English Intensive Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English Intensive Writing - Essay Example The game Call of Duty seems to be an FPS game that includes a lot of violence with a background of World War II, but it is really about the portrayal of justice and how the United States thinks that they are a righteous power. The task of visualizing World War II has recently been taken up by new media, particularly video games, which include Call of Duty. This has therefore created new social and political perspectives of the war other than what movies like Pearl Harbor or Saving Private Ryan would naturally point out to. World War II games features military combat. Nevertheless, more than this, the World War II game has somehow become a â€Å"resilient formula and an important way that the cultural memory of the war was activated for a growing segment of the population† (Allison 183). Thus, such games have somehow illustrated a justified military force where the United States acted as the savior of the world. One more quality of Call of Duty and other World War II shooter games is the fact that the player can take the role of â€Å"an American paratrooper, a British Special Forces operative, and a Russian tank commander,† thus adding an element of equality to the game, or the idea that other countries, like Great Britain and Russia, believed in America’s cause during World War II (â€Å"Exclusive First Look†). The fact that one can play more than just being an American soldier in Call of Duty somehow instills in the minds of those exposed to the game that other countries have consented to the war that America has fought long and hard. The cooperation of other countries especially powerful countries like Great Britain and Russia somehow lends to the idea that America indeed fought a worthwhile war and was therefore justified in its mission of bringing justice to the world. This makes Call of Duty similarly worthwhile, and this makes this particular shooter game highly instrumental in instilling in everyone who plays it the idea that America was the

Gender Socialization in American Social Institutions Essay Example for Free

Gender Socialization in American Social Institutions Essay Socialization refers to how people learn different cultures and learn to live with the various aspects of the cultures. For an individual, socialization provides an opportunity to gain various habits and skills that are necessary for participating and acting at various levels within the society. For the wider society, socialization enables different people to exchange moral norms, values, attitudes, social roles, languages, motives and so forth, thereby attaining a form of social and cultural stability (Sapiro, 1990). Socialization is affected by many factors, which have contributed to factors such as social stratification with particular with reference to gender among various societies. Many social theories have suggested that gender is a core cause of social stratification in the American Society (Stone, 2001; Andersen Taylor, 2005; Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002; Giddens Griffiths, 2006). Social stratification with respect to gender has been noted in many areas such as place of worship, schools, workplaces, and many other areas that involve social interactions. According to Andersen and Taylor (2005), the various methods used in interaction in different institutions lead to stratification since males usually tend to dominate the social scene, thus creating a situation whereby females have to play a second role in socialization. This paper will evaluate the methods of socialization used by people in different American educational institutions with particular reference to the role of gender in the social scene. The format of the paper will involve a brief discussion of the various aspects of socialization in the American context followed by a discussion of the methods of gender socialization in American social educational institutions. Gender socialization among Americans According to Stone (2001), the American society places a lot of importance in the role of the family as the basic social unit of the society. In fact, the evidence for this is shown by the abundance in most libraries of published materials regarding marriage and family life in the United States. The interest in family life is instigated by the fact that there are various instances of gender interaction such as those involving children; between children and their parents; between parents; and between parents and their in-laws (Stone, 2001). An obvious gender interaction that is usually less mentioned is that between any parent and mother-in–law or father-in-law of the opposite sex. The aspect of mother in law in particular has been a problem to many couples in the American society. In this context, Stone (2001) quotes Eppie Lederer who commented on the persistent problem associated with mothers-in-law by asking the question â€Å"Must we outlaw the mother in law? † The products of family life, that is children, also socialise differently depending on where they are. Andersen and Taylor (2005) note that gender socialization among children is impacted upon by peers, parents, the media, schools, religious institutions and forth. It is at the child level that various paths of gender socialization are charted. For instance, in schools girls usually get involved in communal games and like getting into groups whereas boys tend to put interest in games that are individualistic (Andersen Taylor, 2005). The same authors also note that girls play more freely when they are involved in same sex groups. On the other hand, boys tend to wield power over girls when they play with them and have a tendency to create laws of play over girls. This is perhaps what leads to men’s dominance in scenes in later life (Andersen Taylor, 2005; Stone, 2001). Methods of gender socialization in American educational and religious institutions As is the case in all societies, socialization occurs at all stages of life, not just in childhood stages. The attributes displayed by children in their early days such as gender-typed forms of games are indicator of behavior that appear later during adult life. The aspects of competitive play displayed by boys prepare them for the kind socialization environment they encounter as adults. Giddens and Griffiths (2006) note that boys engage in more aggressive socialization activities because in future they get active in activities such as sports; and the large groups they socialize with also teach them to cooperate and compete when working together later in life. Among girls, there is a slightly different approach to socialization. Andersen and Taylor (2005) note that learn in the same way as girls but they don’t tend to value the attributes such as highly as boys or men even though these attributes are no less important to them. Thus, gender socialization in various American educational institutions is based on these attributes as discussed in the following sections. Gender socialization in schools Schools in have a distinct influence on gender socialization because of the considerable amount to time children spend them (Cookson, 1990). Teachers of either sex have different expectations for boys and girls. According to research findings, boys in American schools call out answers about eight times more than girls (Andersen Taylor, 2005). This makes boys get more attention from their teachers than girls. This point is emphasized by the fact that when teachers of either sex respond to the boys they increase the boys’ level of perceived importance. Another level of socialization in schools is the kind of books used in class. The kind of messages depicted in the books usually determine the kind of socialization that children have later in life or among themselves (Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002). If a person of a certain gender is used as a central figure and is portrayed to be powerful or a genius, a mentality is developed among children that people of that gender are powerful in all dimensions. Most of the characters depicted as such are men. Gender socialization and religion Religion is one of the aspects of gender socialization that is often overlooked in the American society. Different religious groups lay emphasis on different aspects of their culture such as gender differences. For instance, most Judeo-Christian religions found in the United States put much emphasis on gender, with a common perspective that men are superior to women. In religions that embrace Orthodox Judaism, men offer prayer to God thanking him for not having made a slave of woman for them. In addition, many other religions in the United States exclude women from leadership in religious functions to signify that women hold a lower position in the society (Levinson, Cookson Sadovnik, 2002). Aside from the religions that belittle gender, socialization in Christian and Muslim faiths encourages some form of gender equity (Cookson, 1990). Thus in both churches and mosques, women constantly use what they learn based on their faiths to question racist practices and other forms of unfair treatment by men. Along this line, protestant and evangelical churches in the United States campaign for shared household roles and equal job opportunities as part of socialization between men and women (Stone, 2001). Gender socialization and the media Different forms of media such as magazines, film, television, music and many others have a lot of influence on the kind of socialization in the United States. Communication through the various forms of media is facilitated through features such as cartoons, narrations, messages in music and so forth. Men and women play different roles in the media industry and this determines show they socialize at various levels. But a common tendency is that men are usually portrayed as more powerful figure in various media by their dominance in films, sports, and many other activities. This has changed how people view various forms of media and stratified the society (particularly learning institutions) in terms of popularity of some programs. Television in the United States has been criticized for portraying unrealistic images of women and men with respect to their appearance and age (Stone, 2001). There is a common opinion that women are usually portrayed provocatively on television in dresses such as underwear, nightwear, swimsuits and so forth. Media images in social scenes such as social halls, school halls, colleges and other institutions in the United States and so on are criticized for depicting white men as exercising higher authority than white women as well as black men and black women. Many advertisements in social settings also have the same tendency of depicting the male gender as being superior to the female gender (Stone, 2001). Gender socialization and employment in educational institutions Workplaces as schools are characterized by people of either gender playing different roles. The American system of job classification us characterized by hierarchical organizations which put men and women in different job capacities. For instance, most principals in schools and superintendents of colleges are men (Andersen Taylor, 2005). This therefore creates an ill-advised notion that leaders in social institutions are always men. Conclusion It is evident that various from of gender socialization in educational institutions such as schools, colleges, churches, social halls and so forth in the United States is greatly influenced by the kind of socialization that takes place in elementary levels of education such as junior schools. In addition, the kind of behavior that boys and girls are exposed to is carried into adult life. This is shown in many organizations that disseminate knowledge such as colleges, most of which portray men as being superior to women. References Andersen, M. L. and Taylor H. F. (2005). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. New York: Cengage Learning. Cookson, L. Gender equity, social institutions and the future of fertility. Journal of Population Research, 17(1):1-14 Giddens, A Griffiths, S. (2006). Sociology. New York: Polity Levinson, D. ; Cookson, P. W. Sadovnik , A. R. (2002). Education and sociology: an encyclopedia. New York: Taylor Francis. Sapiro, V. (1990) Women in American society: an introduction to womens studies. New York: Mayfield Pub. Co. Stone, L. (2001). New directions in anthropological kinship. New York: Rowman Littlefield.

