Cyberbullying Essay

Many teens across the world are facing issues with cyber bullying. Not only are the teens being affected but their families too. People wonder what to do with this situation. With technology increasing, it’s making kids easier to bully one another online and through many different forms of technology. As cyber bullying has become the number one type of bullying, many lives are being affected. Cyber bullying is the use of the internet, cell phones, or other electronic communication devices to spread harmful or embarrassing information about another person (cyberbullying 1). It can also take many forms including, repeatedly sending emails to people who have said they don’t want contact with the sender. It includes sending threats, making sexual remarks, using offensive language or labels, or posting humiliating photos or videos, as well as spreading rumors or lies about the victim (cyberbullying 1). Numerous reports of cyber bullying have states questioning whether they s hould take action or not. In today’s society it is extremely easy to abuse the use of technology. Many teens and young adults express anger and other emotions toward one another through some type of media. As the number of cases rise, schools and states are passing more and more laws to protect the children and citizens of their community. Some people are arguing that we don’t need cyber bullying laws, that we already have laws against bullying and that should be enough. â€Å"Laws may be imperfect and enforcement may be difficult and spotty, but that’s better than nothing. I’d rather have anti-bullying laws that protect kids 90% of the time and have difficulties 10% of the time, than have no laws to stop cyber bullying and leave kids vulnerable 100% of the time† (Leichtling, 2013, pg. 2). One reason that people don’t think its necessary to create a law–for cyber bullying–is because speech is constitutionally protected (Murphy 1). We, as citizens of the United States of America, have the right to freedom of speech. But with the right to freedom of speech comes a price. A price we all have to live with, and that’s the price of someone’s life. No matter what, there will always be that one person who has to be better than someone else. There comes a point in life where we have to realize that sometimes the laws need to be broken. In this case, it’s for the better. No one’s life is worth the protection of speech. If we keep on letting cyber bullying go because of the person’s â€Å"rights† then we need a major wake up call. No matter what we do we won’t be able to stop it, but if we stand up and take  action then we can lessen the amount of cyber bullying that happens. Only 18 states have a cyber-bullying law that protects kids from electronic abuse, while 47 states have laws against physical bullying (State Cyberbullying Laws). As schools realize the effect of cyber bullying, they have stepped up and are ready to fight. Schools are passing laws in and out of school. The schools are stepping in and monitoring the students’ social accounts. If a student bullies someone during school break (like spring break, summer break, etc.) the school can intervene and suspend or even expel the student. In a survey taken in 2005 16.2% have been reported that they’ve been a victim outside of school (Uhls 2). Another way to protect students from bullying is Title IX. Many people don’t think too much about Title IX because they think it’s just to equalize the students. Title IX is to help prevent gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual violence (Murphy 2). â€Å"Schools rarely acknowledge sexual harassment when they see it, and even when they do, they avoid getting involved when some of the conduct occurs off-campus. They tell parents they only have jurisdiction over harassment that occurs â€Å"on campus† or in connection with a school-sponsored activity.† (Murphy 2). Not anymore though, many schools are stepping up and taking action even when school isn’t in session. Schools need to take Title IX more seriously and use it to help the families that are facing issues with cyber bullying. Title IX can do many things to help prevent students from being bullied or sexual harassed by other students. Most families don’t know about it, so they don’t think to bring it up in court. If schools and courts advertised Title IX more often than the number of suicides–due to cyber bullying–would drop d ramatically. People need to know that there is a way to get help and that they are not alone. In a recent study of 2,000 random middle-schoolers, 20% of them were seriously thinking about attempting suicide, while 19% reported attempting suicide. That means 39% of the 2,000 kids wanted to end their life (Hinduja 1, 2). The most commonly-reported form of cyber bullying was: â€Å"posted something online about another person to make others laugh† while the most frequent form of victimization was: â€Å"received an upsetting email form someone you know† (Hinduja 2). Cyber bullying takes a toll on everyone’s life. For some teens it can make them depressed and hate themselves. For others it can cause them to turn to drugs or alcohol. Teens are easily influenced by media and what  their peers say. So when cyber bullying occurs, it’s easy for the teen to believe it and think negative things. We need to stand up and take action. Have more campaigns about positive things and not so many negative things. Teens need to feel safe at school, but sadly that’s one of the last places teens feel safe. Teens that are cyber bullied usually have no where to turn to. The small but significant variation found in suicidal thoughts and actions based on bullying and cyber bullying suggests that all forms of adolescent peer aggression must be taken seriously–both at school and at home (Hinduja 2) There are many different ways we can help protect students from being bullied. Schools have hotlines that students can call anonymously if they want to report bullying. A major reason why kids don’t report cyber bullying is because they are scared of getting bullied themselves. Schools need to pass stricter laws and parents need to start monitoring their children’s social activity, even if they are the ones being bullied. In cases of cyber bullying you can never be to protective. So many kids have died because they have felt useless and worthless due to cyber bullying. How would you like it if you were being told daily that you meant nothing to world, and that it would be better off with out you. Eventually it would get to your head and effect you. Even some of the strongest people are bullied and it kills them–in and out. Girls however though, are more likely to be bullied than boys, just like girls are more likely to bully than guys are (Cyberbullying 1). If given the chance, people will be mean, nasty and vicious to others, especially if they can act anonymously or the target can’t fight back effectively (Leichtling 2). No matter there will always be mean people in this world. Nothing will change that, it’s just part of life. But it doesn’t justify for all the lives that it has cost. Things need to change. Schools and states need to pass stricter and more serious laws that help protect kids and young adults from cyber bullying. As technology increases, bullying becomes easier and kids are getting away with it. It’s time to take a stand and fight for the kids who couldn’t fight back.

Anne Frank †Primary Source Essay

The Diary of Anne Frank is a remarkably moving book about the short life of a young girl and her family. The Holocaust was a horrible time for Jewish people and Anne and her Jewish family’s lives were completely turned upside down as a result. The war resulted in the deaths of countless people, mostly innocent people. Before the invasion on D-day and the end of the war not too long after, the rest of the world didn’t know the real disaster going on over seas. Anne Frank’s once secret diary has introduced the immense suffering and horror that occurred during the Holocaust. Anne Frank was only thirteen years of age when trouble began to arise. Adolph Hilter’s reign in Germany had become more powerful and people were falling under his evil spell. People were forced to believe that the Jewish race was inferior and needed to be destroyed. It is believed that Hilter hated Jews due to the fact that they were successful in a time where most Germans faced tremendous hardship, therefore jealousy. Jewish families tried to escape to surrounding countries to be safe. Some of Germany’s neighboring countries were sucked into the war and experienced great loss. When things started to get bad in Germany, Jewish families received â€Å"call-ups† in which family members were requested by the Nazi’s. Anne recalled that the first call-up in their family was for her sixteen year old sister Margot. The worried young girl of thirteen stated in her diary that day â€Å"Margot is sixteen; would they really take girls of that age away alone? But thank goodness she won’t go, Mummy said so herself; that must be what daddy meant when he talked about us going into hiding†. The Frank family then proceeded to send their belongings to different friends and neighbors for safe-keeping as they prepared to relocate. They had a detailed plan for going into hiding, from location, to essentials, to receiving goods. They would live in a confined space which they called the â€Å"secret annexe† with the Van Daan family. Thursday, July 9, 1942 was the day the family left for hiding. It was the last of the normalcy Anne knew and the beginning of a long three years in hiding. Anne was a very intelligent young lady and although she had her fair share of crazy ideas, she was quite mature for her age. She had a few close friends and the boys at her school seemed to be pretty interested in her, although she mostly ignored it. Leaving that all behind was hard enough for a thirteen year old girl but to go through one of the most confusing parts of her young life in this new unfortunate situation was even harder. Anne had a close relationship with her father, whom she adored, but not so much with her mother. Throughout many different parts of the story does Anne mention her disliking for her mother, including when she says â€Å"Margot and Mummy’s nature are completely strange to me. I can understand my friends better than my own mother – too bad!(42)† During her time in hiding Anne goes through phases of disliking her mother, disliking her father, and disliking just about everyone in the annexe. Through becoming a teenager she is desperately trying to find herself and her purpose in life. The adults constantly put her down and make her feel stupid. Anne writes in despair â€Å"If I talk, everyone thinks I’m showing off; when I’m silent they think I’m ridiculous; rude if I answer, sly if I get a good idea, lazy if I’m tired, selfish if I eat a mouthful more than I should, stupid, cowardly, etc., etc.† She feels very putdown and discourage by the people surrounding her 24/7, that is until she finds comfort in Peter. Peter Van Daam was hardly of any interest to Anne upon meeting him but as the days dragged on in the secret annexe she finds herself intrigued by him. After spending some time together they develop a deep friendship, which leads to a loving, intimate relationship. Peter is Anne’s stronghold; the one person to get her through each and every day.

Evaluation education Essay

Assessment is a systematic process of collecting information or evidence about a student’s progress towards meeting the learning expectations. Assessment is embedded in the instructional activities throughout a unit. The expectations for the assessment tasks are clearly articulated and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course. The purpose of assessment is to gather the data or evidence and to provide meaningful feedback to the student about how to improve or sustain the performance in the course. Scaled criteria designed as rubrics are often used to help the student to recognize their level of achievement and to provide guidance on how to achieve the next level. Although assessment information can be gathered from a number of sources (the student himself, the student’s course mates, the teacher), evaluation is the responsibility of only the teacher. For evaluation is the process of making a judgment about the assessment information and determining the percentage grade or level. Assessment is embedded within the instructional process throughout each unit rather than being an isolated event at the end. Often, the learning and assessment tasks are the same, with formative assessment provided throughout the unit. In every case, the desired demonstration of learning is articulated clearly and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course as stated in the course guideline. The evaluations are expressed as a percentage based upon the levels of achievement.

