The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Eleven

â€Å"Coffee, my dear?† Professor Campbel – James, Elena reminded herself – asked. At her nod, he bounced to his feet and bustled over to the tiny coffeemaker perched on top of a teetering stack of papers. He brought her a cup of coffee, creamed and sugared, and settled down happily in his chair, gazing across his crowded desk at her with an expression of innocent enjoyment. â€Å"I think I have some cookies,† he offered. â€Å"Not homemade, but they're reasonably tasty. No?† Elena shook her head politely and sipped her coffee. â€Å"It's very good,† she said, and smiled at him. It had been a few days since she had told Stefan and Damon she needed to take a break from them. After a much-needed sob session with Bonnie and Meredith, she had done her best to be normal – going to class, having lunch with her friends, keeping up a brave mask. Part of this attempt at normality was coming to James's office hours, so that she could hear more about her parents. Even though they couldn't be there to comfort her, talking about them offered some solace. â€Å"My God!† James cried out. â€Å"You have Elizabeth's face, and then, when you smile, Thomas's dimple comes right out. Just the same as his – on only one side. It gave him a certain raffish charm.† Elena wondered if she should thank James. He was complimenting her, in a way, but the compliments were real y directed toward her parents, and it felt a little presumptuous to be grateful for them. She settled for saying, â€Å"I'm glad you think I look like my parents. I remember thinking when I was little that they were very elegant.† She shrugged. â€Å"I guess al little kids think their parents are beautiful.† â€Å"Well, your mother certainly was,† James said. â€Å"But it's not just your looks. Your voice sounds like hers, and the comments you made in class this week reminded me of things your father would have said. He was very observant.† He delved into his desk drawers and, after a bit of rummaging, pul ed out a tin of butter cookies. â€Å"Sure you won't have one? Ah, Well.† He chose one for himself and took a bite. â€Å"Yes, as I was saying, Elizabeth was extremely lovely. I wouldn't have cal ed Thomas lovely, but he had charm. Maybe that's how he managed to win Elizabeth's heart in the end.† â€Å"Oh.† Elena stirred her coffee absently. â€Å"She dated other guys, then?† It was ridiculous, but she had kind of imagined her parents as always being together. James chuckled. â€Å"She was quite the heartbreaker. I imagine you are, too, dear.† Elena thought unhappily of Stefan's soft, dismayed green eyes. She had never wanted to hurt him. And Matt, who she had dated in high school and who had quietly gone on loving her. He hadn't fal en in love, or even been real y interested in, anyone else since then. Heartbreaker, yeah. James was watching her with bright, inquisitive eyes. â€Å"Not a happy heartbreaker, then?† he said softly. Elena glanced at him in surprise, and he set his coffee cup down with a little clink. He straightened up. â€Å"Elizabeth Morrow,† he said in a brisk businesslike voice, â€Å"was a freshman when I met her. She was always making things, particularly amazing sets and costumes she designed for the theater department. Your father and I were both sophomores at the time – we were in the same fraternity, and close friends – and he couldn't stop talking about this amazing girl. Once I got to know her, I was sucked into her orbit, too.† He smiled. â€Å"Thomas and I each had something special about us: I was academical y gifted, and Thomas could talk anyone into anything. But we were both cultural barbarians. Elizabeth taught us about art, about theater, about the world beyond the smal Southern towns where we'd grown up.† James ate another cookie, absentmindedly licking sugar off his fingers, then sighed deeply. â€Å"I thought we'd be friends forever,† he said. â€Å"But we went in different directions in the end.† â€Å"Why?† Elena asked. â€Å"Did something happen?† His bright eyes shifted away from hers. â€Å"Of course not,† he said dismissively. â€Å"Just life, I suppose. But whenever I walk down the third-floor corridor, I can't help stopping to look at the photograph of us.† He gave a self-conscious laugh, patting his stomach. â€Å"Mostly vanity, I suppose. I recognize my young self more easily than I do the fat old man I see in the mirror now.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† Elena asked, confused. â€Å"The third-floor corridor?† James's mouth made a round O of surprise. â€Å"Of course, you don't know al the col ege traditions yet. The long corridor on the third floor of this building has pictures from al the different periods of Dalcrest's history. Including a nice photo of your parents and yours truly.† â€Å"I'l have to check it out,† Elena said, feeling a little excited. She hadn't seen many pictures of her parents from before they were married. There was a tap on the door, and a smal girl with glasses peeked in. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry,† she said, and started to withdraw. â€Å"No, no, my dear,† James said jovial y, getting to his feet. â€Å"Elena and I were just chatting about old friends. You and I need to have a serious talk about your senior thesis as soon as possible. Come in, come in.† He gave Elena an absurd little half bow. â€Å"Elena, we'l have to continue this conversation later.† â€Å"Of course,† Elena said, and rose, shaking James's offered hand. â€Å"Speaking of old friends,† he said casual y as she turned to go, â€Å"I met a friend of yours, Dr. Celia Connor, just before the semester started. She mentioned that you were coming here.† Elena whipped back around, staring at him. He had met Celia? Images fil ed Elena's mind: Celia held in Stefan's arms as he traveled faster than any human, desperate to save her life; Celia fending off the phantom in a room ful of flames. How much did James know? What had Celia told him? James smiled blandly back at her. â€Å"But we'l talk later,† he said. After a moment, Elena nodded and stumbled out of his office, her mind racing. The girl who was waiting held the door open for her. In the hal outside, Elena leaned against the wal and took stock for a moment. Would Celia have told James about Stefan and Damon being vampires, or anything about Elena herself? Probably not. Celia had become a friend by the end of their battle with the phantom. She would have kept their secrets. Plus, Celia was a very savvy academic. She wouldn't have told her col eagues anything that might make them think she was crazy, including that she had met actual vampires. Elena shook off the unease she felt from the end of her conversation with James and thought instead of the picture he'd told her about. She climbed the stairs to the third floor to see if she could find it now. It turned out that the â€Å"third-floor corridor† was no problem to find. While the second floor was a maze of turning passageways and faculty offices subdivided from one another, when she stepped out of the stairWellon the third floor she discovered it was a long hal that ran from one end of the building to the other. In contrast to the chatter of people at work on the second floor, the third floor seemed abandoned, silent and dim. Closed doors sat at regular intervals along the hal . Elena peered through the glass on one door, only to see an empty room. Al down the hal , between the doors, hung large photographs. Near the stairWell, where she began looking, they seemed like they were from maybe the turn of the century: young men in side-combed hair and suits, smiling stiffly; girls in high-necked white blouses and long skirts with their hair pul ed up on top of their heads. In one, a row of girls carried garlands of flowers for some forgotten campus occasion. There were photos of boat races and picnics, couples dressed up for dances, team pictures. In one photo, the cast of some student play – maybe from the 1920s or '30s, the girls with shingled flapper cuts, the guys with funny covers over their shoes – laughed hilariously on stage, their mouths frozen open, their hands in the air. A little farther on, a group of young men in army uniforms gazed back at her seriously, jaws firmly set, eyes determined. As she moved on down the hal , the photos changed from black-and-white to color; the clothes got less formal; the hairstyles grew longer, then shorter; messier, then sleeker. Even though most of the people in the photographs looked happy, something about them made Elena feel sad. Maybe it was how fast time seemed to pass in them: al these people had been Elena's age, students like her, with their own fears and joys and heartbreaks, and now they were gone, grown older or even dead. She thought briefly of a bottle tucked deep in her closet at home, containing the water of eternal life she'd accidental y stolen from the Guardians. Was that the answer? She pushed the thought away. It wasn't the answer yet – she knew that – and she'd made the very clear choice not to think about that bottle, not to decide anything, not now. She had time, she had more life to live natural y before she'd want to ask herself that question. The picture James talked about was close to the far end of the hal . In it, her father, her mother, and James were sitting on the grass under a tree in the quad. Her parents were leaning forward in eager conversation, and James – a much thinner version, his face almost unrecognizable beneath a straggly beard – was sitting back and watching them, his expression sharp and amused. Her mother looked amazingly young, her face soft, her eyes wide, her smile big and bright, but she was also somehow exactly the mother Elena remembered. Elena's heart gave a painful but happy throb at the sight of her. Her father was gawkier than the distinguished dad Elena had known – and his pastel-patterned shirt was a fashion disaster of epic proportions – but there was an essential dadness to him that made Elena smile. She noticed the pin on his horrific pastel shirt first. She thought it was a smudge, but then, leaning forward, she made out the shape of a smal , dark blue V. Looking at the other figures, she realized her mother and James were wearing the same pins, her mother's half-obscured by a long golden curl fal ing across it. Weird. She tapped her finger slowly against the glass over the photograph, touching one V and then the others. She would ask James about the pins. Hadn't he mentioned that he and her dad had been in a fraternity? Maybe it had something to do with that. Didn't frat boys â€Å"pin† their girlfriends? Something nudged at the edges of her mind. She'd seen one of these pins somewhere. But she couldn't remember where, so she shrugged it off. Whatever it stood for, it was something she didn't know about her parents, another facet of their lives to be discovered here. She couldn't wait to learn more.

