Charles Dickenss Our Mutual Friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charles Dickenss Our Mutual Friend - Essay Example He uses a kaleidoscope of characters to illustrate the various kinds of education, or lack of, and there is an underlying irony in his depiction of many of his middle class characters. One of the greatest contrasts Dickens' draws upon during the novel is between education and money. In the London society Dickens describes, for many, education does not matter as much as money. As mercenary Bella Wilfer exclaims at the end of Book III: 'And yet I have money always in my thoughts and my desires; and the whole life I place before myself is money, money, money, and what money can make of life!'1 Through his characterisation of individuals, such as Mr and Mrs Veneering, Dickens reveals how money can by you material possessions and social status but it cannot buy you education: Mr and Mrs Veneering were bran-new people in a bran-new house in a bran-new quarter of London. Everything about the Veneerings was spick and span new. All their furniture was new, all their friends were new, and their servants were new, their plate was new, their carriage was new, their harness was new, their horses were new, their pictures were new, they themselves were new" (OMF, 5) The Veneerin The Veneerings are described as faintly ridiculous. They epitomise the 'frenzy of Victorian commodity culture'.2 Newness is the defining feature of the Veneerings. They are associated with surfaces and their nouveau riche world which is starkly contrasted to that of the riverside, described in the novel's opening scene. (Chavez, 20) The middle classes are satirized by Dickens's description of Podsnap, his 'analogous arch-bourgeois'.3 Podsnap is defined by routines and restraints: 'Getting up at eight, shaving close at a quarter past, breakfasting at nine, going to the City at ten, coming home at half-past five and dining at seven'. (OMF, 121) Podsnap is an example of one whose wealth and arrogance separates him from the rest of society: 'He never could make out why everybody was not quite satisfied, and he felt conscious that he set a brilliant social example in being particularly well satisfied with most things, and, above all other things, with himself'. (OMF, 120) Dickens reveals that despite being well off, 'Mr Podsnap's world was not a very large world, morally; no nor even geographically'. (OMF, 121) Due to the consumerism of Victorian society, Dickens does not depict education as a means of giving the working class a chance, especially if they are only being taught to abide by an erroneous set of rules. Instead, Dickens would appear to prefer a more humanistic form of education. During a speech he gave in 1844, Dickens stated: 'If you would reward honesty, if you would give encouragement to good, if you would stimulate the idle, eradicate evil, or correct what is bad, education - comprehensive liberal education - is the one thing needful, and the one effective end'.4 Dickens uses a number of characters to illustrate this view of education. Characters such as Bella Wilfer, Silas Wegg and Eugene Wrayburn are all lacking in social and moral education. Bella is obsessed about marrying money but is reformed through her 'education' from Mr Boffin. The Boffins are humble people whose inheritance causes

Texting Essay Example for Free

Texting Essay Texting. (IF) It is the new age way of communicating. With this new way to communicate new problems have arisen. People are texting while talking to others or while others are talking to them. Which brings up the question is it wrong? While many people think that it is wrong they may find themselves doing it on occasion. It is very easy to just say it is wrong without even looking at the other side of the argument. Surely it is acceptable to text in some situations. well it is not acceptable to text while you are talking to someone else. Let us compare a texting conversation to a real conversation. If one was trying to talk to someone but he or she was also talking to someone else, it would be impossible for that person to be completely engaged in both conversations. This is just like texting. How can a person be fully engaged in any conversation while they are having a texting conversation with someone else? Also one wouldn’t even be fully focused on the conversation one is having over text when one is talking to someone else. That is just being rude to two people at once. Not only is texting while in conversation with someone else rude it is rude in other scenarios too. It would be considered rude in a movie theater, during a play, or on a date especially if one is not the one paying for these things. Imagine that you have just invited someone to go to the movies and you decided to pay. How would you feel if the person you paid for is texting during the movie? That person is conveying that they aren’t enjoying the movie that you spent money on them to see. Many people also use texting to act like they are better than other people. Most any teenager would say that when a situation gets â€Å"awkward† they will pull out there phone and either pretend to text or actually text. This can be found rude because when one pulls out there phone to avoid a certain situation, or to act like they have something better to do while a situation is happening. By avoiding situations because of texting one showing that one thinks they are above what is happening, and that they cannot be involved in a situation like that because it is too â€Å"awkward. † An example of this kind of situation is when you are walking down the hallway and someone else is walking the opposite direction and they start looking at you. Instead of saying, â€Å"Hi,† or giving them a smile people will resort to pulling out there phone and acting like they are texting. What makes you better than the other person walking down the hallway? Why can’t you just say, â€Å"Hi,† or give them a smile? Those are not hard things to do but people will think they are better than other people and just completely ignore that other person. On the other hand many people would say that texting is very convenient and allows someone to get information to someone else. This is very true. Texting is handy to have when one needs to give someone else some quick information such as what time something starts or something of that sort. Texting is not always used for sharing information though. According to a recent interview about texting, there are two kinds of texts: spreading information and conversation. (Burrow) Texting for information is not rude if it is an emergency or something like that but when texting turns to conversation and one is texting to avoid people, avoid situations, or while someone else is taking then it becomes rude. Any conversation that you have over text can just as easily be done over the phone on a phone call when you have time to focus on the conversation. In an article from the Salem News this idea was brought up to not be rude if you need to send an important text during a conversation just excuse oneself for a minute to check and respond to the text just like you would with a phone call. Finally texting during class is one of the most disrespectful things one can do to a teacher. Teachers choose to be teachers so they should be treated with the utmost respect because they are providing an education to teens and that is one of the most important things anyone will need in life. By texting during class one is showing the teacher that they think they are more important than what she is saying. This is simply not the case because education will take one somewhere in life not a texting conversation that you have to hide from the teacher. Texting distracts one from learning, and when one is texting they have to refocus back to what they were doing. According to a study, tasks that are interrupted seem more difficult and take longer to complete. (Cohen) Texting is flat out rude. There are ways to text someone if it is really important by simply asking to be excused so you can text, but to just text in someone’s face while they are talking to you is just rude. Texting to avoid situations is also rude because you are letting other people know that you think you are better than them and that is just mean. Texting during class is just dumb because you miss out on things you need to know for your life. So next time you go to text during class, while someone is talking to you, or to avoid a situation just think about what you are doing and realize that it is rude.

A Lesson Before Dying :: essays research papers

The lady that appears after the first 100 pages of the book turns out to be Vivian, Grant’s secret lover. Grant and Vivian take a walk and after their walk they visit Grant’s aunt, aunt Emma. Aunt Emma and her friends are very fond of Vivian and they give her many compliments. Aunt Emma, and the reverend go to visit Jefferson and they find that Grant’s previous account of Jefferson’s recovery was lie; Jefferson still eats and behaves like a “hog';. Aunt Emma and the reverend confront Grant regarding his faulty account of Jefferson’s recovery. Once again, Grant visits Jefferson and tries to convince him that he is not a hog and he is a man. After a couple more visits from the ladies and Grant, the chapter ends off with the whole town watching a Christmas play on the birth of Jesus. After the play, Grant is tired of watching the same play and seeing the same people dressed in the same kinds of clothing year after year. The hermeneutic view means the dominant interpretation to a text. In “A Lesson Before Dying,'; they end off the chapter with a Christmas play about the birth of Jesus. This is significant because Christmas to Christian’s is a symbol of birth. This could mean that there might be new hope for Jefferson. This is because Jefferson is currently on death row. Christmas does not symbolize death, but symbolizes birth. This could mean that Jefferson could get a new chance in life or at least will not be executed in the near future. Another important point is that everyone knew that this play is dedicated to Jefferson/. This could mean that the whole community is praying for Jefferson. The reverend started to pray and asked God to watch over everyone including the ones in jail who were innocent or guilty. At the end of this, Grant says, “Vivian said things were changing. But where were they changing?'; This is an important quote because Vivian might be implying that racism is beginning to stop, but Grant cannot see these changes. He only sees racism as a part of life. According to the political view, there is a hierarchical structure underneath the construction of race. When Grant has a talk with his teacher, his teacher said, “I am superior to you. I am superior to any man blacker than me.'; His teacher is possibly implying that lighter skin color is racially superior in society.

