10 Ways to Speak and Understand Rapid-Fire Italian

It is no secret that Italians speak fast. This is true with both their words and their gestures, so as someone who is learning Italian, how can you keep up with their rapid-fire speech? Here are 10 pieces of advice that have helped me speed up my spoken Italian and understand fast speech. Watch Italian TV The amount of Italian programming that is available to watch online is staggering. YouTube alone offers thousands of episodes of popular shows in Italy if you know what you’re looking for. You can start with an episode from the classic shows Un posto al sole or Il commissario Montalbano or go for something more modern like Alta Infedeltà  . If you prefer to watch shows with a television, many cable companies offer a special package for Italian programming. Watch a Movie Whether its Roberto Benignis poignant , a neo-realismo film by Roberto Rossellini, or a Federico Fellini fantasy, an Italian language movie is another great way to practice Italian. Youll hear Italian spoken by many different attori and train your ear at the same time. If you’re watching from a computer, you can find many Italian movies on Netflix, like Cinema Paradiso or La tigre e la neve. If you can, avoid the subtitles to give yourself more of a challenge. Read the Lyrics Love Parole, parole by Mina? Look up the testo (lyrics) to the song and sing along. You can also turn it into a translation exercise using dictionaries like Context-Reverso and WordReference. Some classic songs to check out are: Piazza grande - Lucio DallaQuesto piccolo grande amore - Claudio BaglioniMe so’mbriacato - Mannarino Listen to an Audiobook If you love reading books, but you know you need more practice listening, you can combine those two factors by finding an audiobook to listen to in Italian. If you’re not in Italy, these aren’t the easiest to find, but it is possible to find excerpts of your favorite books, like Harry Potter, on YouTube. Listen to Podcasts One of the best ways to make use of tempi morti (dead time) for practicing Italian is by listening to podcasts in your car or while you’re doing a task that doesn’t require much of your attention, like ironing. You can listen to a podcast aimed at students like Al Dente, or you can listen to shows made for native speakers. Check Out Your Library Italian novels, travel guides, and books that describe Italy are excellent ways to enrich your learning experience. Read a parallel-text version (Italian and English side-by-side) of such classics as La Divina Commedia or Machiavellis , or try reading more modern Italian literature from authors like Enzo Biagi, Umberto Eco, Rossana Campo, Susanna Tamaro, or Oriana Fallaci. Investigate Your Neighborhood Close the textbooks, turn off the TV, and go out to find Italian-speaking people or other Italian language students in your own neighborhood. In many large cities there are Italian cultural institutes such as the IIC - Los Angeles, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura - New York, and the Italian Cultural Society - Washington, DC, which have language exchange programs. You can also choose to join an Italian conversation group, often sponsored by bookstores or Italian American societies. You can also find local groups (or start your own!) using Meetup.com. Hire an Italian Attend a group class in person or take one-on-one instruction using a site like VerbalPlanet or Italki. The structure and routine, paired with your independent study, will help you develop a foundation for advancing quickly in the language. This is a great environment for receiving immediate feedback and being able to practice pronunciation, like learning how to roll your rrrs. Expand Your Vocabulary Studies show that one of the biggest reasons language students find it hard to keep up in a foreign language is because their vocabularies aren’t large enough, so as you read books, listen to podcasts, and go to classes, make sure to be constantly compiling and reviewing vocabulary. The key word here is â€Å"review†. Find a tool that uses spaced-time repetition, enter what you learn, and review it on a daily basis. Some available tools are Cram, Memrise, and Anki. Go to Italian-Speaking Places Youve always wanted to visit your grandmothers hometown in Sicily, and you’re ready to venture beyond the travel memoirs that keep you daydreaming during work. When you’re at an intermediate level, traveling to Italy (or any other Italian-speaking area) will be a 360 degree classroom encouraging you to accelerate your learning. Plus, if you not only will you get to see Roman ruins, Renaissance masterpieces, and Raffaellos paintings, but you can also make friends with the locals!