Henry Moore Sculptures

Digging deeper into the meaning of Henry Moor's sculptures Moor's sculptures are exhibited all around the world. In Moor's homeland, the sculptures are exhibited in Eke Botanical Gardens, the natural surroundings of the gardens compliment the sculptures. It feels as if the sculptures are different during the different times of the day. In the morning, when the sculptures are wrapped in mist, or during midday when the blue sky and sunshine makes them shine, or in the evening, when the sculptures absorb the red evening sun.All these different interpretations and perspectives would not be possible to see if the sculptures were in a museum, where no natural light would compliment the sculptures. Moore always manages to draw a connection between the sculptures and the landscape. For example, in the following picture, there is a hole in the sculpture, and when you look through there is an abundance of green, if there was a white wall behind it, the sculpture would not be as impressive. Per sonally, I love the fact that the sculpture is almost one with nature, it really blends into the surroundings.The three main themes around Moor's work were the reclining figure, the mother- child relationship and the embryo-like ‘internal-external' forms idea. Moore was influenced by constructivism and surrealism, this is pulled through by the biomorphic forms that Moore produced and also suggested how the human figure could be fragmented into simple, essential forms. Many of Moor's sculptures have holes in them, either in the middle or symmetrically. To me it seems like the shapes come from the hollow space in the

Michigan Coal-Powered Plants

1769, or the start of the Industrial revolution was when James Watt patented his steam engine.   All the steam-powered machines like the steamboat, steamship, and steam locomotives, were all powered by coal.   Coal is a solid fossil fuel that when mined, can be used for energy.   Today, more then 90% of coal is used for electricity and that which isn’t used for that is used as an industrial power source.   Coal fired railroads stopped in the 1950’s and industrial use has declined, but electric utilities have increased their use of coal tenfold in the past 50 years.   By the early 20th century, radiator heat was powered by coal and older homes still have their coal chutes.Wyoming, Colorado and West Virginia are some of our main coal producers and our supply far exceeds that of oil and natural gas.   Today, 52% of electricity generated in the United States is coal powered compared to only 14.8% for nuclear power.   In 2004, 1.16 billion tons of coal was burn ed, most for electricity.   At the current usage rate of coal, the world has 1500 years left to use this resource.There are actually many cons of using coal even though Americans are more leery of nuclear power.   It was found that people who live near coal-fired plants are exposed to higher radiation then people living by the nuclear plants.   (McBride, J.P.)   Because of people’s fears about nuclear energy, most plants will be replaced with coal-fired plants unless solar energy is harnessed in a better way.   First and foremost, coal produces carbon dioxide, which is suspected to cause global warming.   Human health is susceptible because coal is a source of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, two sources that may cause acid rain.   Coal also contains uranium and thorium, two radioactive materials.   In 1982, each U.S. plant released 5.2 tons of uranium and 12.8 tons of thorium.Total  was 801 tons of uranium and 1971 tons of thorium.   It is predicted in the year 2040, that 145,230 tons of uranium and 357,491 tons of thorium will be released in the U.S. alone.   These large quantities of these two materials are not being treated as radioactive waste.   Coal-powered plants aren’t regulated and are basically permitted to emit low-levels of radiation.   Long-term accumulation of these radioactive materials could pose serious health hazards†¦ already the effects are being seen, showing up as more asthma in children.   Michigan has the highest prevalence of asthma in children.Exposure within 30 miles of a coal-powered plant showed 1,929,662 children with 18% of them having asthma.   Large amounts of pollution that coal-fired plants built before 1977 are exempt from the Clean Air Act.   Illinois alone has 22 plants that are exempt and in 1997 these plants emitted 240,000 tons of Nitrogen Oxide, or as much as the annual pollution from 12 million cars!Also in 1997, Illinois plants emitted 722,000 tons of Sulfur Dioxi de which fine particulate pollution of this has been attributed to 5,570 premature deaths a year in Illinois and 3,767 in the city of Chicago alone, according to a 1996 study by the Environmental Working Group.   (http://www.consciouschoice.com/1995-98/cc115/note115.html.)With so many health problems, potential and active, why are coal plants still being proposed?  Ã‚   The Great Lakes basin is home to more than thirty million people.   The Great Lakes are the largest system of surface freshwater on the Earth, spanning about 800 miles and containing about 20% of the world's surface freshwater resource. The water in the Great Lakes accounts for more than 90% of the surface freshwater in the U.SBut this beautiful land also has the special focus of our government and that is they want the  Great Lakes region to be the future sites of many more coal-powered plants.   As many as 94 plants are already in various stages of planning.   Ten plants in Illinois, five in Wisconsin, and already Northern Lights Coal Plant in Michigan is causing quite a stir.   At first this plant was given a hesitant welcome since it was claiming to be the cleanest coal-powered plant in the U.S. and would create jobs, but looking deeper into it, it was discovered that there were political and environmental regulatory trends and that the Bush administration wanted a nationwide surge in proposals for new coal-fired power stations, with a special focus on the Great Lakes region.President Bush wants to dismantle federal environmental safeguards and encourage burning more fossil fuels.   He has agreed that older coal fired plants in Michigan and other states need to modernize their plants, but will still avoid improving air pollution controls.With all this, there are some good things about burning coal.   Natural gas, which is much more cleaner then coal, has gone up in price.   The price has doubled since 1990 and costs four times more to generate then coal so burning coal i s more economically feasible for the country.  Ã‚   Also, since 1960, particulate precipitators have been used by U.S. coal-fired plants, which reduce 99.5% of the fly ash.   Utilities can also collect ash, cinders, and slag and deposit them on coal-plant sites.   Coal ash is rich in minerals including large quantities of aluminum and iron, which haven’t been fully looked into.   If the government could really regulate coal-fired plants, these would be great advantages of having them.In conclusion, coal-fired plants are hazardous to human health, animals, and nature especially for those of us living in the Great Lakes region.   Instead of the  government looking at just the economic advantages of coal, they should also be focusing on what the implications are of producing almost 100 plants in a few states.   Canada has already charged that 50% of the pollutants that cause ozone come from the Midwest states so one can only imagine if you actually live in one of t hese states, what people must be breathing in.   The Bush Administration needs to clarify and fix the Clean-Air Act so that not only do older plants need to modernize, but also they need to be regulated.   The Great Lakes are a beautiful region to live and vacation and need to be protected against the air toxins that will be released if all these coal-fired plants are built and un-monitored.Bibliography  McBride, J.P., R.E. Moore, J.P. Witherspoon, R.E. Blanco.   â€Å"Radiological Impact ofAirborne Effluents of Coal and Nuclear Plants.†Ã‚   Science Magazine.   Dec 8, 1978.Schneider, Keith.   â€Å"The Bush Administration Pushes Dirty Coal Plants.†Ã‚   E / TheEnvironmental Magazine.   August 20, 2004.http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=34416.Gabbard, Alex.   â€Å"Coal Combustion:   Nuclear Resource or Danger.†Ã‚   NoDate.   http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html.No Author.   â€Å"History of Energy .†Ã‚   DKospedia, The Free Political Encyclopedia.December 21, 2004.No Author.   â€Å"Self-Reported Asthma Prevalence and Control Among Adults — UnitedStates, 2001.†Ã‚   MMWR Weekly.   V.52 May 2, 2003 pg. 381-384.http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5217a2.htm.Lilliston, Ben.   â€Å"Poison Power.†Ã‚   Conscious Choice.   September 1998.http://www.consciouschoice.com/1995-98/cc115/note115.html.

The Influence Of Hallyu To Image Of Korea As A Tourist Destination And Dissertation

The Influence Of Hallyu To Image Of Korea As A Tourist Destination And Asian Tourists' Decision-Making - Dissertation Example The Korean Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has been appreciably enhanced due in large part to the interest exhibited by other Asian countries of the region in the quality and content of Korean presentations. The bourgeoning industries (television, movie and tourism), have combined to create a groundswell of opportunities for business, and countless opportunities for employment in all sectors. The positive affects extend far beyond the monetary and quality lf life gains. It also opens up for public scrutiny and consumption, the entire Korean culture. Television viewers and tourist, who are in most instances one in the same, are becoming keenly familiar with Korean people. The Korean Ministry of Tourism has taken a lead role in promoting and improving its country’s image in the world market. Additionally the national government has aggressively taken on projects, involving physical development, and international promotion, which promote and showcase Korean culture; Hallyuwood is a giant bold step, which is planned to be a massive (1,000,000 square meter) project with a multi-theme economic approach. There are questions and some debate whether the hallyu wave warrants such a massive outlay of public funds. The debate calls to the prudent mind that hallyu has all the trimmings of a fad, which as they customarily do, if it is only a novel occurrence the public interest will dissipate before the investors can turn the corner. The only project in Asia, which will rival this undertaking, will be Disneyland â€Å"Japan.†Consequently, it will be the only host-nationally owned theme complex in Asia.

Why the Louisiana Never Recoverd From The Civil War Term Paper

Why the Louisiana Never Recoverd From The Civil War - Term Paper Example The aftermath of the Civil War was disastrous and eleven states out of the union were waiting to be readmissioned. The War had smashed the economy of the South and had drained the sources required for repairing the inflicted damage. The land was dotted with white refuges wandering in search of food and bare necessities of life. On the other hand, countless Blacks who were at last free were either running with their masters or running away from their masters towards the lines of the Union. The rest of the four million individuals were busy testing their newly acquired freedom. The aftershocks of United States civil war during the early 1960s were felt long after the incidence. It reshaped the very core of the social structure on which the society existed. The events and chaos of the civil war can be argued as major influences on the later outcomes that transformed this nation into what it reflects today. Although, the war struck all the states of the region, Louisiana being an important state in the southern region was affected severely in the hands of this massive turn of events. Its importance was due to its strategic location with a trade port. Orleans, a city of Louisiana was biggest in the southern region and provided with lots of manpower to the federal army to fight in the war.