Marketing Strategies :: essays research papers

Title:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guidelines in Increasing the Number of Sales (applicable in any Industry; most Applicable in the Food Industry) Researcher:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RuthLenlea B. Villela Professor:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. M. Pangilinan School:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technological University of the Philippines Year:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1st Sem School Year 2004 Problem How to increase the Sales in a Local Ice Cream Parlor Summary / Findings PROBLEM ONE: NO SUNDAE DESCRIPTIONS The first problem we saw was that he was only listing the names of his sundaes, since there was no room for a description of each sundae. While this wasn't a problem for his Basic Sundaes, after all, everyone knows what's in a Pineapple Sundae, or a Hot Fudge Sundae, it was a huge problem with his Specialty Sundaes. Many of his Specialty Sundaes had fun, 'creative' names, like The Lala Palooza, The Zombie and The Razzana. Maybe Frank and his staff, and a few of his long-time customers, knew what those sundaes were, but we were certain that most of his customers didn't have a clue. Frank had assumed that his customers knew what those sundaes contained, or if they didn't, they would simply ask. People don't buy what they don't understand. And few are going to ask. They will take the path of least resistance and just buy what they are familiar with -- Pineapple Sundaes, Hot Fudge Sundaes, etc. PROBLEM TWO: NO PICTURES We've all heard that a 'picture is worth a thousand words.' Well, that saying is especially true when it comes to food. When you show pictures of desserts in restaurants, you will sell a lot more desserts. Some restaurants are even more savvy, and actually display the desserts or bring them right to your table for you to see. The bottom line -- visuals sell! Frank had never really thought about his menu system. The plain white letters on the black display boards had been his system since the day his business opened. He never considered adding pictures to his menu. Conclusion: Our experience in marketing, and our knowledge of how people buy, made it clear to us, that these two problems -- obscure sundae names with no descriptions, and no pictures of the sundaes themselves -- were making it nearly impossible for Frank's customers to order his higher-priced sundaes. Having pinpointed the problems, the solution was relatively easy. We suggested that Frank take pictures of each of his Specialty Sundaes, and have them enlarged. Frank then had two large signs made to be placed at both ends of his ordering counter, above his cashiers to make it easy for his customers to see the Specialty Sundaes and what they contained.

Outline for Common Elements in African Societies Essay

I.Introduction a.My speech is on common elements I found in African societies. Among these are animism, Bantu language, and their political organization. b.The importance of this to Islam is that some African states converted to Islam, which brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization. II.Animism a.It was common among African societies to believe in Animism, which is a belief in natural forces as gods. It also provided a model for ethical behavior, and well rounded concepts of good and evil. They believed in a creator deity who did their work through lesser spirits. b.Families, lineages, and clans all played important roles; especially the deceased ancestors. They were believed to be a link to the spiritual world. c.Although the beliefs are generally the same in Animism throughout the different societies, their rituals are unique and different from one another. III.Bantu language a.The movement of Bantu speaking people gave a general linguistic base throughout much of Africa. b.The only society that had a non-Bantu language was the Yourba. IV.Political Organization a.African societies were all either a hierarchy, or a stateless society. A hierarchy is an organization in which people are ranked one above the other according to status. A stateless society is a society that is not governed by a state, and there is little authority. V.Conclusion a.In conclusion, Animism and Bantu language were the common elements found in African societies. b.Again, the conversion of some African states to Islam brought Africa into a more Eurasian system of trade, and introduced them to new religious ideas, and political organization.

Animal Farm Assignment Essay Essay

â€Å"What methods does Napoleon use in order to gain absolute power and why is he successful?† In the novel Animal Farm, Napoleon uses cunning, treachery, propaganda and a number of other skills to gain, create and maintain power. His efforts to manipulate with lies and powerful vocabulary – in the form of Squealer – are successful, as they confuse the simple-minded animals. When the animals protest, Squealer’s eloquence, combined with the threat of violence makes the animals stop questioning and believe in Napoleon’s leadership. The loyalty and trust the animals have in Napoleon make it easy for him to take advantage of them and rise to absolute power. One of the most important methods Napoleon uses in Animal Farm is propaganda and the spreading of lies. Because Napoleon is not a very good speaker, he uses Squealer, as well as the sheep, to manipulate and convince the other animals whenever they have doubts. With Snowball his competition as leader, Napoleon struggled to make speeches that successfully portrayed his ideas. So, Napoleon trained the sheep to break into their favourite slogan of ‘four legs good, too legs bad’ whenever Napoleon felt the animals needed reassurance. The sheep, however, were not enough support for Napoleon in his efforts to gain control. His main ally was fellow pig Squealer, whose eloquence and ability to ‘turn black into white’ proved the biggest aid in fooling the other animals. With Squealer by his side, it became easy for Napoleon to get exactly what he wanted at the expense of the other animals, who believed the entire time that everything that happened was in their best int erest. For example, at the beginning of Animal Farm, the three pigs Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer start to become greedy by taking all the milk and apples for themselves and they justify this act by saying it’s for the common good of the entire farm. Squealer twists the truth and uses statistics to convince the other animals that it is necessary for the pigs to have these things because â€Å"the whole management and organization of the farm depends on† the pigs. The animals soon come to believe that the pigs are actually being selfless, and not at all greedy. Throughout the novel,  Napoleon broke several of the seven commandments of Animalism. When this happened and animals became suspicious, Napoleon had the commandments altered by adding extra words that would make his actions guiltless. When the pigs moved into the farmhouse and took up residence there, the animals became concerned at the news they were sleeping in beds – which they believed one of the commandments to forbid. When the animals went to check the seven commandments inscribed on the barn wall, it now read â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed _with sheets_†. Although no one remembered the commandment had mentioned sheets and the animals were quite puzzled, they accepted these changes to be true. This is an example of Napoleon re-writing history to gain privileges and justify his dictatorial role. He managed to change facts and make the animals believe because they could not remember or think for themselves. Another method Napoleon used to gain control was fear tactics. Napoleon threatened the animals in various ways, both physically and verbally without them realising. The team of vicious dogs that Napoleon had trained to be his â€Å"secret police† were used as an easy way for him to scare the animals on the farm. Whenever another animal questioned Napoleon or even wanted to stand up to him, the simple presence of the dogs would leave them silent and terrified. The mixture of Squealer’s strong words and the growls of his three-dog team were so threatening that the animals would accept any explanation or lie without questioning. For those who even attempted to turn against Napoleon, there were severe punishments. Through the killings and show trials Napoleon eliminates anyone who is likely to threaten his leadership. The others who are killed have angered him in some way and he uses their death as a warning to the other animals not to disobey him. The verbal threat that is made several times throughout the novel is mostly said by Squealer. He constantly threatened the animals that if they didn’t co-operate, â€Å"Jones would come back† and that thought alone scared them into doing anything Napoleon asked. The animals were constantly told how much better things were with Napoleon around and they were so terrified that Jones would come back and make their lives miserable. They did everything Napoleon wanted because they were  fearful of the consequences and what would happen to the farm if they didn’t do as they were told. Napoleon gained complete power through the exiling of Snowball and elimination of competition. When, early on, despite Napoleon’s efforts, Snowball managed to get most of the animals support on the matter of the windmill, Napoleon knew Snowball was a threat to his position. If Napoleon did not do something, Snowball would soon become the unquestionable leader of Animal Farm. So, he god rid of this danger. Using the dogs he had trained in secret, he banished Snowball from the farm. Without Snowball in the picture, Napoleon became the undisputed leader. During the novel Napoleon would turn every situation to his advantage, regardless of whether it hurt others or not. For example, when the windmill topples, he tells the animals that Snowball is the cause and turns every animal against him. From then on he makes Snowball a scapegoat. Whenever something goes wrong, it is immediately blamed on Snowball. This makes the animals feel that they are lucky to have Napoleon instead. It is also an easy way out for Napoleon as it keeps the animals from finding out where the blame really lies. This secures Napoleon’s leadership position as he will not be blamed for anything that goes wrong and this creates the illusion that Napoleon’s ruling is perfect, making him indispensable. Through killing any animals that appose him or threaten his leadership role on the farm, Napoleon strengthens his power over the animals. Napoleon was able to gain such control because he and the other pigs were a lot more intelligent than the other animals on the farm. Because the animals could not read or write, they were very naà ¯ve and Napoleon took advantage of their trust. The animals so desperately wanted the idea of Animalism to work that their commitment and loyalty blinded them to what was really happening. Napoleon’s charisma and intelligence fooled the animals into believing everything he said, although their lives were changing for the worse everyday. In the novel Animal Farm, Napoleon uses any means necessary to fool the naà ¯ve animals surrounding him. His intelligence and charisma made it easy for him  to use propaganda, sneakiness and fear tactics to manipulate his way into power and maintain control over the farm and animals. In the end of the novel, the animals ended up in basically the same position they started because of Napoleon’s ‘reign of terror’.

DATABASES MEMORANUDM essays

DATABASES MEMORANUDM essays Database Applications in the company Database in my company are used for several purposes. Because my company is a small retail store, it needs several kinds of information to collect and analyze. Right now, my company uses Microsoft Access for The company needs information about its customers, its inventory of products, its suppliers, orders, prices of the items, and item availability. Until recently, this information was collected and stored in paper files and folders. Although it was easy to store this information in folders, it also caused frequent delays in accepting the customer orders as it was often difficult to tell at the time of the customer order the price of the items, the availability of the products, and when it would be Presently with the use of the Microsoft Access databases in the company, the company has been able to make many decisions quickly as it can find the status of the customers, their orders, products, and shipping date in time. Besides, by using the database, the company can find every night how much inventory is sold and how much it needs to order (Haag, Cummings, and Dawkins, 1998). Through the use of databases, it has become quite easy for the company to track its inventory use and calculate the profits. The greatest advantages of the database model is that it is easy to use as it is built on a simple concept of representing information in two dimensional tables. Most of the employees working in the company can easily be trained to identify most of the common entities such as customer, order, inventory, supplier etc. By using the database, the company has been able to avoid a lot of duplication of the paper work processes and has been able to capture data with much more accuracy and details. My company is also making extensive use of databases for the development of the predictive models on consumer data. By ...

