American education Essay

Education in China is growing. Over the past years Chinas education system has been attempting, and been successful in improving the education in China. China for many years did not put much emphasis on education. China was more traditional, meaning they were more interested in farming and working. Prior the 1840 education in China was only for the elite, the high class. The main purpose of education was to train what China called â€Å"gentlemen† or high officials. This is the time of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who introduced China to the Royal Examination System, which is used to select imperial officers. Chinas education was very rigid and it focused highly on technology thus China has a high rate of illiteracy. Early Chinese students were not very well rounded; they were limited in what they could study. For example a student of science would not know much about Humanities, and vice versa, a student of Humanities would not know much about science. This approach of learning narrowed the range of knowledge that a Chinese student might have. This would limit the students thinking and restrict their future development. When a student is limited in what he of she can do then that will dramatically decrease the number of jobs that they have to chose from. American education is a lot different than the early Chinese education. In America, school is for developing critical thinking skills. American education teaches students to apply what they learn in the class to the outside world. They teach students to think outside of the box and how to think deep and to apply critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is expected in America, as for China they are more knowledge focused. The Chinese function more on memorization of knowledge and facts, again this limits them in their thinking. Chinas’ education is based on training for entrance exams for college; this time of exams is known as â€Å"black July†. They memorize a lot of facts and then repeat them on a test. In America they teach how to apply what we learn to many different problems, to see if the students can figure them out. Chinas’ system is very competitive. The students compete with each other because there is limited space in college and there are limited jobs, in their marrow fields. This increases the pressure on the students, students at times commit suicide or run away from home and often suffer form depression because the pressure is so great on them, form their family and also themselves. Unlike most American students Chinese students are eager to learn and work really hard, they want to be the best that they can be for themselves and also for their family. China is making a lot of reforms on their education approach today. They are slowly adopting some of the western world’s principles. They are beginning to encourage students to study in more than one field, such as if a students is studying mathematics they also can, and often do study another subject such as science. This is broadening the students’ horizons and allowing them to be more rounded in their capabilities. This also increases the job types that they might be able to do. The Chinese are beginning to put more of an emphasis on critical thinking than they have in the years past. This takes some of the pressure off of the students and evens it out a little more, because if the can’t find a job and all they have is one skill then they will suffer and be left out working maybe a low rate job. If a student has more flexibility in what he or she can do then there will be more options for them in the job field. The education systems of China and America are more and more beginning to resemble one another. A few differences that still exist today are that the American schools are more centered on the students and interaction learning while the China schools are more teacher- focused and lecture oriented. American schools also encourage the students to debate with the teacher and ask questions during class. China has a phrase called â€Å"saving face†; this means that the students would rather not know the answer than to ask a â€Å"dumb† question. Teachers don’t encourage questions during class and don’t allow much debate. There are both strengths and weaknesses to both Chinese and American education methods. Chinese students study hard and often. They are viewing school as a privilege and a competition while most Americans view school as boring and tiresome. While Americans struggle with memorization and discipline, they are strong in critical thinking. American students are more rounded and able to apply what they have learned too many different things, whereas the Chinese are somewhat limited. I would have to say that all in all both systems have their positives and their negatives but as the years progress, improvement in each country will also.

Marvel Enterprises

Marketing Strategy 8050 Marvel Enterprises, Inc. Case Writing by Xiaodan Dong February, 2008 Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (b) Why was Marvel’s turnaround so successful? Would you characterize that success as a fluke? Or do you view it as sustainable? Why? How? Marvel’s success is not a fluke because its business model is sustainable. Marvel’s new strategy monetized the content library by licensing characters for use with media products. During an era in which mass media is very important in people’s life, only one media tool, publishing, is not strong enough to expand Marvel’s influence to consumers.Comic books can target a very limited market, mostly composed of male teenagers and young adults from 13 to 23 years old. It is very difficult to expand this traditional market. After many years of development, this market has matured and is very stable. Meanwhile, people have been more exposed to movies, televisions, and video games, which more effectively influence people’s consumption behavior than do comic books. All these media modes are able to reach more consumer segments than traditional comic-book publishing.Marvel’s potential to develop increased dramatically when its market expanded to broadcast media. Other consumer products, such as toys, worked in conjunction with media products, these two kinds of products reinforced each other. Marvel’s market expansion developed in both a comprehensive and intensive manner. Marvel emphasized long-term value in its new management strategy. They planed â€Å"career† for each of their characters. For example, Spider-Man’s career over the next five years is to have two more movies, DVDs, toys, a video game, and a promotion with Burger King.The intensive â€Å"career plan† extend character’s life and can have each character penetrate into people’s lives by media on a long term basis. The third main strategic dimension is to ensure the quality of the content which featured Marvel characters. Creation and consistency in characters and stories mean everything for Marvel. Before Marvel’s turnaround, the low publishing market share was mostly due to a lack of quality control. When efforts were put into improving creativity and fine artwork, the publishing business was rejuvenated and the market share increased.The publishing business provides the primary support for both licensing and toys. Marvel’s success will sustain, because the products lives are extended with well-planed â€Å"career†, and the market is expanded with thriving licensing and toy businesses. Investment in quality can enhance the product’s competitive ability in terms of both product life and market expansion. Great potential exists in each aspect of Marvel’s market. (c) How important are each of Marvel’s three divisions – Comic books, toys, and licensing – to its past and future performance? T he comic book business was Marvel’s core in the past and earned almost all revenue.Comic books were so important for Marvel that its market share determined if Marvel would live or die. That is why Marvel went bankrupt in the mid-1990s, when mismanagement caused a huge drop in comic-book sales. After Marvel turned around, comic-book publishing was important as a primary business, but not a core business. Since 1997, Marvel’s financial performance in comic-book industry has been very stable and the annual sales totaled around 300 million every year. While comic book revenue should continue to be stable, its percentage will decrease in the future as Marvel’s other businesses grow.Licensing was only a small part of Marvel’s overall revenue in the past. Marvel’s licensing was mostly concentrated within the comic-book industry, selling the publishing license to some book-related businesses or some toy merchants. After Marvel took advantage of broadcast media, such as movies, television, and video games, its licensing become the largest division and collected the majority of the profit for the company. In 2003, licensing accounted for 70. 5% of the gross profit (See Appendix A Figure 1). Licensing profit had a much sharper increase from 2000 to 2003 than the other two businesses (See Appendix A Figure 2).In the future, licensing will keep increasing and its percentage of revenue will grow, especially if the management adopts a strategy of capitalizing on it. In the past, the toy business was just an annex of the publishing industry. Little effort was invested in toys which were not even mentioned strategic plans. Now the toy industry is the second-highest profit maker in Marvel, generating over $20 billion in sales in 2003. The toy business is very promising in the future. However its percentage in revenue will still remain stable or slightly decrease, just as publishing will do, because licensing has such a strong possibility for growth.In addition, while the toy industry competition is too fierce to permit further achievements. (d) To what extent is Marvel’s success due to only one character, Spider-Man? How can Marvel develop its lesser-known characters? There is no doubt that, to a great extent, Marvel’s success since the 1960s is due to Spider-Man. However, during the 1990s, the company declined despite such a successful superhero. â€Å"Exploiting† strategy by significantly increasing the number of titles stretched out consumers’ interest. Marvel’s new CEO, Peter Cuneo, restructured the company with negative assets and turned the company around.Spider-Man was resuscitated in comic-book sales. In the Publishing Division, Marvel’s 64. 7% revenue was from Spider-Man among the top famous titles in the second half year of 2003 (See Appendix A Figure 3). In the movie box office revenue, Spider-Man collected 33. 75% revenue in the US market and 37. 2% in the world mark et among Marvel’s eight titles movies, ranking the first (See Appendix A Figure 4). Spider-Man has gained great achievements, since the company turned around. However, Marvel’s success is not due to only one character.According to figure 3 and figure 4, other lesser-known characters, such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, have also contributed to the company’s success. The entertainment market is difficult to predict. Consumers’ interests for media products are notoriously fickle. It could be very risky to continue to infuse resources to Spider-Man. Spreading limited resources to lesser-known characters helps the company reduce risk. Marvel needs to shift their focus to lesser-known characters which have great potential to be popular with wider public.Integrated marketing communication can be a very useful strategy to promote lesser-known characters by using prominent characters. For example, the Fantastic Four can be guests in Spider-Man’s comic-bo oks or movies. When lesser-known characters and Spider-Man are presented to people as â€Å"Marvel’s Superheroes†, lesser-known characters can be promoted by the fame of prominent characters. As Marvel’s previous CEO Peter Cuneo (2003) said, â€Å"this is about converting Spider-Man fans into Marvel fans. †

People of Filipino Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

People of Filipino Heritage - Essay Example The literature review unveils some key findings that can be a hindrance to the provision of culture competent care. In communication, the Filipinos culture requires a nurse to demonstrate a high level of understanding and compassion through the use of the right and respectful title for the elderly. Nonverbal communication and respect for personal space are other aspects that will make communication effective. A brief look at the family organization and roles reveals that roles are given to members according to their age and ability. Those who can work fend for the family while the elderly are caregivers to the infants and the young. In health care, Filipinos use both traditional and contemporary medication. The traditional or herbalist intervention is the initial consultant before resorting to hospitals if conditions persist. Economic stagnation and a constantly growing labor force in the Philippines is the main cause of its emigration policy. The aim of this emigration policy is to export the surplus labor to other parts of the world and alleviate the level of pressure that the home economy is facing in an attempt to provide jobs (Zontini, 2010). In this study, the asymmetry of migration by gender is also a subject of discussion. Many of the literature cited in this work point to the socio-economic aspects of life as the main cause of migration from Philippines. The patterns of emigration of the Filipinos by gender have a number of differences. For most Filipino women, the countries that they migrate to present opportunities for female related jobs like nursing and health related functions. For their male compatriots, the countries they migrate to provide opportunities in fields that are labor intensive and masculine jobs. Examples of the counties that the males migrate to are Gulf region countries with oil and that provide labor intensive jobs. Females, on the