With reference to your own research, do you think that the ability of Essay

With reference to your own research, do you think that the ability of a business to act successfully in a socially responsible manner is mainly determined by the products it produces - Essay Example The concept of CRS rose in the 1960’s after World War II (Carroll & Shabana 2010, p. 86). The primary cause of increased concern in the CSR concept is due to consumer concern social behavior of firms. The concept of CSR has faced both favors and objection. The main objection of CSR is that the primary concern of a business is to improve the profit of its stakeholders. Social issues are the interest of the government and corporations ought not to be involved. Business is also thought not to be capable of handling social issues. According to Carroll & Shabana (2010, p. 87), business has acquired enough power and the social power should not be entrusted to it. Embracing CSR concept in businesses will reduce the national competitiveness both at local and global level. On the other hand, CSR concept has been accredited as the source of business success in various ways. First, CSR determines business viability that consequently determines its future operations and success. CSR concept is also believed to offer a platform to enable business institutions to shun influence and regulation by the government. According to Carroll & Shabana (2010, p. 88), use of CSR will help business to anticipate and initiate social events. Such pro-action is less costly than reacting to than responding to social problems encountered. The significant influence of a product to business performance lies in customer awareness. Products highly affect customer’s top of mind awareness that, consequently affect their loyalty. Top of mind awareness depends on customer’s perception of the ethical values of a firm’s product and services. In determining the relationship between product and business performance, this paper explains the corporate social organization and its outcome of different companies. However, business success in penetrating the market is mainly affected by its quality, price and convenience (Vogel

On August 7, 2006, Reuter International admitted to and apologized for Article

On August 7, 2006, Reuter International admitted to and apologized for the fact that one of their freelance photographers had digitally altered a photograph of - Article Example The photos had generated mass hysteria against the Israel attacks which had damaged civilian places and displaced millions of the people from their home. Reuter, later admitted that these photos were digitally altered. The main purpose was to gain generate sympathy for the civilians and indirectly support the cause of Hezbollah militants. Altering the photographs digitally for vested interests was ethically wrong. The journalists are supposed to present the real situation to the people so the people can correlate with the event and accordingly propose a course of actions. In this case, the digitally altered photographs were meant to show gruesome and grotesque footage of war torn area and people and incite Muslims for the acts of terrorism and indirectly garner support for Hezbollah militants in their war against the Israelis. Journalists are pillars of our society and they need to be ethically correct in discharging their duty to disseminate correct information to the public at large. Violation of academic trust through plagiarism, cheating, falsifying information or aiding and abetting in any of the nefarious activities are now serious offences and they are considered as totally unacceptable conduct in all areas of work, including journalism. Hence their professional honesty is crucial in promoting correct facts and interpretation on issues and topics that are socially, economically and politically relevant. The actions of the Lebanese photo-journalist will have long term implications not only for the said journalist but the whole cadre of the journalist would become the target for vested interest and may be labelled as dishonest people who cannot be trusted. As the short term repercussion, the said journalist might lose his job as well as his credibility amongst his peers. The long term implications of his actions would be reverberated in the world of journalism which boasts of extensive power to influence the critically sensitive paradigms of our time

Explain how coso framework can be applied in a computerised Essay

Explain how coso framework can be applied in a computerised environment - Essay Example COSO is an internal auditing standard. Internal control activities include all procedures required for ensuring financial statements that are true and correct, not tainted with errors or frauds. The COSO framework helps entities improve the management of the economy and efficiency of business operations (Cascarino, 2012). Control Activities: Control activities focus on ensuring all management policies and directives are implemented. The control activities include gathering valid and relevant data. Data pertains to the competitors, economy, and regulatory measure compliance. Management uses the control activities to reduce the effects of risks (Regan, 2004). Policies and Procedures. Management responsibilities include the implementation of the COSO Framework’s internal control policies and procedures. The aspects focus on being aware of any possible operational risks. Being aware includes pinpointing current and future business and other computerised environment risks. Conseque ntly, management should focus the COSO Framework on resolving current and future risks that crop up during each business operation. For example, policies and procedures include requiring the cashiers to issue official receipts for each computer generated sales activity. The official receipts are evidences of the day’s total generated cash collections. The computerised printout of a day’s total sales should include the official receipts, or purchase order forms. The store personnel must ensure the physical count of store or office supplies is equal to the quantity of each supply type shown in the computerised database list (Pfister, 2009). Security (application and Network). The COSO Framework’s internal control activities require that all individuals must use passwords in order to prevent the unauthorised persons from viewing, adding, or deleting the computerised database. Likewise, security guards and other company personnel shall prevent the entry of unauthori sed persons into confidential computerised environments. For example, only the authorised inventory personnel cannot enter and change the details of the inventory department’s computersied inventory database. Likewise, only authorised employees are allowed to open, append and edit the accounting database. The Information Technology department allows authorised employees to access certain databases such as the inventory and receivables databases. Lastly, the company should affix CCTV cameras on all floors, offices, rooms, entrances, and exits within the computerised entities’ premises (Moeller, 2011). Further, the COSO Framework’s internal control activities incorporate a computerised generation of assigned performances. The computerised performance results will help management implement remedial measures. Remedial measures are used to correct lackluster performances. For example, the computerised report indicating a sales person generated low sales performance w ill persuade management to increase the advertising budgets (Moeller, 2011). Further, management must ensure that segregation of computerised database access is implemented. For example, the cashier cannot access the accounting department’s database. Likewise, the accounting department personnel cannot access the inventory dep

Journal about the text, Shame of the Nation, pages 1-37 Essay

Journal about the text, Shame of the Nation, pages 1-37 - Essay Example are major schools with nearly 99 percent of students being black or Hispanic. His claims are based on his visits to sixty different schools across eleven states. The chapter reveals that apart from racial segregation in urban community public schools, there is also a distinct culture of ensuring that non-white population is repeatedly reminded of their inferior status. The schools lack modern amenities and black children are forced to chant, ‘I can.. I have confidence that I can learn’ (34) thereby implying that do not have the abilities and they can only try. The schools subtly promote discrimination as children are not exposed to the whites on a regular basis. The peer pressure therefore often becomes the major element that dissuades them to compete on equal basis. The blacks seem to have no expectations from a society that still looks down on them. thus, Kozol’s distress is genuine when he says that it is the ‘most destructive and long lasting message a nation possibly could give its children’ (37). America is one the greatest democracy of the world which revels in its diversity. But Kozol has shown that racial discrimination is still prevalent and practiced under the guise of legal jargon. Education is the most important platform that facilitates empowerment of the people, It is especially important for people who have been marginalized for centuries and require the support of knowledge to improve not only their social and economic status but also for competing on intellectual basis with the mainstream population. But education would not be able to play its role if it is imparted within an environment of discrimination. Kozol has shown a distressing front of urban public schools who deliberately emphasize that blacks are not equal to white but have to work towards their betterment not equality. It is also very painful revelation that segregation in schools is open and is being practiced under federal

The impact of animation for children's psychological development in Essay

The impact of animation for children's psychological development in finding their identities - Essay Example Text Resources that will be consulted 14 13. Conclusion 14 14. References 16 What are animations and what forms they may adopt Since man has the ability to clearly distinguish between thirty frames at maximum over a second, an animation refers to a display of up to thirty images a second which model an illusion of movement. This optical illusion occurs due to persistence of vision and has been used successfully over centuries in the benefit of animation and other movie makers. Animation for kids refers to all the cartoons and other fun movies whose main targeted audience is the kids. Fairy tales are one of the most prized possessions of a kid, often so, because they are said to belong to the children world. As Andersen(1991) says, the fairy tales speak to a child in a language he understands. They are vibrant and colorful, the music is often loud and don’t need a serious voice over because the video alone conveys the message. Beck (2005) believes that animations may also conve y a message. They don’t necessarily have to end with a prince charming falling head over heels with a princess who has it all. It can also convey important messages such as effects of global warming, importance and need of conserving energy, basic human rights etc. At the tender age when children normally enjoy these animations, they are forming their perspective of the world. Obviously what they see will reflect on their personalities hence the animation makers need to ensure that the message conveyed is positive and important. Grant (2006) exclaims that we often see banners promoting positivity and a revolution in the world but then, animation have a much a greater impact than mere pictures and words. Ghertner (2010) exclaims that animations are not just for kids, they entertain the elders just the same. For example, who hasn’t watched ‘Lion King’ or ‘ The Lord of the Rings’? There are so many such epic animations that one wonders if there w ould ever be an end to storytelling; and the answer is no! Animated stories have been there since centuries and there will always be new stories evolving. Bessen (2008) says that one can only hope that this art gains a greater meaning and insight as it progresses since storytelling affect the psyche of young kids and adults alike who watch them and often consider themselves to be the heroes of the story. Picture credit: http://www.dandare.org/FreeFun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/LionKingWallpaper1024.jpg Animations Sharpen the Human Brain Over the last two decades one sees the popularity of the use of animations and other graphics increasing by leaps and bounds in the instructional media. Almost all schools rely on animations to teach the kids the basics and the teachers then add on to it. As Gilland (2009) correctly points out, around twenty years ago, one could not have imagined but now robotic schools are well thought for idea. This intrigues one to explore how animations are more eff ective than the teachers themselves. Block (2007) exclaims that it has been experimentally proven by various researches that animations on subject matters really improve a child’s retention and inference abilities. Instead of a teacher telling how Red Riding Hood got scared of the wolves, if a student gets to see it, he is able to infer it better and not only that, he retains the images better than words. The reason why animations Some of these reasons are associated with the affective role that graphics can fulfill. For example, animations may be aesthetically