Information on Education and Schools in Connecticut

Information on Education and Schools in Connecticut Education varies from state to state as individual states control much of the educational policy that governs the school districts across their state. Even still, school districts within an individual state often offer key differences from their neighboring counterparts as local control also plays a critical role in shaping school policy and implementing educational programs.   Because of this, a student in one state or even a single district can receive a drastically different education than a student in a neighboring state or district. State legislators shape education policy and reform for individual states. Highly debated educational topics such as standardized testing, teacher evaluations, charter schools, school choice, and even teacher pay vary from state to state and typically aligns with the controlling political parties views on education. For many states, education reform is in continuous flux, often causing uncertainty and instability for educators, parents, and students. Constant change can also make it difficult to compare the quality of education students are receiving in one state compared to another. This profile focuses on breaking down education and schools in Connecticut. Connecticut Education and Schools Connecticut State Department of Education Connecticut Commissioner of Education Dr. Dianna R. Wentzell District/School Information Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 school days is required by Connecticut state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 169 public school districts in Connecticut. Number of Public Schools: There are 1174 public schools in Connecticut. **** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 554,437 public school students in Connecticut. **** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 43,805 public school teachers in Connecticut.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 17 charter schools in Connecticut. Per Pupil Spending: Connecticut spends $16,125 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Connecticut is 12.6 students per 1 teacher. **** % of Title I Schools: 48.3% of schools in Connecticut are Title I Schools.**** % With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 12.3% of students in Connecticut are on IEPs. **** % in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 5.4% of students in Connecticut are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** % of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 35.0% of student in Connecticut schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown**** White: 60.8% Black: 13.0% Hispanic: 19.5% Asian: 4.4% Pacific Islander: 0.0% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.3% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 75.1% of all students entering high school in Connecticut graduate. ** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 24.4*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1514***** 8th grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 284 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Connecticut. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 273 is the scaled score for 8th grade students in Connecticut. The U.S. average was 264. % of Students Who Attend College after High School: 78.7% of students in Connecticut go on to attend some level of college. *** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 388 private schools in Connecticut.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 73,623 private school students in Connecticut.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There were an estimated 1,753 students that were homeschooled in Connecticut in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Connecticut was $69,766 in 2013.## Each individual district in the state of Connecticut negotiates teacher salaries and establishes their own teacher salary schedule. The following is an example of a teacher salary schedule in Connecticut provided by the Granby Public Schools District (p.33)    *Data courtesy of Education Bug . **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of PrepScholar. ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:   The information provided on this page changes frequently.   It will be updated regularly as new information and data becomes available.

An Overview of the Motorcycles History

An Overview of the Motorcycles History Like many inventions, the motorcycle  evolved in gradual stages, without a single inventor who can lay sole claim to being the inventor. Early versions of the motorcycle were introduced by numerous inventors, mostly in Europe,  in the 19th century. Steam-Powered Bicycles American Sylvester Howard Roper (1823-1896) invented a two-cylinder, steam-powered velocipede in 1867. A velocipede is an early form of a bicycle in which the pedals are attached to the front wheel. Ropers invention can be considered the first motorcycle if you allow your definition of a motorcycle to include a coal-fired steam engine. Roper, who also invented the steam-engine car, was killed in 1896 while riding his steam velocipede.   Around the same time that Roper introduced his steam-powered velocipede, Frenchman Ernest Michaux attached a steam engine to a velocipede invented by his father, blacksmith Pierre Michaux. His version was fired by alcohol and twin belt drives that powered the front wheel.   A few years later, in 1881, an inventor named Lucius Copeland of Phoenix, Arizona developed a smaller steam boiler that could drive the rear wheel of a bicycle at the amazing speed of 12 mph. In 1887, Copeland formed a manufacturing company  to produce the first so-called Moto-Cycle, though it was actually a three-wheeled contraption.   The First Gas-Engined Motorcycle Over the next 10 years, dozens of different designs for self-propelled bicycles appeared, but its widely acknowledged that the first to use a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine was the creation of German Gottlieb Daimler and his partner Wilhelm Maybach, who developed the Petroleum Reitwagon in 1885. This marked  the moment in history when the dual development of a viable gas-powered engine and the modern bicycle collided. Gottlieb Daimler used a new engine invented by engineer  Nicolaus Otto. Otto had invented the first Four-Stroke Internal-Combustion Engine in 1876, dubbing it the Otto Cycle Engine As soon as he completed his engine, Daimler (a former Otto employee) built it into a motorcycle. Oddly,  Daimlers Reitwagon did not have a maneuverable front wheel, but instead relied on a pair of outrigger wheels, similar to training wheels, to keep the bike upright during turns.   Daimler was a prodigious innovator and went on to experiment with gasoline motors for boats, and he also became a pioneer in the commercial car manufacturing arena. The company bearing his name eventually became Daimler Benz- the company  that evolved in the corporation we now know as Mercedes-Benz. Continued Development From the late 1880s onward, dozens of additional companies sprang up to produce self-propelled bicycles, first in Germany and Britain but quickly spreading to the U.S.   In 1894, the German company,  Hildebrand Wolfmà ¼ller, became the first to establish a production line factory to manufacture the vehicles, which now for the first time were called motorcycles.  In the U.S., the first production motorcycle was built by the factory of Charles Metz, in Waltham, Massachusetts.   The Harley Davidson Motorcycle No discussion of the history of motorcycles can end without some mention of the most famous U.S. manufacturer, Harley Davidson.   Many of the 19th-century inventors who worked on early motorcycles often moved on to other inventions. Daimler and Roper, for example, both went on to develop automobiles and other vehicles. However, some  inventors,  including William Harley and the Davidsons brothers, continued to exclusively develop motorcycles. Among their business competitors were other new start-up companies, such as Excelsior, Indian, Pierce, Merkel, Schickel, and Thor. In 1903, William Harley and his friends Arthur and Walter Davidson launched the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The bike had a quality engine, so it could prove itself in races, even though the company initially planned to manufacture and market it as a transport vehicle. Merchant C. H. Lange  sold the first officially distributed Harley-Davidson in Chicago.

School safety laws Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

School safety laws - Speech or Presentation Example The stake holders that involve even the government should create peace of mind and have control of school safety. Some of the legal issues touching on school safety include bullying in school, premises liability at school, first amendment concerns, students code of conduct and finally school related product safety. Bullying in schools Bullying is very dangerous as it deeply affect most of the students by either threatening their right to attend classes and undermines the overall learning goals of a learning setting. Unfortunately, bullying in most of the learning institutions are on the rise. The government has realized the need for school safety and has ended up passing numerous ant bullying laws especially in some states such as California, Arkansas states. The main aspiration of creating passing these laws are to ensure schools are safe for learning. The central government has established laws such as First Amendment which ensure provision of equal protection to the students. Pare nts are encouraged to sue school or school districts for inability to prevent bullying if their children fall victims of this torturing act. In case a student bullies other students thus violating the bullied conduct codes and other relevant laws then the students who bully are mostly suspended or expelled. It is therefore upon the school administration to put in force codes of conduct that characteristically describe the kind of behavior expected from the students (Find Law Web). Property accountability at school Regarding the theory of premises liability, the occupiers and owners of premises are under obligation by the law to ensure that their premises are safe for use. The persons protected by this law should be people who are legally present and the owners must exercise a reasonable amount of care in providing a safe environment on their property. Considering that the school deals mostly with children, an utmost amount of care is principal in ensuring the safety of the children. Victims of any of the injuries resulting from failure to ensure safety within the school or negligence by the school may sue the school or school district. The school should be able to control every situation affecting children such as sickness to ensure total safety of the children. The US Supreme Court afforded students First Amendment freedoms but held that some rights may be restricted in that the freedom should be applied in a manner that attempts to balance free speech rights as well as the necessity to grant safe learning conditions. Parents and their children should always ensure that they are aware of students’ codes of conduct and other discipline policies that outline a student’s rights and responsibilities. These codes of conduct must ensure that all the acceptable and unacceptable code of behavior is clearly outlined. Additionally, students normally use different items which may impose threat to them hence making it important to know whether the products pose any risks before they are used. The US Consumer Product safety Commission standards have provided the lists of items that can be used and therefore it is important to visit their website to verify the school related items (Find Law Web). Arming the educators and the school support staff is beyond the expertise, experience and professional capabilities of

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

See below - Essay Example For instance, it has never been established that illicit drugs manufactured in Australia have been exported to other countries like the United States (Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, 2007). In Australia, the Commonwealth, the States and the Territories cooperate with each other in making legislation that addresses the supply, distribution, possession and use of narcotics. These bodies share the responsibility for enacting relevant legislation. There is a trans-state supply of illicit drugs in Australia, which has no geographical boundaries within the nation. Moreover, it is also evident that in certain incidents there had been cross national supply of drugs (The Attorney - General, 1989). The courts and the police employ drug diversion initiatives to treat drug addicts. These initiatives attempt to divert users from taking drugs. Education and compulsory assessment are two major diversions provided to drug abusers. After completion of the assessment, drug users are shifted to the appropriate education or treatment program. In April 1999, the Council of Australian Governments or COAG implemented the national strategy, by which concrete and concerted action was to be taken against drug peddlers and possessors (Crime Prevention and Community Safety Learning Circles). The National Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative provides early intervention measures for first time abusers and other less serious offenders; which provide either treatment or education, without involving the criminal justice system. The aim of this strategy is to encourage and motivate drug users to identify their drug addiction, at an early stage, and obtain appropriate treatment. This enables them to rejoin society without causing any adverse impact and ensures safety. Proponents of diversion schemes argue that educating users and providing subsequent treatment measures for first time users in the early