Kantianism Essay

The thought of justifying means rather than ends seems to be more ethical in the long run, even if not more productive. As an officer we have trouble in this way of thinking for two reasons. First, we are in a profession in which our ends are what matters. We must produce the results that are needed, when they are needed, or we have failed to perform our duties. This means we have let down those in charge of us, as well as those whom we lead. Second, our means of doing things are also very important. We as officers must be moral in our decisions, for if we aren’t then we also fail to do our jobs. If we go about achieving a good end through bad means then we are no better than our enemies. Maxims are rules of law that we apply in our decision making to be considered rules of the Universe as a way of deciding if our actions are moral or immoral. One example of a maxim would be â€Å"I can use rob a bank or take money from people for financial gain†. When applying Kant’s rules we test it first to see if it can be generalized. This would end up as â€Å"anyone can use force to get what they want. This would not make sense in the long run because if everyone used force to get what they want then the world would be anarchic and full of chaos. Another example of a maxim would be â€Å"I won’t help this drowning person because they probably won’t pay me. † It almost makes sense to do this as doing something for little gain sometimes seems useless. However; if this were to be applied as a general rule then no one would ever get help unless the Samaritan deemed it profitable to them. Both of these show how decision making in Kantianism is the key factor in deciding what to do. There are both good and bad sides to Kantianism. First, as stated previously, we need to do things based on moral reasoning and not just end results. We can’t be officers who can go to the limit of Utilitarianism and allow for things such as an Omelas society. We do need to consider the good of the whole but we must do things that are moral by reason. We need to rationalize why and how we perform so that we can lead the way we’re supposed to. Kantianism is a good means for this and will allow officers to not only have good ends, but a good means of achieving them.

Nutrition on Academic Performance

April Creed April 12, 2012 GWRTC 103 Professor Critzer The Effect of Nutrition and Fitness on Academic Performance The health and overall fitness of adolescents and students has taken a radical turn in the most recent decades. Each year the overall body mass index of this particular group of individuals is steadily increasing. It seems to many that one’s health is a vital role in success, especially in the academic realm. Research was conducted to see whether this slight decrease of fitness and health has an impact on a student’s academic performance (Burkhalter 201).A broad range of sources was utilized to find other factors that played a role in academic performance such as family life and sleep habits. The search was then strictly narrowed down to the effect of nutrition and fitness on scholastic performance. By the end of the investigation, it was found that nutrition is vital to brain functioning and cognition. The main point that was targeted became: skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours.This seems like a cliche issue and obvious topic, but this simple subject can have a huge impact on the lives of our adolescents, but more importantly the future of our country. Children, adolescents, and young adults are constantly bombarded with assessments, evaluations, and exams that test their knowledge. All of these, combined with everyday lectures and studying, form to make what society knows as â€Å"school. † In today’s culture, from roughly four years old until about twenty-three years old, schooling (pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college) is a young person’s career.It is a time consuming process that involves commitment and dedication. Many factors play a role in how well a student performs. The most thought of, and prominent factors may include family life, time dedicated to studying, sleep habits, and the teachers or professors ability to relay information. One study, conducted by A. H. Eliassion, investigated the relative importance of total sleep time compared to a college student’s academic performance (Eliasson 71). The results proved that those with the highest academic performance had significantly earlier bedtimes and wake times (73).It was found that students could improve their academic performance by targeting their sleep habits (73). Another study conducted by Wanda Williams in 1995 investigated parent-child relationships in correlation with academic achievement (Williams 3). The results from this survey showed that the main contribution to a student’s success is family life and parent involvement (14). A few other factors that people sometimes do not think of may include nutrition, diet, and physical activity. According to Webster’s dictionary, nutrition most clearly means, â€Å"The act of nourishing or being nourished. The term diet may include definitions that of, â€Å"Food and drink regularly provided or consumed,† or, â€Å"Habitual nourishment,† and the term physical fitness (or exercise) is known as, â€Å"Bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness. † Some may argue that poor academic performance could in turn lead to poor habits in health; that the stress and pressure placed on young people causes them to neglect their fitness and well-being. On the contrast, maybe this theory is completely opposite.In this paper I will attempt to answer the question: does nutrition and fitness have an effect on a student’s academic performance, and, if so, how? From breakfast consumption and sports involvement to the amount of television watched and family involvement, everything plays a vital role in a student’s success. Even things that seem so minor can have a profound impact on the long-term accomplishments in young people’s lives. Healthy habits in nutrition, diet, and fitness have a positive impact on a student’s academic performance.Skipped meals are the largest cause of unhealthy habits in a student’s academic career, but this can be prevented by providing more food options for students and also by not having available classes during meal hours. Conducted at the infancy of this subject was an experiment by Toni Burkhalter and Charles Hillman. This research began because these two were interested and shocked by the consistently increasing BMI (body mass index) in children and adolescents across every demographic in the United States (Burkhalter 201). Their goal was to target energy intake in comparison with scholastic performance.Burkhalter and Hillman defined energy intake as nutrient intake, body mass, and physical activity. Through research they discovered and confirmed that nutrition substantially influences both the development and health of brain structure and function (204). Providing the proper building blocks for the brain to create and maintain connections is critical for improved cognition (mental processes) and academic performance. Their investigation verified that an increase of physical activity participation leads to an increase in cognitive health and function (206).Many people hear the cliche lectures about eating healthy, maintaining a stable diet, and practicing regular exercise. But most do not realize that these habits play a crucial role in brain functioning. The brain intakes and retains the most information in a person’s adolescent years, so it is vital to create a prime environment in your body for learning. There are some who relate academic performance to breakfast habits. Throughout our lives we hear doctors, teachers, and parents stress that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.People will argue that it starts one’s day, gets one’s metabo lism going, and provides the nutrition necessary for a healthy day and lifestyle. It has been proven that children require optimal nutrient intake to meet the basic demands of growth and development. Gail Rampersaud, M. S. , and Mark Pereira, Ph. D. , attempted to find supporting evidence of this claim, and conducted a study in 2005. They found that over 59% of students skip breakfast more than three times a week, and that as a student’s age increased, so did their habit of skipping breakfast (Rampersaud 745).After surveying various age groups, they compared breakfast eating habits to their overall academic performance. Next, the students were given a variety of standardized and customized tests (745). The results showed that breakfast eaters not only had a higher average on the assessments, but also had better school attendance and less tardies (751). This study was difficult because people have a very hazy and different standard and definition of â€Å"breakfast. † S ome view it as a glass of milk, some view it as an apple, others see it as a bowl of cereal, and some have a feast consisting of bacon, eggs, hash browns, ham, and toast in their mind.Either way, it was determined to be anything you intake as nutrition at the beginning of your day. There is substantial evidence that breakfast consumption is associated with health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, and these benefits apply to a wider age range, as well as other demographic and socioeconomic groups. There is also a great deal of evidence that breakfast eaters have overall healthier lifestyles and better health (diet and exercise) habits. Some claim that students should be able to schedule and maintain their own nutritional habits.But others, like Cathy Estes, agree that this lifestyle needs to be a co-effort between students, parents, and teachers. She says that, â€Å"Student responsibility doesn't just happen. Teachers and parents must expect it, model it and nurture it. An optimal educational outcome depends on collaboration between teachers, parents and students (Estes 1). † It needs to be something that both parties view as a necessary goal. Student’s can have good intentions, but faculty and staff at the school’s need to support these intentions.Arranging more suitable class times and a better variety of nutritional foods can easily do this. Another study conducted by Florence, MD sought to target not just the nutrition aspect, but the overall diet quality and academic performance correlation (Florence 209). The study concluded the following results: Students with decreased overall diet quality were significantly more likely to perform poorly on the assessment. Girls performed better than boys as did children from socioeconomically advantaged families. Children attending better schools and living in wealthy neighborhoods also performed better.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate an association between diet quality and academ ic performance and identify specific dietary factors that contribute to this association. Additionally, this research supports the broader implementation and investment in effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve student access to healthy food choices, diet quality, academic performance, and, over the long term, health (Florence 209). According to the previous study performed by Rampersaud, breakfast plays a vital role in diet quality.This is another important aspect for dedicated times for eating. Breakfast is not going to be a high priority for a student if his/her class falls in that time frame. Not only do both of the studies support each other, but they also tie in other aspects that could affect academic performance, like family life. This study tries to emphasize that the term â€Å"academic achievement† isn’t measured by tests alone, but also by attendance, attentiveness, and involvement (212). They also stated that fruit and veget able intake had a significant impact on memory and overall learning (213).Finally, the study’s results showed that â€Å"undernourished males were twice as likely to fail an assessment as undernourished females. † A sub question that may be necessary to add the research question is this: do gender differences have an affect an effect on academic performance? Sayid Ghazvini answers this question with his research. He stated that his primary goal was to â€Å"Find gender differences in factors affecting academic performance of high school students (Ghazvini 1041). † He had many different aspects involving â€Å"academic performance. While his results showed no significant difference in the overall achievement of the students, there were differences in the many features connected with his concept of academic performance (1043): Results show the existence of gender difference in variables under consideration, with girls showing internal locus of control, using atti tude, motivation, time management, anxiety, and self-testing strategies more extensively, and getting better marks in Literature. With boys using concentration, information processing and selecting main ideas strategies more, and getting better marks in mathematics (1043).As we see, male and females seem to have the same overall results. This gender factor probably does not have a significant impact on the nutrition and fitness study, but can be noted when taking a closer look at the details that combine to form out term â€Å"academic achievement/performance. † Some critics say that student’s should be held solely responsible for their extracurricular activities, including eating, watching television, exercising, and studying. But studies show that when a person is considered an adult, their brain is still developing.They still need instruction and guidance in different aspects of their life. Researcher, Craig Bennett, stated that, â€Å"Humans don’t really de velop the ability to handle multiple pieces of information at once until about the ages of 16 or 17. The brain of an 18-year-old college freshman is still far from resembling the brain of someone in their mid-twenties (Than 2). † Healthy habits don’t just come naturally, they take time and dedication to develop and maintain. Another study done by Jane Edwards attempted to target physical activity in relation to academic performance (Edwards 65).This experiment was conducted on sixth graders in a Midwest City school district. It was her goal to compare physical activity, overall fitness, and body mass index of 800 students. Next she matched these results with standardized test scores. To measure physical activity and fitness, Edwards set up a variety of physical tasks (curl ups, pushups, mile run) and included the student’s weight and height. In the end, she found that the healthier, more physically fit students performed better on their standardized tests.Edwards , like Rampersaud and Florence, also included other variables in her study. She pointed out the significance of breakfast consumption as well. Also, she brought in other lifestyle habits like the amount of television watched and extracurricular activity involvement. This amount of exercise is vital to a student’s healthy lifestyle. Exercise should become a requirement at schools and colleges. It is proven to affect their academic performance, so why shouldn’t academic grading also require some sort of workout in a student’s daily routine?A journal published by Taras H, a professor at the University of California, noted the association between nutrition and a student’s performance at school (Taras 200). Taras broke down the term nutrition into four sub-categories: food insufficiency, iron deficiency and supplementation, deficiency and supplementation of micronutrients, and the importance of breakfast (201). Research shows that children with iron deficienci es are at a disadvantage academically. Their cognitive performance improved with iron therapy. Cognitive performance is a student’s ability to obtain and store knowledge.Again, breakfast consumption demonstrates to be a vital aspect of a young person’s health. A healthy lifestyle not only consists of a certain number of meals a day, but also various types of nourishment and physical activity. It was also found that food insufficiency is a serious issue that affects a child’s ability to learn. Finally, after surveying and undernourished population, a breakfast program was initiated, and analysis showed that academic performance and cognitive functioning significantly increased. As it has been proven through countless studies, many things contribute to academic achievement.But the main issue that related to student’s health is skipped meals and lack of exercise. To many, these seem like easy to target problems. But why is the problem consistently worsening? Because no one is taking initiative to find solutions. The most doable and reasonable solution is to incorporate a greater variety of food options (in the healthier realm) for students/adolescents, not schedule classes or other activities during meal hours, and have a mandatory tentative exercise schedule as part of a student’s academic career. Words Cited Burkhalter, Toni M. , and Charles H.Hillman. â€Å"A Narrative Review of Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity to Cognition and Scholastic Performance across the Human Lifespan. † Advances in Nutrition 2. 2 (2011): 201-06. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Edwards, Jane U. â€Å"Relationship of Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors and Fitness Measures to Academic Performance for Sixth Graders in a Midwest City School District. † Journal of School Health 81. 2 (2011): 65-69. SPORTDiscus. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Eliasson, Arne H. â€Å"Early to Bed, Early to Rise! Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in College Students . † Sleep and Breathing 14. (2009): 71-75. ScienceDirect. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Estes, Cathy. â€Å"Student Responsibility Needs to Be  nurtured. † LasVegasSun. com. 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. ;http://www. lasvegassun. com/news/2009/apr/08/student-responsibility-needs-be-nurtured/;. Florence, M. D. â€Å"Diet Quality and Academic Performance. † Journal of School Health 78. 4 (2008): 209-215. CINAHL. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. Ghazyini, Sayid D. â€Å"Gender Differences in Factors Affecting Academic Performance of High School Students. † 3rd World Conference on Educational Sciences 15. 3 (2011): 1040-045. ScienceDirect.