Essay on The Holy Bible - The Nature of God in Genesis

The Nature of God in Genesisnbsp;nbsp; The depiction of God in the Bible’s story of creation, namely Genesis, brings to mind the image of an omnipotent, almighty and all-powerful child playing in a sandbox. Like a child his sole purpose seems to be to simply amuse himself, and possibly acquire a source of unconditional love. These needs are in contrast to the classic view of God acting with the idea of an ultimate plan. His actions clearly show that there is no perfect plan, or if there is it must be grossly overcomplicated. Consistently God makes poor decisions, and then eventually acts to fix the situation. The whole scenario conjures up an image of the crew of Apollo 13, alternately breaking things and then patching it together†¦show more content†¦Adam and Eve, as we all know, of course disappoint him. The avid church going individual will ask â€Å"Didn’t God know this was going to happen, being omnipotent and all?† This is the first contradiction to the assumption that God is acting wit h a plan. It seems more likely that he is acting out willy-nilly to fulfill whatever desire strikes his fancy. It is also the first example of mankind evolving by explicitly ignoring God, which I’ll come back to later. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; At this juncture, God has to modify his plans a little. Mankind will not, as he had hoped, go on living forever in ignorance and worship. So he concedes the loss and kicks Adam and Eve out of the garden. He still needs someone to confirm his greatness however, and so mankind will now operate essentially on its own in the world, and with free will. They will still be required to worship him, or receive punishment for disobedience. If all the events up until this point have been acting in accordance with some perfect plan, why then did God not just start out with Adam and Eve in the outside world, with free will? Wouldn’t it be easier to just jump from point A to point E, and just skip B, C and D? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The cycle repeats itself with Adam’s sons, Cain and Abel. Cain is the first farmer, and both he and his brother toil to produce a sacrifice for their master. 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Future Time Perspective and Motivation

Question: Discribe about literature review on strengths and weaknesses and generalizability? Answer: Introduction Research can be described as a systemic investigation into a subject using various sources to establish facts as well as reach conclusive points. Based on research, existing knowledge databases are increased or improved to arrive at newer applications to cater to the objective of the research. The objective can vary from theorizing a hypothesis or supporting an already established fact to negating a theory that no longer explains a phenomenon. In certain cases where the objective is to develop insights into a project by testing the validity of processes used in the original project, an element or the project as a whole is simulated (R. K. 2013). The research begins with the identification of the research problem that subsequently is followed by formulation of specific questions about research. Base on this a method or multiple methods appropriate to the task are selected, and data is collected using the chosen technique/ techniques (R. F. 2011). The final step of the research processes characterized by refining the data to eliminate the redundancy, and retain the promising data so that a conclusion can be arrived. The findings of the research are then communicated or in some cases, recommendations are also drafted for a possible strategy/ theory (J. W. 2013). Literature Review A literature review can be described as a scholarly work in text form that is produced using the current knowledge base citing intriguing findings as well as theoretical citations about a particular topic. This method is largely a secondary research method and does not produce original work in any form or a factual piece of research. It is more identifiable as a subjective and guideline imparting work that supports an already established theory/ method or fact. The basic purpose of literature review is to support an already stated scholarly work so that a new research project incidental to the work can be proposed effectively. Strengths and Weaknesses of Literature Review Literature review holds high value in gauging the status of research in the chosen field by the researcher. When a research team selects a subject to research on, a Literature review helps to determine the level of research that has already been conducted in the field so that the existing knowledge base can be built. Based on the literature review, a research can identify the key experts on a particular subject. When the researcher explores the articles for the literature review, the writer who has the maximum amount of contribution on particular subject can be identified as experts and can be reached out to in case of consultation needed on a subject (Z. 2013). The literature review also helps in extracting the right questions that a research needs to answer. Much research papers/ literature review shed light on few questions that lay the stepping-stones of the next natural question. Building on this cascade, a definitive question can be arrived that get improved by the level of existing research in the field (C. 2013). However, literature review has many disadvantages attached to it with the major one being its incompleteness. The literature review