Admitted Students Day Jeff Sachs COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Admitted Students Day Jeff Sachs COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog “I can keep it brief. You should definitely come. Any questions?” On that lighthearted note, Professor Sachs began his keynote speech on Tuesday’s Admitted Students Day. The topics he discussed after this initial joke weren’t always so sunny, though. Climate change. Public health. The tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. They are, as he put it, “a new set of complexities that our current leaders have not been trained to solve.” But that doesn’t necessarily imply a completely bleak worldview. Watch this video of Professor Sachs’ speech to see the rest of the story:

How Interpersonal Skills Are The Basis Of Effective...

The ability to use Interpersonal skills and communication, and motivation to lead and achieve effective business management. Interpersonal skills, are a set of important life skills which we use in our day-to-day life in different scenarios, professional or personal, any individual will be using these skills when there is interaction or communication with other humans. In this essay I will discuss how interpersonal skills are the basis of effective management and how motivation plays a critical role in bringing the business to success. When we say communication a lot of the times people misunderstand communication as only delivering a message acrossacross what?, often people forget about the listening part of communicating, for example, managers only tell employees what they have to do, but neglect what the employees have to say about the task, perhaps they have an idea of how the task maybe done better RUN ON SENTENCE. Listening as a part of communication is as important as THE speaking part of it. Communication is a two-way thing, and the better one can communicate the more efficient one can deliver a message effectively. Interpesonal skills play a major role in increasing effectiveness in conveying a message Interpersonal skills is a collective term, described by these 7 main features: Verbal communication, Non-verbal communication, Listening, Negotiation, Problem-solving, Decision-making and Assertiveness (Interpersonal). In a company where there is a hierarchy, theShow MoreRelatedInterpersonal Communication Skills Test On Communication754 Words   |  4 Pages I took the Interpersonal Communication Skills Test on â€Å"Queendom.com†. It seemed relevant to my work as a counselor since I will be communicating with clients on a daily basis. The goal of this test is to determine how effectively someone communicates with others, as well as to offer beneficial advice in order to improve any problems one may have that could slow down the communication process. This test is a valuable instrument for employees in the counseling profession since it is a career ofRead MoreEffective Communication For A Managerial Level1587 Words   |  7 Pagesyour target audience; in addition, to determine the appropriate style and format of communicating with the audience. According to the business dictionary, the meaning of effective communication is A two way information sharing process which involves one party sending a message that is easily understood by the receiving party. Effective communication by business managers facilitates information sharing between company employees and can substantially contribute to its commercial success.. The personRead MoreManagement Theory And Practice Theory1027 Words   |  5 PagesManagement Theory and Practice Nichole Park MGT 601 Instructor: Andree Swanson â€Æ' Management Theory and Practice Who has not dreamed of being a manager? Being in management for some people can be a love hate relationship. Some will say it is an easy job and others will disagree. The author (Nichole) will select one of the management theories in the textbook then she will explain the elements that are the foundation of the management theory she selected. Furthermore, she will explain how theRead MoreA Research On Operative Communication Skills1374 Words   |  6 PagesWhen asked how an individual could become successful American economist Alan Greenspan answered by saying â€Å"To succeed, you will soon learn, as I did, the importance of a solid foundation in the basics of education - literacy, both verbal and numerical, and communication skills.† This recommendation is one that I utilize in all areas of my life: professional, personal, private, and educational. Despite the conditions it is safe to say that operative communication skills are indispensable in any situationRead MoreIn troduction Project Team is the group of people who work towards the common goal and share the1700 Words   |  7 Pagesit requires involvement from the different department. Katzenbach and Smith (1994) defines team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The most important responsibility of project manager is to build an effective team. Acquire project team is the process for obtaining the human resources needed to complete the project (PMBOK, 2013).However managing theRead MoreEssay on Effective Communication for Human Resource Mangers1348 Words   |  6 PagesEffective Communication for Human Resource Managers Communicating effectively is an essential competency for any professional and involves the performance of a range of first-, second- and third-person skills. This essay will discuss two predominant communication skills- feedback and questioning- that are of particular importance to the human resource (HR) management profession. A range of academic literature will be drawn upon to respectively define, describe, and relate each skill’s significanceRead MoreManaging People and Organizations1585 Words   |  7 Pagestheory managers require three of this following skills to be successful at their job, conceptual, interpersonal and technical (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg Coulter, 2008). Katz also believed that the top management would require more conceptual skills then the rest and the middle management would require more interpersonal skill then the rest followed by the low management that requires technical skill the most. In this essay I would be looking into how Katz theory works and shows that all managerialRead MoreCultural Intelligence And Its Impact On Culture1561 Words   |  7 PagesToday corporations have turned global. So it is very important that employees and top management both understand the cultural intelligence so they can execute the effective leadership and management tactics. Cultural intelligence provides an opportunity to understand and effectively function across the different cultures (Dyne, Ang Livermore, 2009). For any leader to work efficiently and effectively in different culture environment it is very important to have cultural knowledge and adaptabilityRead MoreThe Importance Of Interpersonal Skills On The Workplace1695 Words   |  7 Pages1. What is the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace? Interpersonal skills are important because they can help determine the effectiveness of a manger. It has been shown that places that have a reputation of being a good place to work have performed well in comparison to those that don’t have a good reputation. Managers that display interpersonal skills help companies attract quality employees and improve the retention of employees. Interpersonal skills in the workplace are so importantRead MoreImproving Leadership At Wal Mart1258 Words   |  6 Pagesway on improving, her interpersonal skills. That is the one thing which brings admiration to her supporting cast on helping find solutions in, the favor of Ann. This shows a solid structure based around strategies on ways of implementing improvements. While working at, Wal Mart both as a department manager and car pusher, it afforded an opportunity on seeing the lack of interpersonal skills amongst upper and lower management. If there is lack of conversing amongst management, then the workers in