Criminal Justice The Peanuts Gang Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Justice The Peanuts Gang - Essay Example This essay discusses that there are numerous incidences in jurisprudence that the importance accorded new but doubtful scientific techniques have proven prejudicial to the accused, which Van Pelt should have been aware of. The challenge should have been posed against the accuracy of the method. When deciding on the admissibility of evidence yielded by a particular scientific technique, the known or potential rate of error should be established in court, as well as the existence and maintenance of standards controlling the technique's operation. â€Å"Flawed forensic analyses played a significant role in many of these miscarriages of justice.† In this case, particularly, the testimony based on the controversial â€Å"fingerprint dating† technique and the credibility of the â€Å"expert witness† Snoopy were material in securing a conviction. Had they been debunked by Lucy, had she exerted the diligence ordinarily expected of counsel, then there is reasonable doubt that the circumstantial evidence of Schroeder would have been sufficient to secure the conviction of Charlie Brown.Charlie Brown is justified in claiming that he was deprived of effective assistance of counsel, as a direct consequence of which his rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment had been prejudiced.There is a reason to believe that if not for the incompetence of counsel in discharging her duties, the outcome of the trial would have been different. The Appellate Court should so rule in favor of this motion, and remand the case.... to 5 p.m. The office was close but unlocked, the officer knocked and announced herself but there was no response. She entered, saw Charlie Brown in the reception area sitting on the couch and reading a comic book. The officer arrested him, searched the office, and subsequently found a 0.357 caliber handgun which eventually was identified as the murder weapon in a previously unsolved murder. The motion on inadmissibility of the gun as evidence will turn on the manner in which it was procured, which the defense will contend was contrary to the law on search and seizures. The Fourth Amendment requires that a search warrant based on probable cause and issued by a magistrate be procured before a search or arrest is made.3 While Officer Peppermint Patty had a search warrant, it was specified for the residence of Charlie Brown, 2814 Mission Street, not for 2812 Mission Street, the office where the search was eventually made. The Officer therefore made a warrantless search. The prosecution i s likely to make the contention that the search, though warrantless, was still lawful because it was made on occasion of a lawful arrest. To this the defense may argue that the arrest was not lawful, because it was warrantless, and a warrantless arrest can only be made if the accused were in the act of committing a crime, or if the arresting officer had probable cause to believe that the accused had just committed a crime. In this case, there is an absence of probable cause since at the time he was arrested Charlie Brown was sitting on the couch reading a comic book. The actions of Charlie Brown could not be categorized as being in the act of committing a crime, nor could they have given Officer Patty

Information mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Information mangment - Essay Example The system also works towards shifting the workload from any single local computer system, to a cloud of many other computers that are interconnected to the system, which also functions like the computer in the main organization, through a web-based service that allows the local computers to run the programs of the organization such as the e-mail as well as other complex data of the organization (Furht & Escalante, 2010 p22). Social media Social media is a form of cloud computing, since it entails the use of data and resources of a single organization by different end users, who are situated in different parts of the world, through the internet (Morley & Parker, 19). Social media qualifies as a form of cloud computing, since it allows various end users to use the software and data of a single organization, to connect with the organization and with other end users, using their local computers and other internet-connecting devices, from all over the world. Social media is a form of clo ud computing because it entails many people connected to the social network through the internet, but operating from different regions. ... f cloud computing to large organizations that cannot be obtained by the small organizations is that the large organizations and the SMEs can use the same resources, but the large organization will benefit more, since it will spread the accessibility of the similar resources to many of its stakeholders, while the SMEs have few stakeholders to share with. Thus cloud computing offers the cost redaction benefit more to the large organizations, more than to the SMEs. Challenges for SMEs vis-a-vis big organisations The challenge is similar however, since Companies with different sizes (big, medium and small companies) face similar problems when it comes to the application of social media as a form of cloud computing, since their employees are using the existing computing resources owned by the companies, to connect and communicate with their relations, at the expense of applying such organizational resources productively (Morley & Parker, 19). The difference in the challenges between the l arge organization and the SMEs is that the large organizations have the ability to acquire and use the cloud computing technology, more than the SMEs. Differentiating between the three kinds of cloud computing Cloud computing platform is the main podium through which developers write the applications that runs the cloud (Furht & Escalante, 2010 p28). The cloud computing platform is the way through which the applications on the site of an organization are supported. On the other hand, cloud computing infrastructure refers to the interconnection of the resources that are applied to make the applications and the services possible for the end users, who uses an organizations data and software. Such infrastructure is made up of components such as operation support equipments, hardware, servers

Brain Injury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Brain Injury - Essay Example Such as, it may bring about memory loss, affects speed, duration and interpretation of the process of information involving sensory perception with existing knowledge. Also possible reaction time obstruction can lead to a decline in productivity or injury in some cases along with motor disability. All of this leads to concentration problems, irritation, understanding language, impulsiveness, seizures, headaches, unpredictable behaviour, skills detriment and difficulty in learning and carrying out daily activities. Diagnosing brain injury is a difficult process because injuries to the brain mostly go undetected. There are several reasons of this; neurological tests fail to detect cases of brain injury because these are not sensitive to detection equipment. Secondly, casual communication of doctors with patients may not show any indication of it. Even the patients themselves are not aware of symptoms and take them lightly if they are. On the other hand, close observation of such people may verify the differences in behaviour as alteration in one's temperament occurs to some extent. All this aids in determining the seriousness of the injury also the people closely related to the injured may comprehend behavioural changes instinctively. It is unknown how many patients acquire brain injury because several injured persons aren't hospitalized at all; in fact it has decreased2. The most common cause of brain injury is accidents involving vehicles which account for half of all brain injuries in America alone and child abuse in children. Although, aged people are more vulnerable to these injuries as of their tenuous brains but it effects young people the same way even if the injuries are not that serious. In addition, patients suffering from brain injury are most likely to have further injuries to their brains. Children especially the ones not in school yet are in the least danger of acquiring such an injury though they may suffer from one due to a serious fall. The troubles of rehabilitation are not only physical but also cognitive, psychological and behavioral that can cause long-term problems such as acute management, memory loss and social limitations. However, further advancement in technology makes it easier for the therapists and rehabilitation to make use of products especially designed for people with abilities3. Adaptations Treatments devised for the sufferers of brain injury are different for individuals of different ages like preschoolers, adolescents in school, employees and retired persons. For the benefit of all the patients, therapies determining the effects brain injury have on the performance of an individual are developed. Cognitive therapy involves understanding differences in before and after performance of the patient and focusing on changes in skills or reasoning. It happens often that patients face hard time expressing themselves and understanding others which is helped through speech therapy. Patients deal better if they are focused on developing skills and increasing productivity as they will pay less attention to their problems emotionally. While, psychological therapy aims to assist patients adapt better to the symptoms of brain injury such as acceptance of how they are now compared to prior injury. The psychological adaptations are important in daily activities, recreation and

Ernest Hemingway's Use of the Code Hero concept in The Sun Also Rises Essay

Ernest Hemingway's Use of the Code Hero concept in The Sun Also Rises - Essay Example Obviously, the message that the author wishes to impart is that the values of such ideals are not in their definition but in the manner that one would live and die while trying to uphold and apply them. As Philip Young would describe, â€Å"the code hero, then, offers up and exemplifies certain principles of honor, courage, and endurance which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man, as we say, and enable him to conduct himself well in the losing battle that is life.† (11) At the end of The Sun Also Rises, Barnes clearly fails to get what he wants, which means that cannot claim victory in the struggle to promote his own principles. Barnes, however, is not the stereotypical hero, one with only strengths being highlighted by the author. This is because Hemingway’s code hero has his own frailties, an important element so that the reader can relate himself or herself to the character. In fact, in Barnes is obviously still on the process of strengthening his principle s as he observes the weaknesses and strengths of the other people that surround him. This means that he too is in the process of determining which ideals he must uphold and which human tendencies that he must avoid. At the beginning of the story, Barnes does not show anything that proves his tight grasp on his ideals.