Annotation of an article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Annotation of an article - Essay Example has the moral imperative to stop genocide through different methods that would not have necessarily meant sending thousands of American troops to wage war with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. Power not only describes the Bosnian genocide, she also strongly condemns Milosevic’s deceptive ways of hiding genocide and America’s and Europe’s silence to it. Power narrates the history of conflict in Yugoslavia that affected Bosnia’s struggle for independence, which she compares with the Holocaust and other ethnic cleansing events in the world. Before 1991, Yugoslavia had six states, but after Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic stressed his nationalist stance, its several states seceded from it. Slovenia was the first, followed by Croatia. Both successfully declared their independence, but Bosnia did not. The seven members of the Bosnian presidency asked advice from Europe and the United States regarding how they could declare independence without much blo odshed. Western diplomats suggested giving human rights protection to their minorities and launching a free and fair referendum. The two Serbian members of the presidency resisted the referendum and supported the militarization of Bosnia. Power stresses that the Serbs had military power and backing, while the Muslims and Croats had none. As a result, they became targets of ethnic cleansing. Power describes the three forms of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia: economic, social, and physical. The economic part meant denying employment to minorities, while social sanctions, such as curfews and limited possessions were applied to them too. In addition, the most horrible forms of ethnic cleansing were murdering these people by shooting and bombing their houses, and forcing fathers to kill their sons and rape their daughters, while Serb soldiers humiliated and raped many young women. Power notes that during this time, the United States did not respond in military terms despite widespread media c overage on the atrocious acts done in Bosnia. She proposes several actions with different levels of military activities, which could have prevented the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia that resulted to 200,000 people killed and two million displaced during Bush’s administration. Power notes that the U.S. is significantly updated of the happenings in Bosnia before and during the ethnic cleansing. The U.S. intelligence system knew beforehand that based on what was happening in Bosnia from the 1980s to the 1990s, the situation would eventually become â€Å"bloody as hell† (Power 253). But since Europe stepped up and promised to manage the consequences of the breakup of Yugoslavia, Power notes that it seemed that the U.S. had been too happy to take a step back in influencing international foreign policymaking for Bosnia. In addition, Power describes in detail how much the U.S. government knew about the happenings in Bosnia. She mentions Jon Western, an analyst in the State Depar tment’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Western processed refugees’ testimonies, including one where Serbian soldiers raped a 9-year-old Muslim girl and left her to die in her blood, while her parents watched behind a fence (Power 265). Other refugees supported this event with their own accounts. In addition, Power shows that the ethnic cleaning strategies of the Serbs were similar to the Nazis and other oppressive regimes. For

Lowe's average annual sales Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lowe's average annual sales - Case Study Example The company posts on average third-quarter earnings of 59 cents per share this is from the current financial year estimates and previously audited reports, for instance, the latest annual report was of that figure up from 47 cents a share initially, on revenue of exactly $13.70 billion. Most of the annual sales is attributed to the numerous customers’ transactions within the stores particularly in the US. Similarly using the annual sales of 2013 which are the sales audited and analyzed in public domain, sales for the fourth quarter increased from $11.7 billion to $12.5 billion this is 7.6 percent in just fourth quarter of 2013, in the same year, for instance, there was an increased 7.3 percent comparable sales for the quarter. The annual sales for 2013 can be best used to forecast for sales in previous and later the fiscal years. Generally, the annual sales been boosted due to Value Improvement that have for years enhanced Lowe’s line designs, making them more and more relevant to every markets the company serve, and in the long run enabling the company to maintain perfect in-stock

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Essay Example During 1962, the President of Soviet Union was repeatedly accused of creating a missile gap between the US and Soviet Union. At that point of time, Soviet Union was desperately behind the US in terms of balancing the power of armed forces. It felt insecure as its missiles could only be utilized against Europe, whereas US missiles were able to assault the entire Soviet Union. Furthermore, Cuba also feared about an assault from the US army. Cuba was also searching for a way to defend the island from US attack. Due to these reasons, Soviet chief conceived the idea of positioning missiles in Cuba. In order to defend the island, Cuba had approved the plan of Soviet Union to position missiles in the island. This missile positioning strategy in Cuba was intended to enhance the strategic resources and to restrict the possibility of the US threat on Cuba as well as Soviet Union. This was the build-up of a grave missile crisis in Cuba between two global superpowers2. In the US, the crisis started when satellite images exposed Soviet missiles under installation in Cuba. As the US forces scrutinized transportation activities in Cuba, gossips started to flow in Washington. Through the investigation, the US had revealed the presence of defensive missiles in Cuba. Although Soviet Union allegedly declared that there were no invasive missiles in Cuba, US had discovered the existence of missiles in Cuba. This situation resulted in intense arguments within top levels of governments. During the Cuba missile crisis, tensions started to generate from both sides3. Considering the situation, the US had asserted that any kind of nuclear launch from Cuba would be termed as an attack on the US by Soviet Union and consequently it could start a new nuclear war. In the meantime, the US had also directed Soviet Union to eliminate all the offensive missiles from Cuba. One of the most precarious moments of the crisis occurred when the US destroyers were forced to isol ate Cuba4. A

Economic Indicators' Impact on Different Stock Categories Research Paper

Economic Indicators' Impact on Different Stock Categories - Research Paper Example While every indicator is an important measure of a facet of the economy, do all of them influence the stock markets equally? Hence the importance to know is which of these indicators influence the stock markets most, and probably more importantly which economic indicators most influence which types of stocks. For an investor, knowing which key economic affect the stock prices most can be of paramount importance, especially if they are in the stock market for the short-term. Different families of stocks provide different returns, which means that different investors, based on their appetite for risk, will opt for different investment strategies for which type of stocks to keep in their investment portfolio. This means that a â€Å"one-size fits all' theory on economic indicators affecting the stock prices may not be particularly relevant. Hence the need to identify whether (or not) the same set of economic indicators similarly influence the stock prices of small cap stocks as for lar ge cap stocks. Finally, a revelation from research that the small cap stocks are indeed influenced differently and/or by different economic indicators than those for large cap stocks, could have significant implications for governments - especially in formulating their economic policies with regard to small cap companies and even start-ups in the country. 2 Literature Review Stock markets depend a lot on the economic activity in the country. The health of the economic activity is presented through the economic indicators. Several studies have therefore been done on the linkage between stock markets and macroeconomic variables. While some studies have focussed on industrialised and developed economies others have focussed on the developing economies. Also, while some studies have attempted to see the impact of one macroeconomic variable on the stock prices, others have used two or more variables to see the link between macroeconomic variables and stock markets. Some of the economic i ndicators that influence stock prices as suggested in various studies include: Inflation, Unemployment, Interest Rates, Exchange Rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Industrial Production, M2 Money Supply, and so forth. The subject of how economic indicators influence stock prices or stock returns has been studied regularly over the years. Ibrahim (1999) found that macroeconomic forces have systematic influences on stock prices via their influences on expected future cash flows. Chakravarty (2005) also viewed that stock exchange prices are highly sensitive to fundamental macroeconomic indicators. Mehr (2005) observed that the effects of public policies on economic growth can be measured by the increase in stock exchange prices. Some of the other researches to have been conducted on studying the link between one or a combination of several economic indicators and stock markets are Feldstein (1983), Thorbecke and Coppock (1995), Chang, Yeung, & Yip (2000), Sellin (2001), Boyd, Hu & Ja ganathan (2002), Tessarotis (2002), Bernanke & Kenneth (2005), Desislava (2005), Vygodina (2006), Maskay (2007), Bartolini, Goldberg & Sacarny (2008), Mahmudul & Gazi (2009). These studies have dealt with the subject with different approaches - from considering one of the economic indicator’s effect on stock market to considering a bunch of up to 25 economic indicato

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Essay Example During 1962, the President of Soviet Union was repeatedly accused of creating a missile gap between the US and Soviet Union. At that point of time, Soviet Union was desperately behind the US in terms of balancing the power of armed forces. It felt insecure as its missiles could only be utilized against Europe, whereas US missiles were able to assault the entire Soviet Union. Furthermore, Cuba also feared about an assault from the US army. Cuba was also searching for a way to defend the island from US attack. Due to these reasons, Soviet chief conceived the idea of positioning missiles in Cuba. In order to defend the island, Cuba had approved the plan of Soviet Union to position missiles in the island. This missile positioning strategy in Cuba was intended to enhance the strategic resources and to restrict the possibility of the US threat on Cuba as well as Soviet Union. This was the build-up of a grave missile crisis in Cuba between two global superpowers2. In the US, the crisis started when satellite images exposed Soviet missiles under installation in Cuba. As the US forces scrutinized transportation activities in Cuba, gossips started to flow in Washington. Through the investigation, the US had revealed the presence of defensive missiles in Cuba. Although Soviet Union allegedly declared that there were no invasive missiles in Cuba, US had discovered the existence of missiles in Cuba. This situation resulted in intense arguments within top levels of governments. During the Cuba missile crisis, tensions started to generate from both sides3. Considering the situation, the US had asserted that any kind of nuclear launch from Cuba would be termed as an attack on the US by Soviet Union and consequently it could start a new nuclear war. In the meantime, the US had also directed Soviet Union to eliminate all the offensive missiles from Cuba. One of the most precarious moments of the crisis occurred when the US destroyers were forced to isol ate Cuba4. A