Machinery Planning Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Machinery Planning Exercise - Essay Example It is because of this that, in the planning, imperative decisions should be made to provide the owner with the lowest possible start up cost and offer him the real value for his money. Selection of Machinery Owing to the nature of farming activities that will take place at the farm, a number of different machinery will be necessary. As a professional in the agricultural field, I would recommend the following for the farm or land owner. The soil in the farm is loamy hence soft. Because of this, the purchase of a sub-soiler and the plough will put into consideration the purchase of a machine with higher speed value. The farm is an extensive farm where manual labour cannot be exclusively employed. For this reason, the machinery becomes necessary in the provision of service as a form of mechanization certain machinery will be needed for planting, soil cultivation, harvesting, sorting, irrigating and fertilizing among other farm activities. For instance, chaser bins will be required to tr ansport the produce to the trucks that are headed for the road for them to be transported to the silos. Tractors, which are composed of the caterpillar tractor, the common farm tractor (four wheel drive) and the two wheel tractor as well as the farm truck will be required. They will be mostly applied during cultivation of the soil. Other necessary machines include the cultivator, chisel plough, sub-soiler and the mulch tiller. ... The other necessary equipment for harvesting will be the bean harvester. However, for purposes of harvesting soya bean and the winter oil seed rape it will need to be adjusted while a distinct header will be required while harvesting the sunflower. In order to save on the operation cost and increase production costs in the future, the soil cultivation tools should be modern, spraying machines should save materials, fertilizer spreading machines should be easy to regulate, and the power machines should be of small volume. Additionally, the appropriate farm implements will be matched with the right tractor to minimize on time and labour requirements. Finally, machines that are related to the centre pivot method of irrigation will be of essence (Kulkami & Sharma 2004, p. 270). It is because of such factors that the machinery to be purchased will be required in specific sizes and types as follows; the tractor should be a 200 horsepower machine, A John Deere 8111 farm tractor that effecti vely combines with a plough. Additionally, the Lexion combine harvesters will be appropriately model 770TT and 780 due to their ability to harvest numerous tonnes of grain within a short time For the three tractors and the farm truck, the purchase of entirely new machinery will be justifiable and appropriate as a result of issues related to their efficiency and ability to serve for a longer period. In addition, it will decrease the chances of shouldering repair costs due to the availability of warranty. As such, significant profit would have been made from the produce before parts of the machine begin to wear out and hence increase its cost of maintenance. With regards to the fuel and

Final Film Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Final Film Critique - Research Paper Example Most of the violence and deaths seen in the movie leave lasting impressions in the minds of the audience regarding the meaninglessness and futility of using violence as means to achieve one’s goals. The paper attempts to make a film critique on American History X and in doing so the paper deals with the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, genre, film criticism and analysis, and the societal impact of the movie. The story-telling of the movie deserves primary attention as the spectator finds a shift in the movie from present to past and vice versa. It is the flashback scenes in the movie that offer depth to the narrative of the story and as such the narration seems to be non-linear. However, the story of the film is narrated in real time and the episodic nature of the movie sustains the interest of the audience. The flash back scenes in the film make the spectators aware of the past incidents that took place in the life of Derek and Danny Vinyard. In the opening scene of the movie, one finds Danny being called to the Principal’s room for writing a paper in praise of Hitler and his neo-Nazi movement. He is asked to write a paper on his brother, who was imprisoned for killing two black guys, instead. On coming out from the principal’s room, he finds three black boys beating up a white boy and this prompts him to think about the good old days of the white gang before his brother was arrested. Thus, the life of Derek Vinyard before he was imprisoned is unearthed through flash back scenes which are very effectively employed by the director. Similarly, the movie can be regarded as an allegory or a satire. The story-telling of the movie aims at satirizing the racial discrimination and racial violence that prevailed in the American society. In the same way, it is an allegory as it offers a clear cut message to the spectators. Towards the climax of the movie one do not find Derek planning to avenge the murder of his brother Danny; on the other hand, the movie ends with certain lines Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address where he states that the whites and the Blacks in America are not enemies but friends. Similarly, the language used in the movie is quite insidious and the dialogues in the movie display racial hatred and racial fanaticism. In the same way, the plot and the characterization of the movie are quite complementary; all the major characters in the movie are round characters who undergo drastic changes in their outlooks and behavior as and when the plot develops. Irony is employed as a powerful tool in the movie. It is quite ironic that Derek fails to save Danny’s life in spite of all his efforts to keep Danny out of the white neo-Nazi street gang. Similarly, it is ironical that Danny’s murderer is none other than a close relative of the Black boy whom Derek murders brutally in the beginning of the movie. Thus, it can be observed that the writer has made specia l efforts to provide a wholesome unity to the story-telling of the movie. The acting as well as the characterization of the film complements each other. No doubt, the director has undertaken a remarkable job in making the most appropriate casting for his characters. All the characters in the

The nurses responsabilties in prevention of medication errors Research Paper

The nurses responsabilties in prevention of medication errors - Research Paper Example Based on individual and systematic approach medication errors are grouped into two i.e. active errors that result from non compliance with the procedure and latent errors that emerge from problems within the system environment or structure. It has been noted that latent errors pose the greatest risk to patient safety in comparison to active errors. Medication errors though can not be completely phased out; their frequency of occurrence can be reduced by the nurses’ responsibilities in prevention of medication errors through; Acknowledgment of error, right measures in medicine administration, proper calculation of dose and healthcare management. Nurses’ unique position in reverence to patient proximity and healthcare delivery facilities put on them roles and responsibilities that address medication errors, which result to patient safety Acknowledging and Reporting Errors Medication errors can not addressed if they are not identified and reported, (Friesen M.A., Farquhar M.B. &. Hughes R, 2005), medication errors are often underreported, this may be due to burdensome documentation requirement in the process, unclear medication errors requirement without adverse implication, inability to report errors and also perception that reporting medication errors would not influence any changes (Friesen M.A, Farquhar M.B & Hughes R, 2005). Failure to recognize and report medication errors impedes effort to acknowledge errors hence no response toward errors that have occurred. Medication Preparation and Administration Nurses have roles to play toward medicine preparation and administration to the patient which is a medication safety measure requirement that translate to reduction of medication errors. (Athanasakis E, 2012) Medication preparation and administration measures involve safe environment insurance for the purpose of medication preparation; this can be achieved through labels or reminders that discourage interruption and also enhance concentration in t he process, e.g. â€Å"DO NOT INTERRUPT† signpost labels (Athanasakis E, 2012). Imposing double checking of medication by separate nurses should be mandatory, especially in medication that involves high risk of adverse effect (Athanasakis E, 2012). Nurses should implement five right rules that encompass (right medication, right dose, right route, right time, and right patient) in medication preparation and administration (Athanasakis E, 2012). In addition, nurses should ensure apparent medication separation either by color or name and appropriate labeling, administration of medication once prepared and counter checking to ensure the medication is being administered to the right patient (Athanasakis E, 2012). Dose Calculation Skills and Nursing Education As Athanasakis E point out, â€Å"In a study, to assess unsafe events for patients, found that 56% of Unsafe events related to medication errors and 20% of those associated with lack of nursing student skills.† (Athanas akis E, 2012, p. 776). Yet most nurses believe that what they knew about dose calculation is sufficient (Athanasakis E, 2012); hence dose calculation skills remain to be the nurses responsibilities in prevention of medication errors this can be address through continuous nursing education. Measures Concerning Nursing Head Administrator Nurses’ administrators have fundamental roles and responsibilities of management of

Bernard Lawrence Bernie Madoff Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bernard Lawrence Bernie Madoff - Assignment Example For years MR. Madoff complied with paying dividends to investors, but under false assumptions. The deception that was occurring was unethical behavior. The third type of illegal behavior associated with this scam was that Madoff’s company was not complying with the generally accepted accounting principles. Not complying with the general accepted accounting principles is a violation of the FASB and SEC mandates. 2. The scam that Bernie Madoff pulled off hurt a lot of different interest groups. Prior to the scandal exploding the hedge fund that Mr. Madoff was operating was an extremely attractive investment alternative for a lot of individual investors and organizations that were looking to gain a profit from the stock market. The hedge fund Mr. Madoff was able to maintain in the marketplace for over 20 years was a tremendous opportunity for a lot of investors. Some federal prosecutors believe that the fraudulent activity from Mr. Madoff began as early as the 1970’s. The total losses that this scheme caused investors exceeded $65 billion. The fund offered investors every year consistently double digits returns, which is unheard of on Wall Street for a prolonged period of time. The Ponzi scheme Madoff operated hurt a lot of interest groups. Some of the interest groups that were hurt by the scam included individual investors, non –profit organizations, governmental agencies, and private corporations. â€Å"If Madoff hadn’t faced $7 billion in redemptions, the Ponzi scheme might have never been discovered† (Lenzner, 2008). 3. There are several safeguards that could have prevented the Ponzi scheme that Madoff created from occurring. The first safeguard could have been obligating the company to reveal the exact composition of the portfolio of the fund to the individual investors on a recurrent basis. A second potential safeguard could have been establishing recurrent audits of the investment activity of the firm by independent audito rs. A third safeguard that could have prevented this fraud could have been more involvement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the matter. The SEC could have imposed more rigorous auditing standards to analyze the activities of the company. A fourth source of risk management prevention should have been the FBI. Most of the major investment firms on Wall Street believed that the returns offered by Madoff’s company were unrealistic in the long term. The FBI should have investigated this situation earlier. It seems ironic that it took the FBI and the SEC over 20 years to realize it was all a scam. 4. The grand majority of the funds of the hedge fund were invested by individual investors. From an investor’s standpoint the losses could have been prevented or at least minimized by investing only a small portion of their portfolio composition in this hedge fund. A second way investors could have prevented falling into this fraudulent scheme would have been by mandating that Madoff revealed the sources of the income of the hedge fund. Another way the investors could have prevented the scam was by asking the advice of registered broker prior to investing in the fund. 5. The scam that Mr. Madoff was involved

Technical Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Technical Writing - Essay Example how to sell, customer service, merchandise knowledge. By the end of the third month, the employee flows without assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me in regards to any questions or concerns about this report. Sincerely, YOUR NAME 1. Course- Mythology (English Department) Lesson- Odes Assignment – Greek and Roman View on Life and Death in Horace’s Odes. Five page paper. Works Cited Page. Minimum sources 3. Deadline: two weeks. Step One: Obtain correct materials. In this case, the Jame’s Michie translation of Horace’s Odes, 2002. Step Two: Read and highlight portions of Horace’s Odes that pertain directly to life and death. Note line and page numbers. Step Three: Seek other credible sources that better explain or discuss the idea of how Romans viewed life and death that refer to Horace’s poems and cite them with evidence in the main source to back your argument. Step Four: Write the paper with the correct amount of pages and sources. Reread for grammar and spelling then again for clarity and flow. Step Five: Make sure to turn the paper in by the deadline to avoid losing unnecessary points. 2. The particular lesson above will be graded as follows: A. Compliance of instructions (15 points) B. Content (25 points) C. Grammar and spelling (20 points) D. Ease of explanation, flow, proper citation, evidence, and relevancy (30 points) E. Works Cited or Reference Page (10 points) *5 points will be deducted for every day past due date on late papers. After 7 days, there will be no late papers accepted. a-c. The technical writer’s responsibilities include developing documentation via editing, proofreading, writing, research, and professionalism. Also, delivering proposals, preparing grants and/or writing for operational systems. Understanding a reader’s context affects the preparation of a document in numerous ways, but the most important ones being that the wrong research could be conducted, or content edit ed if that communication is null n void. Project Plan sheets have six parts to it: Audience, Purpose, Subject, Author, Project Design and Specifications, and Due Date. The individual functions act as a whole to ensure an appropriate, detailed plan that assists in avoiding future errors. 3. a. Sexist language is language that unnecessarily draws attention to gender in a negative way, i.e. to stereotype or demean. b. Bar Charts are visual tools to illustrate a point. They can also be graphs and have rectangular-shaped bars that are shaded or not shaded according to the values in which are utilized, or being presented. It does not matter if they are showed vertically or horizontally as long as it is consistent with the data. c. Spatial method of paragraph development is effective for optimizing description and it moves directionally. d. The classification method of paragraph development is not as left to right so to speak because it goes by grouping people or objects by their shared gr oups. Reference Page Picket, A. N., Laster, A. A., & Staples, K. E. (2001). Technical English: Writing, Reading, and Speaking (8th ed., pp. 45-46). New York, NY: Addison Wesley