Elections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Elections - Essay Example 4) Biden gave both opening and closing statements, Ryan was defensive, and it was a one sided victory by Biden. 3)The feisty Republican candidate relentlessly criticized and thrashed the opponent Democratic ways, policies and leadership style i.e. Obama care, Libya, economy etc (Espo, and Daly). But on matters such as Taxes, Foreign Policy, American values, he gave baffled answers. The first question out of three that were more prominent was: Biden was anti-war like Obama and said clearly that the last thing that America needed was another war, while Ryan, like Romney said they would continue to increase troops and forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they do foresee a war in the making with Iran due to Iran-U.S clashes. 2) Secondly, Ryan defended well, the fiery questions from Biden, about his Taxes plans and Federal Policy facts 3) Ryan was not able to retain his composure upon questions regarding Foreign policy matters especially the Middle East situation, and National security mat ters such as combating terrorism (Miles). Ryan had the edge over Biden from the start by 42% to 25% margin (Espo, and Daly). But due to his young age and lack of experience and political insight, he failed to get a strong grip of the debate and ended up being wonky and puzzled about questions regarding their tax related policies and foreign policy predictions. I am personally in favor of Biden’s take on all over the debate issues, as he tackled the situations with a lot of reason and logic, and without exaggeration he had facts and figures to support his arguments, and his age, experience and Political know how helped him immensely, to get the audiences’ attention. 4)Although, it is hard to decide which candidate won the debate, as both had their strong and weak moments, but Biden had a clear, easily sensed edge over his rival Ryan. Ryan sounded wonky, less expressive, less concrete and lacking in political rationale. Part 4) 4)2012 results VOTES % WON Barack Obama 62, 611,250 50.6% Mitt Romney 59,134,475 47.8 Others 1,968,682 1.6 (Andrews et al ). SOURCE: AP. Map Barack Obama won the United States Election 2012 by leading from the front, either of the candidates, Barack H. Obama, and Mitt Romney, had to secure 270 seats to achieve the highly anticipated victory. Barack Obama won with 332 Electoral Votes, while Mitt Romney ended up with 206 Votes (Andrews et al ). The Map Analysis prior to the close Electoral Campaign shows that President Obama  carries a momentous, edge over former Massachusetts governor  Mitt Romney  in the battle for 270 electoral votes this fall, according to the first detailed analysis of the map conducted by the Fix ( Chris , and Aaron Blake ) Obama starts the general election with 15 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 196 electoral votes strengthen him while Romney begins with 21 states and 170 electoral votes firmly in his corner. (One of the states sturdily for Romney is Indiana, where Obama won in 2008 but no one expects a repeat performance in 2012). Another three states — Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes), Michigan (16) and New Mexico (5) — incline toward Obama while Arizona (11) and Missouri (10) lean toward Romney. Adding them up lends Obama 237 electoral votes and Romney 191 electoral votes. (Chris, and Aaron Blake) The SWING States: While Obama was a much likely candidate than Romney, victory will be decided by the nine swing states —

U.S. Social Identity Group and Business paper and presentation Essay

U.S. Social Identity Group and Business paper and presentation - Essay Example For them, stereotypes have been part of their culture since prehistoric days in which slavery was the norm. This paper explores some stereotypes held against Africa Americans and the effect they present on organizational behavior and productivity. Both Americans and other cultural subgroups in United States geographical areas hold stereotypes against African Americans. Largely, since White people were slave owners before the abolishment of slavery, they are the main culprits of such stereotypes. For instance, slaves were perceptibly happy and ignorant people who were ready to serve their masters. According to their White masters, they were lazy people who needed supervision from their masters in order to work productively. Of all minority groups in America, African Americans endure the worst forms of prejudice (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2010). They may fail to enjoy economic and social advantages such as lower employment rates and lower remuneration. Stereotypes affect organizational behavior and productivity in negative ways. The stereotype that African Americans require supervision to show efficiency in the workplace is misguided. It affects organizational behavior because some employees may endure victimization owing to generalization. The probable psychological effects of stereotypes on African Americans may reduce their ambition and honesty to feedback. Eventually, they may fail to demonstrate productivity because of morale issues and uncoordinated efforts at the workplace. Negative expectations and stereotypes have an unconstructive effect on performance levels (Bridges, 2008). For instance, if a stereotype advocates African Americans as less intelligent and with poor work ethic, then some Black employees who are naturally intelligent may fail to realize their work potential and become less productive. In addition, an organization may fail to employ African Americans in managerial or senior positions

Organic vs. Non-organic Food Essay Example for Free

Organic vs. Non-organic Food Essay Bottom line, going green can cultivate envy. The public is constantly bombarded with the idea that organic products are better. Perhaps this is true, but maybe it is brilliant marketing simply selling a status symbol. Envy can come from a neighbor’s luscious, organically grown front yard to the hybrid vehicle a co-worker drives, to the organic foods that consumers in a higher financial echelon seem to be able to only afford. Is this envy justifiable or is the notion of organics and its superiority a tactic of propaganda to boost the already $30-plus billion industry even higher, according to Farm and Dairy’s April, 2012 article â€Å"Organic Food Sales†? Although proponents of organic food insist it is healthier than conventional food, non-organic foods are extremely comparable to its organic counterpart, possibly even more necessary. The United States has evolved into a powerful nation; one that boasts of freedoms, luxuries and an overabundance of practically everything. The United States is also a country which has a population that grows greater and greater each year. Reasons including the number of births outnumbering the number of deaths, as well as the number of immigrants coming to live the â€Å"American Dream. † According to the Census Bureau End-of-2011 estimate, â€Å"the United States will enter 2012 with a population of roughly 312. 8 million people† (Schlesinger, 2011, para, 1). This statistic takes into account one birth approximately every 8 seconds, one death every 12 seconds as well as one new migrant entering the country approximately every 46 seconds. As cited by Schlesinger (2011), this ends up with a population increase of over two million in 2012. This is a staggering number and would only increase over time. In his article â€Å"Point: Industrial Agriculture has Improved Farming for Hundreds of Years,† George Wright (2011) explains how the use of biotechnology and techniques such as caging animals used to increase the profits of agricultural industry is not a contemporary idea. Wright (2011, para. 7) states how â€Å"the use of biotechnology to produce food has been around for over 8000 years. † He gives examples such as enzymes being used to make foods like baked goods and dairy products. Wright also asserts that â€Å"biotechnology is expected to help agriculture by improving quality, nutrition, safety and the processing of raw crops,† (Wright, 2011, para. 7). Biotechnology is not a process that is new to the agriculture industry. Finally, Wright’s article (2011, para. 12) concludes that â€Å"with the world’s population at six billion and heading higher, there is no practical alternative to ‘industrial agriculture’. † He also points out that â€Å"agricultural innovations from industries such as biotechnology are advancing agricultural production,† (Wright, 2011, para. 13). In addition, Avery’s article â€Å"‘Frontline’ Perpetuates Pesticide Myths† (1993), Avert adds that â€Å"it is believed that if the world converts to organic systems of farming, by 2050 this system of farming will not be able to supply enough food for the population and will be responsible for massive amounts of deaths due to starvation. Another organic misnomer claims that organic livestock and plants are free from chemicals and unnecessary medications, unlike their non-organic counterparts. According to Nancy Sprague’s 2011 article, â€Å"Counterpoint: Organic Food is Unnecessary the Current Food Supply is Safe†, there are a myths about organic food that are debunked. She discusses how organic foods are actually prepared and while comparing and contrasting it to the process non-organic foods go through prior to arriving at the grocery shelves. When discussing about the use (or lack thereof) of pesticides, Sprague (2011, para. 4) notes that â€Å"organic farmers can use pesticides from an approved list,† which contradicts the consumer’s belief that organic foods have not come into contact with any pesticides. Sprague goes further to state the toxins that the organic industry supposedly takes pride into avoiding are contaminants that actually cannot be avoided. Nitrates, chemicals and antibiotics are now found naturally within the environment due to â€Å"broad contamination of the earth’s natural resources† (Sprague, 2011, para. 4). The organic industry also asserts that the levels of hormones in non-organic meats are extremely high and in-turn dangerous to the consumers’ health. In fact, in Lester Aldrich’s (2006) article, â€Å"Consumers Eat Up Organic Beef Despite Costs, Unproven Benefits†, he finds quite the opposite conclusion. Aldrich discusses the results of a study by Gary Smith, professor of meat sciences at the Center for Red Meat Safety. This study analyzed and compared the levels of hormones found in two-3 ounce steaks, one each from an organic animal and one from a non-organic animal. The results were shocking. Smith’s compare/contrast analysis showed that there was an almost incomprehensible difference (on a nanogram scale) between the hormone levels from both the organic and non-organic samples,† (Aldrich, 2006, para. 29). Aldrich (2006) then compared these results to the levels of these same hormones to a typical birth control pill that is voluntarily consumed. The results showed â€Å"the average birth-control pill provides 35,000 nanograms of estrogen daily† whereas â€Å"a non-pregnant woman produces about 480,000 nanograms of estrogen, 240,000 nanograms of testosterone and 10. 1 million nanograms of progesterone daily,† (Aldrich, 2006, para. 30). The comparison is astounding and should put any worries about added hormones in our food to rest. Prior to pasteurization of food, people would die young due to food-borne illnesses. Avery (2002) opens his article â€Å"The Hidden Dangers In Organic Food† with â€Å"Products most people think are purer than other foods are making people seriously ill. † Avery’s (2002) article mentions how the invention of the refrigerator as well as simple procedures such as food refrigeration and washing ones hands before eating or making food would eventually keep food-borne illness to a minimum in the United States, although those individuals who were quite ill or weak would die if exposed to food-borne bacteria. Unfortunately, with all the claims of health, organic food is becoming more notorious for being served on a plate with food-borne illnesses such as salmonella, and now more recently, E. coli. Avery (2002, para. 1) cites the U. S. Centers for Disease Control stating â€Å"people who eat organic and natural foods are eight times likely as the rest of the population to be attacked by a deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria,† salmonella or fungus. According to Avery (2002), USDA offered organic famers a method that did not require either pesticides or pasteurization to protect the crops; irradiation. This process used low levels of gamma radiation to kill bacteria while maintaining the freshness of the food. Unfortunately, organic farmers were outraged and more than 200,000 protesters opposed the idea therefore the USDA removed this process from the final organic food standard (Avery, 2002). This has not been beneficial for public safety, as cited in Sprague’s (2011) where she points out that there have been several infections caused by E. coli in the United States during 2009 alone. Organic farming does have one huge positive aspect: it strives for self-sustainability and leaves a small carbon footprint in the environment. With that said, organic farms, regardless of whether or not its food can be proven to be healthier than conventional food, requires a much larger area of land mass to produce the same amount of food than that of a conventional farm. According to Avery (2002), â€Å"agriculture already takes up 36 percent of the world’s land surface. † Avery (2002) translates this to mean that by year 2050, short of a worldwide cataclysm, the world will need 2. 5 times more food output than what is needed today. Wilcox (2011, para. 26) states in her article â€Å"Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming Conventional Agriculture† that until organic farming can contend with the output of conventional farming due to space needed without the ecological costs involved, the need for more space will be severely detrimental to the environment. † Organic farms help the environment on small, local levels. Unfortunately they do not produce the same amount of food that a conventional farm can; between 20%-50% below what a conventional farm of the same size will produce (Wilcox, 2011). Wilcox (2011) also emphasizes that with more advanced technology, organic farming may eventually be able to keep up with conventional food production, however, if more areas of the planet become transformed into organic farmland in the meantime, the planet’s natural habitats will begin to quickly deplete. Conventionally farmed foods and organic foods both have positive and negative aspects to their individual philosophies. Organic farming does not necessarily produce healthier food. Hormone levels in organic and non-organic foods are extremely similar and the lack of pesticides in organic food contributes to a higher frequency of food-borne illnesses. As much as this is true, the organic farm leaves a smaller carbon footprint than a conventional farm, which, in the long run will allow for the environment to sustain itself and be able to continue producing more food. With that being said, when going to the store to buy food, the consumer should make the conscious choice to purchase organic foods when it is affordable, in order to support and promote self-sustainable/organic farming. If the choice is made to buy conventional foods, the consumer should not feel guilty or worried the food is substandard to organic. There should be confidence knowing that USDA regulations are being followed by conventional farms to produce the highest quality food possible. ? References Aldrich, L. (2006, July 12). Consumers eat up organic beef despite costs, unproven benefits. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from htttp://search. proquest. com. proxy. devry. edu/business/docprintview/398944062/abstract/137 Avery, D. T. (1993, Apr 01). Frontline perpetuates pesticide myths. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. proxy. devry. edu/business/docprintview/398370529/Record/1371 Avery, D. T. (2002, June 25). The hidden dangers in organic food. Retrieved from http://www. cgfi. org/2002/06/the-hidden-dangers-in-organic-food/ Sprague, N. (2011). Counterpoint: Organic food is unnecessary the current food supply is safe. Points Of View: Organic Food, 3. Retrieved from http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=tryedb=pwhAN=43286301site=pov-line Schlesinger, R. (2011, Dec 30). U. S.population 2012: nearly 313 million people. U. S. News and World Report, Retrieved from http://www. usnews. com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2011/12/30/us-population-2012-nearly-313-million-people Wilcox, C. (2011, July 18). Mythbusting 101: organic farming conventional agriculture. Scientific American, Retrieved from http://blogs. scientificamerican. com/science-sushi/2011/07/18/mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/ Wright, G. (2011). Point: Industrial agriculture has improved farming for hundreds of years. Points Of View: Factory Farming, 2.