Free Essays on Feng Shui in Society

Did you ever wonder where and why we live the way we do? With the goal of answering it, the Chinese developed a tradition of techniques that combines commonsense, fine aesthetics, and mystical philosophy. This tradition, called Feng Shui, is both an art and a science that aims to ensure that all things are harmonious with their surroundings. The application of Feng Shui ranges from planning entire cities and empires to placing a guest at the dinner table; from the orientation of high-rise office buildings, to the interior decoration and furnishing of a house or a room. Not only is this system used in China, but also in other parts of Asia. It is also known as geomancy. In Korea it is called Pungsu and in Vietnam Dai Ly. Japan, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, London, Lucerne and Paris are among the various cities in the world that, in one form or another, used Feng Shui, to build their cities. Today Feng Shui is widely used in the Western world as well as Asia (Field 1998). In the Western world , New York City for example, Pun Yin served as a consultant to many businesses, family restaurants and private residences. Her expertise was used in numerous times to plan and develop the architectural base and interior decoration of residences and offices. This can involve the right location of object inside rooms, the selection of the right colors for a room and the appropriate location of entrances to houses or apartment buildings (Walters 1988). The Feng Shui masters calculate the balance or unbalance of natural energies in a home or business. Feng Shui deals with chi (energy). Since mass and energy are interchangeable, chi can be in the form of matter, energy or a combination of the two. Therefore, chi can be visible, invisible, or partially visible and partially invisible. The ancient Chinese classified all things of nature into five types: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. In fact, all things are a combination of these primary bases. Different comb... Free Essays on Feng Shui in Society Free Essays on Feng Shui in Society Did you ever wonder where and why we live the way we do? With the goal of answering it, the Chinese developed a tradition of techniques that combines commonsense, fine aesthetics, and mystical philosophy. This tradition, called Feng Shui, is both an art and a science that aims to ensure that all things are harmonious with their surroundings. The application of Feng Shui ranges from planning entire cities and empires to placing a guest at the dinner table; from the orientation of high-rise office buildings, to the interior decoration and furnishing of a house or a room. Not only is this system used in China, but also in other parts of Asia. It is also known as geomancy. In Korea it is called Pungsu and in Vietnam Dai Ly. Japan, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, London, Lucerne and Paris are among the various cities in the world that, in one form or another, used Feng Shui, to build their cities. Today Feng Shui is widely used in the Western world as well as Asia (Field 1998). In the Western world , New York City for example, Pun Yin served as a consultant to many businesses, family restaurants and private residences. Her expertise was used in numerous times to plan and develop the architectural base and interior decoration of residences and offices. This can involve the right location of object inside rooms, the selection of the right colors for a room and the appropriate location of entrances to houses or apartment buildings (Walters 1988). The Feng Shui masters calculate the balance or unbalance of natural energies in a home or business. Feng Shui deals with chi (energy). Since mass and energy are interchangeable, chi can be in the form of matter, energy or a combination of the two. Therefore, chi can be visible, invisible, or partially visible and partially invisible. The ancient Chinese classified all things of nature into five types: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. In fact, all things are a combination of these primary bases. Different comb...

A Characterisc of a Hero essays

A Characterisc of a Hero essays The American Heritage High-school dictionary defines a hero as a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength. Is that what a hero truly is? Does he need only strength and courage? Does a hero not need a mind? Any man can be strong and brave, but dose that mean he is a hero? Nay, a hero must have more. He must be quick-witted and always think with his head and never his fear. A man must be clever (mentally bright, superficially skillful or witty) to be considered a hero. A hero has many characteristics but one of the most important is to be able to think his way out of trouble. Not that a hero shouldnt be physically strong, thats always good, but sometimes you cant fight your way out things without getting yourself killed. Odysseus, king of Ithaca, is a very clever man. He shows that quality time and again in The Odyssey. For example, the Trojan War. The Greeks fought with the Trojans for ten years without success. They had to get over the wall around Troy. No one had any ideas. But then Odysseus and his clever mind thought of a way to trick the Trojans. He ordered the Greeks to build a huge wooden horse in which they could hide. Odysseus figured that when the Trojans wake up to the horse and no Greeks in sight that theyd take the horse as a peace offering and take it inside the city. The Trojans did as Odysseus had guessed and after ten long years the war with Troy was finally over. Another example of Odysseus cleverness is when he met a giant, one-eyed monster named Polyphemus. Odysseus and his men went into this giants cave and stayed to meet him. What they saw when Polyphemus came home was a huge surprise. Polyphemus liked humans, yes he did. He liked them as dinner, lunch, and breakfast. Odysseus was losing his men rapidly while they were trapped in the cave. He had to do something. Suddenly an idea popped ...