Role of education leaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of education leaders - Essay Example The main functions of the school district are to employ teachers and take corrective actions, solve disciplinary matters and taxation. Maryland is an exception in this case. All schools are controlled by the county. In general, it is possible to distinguish the following forms of control: (1) school district governments; (2) state-dependent school systems; (3) local-dependent school systems and (4) education service agencies (Dembowski 1999). Educational standards and practices are the engine driving the changes public schools are experiencing today. These bodies control schools and establish education standards and procedures. The school district provides qualified teachers, adequate instructional materials, and sound facilities. As such standards for opportunity to learn are articulated, the accountability question arises as to how to monitor and report on them. The school district articulates a means of observation in schools and classrooms in order to determine the degree of adherence to these standards (Sergiovanni et al 2003). Two aspects of this must be considered: the quality of individual teachers and the quality of the school as a whole. The control is exercised through school review process.

Concert report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Concert report - Essay Example The variations are played without any gap. A person not having knowledge of music cannot differentiate in variations. Classical touch of music and use of different variations in continuity is the beauty of the concert. In the Tchaikovsky Variations – a fresh kaleidoscope joining together procedural fireworks with demonstrative lyricism and an exciting choice that motivated Liszt to favourably say: â€Å"This is real music!† The music is very delicate and musicians showed rhythm in moving from one variation to the next one. Antique-edged themes through each of the seven vibrantly contrast variations and postscript with a skilled concern for tonal range, colour and balance as well. Capuà §on’s agile solo line is competently playful, sad and fervent by turns, Gergiev accompanying with a love-struck precision of touch to offer a reading that is delicate but not very deliberate, elegantly refined without ever keeping superiority in danger. Although the musicians had to play for a long time but they controlled every moment of orchestra. The instruments used were mainly woodwind, horns and strings and a lot of effort is visible in coordination of instruments. The musician’s technical ability sounds very good and energetic. Specially the feelings which they convey in a variation and then smooth transition from one variation to another shows the technical quality and skill of musicians. This a great display of classic music. This performance is equal to famous Rostropovich/ Karajan performance that is on DG. Yes, they really seem well prepared for the concert. Just feel the lyrics and continuity of emotions and variation carried forward by the musicians. Every theme and variation was able to clearly convey the message to viewers and occupy their mental feelings with classical music. Now if we talk about the first variation, it is in triplets, and when it reaches the mid point then theme is redefined by orchestra. The sound is high quality and

Individual Improvement Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Individual Improvement Plan - Essay Example First, my intellectual skills, especially personal emphasis on mental activity worked well in this project because it required effective problem-solving skills. The complexity of the project required the team to seek alternative solutions to problems. This task matched my skills. I would apply personal reflection and introspection to gain motivation to complete the task. Further, I feel that my commanding style applied in presenting the scenarios as well as moving the team forward in moments when we would have stalled. Once we established the project goals, I developed a clear map of what I wanted achieved. Negotiations with the other team members allowed us to create synergies and complete the project in time. May contributions were to the team were exceptional because I am a competitive individual, and thus I wanted to be the best. However, this was apparent. All the individual tasks that I performed in this project related well with my inquisitive nature. A personal reflection about the activity shows that I can achieve better results by focusing more on my strengths as a programmatic learner. Therefore, I should seek opportunities for hands-on training. I would require demonstration from an acknowledged expert. Overall, this means that my personal learning style can help support growth and development activities during the proposed hands-on training activity. This is especially important because it links well with my pragmatics

Bill Of Life Essay Example for Free

Bill Of Life Essay What is your life worth? Imagine a future in which those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice have fought a second civil war over the sanctity of life. They end the war by compromising on a â€Å"Bill of Life† that states all pregnancies must come to term; however, parents and guardians have the right when their child is between the ages of thirteen and eighteen to abort them. The child does not die though. Each and every part of the child is kept alive; thus they are technically still alive, just in separate pieces. This process is known as â€Å"unwinding.† Once the unwind order is signed, no changes can be made; even if the parent changes their mind, it is irreversible. Connor discovers his own unwinding order after investigating tickets he finds, tickets to the Bahamas for everyone in his family, except for him. Connor is a good teen, but like many teens, his emotions can get the better of him and his parents have a hard time controlling him. Risa is a ward of the state of Ohio and the orphanage is overcrowded. She tries to convince the headmaster of her worth, but bungles her chance when she makes five mistakes at her piano recital. Lev rejoices in his destiny at a party solely dedicated to celebrating him and his life. Lev’s family is extremely devoted to their religion; Lev, as the tenth child in his family, is destined to be a human tithe, a human sacrifice. Lev enjoys the attention this brings and is happy to fulfill his destiny. These three teenagers meet when Connor decides to go AWOL and escape his unwinding order. The book develops through their, and others, alternating viewpoints of what happens to a teenager once the order is signed. Connor, Risa, and Lev’s journey to their future follows their growing recognition of what their life means to them. Shusterman teases the reader with just enough information to keep going, but continues to build this disturbing view of the future as the storyline develops. Mysterious references to clappers and storked babies are explained more fully later in the book and these people round out the unsettling forces at work in this troubled society. This very thought-provoking book would not leave my mind for days, or truthfully weeks, after reading it. This book has made the rounds of the youth services division and one of my co-workers still gives me grief over the books weeks after reading it. Not for the faint-hearted, especially as the reader learns more about the unwinding process, this disturbing novel will pluck at your mind and have you wondering what your life is worth.

The world urban slum population

The world urban slum population Introduction In recent years, the worlds urban poverty growing than before, social problems also lead to further highlight. With the deepening of urban poverty, it has become unsafe hidden in social and economic life. The urban poor people have many problems not to be effectively solved; they are unemployment, social security, distribution system, social equity and social development and so on. Since the middle 20th century, along with the accelerated process of urbanization and urban population density increased, the worlds urban population increased from 30% to now about 50%, this figure will be close to 60% to 2030. The population increased has brought a significant increase in the urban poor and slum issues become increasingly prominent. Currently, nearly 10 million people in worldwide are living in urban slums. And according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2006) more than 13 million deaths annually are due to preventable environmental causes. Among them, the most populous slum in Asia , this figure represents the worlds urban slum population of more than half of the total. In the globalization process led to poverty and social inequality, in 2030 urban slum population will grow to about 2 billion. Slums represent the worst city in the current poverty and inequality, its emergence and existence of many factors. Among them, the war and the regional situation of unrest led to a significant increase in refugees, migrants quickly to urban migration, urban poverty and inequality were increased, living without protect, these are all the causes of slums. So this report will discuss different solutions to poverty in urban areas. Firstly the author describes the causes and effect, and then the report will talk about problems and how to solute these problems. The author will use reading much information from books, journals and internet to collect data, What means of urban poverty? Urban poverty generally refers to individuals or families to rely on labor income and other legitimate income could not sustain their basic needs for survival in urban areas. 1. Cause and effect 1.1 causes Uneven distribution of urban poverty groups lead to the existence and rapid expansion of the important factors. With urban poor groups, unemployment, social security, distribution system, social equity are all problems in social development and these problems did not been effectively resolved and sufficient attention. With the passage of time and social gap between rich and poor growing, global cities in the number of poor people from poverty being gradually towards the long-term poverty, social poverty in the formation of a large group. 1.2 effects In modern society, the fastest growing community is slums, slums are growing center of crime and violence, in terms of climate change, urban poverty is one of the largest sources of pollution, in this global village, someone elses poverty very soon become their own problems: lack of market products, illegal immigration, pollution, AIDS, other diseases, insecurity, crime, religious fanaticism, terrorism. People can no longer ignore the plight of slum dwellers. If people ignore these problems, it may be a serious social exclusion, with the attendant threat to peace and security, this is the adverse effects. 2. Problems 2.1 Refugees and migrant populations have high rates of poverty. 2.2 Poor living conditions. Slums are usually the worst health conditions in urban areas, and even waste materials pile up land (including industrial toxic waste), groups living in slums, often suffering from various diseases caused by pollution, slum women and their children the biggest victims of these problems. The streets are dirty, some times many people have to share one toilet. The dirty condition may cause diseases and especially for children, they are easier to get ill (Practical Action, 2008). 2.3 Basic life, health and employment are not protected. One of the main urban underemployment in recent years, some countries and regions due to growing poverty and political instability and war continued, leading to a large number of refugees fleeing their homes to escape war and poverty and to change part of a influx of relatively well-developed and there is no war in the city. 2.4 Urban poverty increased and serious underemployments lead to all kinds of crime. Modern society, the work requires not only the employed have a higher level of scientific and cultural knowledge, while the extensive application of science and technology result in decreased employment. Thus, many cities people who are low education and older age were significantly reduced employment opportunities, making the city are suffering from the rapid expansion of vulnerable groups, vulnerable groups in cities grow crimes, including violent crime is more prominent. 2.5 Urban poor and disadvantaged groups live in the bottom of society, social status is low and even some of the extreme poor people have not basic social security benefits. 3. Solutions 3.1 Through legislation to clear the main responsibility of the parties to the social security. Through the legislature to develop the appropriate social security laws and regulations, they clearly defined responsibilities of the principal parties to the social security. 3.2 Establish effective social security system. Related departments need to further improve the urban minimum living security system. Workers not only should have a minimum wage, but also establish an effective system of Family Planning survey, the conditions to help the inhabitants of current income and family status of assets and other income combined, clear procedures for poor residents to apply for assistance, protect the rights of poor residents. 3.3 The establishment of urban public housing policy as soon as possible. Poor living conditions for the poor, the Government should build public housing, to help poor people improve their living conditions. Currently low-rent housing policy introduced in some cities and their integration into the social assistance system. The system should be firmly follow the fair, the principle of open, unified per capita housing area, and ensure that housing conditions were extremely difficult for low-income residents have access to limited housing support. 3.4 The establishment of poor medical assistance policy. The health care of poor people is an increasingly prominent social problems, disease caused poor people worsened the living conditions and even fall into despair. Therefore, people need to establish a poverty-oriented medical assistance system, the system helps relieve the pressure on poor peoples lives, it is also social development and progress and an important part of social equity. Of course, this system reduces the medical burden of the poor people, but not free. 3.5 Improve peoples education level, because of financial or personal problems, lots of young people have no chance to gain better education. Consequently, with the purpose of guarantee citizens security, related organizations can help some poor students to entry universities and give them more opportunities. For instance, the organizations can provide funding to students, or build a committee to collect funds from society; they can also consulate with universities to reduce the tuition fee or provide jobs to students. From these solutions, it is not only benefit for students, but also for whole education system. 3.6 Try to change the appalling living conditions; people should not dispose sewage in anywhere. People should reduce garbage and collect all rubbish to a special place, please do not thrown away or burning rubbish. People can create a good living space. 3.7 Urban poverty lead to all kinds of crime, the best ways to solute this problem, maybe community help poor people to study different kinds of vocational education and improve the quality of the poor people; they also can improve basic education policy and try to make more people to go to school; society can strengthen ethics and law education so that people understand not to do illegal things; community can establish a social security system, it maybe eliminate the poor peoples worried, and they also need to strengthen external management of the domicile population. Conclusion In conclusion, this report talk about urban poverty and it impacts our world in different aspects, there are many problems, and people need to give the suggestions to solute these problems. Overall, poverty is a serious instability factors, because this is a very difficult question, we need more concerned about this problem so that more people and community groups aware of the seriousness, to get more help, the agency can try to solve the problem within the maximum range. Reference E. Moreno (2003) Slums of the World: The face of urban poverty in the new millennium? Giusti de Perez, R. Perez, R. (2008) Analyzing Urban Poverty: GIS for the Developing World. http://gis.esri.com/esripress/shared/images/139/URBAN_ch01.pdf Masika, R., de Haan, A. Baden, S. (1997) Urbanization and urban poverty: a gender analysis. BRIDGE, Report No 54. http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/reports/re54.pdf Perlman, J., Hopkins, E. Jonsson, A. (1998) Urban solutions at the poverty/environment intersection. http://www.megacitiesproject.org/publications_pdf_mcp01solutions.pdf Practical Action (2008) Urban Poverty. http://practicalaction.org/shelter/urbanpoverty_background S. Li (2007) Unemployment, Inequality and Poverty in Urban China Taylor Francis; 1 edition