Net Neutrality and Freedom on the Internet

Net Neutrality and Freedom on the Internet Net Neutrality: The end of internet freedom The internet has been one of the greatest technological advances ever seen in the last 40 years. It has opened the doors to many new advances in many other fields and has changed the way the world works today. Now, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the government have decided that they need to regulate it. In theory, the regulation they would like to put in place seems like a good idea. The regulation they are putting in place is called net neutrality and it is supposed to do three things. The three things that net neutrality aims to do is no blocking, no throttling, and no paid prioritization. These all seem like good ideas and they are, the only problem is what must be sacrificed in order for the government to ensure these regulations are enforced. Net Neutrality laws should be removed so the internet can continue to grow. The first new rule of Net Neutrality is no blocking. According to CNET, this means that the ISP (Internet Service Provider) cannot block access of any legal content, services, or applications. The key here is what does the government consider legal. People would be surprised how much of what they view online each day may not be considered legal by the government. Another problem with the government blocking access to these certain website and services is that in order for them to block someone from visiting an illegal site or service, they must be monitoring them all the time. If someone is not being monitored, they could just as easily visit that site or service as they could before. So, by making strict new rules to block any illegal content, the FCC will always be monitoring everything that everyone is doing online. This will give the government a whole new level of access to peoples’ personal lives and nothing will be completely private anymore. Another common happening to day is networks and systems being hacked (Science Alert). This requires very fast implementation of new security methods and protocols to prevent mass hacking. So, what happens when the government is going to be involved with the ISP’s? Every time an ISP needs to do a network update, it will likely need to be approved by the government first in order to make sure that it is still complying with the no blocking rules. That way, an ISP could not secretly start blocking a service without the FCC being aware of it. As can be demonstrated by how fast and efficient a post office works, the government is not very fast in what it does, this means that if a new network vulnerability is found, it is possible that in the time it takes for the government to look over and approve the update, a hacker or group of hackers could have already hacked into the network and start stealing information from millions of people. How could this be improved? The answer is no blocking, period. ISPâ€⠄¢s simply do not need to block any content of any kind unless their own system detects that it is a threat. Using this method, it would allow all content to be available to everyone just as most people are used to now. However, with an automated threat detector, it would make the internet safer as well and less vulnerable to viruses and other hacking threats. This is basically how the internet works right now. Essentially, the government does not need to fix what is not broken already. Nonetheless, the government does not want things to be that simple. The reasoning behind their no blocking policy is not to protect people from the big evil internet service providers, but rather it is so that no one is downloading or viewing anything illegal (Wired). Otherwise, the government would have little interest in the no blocking policy. This is simply a way for them to get their foot in the door to block people from doing anything they determine to be illegal on the internet. Here are some examples of illegal things that most people do every day on the internet and dont even realize its illegal. For examples, it is illegal to fake a name online, it is illegal to use ad blocking software, and it is illegal to save pictures from the internet because they are someone elses property. People view lots of illegal content on YouTube all the time and one of the more ridiculous things that is illegal to do online is to post anyone singing happy birthday because it is a copyrighted s ong. If this rule of Net Neutrality were to be kept, many of the freedoms that people are able to experience online today would be gone. No more happy birthday videos on YouTube. The next rule that Net Neutrality will enforce is no throttling. This means that ISP’s cannot slow down or speed up certain services as long as they are legal (USA Today). This comes back again to the issue of what does the government consider legal on the internet. The real point here, though, is that an ISP should not be able to slow down a certain service because they use a lot of bandwidth or if they are providing content that the ISP does not agree with. An example of this throttling happening is if someone were trying to view content on a competitor of the ISP that someone is currently subscribed to. So, if someone on Comcast’s network was trying to view a news story on a website other than NBC (Comcast owns NBC), it is possible that Comcast could throttle them because they are viewing content on a competing news network site. This is where the idea of no throttling is a very good idea, it is not right for one company to throttle data to impair access to a competi tor. However, there is one perspective of throttling that the government does not take into consideration. In some instances, throttling ensures that many people are not impeded by the usage of the few. In other words, a few people could be hogging tons of available bandwidth to access a media intensive site or service while everyone else ends up with reduced speeds and network reliability while they try and do less bandwidth intensive tasks. This has been becoming less of an issue as ISP’s continue to invest in their infrastructure and try to improve total available bandwidth so that more people can be accessing more content at the same time. An example of throttling being necessary, however, was demonstrated when an app on Android became very popular and everyone was using it to communicate, which caused a massive bandwidth problem over the T-Mobile network. In order to keep the network stable so that everyone could still use it in some capacity, T-Mobile had to throttle th e users who were using the communication app. In this case, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. It’s cases like these where throttling can be a necessity in order to maintain network integrity. Netflix has often been the victim of throttling. Almost one third of the internet traffic, today, is from people streaming Netflix (Time). Most networks now have the capability to allow for that. However, a few years ago, when Netflix was starting to become big, this was quite a strain on the current networks and in many cases people would get stuck with buffering because the ISP’s were having to throttle Netflix in order to keep the network in working order. Throttling is a self-solving problem in many ways. If people complain that a service they like is being throttled, then the ISP will have to make improvements to handle the additional traffic and this leads to network improvements and an overall better service. The part that can be an issue is when an ISP tries to throttle a competitor, which is when Net Neutrality could be good. However, this problem as well can be self-solving. If someone is trying to view something from a competitor of the ISP and they keep getting throttled, they will either complain or they will switch ISP’s. This will then force the ISP to stop throttling that site or they will lose customers. So, once again, the problem solves itself without the government needing to intervene. The third rule of Net Neutrality is no paid prioritization. This is meant to prevent any ISP from favoring some legal traffic over other legal traffic that has paid them (Wired). This is often referred to as â€Å"no fast lanes.† The best way to look at this is to think of a highway. Say there are eight lanes to this highway and the speed limit is the same for six of the lanes. However, two of the lanes have a higher speed limit and have less traffic, but they require a toll to use them. This is basically what some ISPs have been doing. They will charge certain companies to use these faster and less congested lanes so that their service is better. The idea behind this third rule of Net Neutrality is that no one gets access to fast lanes and everyone has equal access to everything. In theory, this is a great idea, but the problem here is similar to the problem with the second Net Neutrality rule. If one service is using most of the bandwidth, they should have to pay a premium t o be a drain on the network. When a massive bandwidth using company like Netflix is being used on a network, it is a huge drain on the network and it requires often expensive upgrades to be made in order to handle that new bandwidth demand. These upgrade costs are partly due to the fact that the bandwidth hog is impeding the networks performance, so they should have to pay a premium for a fast lane so that it can offset the cost of network upgrades. This also allows the network to advance and overall advance the way the internet is used. When a new company comes around and starts putting a strain on the network, this makes it so the network needs to be upgraded in order to handle it which leads to an overall better network. If there is no paid prioritization, then ISP’s may not be able to justify the costs associated with making network improvements and then that will lead to an even worse service overall. Thus, the third rule of Net neutrality is also a bad idea as it will c ause the US to fall even farther behind in average internet speeds around the globe. Those were the three main points that the government highlights about Net Neutrality and about how great it is, but what are they hiding? One key detail that they never want to mention to anyone is the fact that they will have control over how the internet is run. They are trying to stop ISP’s from regulating the internet by regulating it themselves. The government isnt exactly well known for providing great regulations, generally they are tedious and time consuming and ultimately pointless. Why should the internet have to move at the same pace as the government? It has cost taxpayers over two billion dollars so far to make the government run healthcare website work, and it still doesnt work properly. From the beginning to the very end of the enrollment period for the healthcare website, it was having tons of problems. Constantly freezing and glutting and kicking people off the server. The same people that developed this system now want to be in charge of how the internet is r egulated