The Innovation of Prosthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Innovation of Prosthetics - Essay Example That is, the innovation in the development of prosthetics is aimed at giving the amputee more control and feel over the device which makes him feel that it is as good as a natural body part. The whole evolution of prosthetics over the centuries is driven by the desire for improving the artificial devices’ anthropomorphism (Pitkin, 2009). Anthropomorphism can be best defined as the expressing of human motivations and feelings in non-human entities (Clark, 2011). In this case, it is to allow the prosthetic to serve as an equivalent to the natural body part doing all activities and functions that could have been performed with the natural body part. This report looks into the innovation in the field of prosthetics. It discusses the evolution of prosthetics over the centuries. The expected future developments in the field are also discussed along with initiatives taken to increase the awareness among people. Evolution of Prosthetics Prosthetics has evolved from its primitive form to today’s highly sophisticated form over the centuries. There have been numerous ideas and innovations that have been introduced in the field of prosthetics. Some of them have been very successful and they have been expanded new forms and design. Fixed-position foot is an example of a successful innovation. On the other hand, some of them have not worked out as anticipated and have been sidelined. The use of iron in prosthetics is an example of a poor innovation that did not work out. The very first prosthetics were the peg legs and hand hooks that were designed in and around 400 BC. These prosthetics have evolved over the years and lead to more advanced and sophisticated fittings and castings. Today’s prosthetics are highly individualised to meet the specific needs of the person (Norton, 2007). The earliest of prosthetics rather than function mainly served the purpose of wholeness. They were made fibres. The next step in the innovation of prosthetics was the use iron and bronze. The core of the prosthetics consisted of wooden and the exterior was made of bronze and iron. Slowly the dimension of purpose was introduced (Norton, 2007). The purpose was still trivial such as to enable the amputee to walk, hold shields in the battle, etc. The prosthetics served only one purpose and was not very effective and there was very little attention paid to function. Prosthetics were used mainly in battles for soldiers and only the rich and famous in the society could use hand hooks and peg legs for daily functions. The next step in the evolution was the better designs and the use of gears and springs. The designing was boosted by the contribution from people of various trades. Watchmakers played an important role in the introduction of gears and springs in the prosthetics. This gave a new dimension to prosthetics as they were added with specific intricate internal functions. The period of renaissance saw a rebirth of innovation in prosthetics. The mew materia ls such as copper, steel, iron along with wood were used in the making of prosthetics (Norton, 2007). Prosthetics were now designed with the intent to make it more easy and multifunctional. People now started using prosthetics to perform activities such as signing the name, opening the purse, removing the purse, etc. Engineering features started to become a integral of prosthetics. Engineering features that made into the design of prosthetics were fixed positions, harness that could be adjusted, mechanisms that could control knee lock, etc.

Inadequate Compensation Essay Example for Free

Inadequate Compensation Essay Compensation for most positions is far below the market average for our region, no annual increases in the last 4 years. Salary.coms survey results show that inadequate compensation is by far the number one reason that dissatisfied employees want to leave their job. It has been proven time and again that fair pay practices benefit not only the employee, but also the employer (by reducing unwanted and unanticipated turnover costs). Employees who are paid competitively, relative to their specific market, are generally much happier. One way to find out if you are being paid what you are worth is to use Salary.coms salary negotiation tool, the Personal Salary Report. The Personal Salary Report will help you determine your value based on job title, industry, geography, company size, education, experience, and other personal factors. #2 Inadequate Opportunities for Career Advancement Percent Responding: 37.3% My boss has dangled the carrot for a year. Opportunity for career advancement is a major factor in retaining employees and keeping them happy. 37.3% of dissatisfied employees cited inadequate opportunities for career advancement as the reason they want to quit. Empty promises by upper management, such as promotions that dont pan out, have led many employees to give up on moving up the corporate ladder at their particular company. #3 Insufficient Recognition or Appreciation Percent Responding: 34.2% There is no recognition of my creative talent, training, or skills. The three major portions of an employees total rewards package are compensation, benefits, and the work experience. The work experience includes things like company culture, dress code, and how employees are recognized and appreciated for individual contributions and accomplishments. The fact that 34.2% of dissatisfied employees are disgruntled because of insufficient recognition or appreciation shows the importance of elements of the work experience, such as employee recognition programs. This proves that rewarding top performers with cash or gift certificates, or even just a pat on the back, goes a long way toward improving employee retention rates. #4 Boredom Percent Responding: 20.1% My job duties have gone from being challenging to boring. 20.1% of dissatisfied employees are unhappy because of boredom. There is only so much socializing with coworkers, surfing the Internet, or simply spacing out that an employee can do before its time to find a new job. The July 2005 AOL/Salary.com study on Wasted Time At Work revealed that the average American worker admitted to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time. However, employees expressed that they are not always to blame for this wasted time. 33.2% of respondents cited lack of work as their biggest reason for wasting time. #5 Inadequate Benefits Percent Responding: 16.9% The insurance premiums I pay cut deep into my paycheck. Results recently released from Salary.coms 2005 Small Business Basic Medical Coverage Survey show that nearly 90% of small businesses are paying more this year than last year for basic medical insurance for their employees. And these soaring healthcare costs are forcing small businesses, in many instances, to adopt measures that lower employee take-home pay. This has spurred some employees to start looking for work elsewhere, perhaps at companies offering more generous employer contributions towards the cost of basic medical coverage. Use the Benefits Tab of the Salary Wizard ® Calculator to see how your benefits stack up. #6 Inadequate Opportunities for Professional Development Percent Responding: 15.3% Im probably too experienced and educated for this organization. 15.3% of dissatisfied employees feel as if they have reached the pinnacle of their professional development at the company at which they are currently employed. Whether they are leaving to further their education, start their own business, or find a job that promises more professional growth, opportunity for professional development proves to be an important factor in retaining and satisfying employees. #7 Insufficient Job Security Percent Responding: 11.8% My job is being outsourced to Mexico and Asia. Insufficient job security is a result of a variety of different factors, including outsourcing, industry decline, lack of profits, competitive threats, and rumors that the company may be sold. The survey results indicated that many employees are searching for new jobs in response to the fact, or rumor, that their company or job is going under. Many of the 11.8% of respondents who cited insufficient job security as their top reason for leaving lack confidence in upper managements ability to save the company. #8 Undesirable Impact on Health or Stress Level Percent Responding: 10.5% This is bad for my health- my knees are hurting due to 12 hour shifts. Many employees are working long, hard hours and are finally realizing the effect that their job is having on their overall health and stress level. Some of these employees are opting to leave the workforce entirely, while others are in search of a job that wont give them an ulcer. #9 Poor Relations with Management Percent Responding: 10% Management is incompetent, clueless, overcompensated, abusive, hostile and predatory. Bosses everywhere, beware! Your employees are watching you and may leave because of your behavior. Even though poor relations with management ranked as the ninth most common reason unhappy employees want to leave their job, employees who dislike their boss provided us with some particularly entertaining feedback: Upper management has no spine, they are jellyfish. My boss has a diagnosed mental condition, but doesnt take his medication. My employer wants to disregard regulations and laws in order to meet company goals. My direct employer is sexist, tyrannical, and engages in extreme favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism. #10 Undesirable Commute Percent Responding: 9% My cost of gas versus my hourly income equals my net pay. Rising gas prices have become an effective pay cut for Americas commuters, and many are starting to think about leaving their job for something closer to home. Assuming that individual and company goals are met, employees can expect a salary increase of about 3.7% this year. They can also expect to pour 3.3% of their salary down the gas tank, virtually wiping out that increase. In fact, while salaries are rising 3.7% year over year, commuting costs have risen 50% in the last year.