Blown to Bits Essay Example for Free

Blown to Bits Essay Technology has rapidly advanced, affecting standards on privacy, telecommunications, and criminal law. Every day, we encounter unexpected consequences of data flows that could not have happened a few years ago. Due to the bits explosion, the world changed very suddenly. Almost everything is stored in a computer somewhere. Court records, grocery purchases, precious family photos, radio programs†¦ It is all being reduced to zeroes and ones – â€Å"bits.† The bits are stashed on disks of home computers and in the data centers of big corporations and government agencies. The disks can hold so many bits that there is no need to pick and choose what gets remembered. So much disk storage is being produced every year that it could be used to record a page of information, every minute or two, about you and every other human being on earth. Once something is on a computer, it can replicate and move around the world in a heartbeat. Making a million perfect copies takes but an instant – copy of things we want everyone in the world to see, and also copies of things that weren’t meant to be copied at all. Due to instantaneous transfers, some data leak. Credit card records are supposed to stay locked up in a data warehouse, but escape into the hands of identity thieves. And we sometimes give information away just because we get something back for doing so. A company will give you free phone calls to anywhere in the world—if you don’t mind watching ads for the products its computers hear you talking about. The book presents 7 ‘koans’ or principles regarding the bits and the effect of it on humanity. Koan 1: Even though your computer seems to present pictures, texts, songs, and videos, they are all composed of bits. Everything that’s digital are ruled by bits. Even as we speak, bits are flying through the airwaves by our phones. Koan 2: Every copy made by a computer is perfect. The era of books  being handwritten oftentimes resulting to mistakes, has now been closed by digital explosion. And even though these machines do fail as long as the bits have been communicated, the probability of error of the bits is so slim. Koan 3: Vast as world-wide data storage is today, five years from now it will be ten times as large. Yet the information explosion means, paradoxically, the loss of information that is not online. Outdated software and information not stored in the computer are usually assumed as inexistent. Koan 4: The speed of a computer is usually measured by the number of basic operations, such as additions, that can be performed in one second. The fastest computers available in the early 1940s could perform about five operations per second. The fastest today can perform about a trillion. Koan 5: Exponential growth is actually smooth and steady; it just takes very little time to pass from unnoticeable change to highly visible. In the rapidly changing world of bits, it pays to notice even small changes, and to do something about them. Koan 6: Data stored will all be kept forever, unless there are policies to get rid of it. The Internet consists of millions of interconnected computers; once data gets out, there is no getting it back. Victims of identity theft experience daily the distress of having to remove misinformation from the record. It seems never to go away. Koan 7: In the bits world, in which messages flow instantaneously, it sometimes seems that distance doesn’t matter at all. The instantaneous communication of massive amounts of information has created the misimpression that there is a place called â€Å"Cyberspace,† a land without frontiers where all the world’s people can be interconnected as though they were residents of the same small town. The book introduces two basic morals. The first is that information technology is inherently neither good nor bad—it can be used for good or ill, to free us or to shackle us. Second, new technology brings social change, and change comes with both risks and opportunities. Any technology can be used for good or ill. Nuclear reactions create electric power and weapons of mass destruction. The same encryption technology that makes it possible for you to email your friends with confidence that no eavesdropper will be able to decipher your message also makes it possible for terrorists to plan their attacks undiscovered. The key to managing the ethical and moral consequences of technology while nourishing economic growth is to regulate the use of technology without  banning or restricting its creation.

Food and Tradition Essay Example for Free

Food and Tradition Essay Culture has been existence since the time man came on the earth. Many ethnic groups have their own ways of living. Due to the new technologies and globalization, culture of many societies and families have been affected and altered in one way or the other. Some of the cultural traditions, practices, values and beliefs, values and virtues have faded away never to be heard again in within this new era with new generations. The roots of culture originate from families and clan. So the life styles are now being influenced from their fundamental points of source. This is not saying that culture will come to an end. Several families, clans which grow up to make communities and ethnic groups have struggled to this very far to preserve their culture. The survival of such cultural activities has created major concern over the last few decades. Most people have recently aroused the interest in cultural practices and this has contributed a lot to the tourism industry in our home country. Thousands of tourists are visiting our country entirely to watch over the oldest plays and cultural activities as well as to enjoy our traditional foods during such cultural occasions. This has resulted in dynamic, creative cultural practices of the oldest periods of our fore fathers. Food is something which is taken in the lightest manner possible by the new generations which we have in the entire world. They simply term it as nourishment that sustains growth or furnishes energy or does both to our bodies. They feebly attach much concentration on other importance of food other than the above. They have not known how much it contributes to the social and cultural welfare throughout our life. The role of various foods has deeper implications which are more than satisfying our hungers and other physical requirements. It may structures families schedules or it provide social activities which nurtures the family relation ships as people from one family interacts among themselves or with other family members. To a larger extend, it is used as a representation of certain ethnic identities. Thus, food is used in as part of family cerebrations or ceremonies as well as in our rituals. I as an indigenous person who hails from the northern parts of china, we have varieties of food stuffs. This ranges from the simplest agricultural products both from land cultivations and livestock. Although, the place has no reliable and sustainable rainfalls, many families produce farm products of horticultural natural through irrigation methods. Some of the produces includes vegetables and fruit, cabbages, squashes, pears grapes and apples. From livestock, they are vast lands in which people keep sheep for mutton and lamb. Generally, it is rare to get pork in such a place. This seems to have been influenced by the religion of the people. Most of the inhabitants are Muslims; hence they forbid the practice of taking pork. Pork is seriously fear by this people. The belief the eating of pork is like eating of the fresh of ones supreme being. So, the utilization of food is a very important part of the processes of life. Sometimes we fail to appreciate that food is more than just fundamental. The only other action that we connect in that is of analogous importance to our lives and to the life of our species is a sexual characteristic. But these two activities are quite different. The range of variations is substantially wider in food than in sex. In fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite inconsistency. For endurance needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food measured only in calories. However, people are of different backgrounds and eat very differently. Chinese eat varieties of foods in their meals which are characterized by quite notable flexibility and adaptabilities. The mixture of different meals in their ingredients remains to be distinctive in the appearance and tastes as well as the flavours. This varies from one cultural activity to another. During the festive occasion of circumcision, children are circumcised to graduate from their childhood to youthful hood. At this particular occasion, people use legume in higher quantities. This includes soybeans, broadens, pea nut and mung beans. They are used to make rapid healing of the wounds. It is also necessary to take bitter spices such as garlic and cinnamons which acts as reminder of the bitter activity they have gone through. (Gernet, 1962) Apart from circumcision ceremonies, many families do not eat meat products during the periods of tragedy such as death. In our culture, meat products are as result of shedding blood to the ground. Shedding of blood is one the acts which are sternly against the practices of our traditions. So, at such time of mourning, people cease from using the meat products which results from blood shed of animals. They believe that this is a sign of maintain peace with their super natural being. Once we eat such products, it like we are provoking the anger of the supreme nature. Thus, the common meals that are taken contain foods full of starch. Reference: Gernet, J. (1962): Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion: Stanford University Press