and run. It would be only a matter of time before the government wants to further tighten its grip on how the internet is regulated and run. Before too long, they may end up being completely in charge of how the internet works and that will lead to disaster. The internet today is by no means perfect. However, the last thing it needs is a bunch of incompetent politicians in charge of how it works. These are all things that the Net Neutrality bill will secretly allow. Therefore, it was enacted without a proper vote even being taken, it was just suddenly put into place, a bill that as over 300 pages was put into place without anyone even having time to read it. Essentially, it was put into action without anyone even knowing what it all really entailed. A huge right that will be infringed upon by Net Neutrality is everyone’s own right to privacy. Part of the Net Neutrality act allows the government to monitor internet activity. The NSA is a part of the government which allows the NSA to view every bit of activity from everyone on the internet. No one will have any privacy from the government anymore. Any time someone looks at anything on the internet, the NSA can find out about it. This is a huge infringement on a right to privacy from the government. The government knows enough about the citizens of the United States, they dont need to know what size cloths someone wears or that somebody is very interested in funny cat videos. This is just giving the government more control over what people do every day and not allowing them to feel like what they are doing is somewhat private. The argument to this is that once something is on the internet, it never goes away, and anyone can have access to it. That is true, however, with the government monitoring everyone’s activity, it makes it just that much easier for them to keep tabs on people. The other fact is that while what someone posts to the internet is no secret, what they are doing on the internet can still be unknown to many. With the government able to monitor activity through ISP’s, nothing that is done over the internet anymore is private. The government could start monitoring if someone is selling lots of their things on Craigslist and could then audit them if they did not report their profits on their taxes. Technically, profit made even from selling items can be taxed. This will simply reduce the freedom on the internet even more. It’s all just a step closer to complete government control over what everyone does everywhere. In the end, the government is ultimately enacting these new Net Neutrality rules, so they can gain more control over people on the internet. It will give them a whole new level of access and control over everything that everyone is doing. The no blocking policy allows them to control what is displayed on the internet by not blocking things that are legal, but making sure anything they consider illegal is blocked. The no throttling policy will make it so that everyone has an equal playing ground. This will make sure that things people want to be faster are not simply in order to make it equal for everyone. Lastly, not having the paid prioritization could cause the ISP’s to not get enough money to continue making important network improvements that make the internet an overall better place. The government is going to end up holding back the internet and will slow down its evolution. If the government had been in charge of the internet from the beginning, it would be nowhere near as powerful as it is today. E-Mail probably never would have come into existence because it would compete with the Post Office, making the Post Office less profitable. The way the very world today works could have been changed if the government had been in charge from the beginning. Hopefully, in the future, the Net Neutrality laws will be repealed to help the internet grow, not the government. So far, seven ISP’s have filed lawsuits against it, so it is likely that more ISP’s will join together to help ensure that the internet will not become crippled by the government. The government needs the internet, the internet does not need the government. Works Cited Babcock, Grant. Net Neutrality And Obamas Scheme for the Internet Are Lousy Ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reason.com. Reason Foundation, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. Apr. 2015. Beck, Glenn. Tell The FCC To Stay Away From The Internet. Glenn Beck. MERCURY RADIO ARTS, 16 Feb. 2015. Web. Apr. 2015. Berkman, Fran. Net Neutrality Jargon Explained. The Daily Dot. N.p., 25 May 2014. Web.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apr. 2015. Cobb, Kelly W. Why Net Neutrality and Open Internet Mandates Are Bad for Consumers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Americans for Tax Reforms. Braynard Group, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. Apr. 2015. Dorfman, Jeffrey. Net Neutrality Is A Bad Idea Supported By Poor Analogies. Forbes. Forbes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Magazine, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. Apr. 2015. Gillula, Jeremy. The FCC Is Keeping an Eye on Interconnection, But More Clarity Is Needed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF, 13 Apr. 2015. Web. Apr. 2015. Gross, Grant. Thousands Call on Congress to Overturn Net Neutrality Rules. PCWorld. IDG   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consumer & SMB, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. Apr. 2015. May, Randolph. Why Net Neutrality Is Incompatible with Internet Freedom CNET. CNET.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CBS Interactive Inc., 03 Sept. 2012. Web. Apr. 2015. McSherry, Corynne. The FCCs Latest Net Neutrality Proposal: Pros, Cons, and Question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marks. Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. Apr. 2015. Skorup, Brent, and Berin Szoka. Killing Net Neutrality Helps Underdogs Succeed | WIRED.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 17 Feb. 14. Web. Apr. 2015. Steimle, Joshua. Am I The Only Techie Against Net Neutrality? Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   May 2014. Web. Apr. 2015. Walker, Bruce E. Net Neutrality Is a Bad Marriage of Government, Internet. Net Neutrality Is a Bad Marriage of Government, Internet. The Heartland Institute, n.d. Web. Apr. 2015.

Tree for Thought :: Free Essay Writer

Tree for Thought On a winding hillside along Birch Lake, various trees and organic landscapes hide my sacred place. It is located in the backyard of my grandparents’ house. To the average outsider, it is just another pine tree growing among piles of leaves and pine needles that blanket a grassy hill leading down to the lake. In my world, it was a place where I could lie at an acute angle and visit a tree I gave life to. I still remember the smell of the freshly baked bread my grandmother made that morning. I was only six years old, but when a fresh loaf of bread came out of the oven, I had the appetite of an adult. After stuffing ourselves, Grandma and I made our way to the shed in search of tools to plant a tree. As we searched for a shovel, fumes from the leaky gas tank of the lawnmower kept us in high spirits. We eventually found a spade and looked for a place to dig. The hill in the backyard was blocked off with a short fence. Dilapidated stairs led down to the beachfront. Grandma and I scaled the foot-high fence and sidestepped down the incline. About ten steps down, we found the perfect place for the tree. She gripped the ribbed, rubber handle of the shovel and began carving a hole into the fertile soil. I cradled the newborn tree, making sure he would be able to enjoy the new home we were making for him. The clouds were threatening as if they were predators preparing for an attack on their prey. The rolling thunder, snarling and growling, kept us working at a fast pace. My grandmother assured me that Spike that’s what I named the tree ¾would be fine when the storm struck later that afternoon. Once she finished digging the hole, we could have fit a soda can perfectly inside, but Spike fit much better. He seemed to like his new home. In time, mossy friends would keep him company, rain would nurture him, and dogs would soon make him their own. Grandma sent me back up the hill to grab the watering spout so we could feed Spike’s green needles the nutrients they needed to keep him alive and well. We were careful not to drown him, knowing that he would receive more water later that day.

Sleeping Disorders and the I-Function :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Sleeping Disorders and the I-Function As we all know, sleep is an important part of our lives. Without the proper amounts and type of sleep, fatigue and other problems can arise. Generally, we can clearly distinguish between a sleeping person and a person that is awake. With sleeping disorders, the distinction between an awake person and a sleeping person becomes more intriguing. What is the difference, how does it relate to the I-function and consciousness? Each sleeping disorder has its own unique answer to this question. It is essential to understand sleep to fully appreciate it. However, many aspects of it remain a mystery. We do have some degree of understanding of sleep. Within our sleep cycle a type of unusual sleep occurs, REM sleep. During this cycle the periods of REM sleep are interspersed with slow wave sleep in alternation. Each period of REM sleep (there are usually 4 or 5 periods a night) lasts for approximately 5 to 30 minutes. During these periods a sleep paradox occurs. An enormous amount of brain activ ity takes place; this is sometimes even more activity then when awake. This clearly indicates that sleep is not simply to rest our mind and not to think. So, during this period our brains are extremely active, yet there is usually no input or output. During this period, along with the random eye movement (REM), there is a complete loss of muscle tone. Essentially, at this point, the motor system is paralyzed (normally the body inhibits any movement). The autonomic nervous system also alters its behavior. The regulation of body temperature is lost and the blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rates shows increased variability. REM sleep can be detected by measuring the electrical activity of the brain with an electroencephalogram. At this point, the EEG will show the same pattern of activity as when the brain is awake. It is fascinating that at this point, REM sleep, where dreaming is frequent, the body shuts itself down. If, as suggested in class, the I-function is active at this stage, it is interesting that all body movement is inhibited. During other stages in which there are synchronized EEGs, and the I-function is not supposed to be present, the body does not inhibit all motor activity. This seems to imply that when the I-function is present it will control the body as it sees fit. One of the more ubiquitous parasomnias is sleep talking or somniloquy.