How to Use the French Preposition Entre

How to Use the French Preposition Entre The French preposition entre means between, both literally and figuratively, or among and is used in many expressions.  Learn how to say briefly, tipsy, at dusk, and more with some  of the expressions  below using entre. Be careful not to confuse the preposition  entre  with the verb  entrer,  which means to enter; the two words  are unrelated.   Common Uses of Entre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mettez une espace entre ces mots.Put a space between these words.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Cela devrait à ªtre entre parenthà ¨ses.That should be in parentheses.   Ã‚  entre deux portesbriefly   Ã‚  Ã‚  entre chien et loupat twilight/dusk   Ã‚  Ã‚  Entre toi et moi..., Entre nous...Between you and me..., Between us...   Ã‚  Le livre est entre ses mains.The book is in his hands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Entre le 2 et le 5 mai...Between 2nd and 5th of May...   Ã‚  La và ©rità © est entre les deux. (saying)The truth is somewhere in between.   Ã‚  sentendre entre euxto have a mutual understanding/agreement   Ã‚  Ãƒ ªtre entre deux vinsto be tipsy When Entre  means among   Ã‚  Ãƒ ªtre entre nousto be among friends, between us  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Jai trouvà © une jolie bague entre le bricbrac.I found a pretty ring among the bric-a-brac.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Mes à ©tudiants, entre autres, vont...My students, among others, are going...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Beaucoup dentre vous...Many among you...   Ã‚  Les loups ne se mangent pas entre eux.There is honor among thieves.

Global Context Of Modern Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Context Of Modern Business - Essay Example Globalization is increasing the interdependence among the economies. However, the developing countries are enjoying increasing access to markets of developed economy that facilitates easy transfer of technology and capital movements but it is increasing the inequality among the global economies. The negative aspect of globalization is that instability or downturn in any major economies of the world results in the downturn of the global economy as a whole. This is because the domestic economic developments of countries determined not only by the domestic policies but also by international policies and economic situations. Thus in order to implement any developmental policies not only the domestic impact but also the global impact of that policy has to be considered (Balakrishnan, 2004). Moreover globalization may create more unemployment problems because of increasing firm closure and lower wages of the employed. This is because increasing competition often wipes out the small firms t hat are incapable to compete and secondly more use of modern and advanced technology in production adversely affects some companies manufacturing unimproved machineries (Moffatt, 2011). There is coexistence of both positive and negative impacts in every aspects and globalization is no exception. Thus to study modern business in the global context the most important issue that need to be considered is the impact of the global financial crisis which triggered the global economy during 2007. Globalization has increased the financial movement across countries because of lucid monetary controls and regulations and thus financial globalization is associated with the financial crisis of 2007. The paper discusses the nature and impact of the crisis on the countries’ business environment. The Financial crisis – nature and impact The people of topical times are still living with the recollections of the Great Depression of the 30s. There has been no record of economic avalanche of same scale and duration till this date, but the recent global financial crisis is not less important. The economic recession of 2007 has already found its position in the records of American politics. It is less brutal than the great depression of 1929 but has thrown its shadows on worldwide politics and economy. The crisis of 2007 will be considered as a short follow-up to the 1929 depression. The government policies and concern have been held responsible once again for the financial crisis – â€Å"Americans have lost faith not only in the [Bush] administration, but in its economic philosophy: a new corporate welfarism masquerading behind free-market ideology; another version of trickle-down economics, where the hundreds of billions to Wall Street that caused the problem were supposed to somehow trickle down to help ordinary Americans. Trickle-down hasn’t been working well in America over the past eight years.† (Stiglitz, October 2008) The social, political and economic perils of the global financial crisis of 2007 will continue to persist for another few months. The American government and European Union have thrived for a united effort to counter the recession. It seems like a group action on the part of the national leaders will be more valuable in restoring the backbone. The world has altered a lot since the Second World War. The harmony among different nations and their joint effort to expand the world as a whole had come

Behavior intervention Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Behavior intervention - Research Paper Example results showed evidence of a significant reduction between the baseline and intervention phases with a reduction in the mean off-task time from 49% to 20%, a 59% decrease. The minimum and maximum frequencies in off-task behaviors were also reduced by 89% and 59% respectively with the minimum now only 5%. The effectiveness of the intervention strategy was established, and recommendations were made. Lorelei was diagnosed with a developmental delay condition and speech impairment that makes her non-verbal. She is described as a Non-Categorical Early Childhood (NEC) student, and an IEP (Individual Education Plan) has been specially devised for her that specifically addresses language difficulties, as well as sensory and academic areas. She is also: An outside observer would be able to quickly see that Lorelei has difficulties with her body control and with her ability to integrate sensorily into the classroom. She is non-compliant and engages in self-injurious behavior. She often bangs h er head for gaining attention, but she is unaware that banging her head too hard will hurt her. This is Loreleis second year where she is taught in a special PPCD along with 11 other special education students and ten other daycare students as peers who do not have a disability classroom. The teacher is assisted by three teacher assistants, and together they have the role of supporting all of the diverse learners in the classroom. The paraprofessional designated for supporting Lorelei tries her best to make her participate in the daily routine and in classroom activities as much as possible.

Education and Parental Involvement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education and Parental Involvement - Essay Example The crucial stakeholders in the process include teachers and parents among others though the mentioned are the most crucial in educating the children. This is because this two are the most involved in the education process. It might be perceived that it is the teachers are solely the ones having a significant impact in a child’s education. This is misconstrued, since parents are the first teachers for a child. They also spend a considerable amount of time with them naturally making them Principle figures in the education process. Various factors influence the input of guardians and instructors in the education process. In the articles, one if the most prominent factor is social class. This is because this factor influences the situations in which the child faces in their quest to be educated. According to Rodriguez, cultural background is also significant since education is influenced significantly overtly or indirectly with culture. Economic classes are also prominent in this process. All this factors come into play when an immigrant child attempts to learn in a foreign environment. This is because the learning process is not only alien to the learner, but also to the guardians. Rose, who shows the significance of alienation of these parties to the process, reiterates this fact. This is because there are numerous limitations in the understanding and participation of the parents in ensuring the success of a child in school. Although learning is a crucial requirement in the modern society, there are various limitations that immigrant parents face, in their involvement, in the edification process of their children. Based on the articles, when a family immigrates, they are exposed to a new environment. This will mean that the family will have to adapt to the new scenario. This will mean that both parents and child will have to readjust themselves to the new education system. This is because the new system will be centered on the cultural inclinations of the new environment (Rodriguez, p3). This will lead to alienation of the student and the parent from the education process. This will result in the parent not being in a position of extending assistance to the Child’s schoolwork. This is because the situation will expose the child and parent to cultural extremes. This will lead to conflicting influences in their education since the transition process will be challenging for them. This will be an impediment for the parent to participate in the education process of their children. In addition, due to the differences, the child will cut themselves mentally from the parents. This is because the parents due to the environment will lose their relevance in the learning process. The child will create a perception that the parents are incapable of being of any assistance in this scenario. This will result in the child becoming autonomous in their learning, in that they will do their homework and other learning activities without parental involvement, hence shutting out parents. The child will be embarrassed of their parents’ illiteracy hence they will attempt for any form of guidance education wise. The child may constantly want to reiterate to parents on their lack of education (Rodriguez, p4). According to Rose, Immigrant parents will also not comprehend the procedures and terms used in the education

Reflective report , on Do organizations align the recruitment and Dissertation

Reflective report , on Do organizations align the recruitment and selection of talent with their corporate strategy - Dissertation Example Corporate strategies mirror lasting personnel strategy and direct the employment and choice policy. Introduction In modern day, the task of human resource is no longer a back office function as it was back in the days (Gold, Thorpe & Mumford 2010). For a long time, scholars have embarked on intensive research on better methods of improving the practice of human resource management. The success of any given organization is highly dependent on the ability and talent adopted by a company. Unlike long ago where recruitment of new talent was depended on the traditional approach, it now has undergone transformations and has incorporated new ideas such as career orientation from time to time. The general idea behind recruitment of new talent is generally to align personnel practices to the overall business strategy. Thoughts In fact, the responsibility of human resourcing is viewed as a form of strategic business function. Every organization seeks to create a business impact in every form t hrough development of talent management skills. The reason for this is that organizations bear in mind that performance is largely dependent on the type of labor and skills employed. I tend to think that organizations hire for varying reasons. ... Incorporation of talent management into a company’s corporate structure is a big step towards adopting a capability driven team (Gold, Thorpe & Mumford 2010). The different organizations have varying forms of acquiring new staff. There a number of processes involved when it comes to the process of constructing a strong human resource arm of an organization. To most organizations, the main aim of hiring new staff is mainly aid accurate and objective decision making in a bid to get the most qualified staff only. Every company aims projects to have only the best in the market at the right place in the organization. Some companies have gone ahead, and even adopted Softwares that are meant to efficiently monitor systematic recruitment process (Gold, Thorpe & Mumford 2010). An example of this system is the SAAS, which stands for software as a recruit service. The software conducts simple recruitment functions such as attracting, selecting, and sourcing and even better yet, inducting new staff. Another such like software used in hiring is the PageUp people system (Gold, Thorpe & Mumford 2010). This system is flexible, very accurate, easy to work with and quick. The software is said to provide the efficiency in recording performance of the many applicants concerned. Feelings I strongly feel that strategic human resource management is crucial in organizations as it determines how well the investment function will be carried out. It is the responsibility of the human resource manager to conducts strategizing comprehensive efforts to only source for the best talent. The process of talent management in organizations entails a series of activities, which include talent identification, internal and external development as well as motivation, and talent