cannot be taken as a concrete foundational block for any decision or research as it is based on the subjectivity of the individual rather than objective, substantial data. This data has been perceived to be relevant and irrelevant materials making the research lackluster in its appeal. Many times literature review is based on the scholarly material that is likely obsolete which renders to review useless for further use for its prospective reader. Also, literature review is limited by the amount of prior research data on the subject. If the subject is thoroughly covered and researched upon, chances of creating a strong literature review are high while the review weakens with less prior work in the field. Access to the relevant data also assumes greater importance even if the researcher in the field finds extensive work being already done to build on. Suitability of literature review A literature review finds extensive applications in research projects that are largely limited by their size and scope. Any project while does not hold substantial value does not attract investments, which makes a literature review a cost effective method of reinforcing a fact by the research team. Collaborating parts from various researches that form a conclusive material can improve the existing database. A literature review has also been identified as instrumental in case of a field of experimentation/ research that has been thoroughly covered and hence with the present set of resources no change to the database can be made. A number of relevant sources increase the applicability of literature reviews as the quality improves. Also in organizational parlance when the research is solely aimed at arriving at a guideline than an elaborated fact list, literature review holds high preference. In such cases, the most effective way to deliver a conclusive work is literature review, as with the time and resources, no other research method seems efficient. Another area where literature review has extensive application is where the decision or conclusion is largely independent of the research to be conducted (J. A. 2012). Generalizability of results of literature review The scope of the literature review is limited in nature as a result of which it cannot be generalized in the true sense. The reason for limitation of literature review lies in the nature of the research methodology- secondary. As the data used in a literature review is secondary, the relevance, as well as, genuineness of the source is unknown. Another limitation of the literature review that does not allow generalization is that no new experiment or project to negate or support theory is conduced which weakens the case for literature review. The review has also been perceived as highly subjective in nature as a result of which the application of the review is limited by the extent of the grasp of the writer on the matter and the recommendations that he introduced thereof. For the generalization of the research methodology, it should exhibit consistency in the results where it is applied and since literature review varies from individual to individual, the results also obtained exhibi t such characteristic (Bell, E. 2015). Issues of using literature review One of the major issues associated with literature review is the access to quality information to the researcher. In most cases, the material required for literature review is not electronic and hence limited to physical libraries separated by geographies that make the access practically impossible. This leads to usage of alternate material for literature review that can altogether change the direction of the research. Ethical considerations also cloud literature review as the individual can introduce facts that are misleading in nature and can result in misguiding the reader of the review. The quality of literature review is also dependent largely on the subjectivity of individual/ team as the selection of articles/ work can be both constructive and redundant in nature (J. W. 2013). In some instances literature review has been found to be biased for an element in the review that appeals to the individual/ team working on the review. This can lead to results that are infected by biasing hence yield weak scholarly work. The dilemma between usage of quantitative work or qualitative work also looms large in case of the literature review that results in a wide spectrum of findings/ results of literature review (E. 2013). Interview The interview is a qualitative research method where an interviewer or a group of interviewer asks questions from people to extract facts or statements from them. It is a primary research method and has found its used in various research contexts. The subjects have different comprehension for different individuals that make the substratum of an interview. Understanding the meaning of the statements made by the interviewee is the main task of any interview (J. 2015). An interview is an intern man interaction and is deemed to be a far more personal form of research than any other methodology. Unlike the mailing or questionnaire form of research, an interview opens the window for communication and consequent probing. The interview is particularly very easy for the interviewees point of view if the objective is mapping the opinion of the subject. Although interviews are time-consuming and resource taxing, they are the only research methodology that can unravel thin facts and insights in a field of study. The chances of conflicts are also reduced considerably in an interview as all the