The Lottery Essay -- essays research papers

When one thinks of a lottery, they imagine winning a large sum of money. Shirley Jackson uses the setting in The Lottery to foreshadow an ironic ending. The peaceful and tranquil town described in this story has an annual lottery, and you can’t possibly guess what the â€Å"prize† is†¦   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author foreshadows an ironic ending at the very beginning by establishing a cheerful setting. The story occurs â€Å"around ten o’clock† on June twenty-seventh, a time of day that is very bright and joyous and a time of year that is warm and makes people feel happy. The town’s physical setting also contributes to the overall â€Å"normal† feeling of the story. The grass is described as â€Å"richly green,† and the flowers are â€Å"blossoming profusely.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An ironic ending is also foretold by the town’s setting being described as one of normalcy. The town square is described as being â€Å"between the post office and the bank;† every normal town has these buildings, which are essential for day-to-day functioning. The townspeople also establish a normal, comfortable setting for the story. The children are doing what all typical kids do, playing boisterously and gathering rocks. The woman of the town are doing what all stereotypical females do, â€Å"exchang[ing] bits of gossip.† The men are being average males by chatting about boring day-to-day tasks like â€Å"planting and rain, tractors and taxes.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite this comfortable and normal setti...

Comparing the Effectiveness of Punishment versus Rehabilitation Essay

Comparing the Effectiveness of Punishment versus Rehabilitation AJS/502 Comparing the Effectiveness of Punishment versus Rehabilitation Two objectives in the criminal justice system are that of rehabilitation and punishment, and society reserves high expectations the system will live up to those expectations. Everyone in the criminal justice field and the public have ideas and opinions on what will work and what will not work when it comes time to punish or rehabilitate criminals, and there are pros and cons to this debate. The rehabilitation of prisoners is focused on reforming the offenders’ character to not reoffend and takes place both inside the prison and sometimes after the offender has been released. In the prisons offenders have the opportunity to reform themselves by participating in the programs such as drug abuse, anger management, other positive programs, and receiving an education. Once released help continues for the offenders by probation services, and other services to ease the transition into the community. Rehabilitation in pris ons had not been successful as expected due to overcrowding affecting the focus of rehabilitation for offenders. Crowded classrooms discourage offenders to attend, but is also an opportunity for offenders to carry out any violent acts toward other offenders. This also places instructors in danger, therefor rehabilitation classes are no longer provided. Another downfall for not having successful rehabilitation in prisons is longer sentences, lack of education, and offenders suffering from social skills or psychological problems. The idea that prisons are not intended to rehabilitate but rather only to punish criminals and to protect the public retain the support of society in some areas. Despite offenders having retained some rehabilitation in prison it is difficult for some offenders to continue their rehabilitation programs because of the attitudes of society. Although there are programs to help former inmates to reenter society, and to continue the rehabilitation programs, some former inmates choose not to continue those programs. Depending on the conditions of release, refusing to continue any rehabilitation may cause the offender to  reenter into the prison system. Upon release and depending on the conditions of release some offend ers need to maintain a job. Unfortunately, some employers are reluctant to hire convicted felons, which leave former inmates jobless and homeless leading to them to reoffend, and going back into prison. Robert Martinson, a New York sociologist along with his two colleagues, Dr. Doug Lipton and Ms. Judith Wilks reviewed rehabilitation evaluations and Martinson alone published the article. The article brought more questions than answers in prison reform. The name of the article was published in a journal: The Public Interest entitled â€Å"What Works? Questions and Answers About Prison Reform†. Martinson believed reform was not working, and suggested the education and the programs provided for prisoners were simply not good enough. He believed there were flaws in the rehabilitation or prisoners did not have the ability to be reformed. The article brought people to question what works therefore adopting the nickname to the article â€Å"What Works?†. Throughout the years Martinson would continue to write about recidivism and refute himself in saying yes rehabilitation does work. The article made such an impact the US Supreme Court upheld federal sentencing guidelines regarding rehabilitation at the sentencing phase in the Mistretta v. United States (Sarre, 2001). The result of Martinson’s articles brought about more debate and more research therefor concluding to meta-analysis of prisoner rehabilitation. Meta-anal ysis study other studies–in this case, studies that test the effectiveness of various programs of correctional treatment. Meta-analysis are coded in the way they are researched. For example, age, crime, punishment, education and several other tabs can be added depending on the research. Some scholars have found meta-analysis to be misused and not have accurate information. Although there are contradictions to mete-analysis, it helps in adding the correctional institutions in what works and what doesn’t work (Gendreau, Little, & Goggin, 1996). In other studies two recent articles: Kovandzic, Vieraitis, and Boots (2009) and Land, Teske, and Zheng (2009) show the impact of deterrence in the death penalty. Both articles conducted a study over 50 states on deterrence by the death penalty. The Kovandzic article (2009) found the death penalty does not deter murder and the Land et al article(2009) represents a small amount of deterrence does have an effect for a short time but then the deterrence declines (Land, Teske, & Zheng,  2012). If the death penalty does not have an effect on recidivism what will? Bible-based rehabilitation programs may have some success. In 2006 the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced to suspend religious-based programs oddly the announcement came a few weeks after Iowa discovered prison ministries were violating the Establishment Law of the United States of The Constitution. The Establishment Law simply states the institution shall not interfere with or discriminate against religion or religious beliefs. In January 2009, President Bush established the Faith-Based and Community Initiative shortly after the FBP removed it. The InnerChange Program in Iowa Newton Facility was also revoked in 2002 by Walter â€Å"Kip† Kautzky, he later reluc tantly reinstated the program due to budget cuts on paid programs. The Interchange Program and the Prison Fellowship Ministries offered 24 hour 7 treatment. Inmates were recruited by the InnerChange program and were encouraged to sign an agreement clause and were introduced to the InnerChange four phase programs. Phase one includes the educational, substance abuse programs and bible based programs. Phase two inmates are introduced to transitioning from prison life to life on the outside. Phase three and four include work-release programs and introduction to society such as finding housing and employment. Phase five inmates are taking religion and practice what they studied all year (Odle, 2006). The strikes law was studied extensively by several scholars to determine if in fact it was effective. In the 1990’s the three strikes law was implemented and designed to deter criminals from reoffending by imposing harsher sentences for those with prior convictions. Multiple studies were conducted through a time series design along with UCR data from over 100 cities from 1980 to 2000. Two findings were concluded: three strike laws were connected with the states implementing the three strike laws and those states did not witness any reduction in crime (Kovandzic, Sloan, & Vieraitis, 2004). In combating crime according to my findings, rehabilitation is just as much as effective as punishment. Martinson’s article and the meta-analysis research articles are not specific as to what really works. Programs like the InnerChange Program and the Prison Ministries could be slightly effective compared with the three-strike law and vice versa. The Bible based programs were removed then reinstated. This shows a some potential of success from the program although the studies show it do not reduce recidivism. The death penalty  showed as much deterrence as the other programs. Ultimately, if an individual is willing to do the crime then he is willing to do the crime. There is the key in itself, the willingness of the individual to not commit the offense. References Gendreau, P., Little, T., & Goggin, C. (1996). A meta-analysis of the predictors of adult offender recidivism: What works! Criminology, 34(4), 575-607. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220697595?accountid=35812 Kovandzic, T. V., Sloan, J. J., & Vieraitis, L. M. (2004). â€Å"STRIKING OUT† AS CRIME REDUCTION POLICY: THE IMPACT OF â€Å"THREE STRIKES† LAWS ON CRIME RATES IN U.S. CITIES. Justice Quarterly : JQ, 21(2), 207-239. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/228164858?accountid=458 Land, K. C., Teske, R. C., & Zheng, H. (2012). The Differential Short-Term Impacts of Executions on Felony and Non-Felony Homicides. Criminology & Public Policy, 11(3), 541-543. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2012.00834.x Odle, N. (2006). PRIVILEGE THROUGH PRAYER: EXAMINING BIBLE-BASED PRISON REHABILITATION PROGRAMS UNDER THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE. Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights, 12(1), 277-311. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2079590 59?accountid=458 Sarre, R. (2001). Beyond ‘What Works?’ A 25-year Jubilee Restrospective of Robert Mortinson’s Famous Article. Australian & New Zealand Of Criminology (Australian Academic Press), 34(1), 1-5.