Rome s Good Side And Rome - 1558 Words

Pofue Yang Mrs. Killian English 8 Rome’s Good Side and Rome’s Bad Side When people hear or see the word â€Å"Rome†, many of them think of the ancient Roman culture. The Roman culture consists of the Roman Gods, myths, their way of life, and arts. The surveyors wrote things such as â€Å"Romans Gods†, â€Å"Jesus†, â€Å"Architecture†, and â€Å"Ancient†. But the most surprising thing was that barely any of the surveyors mentioned Rome’s dark side; conquership, enslavement of people, forcing other people to fight for entertainment, and most of all, the struggle for power;. This research paper is to let all the readers know about Rome’s beginning, Rome’s conquership, their culture, and the power struggle. Rome started its development and conquership ever since the beginning of Rome. What many people do not know was that Rome was at first a Kingdom, not a Republic or an Empire.Rome was founded by a man by the name of Romulus in 753 B.C. Romulus made Rome into a Kingdom, and made himself the first King of Rome. As Rome started out, Romulus stole women from neighboring countries to populate Rome. As this happens, Rome was separated between nationalities. Romulus was the King of Rome from 753 B.C. to 716 B.C. Rome’s second king was Numa Pompilius. Religion was established by Numa which will influence the Romans in war, economy, and politics. As religion grew, Numa added 2 more months in a year (10 years to 12 years) to assist in Religion rituals. Numa was king from 715 B.C. to 673 B.C. Then came theShow MoreRelatedPantheon And The Gods1338 Words   |  6 PagesPantheon means all of the Gods. The first Pantheon was built in 27 B.C., but it burned to the ground in 80 A.D. Titus th en became Rome s Emperor and rebuilt Agrippa s work, but it, too burned down in about 110 AD. Consequently, it was then rebuilt in 126 A.D. The purpose of the Pantheon is unknown, but from what we know today it suggests that it was used as a temple. Whether people worshiped there or the emperor made appearances there is unknown. On the facade of the Pantheon, thereRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar919 Words   |  4 Pagesglance, Caesar may appear to be the tragic hero, when the real tragedy actually lies in Brutus’s story in William Shakespeare s play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. One tray a tragic hero must posses is that they are relatable. The play may be named for Caesar, but the reader simply knows more of Brutus and his motives, which help to make his story a tragedy more so than Caesar s. Brutus’ thoughts, actions, and history are made more apparent to the audience in great detail, thus making him relatable;Read MoreRoman Empire Essay943 Words   |  4 Pagesmajor cause of the downfall of Rome. The Military was a huge strong point of the Empire for most of its existence, but when generals began training armies of their own for personal use it was the beginning of the end. When that happened soldiers were solely in it for the money. The system worked for a long time, but eventually Rome s enemies began offering the soldiers higher pay thus simply buying most of Rome s army. A major military failure that contributed to Rome s downfall was the defeat andRead MoreRoman Roads1495 Words   |  6 Pagesof civilization, having influenced every aspect o f modern society, from literature to mathematics. Even today, Roman law and foundation of government forms the basis of several modern democracies. The ancient Empire`s monuments still stand millennia later, awing and inspiring us. Rome s extraordinary achievements and the unparalleled string of influential people shaped the whole of Europe and even the rest of the world. Philosophers blame the success of the Empire on many different factors, howeverRead MoreChanges and continuities of Roman empire1432 Words   |  6 Pagestransitioned from a Republic to an Empire. Later, that empire was split into two parts; east and west. In terms of changes in culture, it was impacted by the shift in religion, as the Romans shifted from polytheism to monotheism. Despite all the changes, Rome still remained culturally diverse. The Romans overthrew the Etruscans in 509 B.C.E. The Etruscans had ruled over the Romans for hundreds of years. Once free, the Romans established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representativesRead MoreAncient Roman Society1353 Words   |  6 Pagesthinks of the Roman society, pictures of grand villa s and of senators wearing Toga s come to mind. Also, Roman society is often associated with great feasts and extravagance among the rich. There is more to Rome, however, then these symbols and the Classical Roman society is one with a complicated history that covers the history of the ancient city and involves the family, the home, education and much more. The social structure of ancient Rome was based on heredity, property, wealth, citizenshipRead MoreEssay on Politics in the Novel Imperium by Robert Harris1402 Words   |  6 Pagesbegins when Cicero as a young man from a middle class family. He leaves his small town behind and comes to Rome, looking to make a name for himself in politics. He begins as a lawyer and is immediately noticed for his outstanding oratory skills and daring composure . Gradually, he gains influence in the realm of the courts until he has achieved the title of the second best advocate in Rome, only beaten by his bitter rival, Hortensius. His next triumph is to take on a daring case against the governorRead MoreA Historical Overview Of Julius Caesar Essay1452 Words   |  6 Pages(Shakespeare style) The fate of a nation determined by one man. With classic alliances and betrayals, the tale of Julius Caesar is still regarded as one of the greatest betrayals in human history. The fate of Rome was heading toward a dictatorship. Only the Roman Republic could stop Julius Caesar from ruling Rome. Little did the Roman Republic know that this assassination would later cause Octavian Caesar to become the first Emperor of the Roman Empire in 27 B.C.E. There is much to know about Julius Caesar.Read MoreHannibal And The First Punic War1406 Words   |  6 Pagesstart of the Second Punic War (218–201 BC). Victory in Italy was Hannibal’s sole objective. To achieve it, he marched the bulk of his army in Iberia across southern Gaul and over the Alps into the Roman heartland. Hannibal’s strategy was to attack Rome. Although his tactics for battle were superior he had strategic failures which would eventually lead to his campaign in failure. The first Punic war started as the Romans moved over the sea and marched on Sicily to gain lands there. The war beganRead MoreWhat Is A Roman Tribune?1028 Words   |  5 Pagesfive to six in a legion and eventually that number grew to ten. As one could imagine, the word tribune is Latin. The root word is Latin. Tribunus is where the word tribune originated from. Tribunus means, â€Å"a protector or champion of the people.† That s basically the same definition as tribunes. The man under this title would stuck up for the people in time of need. This is what the Roman tribunes did. The tribunes were chosen by kings or rulers of any sort. Later on, in a republic, the tribunes were