Anthropology of Social Networking Websites Research Paper

Anthropology of Social Networking Websites - Research Paper Example Social networking websites provide many benefits to people, such as, developing kinship and other relationships, information sharing, social interaction with people from different societies, and facility to find old friends. Along with these considerable benefits, there also exist some big concerns regarding these websites. In this paper, we will talk about how social network websites influence privacy and relationships from anthropological point of view. What is Anthropology of Kinship? Talking from anthropological perspective, one can say that the system of kinship includes people who have blood relationship between them or those who are living as a family. People usually create their own definitions of family. They can make a decision on adding or not adding people to their social networks depending on whether they trust them or not. In this way, they usually do not define kinship as blood relationships and add such relationships to the definition of family that may influence thei r lives at some point of time without having any blood relationship with them. Therefore, we can say that social networking websites have changed the dimensions of actual anthropology of kinship in today’s world of digital media. People have forgotten that real life is different from what we feel it in internet’s social networks (Acar 63). ... For example, some people, especially children, make excessive use of social networking websites, which results in less face-to-face interactions between them and their family members living under the same roof. People usually send comments and messages to friends and ignore their actual relations. Such changes in behaviors of people decrease affection and care that people normally have for their closest family members living under the same roof. Anthropologists have a concern over this issue, as they believe that such behaviors harm the actual family structure and give rise to social isolation in an unobservable way. Privacy Concern Socio-cultural anthropologists seem to be worried about the social change that includes excessive and improper use of social networking websites. They believe that such websites harm the privacy of individuals and cause many problems for the society. If we observe people who make excessive use of such websites, we can find that some of them reveal very pe rsonal information to their internet friends with whom they do not have any direct relationship. We have also seen such cases in which people have cheated others to get their personal information pretending to be their relatives or close friends. The fact is that such websites are open to everyone and not every person is well skilled in setting highest level of privacy for his/her account. â€Å"Users of social network sites (SNS) often state that they are concerned about their privacy, yet they often disclose detailed personal information on their profiles† (Utz and Kramer 1). Even if someone has ensured maximum privacy, he/she can be deceived by someone who pretends to be his/her lover or a true friend. Adolescents are the main users of social websites (Subrahmanyam and Greenfield

Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Democracy - Essay Example Lord Bryce states that democracy is â€Å"the form of government in which the ruling power is vested not in a particular class but in all the persons of a state†. Abraham Lincoln defined it as â€Å"democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people†. Carl Becker defined democracy as â€Å"a democratic form of government has always meant one in which the citizens, or a sufficient number of them to represent more or less effectively the common will, freely act from time to time, and according to established forms, to appoint or recall the magistrates and to enact or revoke the laws by which the community is governed† (Modern Democracy). Pre-Requisites of Democracy Democracy is a system, which is successful in a sound political system. Such an atmosphere can be created by enhancing the literacy rate, improved socialization, active involvement of citizens in national politics, replacement of sentimental and violent politics with rational thi nking and pacific means, entrance of acceptance and tolerance in political life, and superiority of the national interests. Democracy may flourish only if everyone is given opportunity to participate in political activities and exercise of state powers on basis of merit and ability. However, several professional politicians are creating monopoly in politics due to political ignorance and lack of awareness. Political parties and democracy are nothing without each other. About all states in the world have political parties and representative groups to strengthen the democratic form of government. Democracy develops through unionism, associations, interest groups, and pressure groups. They communicate national problems to people and opinions of the people are made. Democracy is such a political system, which ensures right of opposition and criticism to put government on the right track. While exercising its powers, government may ignore the charter and abuse powers. A strong opposition is therefore necessary to keep government within its limits. Media is often considered as the backbone of democratic system. It serves as a bridge between government and the people. The role of media in the development of democracy is essential, therefore its independence must be ensured. Furthermore, development of democracy requires that regionalism and sectarianism must be discouraged and even to be rooted-out. These things divert attention of government from welfare and development activities. As rulers are representatives, they are responsible before people. Accountability to check government acts results in increased life and quality of democratic systems. Judiciary in this regard is a type of check valve in the system. It must be independent and effective to preserve the rights of the community. Characteristic Conditions of Democracy In democratic states, all people, irrespective of any discrimination, are citizens. According to the traditional concepts, as Aristotle says, à ¢â‚¬Å"all persons of a state are not citizens as slaves†. It is democracy, which gave equal rights and opportunities even to both sexes and all inhabitants. In this form of government, no one is allowed to rule forever but government changes according to changing conditions. Periodical elections are scheduled to change governments peacefully and through constitutional means. Government is responsible before parliament in parliamentary form of government and representatives are responsible before the electorates. In this political system, representatives have desire for re-election that compels parliamentarians to respect people suggestions. Democratic system ensures that all decisions are made on majority basis and state administration is run according to the will of the majority.

Anthropology of Social Networking Websites Research Paper

Anthropology of Social Networking Websites - Research Paper Example Social networking websites provide many benefits to people, such as, developing kinship and other relationships, information sharing, social interaction with people from different societies, and facility to find old friends. Along with these considerable benefits, there also exist some big concerns regarding these websites. In this paper, we will talk about how social network websites influence privacy and relationships from anthropological point of view. What is Anthropology of Kinship? Talking from anthropological perspective, one can say that the system of kinship includes people who have blood relationship between them or those who are living as a family. People usually create their own definitions of family. They can make a decision on adding or not adding people to their social networks depending on whether they trust them or not. In this way, they usually do not define kinship as blood relationships and add such relationships to the definition of family that may influence thei r lives at some point of time without having any blood relationship with them. Therefore, we can say that social networking websites have changed the dimensions of actual anthropology of kinship in today’s world of digital media. People have forgotten that real life is different from what we feel it in internet’s social networks (Acar 63). ... For example, some people, especially children, make excessive use of social networking websites, which results in less face-to-face interactions between them and their family members living under the same roof. People usually send comments and messages to friends and ignore their actual relations. Such changes in behaviors of people decrease affection and care that people normally have for their closest family members living under the same roof. Anthropologists have a concern over this issue, as they believe that such behaviors harm the actual family structure and give rise to social isolation in an unobservable way. Privacy Concern Socio-cultural anthropologists seem to be worried about the social change that includes excessive and improper use of social networking websites. They believe that such websites harm the privacy of individuals and cause many problems for the society. If we observe people who make excessive use of such websites, we can find that some of them reveal very pe rsonal information to their internet friends with whom they do not have any direct relationship. We have also seen such cases in which people have cheated others to get their personal information pretending to be their relatives or close friends. The fact is that such websites are open to everyone and not every person is well skilled in setting highest level of privacy for his/her account. â€Å"Users of social network sites (SNS) often state that they are concerned about their privacy, yet they often disclose detailed personal information on their profiles† (Utz and Kramer 1). Even if someone has ensured maximum privacy, he/she can be deceived by someone who pretends to be his/her lover or a true friend. Adolescents are the main users of social websites (Subrahmanyam and Greenfield

Should the federal government provide health care to all American Term Paper

Should the federal government provide health care to all American citizens - Term Paper Example Talking about the American healthcare system and the medical insurance in the US, it is necessary to mention that the poorest layers of the society have to stay behind the amenities of the democratic life. Even though people are American citizens, the norms of the Constitution do not refer to them, strange as it may seem. As one of the richest countries dedicated to the standpoints of democracy, the United States should never go without providing people with basic and advanced healthcare. Otherwise, it shows its underdevelopment in this field. The overall opinion on this matter is as follows: â€Å"A June 12-16, 2009 poll shows that 64% of Americans say health care should be a right† (ProCon 1). It makes everyone believe in the public urge for equality in terms of healthcare prospects. On the other hand, the opponents of the healthcare for all Americans might think that working hard should be the main basis for letting people get their medical coverage and proceed on healthcar e services. The thing is that the followers of the capitalistic way of living think that if the federal government assigns the universal right for healthcare, it will lead to the use of tax revenues for masses which is like in the socialist way of living (ProCon 1). However, the United States is still a huge and the main debtor to the world countries and to China (socialist country), in particular. Hence, it should be a reminder for the officials in their tries to get the life better for the electorate. The question is that it is really a disgrace to the United States when 46 million people are uncovered with medical insurance (Phillips and Bostian 136). In the world arena, America seems not so attractive when people from other countries see a low rate of social guarantees for all citizens. On the other side, all American talks on the democracy which should touch upon every country of the world render null in this case. In fact, Americans have encountered the perils of the bureaucra cy in the federal government letting all ordinary people cast adrift. Neither Clinton nor Obama was apt at introducing the healthcare reform in the short run. This is why Americans covered by the insurance feel anxiety about their future: â€Å"All Americans now expect Medicare to be there for them when they reach the age threshold, or if they become disabled, and use this knowledge in their financial planning† (Levine 31). Hence, when the officials talk about that not all Americans get insurance, it makes the public opinion right opposite to the idea of the appropriate Medicaid knowing that healthcare is the largest industry in the country employing 14 million people (ProCon 1). By and large, behind the healthcare, there might stand people with solely commercial interests going apart from the human ideals of democracy. To say more, the US healthcare system should be re-evaluated first. Needless to say, to make reforms come true, the officials are to think of their promises b efore the electorate. However, one of the main impediments to the universal healthcare system is â€Å"the unnecessary fragmentation of the US delivery system† (Shi and Singh 2). In this respect along with the overall desire of officials and ordinary people to make the universal healthcare delivery system possible, the US federal government