Local, State, and Federal Laws and Policie Essay

One of the most important aspects of teaching is providing a safe environment where student learning can be achieved. The only way this can be achieved is by staying up-to-date on all laws and polices in place to help schools and teachers provide a safe environment. There are many documents provided for teachers and students to help them get familiar with all the local, state, and federal laws and polices. This essay will focus on a â€Å"Student/Parent Guide†, â€Å"Faculty Handbook†, and a â€Å"Comprehensive School Safety Plan.† The first artifact is a â€Å"Student/Parent Guide.† This book is considered both a rule book and an information booklet to help in all aspects of student life. It contains a multitude of information regarding the rules governing students, student activities, school curriculum, and general information about the school and it’s procedures. The first pages describe in detail two Acts dealing with a students’ enrollment, attendance at school, and the right to retain a driver’s license. It also describes the state law relating to the â€Å"Quiet Reflection Time† that public schools are required to uphold. The next section deals with general school information. This section has policies ranging from absences and truancy to first aid and emergency procedures. The next part in the book is the rules governing students section. This section includes the policies dealing with fighting, dress code, drugs, cheating, and many other rules and their consequences. The third section is titled Instructional Program and deals with the school’s curriculum. This section begins by stating the school’s accreditation and also states that it meets and exceeds â€Å"Section 504† in it’s special  education program. It also stats the policies on parent conferences, graduation requirements, and summer school. The last section is the school’s policies on student actives and assemblies such as pep rallies. Overall, this booklet contains a massive amount of information containing all levels of polices and procedures aimed for student and parent usage. The next artifact is a â€Å"Faculty Handbook.† This handbook is designed as reference book for teachers. It is the centralized book containing all school policies. It beginnings by describing the faculty absentee policy and how to prepare for a substitute teacher. The book details many types of leave such as professional, sick, and personal, and what to do for each situation. The next section of the handbook covers many policies on posting attendance, lesson plans, and grade posting. Classroom procedures, which include discipline, structure, and monetary collections is discussed in the next section. The last section in the handbook explains the policies on field trips, purchase orders, report cards, summer school, and the school’s philosophy of education. With all the policy and procedural information contained in this handbook, a teacher can be better prepared for any situation. The last artifact for discussion is a school’s â€Å"Comprehensive School Safety Plan.† The school system devised this 100 page plan to ensure the â€Å"highest degree of safety and security in the school environment†. In the first section, a detailed description is given on emergency contacts, school crisis teams, and a list of emergency supplies in school. The second part deals with teacher training for emergencies. It describes how communications should be handled, securing the grounds, student supervision. The last section in the safety plan details a multitude of security risks and their procedures. Some examples include bomb threats, hostage situations, sexual assault, fights, and severe weather. The first is to always be prepared for whatever situation may arise, and with this document, teachers are better prepared to deal with almost all safety situations. In conclusion, with all these documents, students, teachers, and parents can be up to date on all policies that affect them in and around the school  environment.

Habits of Mind: Learning framework Essay

1.0 Introduction Whilst learning your brain absorbs information like a big pink sponge; It is said that if you are in the right frame of mind, learning becomes simple and you gain information with ease. If your stressed, tired or just not up for it, your brain almost repels information making it very difficult to learn anything at all. Everyone who studies have different approaches to their own style of learning, some being better than others. Habits of mind is a learning framework that has been praised as being the next step in learning, its unique technique allows students to learn at their own pace as well as enjoying the stress free atmosphere that occurs when studying. Although not considered as an official learning technique, habits of mind will soon underpin most academic styles of learning. 2.0 Literature Review Habits of mind is a concept that has been around since the time of Aristotle,  Socrates and many other ancient philosophers. Although not called Habits of mind at the time, these men established that learning can be broken down to fundamental processes of thought. A simple process would be the way we interpret the world around us; the sun burns us, so we don’t stay outside for too long, sharp edges slice our skin, so we avoid touching them. It’s the smallest pieces of stimulus that drive our existence, and it is our habits of mind that control our actions in response to these stimuli. However it is not our actions that habits of mind could have the greatest impact on, it is our capacity to learn. The following is a review of the article, â€Å"Theorising habits of mind as a framework for learning† (John Campbell). It includes detailed comparisons and variations of past and present information regarding habits of mind, to a number of different learning framework s and concludes habits of mind as being an appropriate technique suitable for all types of learning development. Brain researchers have found direct links between habits of mind and the brain itself, discovering similarities in the processes of the brain and the techniques used in habits of mind. One of these is the storage and recollection of data within our brain. Our brain will store new data every time we experience something, the more we experience something, the faster we can retrieve information on what we are experiencing. Habits of mind has basically the same process, as we gather data through all our senses we use this data to formulate opinions, theories, conclusions Etc. With our brain in direct link to habits of mind, it seems almost foolish that we view habits of mind as being anything but a positive framework for learning development. In the past, the development of theories, processes, hypothesis’ that have eventually lead to what we call habits of mind, have all in their own specific way, underpinned habits of mind and continue to support it as more and more people recog nise the techniques associated with it. With its popularity steadily increasing, the number of teachers that incorporate it into their daily teachings is growing exponentially. However due to the fact that it is not yet recognised as a successful framework for learning by the academic community, this is being seen as a step back from traditional learning techniques. If habits of mind does become the new learning framework for the future generation, then how will these people benefit from its unique approach to learning? Students that use the habits  of mind learning framework have benefited from a many number of different things, and due to the nature of the learning, the knowledge learned through habits of mind seems to â€Å"stick† more than traditional learning techniques. Being a student can be very stressful, especially if you’re younger dealing with the constant distraction of a social life that has been put aside for the benefit of your education. Well, habits of mind eliminates this distraction by implementing it into your study life in small amounts. You won’t be studying in dream world, or wet ‘n’ wild, but maybe at the beach or at the park. Small changes to your environment can make dramatic impacts to your stress levels while you study, some people could even learn to enjoy studying. The article in question dove into habits of mind and presented all the facts and figures necessary to consider habits of mind as a successful learning framework for the future generation of learning. It went into specific detail and outlined its good and bad points allowing the reader to make their own opinion on the subject, which is good because everyone is different and everyone has their own opinions of studying. 3.0 Method In order to collect some useful primary information in regards to learning styles I have devised a questionnaire that outlines a person’s learning style as well as identifies whether or not they would benefit from the habits of mind framework. The following questionnaire is set for a younger audience (university Students) and is designed to identify a students learning style, attitude towards learning and from there we can determine if habits of mind can benefit them personally. Q1) when are faced with a problem, you: a) Use a hands on approach to solve the problem b) Think about the problem and devise a solution c) Ask others for help, then solve the problem together Q2) someone asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, after quickly hesitating you: a) Answer their question to the best of your knowledge b) Change the subject c) Lie Q3) what helps you study more? a) Music b) Repetitive writing c) reading Q4) the hardest thing a about studying is: A) The workload B) It bores you C) How long it takes Q5) the perfect day for YOU includes: a) A sunny day at the beach b) A relaxing day in the shade c) A rainy, cosy day indoors Q6) do you enjoy learning? a) Yes b) No c) Depends on what I am learning Q7) a fight is occurring between your friend and a stranger, you: a) Approach them both calmly and try to resolve the situation b) Kick the other guy in the face, chuck Norris style. c) Stand and watch, without intervening. Q8) you frequently take breaks when studying because: a) Learning is boring, so you eventually get tired and need breaks b) To keep your mind active c) Because you straight-up couldn’t be arsed Q9) do you have your own study area? a) Yes b) No c) Study area? Q10) Read through the previous questions, what do you think this questionnaire was really about? A) How to think B) How to study C) How you study D) How you think Each of the previous questions was selected in order to fully understand how each person who took the questionnaire thinks. The following is a breakdown of each question, and what they were really asking you. Question one was a very basic learning styles question, it simply identifies if you are a cognitive, visual or auditory learner. Question two identifies how you react to problems under pressure and identifies your minds response time, in regards to withdrawing appropriate information. Question three is another basic learning styles question, again it identifies if you are a cognitive, visual or auditory learner. Question four is a probing question; it recognises what you hate most about studying. Question five is another probing question and relates directly to question four. After being â€Å"setup† by question four asking you the hardest part about studying, it presents the option of combining your perfect day with studying, in order to make things easier. Question six gets the person to realise whether or not they actually like studying, it also begs the question, why not? Question seven is another probing question, it focuses on the strain of stressful situations and how one reacts accordingly, whether it be kicking your problem in the face, or breaking the problem into smaller more manageable pieces. Question eight identifies your approach to learning, are you persistent? Or are you slack? Question nine quickly assesses the person’s current learning environment. Question ten is a probing question, it shows if the student was taking the test seriously and makes them think long and hard about the questions themselves, helps them to justify their answers as well as make corrections after grasping a deeper understanding of the questions. 4.0 Analysis and Discussion Habits of mind is a concrete system of learning that incorporates learning into everyday life, it helps us to face each day with the necessary knowledge and confidence in order to excel. The most effortless of tasks as well as the mentally and physical demanding obstacles of the day become a breeze, due to the simplicity habits of mind presents to all of us. 5.0 Conclusion Habits of mind will change learning in the future, that much is true, but will it change our perspective of learning? Yes, I believe that habits of  mind will eventually be adopted by the academic community all over the world, eventually becoming the base of our learning process. This extremely reliable learning framework is easy to use, easy to master and makes learning enjoyable, if you let it. It’s the combination of hundreds of years of learning techniques combined into one unyielding process of learning that everyone can understand. I believe that with the appropriate application of habits of mind within students of a younger age, habits of mind will eventually become the world’s main knowledge development method. 6.0 Recommendations I only have three recommendations, mainly because people don’t actually use them, they just read them agree with them and forget about them. So instead of going into detail I have selected the three most relevant recommendations that I believe will help you to study successfully. * Evaluate your study methods, see what needs improving and find ways to make it easier, more enjoyable. * Try. Try to study harder and for longer. Try to enjoy yourself. Play some music, go outside and study. * Incorporate habits of mind into your learning process, it can become a very useful tool benefiting you for life.