Semantic Derogation of Woman

Semantic Derogation of Woman The Semantic Derogation of Woman In the reading of Muriel Schulz The Semantic Derogation of Woman, the author talks about words in which describe woman in a slang or profound way. The author says this is because men fear womans attitudes and this is the only way they can let it out. Schulzs talks about how words over time which were nice and gentlemanly like or had a good meaning have become rude and slanderous towards woman. I hope by the end of this paper you will better understand what Schulzs point of view was trying to make clear. The main issue the author points out is how the language we use today will carry through to new generations. She says it throughout the paper that men of degenerated all of these words in some way or form to insult woman. For example she says Shakespeare degenerated the word lewd to mean prostitute(Schulz, 45). No matter how small or discrete we are about using slang words sooner or later a new generation will start to use it and unless a generation decides to stop using a part of language it will continue to pass on. Men throughout history have designed the language throughout the generations and have always made unequals. For example, â€Å"all men are created equal† this statement coming from our founding fathers. Two things are wrong with that sentence: founding fathers, not founding mothers, and all men are created equal not all humans are created equal. Though it is true men have wrote the language and laws we currently and had previously used, the future looks brighter and brighter for woman as they infiltrate the government. Not only this, but woman are a huge part of how we are raised. They are not only teaching us in the classroom, but at home too. This I believe disproves the author who states men help women stay out of the office. There is no way woman would be in office if it wasnt for men standing up for woman and voting for them too. This is where I believe Schulz lacks evidence for her case. The next part of the article Schulz talks about is the slander used to describe old or overweight woman. She talks about how men have made words like â€Å"cow† and â€Å"warhorse† to describe these women(Schulz, 43). I believe half of this is true. Ive never heard an old or overweight woman called a warhorse(Schulz, 44). A warhorse or steed usually refers to a young, fast, athletic person. However, she does list other terms that I would have fully agreed upon like â€Å"hag†. Older ladies still today are called old hags and still today its an insult(Schulz, 43). People who are overweight these days are stilled called cows, and old people are called old hags, these are both insults. Once again she lacks evidence and makes a mistake saying that if you called a man a granny he would take it as an insult. If I were called a granny I would just look at the person funny and say do I look like a girl to you. The next issue Schulz talks about is how words like â€Å"tramp† and â€Å"mistress† have degenerated over time to become words that describe woman if they have sex too much or cheat on their man(Schulz, 46). She makes a good point in that things woman do which help pleasure men are made to look degrading, and are looked down upon. Such acts for example are stripping and prostitution. I would have to agree with the author full heartily on this issue. Even though men love skimpy little outfits on girls, I cant help and look back on how hypocritical we are on those girls. Some of these girls are well sophisticated young ladies just trying to make a buck, so they can get through college and become a helpful person to society. A good example would be Lady Gaga who is now a well known pop singer in the country. Even though her parents were well off and could pay for her college, she decided to strip to pay for her college and make herself an independent woman. The final thing the author brings up is why men fear to be inferior with women. She says men just cant stand it that girls are biologically stronger than men during the early stages of life because girls hit puberty faster. Girls also have a longer lifespan and are less likely to get diseases. For this men must say hostile things to woman to make themselves feel superior and make woman feel worthless. The author here is trying to finish off the reader here with a last onslaught against men, but she makes some mistakes. Yes, boys do feel a little weaker when girls start to grow taller than the, so they do say mean things to make themselves feel superior. However, when men in their early twenties are taller than these girls a why do they insult these girls now. Its certainly not because their worried these girls are going to outlast them in life, its because guys think its cool to show off in front of their friends, and see how bad they can insult a girl. I just feel the author really never covers this age group throughout the article. To conclude I think this paper was very well written overall. This feminist really has a passion for what shes talking about and really shows it throughout the paper. However, I do feel that she did lack evidence sometimes during the paper, and this can leave holes in her story. I hope I have helped you understand what Schulzs feminist point of view was trying to make clear. Works Cited King, James. http://thejamkingshow.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/snap-lady-gaga-use-to-be-a-striper/. 7 April 2009. warhorse. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 15 Dec. 2009. .

Loss of Consciousness from Brain Injury Versus Amnesia Essays -- Biolo

Loss of Consciousness from Brain Injury Versus Amnesia Brain injuries have been traditionally classified as mild, moderate and severe based upon the duration of loss of consciousness and memory. More recently these classifications have been reconsidered based upon the length and severity of amnesia (4).. How can you measure loss of consciousness and memory? How does the length of amnesia better predict the severity of a brain injury versus the traditional method of classifying brain injury based upon the length of loss consciousness? Head trauma is by far the most common cause of amnesia, but the condition often goes unrecognized as patients more serious medical problems become the foremost concern (3).. Traumatic amnesia is brain damage caused by a severe non-penetrative blow to the head, such as in a road accident. It can lead to anything from a loss of consciousness for a few seconds to coma. During post-traumatic amnesia, a patient usually fails to remember not only the accident, but also all information learned for several years bef ore the brain injury. A severe blow to the head is likely to cause loss of consciousness lasting seconds up to months. This state of puzzlement and confusion can pass with time for many cases (1).. A brain is exposed to injury as a result of external forces, which are directed to the head. Those forces can include a blow to the head, the head hitting something, and a rapid acceleration/deceleration movement, such as whiplash (2).The extent of brain injury can be classified as either a state resulting in coma or not. This distinction is used not because the ultimate outcomes are necessarily different, but because coma resulting in a head injury can evoke "the vigil between life and death."... ...for everyone (1,2). WWW Sources 1)Anatomy of a Head Injury, Description http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~cahr/headfall.html 2)Welcome to the Brain.com, http://www.brain.com/brain/ 3) Traumatic Brain Injury , http://courses.smsu.edu/jas188f/316/TBI.htm 4) Loss of Consciousness http://subtlebraininjury.com/noloc.html 5)What is Amnesia?, http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web1/www.psy.ohio-state.edu/psy312/amnesia2.html 6) Story about Amnesia , http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/englsih/health/medicalnotes/newsid167000/167771.stm 7) Amnesia , http://www.u.arizona.edu/~pdavidso/amcog.html 8) Children with amnesia cast new light on memory and learning?, http://www.psy.ohio-state.edu/psy312/amnesia2.htmlhttp://expressindia.com/ie/daily/19970720/20150363.html 9) About Traumatic Brain Injury, http://www.tbidoc.com/Appel12.html

How to Use a Stethoscope Essay -- essays research papers

How to Use a Stethoscope Perhaps one of the greatest abilities in today’s medical world is the ability doctors and nurses have to listen to heartbeats, pulses, and breathing patterns with simplicity. It doesn’t require any high-tech equipment. It doesn’t require a myriad of tests and examinations. It doesn’t cost thousands of dollars per minute to operate. In fact, the abilities that I just mentioned are made possible by this instrument: a stethoscope. The stethoscope that we know today is not the stethoscope that was invented nearly 200 years ago. In 1816, a young physician in Paris, France, named R.T.H. Laennec, created the first recorded stethoscope, thanks to his noble convictions. You see, Dr. Laennec was examining a female patient, and was embarrassed to put his ear to her chest. This was common practice among physicians in this time period, but Laennec was simply resistant. Instead, he recalled that sound travels through solid materials. He rolled up 24 sheets of paper, and placed one end to his patient’s chest. The other end he placed to his ear, and to his amazement, listened to the noises of her chest cavity. Not only could he hear the sounds his patient was making, he noticed the sounds were louder and clearer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of course, Laennec’s design was much like a paper towel tube, so it is not at all representative of this instrument: the modern binaural stethoscope. This design was created only years after the creation of the stethoscope a...

Developing and Maintaining Safe Schools Essay -- Safety Education Essa

Developing and Maintaining Safe Schools There is no greater challenge that exists today than creating safe schools. It is difficult for children to learn in an environment that is unsafe and when they feel at risk. It is hard to keep staff on task when they fear for their own safety. One out of twelve students who stay away from school do so because of fear. In an ideal world, you would like to prevent all school crime and ensure the safety of students and each staff member. There are so many things outside the control of the school administrator that such a task is almost impossible. To predict the potentially disruptive behavior of students, a staff member, or the intruder who comes to your campus is unrealistic, but being armed with the knowledge that this could happen to you could can lead to do several things to prepare for a crisis, avoid a crisis, and preclude successive crises. Restoring our schools to tranquil and safe places of learning requires a great commitment. It involves placing school safety at the top of the educational agenda. Without safe schools, teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn. School administrators have a host of opportunities and strategies that can be implemented to make a difference. The difficulty often is in effectively analyzing the problem, and then deciding what can be done about it. A safe school is in place when students can learn and teachers can teach in a warm and welcoming environment free of intimidation and fear. It is a setting where the educational climate fosters a spirit of acceptance and care for every child; where behavior expectations are clearly communicated, consistently enforced and fairly applied. A safe school is a function of community will, priorities and i nterests. It requires partnerships and cooperation. The components and people involved are limited only by the imagination, creativity, energy, and commitment of the local community. Very important people include students, educators, parents, law enforcers, judges, probation directors, mental health leaders, and... ...allenge of setting a safe school environment plan. In today's society, safety is a very important issue. Once upon becoming an administrator, this would be one of the main issues on my list. I would work to have a safe school environment plan in effect. I would follow the outlined guide as closely as possible in order to implement a safe school environment plan in my school and district. Bibliography: Dwyer, K.; Osher, D.; and Warger, C. Early Warning, Timely Response: A guide to safe schools. www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/earlywrn.html Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education Flannery, Daniel J. Improving School Violence Prevention Programs Through Meaningful Evaluation. New York, New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, 1993. Houston, Paul. Schools: Islands of Safety in a Sea of Violence. www.aasa.org/Latest/Outlook/outlook10-7-98.htm AASA Leadership for Learning Stephens, Ronald D. The Art of Safe School Planning. Bloomington, Indiana: The School Administrator, 1996. Stephens, Ronald D. Conducting a Self-Assessment of School Safety. Bloomington, Indiana: The School Administrator, 1996.