miscommunications are accounted for and cleared on the spot (S. B. 2014). Strengths and weaknesses of interview method One of the key identifiable strength of interview method is the level of details that can be revealed through it. The interview can give the exact picture of a specific event or thought process in an interview as well as give other cues to the interviewer. Indications such as voice, tone, body language and emotional balance at each answer of the interviewee can give an added dimension to the interviewer that is almost impossible with any other research method. These hidden details of the answers of the interviewee can deliver the correlation between objects, elements and people in a lucid manner. Another key advantage of this method is that it can be tailored to suit a particular respondent to extract the exact information required for the project at hand. More illustrations regarding the statements made and clarity on the facts exhibited by the respondent can be easily accommodated in an interview. Interviews can also aid in creating a better version of a report as the comprehension of the researcher improves with an interview form of research (A. 2012). However, interview method has some inherent weaknesses with the major one being the arrangement of an interview. The people required as interviewers are hard to find, and so is the time, place and venue of interview. Another major weakness of interview is that the method is very hard to administer by the interviewer. During the interview, the interviewer has to make the interviewee feel comfortable, focus on the questions that need to be asked and at the same time observe the non verbal communication. A common consequence of many interviews is the missing data that makes it difficult for the researchers to compare populations used for the research. An interview although reveals more than what is required but can often miss crucial information (Y. S. 2011). Suitability of the interview method Interview method finds extensive use in many situations with the prominent one being a topic that requires opinions rather than factual data. Businesses, operations or theories that are related to human interactions and opinions have large application of interview method for further extrapolation of the established theories. For instance, in knowing the preferences of the citizens of U.K. while opening a new restaurant chain can be easily determined using interview method as the details required can only be known using this method (M. 2012). In situations where the data required is highly qualitative in nature, interview method finds applications. An example of such situation is phenomenon such as paranormal activity that has not found any data at all and still is guided by the perceptions of the experts on the matter (H. (2011). Also, in a situation where the requirements include determination of personalities or any other demographic factor, interview method is a reliable method. In such cases the responses given by the respondents acts as cues for the research team to work on, as quantitative data cannot explain the effects. An example to support this application is a research to know the consumer behavior of an area by an e-commerce can be done using interview method (R. (Eds.). 2013). Generalizability of results obtained using interview method The results obtained using interview method can be generalized depending on various factors about the interview. One of the most important factors that determine the extent to which an interview result can be generalized is the sample size of interview. If the sample size is large enough the results obtained can be easily generalized while if the sample size is small, the results remain inconclusive. The representation of every kind of respondent in the interview method also affects the generalization of the outcome of the method. If the sample chosen is representative in nature the results can be fairly said to be a fact (A. 2014). Another factor that determines the generalization of the method is the relevance of questions being asked in an interview. If the questions are very different and are not relevant to the subject at hand, generalization is not possible in this case (A. 2012). Issues using interview method Interview method has always been accompanied by many bottlenecks in its successful administration. The foremost issue that interview method has is the resource availability. Resources such as human resource for interviewing and question preparation, decoding the responses and arranging the interview are needed in interview method that makes it a difficult method to administer. Another issue the affects the outcomes of this research is bias. Since interview is a human interaction, the chances of personal biases affecting the judgments is very high which defeats the purpose of the research and renders the data collected useless (J. 2014). The issue of ethics also affects this method since the faithfulness of the process is up to the discretion of the interviewer. For the correct representation of the population sample size selection also forms a key issue as the perception of an adequate sample size is very subjective in nature and moreover larger sample sizes are very difficult to administer (A. 2013). Conclusion In conclusion it can be said that no method is perfect in nature and the selection of one methodology over another depends on the situation where the method has to be applied. Selection of research techniques is a tradeoff where it is chosen for its advantages and the accommodation of