How did religion influence the fabric of colonial life? Essay

Increased autonomy in the hospital interns of the budget. These include decisions like what and how much to spend on staffing and drug purchases. Performance should be used in rewarding management team. This will encourage the team to make more sound judgments and implement better policies. Increased budget for drugs and any other medical supplies. When the budget is adjusted positively, the hospital will be at a position of buying more drugs, this will encourage quality care and utilization rate; in terms of the number of admissions. At the long run, this decreases the total cost per admission. Changing Normal practices for specific admission cases. This is through physicians of different departments of the hospital. When this is put into practice, the length of stay will be reduced by more than 50%. The reduction of stay realizes a decrease in the cost. Level of competency should also be increased in terms of staffing ratios per bed, supporting technology, team work and services rendered by the organization are all determinants of the quality of services. An upgrading formula encourages changes and efficiency. For instance, patients at ICU will tend to need more patients than patients at orthopedics. Maintenance of hospital equipments. Normally, maintenance of hospital equipments in majority of US hospitals today, maintenance is mainly focused of repairing hospital equipments that have already been confirmed as out of order. But it doesn’t take maintenance to prevent future damage seriously. If preventive measures are taken, this will reduce the cost of future spending. What should cost containment programs focus on? Maximizing available funds for budgets’ sake. This can be done through four ways one is through Medicare maximization. A couple of states may be service providers but some of these funds are got through general funds. Such should be converted to become Medicare programs. This in return adds on revenue through increased federal funds. Switching from low match to high match categories is another way the government can gain by receiving enhanced reimbursement for services that are already provided. Government should also focus in inter-governmental transfers. This focuses on lending to less advantaged sectors of the economy by the sectors that are doing fine. Containment programs should also focus on reconfiguring the long term Care delivery system. This encourages community and home cares for status since they are able to cut Medicare spending or also provide more effective and attractive services. This requires more focus on the long term demand for long term care services. Considering how expenditures for prescription drugs moved up, focus should be directed to states that cover outpatient prescription drugs under Medicare. They must cover necessary cost with the government to pay taxes for the product they purchase. The state should also perform management benefits included for people with more drug costs. The state also focuses on adjusting reimbursement rates for specific services to containment strategy. Managing health care better: This can involve Primary Care Case Management (PCCM) or conventional managed care. People should work hand in hand with the state to improve the quality of a care given. In addition the federal government should also focus on expanding managed care. The government should encourage Movements like Medicare. Selective contrasting is the last form of focus that the federal government should consider. The government can turn to selective contracting or let people be involved in competitive bidding in order to cut cost. (Kala 2002) What Should Be Done In Order To Reduce Cost Inefficiency Hospitals should not be let to run independently and if they have to, the government should run majority of the hospitals and the private sector be left to run a similar percentage to cut monopoly that gives entrepreneurs the right to increase hospital costs. â€Å"Like many businessmen of genius he learned that free competition was wasteful, monopoly efficient. And so he simply set about achieving that efficient monopoly† (Mario Puzzo 1920) The government should introduce rules and regulations that manage the hospitality industry at large. If the federal government monitored the spending and introduced rule that doctors should follow they will have no reason to ignore. the general public too will know that they are obliged to do a particular task. For instance ignorance of the general public is encouraging exploitation because they are turning to insurance companies. Insurance companies on the other hand have realized that there is a big opportunity to maximize profits due to the linking of hospital costs. If the general public decides to ignore insurance or have their terms and conditions stated first, then insurance companies will cut cost too. Government spending should be monitored. In cases where any particular government introduces a particular monetary policy, spending is automatically regulated. If the USA government introduced a fiscal or monetary policy, Different sectors of the economy can be taxed more in order to reduce the difference; for expansion and sales. An example is the drug companies and insurance companies. Bibliography Appleby J (2007) Consumer Unease with US health care grows.USA Today. Garman N. & Tyler. J. (2004), CEO Succession planning in freestanding US hospitals: final report. American College of healthcare executives. Golda D, Richard R, Latha M: (2005). Containment in the intensive care unit. The internet journal of pulmonary medicine: Puzzo (1969) US Novelist. The Godfather Ladenheim Kala (2002) Medicaid Cost Containment: legislation’s tool kit. Fried H Productive, (1998) Scale and scope efficiencies in US hospital-bases nursing homes Patrick M, Rosko M, Vaidmanis v . Relationship between hospital cost inefficiency and debt ratings.

Pressure Groups Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pressure Groups - Term Paper Example The term ‘pressure group’ was coined after the post World War II era to put pressure among the higher authorities that has the power to make decisions. These pressure groups do not take part either in the elections nor do they have any interest in seeking power of the political office, their aim is just focused on implementing their opinions onto the powerful authorities (Baggott, 1995). Most of the time these pressure groups compete against the other pressure groups to make their demands fulfilled but when their aims are common, they often work together to achieve the shared interest. These pressure groups have increased rapidly in the 20th century duet to the increase in population around the world, advancement in the technology due to which many groups have started to raise their voices in the social media networking, the society is becoming more diverse and the increase in the welfare state has given rise to the pressure or interest groups (Walter & ZÃ ¼rn, 2005). The pressure groups are considered as a mouthpiece for the members operating the group, which are not elected through formal electoral processes nor are they a part of any political parties but however they sometimes assist the parties in achieving their goals. Their main function is to mobilize the public opinion and persuading the government through different means in adopting the policies outlined by these groups. They educate the general public about specific issues from which they are unaware and they represent the minorities who are unable to represent themselves (Key, 1978). The other most common function of a pressure group is to develop and recommend laws and policies and to ensure that these laws are implemented. These groups make the democracy healthy by indicating different issues to the government that have been overlooked. They are always scrutinizing the government policies and providing recommendations in

Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Final - Assignment Example Scientists are putting their best effort to install in these machines, the human like features like reasoning, intelligence, emotions and so on. If a real breakthrough is accomplished, then robots will become better performers than humans – by virtue of their being machines. Robots are speedy and accurate. They can be used in carrying out difficult tasks like welding of machines in a high temperature environment. They do not get tired or stop to eat or require a break and most interesting of all to the modern manager, robots do not complain. Such features could lead to adoption of the robot-worker, replacing human labor. This contributes to social injustice. Humans will be having their robot colleagues in the work place and whether the two will complement or compete with each other is still uncertain (Rooksby). On March 13, 2004, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is a small branch of the department of defense in the U.S and has the responsibility of developing the technology of the military celebrating its 10th anniversary of the DARPA Grand Challenge. 15 self-driving cars were involved in the exercise in which the robotic drivers sped through a 142-mile course between Barstow, California and Prim, Nev. The ensuing developments accelerated the development of autonomous vehicles that, according to the agency officials, could be very instrumental in doing cargo supplies and other military supplies to areas of combat without putting the lives of the human drivers in danger. Such technological inventions have promoted human justice by protecting their lives in time of war. Despite such advancements military armaments that are as a result of technology has caused lots of death and loss of earth around the globe. The use of atomic and nuclear bombs, machine guns and ot her weapons of mass destruction have led to many

Alcoholism and Its Effects to the Community of Jersey City Term Paper

Alcoholism and Its Effects to the Community of Jersey City - Term Paper Example There is also the study of the various societal issues that affect the city. One of the issues is alcoholism and its effect on the population of the city spreads wide. It is important to review these issues and the various health issues that accompany it in both a human and the society as a whole. The demographic study of the area shows that in the 2010 census, the country had around 246,594 people in total. Of this vast population, people under the age of 18 years were 23.5%. The number of people from the population that was above the age of 65 was 13.5%. Scrutinizing the gender aspect of the population, there was some form of balance as 51.3% of the people were females. The city has a vast population of white people as compared to black people despite its proximity to the suburbs of New York that have very many black people. In New Jersey, 69.1% of the population comprised of white people while 13.7% represented the black community. The rest of the population remaining to make up 1 00% comprised people of mixed Races and backgrounds (Jacobs, 2012). Other statistics on the city tend to show the various issues involved with the drinking population of the city. Alcoholism has been an issue on the rise and the police have grown more vigilant in an effort to curb this issue. The national bureau of statistics brought out the Driving under the Influence statistics. Drunk driving in the United City is a very widespread felony and the reduction of this is very influential. The statistics showed that earlier years and specifically in the year 1995, 689 cases of drunken driving reports in New Jersey came in. By the year 1999, the cases had gone down as 653 cases of drunk driving were reported. However, of the most recent statistics from the 2009, there were 721 cases of driving under the influence. That was a very sharp increase as compared to initial years (Jacobs, 2012). The Alcoholic Anonymous is one of the services that have had its services in New Jersey of the few past years. This is because of the noted increase in alcoholism in the city. 77% of the alcoholics in Jersey City do not actually recognize the service and just go on with their daily activities. However, for the 23% of the population that pays attention to the recent trends in the system, they have benefited greatly through training and there have been some extra services of the past three years to help reduce the addiction of some of the members. The number of people migrating out of the city in the past 3 years has increased steadily. Interviews with some of these people clearly show that the 15% of the reason behind this is alcoholism. The people state that it is hard for them to bring up their children in the neighborhoods as they feel that they will grow to be regular drinkers as has been the case of many of the people living there without the ability to control oneself (Cindy, 2008). There was also the review of the number of pubs in the city and this goes well to support the issues brought out by the emigrants. Studies show that over the last three years, the number of pubs in Jersey City has increased at a rate of around 27%. The reason as to why this has happened is the fact that the tax rate on alcoholic beverages has gone down from the last budget. This has made entrepreneurs major in venturing into the alcoholic business that seems profitable by a very large margin. Jersey City is known to be one that is easily influenced by changes around and the amount of peer