Impact of Education Choice on Public Funds Essay Example for Free

Impact of Education Choice on Public Funds Essay Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U. S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. Though the U. S. Supreme Court declared school desegregation in the 1954 ruling on the famous â€Å"Brown v. Board of Education case, the state of Mississippi did not allow racially or ethnically different students to mix together in schools until 1970, sixteen years after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, according to the Civil Rights Timeline, created by the Mississippi Humanities Council at Southern Mississippi. Brown v. Board of Education prompted parents in Mississippi to create nonpublic and charter schools in efforts to keep schools segregated. Legislation and School Choice in Mississippi At the present time, Mississippi doesn’t truly offer school choice. There is no private school choice program. Parents are not given money from the state to send their children to private or parochial schools. The Education Commission of the States reports that Mississippi has enacted a mandatory inter-district school open enrollment policy. Students can move between school districts- but that is not guaranteed for those who want to change schools. Both the sending and receiving school boards must approve it. Mississippis Constitution prohibits the appropriation of any state education funds for the support of sectarian schools or private schools (Miss. Const. Art. 8, Sec. 208). Though at the same time, state accreditation is mandatory for nonpublic schools receiving state funds. According to State Regulation of Private Schools, (June 2000), Mississippi law provides free textbooks on loan to pupils in all elementary and secondary schools in the state (Miss. Code Ann.  § 37-43-1 et seq). The loan of textbooks to qualified private schools does not violate Mississippis constitutional prohibition against public support of sectarian schools or the control of educational funds by religious sects. Private, parochial or denominational schools accepting free school textbooks on behalf of their students must file annual reports as required by the State Board of Education (Miss. Code Ann.  § 37-43-51). Throughout the years, numerous bills to give vouchers or tax credits/ tax deductions have died in House Committees. It was allowed to die in 2009. During the 12 years that the law was on the books, only one traditional public school converted to a public charter school. Senate Bill 2721 is the latest bill in regards charter schools. This current bill is one authorizing new start-up charter schools to be established in Mississippi recently passed the State Senate and is now being taken up in the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 2721, which passed the senate by a vote of 50-2 in February, authorizes five new start-up charter schools to be established in the state. With this bill, the school can be brand new, not a failing school converting to a charter. Local school boards would have the first look at proposals, but authorization power would still rest solely with the state board of education. According to Bill 2721, the definition of a start-up charter school is â€Å"a public school operating under the terms of a charter granted by the State Board of Education with the approval of the local school board or school boards on the application of an eligible entity and may draw its students from across public school district boundaries† (Harrison, 2010) . Previous attempts to expand charter schools in Mississippi were shot down by fears of racial segregation. Some fear that it is a backdoor attempt to re-segregate many of Mississippi’s public schools, though supporters point out that a majority of charter school students in many parts of the country are minorities. â€Å"There’s been some resistance from the Mississippi Association of Educators and other groups that say you’re taking money from public education,† Watson continued (Harrison, 2010). â€Å"That’s an absolute falsity—this is public education† (Harrison, 2010). Opposition still remains from some caucus members and from teacher unions (Heartland. org). Those who oppose the potential implementation of charter schools believe the schools will be taking away students, resources and funding from a public school system that is already heavily financially burdened. Impacts on Funding and Analysis Mississippi charter schools are eligible for the same funding as regular schools. They may receive federal, state, local or private funding. They are not taxing authorities and may not levy taxes or request tax increases in order to generate funding. Charter schools are funded with taxes, but operate with more flexibility and fewer restrictions than the traditional public schools. Often times, charter schools have a special emphasis, such as on the art or the sciences. According to the Mississippi Code of 1972, â€Å"the State Board of Education may give charter schools special preference when allocating grant funds other than state funds for alternative school programs, classroom technology, improvement programs, mentoring programs or other grant programs designed to improve local school performance†. Allowing charter schools to be created will minimally decrease the funding that public schools receive. Minimal because at most only five charter schools will come into existence and they will be spread throughout the state, not centralized in one location. The amount of funding will still be based on the number of students enrolled in the schools. Charter schools traditionally keep their numbers small. Jackson public schools is the third largest district in the state of Mississippi, none of these legislations are negatively impacting the funding of the district. Even the state law allowing book loans to private schools has not taken away from the students of JPS. It has been speculated that having a charter school law would make Mississippi eligible for more grants through the Race to the Top program, which is part of the stimulus package passed last year by Congress and signed into law by Obama. If this speculations is true, then all districts in the state are losing funds due to lack of charter schools. But the state Department of Education has said the lack of a charter school law would not prevent Mississippi from being eligible for the grants through the program (heartland. org).