Rehabilitation Psychology Case Study

Rehabilitation Psychology Case Study Rehabilitation Psychology Case 2: Mary Lee was only 22 years old and was involved in a serious car accident 1 year ago. She sustained multiple fractures in her spine and has become a quadriplegic (C5 level). She is now wheelchair bound and needs to live with her parents (both nearly 60 years old). She is fully dependent for all her ADL and is pondering what to do with the rest of her life. She has always been proud of her good looks before and wanted to be a movie star. Now her boyfriend has left her and she is feeling very lonely and depressed. Leung Kar Ming, Kevin Word Count: 800 words Many victims of serious car accidents survived with impaired physical functions. Hong Kong record a high number of traffic accidents with more than 20,200 casualties per year1. Traffic accident (42.1%) is the most reported cause of spinal cord injury (SCI)2. In our case, Mary Lee is one of the unfortunate victims sustaining multiple fractures in her spine. Incomplete (30.1%) and complete (20.4%) quadriplegia are the most frequent categories of persons with SCI2. Less than 1% experienced complete neurologic recovery by hospital discharge2. There are seven factors affecting patients coping with SCI: personal resources, health-related factors, social physical context, cognitive appraisal, adaptive tasks, copping skills and health-related outcomes3. I. Personal resources These include self-efficacy (SE), self-esteem, sense of coherence (SOC), spirituality, optimism, intellect and other personality characteristics3,4. These factors are associated with positive coping, and are determinants of adjustment to long term outcomes4,5. Mary was a pretty girl and dreamed of becoming a movie star. The traffic accident took away her health, good looks, relationship and became wheelchair bounded. It is essential to help Mary regain a high SE, self-esteem and SOC. II. Health-related factors More than 50% of SCI patients suffer from chronic pain which significantly affects quality of life (QOL)3,4,8,9. Patients who experience more pain tend to catastrophize more and have a decreased mental health well-being. Psychological factors helps contribute to the relationship between pain intensity and depression8,9,10. Substance abuse, especially abuse of drugs prescribed for spasticity and pain, may contribute to further health problems8. In Mary’s case, it is very important that clinicians can provide effective pain control, and build a positive relationship with Mary to aid the effectiveness of the treatments. III. Social physical context After the injury, Mary became fully dependent on her parents. Her parents, at their retirement age, have to learn to provide support and adapt to their daughter’s functional limitation. Her boyfriend has left her making her very depressed. It is important that these social and physical contexts are addressed. Social context is the relationship, support and expectations of the significant others. Physical context focuses on accessibility, mobility, autonomy, as well as the personal space and privacy of the patient3,4. Finding of positive meaning in lives involves a continuous search for comfortable relationships between self, disability and society4,6,7,10. Encouraging engagement in social activities can work as a distraction technique to increase mood levels7,8. The burden of the caregiver should not be neglected. Care-giving burden is associated with locus of control, social support, and modes of coping. Caregivers also add to the discredit of self by making the injured person entirely dependent on them. Gaining independence from the caregiver is also a key to restoring competency in persons with SCI. Interventions should be tailored towards the needs of the care recipients as well as the caregivers. IV. Cognitive appraisal Cognitive appraisal is how an individual views a situation. Appraisals have a strong association with adjustment. It is important that focus on appraisal of the cause of injury is shifted to the appraisal of having an SCI. Such individuals were found to be well-adjusted psychologically. Visible disabilities affected Mary significantly. Assistance to help her regain her self-image, develop coping skills, making the best use of her remaining bodily function and adjustments of dealing with disability is important. V. Adaptive tasks Mainly focuses on how the individual adapts to the new situation and how they prepare for an uncertain future. Individuals, like Mary, should be encouraged to be able to make decisions on choices of care, commitment to achieving individual goals and sustain independence. Such individuals with SCI are more likely to engage in positive coping strategies. VI. Coping skills Engaging strategies includes self-control, social support, accepting responsibility, problem solving and positive appraisal, resulting in an internal locus of control. Total locus of control, sense of coherence, self-worth, hope, purpose in life and positive affect were consistently associated with greater QOL. Disengaging strategies, however, should be discouraged. These include denial, wish-fulfilling fantasy, self and other blame to SCI and substance abuse. Mary needs to overcome invisible barrier to social contacts. She learns to cope with environmental factors by enhancing functions of her arms and hands and learning wheelchair skills. VII. Health-related outcomes This is mainly the effects of the coping strategies. Also focus on the reduction of stress, emotion control, self-image, self-esteem and social relationship. The use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can improve the psychosocial outcomes in individuals with SCI. The society is in high demand for clinicians to help patients to recover and resume their normal life activities. Interventions that promote coping and adjustment include: 1. physically, helping individuals on environmental adaptations, training on independent living skills and pain management; 2. psychologically, with the use of CBT and peer counseling; 3. socially, such as providing vocational rehabilitation, social engagement and family counseling. References Census and Statistics Department (2013). Hong Kong monthly digest of statistics. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (U.S.) (2009). Spinal cord injury: The facts and fiqures. Birmingham, Ala: National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC). Martz, E, Livheh, H. (Eds.). (2007). Coping with chronic illness and disability: Theoretical, empirical, and clinical aspects. New York: Springer. Chapter 6. Peter C, MÃ ¼ller R, Cieza A, Geyh S. (2012) Psychological resources in spinal cord injury: a systematic literature review. Spinal Cord.;50(3):188-201. Review. Kilic SA, Dorstyn DS, Guiver NG. (2013) Examining factors that contribute to the process of resilience following spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord..;51(7):553-7. van Leeuwen CM, Post MW, Westers P, van der Woude LH, de Groot S, Sluis T, Slootman H, Lindeman E. (2012 ) Relationships between activities, participation, personal factors, mental health, and life satisfaction in persons with spinal cord injury.Arch Phys Med Rehabil.;93(1):82-9. Simpson G, Jones K. (2013) How important is resilience among family members supporting relatives with traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury? Clin Rehabil.;27(4):367-77. Chevalier Z, Kennedy P, Sherlock O.(2009) Spinal cord injury, coping and psychological adjustment: a literature review. Spinal Cord.;47(11):778-82. Review. Putzke JD, Richards JS, Hicken BL, DeVivo MJ. (2002) Predictors of life satisfaction: a spinal cord injury cohort study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 83(4):555-61. Mehta S, Orenczuk S, Hansen KT, Aubut JA, Hitzig SL, Legassic M, Teasell RW;(2011) Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence Research Team. An evidence-based review of the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosocial issues post-spinal cord injury. Rehabil Psychol.;56(1):15-25. Review.

Hydric Soils as a Part of Water Treatment in Wetland Systems Essay

Hydric Soils as a Part of Water Treatment in Wetland Systems Most basically, a hydric soil is defined as "A soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part (Kent, 1994, p. 26)." Included by this definition in the United States Department of Agriculture/Soil Conservation Service's list Hydric Soils of the United States are all of the poorly drained and very poorly drained soils and most of the somewhat poorly drained soil series. Hydric soils are further categorized into two major groups: mineral soils and organic soils. Histosols (organic soils) typically contain at least 46 cm of organic matter in the upper part of the soil profile. They are grouped by the degree to which plant material and fibers are decomposed. Most decayed are the saprists (muck), followed by hemists (mucky-peats and peaty mucks), and fibrists (peats), the least decomposed. (Folists, the fourth group of organic soils, are not regarded as hydric soils because the organic part is not inundation or saturation derived.) Mineral soils ordinarily have less organic matter in the upper part of the soil profile than histosols. To be considered hydric soil, a mineral soil must meet specific drainage and water table criteria that indicate at least 15 consecutive days of saturation or 7 days of inundation during the growing season. Hydric mineral soils include soils in the Aquic subgroups, Aquic suborders, Albolls suborder, Salorthids great groups and Pell great groups of vertisols (Kent, 1994). In the field, hydric soils are distinguished by indicators displayed within the root zone. These include histosols, histic epipedons, high organic matter content in the surface hori... ...aton, C. K. Smoley, 216 p. Kadlec, Robert H., and Robert L. Knight, 1996, Treatment Wetlands: Boca Raton, Lewis Publishers, 893 p. Kent, Donald M., editor, 1994, Applied Wetlands Science and Technology: Boca Raton, Lewis Publishers, 436 p. Landers, Judith C., and Barbara A. Knuth, 1991, Use of Wetlands for Water Quality Improvement under the USEPA Region V Clean Lakes Program: Environmental Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 151-162. Mitsch, William J., and Gosselink, James G., 1993, Wetlands, Second Edition: New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 722 p. Simmons, Robert C., Arthur J. Gold, and Peter M. Groffman, 1992, Nitrate Dynamics in Riparian Forests: Groundwater Studies: Journal of Environmental Quality, Vol. 21, pp. 659-665. Singer, Michael J., and Donald N. Munns, 1996, Soils: An Introduction, Third Edition: Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 480 p.

Rhetorical Analysis of Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” Essay

Directions: Read â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† As you read, underline examples of Thoreau using rhetorical devices and identify and explain the devices via annotation. Answer questions 1-4 to prepare for further work with a small group. The group will work together on questions 5 through 8. Be ready to explain your answers to the whole class. Even when you’re working as a group you should be writing the answers. 1. Based on your reading of â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† what kind of person does Henry David Thoreau seem to be? How would you characterize his state of mind and emotion as he composed this essay? Cite specific examples from the text to support your claims about Thoreau’s voice and persona. Voice = textual features such as diction and syntax, that contribute to a writer’s persona Syntax and tone are formal, academic, eloquent. Sentences tend to be longer, complex sentences punctuated with frequent commas and semicolons (to indicate pauses) which lends the pacing of a speech, almost as if even though we’re reading a written word, it’s Thoreau himself speaking to us, lecturing even. Also, parallelism (more precisely in the following example, anaphora): Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished. (paragraph 2) (The last â€Å"It does not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  with the â€Å"The†¦American people has done† is antithesis) Diction is academic and intelligent, supporting the same tone mentioned above (â€Å"alac rity† is a lesser-known word for â€Å"speed†). Repeated use of the â€Å"machine† metaphor when referring to the government and politicians/lawyers who work for it. Sets up an â€Å"Us† (free-minded, free-thinking citizens who rebel against slavery) versus â€Å"Them† (the government machine and those who would support it, as well as those who talk but don’t act against it). He uses â€Å"We† a lot, further emphasizing this division against government, but also the unity of people who agree with his points, a â€Å"we’re in this together† kind of thing.  Repeated use of words associated with honorable, positive human qualities as well as those associated with evil and guilt: â€Å"tradition†¦integrity†¦vitality†¦force† versus â€Å"complicated machinery† (paragraph 2); â€Å"a corporation has no conscience†¦agents of injustice†¦damnable business†¦at the service of some unscrupulous man in power† (paragraph 4) Persona – the character that a writer/speaker conveys to the audience Anti-authority (at least rebellious against corrupted power). Anti-government. In favor of the rights of all free-thinking people. A bit of a â€Å"maverick†. Angry and in some cases, bitter at the government for injustice. Critical and mocking of people who claim they disagree with slavery but do nothing about it. 2. What does Thoreau do in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† to urge his readers to believe in him as a trustworthy, credible person? Point out specific passages where you felt Thoreau was (or was not) particularly believable (this gets at the ethos of the piece). Other examples of logos or pathos? A writer builds ethos (an appeal to the author’s credibility) by establishing himself as credible, believable, and trustworthy. 3. One device a writer can use to get a point across is metaphor. Thoreau uses metaphor extensively in â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† Notice, for example, what he compares machinery to or how he uses gaming metaphorically. Select two metaphors and explain, citing specific examples from the text, how they help Thoreau’s central idea become more vivid for his readers. The â€Å"machinery† metaphor is extended—used throughout the work: The â€Å"gaming† metaphor: (paragraph 12) â€Å"All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it†¦Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority.† 4. How do you think Thoreau wanted his readers to react to the essay? What did he want them to feel? think? believe? do? How do you know? Identify specific places in the essay that help you determine Thoreau’s purpose. (paragraph 15) â€Å"†¦Some are petitioning the State to dissolve the Union, to disregard the requisitions of the President. Why do they not dissolve it themselves—the union between themselves and the State—and refuse to pay their quota into its treasury? (paragraph 17) â€Å"Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?† (paragraph 23) â€Å"†¦If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose. If a thousand men were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood.† 5. Using the questions below, divide the essay into functional parts (a part of text classified according to its function—for example, introduction, example, or counterargument). Label the parts and be prepared to support your answers. †¢ 1) the exordium: the web that draws listeners into the speech, the speaker would introduce the subject at hand and include material that would make the audience attentive and receptive to the argument. †¢ 2) the narration would offer background material on the case at hand †¢ 3) the partition would divide the case and make clear which part or parts the speaker was going to address, which parts the speaker would not take up and what order would be followed in the development †¢ 4) the confirmation would offer points to substantiate the argument and provide reasons, details, illustrations, and examples in support †¢ 5) the refutation would consider possible objections to the argument and try to counter these †¢ 6) the peroration would draw  together the entire argument and include material designed to compel the audience to think or act in a way related to the central argument a. Is there some section that clearly lets the reader know what subject the composition is about and what the writer’s purpose is? If so, where does this section begin and end? In this section, can you find an answer to the central question that the text has been written in response to, or can you find an indication of the text’s central argument? b. Is there a part that explains any background information that the reader needs to know in order to be able to understand the answer to the central question or argument that the composition offers? If so, where does this section begin and end? c. Is there some sentence or paragraph that focuses the reader’s attention on some particular issues, aspect, or theme that the paper examines as opposed to others that it could examine? d. Is there some section that purposefully sets out material in support of the paper’s answer to the central question of its argument? If so, where does this section begin and end? e. Is there a part that examines possible objections to the answer, argument, or supporting material? If so, where does this section begin and end? f. Is there a sentence or section where the writer specifically answers the â€Å"So what?† question? In other words, is there a section where the writer hints at what he or she hopes readers will think and do on the basis of what they have read in the text? 6. Using a functional part where Thoreau is supporting his argument, see how many of the following rhetorical methods you can identify. Cite the paragraph number and a few identifying phrases or sentences of specific text to identify the method: a. Relating anecdotes b. Describing scenes and evoking sensory images c. Defining terms and concepts d. Dividing the whole into parts e. Classifying the parts according to some principle or order f. Providing cause-and-effect reasoning 7. Select one specific paragraph that you believe represents the most interesting, most vivid passage in â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† Describe as much of the style of that passage as you can. For every stylistic feature you notice, explain what you see as its effect on 1) the appeal of the essay, 2) the credibility of Thoreau (ethos), or 3) the emotional or persuasive power of the piece (pathos). 8. Point out some ways you see Thoreau tapping into the â€Å"cultural memory† of his readers. (Cultural memory in modern rhetoric refers to the writer-reader connection. It has to do with how much knowledge, information, and data a writer has about his audience and their culture. A simple way of talking about this is to ask: what does a writer know about is readers and their lives, and how does he or she use it to further his writing purpose?). To what does the text refer or allude with the expectation that readers will know the reference or allusion? Are these references and allusions likely to appeal to and affect readers today in the same way they did when Thoreau used them?

