiya Frank. Tell us all a bit about yourself, love. T: Well, I’m 31, I’m a Sergeant in the Army, so I travel a lot, and I enjoy sword fighting, so I spend a lot of my spare time practising that, and, I’m quite skilled if I may say so myself. C: Oh really? Come on, then. Show us some moves! (Troy shows off with sword techniques). C: Wow, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that lot! Eh, thanks very much love, well done. Best of luck tonight, but if you win, leave the sword at home, won’t you? Hello number three, what’s your name and where do you come from? O: Eh Cilla, me name’s Gabriel Oak an I be from Weatherbury as well. C: Hiya, chuck, why don’t you tell everyone a bit about yourself? O: Well, I’m 28 an I work on a farm in Weatherbury, Cilla. C: And I heard that you used to own your own farm, is that right? O: Ay, that be correct, Cilla, I used to ave some lovely little sheepies, but, sadly, most of em died in a tragic accident. C: Awwwwww†¦ (Sympathy) O: Yer, so maybe, even though I don’t ave a lot, she’ll still be willing to ave me. Then I’ll know she be genuine an all that. An it could get me a few sympathy votes as well, But I wont let on until after the show, just in case. C: A man with a plan! Well, you probably wont even need to use the sheep story Gabriel, I’m sure you’ll be fine. And may the best fella win. Good luck to all of you. Now, guys and girls, lets meet the lucky lady who gets her pick of one of these gorgeous guys! (Bathsheba enters) C: Hello love, and you are Bathsheba, is that right? B: Yes Cilla, that’s right. C: And where are you from, Bathsheba love? B: I’m from Weatherbury Cilla. C: Oh I didn’t see that one coming. Now, what sort of thing are you looking for, and hoping to find tonight in one of our top-class bachelors? B: Well, I’m looking for someone who will flatter me but also stand up to me. I’m very independent. C: Oh, that’s right, you own a farm, dont you? B: I do indeed, Cilla. C: Well, let’s hope those three blokes over there stand up to you more than your farm animals do. And lets hope they smell better an all. B: well I won’t know until the date, but lets hope so. C: Alright love. Let’s get on with your three questions then. Fire away! B: Hello boys! ALL: Hello Bathsheba! B: Okay, my first question is; If I was an animal, I would be a tiger, because I could definitely use a little taming. If you were an animal, what would you be, and why? That goes to number 1, please. Bo: Well, Bathsheba, I would be a snake, a boa constrictor, so I would be able to wrap myself around you, and squeeze you as tight as I can. B: And to number 2, please. T: Well, I would be a fox, most obviously because of my red coat, but also because I hunt my prey and always get what I want. B: And, lastly, to number 3, please. O: Well, I would probably be a sheep, because, apart from being cute n cuddly, I would follow you round as a sheep does and always be with you. B: Okay, 2nd question. If I were a type of food, I would be a curry, because I am hot and spicy! What food would you be, and why? That is to number 2, please. T: Well, I would be Egg and Soldiers, so you could have a dip in me anytime! B: And to number 3, please. O: Okay, if I was a food, I would be Shepherd’s Pie, because I be a shepherd, and I be warm, tasty and simple. So, heat me up, and it’ll be dinner for two. B: And lastly, to number 1, please. Bo: If I was a sort of food, I would most certainly be Toad in the hole, because once you dig down to my deep centre and kiss the toad, I would be your handsome prince. B: And my last question is; I am a woman who likes to be pampered and showered with gifts. If you could give me one thing, what would it be and why? To number 3, please. O: Well, I don’t ave a lot, you see, but I would give you my heart of gold, because that be all I wantin in return. B: And to number 1, please. Bo: I would give you anything you want, anything your heart desires. And the greatest gift any woman could wish for – ME! B: And last but not least, to number 2, please. T: I would give you the sheath to my prized possession, my sword, because then I would be allowed to put my things inside yours. C: Oh well, Bathsheba, that’s all your questions. But don’t make your mind up yet, here’s a bit of help from Our Graham! G: So Bathsheba, will it be Toady number 1, who will give you himself and squeeze you tightly, just don’t send him any mail! Or, will it be foxy number 2, who likes nothing better than putting on his Soldier coat and doing sword tricks – just keep the toast away from his yolk. Or, will you decide on warm and simple number 3, and if on your date his sheepy antics get on your nerves, you could always sell that gold heart he gave you. THE DECISION – IS YOURS! C: So who will it be love – 1, 2 or 3? B: I’m going to have to go with number 3, Cilla. C: Oh, but what about the two you turned down? (introduces Troy, then Boldwood – they leave) C: So here is your Blind Date, you picked number one, that was Gabriel Oak from Weatherbury – come in Gabriel! (Gabriel and Bathsheba meet) C: Alright, are you pleased? (Both nod). Okay then, let’s pick a date! Which one will be picking? O: I’ll let the lovely lady here pick. (Bathsheba picks) B: A sightseeing trip to London! (Hands envelope to Cilla) C: It says here that the two of you will be seeing all the sights of the Famous London! Have either of you been there before? (both say no). Good. Then after that, you’ll be shopping ’til you drop and then staying in a luxury hotel! It says here let’s hope that the two of you aren’t calling each other pigs by the end of the week! Okay, let’s have a round of applause for Bathsheba and Gabriel!