Drug Trafficking in the US: Causes and Effects

Drug Trafficking in the US: Causes and Effects Drug Trafficking is a growing epidemic that faces are great nation and fragile borders every day. The United States has been fighting this battle for decades and there seems no end in sight. When will enough be enough and when will we see change across the United States to stop the drug trafficking problems? Every day in the news there is a headline about drugs and how the prison population is growing because of drugs. Something has to be done and done soon before we run out of money and cant support the War on Drugs anymore and it rules are society at a level that we cannot control. This paper will analyze the different issues of drug trafficking that we are having in America. In America, drug trafficking has become an increased problem and is continually on the rise even since the time when President Nixon established the famous phrase War on Drugs in 1968. Drug trafficking is defined and consists of selling or distributing illegal drugs. In the 1960s this was a known but was referred to as recreational use and there was not much done to put a stop to it. This problem has produced a global network of illegal acts that has taken over communities all over the globe and even in the backyards of some of our own communities here in America. It is important that we analyze the issues, look at the pros and cons of the prevention and control measures and decide what the next move for America will be on the War on Drugs. According to US Legal the federal government has given out guidelines for sentencing to state and local officials that forbids the manufacture, import, export, distribution, or dispensing of a controlled substance or the possession of a controlled substance. Although drugs have been around for many decades it wasnt until the 1960s when the government started to crack down on the use. There was a sudden increase in the 1960s in the use of marijuana, amphetamines, and psychedelics were the government had to finally step and try and take control. One of the most known acts to put a stop to the drug trade would be in 1973 when the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was developed. The DEAs mission statement today is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufac ture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. Drug trafficking is one of the most extensive operations worldwide with bringing in billions of dollars annually. These operations are led by sophisticated organizations that have no regard of laws or rules. One of the most recent countries in todays news that is having a huge influence in the drug trade is Mexico. The New York Times says that more than 28,000 people have been killed since the new president Felipe Calderà ³n started to tackle the drug trade in Mexico. In 2006 the Mexican president started an offence to stop the drug trade in Mexico by sending his troops and police force out into battle against the drug cartels but wanted the United States to be held responsible for its actions since Americans are the ones that influence the drug trade with the high demand. If the demand is low then the supply would have to be low, so therefore the United States has to figure out how to reduce the demand and stop the supply. Two of the main methods of drug trafficking are sea and air. During the early 1980s drug trafficking pilots were flying to South America and brining the shipments back to America for distribution. These pilots were getting paid thousands of dollars and had little to worry about because of sophisticated approaches of bypassing the law. One of the most recognized cases of air drug trafficking is the Devoe Airlines which was busted by the DEA in 1984. They DEA discovered that Devoe Airlines was responsible for one of the biggest drug bust of Cocaine they had ever seen. Jack Devoe was the CEO and leader of the smuggling plan that would fly to South American and then fly back into the states and distribute the drugs back to the cartels. Obviously after the DEA caught onto their plan the airlines was shut down and Jack Devoe was convicted. The DEA has become a powerful organization of stopping the drug trade which operates over land, sea, and air. This did not happen overnight this was a p rocess that started with trial and error. The DEA experienced the use of planes in the 1970s has a means to stop drug trafficking since drug traffickers had no means of boundaries. Using air has a means to stop the drug traffickers was a success and the DEA increased their fleet fast. According to the DEA museum there were 41 Pilots and 24 planes working in the U.S. in 1973. Drug trafficking on the seas is one of the oldest trades and smuggling drugs into the ports of American cities is an overgrowing problem. The DEA works with the Coast Guard on an everyday occurrence to stop the drug trafficking on the seas. The DEA has a hard job especially since the supply and demand is always on the rise and the criminals are always thinking of new ways to outmaneuver the law. In 1988 the White House created the National Drug Control Policy which came from the Anti-drug abuse act. The Office of National Drug Control Policy states the following goals: The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences. (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov) One of the programs that this agency created was the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA) which provides federal assets to areas that are hit hard with drug trafficking. Basically areas that are seen has a treat for drug trafficking are allowed to use this program to stop drug related problems and they can also share information throughout the different law enforcement agencies. The DEA and National Drug Control Agency are just a few agencies that provide resources and law enforcement which are trying to crack down on the ever-growing drug trafficking problem. With their hard work and determination to stop these problems they are faced with countless issues that bring their operations to a sluggish halt every day. One of the most overlooked and not taken serious issues is analyzing the statistics of the prison population and a federal commission program that can set forth new polices that can make changes to the criminal justice laws with political oversight. Here are a few interesting statistics of the prison population: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2009) states Current illicit drug use among persons aged 12 or older varied by race/ethnicity in 2008, with the lowest rate among Asians (3.6 percent). Rates were 14.7 percent for persons reporting two or more races, 10.1 percent for blacks, 9.5 percent for American Indians or Alaska Natives, 8.2 percent for whites, 7.3 percent of Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, and 6.2 percent for Hispanics. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration states there are racial disparities in the rates of drug arrests which conclude in high racial imbalances among incarcerated drug offenders. They say that two-thirds of drug arrests result in a criminal conviction but many convicted drug offenders are sentenced to incarceration: an estimated 67 percent of convicted felony drug defendants are sentenced to jail or prison. The criminal justice system that we have set in place now is making America which only has 5% of the population in the world have the highest incarceration rate in the world. Changes need to happen in the Criminal Justice system when it comes to sentencing drug offenders. A few of the hot topics that prevent the stopping of drug trafficking are Mexico, Demand, and Legalization. These issues are deep and routed with great deliberation that have not been resolved and are having a huge influence on the drug trade every day. The Mexican Drug War is a war that is taking place in Mexico where the government is fighting the Drug Cartels which is trying to prevent the drug trafficking. Drug Trafficking has existed in Mexico for a long time now but in the recent decades it has become very noticeable with the drug cartels gaining power and control. The Council of Foreign Relations stats that there have been more than 2,500 drug cartel related deaths in 2007, and more than 4,000 deaths in 2008. These drug cartels are ruthless with their actions has they are bringing local battles to the streets of innocent citizens and making it a turf war. The Mexican police have not gained any ground in stopping them has the local Mexican-US border towns are becoming more devastated from the drug trafficking every day. The State Department stated in 2008 that that 90% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States came across the Mexican border. The ruthlessness of this crisis is Mexico reached an all time peak in 2006 and has been on the rise. The drug cartels are using violence that is only seen in times of war such has beheading anyone that opposes there power. The cartels have it out especially for the police, media, and government officials. It was reported in 2008 that the Mexican federal police chief was killed by drug cartels during a drug bust. Since the Mexican military has been deployed inside their country with trying to stop the growing cartels power it has been though through many public forums that this is only a quick solution to the problem. Although there hasnt been any other real solutions brought to the table and when the Mexican President was elected he had to act quickly. One of his only choices was by sending troops into the cities to stop the violent behavior. Through the past couple years since the military deployment in Mexico and the growing violence some officials have brought to light some new tactics on the military involvement. Once the military was deployed it brought the media into the actions which brought a world presence. The media was able to shed light on how bad the crime truly was and how bad the drug trafficking was becoming in the Mexico-US border towns. Some of the attention that has taken places has been the following: Judicial transformation in Mexico that brought forth a speedy process trial used in a speedy warrant case. These small groups of judges can act quickly with allowing the evidence to be new and the sentencing to be fast. They also created a criminal database and a group of police officials that will track future criminals and their actions. Mexico has also been on the rise in the extraditing process since 2006 of cartel criminals from the United States. One of the most recognized contributions in fighting the war on drugs in Mexico is the Merida Initiative. The Merida Initiative is an agreement that President Calderon and President George W. Bush put into effect in stopping the narcotics trade in Mexico and United States. The challenge that was presented to President Bush was that Mexico was producing over 18 tons of heroin, and 16,000 tons of Marijuana which was recorded in 2007. The drug trade was creating a profit of over $13-$25 billion dollars and over 500,000 people in Mexico where involved in some type of drug trade operation. President Calderon also explained that must of the drug lords where arming themselves with American Guns that came across the American borders into Mexico. Posing these problems to the United States congress acted by responded with the different types of aid. There was over $465 million dollars spent in 2008 in the first phase of the Merida Initiative, mostly all of the money was spent in Mexico but there were some other countries in South America that also received money as well. President Caldron greatly appreciated the aid from the United States to help fight the war on drugs but he has also identified many problems with in his own country that has an enormous effect on the drug trafficking. Some of the problems that the Mexico President is fighting are corruption, Judicial Reform, money laundering, and border security. There are many skeptics across the nation that are saying that it is going to take too long for the President Caldron to fix his country much less the drug trafficking that is effecting the borders. Time will only tell how well the Merida Initiative is going to affect the drug trade but at least its action and something is being done about it. One of the overlooked problems in drug trafficking is that the majority of buyers of the drug trade are coming within the United States. If we looked at this closely we could make the assumption that the drug cartels would be out of business if the demand was low or there was no demand at all. Therefore has long has the demand is high there is going to be business in America. Its all about the supply and demand. Overtime since the war on drugs has taken place the supply has increased and the demand has grown off the charts. We can control the borders all we want but has long as there are consumers of a drug they will find ways to get it, especially since its a drug that alters the mind in the first place. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2009, 104 million Americans age 12 or older have tried Marijuana at least once, which is 41.5% of the US Population. There are many statistics and data that show the demand for drugs in the United States and around the world , so until we solve the problem of the demand then there will always be one around. One of the raised topics in our society today about the demand of drugs and the drug trade is to end the prohibition of illegal drugs. If we made drugs legal then the drug cartels would be out of business and then the government could control the product and tax the product. Basically instead of focusing all of the attention on the supply and how to stop the drug supply the government would not have to spend hardly any money, but yet would make money off of taxing the drugs. If one could only imagine gangs, and drug cartels going out of business because they lose their biggest revenue what would the world be like? Not all drugs would be legal but drugs such as marijuana could become legal without much backlash. Once the government makes it legal and starts to make money off of the taxes than they could reinvest the money back into programs that fight against using the drug, just like fighting smoking and alcohol abuse. With crime on the rise and drug trafficking coming from Mexico the hot topic on the table is should we just go ahead and legalize marijuana like the Netherlands did. There are some pessimistic views with making this type of change though by looking at other countries such as Netherlands and seeing how it works there. According to the druglibrary.org the government doesnt really make anything of taxing marijuana because majority of the crime and unemployed come from using the legalized drug. The government in the Netherlands spends millions of dollars on welfare which relate to the high drug use by the citizens. The Netherlands states that one of the reasons that they legalized marijuana was to stop drug trafficking and to reduce the harm to the citizens. Although they keep a strict enforcement on the drugs that are allowed it has seemed to just put a band-aid on the problem with no real solution. Obviously just fighting the supply is not really making a huge difference to the drug tr afficking in America because the demand is still high in effect. If the legalization of marijuana was to take place it is believed that the demand would go up even higher because the risk for buying the drug would be out of the picture. With no risk of getting in trouble than more people would want to purchases the product. The government could control the supply by taxing at certain prices high or low depending on how the revenues look. If it was made legal there would have to be a lot of laws that would have to be put in place to control the abuse of