disadvantages that a particular situation provides. Literature review is an easy and resource optimized method of research where the researches are substantially based on existing data rather than new experiments (D. M. 2014). This method is largely applicable in situations where data present is sufficient to draw insights from for a particular subject. This method however cannot be generalized due to its large dependency on the sources of error such as human discretion (I. 2013). Interview method on the other hand is required in situations where the focus on the opinions and thought process of the respondents forms great importance. This method is, however, difficult to administer and analyze and can vary from one individual to another. However in interview method, the generalization is possible if all the factors responsible are for generalization such as large population size, representativeness of the sample and competent interviewer and overall research team (D. 2013). References 1. Nuttin, J. (2014). Future time perspective and motivation: Theory and research method. Psychology Press.2. Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C. M., Ormston, R. (Eds.). (2013). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage.3. Corbin, J., Strauss, A. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications.4. Silverman, D. (2013). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. SAGE Publications Limited.5. Seidman, I. (2013). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers college press.6. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.7. Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach: An interactive approach. Sage.8. Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Sage.9. Merriam, S. B. ( 2014). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley Sons.10. Willig, C. (2013). Introducing qualitative research in psychology. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).11. Mertens, D. M. (2014). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage Publications.12. Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. Oxford university press.13. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.14. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods. Oxford university press.15. Thomas, J. R., Silverman, S., Nelson, J. (2015). Research Methods in Physical Activity, 7E. Human Kinetics.16. Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage publications.17. O'Leary, Z. (2013). The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage.18. Stirman, S. W., Kimberly, J., Cook, N., Calloway, A., Castro, F., Charns, M. (2012). Th e sustainability of new programs and innovations: a review of the empirical literature and recommendations for future research. Implement Sci, 7(17), 1-19.19. Fink, A. (2013). Conducting research literature reviews: from the Internet to paper. Sage Publications.20. Rubin, A., Babbie, E. (2013). Brooks/Cole empowerment series: Research methods for social work. Cengage Learning.21. Schiavetti, N., Metz, D. E., Orlikoff, R. F. (2011). Evaluating research in communicative disorders. Pearson.22. De Vos, A. S., Delport, C. S. L., Fouch, C. B., Strydom, H. (2011). Research at grass roots: A primer for the social science and human professions. Van Schaik Publishers.23. De Castro, A. (2011). Introduction to Giorgi's existential phenomenological research method. Psicologa desde el Caribe.24. Pickard, A. (2012). Research methods in information. Facet publishing.

The Environmental Impact of Nuclear Energy.

American Government and Citizenship essays

American Government and Citizenship essays I am a 19-year-old male, born and raised in support of our national government. My resent interest in the way our great nation is governed began in the classroom. I found my American Government class to be quite interesting and the Bush and Clinton scandals only increased my interest in American politics. Ever since, I have a strong belief in our government and will support it throughout my life. I always keep up with the events in Washington and follow today's issues very closely. Since the war began, MSNBC has been on in my room. I am a proud American citizen and would choose no other country to be from. I come from a home where we keep the flag present and raised to remind us of the people that gave their lives for us. Freedom is not something to be overlooked; our independence should not be taken for granted; and our government should continue making this land the great nation it is. I believe in our American politics, our science and art of government. I believe that government is necessary. Born as an American, individual rights are given at birth to guarantee life, liberty, and happiness. We can express individualism. America offers equality to all citizens. I feel that, without government, there would be total chaos among the population. It would be like the old West, where law and order barely existed. People would go around killing and stealing, never worrying about any consequences for their actions. People would solve their problems with guns and knives, having public shootouts where criminals and innocent alike would be gunned down in violent disarray. This is not what the people really wanted. Another example is Iraq, once the government fell, there was mass chaos. People where looting banks and stores, stealing anything they could. This is because of the fact that there was no government. Once law and order is established people will be safer and happ ier. Democracy is a form a government where the people rule thro...