A Terrible Thunder: The Story of the New Orleans Sniper Essay

On New Year’s Eve, in the city of New Orleans, in the year 1972, a sniper was hidden in the shadows. He is alone, with anger and hate fueling his tiny body he went on for many days to try to kill as many police officers as he could. The drama ended one week later when hundreds of police armed to the teeth and with the aid of a Marine Corps assault chopper descended on a burning building to battle with the lone sniper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper will look into the cause of such a violent outburst, of the senseless killing of innocent lives. And how it has gone out of control for the one of the victims in that infamous day of shooting was a black man just like the shooter somewhere above, in a building, hidden from view. Colored Puberty is the age where many young boys find themselves in a suspended animation in trying to discover their identity. To some it is a crisis stage and to many it is a turning point in their lives. In some cases though teenagers going through this phase are well adjusted and have a pleasant experience during this transition from childhood to adulthood. Most probably they live in a good home where their parents where able to shelter them from the evil world outside. But when it is time to go to college or when it is time to move out of the home to find employment, it is this period when the young man and woman gets the surprise of their lives. Mark James Essex had a similar experience when he left the protective confines of his hometown in Kansas. He joined the U.S. Navy in what is perhaps his ticket out of obscurity and poverty. He was able to accomplish one his objectives for in a way he became famous. But not for being rich and doing something worth emulating – he went down the annals of criminal history in one of the bloodiest day of gun related violence. All of these had its beginning when he went left home and an ominous sign of what is coming can be seen in one of his letters where he described his disappointment over what he had witnessed in the workplace and with deep sadness he wrote that the Navy, â€Å"†¦is not like I thought it would be, not like in Emporia. Blacks have trouble getting along here† (p. 15). His sadness was compounded by the resignation expressed by other fellow black enlisted personnel, who said that, â€Å"†¦it is just the way it is† (p. 15). When he went to his supervisor to complain about the racial slur and the discrimination that is going on like a plague on the base what he got was a gentle but confusing advice which is in essence to ignore the problem and channel his energies to do something really important – like finishing college through a Navy scholarship perhaps – and therefore increase his status. This kind of remarks confirmed in his mind that â€Å"†¦blacks were second-class citizens in the Navy, and it was hard for him to understand why no one seemed wiling to change things† (p.15). Mark James Essex witnessed a terrible crime. It is not something that could be brought in the court of law (at least in the 1970s) but it is something so offensive that an assault is a welcome alternative rather than the humiliation of a fellow human being from another. To be treated like an unclean animal is far worse than being hit in the nose with a straight punch. Moreover, the only excuse for such evil deed is the color of their skin. They have the same design, structure, and ability to feel and understand. The only difference is the way nature chose to color their skin and for M. J. Essex this is purely unacceptable. Fanning the Flames   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a context to everything. M. J. Essex did not just turned into a monster overnight. His heart and mind received a continuous feeding of hate and discrimination although it was given to him passively. In the book Peter Hernon discovered that M. J. Essex’ father urged him to go to the Navy hoping that there is less prejudice there. His father served in the Army in World War II and he recounted that, â€Å"†¦they would send us down to Mississippi to train with wooden sticks† and recalled bitterly, â€Å"Now why would they send a black man from Kansas or anywhere in the Midwest to Mississippi without any way to protect himself† (p. 26).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Reverend named W. A. Chambers told a similar story to the Essex family. He narrated a tale filled with the confusion and sadness accompanying discrimination and he said, â€Å"Negroes were forced to lock their weapons up at night while the whites were allowed to keep theirs in the barracks† (p. 26).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One could just imagine what was happening to the mind of the young M. J. Essex whose great hopes of a great America was crushed when he encountered the same sick thing that his parents had encountered three decades ago. These stories no doubt added fuel to the smoldering flame of hate and anger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is needed now is an outlet to spew it out or it would surely ruin him inside. There is a great need to express the pent-up emotions and nature dictates that when pressure is building up then an explosion is imminent unless something happens in a way of releasing that pressure. Many like minded men had found solace, inspiration, and the letting go of dangerous build-up in the heart and mind by joining non-violent protests. The Civil Rights Movement under Martin Luther King, Jr. patterned perhaps from another model of non-violent movement such as that of Mahatma Gandhi who successfully overthrew an oppressive government without firing a single shot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand there are other groups who could not wait with older men in the hope of finding equality in their lifetime. Besides, both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi died from bullet wounds. Is it not wise to give their enemies a dose of their own medicine? Fire against fire seems to be their motto and they were intent to make their presence known. J. Essex was caught up in the spirit of the times. In the dark times of his struggling with discrimination he came across literature concerning the Black Panther Party, a group who does not believe in the saying that the meek will inherit the earth. They would rather believe the opposite, and that is the violent will take what they deserve by force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a young man with a military heritage – even if it was not an impressive one, his dad went to served in WWII – and his limited experience with the U.S. Armed Forces the proposition by the Black Panthers to take up arms is so much enticing for an angry young man longing for adventure and a chance to right what is wrong. Trigger   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The context was established in the last few pages. The anger and restlessness did not come out from a vacuum. There is a history involved here that was traced to the bitter experience of M.J. Essex’ Dad in the U.S. Army.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now, the spark that ignited the powder keg of emotions came from two related sources. The first one occurred just after boot camp when he was humiliated in an enlisted men’s club, â€Å"A white boy showed him what to do, how they had to get ice in another room next to the bar. The white went in and got the ice without asking permission† (p.26). The second one is the fight with a man named Robert X. This guy, for no apparent reason could not go along with black people. His insecurity ran so deep that in the opening chapter of the book he was described to hate even the why black people walk. He is offended that the Negro race seemed to be happy and contented. Maybe he wanted them always suffering and cowed like slaves in plantations long gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third source is from the systematic way the Navy seemed to show its prejudice against him. An example is how his (M. J. Essex’ car) was being searched. It was deliberate and took sometimes half an hour to fully inspect his ride, something that would piss off any person irregardless of race and gender.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, â€Å"†¦what really burned Essex up was the riding he got from petty officers and other officers. They would write him up for the smallest infraction†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 26). The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the terrible experience in the court-martial for he was dishonorably discharged from the Navy. At seven forty-five on the morning of October 19, 1970, M. J. Essex went AWOL. He was transformed overnight from a fun loving a guy who has nary a care in the world to someone constantly brooding, â€Å"†¦to think about what a black man has to do to survive† (p. 42). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Negro race has suffered many injustices from the time that they were captured and sold as slaves many centuries ago. It was such a perplexing tale of man dominating not the beasts of the earth and all the things that contain in it but fellow humans. What is more perplexing though is the slow process of emancipation, from removing them from the fields and into a real liberation where they will be considered as equals among men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The age of Reason has come and the Industrial revolution has ushered in a new way of understanding the world and social classes. Freedom was exploding like a beautiful rainbow in the minds and hearts of people around the world. After World War II that idea of independence and the importance of a single person could never be denied. Everyone enjoyed this privilege, all except the Negro race that had to suffer discrimination in the land of the free, in one of the most advance industrialized nation in the world, in the home of the brave the United States of America. There were only a few who went to fight for their rights. The spirit of the Negro was suppressed so it is understandable why they could not easily voice out their views. The white people who were not blind to such wickedness, they are the ones who should fight in their behalf yet many perpetuated the myth that the white race is superior over the blacks. The marc to freedom was a slow process, a procedure that sometimes get to be expedited by men of will and character. These few good men would cross the line and join their Negro brothers although society forbade him to do so. They were indefatigable in their fight to achieve racial equality in American society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But some black folks could not wait for their great white savior. They cannot even hold out for long with the likes of fellow blacks like Martin Luther King, Jr. A few would like to speed up the Civil Rights Movement a little bit and put it in the fast track. Into these ranks of violent persuaders one can find the names Huey Newton and Bobby Seale and their infamous Black Panther Party established in 1967. Their methods may be crude and their language may be vulgar, but it is enough to create a spark in the mind of a young black man whose back was pushed against the wall and every fiber of his being demanding for justice. Sometimes these feelings have to find an outlet or else it would be unbearable to live.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many in the Civil Rights Movement were fortunate to get in touch with someone like a Martin Luther King, Jr. who proposed a serious expression of their discontent. Through rallies and demonstrations they were able to voice out the pain that is inside them and it was a good form of release. But others chose another path, more deadly more sinister – it is to kill innocent people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another clue as to why Mark James Essex would go down the road to perdition can be seen from the remarks of her mother that was picked up by the author, â€Å"Still, keenly aware of how white society dealt with rebellious blacks and afraid her son might be branded a misfit and possibly wind up in jail, she urged moderation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 44) This clearly shows that black people have a very negative view of white dominated society. By her mother’s statements it was clear that he can find no way out of the dark tunnel he is in. On both sides of the exit are white people waiting to pounce on him. There is no way out except with guns blazing and dying with a glorious death just like what the Black Panthers are advocating.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It must be made clear that part of the context of the story of the sniper from New Orleans is the fact that he needed the ideological persuasion of the Black Panthers in order to move from anger, to extreme hatred of whites and then finally to kill in cold blood. Mark James Essex had the misfortune of joining the Black Panthers in a time when they too were desperate and are too eager to end their campaign in a spectacular display of bravado and recklessness. Sound of Thunder   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first casualty was Cadet Alfred Harrell, 19 years old, newly married and do not have any kind of relationship with Mark James Essex. The second casualty was Edwin Hosli, 27 years old and married. He too does not know Mark James Essex. These two facts are very significant because it outlines the problem of racial discrimination showing another disturbing facet on how man erroneously sees race and inequality. Many have fought this wrong thinking head on with bravery and wisdom. Men have died as martyrs who offered their blood as payment to stop further violence and prejudice towards blacks. Others have the same goal but with a different method of accomplishing their objectives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By killing Harrell, Hosli and the other victims of Mark James Essex shooting spree, the sniper has clearly shown which side he belongs. He did not deserve to be honored like the other Negro freedom fighters for what he did is nowhere near honorable. He did not sacrifice himself instead he was just looking for an opportunity to vent out his anger and in the end hoping to feel much better. He did not deal with his personal issues and instead allowed his problems to take control of him. Take a look at the facts and it will be made clear that Mark James Essex the killer sniper has become more terrible and more despicable than the racist people he had come to hate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By comparison those who disrespect blacks, make fun of them, humiliate them in front of   others – though they are very much wrong – thy are much better than Mark Essex because they did not take life. The humiliated person can always bounce back, the man insulted can always choose to behave as if nothing happened. The dead man cannot do anything. Officers Harrel and Hosli was not even given the chance to hear Essex side of the story. If these police officers harassed Essex then his crime will be understood but killing someone unknown to the assailant, not having any other motive rather than hate is certainly sick.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By doing what he did, Mark James Essex is not helping a bit. His spent cartridges provide ammunition to his enemies and fuel their rhetoric that blacks indeed are curse sub-species of the human race. Instead of helping to push forward the issue of equality, Mark James Essex pushed it a couple of years backward. He never profited from his actions he only brought his parents to the grave with deep anguish and heartbreak it was a product of his selfishness. His actions should not be emulated by any black or white person facing incredible odds.