High Stakes Testing In The Modern World Education Essay

I think that in today ‘s modern universe, everyone is determined to hammer some type of achievement, whether it is academic or vocational. In some instances high bets proving are used to find most of these accomplishments. High bets trial are hence used to verify a broad scope of critical results which allow pupils to come on to the following degree. High bets proving can be traced back to the 1965 mandate of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act ( ESEA ) . This was to better doing of import determinations about pupils, instructors, and decision makers in the simple and secondary schools and besides for measuring the schools and school systems. Clarke, Shore, Rhoades, Abrams, Miao, and Li ( 2003 ) found in their National Board survey that answerability systems with high bets test helped instructors aim countries for future direction, and transformed the accent on authorship and critical thought accomplishments. I ‘m of the steadfast sentiment that high bets test allows pupils to analyze and measure a given job or state of affairs by get the hanging the cardinal content cognition and achieving the accomplishments necessary for future success in instruction and work force. Besides instructors provide feedback so that accommodations and even restructuring could be applied. With high bets proving some instructors have adopted a more student-centred attacks Jones, Jones & A ; Hargrove, ( 2003 ) , and aligned their course of study to the province criterions, which in bend increased teacher coaction Marshall ( 2003 ) . Students have to be given the chance to construct on their old cognition and explicate their ain thoughts as to do sense of what is being taught. The civilization of the instruction has to be in coherency with the province or state to let pupils to bring forth at an optimal degree. Students must be able to associate and place within their linguistic communication, beliefs and norms. High bets proving besides highlights the accomplishments gaps between rich and hapless territories, rural and urban countries and among cultural and cultural groups. Uncovering these informations can let pedagogues to turn to the prevalent jobs, particularly if wagess and countenances to schools, instructors and pupils are specified. Administrators and instructors can nail possible jobs and readdress the course of study and instructional activities accordingly. Conversely, the high bets trials constrained many instructors ‘ ability to learn creatively Gordon & A ; Reese, ( 1997 ) ; Jones, Jones & A ; Hargrove, ( 2003 ) and undermined their sense of professionalism and liberty. Some of these high interest trials have defined course of study and fashioned direction. Teachers now have moved to where everything has got to be aligned and tightly structured. A sense of autonomy is no longer executable due to the authorizations and force per unit areas to execute. Teachers are hence learning the course of study and implementing a strategic method of memorisation – a pupil ‘s ability to shop and reproduce names, day of the months and facts for the benefit of go throughing a certain degree of their academic accomplishment. In add-on to the above, high bets test have the inclination to over trial and under-examine pupils abilities and accomplishments. This places an tremendous sum of force per unit area on the instructors and pupils likewise to follow a narrow course of study and concentrate on memorising facts alternatively of developing more advanced abilities. High bets proving has maintained a narrow appraisal of pupil capablenesss and so pupils do what they must in order to go through the test and nil more. Education becomes a inactive experience and this transcends the schoolroom to the work environment. Finally by far the most compelling indictment of these high-stakes scrutinies is that they test what pupils know instead than what they can make and as such motive is an authoritarian factor. Education should be an active experience where pupils are invariably engaged and where a love for acquisition is developed, instead than a hatred for concluding tests. Ash and Persall ( 2000 ) stated that motive can drastically impede school betterment and make an discerning and dead environment in which instructors are isolated, without chances to collaboratively work out jobs, portion cognition, or larn together. In reasoning the intent of high interest trials is to better pupil accomplishment. While pupils with larning disablements have a batch to derive from increased focal point on pupil accomplishments it is besides evident that high bets trial does hold major deductions. Crucially, with respects to high bets proving more direct and concrete information is needed to demo that pupils are using factual information and reassigning their cognition, accomplishments and thoughts into a merchandise, a public-service corporation or a public presentation. However, high bets trial are geared towards bettering pupils and heighten the answerability that the contrivers are urgently seeking and supply the equity and regard that each and every kid is entitled to in the school system. Then it might be merely possible that every kid would acquire a opportunity to reflect.BACKGROUND TO HIGH STAKES TESTING IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGOIn Trinidad and Tobago High Stakes Testing are done throughout our primary schoo ls, secondary schools and third establishments as these establishments have maintained a stiff arrested development on scrutinies. Standardized trials are good in that they are utile for comparing pupils countrywide since they are all required to analyze the same course of study for the same test. The Secondary Examination appraisal is no different as it awards a kid for farther accomplishment in the academic field. Secondary Entrance Assessment ( SEA ) Examination is a high interest trial that is used in Trinidad and Tobago to ease the arrangement of pupils in Secondary Schools.A The SEA comprises of three documents Creative Writing, Mathematics, and Language Arts with an allotted clip frame for each topic and covers the national course of study for Primary-level instruction with a focal point on Standards three to five. The Common Entrance was replaced with this debut of the SEA scrutiny high-stakes trial to be used as one of the tools to drive the instruction system in the right way. Planners would no uncertainty argue that there is good virtue for the application of this high interest appraisal. Besides the SEA exams uses standard tonss to use the discrepancy in each paper and hence allows the pupil ‘s to keep a criterion when they are combined, therefore guaranting equity in the arrangement procedure. Placement in secondary schools continues to be on the footing of virtue, pick of schools and gender. Merely when pupil ‘s picks of schools have been exhausted, will try be made to put pupils in schools closest to their places. In such a high interest trial as the SEA exams the paper contains open-ended points for which pupils are required to build their responses, instead than choose them from a figure of other options. Open-ended points can arouse different right responses from pupils, but the accent is on uncovering pupils ‘ thought. This high interest trial gives room for originative and critical thought leting pupils to develop their accomplishments. Students are required to demo their cognition of the mechanics of linguistic communication and expose their academic competences. While their exists certain wagess to the SEA high bets test the sum of accent placed on larning through past documents, â€Å" brochures † and sample trials speaks to the unfortunate importance of the understanding the trial format over the importance of understanding the existent stuff. Furthermore, what makes a â€Å" good school † good is how good its pupils perform at the terminal of these trials. This places an tremendous sum of force per unit area on the instructors to follow a narrow course of study and concentrate on memorising facts alternatively of developing more advanced abilities. For case where a instructor would wish to give her pupils a hebdomad to plan an experiment to prove the consequence of planetary heating, the clip factor before the S.E.A. exam merely does non allow her to make so. Alternatively of advancing fresh groundbreaking thoughts, instructors are forced to restrict themselves and pupils to walking the beaten way. Another downside is that the instruction system is organized in such a manner that if you have jobs memorising and regurgitating, you are branded as a individual who is â€Å" non bright † and your way is set from every bit early as the S.E.A. scrutinies. Those doors are non unfastened to you who have jobs declaiming information, because even if you somehow do it go through the first phase of S.E.A. , you end up in the same state of affairs at higher degrees in a system that has the same learn-by-heart demands of its pupils. This civilization of high interest trials in instruction has limited the capacity of our citizens to bring forth at an optimal degree in our society because it has limited creativeness of the instructor, of the pupil and of the ensuing work force. Standardized testing besides limits creativeness of the instructors. Our state ‘s overexploitation of tests to measure pupil public presentation is holding serious negative effects on instruction and acquisition. The trials have defined course of study. The standardised testing of SEA exams merely assesses pupil ‘s ability to shop and reproduce names, day of the months and facts. What is of import is that pupils memorize the expression and non that they understand it. This leads to a entire deficiency of capacity for groking cardinal constructs and believing in abstract footings. In add-on, how the topic is tested has become how the topic is taught and what is non tested is non taught. Students should non be asked to reproduce a twelvemonth ‘s work in a 70 proceedingss exam because this does non develop their critical thought accomplishments and analytical techniques. By heightening creativeness in the schoolroom, it will cultivate originality in believing which will enable citizens to see things otherwise and use new schemes and attacks to work outing jobs. Education should be an active experience where pupils are invariably engaged and where a love for acquisition is developed, instead than a hatred for concluding tests. Fortunately for us, Ras Shorty I did non hold to go through a music test in order to contrive soca and it is a good thing that Brian Lara did non larn to play cricket through a cricket enchiridion with batting expression. It is non the sweeping reproduction of novel-writing but the originative usage of written linguistic communication that makes VS Naipaul an acclaimed author. In decision high bets test such as the SEA scrutiny has its benefits and its negative impact. It is utile in puting criterions across the schools, territories and state. Besides it would be polar in constructing answerability into the system. Hence provide feedback so that accommodations and even restructuring could be applied to the system. However, peculiar attending to the course of study and instructional techniques, alteration of proving methods, more teacher encouragement and good observation are some of the other factors that will besides promote pupils to accomplish higher classs.Campaigners InterviewedData Collection InstrumentDate and Time of Interview1. Teacher 2. Parent 3. Student: One Two Three Interviews – Interviews were conducted with a instructor, parent and students, with respects to high bets proving. 