Prophecy of the sisters Free Essays

Alice and Lila were always close, but after her father’s death Alice seemed strange and distant, sneaking around the ameliorate manner. It Is soon realized the two have become enemies due to the prophecy, one good and one evil. The setting and world of the book seemed very realistic and interesting to me, the way the author incorporated literary themes into the unrealistic areas of the book made it hard to put down! The twin sisters are not your typically good versus bad twin, â€Å"only time will tell who is the guardian and who is the gate† (98) which gives it a retain mystery element that gets you captured. We will write a custom essay sample on Prophecy of the sisters or any similar topic only for you Order Now You get sucked into this world where what you think you know, Is not what you really know. Is Alice the good twin or Is Lila? While the two are battling to either close the Gate forever or release the beast and all the lost souls from other traveling worlds you you get a taste of good versus evil and you find yourself despising Alice and rooting for Lila, who has â€Å"never denied her sister to be careless, self centered, even spiteful, but it never occurred to her before the prophecy that she might actually be cruel. 132) As they discover their true roles in the prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, Lila has a choice to make, save herself or save everyone around her that she loves. As she races to end the prophecy before her sister does the anticipation only builds, despite the unrealistic ideals of the book. I feel that because the book started in a â€Å"normal† or realistic setting and led up to the untangling of the mysterious prophecy it w as easier to believe and I often felt I was deciphering the prophecy along with Lila, this kept my interest throughout the whole book. Some real world Ideas that popped out to me while reading the book were how everybody treats you Like your fragile or different after the death of a loved one, especially a parent. (I know about this first hand). Everyone feels as if they owe you an apology, so when Lila and Alice go back to Housewife everyone at school â€Å"avoids eye contact and whispers what could only be about them† (46) until Mrs†¦ Gray speaks for everyone when she tells the girls that she is sorry for their loss. I also noticed how they didn’t get in as much trouble as their friends, Impartially Louisa, an Italian orphan who was taken In by another teacher, even though they all left school together. Alice and La got off easier because their father was one of Housewife’s biggest beneficiary’s. Mrs†¦ Gray did not want them to know this so she tried to cover it up by saying â€Å"her pity for their recent loss was the only thing that kept them from getting a report sent to their aunt Virginia† (56) but the girls knew better. I feel this portrays class differences and the different treatment wealthier people get, or how if you’re somebody who has money you often get off easier or get a lesser punishment. All were the ones that stuck out to me the most. 3. This is personally my favorite genre to read, when I’m upset or stressed I can Just emerge myself in a great science fiction book such as The Prophecy of the Sisters and forget about the world around me for awhile. It is often hard for me to focus in on a book unless it really catches my interest, and I find myself fascinated with science fiction novels about mythology and the fantasy world. I have read many books much like this one, that I actually read a couple years ago and it became one of my personal favorites because many of the elements in it (souls, legends, the dead still being all around us, physics, etc. ) I actually believe in. I forgot the details of the book and I loved it so much the first time I read it I had to reread it again because I thought it would be perfect for this assignment and I will definitely be reading the next three books of the series as soon as possible. I love the way it starts out as a â€Å"normal† book but once an old legend (prophecy) is discovered you feel like you’re unfolding the mystery and learning the prophecy for yourself as if you are Lila, protecting your family and saving the world room destruction by the lost souls and â€Å"the seven deadly plagues of no return, death, famine, blood, fire, darkness, drought, and ruin. (36) I think focusing more on books of this genre in school would be more beneficial to students and teachers instead of the boring classical novels we’re forced to read. If teachers assigned students books they WANT to read, instead of ones they had to, they would get more involved and more students would actually read the books. Th is would result in overall better test grades which makes teachers and students happy. How to cite Prophecy of the sisters, Papers

Response to the “Why we should Legalize Drugs” by Benson B. Roe, MD Essay Example