Toyota’s Sudden Unintended Acceleration

University of Sharjah Electrical ; Computer Engineering Department PRO. SOC. ISSUES IN ENG. Term Paper â€Å"TOYOTA’s sudden unintended acceleration† Submitted to: Dr. Abdul Kadir Mohammed Hamid Done by: Asma Al-Za’abi ID:20721529 Kawther Aljasmi ID:20721556 Introduction about Toyota : Toyota’s company is a product of many years of experience, production and high efficiency. Toyota has been one of the most successful companies all over the world.Toyota’s company success in leading the Japan’s economy to be NO. 1 in Asia, beside that Toyota is a major multinational car manufacturer headquartered in Japan. It was built by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937. Nowadays this factory is the first factory for cars in the world. And what make Toyota’s so special that it manufactured vehicles with high quality and simplicity in use, beside the less costly compared with the other companies, which make the use of Toyota vehicles so extended.Toyota is the sec ond largest producer of vehicles all over the world with a production of 6 million vehicles per year deployed in more than 160 countries, Also achieve an annual income of 108 billion dollars . Toyota produces a full range models of vehicles and employs 246, 700 staff. It is also one of the top ten companies in the list of Fortune Global 500 largest trading company, There is a survey that has been published in cnnMoney. com that Toyota is one of the most impressive and appreciated company. Kiichiro Toyoda,† founded the company in 1933, when he had just returned from a tour in the United States, he choose the spin factory which was owned by his father to set up a workshop for the vehicles industry. Then he produces the first models in 1935. Introduction about the mechanism : The throttle is a metal plate that connected to the end of the gas pedal this part controls the amount of the air that go to the vehicle’s engine. And the throttle body consists of 4 main parts which is: ? the throttle plate or butterfly valve ? electronic throttle control Sensor ?Engine Control Unit (ECU) Talking about the throttle body we have to give you an explanation about it. The main part on the throttle body is the throttle plate, which is a butterfly valve that controls the Intel gases. The throttle plate is communicated by a site of wire. To move the throttle plate there is an electronic throttle control that connects the throttle linkages and the accelerator pedal to a sensor which take the signal to the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which calculate the angel and give the exact position of the plate depending on the inputs.We can say that this part is controlled partially by the driver when he press on it the throttle the plate or the butterfly valves will be opened and the angle is depending on the force you apply it the more force the largest angle and vice versa. The problem : Unintended acceleration is the main problem in Toyota’s case. Where you suddenly feel like your vehicle’s speed is increasing up without any order from you to increase, and according to some cases what was happen that if you press on the pedals to drive by 80 km speed you notice that the vehicle is move according to 120 km speed and that is the basic problem here.Most of t he people thought that this problem is because of two reasons. The first one that when you drive the vehicle and while you applying your force on the gas pedals it stuck and it can’t be return to its normal position so this lead to our big problem the unintended acceleration . The second reason that the gas pedals didn’t stuck, but it take more time to return to its normal position this also cause the unintended acceleration that happen to the vehicle.These two reasons cause a lot of accidents resulting with number of deaths and injuries Toyota documented this problem by recalling 4. 2 million vehicles to replace the floor mats that might impede the pedals and what they did ab out this point is reducing the length of the floor mat from the top of it so the pedal can return easily without any difficulty, beside 2. 4 million to install a shim behind the electrical pedals assembly to make it return to its normal position at the expected time.All the pedals that are used in Toyota’s vehicles were manufactured by Canadian supplier CTS. Toyota’s engineer thought that the problem is solved for these pedals that it take time to return â€Å" slow down â€Å" or maybe it’s sticking in the floor mat . The problem Contd. : By doing the biggest recall ever Toyota’s thought that this is the end of the problem, but unfortunately and according to the complaints of 24,000 customers received by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) from Toyota’s vehicles users about problems in their vehicles.The cases of deaths and injuries is still recording , so Toyota has to do something with the system as a whole not only with the parts, and the NHTSA has eventually concluded that there was no mechanical problem !! It was not easy for Toyota to diagnose the real problem and it took long time to identify the issue they got confused if the issue is not about the two recalling or its about the system as whole or there is a problem about the electrical throttle concept.At the same time Mike Allen-senior automotive editor delves into modern car tech, explaining why widespread theories about electrical throttle problems and electromagnetic interference are misguided and he was making his own research about electromagnetic interference from devices. And he conclude that there is electrical devices in the cars contribute to the acceleration problem like : cell phones , navigators , TVs and cameras. The problem Contd. : According to this simple figure we will explain how Mike Allen proved his results about the electromagnetic inference and how it’s related to our case We will start with process backward. T he electronic throttle represented by the Actuators and it’s any part in the vehicles that take the action and the throttle is controlled by the ECU â€Å" Engine Control Unit â€Å" which can be compared to the CPU function in our PCs , All the process that happen in the vehicles must pass through the ECU . Let’s start with the main point of the case when you press on the pedals. There is a sensor that converts your movement into an electrical signal. And when these signals interface with the external signals which are brought by the electrical devices the vehicles become out of control.It speeds up and this is cause the sudden acceleration even the breaks can’t react in this case. We can simply summarize this case as the heart attack. When you go to the hospital and you checked that everything is doing its work very well. You can’t recognize that there is any problem in your body and you can’t estimate when the heart attack will happen it happe ns suddenly. This is so related to Toyota’s case where the vehicles parts are is our organs and the heart attack is the unintended acceleration. It can be also summarized by the â€Å"Hackers â€Å".When you received a virus from external resource like flash memories and websites you can’t blame the PCs Company because it’s not their fault. Also we can’t blame Toyota because they can’t control this wide problem. Also people notice that this problem become obvious in the snowy weather, because as we know that the vehicle slides if the street is wet , so imagine what would happen if the way is snowy beside that the vehicle is out of control and it’s speeding up , That will lead for disaster for sure !!Why this happen with Toyota only ? 1- Some parts are manufactured by another company, so it differ from one to another like in our case the pedals was manucfaterd by Canadian supplier. 2- The sensitivity of the system â€Å"ECU â€Å"is diffe ring from car to another. 3-This problem happen with more than automotive company , but the media focus on Toyota only because it is one of the successful companies in US and the middle east and the other companies like General motors and Ford motor took it as chance to shine ! What did TOYOTA do? Toyoda apologizes in tears Toyoda said that he wanted more than anyone else for Toyota to be safe. He said in English before they start answering questions through an interpreter: â€Å"My name is on every car. †, The Chairman of Toyota's Akio Toyoda apology to the American Congress and the users of company cars in the United States for a bug in the pedals speed in some categories of Toyota, which have caused traffic accidents, and he conclude this investigation by saying â€Å"we will double the quality â€Å". †¢Recalling processNHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has received complaints from the customers who complain about the unintended acceleration of their TOYOTA’s vehicles, then Toyota asked NHTSA to help them in contacting with their customers. Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for problem related to sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for several accidents resulting in injuries and death . The automaker has repeatedly apologized for the lapses in quality control and TOYOTA technicians are working extended hours to repair the recalled vehicles, and the actual repair takes like 30 min. orks and TOYOTA will cover all costs associated with work. †¢Educating the public On the other hand Toyota focused on educating the users of Toyota vehicles about the problem itself , what to do if the customer face such a problem , what is the procedure that should be taken if the driver face this while he/she is driving , and a lot of information and details posted on their website. Also the concern about contacting with all the customers who has the vehicles that has this bug. What did TOYOTA do in U. A. E.?The Ministry of Economy appointed an officer to follow up on repairs and maintenance carried out by the company  «Al-Futtaim Motors » – Agents of Toyota company in UAE- to address the problem that might occur in these models of cars â€Å" Avalon â€Å" ; â€Å" Sequoia† which are more than 3200 cars during the period ranging from one month (24 February to 24 March ) The Code of Ethics of Toyota : â€Å"At Toyota, safety is a priority in everything we do – from the vehicles we put on the road to the people who drive them. That’s why we sponsor programs across the U.S . That encourage safety for drivers and passenger alike† Akio Toyoda According to this statement we drive the main ethical rule about our case, and Toyota’s case is the only case that was taken from the positive side †¢Obey the law. †¢ To be honest in word and deed. †¢ Respect the values of society. †¢ Being responsible. †¢ Perform their duties in accordance with the law †¢To have rules of conduct use of good governance and to avoid actions that could lead to conflict between the company and personal interests of society.Conclusion At the end, we can say that this problem is out of Toyota’s hand, although they do all what they can do in this case and they tried to limit this case as much as they can. It’s uncontrolled!! What would Toyota do if the guy next to you at a traffic light answered his cell phone? Or some ghost in the machine or a hacker caused a software glitch that made your car run away and the brakes suddenly fail? Toyota deserves a better deal than the media and Congress are giving it.