The Functions of Beta Carotene

The Functions of Beta Carotene Unlike supplements, foods rich in beta-carotene pose no lung cancer risk. Synthetic beta-carotene supplements have been found to increase the risk of both colorectal and lung cancer in smokers, especially those who also drink alcohol. A study published by an international team in the January 2004 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention indicates that beta-carotene consumed as part of whole foods has no such negative effects. This study, which pooled data from seven large cohort studies running between 7 and 16 years and involving a subject population of 399,765 participants in North America and Europe, found that beta-carotene from foods was not associated with any increased risk of lung cancer among current smokers or non-smokers. Other carotenoids in foods (lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene) were also found to have no association with lung cancer risk. (February 26, 2004) Food sources of beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro and fresh thyme. To maximize the availability of the carotenoids in the foods listed above, the foods should be eaten raw or steamed lightly. For serving size for specific foods, see Nutrient Rating Chart below at the bottom of this page. Content (Jump to) Description Function Deficiency Symptoms Toxicity Symptoms Cooking, storage and processing Factors that affect function Drug-nutrient interaction Nutrient interaction Health conditions Supplements Food Sources Recommendations Description What is beta-carotene? Beta-carotene is probably the most well known of the carotenoids, a phytonutrients family that represents of the one most widespread groups of naturally occurring pigments. It is one of the most abundant carotenoids in the North American diet as well as one of approximately 50 carotenoids known as provitamin Acompounds, able to be converted in the body into retinol, an active form of vitamin A. While beta-carotene produces colors in the orange and yellow range, beta-carotene rich foods may be other colors besides from these two. That is because other phytonutrients pigments blend together with the beta-carotene to give the plant food its unique hue that, in addition to orange or yellow, could be other colors including pink, red or white. How it Functions What are the functions of beta-carotene? Preventing Vitamin A Deficiency Until late in the 20th Century, the functions of carotenoids, including beta-carotene, were discussed only in terms of their potential vitamin A activity. Beta-carotene is one of approximately 50 carotenoids of the known 600, that are called provitamin A compounds because the body can convert them into retinol, an active form of vitamin A. As a result, foods that contain beta-carotene can help prevent vitamin A deficiency. In addition to alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin, beta-carotene is among the most commonly consumed provitamin A carotenoids in the North American diet. Antioxidant Immune-Enhancing Activity In recent years, carotenoids including beta-carotene have received a tremendous amount of attention as potential anti-cancer and anti-aging compounds. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant, protecting the cells of the body from damage caused by free radicals. It is also one of the carotenoids believed to enhance the function of the immune system. Promoting Proper Cell Communication In addition to their antioxidant and immune-enhancing activity, carotenoids including beta-carotene have shown the ability to stimulate cell to cell communication. Researchers now believe that poor communication between cells may be one of the causes of the overgrowth of cells, a condition which eventually leads to cancer. By promoting proper communication between cells, carotenoids may play a role in cancer prevention. Supporting Reproductive Health It is also believed that beta-carotene may participate in female reproduction. Although its exact function in female reproduction has not yet been identified, it is known that the corpus luteum has the highest concentration of beta-carotene of any organ in the body, suggesting that this nutrient plays an important role in reproductive processes. Deficiency Symptoms What are deficiency symptoms for beta-carotene? A low dietary intake of carotenoids such as beta-carotene is not known to directly cause any diseases or health conditions, at least in the short term. However, if your intake of vitamin A is also low, a dietary deficiency of beta-carotene and/or other provitamin A carotenoids can cause the symptoms associated with vitamin A deficiency. In addition, long-term inadequate intake of carotenoids is associated with chronic disease, including heart disease and various cancers. One important mechanism for this carotenoid-disease relationship appears to be free radicals. Research indicates that diets low in beta-carotene and carotenoids can increase the bodys susceptibility to damage from free radicals. As a result, over the long term, beta-carotene deficient diets may increase tissue damage from free radical activity, and increase risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancers. Toxicity Symptoms What are toxicity symptoms for beta-carotene? A tell-tale sign of excessive consumption of beta-carotene is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, most often occurring in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This condition is called carotenodermia, and is reversible and harmless. High intake of carotenoid-containing foods or supplements is not associated with any toxic side effects. As a result, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences did not establish a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for carotenoids when it reviewed these compounds in 2000. However, the results of two research studies indicate that those who smoke heavily and drink alcohol regularly, may increase their chance of developing lung cancer and/or heart disease if they take beta-carotene supplements in amounts greater than 20-30 milligrams per day. Impact of Cooking, Storage and Processing How do cooking, storage, or processing affect beta-carotene? In certain cases, cooking can improve the availability of carotenoids in foods. Lightly steaming carrots and spinach improves your bodys ability to absorb carotenoids in these foods. It is important to note, however, that in most cases, prolonged cooking of vegetables decreases the availability of carotenoids by changing the shape of the carotenoid from its natural trans-configuration to a cis-configuration. For example, fresh carrots contain 100% all-trans beta-carotene, while canned carrots contain only 73% all-trans beta-carotene. Factors that Affect Function What factors might contribute to a deficiency of beta-carotene? Carotenoids are fat-soluble substances, and as such require the presence of dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract. Consequently, your carotenoid status may be impaired by a diet that is extremely low in fat or if you have a medical condition that causes a reduction in the ability to absorb dietary fat such as pancreatic enzyme deficiency, Crohns disease, celiac sprue, cystic fibrosis, surgical removal of part or all of the stomach, gall bladder disease, and liver disease. Due to low consumption of fruits and vegetables, many adolescents and young adults do not take in enough beta-carotene. In addition, if you smoke cigarettes and/or drink alcohol, you may have lower than normal blood levels of beta-carotene. Statistically speaking, smokers and drinkers eat fewer foods that contain carotenoids such as beta-carotene. Also, researchers suspect that cigarette smoke destroys carotenoids. However, if you do smoke or drink, use carotenoid supplements with caution (see Toxicity section). Drug-Nutrient Interactions What medications affect beta-carotene? The cholesterol-lowering medications referred to as bile acid sequestrants (Cholestyramine, Colestipol, and Colestid) lower blood levels of carotenoids. In addition, margarines enriched with plant sterols such as Benecol and Take Control, may decrease the absorption of carotenoids. Olestra, a fat substitute added to snack foods, may also decrease the absorption of carotenoids. Nutrient Interactions How do other nutrients interact with beta-carotene? Beta-carotene supplements reduce blood levels of lutein while they may also increase blood levels of beta-cryptoxanthin. Supplementing your diet with pectin may decrease the absorption of carotenoids. Health Conditions Carotenoids may play a role in the prevention of the following health conditions: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Age-related macular degeneration Angina pectoris Asthma Cataracts Cervical cancer Cervical dysplasia Chlamydial infection Heart disease Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the larynx) Lung cancer Male and female infertility Osteoarthritis Photosensitivity Pneumonia Prostate cancer Rheumatoid arthritis Skin cancer Vaginal candidiasis Form in Dietary Supplements What forms of beta-carotene are found in dietary supplements? In dietary supplements, beta-carotene is available as synthetic all-trans beta-carotene, beta- and alpha-carotene from the algae Dunaliella, and mixed carotenes from palm oil. It is important to note, however, that, due to the inconsistent results from research studies aimed at evaluating the health benefits of beta-carotene supplements, the National Academy of Sciences cautions against taking high dose carotenoid supplements, except as a method for preventing vitamin A deficiency. Food Sources What foods provide beta-carotene? Beta-carotene can be found in concentrated amounts in a variety of foods including sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro, fresh thyme, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce and broccoli. Food Source Analysis not Available for this Nutrient Public Health Recommendations What are current public health recommendations for beta-carotene and carotenoids? To date, no recommended dietary intake levels have been established for carotenoids. In an effort to set such recommendations, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences reviewed the existing scientific research on carotenoids in 2000. Despite the large body of population-based research that links high consumption of foods containing beta-carotene and other carotenoids with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases, the Institute of Medicine concluded that this evidence was not strong enough to support a required carotenoid intake level because it is not yet known if the health benefits associated with carotenoid-containing foods are due to the carotenoids or to some other substance in the food. However, the National Academy of Sciences supports the recommendations of various health agencies, which encourage individuals to consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetable every day. This level of intake of fruits and vegetables provides approximately three to six milligrams of beta-carotene.