Response to the â€Å"Why we should Legalize Drugs† by Benson B. Roe, MD Essay The issue concerning use of illegal drugs is a very sensitive one, considering that most people seem to believe that drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana to be very dangerous and highly addictive. The media, teachers, police and virtually everybody believe that such drugs should remain illegal and their use should be extensively discouraged and constrained. That explains why their use is called â€Å"abuse†. Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are among the hardcore drugs, whose destructive nature no words can possibly, conclusively describe. That is according to most people. But not according to Dr. Benson B. Roe. His argument that these drugs should not be labeled â€Å"more evil than legal substances like alcohol† would come as shock to most people. However, it would be quite unfair to condemn the doctor without hearing out his arguments and weighing them on a scale, against what most people believe. Only then would it be possible to see the issue in a completely diff erent perspective; a rather controversial perspective, which is just what this paper will seek to do (Roe, 2010).Roe’s arguments cannot be said to be baseless. Rather, he begins his arguments by giving some interesting background information on how he came to reconsider his belief that such kinds of drugs are â€Å"bad, dangerous and destructive†. The article presents some very fascinating evidence: most of the drug users’ deaths are due to contamination of intravenous injections, with only a few fatalities being caused by overdoses. It is accurate to state that not many people will believe that most of the drugs, if taken in moderation, are â€Å"pathologically harmless†. But this is exactly what Roe states in this professionally presented article (Roe, 2010).It is important to note the observation that there are few heroin users who are beyond the age of 50 because they had grown tired of using the drugs and therefore been able to quit. While many peopl e may not have ways of verifying this, if true, then it definitely forms a very strong part of Roe’s evidence that they are harmless provided that they are consumed in moderation. Although it is quite hard to believe that drugs like marijuana or heroin, just like alcohol, are harmless as long as they are taken in moderation, there is no reliable evidence to suggest that the drugs considered to be illegal are indeed more harmless than those considered to be legal. This view comes as rather shocking, considering that even the media send the message that these drugs are extremely dangerous and most people believe it (Roe, 2010).By arguing that there is no point of banning some drugs by calling them evil, addictive and poisonous and legalizing others, Roe provokes some fresh look at what makes the drugs illegal and leaves some equally harmful substances legal. For example, he argues that the â€Å"evil† label on some of these drugs has no legal basis. Concerning addiction, there are numerous other things that are addictive, like tobacco, yet they remain legal (Roe, 2010).This is quite a strong case because in as much as marijuana and the other drugs are addictive, there is no credible evidence that they are more so than tobacco and other things like chocolate, gambling and sex (Roe, 2010). However, the writer fails to note that the drugs are highly addictive, which is a negative thing. The use of drugs is known to cause users to have impaired judgment and that continuous use results to resistance to the hallucinogenic effects of the drugs, leading to increase in intakes by users and addiction. There is also a higher possibility of drug users causing accidents at work, school, and home which also endangers their lives as well as those of others around them (US No Drugs, 2009).Roe even goes to the extent of terming claims that these drugs are â€Å"deadly poisons† a â€Å"hoax†, arguing that the medical evidence that sustained, moderate u se of these drugs is little, if there is any. His argument goes like this: most of these drugs have been used in large amounts through the centuries, yet there is no clinical evidence that they cause any serious diseases (Roe, 2010). This contradicts the belief created by research that users of