Teaching Mathematics and Science in Schools

The way teachers go about their teaching; each day in their classrooms is reflected as ‘teaching style’ or ‘approach’. This approach is better understood when the teachers are observed while they teach. Some teachers prefer activities for children associated with the curriculum, allowing students to chose their activity and complete it by themselves. Some other teachers would want the class to be attentive to them for most of the time. Certain teachers would like students to work in groups. Thus the methods adopted in the teaching-learning process is broadly reflective of the teacher’s viewpoint of what is ‘learning’ and how it should be brought into children.The process of learning is more successful when children are fully involved with the subject or topic of their learning. This is all the more important when teaching science. Life sciences involving plants and animals; and non-living things are real and can be felt. Experiencing the reality through interaction, makes science not only more interesting, but also easier to understand. Mathematics on the other hand involves a bit more abstract level.Yet, the symbols, signs and figures associated with mathematics with which children work, are self-created reality. In their effort to learn science and mathematics, children proceed further into the subjects, than just at the surface or base encounter. They analyze and interpret the object of focus and attempt to understand ‘how it works’, ‘why its required’ etc. Thus the child begins to develop reasoning for the facts it sees or understands. It may be the development of a new concept, or altering a previously thought concept, or even rejecting an assumption held till then. The teacher  who wants to interestingly engage children in learning science and mathematics must personally sense excitement in learning so as to share it with the children.The teacher should approach the topic of learnin g and the query asking children in a balanced and parallel manner. The teacher must be sensitive to the requirements of the children and help them to see relationships and understand explanations. For teachers to be proficient and confident in their teaching, it is essential that they understand the triple interactions involved in learning. The teacher must be conscious that while the child is interacting with him or her, the child is also simultaneously interacting with the focused subject. The focused subject or subject matter interacts with both the teacher and the child; while the teacher also interacts with the querying children and the focused subject.It is important to know the development of a child’s understanding and ability to reason, with their growth. Such an understanding is absolutely necessary in developing appropriate contents. For instance in the grades K-4, a child associates a comparison, a description, or a manipulation for all objects, it sees around. Al though the child doesn’t understand the science of motion while in this grade; activities like pulling, pushing, dropping of objects gives the child an idea of the cause of motion and its control.Similarly sound, heat, light, magnetism, electricity are broadly perceived through learning, observation and experimentation. However, the child would not be able to identify elements of temperature, magnetic forces, static electricity etc. In the grades 5 to 8, the concept of energy is developed through investigations into the properties of light,  sound, electricity and magnetism. In these grades, there is a considerable shift towards quantitative aspects of subjects. In the 9 –12 grades, students are geared up completely to deal with motion, force, energy; being familiar with theoretical observations and laboratory investigations (NJSC). Here they understand the reasoning behind the laws of motion and why energy is conserved. They are also capable of dealing with technolo gical designs and its problems, using the concepts and principles learnt.The association of brain functioning and educational practices is increasingly becoming an important factor in education. Brain-based findings have been closely monitored by specialists involved in education. The findings of cognitive neuroscience research has considerable bearing on the methodology of education. A new approach connecting brain functioning with education was emphasized in 1983. Leslie Hart, in his book ‘Human Brain, Human Learning’ suggested that by ignoring the brain functioning of students, the success of students is not achieved to its fullest potential.The philosophy of the newly developed ‘brain-based’ education is that the brain is used for everything we do; we should therefore know more about it and use it effectively. Contemporary models of brain-based education are multidisciplinary, relying on several disciplines like psychiatry, psychology, cognitive science , sociology etc. Brain plays an important role in the effect of classroom groupings, assessments, physical activity, lunchroom foods etc. Schools’ can affect students’ brain in several ways including through social conditions, stress, nutrition etc. These factors induce brain-based  influences by altering cognition, memory and attention.Neuroscientists Gerd Kempermann and Fred Gage discovered that the new neurons in the brain are intensely associated with memory, mood and learning. The process of neurons can be enhanced through good nutrition, low stress and proper exercise. The brain has the ability to remap itself due to its neuroplasticity (Jenson, 2008). This process can be influenced through reading, meditation, skill-building, career and technical education, and thinking skills, which contribute to student success.The importance of physical education is also emphasized by brain research. Cognitive scientists, physiologists, educational psychologists and physica l educators have strongly endorsed this view. Today more and more schools of education are incorporating the knowledge gained from brain research. Harvard University’s Mind, Brain and Education or MBE program produces postgraduates and doctors who eventually get engaged in interdisciplinary positions, both in research and practice.A report by the National Research Council Committee in September 2006, on the state of K-8 science education, has determined that science instructions offered in schools today are outdated. These are predominantly based on research findings of about three to four decades early. The report offers groundwork for the next reforms and is based on the recent understandings of how children learn, and recommends a narrower and better focus on important areas of science. It seeks to improve professionalism among teachers and have each aspect of instruction and  learning, better integrated with each other.The Council’s Committee on Science Learning, responsible for science learning in kindergarten to eighth grade had reviewed both, the reforms undertaken in science education in the last decade and the recent understandings of learning and cognitive science. The committee emphasized that young children are capable of intricate thinking and that each student develops an individual understanding of the nature around him. It also stated that the current debate on the importance of teaching content versus teaching process skills, should be put aside and both be replaced by interweaved aspects of science expertise.The committee has suggested that the curriculum, instruction and assessment should be properly integrated with the focus of fewer, central elements in each discipline, rather than surface level study of a wide topic. It points out that the current science education is based on relatively old assumptions. The current science education underestimates children’s ability of complex thinking and is more attributed to dif ficulty level in children rather than their ability.For instructions to be successful, teachers need to have a sound understanding of the subject, know how to teach it effectively and also be familiar with the recent research on student learning (AIP, 2006). Proper, effective instructions can clear misunderstandings and bring understanding closer to perfect. The instructions should include student encounters with science in a sequentially designed and strategic way. Students identified as proficient in science must be capable of explaining the scientific perception of the natural world. They need to be capable of introducing andn  analyzing scientific explanations, understand all aspects of scientific knowledge development, and participate in science-based exercises/discussions.The role of philosophy in developing the intellectual skills of children has been widely acknowledged. The induction of philosophy into the high school academic curriculum is gaining momentum, emphasizing n ot only the importance of the subject among them, but also the capability of the children for philosophical thinking. Dr. Matthew Lipman (1991), a philosophy professor at Montclair State College in New Jersey, emphasized that bringing philosophy into schools would only enhance the educational experience of children.The argument here was, philosophy could contribute to critical thinking, which is vital for all other subjects. Empirical evidence also shows that the cognitive and academic skill of children is vastly improved by teaching them reasoning skills early in life, banking on children’s natural inquisitiveness and sense of wonder. Obviously, such development would also contribute to the understanding of science and maths.It is estimated that about half the secondary teachers in the United States quit teaching within five years. Studies on the selection and services of secondary science and maths teachers reveal their inhibitions of isolated profession, lack of mentoring and dwindled prospects (KSTF, 2005).It is also important to address these issues, for the success of teaching and learning reforms. The new methods of education for school  children, particularly for maths and science should reflect the latest research into children’s ability and brain functioning. Engaging children in philosophical dialogues, also contributes to their ability of sophisticated thinking.REFERENCESAmerican Institute of Physics. (AIP, 2006) NRC Report Finds Much of Current K-8 Science Teaching Outdated.   FYI Number 142: December 20, 2006 [Electronic Version] downloaded on 24th Feb. 2007 from https://www.aip.org/fyi/2006/142.html

Human Resources Performance Essay

1. What factors should Perkins and Balkin consider when setting the wage for the purchasing agent position? What resources are available for them to consult when establishing this wage? †¨ Katie Perkins opened her own sports store. The company grew quickly and she hired 16 employees to manage different areas of the store. After a while Perkins decide to open a new position for a purchasing agent. When setting the wage for the purchasing agent position Perkins and Balkin must consider their internal and external factors. Internal factors include compensation strategy of the organization, worth of the job, employee’s relative worth and employer’s ability to pay. A company’s compensation strategy is how they plan to compensate their employees in general terms. The worth of a job is just what it says, what that position is worth to the company in the revenue or cost savings it generates. External factors include conditions of the labor market, area pay rates, co st of living, collective bargaining and legal requirements. The labor market reflects how much supply and demand there is within the industry for a particular position. 2. Suggest advantages and disadvantages of a pay-for-performance policy for Perfor- mance Sports. †¨ The advantages of a pay for performance policy is typically that productivity is increased while overall employee compensation costs are decreased because it doesn’t pay poor performers well. The disadvantages are measuring employee performance isn’t always easy. There will always occur some discrepancies in the performance level measured by the employer and actual performance level obtained by the employee which leads to dissatisfaction and decrease in motivation of the employee. 3. Suggest a new payment plan for the customer service representatives.