Individualism in Habits of The Heart Essay -- essays research papers

Habits of The Heart create a vision of the middle class American life with all its good, bad, strengths and weaknesses. Its examines the conflict that exists between individuality and community in this country, as well as how these conflicts effect our ability to form relationships with others, whether it is in a public arena or our own intimate relationships with family and friends. The very word individualism means to look out for number one, it implies a me society that has lost it’s way from the way it use to be. The title â€Å"Habits Of The Heart† creates images of love, faith, hope and commitment to others, a sense of belonging to something larger than yourself. Does individualism really exist, or is it that people tend to forget where they came from and how much they really are influenced by family, community and others around them. In â€Å"Habits Of The Heart† Bellah et al write that â€Å"they attempt to follow Tocqueville and call it individualism†. This they say is the first language in which Americans tend to think about their lives, values independence and self-reliance above all else (Viii). Americans separate work, family and community, when in fact, these worlds must be combined. We are hiding in such "lifestyle enclaves," our isolated existence limits our ability to relate ourselves to a broader community. The virtue of community interaction lies in its ability to provide meaning to the frustrating mechanisms of politics and combat the "inevitable loneliness of the separate self" (Bellah et. al., 190). It seems our definition of success is related to our own individuality. Our view of success is rooted in the outcome of competition among individuals. Americans seem quick to claim that we have each succeeded through their o... ...t create ourselves. That we owe what we are to the communities that helped form us†(Bellah et. al., P. 295). We have a long history in this country of others who gave and sacrificed so much so we could have our present. We must understand that life is to be shared, it is not a race whose only â€Å"goal is to he foremost† (Bellah et. al., P. 296). It is to be lived. We must be committed to those we love, and to our communities. Maybe the longing for nostalgia in this country can help to return to a time when family, friends, community, church and more were important and we all knew we were part of something greater than ourselves. We must however not live in the past, we must use the past to build and focus on the future. Work Citied Bellah, et.al.(1996). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American life. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Mobile Advertising : A New Communication Media :: Mobile Phones Cell Phones Technology

Mobile Advertising : A New Communication Media Mobile marketing is becoming the most productive and cost effective medium for reaching a highly desirable demographic. It purposes are numerous : canvassing, building up customer loyalty and of course selling. The mobile phone is a good tool to exchange information with customers with several medium : Small Message Service (SMS), Mini Message Service (MMS), video MMS or internet. Today, it is also possible to pay with your mobile phone and some people think that mobile-phones will replace credit-cards or loyalty-cards in a next future. The mobile marketing is born thanks to a huge development of high-technologies, which allow to have high-performances cell-phones. It is particularly targeted on young people, who use cell phones of the new generation. The market on mobile marketing should reach 150 millions of dollars in 2006 (three times more comparing to 2005). The market will grow very quickly to reach 1 billion of dollars in 2009. Companies such as AvantGO were born, just in order to provide services in terms of Mobile Marketing Advertising and Campaigns. Services provided include a huge database and mobile research surveys. Some major companies trust in AvantGo to build their mobile website : American Airlines or Rolling Stone for instance. Building up customers loyalty : it is common acknowledged that it costs about five times less to build up loyalty with a customer than to find another one. That is why companies have to focus on existing customers. And because they often have a databases with a lot of information about their customers (including mobile phone numbers), sending SMS or MMS is an easy way to reach customers. And when effective, this type of campaign can contribute to significant brand awareness and loyalty, especially for a young demographic. Today most ambitious marketers try to associate a specialist ringtone or wallpaper with their brand. They are convinced that it could spread awareness of their own brand. Canvassing : the method to canvass people with mobile marketing is not difficult. Companies have to buy a cell-phone database or to constitute it by their own, corresponding to their respective targets and then to send a message and/or pictures. They can ad an internet website, a call-centre number. Selling: in Japan and South-Korea it is already possible to pay small bills like restaurants, cinema seats or public transports with mobile phones. The concept is being tested in the USA now.

Indus Valley Civilization.

Indus Valley Civilization. The earliest traces of civilization in the Indian subcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus river. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization that first developed some 4,500-5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants.The Indus Valley people were most likely Dravidians, who may have been pushed down into south India when the Aryans, with their more advanced military technology, commenced their migrations to India around 2,000 BCE. Though the Indus Valley script remains undeciphered down to the present day, the numerous seals discovered during the excavations, as well as statuary and pottery, not to mention the ruins of numerous Indus Valley cities, have enabled scholars to construct a reasonably plausible account of the Indus Valley Civilization.Some kind of centralized state, and certainly fairly extensive town planning, is suggested by the layout of the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The same kind of burnt brick appears to have been used in the construction of buildings in cities that were as much as several hundred miles apart. The weights and measures show a very considerable regularity. The Indus Valley people domesticated animals, and harvested various crops, such as cotton, sesame, peas, barley, and cotton. They may also have been a sea-faring people, and it is rather interesting that Indus Valley seals have been dug up in such places as Sumer.In most respects, the Indus Valley Civilization appears to have been urban, defying both the predominant idea of India as an eternally and essentially agricultural civilization, as well as the notion that the change from ‘rural’ to ‘urban’ represents something of a logical progression. The I ndus Valley people had a merchant class that, evidence suggests, engaged in extensive trading. Neither Harappa nor Mohenjodaro show any evidence of fire altars, and consequently one can reasonably conjecture that the various rituals around the fire which are so critical in Hinduism were introduced later by the Aryans.The Indus Valley people do not appear to have been in possession of the horse: there is no osteological evidence of horse remains in the Indian sub-continent before 2,000 BCE, when the Aryans first came to India, and on Harappan seals and terracotta figures, horses do not appear. Other than the archaeological ruins of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, these seals provide the most detailed clues about the character of the Indus Valley people. Bulls and elephants do appear on these seals, but the horned bull, most scholars are agreed, should not be taken to be congruent with Nandi, or Shiva’s bull.The horned bull appears in numerous Central Asian figures as well; it is also important to note that Shiva is not one of the gods invoked in the Rig Veda. The revered cow of the Hindus also does not appear on the seals. The women portrayed on the seals are shown with elaborate coiffures, sporting heavy jewelry, suggesting that the Indus Valley people were an urbane people with cultivated tastes and a refined aesthetic sensibility. A few thousand seals have been discovered in Indus Valley cities, showing some 400 pictographs: too few in number for the language to have been ideographic, and too many for the language to have been phonetic.The Indus Valley civilization raises a great many, largely unresolved, questions. Why did this civilization, considering its sophistication, not spread beyond the Indus Valley? In general, the area where the Indus valley cities developed is arid, and one can surmise that urban development took place along a river that flew through a virtual desert. The Indus Valley people did not develop agriculture on any large scale, and con sequently did not have to clear away a heavy growth of forest. Nor did they have the technology for that, since they were confined to using bronze or stone implements.They did not practice canal irrigation and did not have the heavy plough. Most significantly, under what circumstances did the Indus Valley cities undergo a decline? The first attacks on outlying villages by Aryans appear to have taken place around 2,000 BCE near Baluchistan, and of the major cities, at least Harappa was quite likely over-run by the Aryans. In the Rig Veda there is mention of a Vedic war god, Indra, destroying some forts and citadels, which could have included Harappa and some other Indus Valley cities.The conventional historical narrative speaks of a cataclysmic blow that struck the Indus Valley Civilization around 1,600 BCE, but that would not explain why settlements at a distance of several hundred miles from each other were all eradicated. The most compelling historical narrative still suggests tha t the demise and eventual disappearance of the Indus Valley Civilization, which owed something to internal decline, nonetheless was facilitated by the arrival in India of the Aryans.