these drugs experience many other physical effects apart from the hallucinogenic effect. The effects include problems while driving, flashbacks and unwanted recurrences of their effects even for months after use. Another thing is that some of these drugs also cause users to have little inhibitions when it comes to sexual matters, increasing their sexual activity and eventually increasing their risk of contracting STIs. Also, it is well known that if users stop using the drugs abruptly, they may experience withdrawal symptoms like muscle cramps and convulsions (US No Drugs, 2009).Roe’s argument that most drug users are not addicts and that only a few users fall to addiction, which is th e same case with alcohol users, is based on the assumption that the drug market is so huge yet there are only a few users who are known to become addicted (Roe, 2010). These claims cannot be verified, because nobody really knows the exact extent to which these drugs are consumed and there is also no evidence that the users do not eventually become addicts. To prove this point, Roe would have to conduct extensive research to establish the real ratio of the drug users and the addictions resulting from the drug use. Only then would this claim be credible.In conclusion, the writer shows some considerable amount of effort in advocating for the legalization of these drugs, but the fact that other   harmful things like tobacco, alcohol, (and other addictive products) in the market today are legal does not make it right to legalize these drugs. Two wrongs will not make things right. It is important to note that not only are these drugs highly addictive, but also high-illusion causing and should therefore remain illegal. By focusing much on the addictiveness of the drugs by likening them to things like chocolate, the writer greatly underrates the negative effects these drugs have on human behavior and therefore he misses the mark. What he probably should focus on is the banning of other harmful drugs, rather than the legalization of the other illegal drugs.ReferencesRoe, B. B. MD. (2010). Why we should legalize drugs. Retrieved 14 Jul. 2010 fromhttp://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1.htmUS No Drugs. (2009). Effects of Drug Abuse On the Individual. Retrieved 14 Jul. 2010 fromhttp://www.usnodrugs.com/effects-of-drug-abuse.htm

An Enemy Called Violence essays

An Enemy Called Violence essays Even though the Hebrews believe God to be loving, he is not found pleasant in all situations. God is helpful, rewarding, and caring in the Bible toward the people who have faith in him; and is also known to be devastating, and at times overwhelming to his opponents when God inflicts forces of violence. The force of violence plays a major roll in Genesis and Exodus. Three main events in Genesis/Exodus come to mind when discussing the privileges of Gods followers or the violence against Gods opponents. God regrets his creation of mankind and exercises force against the wicked and evil people by creating a flood to cover up his error. This error shows how God relates to humans by making mistakes. God, however, finds Noah to be faithful and spares his life to reward him. Joseph also finds favor in Gods eyes and is kept safe through his hardship. The force is inflicted by Josephs brothers because they are jealous of Joseph and it would be beneficial for them if he was out of the way. God exercises force a second time in Exodus against the Pharaoh and Egypt, because God cares about his faithful people and wishes to free them from the Pharaoh. His intentions are also to show Egypt that he is real and is also extremely powerful. One of the first forces of violence in biblical history is when God decides to create a flood to destroy all of mankind to eliminate his error. It is believed that he creates the flood by releasing the window of the heavens. He decides that the people he created are evil and wicked, which originated in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The people are not faithful and do not have a relationship with God. He regrets created mankind, because they are the reason for corruption in his new world (Genesis Noah and his family are the only humans that God wants to survive. God favors Noah because he has proved himself to be a ritous man ...