Buying Decision Making Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Buying Decision Making Process - Essay Example Of those self-purchases, nearly 20 percent would likely buy diamond stud earrings, right-hand rings and other diamond fashion rings for themselves. Jewellery purchase is primarily by women and most of them are self-purchased and this makes the women a prime target segment required to be convinced to make the purchase. This has served as an eye-opener for the industry that sidelined women in their target advertising. The power of the female consumer has changed the way many companies are branding and positioning their products in the marketplace. Recognising the purchasing power of women has changed consumer marketing into a revolution that even traditionally male consumers in areas such as financial services, home improvement and automotive are wooing women buyers. In order to reach their target segment, companies are starting to seriously examine the lifestyles of women and come up with solutions that cater to their desires and needs. Today, it's all about individualism and personal style, wearing what works for you. It's an attitude of casualness, instead of looking too polished or too studied. Women do cater their cultural originalities and like subtle deviations from it rather than complete diversifications. Similarly, a trend is set and becomes popular and those designs and specifications reign until something else becomes the norm and the whole cyclic process is repeated. Jewellery trade is all about catering to current demands and trends, vintage designs come and go in seasons and demands are cyclical and move with the times. Jewellery purchase is a very personal decision by an individual consumer. The consumers may be of three buying types. The Impulsive Buyer who purchases products quickly, often the purchase is not premeditated and there is little or no analysis involved. Impulsive purchases are generally lower in value compared to premeditated ones. The easiest way to conclude them will be to make available products where they visually catch the eye. Point-of-service displays that attract the eye, instant discounts, sale prices and mass advertising often help in the sale of these products. This is probably attuned to the less-than-J500 impulsive shopper for whom it is an on-the-spot decision to make a purchase and does not involve too much analysis. The Patient Buyer purchases the product after some comparisons and has put in some thought to the purchase. Analytical Buyers do substantial research before buying and the purchase is definitely premeditated. The shopping done may be Utilitarian, meaning with a purpose or Hedonic, for just fun purposes. In the case of jewellery, the patient and analytical buyers who are mostly by women, mostly for self and, a good percentage of them end in high-end sales. This makes it important for the jewellery shops to lure the women into making purchases at their store by using the right marketing gimmick. The major process in decision-making would primarily begin with need identification. This may be a genuine demand for a special occasion like weddings etc, or a simple need for indulgence, a gift or a simply an impulsive buy. This may vary depending on age, ethnicity, education, and purchasing power and price of the product. It could also be influenced by word-of mouth, by friends and family, by the advertising campaigns, branding, social or economical

Impact of Reverse Logistics on Supply Chain Performance Essay

Impact of Reverse Logistics on Supply Chain Performance - Essay Example Hence, the importance of reverse logistics is becoming an integral point of consideration in corporate sector. Mastering the process of reverse logistics can have a direct impact on company’s ROI, operating cost and the level of customer service needed to compete in today’s economy. Competitive prices, product quality, on time deliveries, consistent order cycle times and low damage rates have always been important and will stay to be so in the future as well. As a procedure, Reverse Logistics can be referred to as those activities, which are related to getting goods (packaging, materials, products) back from the point of use so that they can be resold, refurbished, disposed or reused properly. Activities that are involved in the process of reverse logistics include collecting goods, sorting them out, establishing logistic providers’ network to return and transport good, remanufacturing or refurbishment of selected goods, reuse or resale and finally disposing of. For a practitioner, the choice can be determined by the most lucrative alternative. Reconditioning – is an activity in which a product is repaired and cleaned to bring it to a new state. Refurbishing – involved in overhauling of the product, refurbishing is similar to reconditioning. Remanufacturing – it requires more extensive work, in often cases, a product is completely disassembled and then prepared all over again Resell – it refers to selling the product again as a new product or to a new market Recycle – also called as asset recovery, in recycling the product is reduced to basic elements which can be used again The core purpose of reverse logistics is to plan and process effectively in order to reverse the supply chain. By doing so, firms can properly determine and allocate returned products for disposition. Disposition can be referred to as that area which offers several opportunities of supplementary revenue to business. Reverse logistics i s not about just counting defective or returned goods from customers. The purpose of reverse logistics include repairs processing, product recall protocols, return policy administration, parts management, product repackaging, maximizing value of liquidation, product disposition management, recycling and much more. Being inattentive to returned or defective goods can be harmful to company not only in terms of losing revenues, but also in terms of losing regular customers. Even the most loyal customers will begin to escape if they find continued offering of defective products. In today’s intense competition, it can become difficult for a firm to survive if it does not consider these minor points and does not choose to alter its supply chain activities as per the demand of the situation. With the passage of time, alterations and modifications are required in each step of supply chain. Failing to do so can cause firms huge loss of time and money. Impact of Reverse Logistic on Sup ply Chain Management The growth of reverse logistics in assembled products is increasing in direct proportion to the advancements in technology. It is also directly propotional to the subsequent price erosion