Gun Violence

There are many kind of violence in the world, and the most common and deadly is gun-related violence. Not surprisingly, gun violence is one of the major public concerns in the American society. Interestingly, gun violence is also most common in urban areas and it is in close conjunction with youth activity and gang violence. There are many violent crime related to guns and the presence of guns often would trigger many violent crimes. Since 1865, President Abraham Lincoln, President James Garfield, President William McKinley, and President John F. Kennedy were assassinated, and the gun violence for Americans has become quite common. Moreover, high profile gun violence incidents, such as the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and more recently, the Columbine High School massacre, the Beltway sniper attacks, and the Virginia Tech massacre have also fueled debate over gun policies. According to the report, prevalence of homicide and violent crime is greatest in urba n areas of the United States. In metropolitan areas, the homicide rate in 2005 was 6. 1 per 100,000 compared with 3. in non-metropolitan counties (fbi. gov). In America, cities with populations greater than 250,000, the mean homicide rate was 12. 1 per 100,000 (fbi. gov), and the rates of gun-related homicides are greater in southern and western states. In America, to get a gun is somewhat easy. It is not expensive and there are many firearms available. According to the report, among juveniles, the minor under the age of 16, 17, or 18, serving in correctional facilities, 86% owned a gun at some time, and 66% acquiring their first gun by age 14 (fbi. ov). Juveniles most often acquire guns from family, friends, drug dealers, and street contacts. In inner city, youth cite â€Å"self-protection from enemies† as the top reason for carrying a gun. Moreover, the mind of youth is immature, and they usually be impetuous and easily given to passions or act on impulse and without due consideration. This is shown in statistics that most violent crimes related to guns were committed by the youths. Even though gun itself is neutral, we cannot deny the potential danger elated with guns. Guns are meant to protect the people, but it often used as a tool to commit violent crimes. Therefore, establishing the laws and the limitations to prevention the youth to touch guns is important. Also, families and schools should educate and guide our youths more carefully. Don’t let our society become more and more dangerous and give our offspring a safe living space by promoting stricter firearm controls and zero tolerance on youth gun possession. Gun Violence Gun Violence Gun violence, in the United States especially, is a growing concern and highly debated topic when the discussion of gun control is brought up. Here are several facts that I found to be troubling, and even disturbing. * The average of guns deaths in the annual is less than 50 in Japan compared to more than 10,000 in the United States. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) The number of gun related deaths in the United States dwarfs that of Japan annually, perhaps a sign of the overwhelming amount of gang violence in the U.S. * The per capita gun death rate in Louisiana is the highest annually in the United States at 19. 04%. The lowest per capita death rate is help in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Hawaii at a mere 2. 02%. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) Per 100,000 people, almost twenty percent of the population would die in a gun related homicide. That number seems incredibly high. * Lifetime U. S. edical costs for gunshot in juries are an estimated $2. 3 billion, with U. S. taxpayers paying $1. 1 billion, almost half of the total. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) In an effort to keep that number down, it might be smart to put a little more funding into law enforcement to keep guns out of criminal’s hands in the first place. * Guns in a household triple the risk of a family member being killed by a gun. (http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pubmed/8371731) I don’t know how I feel about this statistic as the use of a firearm for protection can save a life even though this stat says that the gun in the household makes it immediately more dangerous. * A 1993 study gathered that 2. 45 million crimes are thwarted by guns in the United States every year. (LaPierre, Wayne (1994). Guns, Crime, and Freedom. Regnery Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 0-89526-477-3. ) This is the other side of gun possession seen as a positive. With guns as a protection, regular citizens can protect themselves from potential danger. Gun Violence Gun Violence Gun violence, in the United States especially, is a growing concern and highly debated topic when the discussion of gun control is brought up. Here are several facts that I found to be troubling, and even disturbing. * The average of guns deaths in the annual is less than 50 in Japan compared to more than 10,000 in the United States. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) The number of gun related deaths in the United States dwarfs that of Japan annually, perhaps a sign of the overwhelming amount of gang violence in the U.S. * The per capita gun death rate in Louisiana is the highest annually in the United States at 19. 04%. The lowest per capita death rate is help in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Hawaii at a mere 2. 02%. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) Per 100,000 people, almost twenty percent of the population would die in a gun related homicide. That number seems incredibly high. * Lifetime U. S. edical costs for gunshot in juries are an estimated $2. 3 billion, with U. S. taxpayers paying $1. 1 billion, almost half of the total. (http://www. heedinggodscall. org/content/pfctoolkit-10) In an effort to keep that number down, it might be smart to put a little more funding into law enforcement to keep guns out of criminal’s hands in the first place. * Guns in a household triple the risk of a family member being killed by a gun. (http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. ov/pubmed/8371731) I don’t know how I feel about this statistic as the use of a firearm for protection can save a life even though this stat says that the gun in the household makes it immediately more dangerous. * A 1993 study gathered that 2. 45 million crimes are thwarted by guns in the United States every year. (LaPierre, Wayne (1994). Guns, Crime, and Freedom. Regnery Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 0-89526-477-3. ) This is the other side of gun possession seen as a positive. With guns as a protection, regular citizens can protect themselves from potential danger.

From the Nature of the Education System Depicted by the Organizational Structure, Critically Discuss Problems That Can Result from Such a Structure and Suggest Solutions.

From the nature of the education system depicted by the organizational structure, critically discuss problems that can result from such a structure and suggest solutions. Introduction: Zimbabwe as a nation believes in education for all. Systems are in place to ensure everyone has access to education. This paper will examine the structure of the Zimbabwean education system, highlighting problems which may arise because of its nature, and attempt to give solutions. Two terms, education system and organizational structure, are defined. Definition of terms Education system: According to Wikipedia, ‘’Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual and in its technical sense education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, values, and skills from one generation to another through institutions’’. Wikipedia also defines a system as integrated an ‘integrated whole' which has a structure, behaviour, interconnectivity of various parts which ‘’ have functional as well as structural relationships between each other’’. The term system may also refer to a set of rules that governs behavior or structure. Education system therefore refers to the structure and behaviour as well as functionality of the entity through which children acquire knowledge, values and skills through a formalized set-up. Organizational structure: Structure is, according to wikipedia, a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature, and stability of patterns and relationships of entities. A structure defines what a system is made of. It is a configuration of items. It is a collection of inter-related components or services. The structure may be a hierarchy (a cascade of one-to-many relationships) or a network featuring many-to-many relationships. Organisational structure therefore refers to the nature, patterns and relationships within an entity or social arrangement. Nature of the Zimbabwean education system: Structure: The Zimbabwean education system is a bureaucratic system, which has a hierarchical governing structure which goes from the top to the bottom. The hierarchy begins at the head office where the Permanent Secretary and his team of directors are housed. The Permanent Secretary, is the senior civil servant, and reports to the Minister, who is a politician and is in charge of policy making. The directors are in charge of the various elements within the system, such as quality control, administration, curriculum and human resources. Below the national, is the provincial level, whose hierarchy is headed by the Provincial Education Director (PED). He has two deputies, one in charge of Quality Assurance and the other of Professional Administration. There are several provincial level education officers below them. The provincial office also houses other professionals in finance and other departments who report to the PED. At the district level, the District Education Officer (DEO) heads a team of Education Officers (EO)s who supervise education activities within the district. At school level, the head is in charge of the school, and is deputized by the deputy head. Teachers fall below him but they too have seniority levels. This body at school level is responsible for the direct teaching of the child. Other ancillary staff falls below the professionals at school level but report to the head or whoever is assigned, by the head, in the finance office. Having completed primary education, which includes early childhood elementary education, children graduate automatically into secondary school, where they are required to complete four years of schooling leading to an Ordinary Level pass. If successful at this level, they can proceed to high school where they attain Advanced Level passes and proceed to university, or choose to go to other colleges and tertiary institutions. Problems of the Organisational structure, and possible solutions: One major problem which may occur because of the bureaucratic nature of the education system is delay in the decision making process. The hierarchical structure poses the major problem associated with bureaucracy. This means that if a problem occurs at the school level or even at district level, answers have to be sought from the top, which may take time. A practical example is when partners want to carry out programmes in districts and have to wait long as education personnel seek authorization from headquarters. This can be solved however by allowing officials at lower levels to make appropriate decisions or designing mechanisms through which decisions can be expedited. The Minister, being the person in charge of policy, may choose to act without much consultation with others below him or with stakeholders. Sometimes hasty decisions are made, and these impact negatively on the ministry. When school fees were announced during the first term 2009, not much consultation was done, resulting in exorbitant fees being charged per term. The majority of parents could not afford to pay the fees for first term, which was pegged at US$150 for urban primary schools. A teacher, or any other civil servant, whose child went to these urban schools could therefore not pay. Ministers must be accountable to their constituencies, and encouraged through workshops and trainings to involve their stakeholders in policy formulation exercises. The popularity of the minister is enhanced through consultation. The problem of non-consultative policies has also occurred with policies such as that of uniforms at schools. A former minister announced a few years ago that there would be a universal uniform for all schools. This caused an uproar, and was never implemented, mostly because the modalities had not been thought out or consulted on. The country has a policy that all school children must wear a uniform, though it is the duty of the head to enforce this. There is also a policy which bars schools from exclusion a child on the grounds of non-wearing of uniforms. Such contradictions arise from non-consultation. Encouraging policymakers to have an ear for the public could solve this. Where public opinion is not sought, they can involve key stakeholders, who may be better informed. Headmasters and teachers who are on the ground, are a source of vital information on practicalities of policies. The curriculum is centralised and determined by subject panels of teachers, education officers, and representatives from the teachers' association, universities, churches, and other stakeholder groups. The Curriculum Development Unit within the Ministry of Education and Culture coordinates the subject panels. The primary school curriculum includes mathematics, English, agricultural and environmental science, physical education, social studies, moral and religious education, music, craft and art, and the indigenous languages (Ndebele and Shona). Indigenous tribal languages of the Kalanga, Tonga, Shangaan, Venda, and Nambya are taught during the first three years of elementary education within their communities. A school is not at liberty to determine its own curriculum. There has been a shift in public schools from the Cambridge based curriculum, to a local curriculum whose examinations are administered by ZIMSEC. Subject syllabi are then deduced from this national curriculum. The major flaw in this is that everyone is restricted to the same education standards, regardless of the nature of education which is academia oriented. Only recently, there has been a thrust for technical and vocational education in schools, with importance also being given to introduction of these subjects in primary school. Expanding technical vocational education can improve the quality of graduates produced from the education system. This will ensure employable and relevant people for the Zimbabwean economy which is largely agrarian. In view of recent challenges in the economy, a purely academic curriculum will not help the country. Increased and improved internet use in the education system will also ensure students produced have a wider world view in light of globalisation. The organisational structure within the education system can stifle the grievance process. A teacher is required to report grievances he or she faces through the headmaster (in the event that the headmaster cannot help him or her). The problem lies where the headmaster is the source of the teacher’s problem. It may be a case of misconduct and the same headmaster is required to forward the reports of the teacher to the DEO. This will see the process taking long. A system can be put in place, which ensures that when grievances are targeted at the headmaster, a teacher can follow-up directly with superiors. Counseling or confidence teams can also be set up at school level to cater for reporting of issues and their follow-up. The teacher may also be encouraged to seek the advice of the DEO directly. A ministry hotline can also be established to cater for this. Where partners are interested in contributing to the education sector, there have often been problems associated with the bureaucratic system. Interest is expressed but decisions or authorization takes long in coming. Non governmental organisations (NGOs) usually come with interventions in mind, and donations, whose programmes must be implemented within a specific period. Often, programmes are stalled and the NGO gets to the end of the reporting period without implementing, resulting in failure to liquidate and the funding being returned. A practical example is when one NGO implementing capacity building programmes faced challenges trying to take a senior officer at provincial level within the ministry on an exchange programme to another country . While this system fosters accountability and is ideal for easier monitoring, it can frustrate the efforts of those willing to contribute to the sector where procedures are not explained clearly, or where their efforts are stifled. A change in attitude is needed, where NGOs seize to be seen as enemies of government, as exacerbated by certain political environments. Meetings which clearly explain the operations of NGOs and targets they seek to fulfill also need to be held so as to clarify areas of concern with the ministry. Stakeholder dialogues are important as seen in Manicaland, which now holds them regularly . The education sector is an public organization which is non-profit making. Revenue comes from national treasury. As such, the system is such that remuneration of staff is within public sector standards which stipulate modest payment. Overpayment would result in an uproar by taxpayers. Problems which teachers and other civil servants are currently facing are largely because the sector is not generating profits and therefore cannot afford to pay teachers what they want. Privatization of the sector could contribute to better payment, but this is a phenomenon yet to be explored as even developed countries also have public schooling systems which are in place. The government will have to lobby with external partners to fund education programmes or contribute in the education budget. The structure of the education system in primary school has been said to be ineffective with regards expertise sharing. The structure is such that one primary school teacher is assigned to teach all subjects in a class. In high school, there are various experts specializing in particular subjects. Researchers advocating for the Sharing Teacher Expertise through Subject Specialisation (STESS) programme at primary school are lobbying for the change in system from one teacher all subjects to specialisation as practised in secondary school. In 2002, an education commission sanctioned the piloting of STESS in a few schools in each province, and the system was adopted by others who have also reported the success as seen by better results. Advocates also note that it will then be easier for children to adapt to the situation when they get to secondary school. The system requires teacher support in the form of capacity development so they keep abreast of methodologies in subject delivery. Rennie L. J (1985), explains the effects of in-service training on Science teaching and motivation in the classroom. This will go a long way is rejuvenating teaching methodology and enhance delivery effectiveness. The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the Salvadoran Ministry of Education, has developed a training program aimed at introducing these innovative teaching methods into hundreds of schools around the country http://usinfo. tate. gov. The same can happen in Zimbabwe, if these private players are invited to do so. Conclusion: The Zimbabwean education system is hierarchical and that poses a lot of challenges with regards setting up of policies, grievance procedures, curriculum decisions, and issues of collaboration with partners such as non-governmental organisations. These challenges can be solved if decision making is decentralized, and the policy formulation process is done consultatively with stakeholders. The government can also lobby with partners so they participate by funding education programmes in the country. References: 1. Peace Corps 24 July 2007, ‘’New Teaching Methods Stir Enthusiasm in Salvadoran Classrooms’’ USAID train teachers in interactive teaching styles, 2. Web site: http://usinfo. state. gov), Bureau of International Information Programs, U. S. Department of State. 3. Rennie L. J (1985), ED280867 – The Effect of In-service Training on Teacher Attitudes and Primary School Science Classroom Climates. Research Report Number 12. 4. http://www. wikipedia