Majority Language - Definition and Examples

Majority Language s A majority language is the language thats usually spoken by a majority of the population in a country or in a region of a country. In a multilingual society, the majority language is generally considered the high-status language. It is also called the dominant language or killer language, in contrast with minority language. As Dr. Lenore Grenoble points out in the Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World (2009), The respective terms majority and minority for Languages A and B are not always accurate; speakers of Language B may be numerically greater but in a disadvantaged social or economic position which makes the use of the language of wider communication attractive. Examples and Observations [P]ublic institutions in the most powerful Western nations, the U.K., the United States, France, and Germany, have been monolingual for over a century or more with no significant movement toward challenging the hegemonic position of the majority language. Immigrants have not generally challenged the hegemony of these nations and have usually assimilated rapidly, and none of these countries has faced the linguistic challenges of Belgium, Spain, Canada, or Switzerland. (S. Romaine, Language Policy in Multinational Educational Contexts. Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics, ed. by Jacob L. Mey. Elsevier, 2009) From Cornish (Minority Language) to English (Majority Language) Cornish was formerly spoken by thousands of people in Cornwall [England], but the community of Cornish speakers did not succeed in maintaining its language under the pressure of English, the prestigious majority language and national language. To put it differently: the Cornish community shifted from Cornish to English (cf. Pool, 1982). Such a process seems to be going on in many bilingual communities. More and more speakers use the majority language in domains where they formerly spoke the minority tongue. They adopt the majority language as their regular vehicle of communication, often mainly because they expect that speaking the language gives better chances for upward mobility and economic success. (Renà © Appel and Pieter Muysken, Language Contact and Bilingualism. Edward Arnold, 1987) Code-Switching: The We-Code and the They-Code The tendency is for the ethnically specific, minority language to be regarded as the we code and become associated with in-group and informal activities, and for the majority language to serve as the they code associated with more formal, stiffer and less personal out-group relations. (John Gumperz, Discourse Strategies. Cambridge University Press, 1982) Colin Baker on Elective and Circumstantial Bilingualism Elective bilingualism is a characteristic of individuals who choose to learn a language, for example in the classroom (Valdà ©s, 2003). Elective bilinguals typically come from majority language groups (e.g. English-speaking North Americans who learn French or Arabic). They add a second language without losing their first language. Circumstantial bilinguals learn another language to function effectively because of their circumstances (e.g. as immigrants). Their first language is insufficient to meet their educational, political and employment requirements, and the communicative needs of the society in which they are placed. Circumstantial bilinguals are groups of individuals who must become bilingual to operate in the majority language society that surrounds them. Consequently, their first language is in danger of being replaced by the second language- subtractive context. The difference between elective and circumstantial bilingualism is important because it immediately locates diff erences of prestige and status, politics and power among bilinguals. (Colin Baker, Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 5th ed. Multilingual Matters, 2011) [U]ntil recently, bilinguals have often been wrongly portrayed negatively (e.g. as having a split identity, or cognitive deficits). Part of this is political (e.g. prejudice against immigrants; majority language groups asserting their greater power, status and economic ascendancy; those in power wanting social and political cohesion around monolingualism and monoculturism).However, the portrayal of bilinguals varies internationally. In some countries (e.g. India, parts of Africa and Asia), it is normal and expected to be multilingual (e.g. in a national language, an international language and one or more local languages). In other countries, bilinguals are typically immigrants and seen as causing economic, social and cultural challenges to the dominant majority. . . . With both immigrant and indigenous minorities, the term minority is decreasingly defined in terms of smaller numbers in the population and increasingly as a language of low prestige and low in power relative to the majo rity language. (Colin Baker, Bilingualism and Multilingualism. The Linguistics Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., edited by Kirsten Malmkjaer. Routledge, 2004)