2rd June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 4th June 2010 @ 3:30 autopsy 7th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 9th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsy 11th June 2010 @ 2:00 autopsyTeacher:After carry oning an interview with a SEA test instructor, Mr. Mehindra stated that most pupils sitting the S.E.A Examination are under intense anxiousness as the course of study had many countries to specify. He stated that the SEA scrutiny course of study is rather regime and demands a batch from the pupils composing the test. A major job he stated was the clip restraint that inhibits pupils from being originative as there is small or no clip to experiment with information. Formulae, regulations and grammatical constructions are learnt and merely applied to inquiries. While he found a high interest trial such as the S.E.A. scrutiny to be relevant and necessary as it standardizes proving of pupils who portion similar learnt cognition and ability as to what they have studied throughout their primary instruction. He stated that as a S.E.A. exam instructor such a high interest trial is indispensable because it allows for pupils to be motivated and encourages an environment for competitory acquisition. He besides mentioned that the accomplishment of transportation is at the bosom of larning and should non be left to speculate. It must be officially encouraged and become profoundly engraved and structured into the course of study in schools. In contrast he besides claimed that the existent winners are ever those who think outside of the box and who have put their cognition and endowments to creative usage in the humanistic disciplines, concern, scientific disciplines, humanistic disciplines, athleticss and across subjects and have good balanced and holi stic development.Parent:Most parents want what ‘s best for their kids. They want their kids to go critical minds with the accomplishments necessary for higher instruction and great success in life. As a parent of a kid who sat the SEA test late she was much relieved that it was done and over with. She stated that utilizing high bets test to do determinations with of import effects for single pupils can be intimidating. Her concerns were if the trials are being used right and reasonably. She besides stated that it was much work for her as it was for her kid because she spent same sum of hours awake and was emotionally stressed out by the volume of worked needed to be covered by her kid. Besides the memorisation of all the assorted expression and grammatical regulations were rather overpowering. She found that the SEA test high bets test promoted a narrow focal point on acquiring the right reply and contract the course of study to whatever information is expected on the trial. Thinking outside of the box is discouraged. Capable countries such as art, music, wellness and scientific discipline got fringy attention.A Conversely she besides expressed rather an interesting point by acknowledging that high bets test facilitates higher acquisition accomplishments. She besides appreciated the fact that the SEA test high interest trial in peculiar besides encourages an environment for competitory acquisition.Student # 1As a SEA exam pupil it proved to be rather ambitious and boring Cavita stated with a diffident smiling. She has late completed the SEA scrutiny and shared some of her late fond memories. The effects of the high interest SEA test did so take a toll on her. Her full agenda had changed as she had increased her perusal hours because the work got really demanding, which in bend reduced her extracurricular activities by about half. She besides stressed of the scope of inauspicious emotional reactions, of which she frequently felt down, disquieted, or embarrassed. Besides at times she felt stupid and less proud of herself. While there was the motivative factor of competitory acquisition she besides stated that it was so a immense challenge. Cavita besides mentioned that her parents were rather supportive and did so attend to her every demand. Her female parent would frequently remain up while she studied and if she was hungry made a speedy bite for her to crunch on. She did nevertheless hold that standardising a high bets test such as the SEA tests do hold its benefits, as it allowed a similar scene of criterions across the schools, territories and state. Furthermore she stated that it gave a sense of what to anticipate at secondary and third degree scrutinies.Student # 2Ravi is a originative kid who is non really fond of tests. When questioned about the SEA test he was a spot hesitating about the subject because he found the test to be an highly hard undertaking. He argued that it was excessively much work to larn in excessively small clip. He stated that at times the focal point on memorisation of ex pression and grammatical regulations were rather overpowering. Besides he stated that instructors teach the course of study and merely what is in the course of study and as such originative humanistic disciplines and scientific discipline undertakings are sidelined in order to complete the demanding course of study. Next, he mentioned how boring it used to be as instructors focus on so many trial documents and past documents that at clip he felt suffocated. His extracurricular activities were denied as he had excessively much work to concentrate on. However he besides stated that he was a spot slower than others and frequently felt down and defeated, therefore, the demand to seek harder. On the positive side he was appreciative to the fact that in such a high interest trial as the SEA exam he can look frontward to capture into a secondary school, which in bend was his motivative factor.Student # 3Small speculative heads ever think critically, as such is this student who late wrote the high bets SEA test. She found the SEA scrutiny to be a ambitious vas to greater accomplishment. She stated that it a mechanism that is used to actuate pupils and instructors likewise. Student should desire to execute good to experience a sense of achievement as go throughing this test allows you to graduate and travel on to a secondary instruction. Teachers should besides experience accomplished when their clip and attempt is appreciated, non merely by their pupils but parents every bit good. She besides pointed out that standardising trial such as the SEA scrutiny will let pupils a just opportunity of equality as the same trial is given to each kid. She besides did non bury to advert that a high interest trial as the SEA test will besides help in puting criterions across the schools and state. On the downside nevertheless, she stated that a batch of analyzing had to be done and as such her extracurricular activities were minimum. Besides being originative was non an option as memorisation of assorted expressions and grammatical regulations was a cardinal factor in go throughing the SEA test.THEMES DERIVED FROM ALL INTERVIEWS TAKENHarmonizing to the World Wide Web, a subject â€Å" is a consolidative thought that is a perennial component in literary or artistic work, † in a sentence, paragraph or try. Many subjects can be derived from the interviews taken every bit many responses were likewise based. While it s true that each individual has given their valuable and honest parts towards this assignment, it can be noted that many of us are of the same position when it comes to standardised testing, and to a big extent Secondary Entrance Assessment Examinations, and that it that it is clip devouring with its overladen course of study, it encourages competitory acquisiti on, disputing, motivationally structured and it diminishes any excess clip towards extra-curricular or other capable affairs. As a instructor in the primary school, I am to the full cognizant that the clip tabular array is shifted doubtless when a kid escalates to the standard 5 category. Besides, small or no clip is given to extra-curricular activities every bit good as Creative Humanistic disciplines, Music, Science and Social Studies. It was besides highlighted that there are excessively many expressions, regulations and grammatical constructions which are to be mastered in order to keep and put high at its terminal. Decision In kernel, high-stakes testing has its benefits and its disadvantages. High bets trial is aimed at making better accomplishing pupils. A High-stakes testing is designed to keep single studentsA accountable for their ain trial public presentation, unlike â€Å" system answerability, † which is aimed at the suppliers of instruction, such as, school territories, and schools. However, this can non be achieved if the system is smothering the creativeness of the people. Memorizing a text edition is no replacing for advanced thought. The creativeness for advancement that should hold been cultivated in the schoolroom is missing. Therefore neglecting to go through for a esteemed school at the S.E.A. scrutiny does non specify a individual it merely puts you at a different degree. Rather the inquiry is how best to utilize high-stakes testing. Furthermore, sufficient resources must be provided for professional development of instructors in the usage of trials and redress of pupils who ab initio fails. Policymakers must non lose sight that the ultimate end of a comprehensive answerability system is non to honor or penalize, but to better the bringing of course of study and increase pupil larning. Some balance could be brought to bear on the overdose of these pen-and-paper trials if schools become committed to a annual expounding of kids ‘s work highlighting, among others, their accomplishments in athleticss, the ocular and executing humanistic disciplines, and the school ‘s outreach community programme, to be viewed publically by school functionaries, nucleus stakeholders and other service suppliers. It provides indirect grounds that pupils are showing understanding of their cognition in context. Therefore it is of my sentiment that a high interest trial does non specify an person but help a pupil into going a more successful and accomplishing individual. In Trinidad and Tobago we must recognize that the consequence of the instruction system which revolves about high bets scrutinies is non ever the most achieving method but a mechanism used to assist ease higher accomplishment.