the product for instance like alcohol. There is unlimited amount of data that states that drugs are terrible and that drugs lead to crimes, so has much as we want to debate the hot topic of legalization it will cause the war on drugs to become even a bigger disaster than it all ready is. Here are a few concerning quotes from interesting sources around the nation on their views of legalization. The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994 reports that cocaine use is linked to high rates of homicide in New York City and that homicide victims may have provoked violence through irritability, paranoid thinking or verbal and physical aggression which are known to be pharmacologic effects of cocaine. The Department of Justice Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program underscores the crime-drugs link. Of a sample of males arrested in 23 U.S. cities in 1993, the percent testing positive for at least one drug in the DUF survey ranged from 54% in Omaha to 81% in Chicago. Among female arrestees, the percent testing positive for any drug in 20 cities ranged from 42% in San Antonio to 83% in Manhattan. All legalization will do is increase the use and the crime to unseen ratios that have ever been seen before. With this being said there are groups or organizations such as the LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) that are willing and wanting to legalize all drugs. Their attitude is to stop prohibition of all drugs in order to stop the drug trafficking problems and bring safety to the citizens. The topic of legalization is being broadcasted all through Congress and the White House even during a YouTube the LEAP had the highest rated questions on legalization for the President Obama to answer which is he does not agree with. There are many views on this topic and there are good points on both sides of the fences but something needs to be done. What needs to happen is fight the war on drugs and stop the drug trafficking problem in America. We need to increase the environment around us with positive effects to increase the positives outcomes. Over the past few decades the United States has established all types of different control measures to stop the drug trade in America and abroad. For instance we have all types of laws that fit each type of drug and the penalties for having these drugs on you can cost you many years behind bars. For example cocaine, if you have a second offense charge you will get no less than 10 years behind bars, or a second offense of trafficking marijuana could cost you no less than 20 years in prison. If these laws are so strict why do Americans take the risk in using a drug that could cost them so much time behind bars? Under the US Code Offenses and Penalties there are over 24 sections that relate to drug charges and trafficking. This control measures are serious but yet the trafficking is gaining ground every day. The most well known control measure that has been in place for a while now, but has gained media attention lately is the establishment of US Customs and Border Control which falls under the Homeland Security Agency. One of the main missions that the Border Control has to deal with is stopping narcotics from entering the United States. A news release was issued in October 2010 stating that the Border Patrol in Arizona seized more than 580 pounds of crystal methamphetamine  worth over $535,500 depending on the location that it is sold in. That same day they had another incident where they seized more than 570 pounds of marijuana worth over $455,000. This shows that the drug trade is alive and well all around the borders. The border control is a method of stopping the drug trafficking problem with in the United States but there is a lot of improvement that can be done in this area to ensure more drugs get off the streets. It is amazing that we has the United States are first to go and fight and win hearts and minds in countries abroad but yet we have a growing epidemic of drugs taking place in the United States where it has been labeled a war on drugs. We have only sent 1200 National Guard troops to the borders to help assist the Border Patrol agents in the past year. That is a start but if we started to take care of our own country a little more compared to rebuilding nations that feel has if we should not be in there country then maybe, just maybe the progress on the drug trade would start to decline. Maybe each state should be deploying there National Guard assets to their borders and start fighting the drug cartels on the borders in relationship with the Border Patrol, and let them know we are not playing games. Although this would not be a long term fix to the situation we would need one because drugs will still be around, and the cartels will just find new ways to maneuver the drugs in and out of America. The cost alone would not be something the United States would be able to maintain for a long period of time so it might be a good idea just to use the money to educate, build national treatment centers, and reform drug incarceration. If we started to reform these ideas with the money that we are spending in other countries and the failed war on drugs across the border then we might lower the demand which will take away jobs in the drug cartels and the supply would decrease because of the demand. Education on drugs has been around for decades now with one of the most well known programs being D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). D.A.R.E is an officer lead program that is established in the public school districts where officers give class room lectures to students on drugs and how they can negatively affect you. The program used to be a well funded program and was gaining national attention across America but over recent years it has lost its enthusiasm throughout the schools. Although this is not the case in Oklahoma were it leads all states in D.A.R.E programs in schools. Education on drugs at an early age is vitally important to the success of our students since drugs are on all the streets that are kids are surrounded by. The peer pressure to try drugs has been happening at a younger and younger age every year. If we can educate more kids on the negative effects of drugs and increase the positive recreation activities for kids then we might see a decline in drug abuse. According to D.A.R.E in 2006 more than 2.1 million teens abused prescription drugs and  most teens get these drugs from friends and family. One of growing epidemic drugs in schools our anabolic steroids which reached a peak use in 2002 and has been growing ever since. Then there is alcohol use amongst kids at an early age and is usually the gateway drug that leads into many more drugs such marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine. The Office of National Drug Control Policy has established some educational programs throughout the country that are to increase positive environments for kids and to educate kids on drugs. These programs include Boys and Girls Club, D.A.R.E, Drug Free Communities Support Program, Drugs and Sports, and Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools just to name a few programs that the government supports. Another very interesting program is the American Council for Drug education which is a substance abuse and prevention program that bases there information on the most recent data on drugs and creates material for education purposes. These programs are great and it does deter away some students from the use of drugs but not all and that is way drug use is growing at such a fast pace, so more needs to be done instead of just having these educational programs. A few ideas would be to implement a drug abuse class that students have to participate in once a year or they can choose to participate in it as taking as a elective and it can go towards there diploma. Then there is the idea of starting a mentor program to start mentoring younger students in the school districts and holding kids more responsible for their actions. Kids need good role models to follow and if there are positive kids in schools that are willing to be a mentor to a younger student in the schools then we should allow this to happen. The program would be a big sister or big brother program and would allow the older students for instance the high school students to mentor the middle school students once they have meet certain criteria and have not had any discipline actions against them. Then if the program works then would could start having college students mentoring high school kids in all areas. This would allow kids to see goals and allow them to have something to work towards. They would have someone a little older to talk to besides their parents but someone that they could relate to in a positive way. A lot of times we allow are kids to go through school defending for their self and allowing their role models come from TV. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has lead a ground breaking information fact sheet that highlights the good and the bad among drug statistics in schools. One of their positive findings in school age kids is the decline of cigarette use among kids and is at the lowest point in history. This is fantastic news since cigarette use is also labeled a gateway drug and is one of the most addictive drugs on the market. One of their areas of concerns in High Schools is the use of marijuana, and prescription drugs which is still increasing every day. One of the best ways to treat this growing problem is to infiltrate the poorer communities with highly funded educational programs that fight against drug use. Education and how we teach are younger generations will be vital if we plan on having a bright future of success in the Unites States. A lot of people will argue that the gang population is growing and is increasing in these poorer neighborhoods around America and are corrupting the scho ols and the education programs. This is where the federal government should help fund state programs and increase the local police departments and start shutting down gangs on the streets. We need to start a surge of police on the streets now in order to get a hold of the violence and growing drug problem. Gangs are the main distributors of drugs in the United States and street gangs are the managers of local organization crime that has the influence of drug control in local neighborhoods. There are currently over 21,500 gangs and with over 731,000 members in the United States. According to a 2001 Department of Justice survey, 20 percent of students aged 12 through 18 reported that street gangs had been present at their school during the previous 6 months. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) claims that 27 percent of public school students aged 12 to 17 attend schools that are both gang and drug-infected. This shows that 5.7 million students attend schools which are both gang and drug dominated around America. The relationship of gangs and drugs is an epidemic monster that must be crushed now in order to stop drug trafficking. One of the interesting points that the CASA points out is the relationship between public and private schools and how drug use is more pr evalent among public school children then private school children. Protecting are education system must be protected and the government needs to ensure this is happening with a reformation act that sets forth new polices and laws that can do this. We need to flood the education system with money and highly educated teachers that can handle and maintain the education system with the growing violence on the streets of education. Once we dismantle the gang population then the drug trafficking will decrease. The focus should start in poor rural communities first and then spread to the inner cities. The focal point should be on rebuilding schools, community buildings, job growth, and helping the youth become more flexible and adaptive. We do this and change will begin to grow like a wild flower among are communities and change is what we need to stop the drug war. One of the other approaches that we need to try is building more drug treatment centers among are communities with a community based outlook. We take the drug abusers off the streets that want help, apply them with education and a fresh start to society, and then give them the tools to make it on their own. We need these centers all over, and we need to look at attaching these centers to public schools allowing are youth to get help with the option of not receiving backlash from parents. Drug treatment centers provide rehabilitation services for all types of drug abuses and addictions. We should allow these centers to work in partnership with local police stations to find the people that need or want help instead of locking them up in the prison system and then making the matters worse once they are released. The prison system shouldnt be used as a drug rehabilitation center for society but used to lock criminals up that have committed horrible crimes. Prisons are not equipped with t he right resources to conquer the quest of drug rehabilitation, so we need to conquer this on the streets before they end up in prison. We know that these treatment centers work and so do the drug cartels. The Washington Post wrote an article on the Mexican cartels and how they have taken over some of the treatment centers in Mexico and using them has a recruitment center for drug addicts. These treatment centers need to be a nationally protected and funded program by the government so we can keep these gangs out of the way of helping people that want help. Reformation of laws and regulation are one of the hottest debated issues in the criminal justice system especially when it comes to sending people to prison and they way we go about helping individuals. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) states their mission statement as: Drug Law Reform Projects goal is to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights, as well as unprecedented levels of incarceration. The ACLU fights for individuals that are serving time in prison for non violent crimes and trying to get them released by trying to get the President involved. One of the most informative and interesting organizations that are fighting for reform is the Drug Sense organization which a nonprofit organization informing the community as a database of articles that show information that pertains to the war on drugs. Reformation needs to take place in drug laws, and prisons around the United States, because our laws are outdated and are prison system is outdated as well. Prison reform is needed to improve the system and rehabilitation process to have a more effective system for the new generation ahead. Right now are system is working against us with overcrowding, and repeat offender population. We need to build are prison to rehabilitate the ones that want to be rehabilitated and build prisons for individuals that cause harm separate from others. We need to separate these individuals once they are introduced into the prison system. If we do this we stop certain crimes from being committed and we also have a chance of stopping repeat offenders. Right now our prisons are overcrowded and we are intermixing everyone together even the weak with the strong and the system is becoming corrupt and the weak ones are becoming prey. The system must allow these criminal minds to be used in a positive way so when they are released they can bring something back to society in a positive way. If we increase the manual labor that inmates have to perform each day instead of sitting in the cell for 23 hours of the day then we might be able to save money at the state and federal level. It would also give the inmates something to do and give them the chance to clear their thoug