Ethnicity and Racism Essay

Introduction Ethnic identity in varied urban society is maintained against force to assimilate, in part, by an opposing process of pejorative and odious distinction. Name-calling serves to expound and to restate demarcations against which one positively mirrors oneself and one’s group. Schermerhorn, cited in Sollors (1996), illustrates an ethnic group as follows: A collectivity within a larger society having actual or reputed common ancestry, memories of a common historical past, and a cultural focus on one of more figurative elements defined as the epitome of their people hood. Instances of such symbolic element are: relationship patterns, physical contiguity (as in localism or sectionalism), religious affiliation, language or vernacular forms, tribal association, nationality, phenotypal features, or any combination of these. An essential accompaniment is some consciousness of kind amongst members of the group. (Sollors, 1996, p. xii) Jones ( 1997) characterized ethnic group as â€Å"any group of people who set themselves apart and/or are set apart by others with whom they interrelate or co-exist on the base of their perceptions of cultural delineation and/or common descent† (p. 1). According to Jones, ethnicity contains all of those social and psychological phenomenon linked with a culturally defined group identity. Ethnicity centers on the ways in which social and cultural practices intersect with one another in the recognition of, and relations between ethnic groups (p. 1). The development and expansion of ethnic identity that takes place when an individual recognizes and affiliates with a particular ethnic group is multifarious. This significant personal and group identification has decisive emotional, behavioral, and cognitive implication that affects all aspects of development. Ethnic Groups Perception Phinney (1989, 1990) and others illustrated ethnic identity through components consciousness, self-labeling, attitudes, behaviors that consequence in the individual’s recognition with a particular group and with the attainment of group patterns through membership. Similarly, Bernal and Knight (1993) viewed ethnic identity as a psychological build that includes â€Å"a set of thoughts about one’s own ethnic group membership† (p. 7). These definitions deal with the evocative content and apparent distinctiveness of ethnic identity. Of significance to note is that these components operate at two levels individual and group (Branch, 1994) and within two areas self-given and other credited. Though components are a decisive part of the definition, components in and of themselves do not have expounding capabilities: why and how identity forms and develops. As ethnic groups in the United States are professed as occupying sociopolitical, cultural positions within a hierarchical system, the implementation, demonstration, or privatization of ethnic practices are inclined by factors such as physical, cultural and ethnic markers, antagonism, emulation, social facsimile, power, situational events, and scales of inclusion and contribution ( Hollins, 1996; Jones, 1997). These factors influence the scale to which ethnic identity attribution, or self-labeling, is internally driven, outwardly imposed, or both. Some scholars think that evenness in self-labeling and the acknowledgment and performance of established modes of behavior in social areas in which ethnic identity is reconfirmed and authenticated begins around 8 years old (Aboud, 1984, 1987). However, Spencer ( 1985) pointed out that identity is a developmental process in stable transformation. Developmentally, the traditions young children accept, display, and integrate ethnic identity content into their personal and group identity diverges from the ways they are demonstrated and given significance at other life ages. We know that young children (birth to three and four years old obtain ethnic values, customs, language styles, and behavioral codes long before they are competent to label and know them as ethnic ( Sheets, 1997; Spencer, 1985). Intellectuals who study ethnic identity development in young children from a socialization viewpoint believe that the ethnic identity progression for children of color begins at birth, at the initial interactions between the child, family, and community (Sheets, 1997; Spencer, 1985). Sheets (1997) sustained that the continual existence of personal and societal markers such as skin color, language, food choices, values, and association in a dominant or non-dominant group instills in children ethnic roles and behaviors that practice them for eventual self-labeling. Likewise, Alba (1990) referring to White ethnics, continued that this early home-life frame of satisfactory alternatives creates a exceptional identity. He argued that this personality, conversant by ethnicity, exists at deep levels, present even while individuals reject their ethnicity. This agrees with identity theory in social psychology, which conjectures that the multi-identities within an individual function at diverse levels of importance. Stryker (1968) recognized this degree of confession and commitment as salience. This constituent of choice in identity labeling for White ethnics seems to be less challenging for White ethnics than for ethnics phenotypically or ethnically marked. However, for a developing ethnic identity, feelings of shared aims with a particular ethnic group implies explicit movement toward a conscious acknowledgment of and assurance with the group (Alba, 1990), resulting in self-identification with diverse degrees of salience. Thus, deliberately or unconsciously, cognitively or behaviorally, individuals use ethnic identities to classify themselves and others for the rationale of social interactions in varied settings. The Consequences of Stereotyping There is an immense and admired literature on the effects of stereotyping, The overt rationale of an ethnic epithet is to slur and to injure. But calling names is also an endeavor, whether quite deliberately realized or not, to control the behavior of the ridiculed group. This attempt at social control by disparaging labeling is an effort to influence reality by the mysterious identity of the spoken symbol with the nonverbal fact. The belief is that if one can name or add a label to an object, in this case, an ethnic individual or group, then one can use power over it by just calling its name. If the name is abusive, condescending, scolding, or ridiculing, it is expected that this description will elicit an proper response, such as causing the wounded to cower, to be degraded, to be scolded and thus to feel blameworthy, or to act out the prediction of ridiculousness. Usually this prediction is fulfilled in the eye of the beholder by selectively perceiving or misperceiving the genuine behavior of the group over which he seeks control. Yet the resultant social process of labeling and stereotyping at times also leads to redefinitions of the relations between groups and sometimes eventually has the portended effect upon the behavior and self-concept of the victim, a consequence that has been called â€Å"in authentication.† The social psychosomatic process of being proscribed entails losing one’s legitimacy by acquiring a fake image of one. The stereotypes expressed by nicknames are one device by which several minority group persons are deindividualized or depersonalized. Minority group members recognize numerous of the values of the society in which they live, including at times the conventional images of themselves. Blacks, for instance, in the past had many nicknames for other ethnic blacks that were a system of color-caste coding and gestured an recognition of one decisive factor of white racism. This and other examples prove to one of the disastrous implications of name-calling-eventual self-derogation of a group. Not simply do groups sometimes understand the stereotyped image of themselves, but at times they emphasize it by conforming to its behavioral expectations. They have then avowed the other’s image and are thus proscribed. Conversely, minorities, particularly blacks, have opposed stereotypes in creative ways. Derogatory labels, together with names such as nigger, through inversion, have been given optimistic meanings within the group. Broader stereotypes, such as robbery, sexual abandon, juvenile behavior, and laziness, through conversion, are acted out as techniques of hostility and mockery against whites. For these and other reasons, the issue of ethnic slurs is typically regarded, analytically, as a predicament in social psychology and, normatively, as a social problem. Situational and Environmental Context The context and circumstances (e.g., locations, sociopolitical radicalized ramifications, economic circumstances, and time) in which ethnic identity opens out is another element of ethnic identity (Branch, 1994). This is an area in require of research. Family socialization outlines that inspire values and social and behavioral codes in their progeny vary within similar groups and are reliant in part on particular circumstances such as socioeconomic status, generational influences, and geographic location (Hollins, 1996; McAdoo, 1993). If home-rearing performs finds out how people use their cultural resources to settle in to new and discrete environments ( Mintz & Price, 1992), this signifies that the mechanism of ethnic identity not only activate differently at diverse developmental ages, but also might be expressed another way in different contextual settings. For instance, attainment of values and behavioral and social prototypes are mechanism in the ethnic identity improvement of young children that can herald self-labeling and appreciation. Also, self-labeling informed by framework is not as easy as suggested. It may or may not designate recognition, commitment, and salience; the capability to self-label does not mean that contextually the same decisive factor is used to determine the labeling of others. Sheets (1998) found that five year old children from African, Mexican, Minh, Loatian American, and Black/White racially mixed groups were capable to categorize themselves ethnically. These children willingly provided distinctive physical markers (eye shape, skin tone, and hair texture) and cultural fundamentals (native language, food preferences, and ways of eating) as proof to discriminate themselves from others. though, they used trustworthy or communally accepted reasons to categorize others. For instance, they say an individual is â€Å"Loas† because â€Å"My daddy said so† or someone is â€Å"Mexican† because â€Å"He was born in the hospital.† The self-labeling at this age was also detach from attitudes of relationship, obligation, and salience, but not from exclusive cultural behaviors linked with group patterns. Research that scrutinizes how environmental framework affects children’s ethnic identity development–and its effect on present and successive development–or what types of sociopsychological events influence change in the development of individual and group ethnic membership were not accessible. The mechanism and progression of ethnic identity appear to be extremely receptive to changing contextual social, political, and economic conditions. Ethnic identity cannot be sufficiently examined as secluded elements, rather it must be examined as suggested by Mintz and Price ( 1992), as systems or patterns in their societal context. Jones (1997) argued that ethnic identity is â€Å"based on uneven, situational, subjective identification of self and others, which are entrenched in continuing daily practices and chronological experience† (p. 13). Future Prospect The diverse reactions are due to a numeral of factors, which are not essentially mutually exclusive: an enthusiasm for the immediate surcease of bigotry; an intolerance with the slowness of progress thus far; an indecision about the permanency of newly gained perfection; a premonition, anxiety, or resentment about enduring injustices; and, most lately, a belief that being renowned as a disadvantaged minority will take group preferences and remedies or that being denied such appreciation will dispossess them of just treatment. Obscured in history are the colonial exclusions, whippings, tongue borings, and hangings of heretics, rebels, and witches; the mob attacks on Mormons, Asians, Mexican Americans, Filipinos, and Italians; the blazing down of Catholic churches; and the lynching and shootings of Blacks and Indians. Neither amongst American Indians nor between Whites and Indians, Whites and Blacks, French and English, Dutch and Swedes, Russians and Americans, Catholics and Protestants, and Protestants and Protestants are there the defensive and regal wars that once raged on American soil; nor have American ethnic groups pretended the wide-ranging violence that existed or exists in numerous parts of Europe and Asia, such as between Russians and Poles, Greeks and Turks, Jews and Arabs, Spaniards and Basques, Irish and English, Japanese and Chinese, and Tibetans and Chinese. Gone are the Anglophobes, Francophobes, Spanophobes, and Germanophobes, who alleged that Britain, France, Spain, and Germany correspondingly were plotting to destroy our government. Also gone are the once popular beliefs that Masons, Illuminati, the pope, communists, and international Jewry had permeated government and courts or that America was jeopardized by Chinese and Japanese invasions. On a local level, the Florida parliament in 1995 awarded compensation to nine Black survivors of White mob attacks seven decades earlier. In that similar year, Mississippi finally ratified the Thirteenth Amendment eliminating slavery. Some hundred years after 31 Chinese gold miners in Oregon were cruelly killed in 1887 were the files on what had happened first made public. On a state level, four decades passed before Congress chosen compensation for the unfair internment of American Japanese and Aleuts during World War II, and not until 1993 did Congress pass a declaration making an apology for the overthrow a hundred years earlier of the Hawaiian monarchy. Religionists, too, have more and more recognized past wrongs. On almost a hundred diverse occasions Pope John Paul II apologized for Catholic wrongs against Jews, Africans, Indians, Protestants, women, and even the astronomer Galileo. In 1995, on the 150th anniversary of its beginning, the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly voted to request forgiveness of â€Å"all African-Americans† for past support of slavery. Two years later, Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, and United Methodist leaders in South Carolina issued a statement owning up their sins of racism. Last has been a development of minority community and political action groups, which as never before look for civic and political acknowledgment and power. No longer are hyphenated groups viewed as unpatriotic, and no longer are they reliant on the altruism of others to resolve their problems, or, in the case of immigrants, to rely on motherland governments to speak on their behalf. Rather, much in the way of Blacks, they hold marches, pageants, demonstrations, and political forums, often with the support of second- and third-generation local or federal politicians of their own group. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have outreach programs to all main minority groups, together with the solicitation of funds. On both local and national levels, political officeholders are sure to have famous minority representatives as advisers or staff. Assistance all of the above were the press, radio, and television, which no longer disregarded prejudice, discrimination, or violence against minorities, but depicted such behavior as communally unacceptable and ethically wrong and called upon political and public officials to take corrective action. In brief, today’s minority groups have more fortifications, opportunities, and freedoms than their parents or grandparents had or dreamed of perhaps having and they are challenging and taking advantage of them as never before. Increasingly, changes for the better have taken place. Admitting such does not mean that there still is not victims and troubles, but rather proves that vary is possible and that cynicism and suspicion are unwarranted. A subsequent principle is comparing intergroup relations in America to those in other countries. Here, too, America detachable very well, as is obvious by what is and has been going on in other countries, as well as by the needs of so many foreigners to leave their homelands. We merely do not have the wars, ethnic conflicts, and calls for secession, self-determination, or ethnic sanitization that take place in Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia, Spain, England, Northern Ireland, India, Indonesia, Rwanda–or in our border neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Few Native Americans, Hawaiians, and Alaskans want secession, and few Puerto Ricans want whole independence from America. Still fewer are the figure of Americans who relinquish their citizenship and leave to live in another country. Third, intergroup relations can be evaluated to the nationally appreciated values of equal rights and opportunities for life, autonomy, and the detection of happiness, where individuals are moderator in spite of their race, religion, ethnicity, age, and sex. By this decisive factor, it is very understandable particularly to minorities that problems still exist, that racism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Asianism, anti-Hispanicism, anti-Native Americanism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and sexism have not moved out. The fourth criterion entailed comparing a group’s progress or need of it to other groups. The consequences, certainly, depend on the groups being compared. while the situation of American Blacks is evaluated to that of American Indians or Haitians, Blacks are doing very well, but when contrasted to that of Irish Catholics or Jews, they are far behind. If being murdered and robbed of one’s home are the most terrible that can happen a group, then Indians were the leading victims, followed by Blacks, who were the only group brought here against their will as slaves, alienated from their families, and not permitted to enable their customs, languages, and even names. Mexicans all through the Southwest were made strangers in their own land, as were national Hawaiians, both of whose lands were taken by fraud and conquest. Alaskan natives were not asked whether they required their land sold by Russia to America. Asians were the most redundant groups, and Catholics the most hated religious group. Frequently derelict in group comparisons are the momentous numbers of minorities who, despite discrimination, achieved, such as Arabs, Armenians, Asians, Cubans, Greeks, Huguenots, Jews, Latvians, Mormons, Quakers, and West Indians. Also derelicted are the ethnic and socioeconomic subdivisions within a explicit victimized group as with late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century comparatively well-off northern Italians and poor southern ones, as well as with moderately poor eastern and well-off western European Jews. These days, too, perceptible differences in accomplishment exist between such Hispanic groups as Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans–with Cubans usually having a much higher mean income and educational attainment than the two other groups and than Whites usually. Briefly, the picture that appears from group-to-group comparisons is a mixed one, depending on which groups are being evaluated. A fifth principle is that of Utopia. All too perceptibly, America is not a Garden of Eden, Elysian Field, Happy Isle, Golden Land, or heaven on earth. Yes, we have approach a far way from the discrimination and favoritism of early America or of Europe, Africa, and Asia, but we have a long way to go before it can be realistically said that Americans live by the Golden Rule. The last and politically latest criteria (at least in America) are those of assortment and relative representation. originally, the terms usually implied that if a group did not have a percentage of jobs, school admissions, positions, elections, and so on, equal to its percentage of the local or state population, or to its percentage of the workforce, it was a sign of being discriminated against. For instance, since African Americans are some   twelve percent of the population, or women some fifty percent, it was argued, they should have that percentage of jobs, college admissions, political appointments, and the like. Consequently of the enduring nonrepresentational or exclusion of minorities, and the growing public and court refusal of race-conscious solutions, calls began being made for ascertaining multiculturalism and diversity. Schools, workplaces, political offices, media, and much else, were reproved to form workforces that replicate the makeup of America, thereby reassuring a greater minority inclusion than by just calling for equal opportunity for all minorities. By this decisive factor, with the omission of the armed forces, sports, and civil service jobs, few arenas of society are free of discrimination. It mean First, bad as prejudice was, it has been waning for all minority groups, though differentially so. Second, how much of a reject has there been, how fast or slow has it occurred, what has caused either, and how best to spiral the speed of reform are justifiable topics of concern and debate. Third, the dearth of usually agreed upon criteria for measuring progress distorts the realism of the progress made and not made. Worse yet, in numerous cases, the absence has aggravated intergroup relations, wherein one group’s self-interests conflict with those of other groups. Instead of figuring coalitions to resolve problems of common concern, numerous groups believe in centering on their own priorities. Without a coalitional conformity on what needs to be done, the speed of further development will be delayed, but not stopped. Too much goodwill subsists in America, and too numerous reforms have taken place, at too high a cost in lives and energy, to be stopped. The recognizable glass is neither empty nor full, but being filled and the earlier the better. References: Aboud F. E. ( 1984). â€Å"Social and cognitive bases of ethnic identity constancy.† Journal of Genetic Psychology, 145, 227 – 229. Aboud F. E. ( 1987). â€Å"The development of ethnic self-identification and attitudes.† In J. S. Phinney & M. J. Rotheram (Eds.), Children’s ethnic socialization: Pluralism and development (pp. 32 – 55 ). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Alba R. D. ( 1990). Ethnic identity: The transformation of White America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Branch C. W. ( 1994). â€Å"Ethnic identity as a variable in the learning equation.† In E. R. Hollins , J. E. King, & W. G. Hayman (Eds.), Teaching diverse populations: Formulating a knowledge base (pp. 207 – 224 ). Albany: State University of New York Press. Hollins E. R. ( 1996). Culture in school learning; Revealing the deep meaning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Jones S. ( 1997). The archaeology of ethnicity: Constructing identities in the past and present. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul. McAdoo H. P. (Ed.). ( 1993). Family ethnicity: Strength in diversity. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Mintz S. W., & Price R. ( 1992). The birth of African-American culture: An anthropological perspective. Boston: Beacon Press. Sheets R. H. ( 1997). â€Å"Reflection 1: Racial and ethnic awareness.† In J. Carnes & R. H. Sheets (Eds.), Starting small: Teaching tolerance in preschool and the early grades (pp. 16 – 21 ). Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center. Sheets R. H. ( 1998). Ethnic identity behavioral displays in an urban Kindergarten classroom: Implications for practice. Unpublished manuscript. Sodowsky G. R., Kwan K. K., & Pannu R. ( 1995). â€Å"Ethnic identity of Asians in the United States.† In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 123 – 154 ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Sollors W. (Ed.). ( 1996). Theories of ethnicity: A classical reader. New York: New York University Press. Spencer M. B. ( 1985). â€Å"Cultural cognition and social cognition as identity factors in Black children’s personal growth.† In M. Spencer, G. Brookins, & W. Allen (Eds.), Beginnings: The social and affective development of Black children (pp. 215 – 230 ). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates