Siddhartha and The Alchemist comparison essay

Every individual’s life is a journey. There are different stages in life that one goes through and by experiencing these different stages of life one becomes wiser. In the novel, Siddhartha and The Alchemist the protagonist Siddhartha and Santiago both go through man different stages in life which made them grow, learn and transform into wiser people. Both protagonists go on a journey which is eventually the same but the purpose of journey is different. Similarly, both protagonist struggles through their journey to become a wiser people. However, the end result for both protagonists was the same which is discovering themselves. Both the father discourages them for leaving their house and going on their journey.Siddhartha the protagonist in Siddhartha is the son of the respected and wealthiest Brahmin. However he is not happy even though he has everything he could ever ask for. Siddhartha realized that he made everyone else happy but that he himself wasn’t. He also got t he feeling that he had already learned the best of what his teachers had to teach but it still wasn’t enough. He still wasn’t satisfied. â€Å"Tomorrow morning, my friend Siddhartha is going to join the Samanas. He is going to become Samana† (Hesse, 9). . Samanas are monks who go around begging for food and they are known for their spirituality.Siddhartha thinks of joining the Samanas as he wanted to become spiritually knowledgeable and get rid of the â€Å"self†, which is a sense of greed and jealousy. But before he could go join Samanas he has to go ask his father’s permission to let him go. When Siddhartha goes to see his father to ask for permission his father was unhappy with Siddhartha’s decision because he wanted Siddhartha to stay home, take care of the house as well as take over the Brahmins position. But however, Siddhartha was not willing to take no for an answer and said â€Å"I will stand here and wait, you will grow tired Sidd hartha, I will grow tired, you will fall asleep Siddhartha, I will not fall asleep, you will die Siddhartha, I will die† (Hesse, 11) which shows his passionate desire for enlightenment.The father and son disagreement is also in Alchemist but it is less intense than the disagreement between Siddhartha and his father. Santiago is a young boy who decided that he did not want to become a priest but a shepherd. His father  tries to explain Santiago to think again about his decision of traveling by saying â€Å"Among us, the only ones who travels are the Shepherds† â€Å"well then I’ll be a shepherd† (Coelho, 9). While going against what was wanted of his parents, his father showed acceptance of his decision to become a shepherd by giving him three ancient Spanish gold coins. Santiago’s life as a shepherd and his journey started from that day.Santiago was comfortable with being a shepherd. He knew how to be a shepherd; he trusted the sheep and the sheep trusted him too. But being a shepherd did not truly make Santiago happy. One day Santiago was taking shelter with his sheep’s under the old church. He has the same dream every time he falls asleep under the sycamore tree that grows out of the ruin of the church. Santiago was so driven by the reoccurring of the same dream and eventually Santiago sold his flock of sheep and embarked on his great journey to the pyramids. Throughout the novel, each protagonist showed their strong will to go on journey even if it meant going against their family.The Protagonist in both novels faces obstacles along their journey but these obstacles made them stronger and wiser. On his journey to get answers for his question and reach Nirvana. Siddhartha struggles, starves, get burned and sacrifices his easy life and chooses this hard path just in order to gain Nirvana (enlightenment). As he leaves home to become Samana, he realizes that the path he has chosen is not the right one.† It was th e self, the character and to rid myself of the self, to conquer it, but I could not conquer it. I could only deceive it†¦..I am Siddhartha; and about nothing in the world do I know less than about myself, about Siddhartha† (Hesse, 38).Siddhartha struggles not knowing what to do, where to go and who he was. Siddhartha was trapped in a cycle of losing and regaining his self. â€Å"You have observed well, you have seen everything. You have seen Siddhartha, the son of Brahmin. Who left his home to become a Samana and who has been Samana for three years. But now, I have left that path and came into this city, and the first one I met, even before I had entered the city, was you. To say this, I have come to you, oh Kamala! You are the first woman whom Siddhartha is not addressing with his eyes turned to the ground. Never again will I love my eyes when I meet a beautiful women† (Hesse, 53).Things suddenly changes after meeting Kamala. Siddhartha starts getting involved in the things that he was once against which are pleasure and money. He struggles and works  hard in-order to impress Kamala. In the same way, Santiago faces numerous obstacles along his journey as well. On his journey when Santiago arrives in tangier, he meets a boy who is his age who speaks Spanish and offered to help him get to the pyramids. When they were about to leave the bar owner grabs Santiago and tells him something. â€Å"The boy push the owner aside and pulls Santiago outside with him† and tells him that â€Å"the owner wanted Santiago’s money† (Coelho, 37). But the owner of the bar was trying to warn Santiago about his new friend. Santiago ends up getting tricked and losing all his money.He later realize the bar owner was trying help him. After that incident he ends up working at a crystal shop in order to earn money for his trip. Another obstacle he faces is when there was a battle going on in the desert. Some armies blocked him and the alchemist fr om going. The alchemist told the armies that Santiago is someone† who understand the force of nature† (Coelho, 163). By listening to what alchemist said. The armies put Santiago on test. If he fails they would kill him. Both protagonists go through a lot of obstacles on their journey. Having the ability to succeed to your personal legend, and find self-discovery allows people to open their minds and see the world for what it really is and how everything has a purpose in life.On his path to self-discovery, Siddhartha, had to confront many challenges, such as leaving his family, friends, and loved ones as he kept going on his journey. Siddhartha overcame these problems through introspection and help from others Siddhartha couldn’t figure out how he could find Nirvana (enlightenment). He understood it when his son left him to follow his own dreams. â€Å"His face resembles that of another person, whom he had once known and loved and even feared. It resembles the fac e of his father, the Brahmin. He remember how once, as a youth, he had compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetics, how he had taken leave of him, how he had gone and never returned†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.had not his father died long time ago, alone, without having seen his son again?† (Hesse, 131).He realizes that he wouldn’t have been able to stop his son just; like how his father wasn’t able to stop from leaving. Santiago’s dream was to make it to the pyramids, but the adventure that he found himself on in order to get to those pyramids taught him more than he ever thought. â€Å"He thought many roads he have travelled, and of the strange way god have chosen to show him  his treasure. If he hasn’t believed in the significance of recurrent dreams, he would not have met the gypsy women, the king, the thief or†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Coelho, 165). He learns many things on the way to find his treasure. Therefore, his journey becomes successful as he fi nds treasure.While staying with the crystal shop owner he learns that â€Å"every blessing ignored becomes a curse† (Hesse, 58). And also learns that it is necessary to adopt different methods in order to succeed in life. Siddhartha and Santiago come across things that came in their heart which made them wiser. Throughout the novel, each protagonist shows that their life is a journey, not a destination, and that the real treasure is in the journey itself. They showed strong determination which resulted in success of their journey. Each protagonist faces numerous obstacles which made them grow wiser and they discover their true selves.

Growing Number of Kindergarten Franchises Essay

The preschool market is the fastest growing sector of the education industry in China presently. Over the span of last seven years, the industry has grown at an annualized rate of 10. 3% from 2006. The industry showcased increasing revenues in the period of 2006-2012, owing to the inflating tuition fees charged by the growing number of the private kindergartens. The enrollment figures have also shown a progressive trend throughout the years, instigated by the growing market presence and awareness about the importance of the pre-primary education amongst masses. Kindergartens in China are responsible for providing both childcare and preschool education to the children aged 3-6 years. The transition of Chinese economy from publicly administered to market-run has put a great impact on the kindergarten market of the country. Private sector funded kindergartens have gained increasing hold over the overall market and had accounted for a dominant share in 2012. Rural areas of China host the maximum of the kindergartens which are primarily run by the education department or are publicly funded. However, with a rising number of private entities adopting the franchised business model to operate in the underpenetrated market of China preschool industry, the urban areas have showcased an increasing share of enrollments over the years. The preschool industry of China is characterized by a high degree of fragmentation with increasing number of players implementing acquisition expansion strategies to build on their market shares. RYB Education, Oriental BabyCare, Gymboree Play and Music are some of the chief brand names operating in the market. Other emerging players include Noah Education holdings, Beijing Hongying Education group, I Love Gym etc. A significant number of publicly led kindergartens also are prominent in China which includes players such as Huijia Kindergarten and Hong Huanlan Education Group. Increasing number of working mothers has led to an increasing demand for the kindergartens in the country. Additionally, the large population base of the country promises an increasing cohort of children aged under- six, which presents huge opportunities for the foreign and domestic investors to attain growing levels of revenues in coming years. Additionally, the talent-based trainings provided in the kindergartens of China, has also welcomed a growing number of children to participate in the preschool programs. However, the trend of bilingual kindergartens is being most prominently witnessed in this sector, stressing the growing importance of early language training, as preferred by parents. The report â€Å"China Pre-primary Education and Childcare Industry Outlook to 2017† provides detailed overview on the preschool industry from various perspectives. The report encloses a comprehensive analysis of the various segments of the market reflecting the present scenario and future growth affected by changing industry dynamics in coming years. Additionally, the report also entails information about the government rules and policies, rational analysis of the macroeconomic factors, along with the competitive landscape of the pre-primary education and childcare industry. The report will help industry consultants, companies and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in future. For more information on the industry research report please refer to the below mentioned link: http://www. kenresearch. com/education/pre-school-education/china-pre-primary-education-market-research-report/401-99. html.

Mood Disorders

Read the case study and type using 12 fonts directly into the rubric. Save the document, print it and submit to your clinical instructor (turn in to secretary) when due (see course calendar). Darlene, age 62 years, has been admitted to the local psychiatric facility for inpatient treatment of depression. She became severely depressed when her son experienced a traumatic brain injury sustained in an automobile accident 6 years ago.Since her son's accident, she has selected to pay her bills on time, has difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating, has lost interest in eating, and has lost 30 pounds during the last year. She is complaining of frequent headaches, generalized pain and malaise. She no longer attends the weekly sewing club due Tao lack of interest and energy. Her husband of 40 years divorced her 2 years ago. Her home needs repairs, and she says she feels overwhelmed with completing the maintenance required. She expresses feelings of helplessness. She states that she â €Å"is alone and no one cares. Darlene reports that he often sits alone at night watching television and sips on a can of beer. She has been noncompliance with pharmacological antidepressant therapy, which has led to her admission to an acute care psychiatric setting. She hardly makes eye contact, slouches in her seat and wears a blank but sad expression. She says to you, â€Å"this feeling of depression is the worst thing I have had to go through since my son's accident. I will never go through this again. I guarantee you this will be my last episode of depression. † â€Å"My mother suffered from depression and it destroyed our family.The physician has indicated that if Darlene does not respond to medication over the next 2-3 days, he will order ACT. Darlene has a history of hypertension but has not been taking medication. On admission her pulse is 98, Temperature is 99. 2 and blood pressure is 174/96 and her doctor prescribes Corer. She states she has been diagnosed with GEAR and used to take Proposes, but she has not taken any the past six months even though she still has symptoms of Acid Reflux. Her doctor reorders the Proposes upon admission. She had surgery twenty years ago to remove a benign tumor from her left ovary. Mood Disorders By enormous

Building an Environmentally Sustainable Home Research Paper - 1

Building an Environmentally Sustainable Home - Research Paper Example While putting in place windows, it is vital to ensure that they are better insulated and sealed. Multipane windows insulated with gas; for instance, argon, inside the spaces in between them can help prevent heat loss. The glass used on these windows is sometimes glazed to regulate the amount of solar energy coming into the house. This reduces glare and builds on windows’ solar heat gain coefficient that is the ability of the window to prevent sunlight from increasing indoor temperatures. The efficiency of a window increases with a decrease in the value of its solar heat gain coefficient. Combining the technologies of multipane and glazing boosts the ability of windows to insulate a house. If one cannot afford these technologies, they can opt for non-metallic window frames (Maczulak 38). Sometimes, a house can heat up too much during sunny seasons. In such a case, it is essential to install reflective insulation.   Comprehensive insulation combines both reflective insulation and thermal insulation. People use a lot of energy in tending their home yards. People commonly use lawn mowers powered by fossil fuels or string trimmers but this emits harmful gases to the environment. Green lawns and gardens are grown using fertilizers that have chemicals that can find their way into groundwater and contaminate it. This can by extension contaminates drinking water. Poor drainage of rain runoff can degenerate into floods and burst sewers. Native plants make eco-friendly lawns that are way better than grass seeds that are bagged. Landscaping should seek to save on space with native wildflowers. Native wildflowers do not require a lot of fertilizers to grow, and one gets to cut on the harmful chemicals released into the surroundings. They also save groundwater from pollution and reduce money needed to tend a lawn. Eco-friendly landscaping directs the planting of shade trees that help protect the house from too much solar energy especially sunny seasons (Wubben 37). It is crucial to check on how one manages water in and around the house. Some studies suggest that water heating consumes up to about a third of the total energy consumption in a house. Tankless water heating is a good way to cut on unnecessary energy use. It heats water as and when needed without keeping it in a chamber that is insulated. They are expensive to install, but they are very efficient in saving energy. Other ways to manage energy used in water heating include ensuring that the water heater used is proportional to the people living in the house (Brebbia 47).

JFK Assassination and Conspiracies Research Paper

JFK Assassination and Conspiracies - Research Paper Example This alleged attack caused serious wounding to Kennedy along with the injury of Connally himself. After approaching to the hospital, the death of Kennedy was announced thirty minutes later, by the hospital, named as Dallas Parkland. Kennedy was 46 at the time of his assassination. Vice president Lyndon Johnson was elected as the 36th president of United States on the same day. November, 25 was announced to be the day of Kennedy’s national mourning, in which hundreds of Americans lined up in the streets of Washington in the respect of Kennedy. JFK’s assassination has been backed by numerous theories up till now. The investigation of ten-months done by Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the murder of Kennedy. Lee Harvey has been investigated to act alone in the killing of Kennedy. The conclusion given by the Warren Commission was highly supported by the American public, with the percentage of 80, between 1966 and 2003. In 1998 the CBS polling resulted that, 76 percent of Americans believed JFK assassination, as a fact of conspiracy. Lee Harvey used to work in Marines, in 1936 and discharged from there in 1962 (Kurtz 56). He was originally from New Orleans. His return to the United States was in 1962, along with his wife and an infant child. It has been also investigated that, in early 1963 Oswald bought a .38 revolver along with a telescopic sight. He bought both of the equipment by mail order. In October 1963, Lee joined Texas School Book Depository building as an employee. The record of Lee had always been involved into some illegal activities, as a criminal. It is concluded to be Oswald, firing the bullets on Kennedy. He got arrested within half an hour after playing shots on the president Ruby, who was also connected to the criminal world. Lee Harvey Oswald was shot to death, by Jack Ruby. On the

Human Physiology and Anatomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Physiology and Anatomy - Essay Example As the paper declares excretion of waste products from the body is the most important function of the kidney within the body. Urea is the main product that gets excreted in the process. Also, the kidney has the responsibility to regulate water in the body as well as balance the acid base and electrolytes levels within the body. These are some of the common functions that kidney has been known to perform since years. However in the recent years, studies have obtained that kidney has an endocrinal responsibility as well. This is so because the kidney helps in secretion of a variety of materials like renin and erythropoietin into the stream of blood, leading to several effects external to the kidney as well. From this study it is clear that the role of the kidneys involves processing blood such that waste products and excess water can be removed from the body. This function takes place everyday within the body of human beings. The waste materials are eliminated in the form of urine as a result of this process. The significance of this function of the kidneys lies in the fact that if the kidneys did not allow the elimination of the waste products, then these products would accumulate in the blood leading to damage to the human body as a whole. In terms of function, renal function and kidney function are the same. A person having both kidneys active enables the functions of the kidney effective. Several nephrons are present in each kidney that allows intertwining of small blood vessels and tubes that collect the urine.

Political Parties and the Electoral Process Essay - 2

Political Parties and the Electoral Process - Essay Example It is, therefore, important to examine the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties, the role that campaigns have played in maintaining this two party system, and the reasons why third party candidates have never been successful at the national level in a Presidential election. Ideological Differences There are many differences between the Republicans and Democrats, but let us on three fundamental areas that are often raised in political discussions. Abortion, for example, is one issue that has divided the political spectrum fro decades. Generally speaking, Democrats support the right of a woman to have an abortion, commonly referred to as being pro-choice (Bolce & Maio, 2002). Republicans, on the other hand, are generally considered to be pro-life and believe that abortion should be illegal. Consider the military. While both parties obviously are proud of the military and believe whole heartedly in America’s right to defend itself, Democrats are in favor of a smaller military and less spending on this area. Republicans, however, typically argue for increased spending on the military and its various services (Pletka, 2013). Finally, we can point out differences on the environmental front. Democrats are generally supportive of policies aimed at protecting the environment, while Republicans are considered to be much more cautious in this area and look to the private sector to take the lead (Newport, 2009). The Campaign Process and Third-Party Candidates Lack of Success It has been said that money dominates America’s political system, and perhaps nowhere can this be demonstrated more than the campaign process. With the largest businesses and private individuals giving substantial sums of money to one of the two major parties, it becomes readily apparent why third party candidates have struggle to even get on stage with one of the other Presidential contenders, much less make an impact. Candidates from the Republican and Democratic pa rties dominate the airwaves during a Presidential campaign, while third-party candidates struggle to have enough money to put up campaign posters. In addition, since candidates must separately register in each of the 50 states in America, the grassroots effort must be tremendous (Colquitt, 2008). As each of the two major parties have hundreds of thousands of supporters in any given location, this is relatively easy for them to accomplish. Third-party candidates, however, generally have extremely localized support, making it nearly impossible for them to get on the ballot in all 50 states. Since America’s electoral system takes into account state votes separately from one another, third-party candidates find themselves at a comparative disadvantage right out of the gate. For these reasons, and other, the political system in America continues do dominate the office of President, and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Conclusion While certain third-parties hav e certainly made inroads into the political system at the local level, there role in the national system certainly remains negligible at best. There are ideological differences, to be sure, between the two major political parties. Political fighting has grown at a feverish pace

Web-Based Courses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web-Based Courses - Essay Example It asks of the students to remain at the convenience of their homes and attain education which is being imparted on the campuses. This has become such a huge part of our education systems that the world is quickly coming to terms with the very same. More and more research is however needed to ensure that there are fewer flaws in the connectivity systems which guarantee a proper linkage between the university lecturers and the students sitting within their homes or in the form of groups. The people who are most likely to benefit with the coming of age of these web-based university courses include the students who are unable to attain visa and permission for studying abroad in different campuses of the world. Also tuition fees is another significant aspect that comes under the related discussion, which could be marked as one of the reasons as to why students choose to have the web-based university courses in the first place. The disabled fraternity is also likely to achieve high quality education through the adequate use of technology coming under the heading of the web-based university courses and indeed distance learning. Then there are the aged people who are immobile and cannot move as such which form a large percentage of the students who acquire education through the use of the web-based university courses. However the single most significant feature of these people getting connected to the web-based university courses lies in the fact that fees is a major issu e and these people are unable to pay such hefty sums whilst enrolling at the time of admissions to the universities the world over. On the flip side of the coin, the weaknesses, risks, disadvantages and problems concerned with the web-based university courses are also present. These are in the form of absence of providing an interactive discussion with the instructors and fellow students in the real sense of the word. The aspect of asking questions and clarifying points could be marked with

Technology Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technology Management - Essay Example The company analyzed in this case study is an existing company Asia Odyssey. It is a UK travel agency offering a tailor-made holidays and honeymoons to the Far East and India (Asiaodyssey.com,2014). This company is operating in the Internet-based industry as a tour operator. For the information-intensive firm, operating in the tourism sector, the main sources of technology are systems departments, in-house software departments, suppliers of IT hardware and software (applications) (Tidd, Bessant, Pavitt K, 2005). As this type of business involves significant amount of information, it is important to process the information flow in most effective and rational way. There should exist systems for processing information. As Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt, (2005:193), information –intensive firms should focus on the â€Å"development of complex information-processing systems, and the development of related and often radically new services†.The development of a new serviceNew produ ct/service development is often recognized to be a new source for profit development. Companies can generate significant returns if the right new product/service is successfully introduced at the right location and time, for right price and for the right consumer (Fojt, 1996). However, in order to implement this strategy, companies have to take a close look at the industry in which it operates, examine market competition and market position, and a number of other external factors. Use of technology enables the companies.

Germany and the Germans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Germany and the Germans - Essay Example According to the research "Germany and the Germans" findings Judea Declares War on Germany is a film which suggests that World War II was started by Jews who launched an economic boycott of Germany soon after Hitler's rise to power. The argument puts forward the premise that Germany was only defending itself following this attack, and that the war truly began with the Jewish declaration in 1933. Germany's position in the war was therefore not offensive, but defensive. This suggestion is completely ridiculous. No serious historian believes this, and the creators of this so-called documentary would not pass a fifth-grade history test. Germany's position throughout the 1930s was offensive. Hitler's views of Jews were well known from his book Mein Kampf. This documentary distorts history and is only useful as an example of anti-Semitic propaganda. Benjamin Freedman's speech in the 1960s, called Germany and the Jews: The Role of the Jews in WWI and WWII, is a similar example of historical revisionism and distortion. He talks about how many Jews were Communists and how Jews tried to control Germany after its loss in the First World War. All of this is the same kind of anti-Semitic propaganda as discussed above. It is not historically factual and it is offensive to those who understand what really happened during this years. Again claims are made that Jews control all of the media and all of the finance, again these so-called facts are not backed up with any evidence. The speech is all innuendo and makes belief.

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay Example for Free

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay When President Bush declared that Americans were addicted to oil, he was right. Americans do not eat, travel or shop without oil. Robert Bryce admits this, but then asks, â€Å"So what? † Almost every other western nation is too, he declares. But Bryce takes the problem too lightly. (Bryce, 2008) There are four answers to Bryce’s question. First, America’s addiction to oil might be contributing to dangerous climate change. According to Romm (2008), it is speeding up global warming. Carbon Dioxide emissions, he says, cause rising temperatures, which may leave the world barren and desolate, wiping out species and drying up human water supplies. America’s oil addiction also threatens its national security. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), if America continues to purchase oil from unfriendly countries, it could fund the development of military technology, thus allowing its enemies to make and buy weapons and training that could later be used against Americans. According to Stein (2008), Relying heavily on foreign oil is also expensive for Americans, who are left paying whatever OPEC thinks they ought to. As gas prices go up, so do the prices of everything else in America – even food. Finally, America’s investment in foreign oil might be immoral, since, according to Romm (2008), most of that oil is purchased from undemocratic countries. These countries engage in many practices which the U. S. does not condone. While the problems caused by America’s oil addiction are clear, finding a solution is difficult. There are several potential substitutes for oil that can be produced domestically. For instance, America has its own oil. Recently, President Bush lifted a ban on off-shore drilling, in order to allow oil companies to obtain oil domestically (Upton, 2008). Another popular alternative is hybridization. Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mercury and Saturn are among the car companies that have already invested in such technology. Using a combination of electricity and gas, the cars produced by these companies can get over thirty miles per gallon. While some oil is still required to fuel these cars, using them reduces the amount of oil consumers will need to buy substantially. Meanwhile, some counties are moving toward fully electric cars, which would eliminate the need for foreign oil completely (Romm, 2008). Another alternative is bio-fuel. Ethanol – fuel made from corn, has been the most commonly used bio-fuel, and can be produced in the Midwest, rather than abroad. Other crops could also be used to produce oil. The Midwest is also a good place to harvest wind energy. Indeed, windmills and turbines can be placed throughout the United States, where they can be used to produce electricity. According to Stein (2008), Wind power has already been used successfully in Europe. It accounts, he says, for a fifth of Denmark’s energy. Meanwhile, many congressmen support the â€Å"coal to liquid† process, through which coal is turned into gasoline and diesel fuel (Roskam, 2008). Another alternative offered by some scholars and officials is increasing the use of nuclear power. While, according to Upton, France produces 80% of its electricity through nuclear power, and even has electricity to export – using American technology, Americans barely use nuclear power at all (Upton, 2008). Many have suggested that, in order for America to break its addiction to oil, the federal government must act, either by offering tax credits to consumers who invest in alternative fuel, or by penalizing gas companies and consumers by increasing gas taxes. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), taxing gas can reduce its popularity. Meanwhile, according to Tucker (2006), state governments have begun to step in themselves, seeing that the federal government is slow to act. These states, says Tucker, have begun to invest in solar, wind, landfill gas, and coal mine methane, biomass, along with hydro and geothermal energy. But which alternatives ought the government –or consumers, for that matter – invest in? Some alternatives are more risky than others, yet some of the alternatives with the greatest perceived risk are the most effective (Tucker, 2006). Representative Boehner recommends off-shore drilling. While he does not believe America has enough oil to fuel cars permanently, he does think such drilling will provide temporary relief to consumers at the gas pump (Boehner, 2008). But what can be done for the long-term? / Roskam advocates the use of coal. After all, he says, â€Å"America is the Saudi Arabia of Coal,† holding perhaps one fifth of the world’s coal supply (Roskam, 2008). According to Roskam, coal is cleaner than it used to be, and can be used to create gasoline and diesel fuel. Coal can also be used to produce electricity (Roskam, 2008). Indeed, Stein submits that the Co2 emissions from coal-powered electricity are much lower than those produced by traditional horsepower (Stein, 2008). According to Romm, creating Hybrid cars is costly, but, he says, if the government aids consumers with tax credits, such cars will become affordable. Furthermore, according to Romm, electric energy is the only alternative fuel source that costs less than gasoline. â€Å"It has a per-mile cost about one fifth that of gasoline, even when made from low-carbon sources,† he says (Romm, 2008, p. 14). He also points to the practicality of a move toward electric energy, stating that Israel and Denmark are already moving toward using fully electric vehicles. Although he does not expect America to jump to fully electric cars so quickly, he says that Americans will make the transition by investing in hybrid cars that can go up to forty miles on just electricity. Because, he says, most Americans only travel thirty miles per-day, the fuel savings would be substantial. â€Å"Cars could pay for themselves in fuel savings,† he says (Roskam, 2008, p. 14). He also nods to Toyota, GM and Volkswagen, who plan to release this sort of hybrid in the next two years. Meanwhile, Representative Upton argues for the use of nuclear power, saying, â€Å"â€Å"Nuclear power is the cleanest, most efficient, and most reliable source of electricity. † (Upton, 2008, p. 1) Not only that, says Upton, but nuclear energy can be recycled. Furthermore, unlike solar and wind power, nuclear energy can be used around-the-clock. France, Upton says, is remarkably energy independent, while Germany, which phased out nuclear power, is completely energy dependent. While the United States is currently independent as far as electricity is concerned, says Upton, we may not be, down the road, if we continue to avoid using nuclear energy. Stein supports Upton’s remarks, saying that NASA scientist Steve Lovelock believes that the only way to escape harmful global warming is to begin using nuclear energy (Stein, 2008). Yet, each alternative has a negative aspect to it as well. According to Romm, America should not engage in off-shore drilling, because it will not meet the needs of the American consumer, nor will it truly reduce energy dependence, because it will leave Americans addicted to oil, which they will obtain from foreign sources, once domestic sources dry up. Drilling in Alaska, says Romm, â€Å"would cut gas prices only 2 cents by 2025. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Romm also sees harm in the use of bio-fuels. â€Å"Using crops to make energy is unwise,† (Roskam, 2008, p. 1) he says. It will not, according to Romm, reduce greenhouse gasses substantially Meanwhile, as energy prices go up and the world’s population increases, while at the same time, climate change makes less land usable, people will need to use the land they have for crops and they will need to use the crops they have for food, or they will starve (Roskam, 2008) Stein (2008) also agrees that using food for energy is not a good idea. Furthermore, according to Asrar, Ethanol has a very high production cost (Asrar, 2007). Romm doesn’t think America’s current hybrid efforts go far enough either. Current laws, he says, require only that cars get 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This is less, he points out, than what cars get in either Europe or China. â€Å"We should aim,† he says, â€Å"for all new cars to get more than 100 miles per gallon by 2040. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Meanwhile, Upton admits that the current system for disposing of nuclear waste is not adequate. But he says, if the government invests in it, that waste can decrease, from the size of a soda can, per individual, to the size of a half-dollar (Upton, 2008). According to Stein, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club also sees harm in using nuclear energy. They will not even consider using the fuel, because they are afraid that an accident could have catastrophic effects, like those brought about by the accident at Chernobyl (Stein, 2008). Environmentalists also worry about wind power. They are afraid that windmills might cause harm to migratory birds. Although, Stein says, harm to such birds could be avoided by making windmills higher, environmentalists also worry that this makes them an obstruction and that placing such technology around America will disturb animal habitats. They also argue that the amount of land needed to create wind farms will lead to the loss of farmland and recreational space (Stein, 2008). If farmland is lost, Americans could face the same problems they would face if they used bio-fuel. Yet, if land becomes unusable due to global warming, Americans would have plenty of recreational space. According to Roskam (Roskam, 2008), Nancy Pelosi stands in the way of any Coal-to-Liquid programs – not even letting bills providing for investment in such technology come to a vote in the senate. Yet, according to Stein, coal-to-liquid is not an effective alternative, anyway, as it is still polluting and because synthetic fuel cannot compete with the real deal. Yet, using coal to produce electricity is, he says, a good idea (Roskam, 2008)X. While the experts agree that relying on bio-fuel is more harmful than it is helpful and that drilling will not meet the needs of Americans, most of the other options have some merit. Of all the alternatives, nuclear energy is the cleanest. Modern technology has made the use of it very safe. France’s successful use of nuclear energy shows that it can be harnessed and effectively used. Therefore, the government ought to invest more heavily in nuclear power. Meanwhile, because America is so coal-rich, the government ought to invest in finding ways to produce electricity through coal more cleanly. Government incentives for hybrid and electric cars ought to be increased, and the government’s requirements for automakers ought to be made more stringent. Works Cited Asrar, G. R. (2007). Americas Farms: Growing Food, Fiber, Fuel And More. Agricultural Research , 55 (4), 2. Boehner, J. A. (2008, July 15). We Need an `All of the Above Energy Strategy. US Fed News Service, including U. S. State News . Bryce, R. (2008). Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence. New York: Perseus Publishing. Romm, J. (2008). End This Addiction Immediately: Record gasoline prices are affecting every aspect of the U. S. Economy, and the nations burgeoning energy problems have become a frontline issue in the presidential election. U. S. News and World Report , 145 (2), 14. Roskam, P. (2008, July 14). Energy Independence A Question of Will. US Fed News Service, Including U. S. State NEws . Stein, S. (2008). Energy Independence is Not Green. Policy Review (148), 3-18. Tucker, P. (2006). Thinking Globally, Acting Locally on Energy Use. The Futurist , 40 (4), 8-9. Upton, F. (2008). Recycling of Spent Nuclear Fuel Offers Great Promise. US Fed News Service, Including US State News .

Electronic Health Records and Our Government Essay Example for Free

Electronic Health Records and Our Government Essay Electronic Health Records involvement in health care reform is at the main focus of lowering the cost to make care more affordable and improvement in the quality of care patients receive. The transition to electronic health records for the last couple years have been driven by offered incentives through the government. As the time pass by the popularity of electronic health record system increase more and more. EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2010 Financial incentives were aligned to encourage the adoption of EHR. To further support the transition to EHR funds were also provided to train health care professionals on how to us EHR in a meaningful manner. The incentives decline every year until 2015 when it will then be mandatory. After the deadline of 2015 not being in compliance will result in being penalized financially. In order to receive the incentives there are very specific guidelines and requirements that must be fulfilled. Some examples of requirements are EHR systems that record BMI (body mass index), patient demographics, as well as 40% of prescriptions must be submitted electronically. EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2011 The reporting year begins for eligible professions on January 1st. Medicare EMR incentive program registration began in January 3rd. In April Attestation began. In May Payments began. July 3rd was the last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90 day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EMR incentive program. September 30th was the last day of reporting year ends for eligible hospitals. October 1st was the last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90 day reporting period for calendar year 2011. December 31st the reporting year ends for  eligible professions. Out of 57% of office based physicians that were using HER systems only 34% met the criteria to receive incentives. (CDC) EHR Systems involvement with government health care reforms in 2013 According to the CDC By this time fifty percent of doctors and eighty percent of hospitals were receiving incentives for using EHR meaningfully. Before the encouragement of transitioning to EHR by presi dent Obama only seventeen percent of physicians were using it. (U.S. Department of Health Human Services) It was predicted by the congressional budget office that â€Å"the federal government will be saving close to twelve billion by converting to electronic health records†.(U.S. Department of Health Human Services) WORKS CITED Hsiao, Chun-ju, and Esther Hing. Electronic Health Record Systems and Intent to Apply for Meaningful Use Incentives Among Office-based Physician Practices. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. HHS. News. Doctors and Hospitals Use of Health IT More than Doubles since 2012. U.S. Department of Health Humanservices, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. Pear, Robert. Standards Issued for Electronic Health Records. THE NEW YORK TIMES. NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY, 13 July 2010. Web.Schiling, Brian. Quality Matters. The Federal Government Has Put Billions into Promoting Electronic Health Record Use: How Is It Going? THE Comonwealth Fund, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. Feris, Nancy. Electronic Health Record Standards. Health Affairs. Project Hope, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

Analysis of Living Standards in the UK

Analysis of Living Standards in the UK Assignment Title: Living Standards The UK in 2013 had a population of approximately 64 million; standards of living are used to monitor and identify which areas of the UK and the world are living in penury and which areas are more affluent and are thriving. The government is responsible for identifying the contributing factors towards a wealthy region or a poor region. Burtless, G (1987, p.232) defines standards of living as â€Å"the sustained level of consumption of goods and services that can be afforded on the basis of a household’s current assets and current and future income†. Economists and economic research companies have tried and tested many different ways to record the standard of living in the UK. Living standards is a hot topic in political conversations, and the government are pressured to focus on improving the well-being of the population. Elliot, L (2014) recent article for the Guardian discusses the views of Andrew Harrop, general secretary of the Fabian Society who exclaims that â€Å"What we measure – and how we measure it – matters. The financial crisis proved that simply targeting the headline goals of GDP growth, unemployment and inflation was totally inadequate as these measures failed to identify major economic weaknesses as they emerged†. This would suggest that the government need to revisit their policy on standards of living on focus on refining them in order to achieve their objectives. Mankiw, N (2011) suggests that policymakers must accumulate factors of production quickly in order to make the population more efficient and more positive. There are many different measures of standard of living that have been developed over the past 30-40 years, there are the more traditional ways of measurement and modern, innovative and experimental measures that are both used in the world of business. Traditional standard of living measures Crafts et al (2007) suggests that historically, standards of living have been measured by assessing real wages. Real wages is the income of a person and with consideration of the inflationary effects on purchasing power. Recent UK and US wage statistics compiled by Branchflower Machin (2014) suggests that after a healthy upwards movement of the average wage in the UK in the 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s; there is an alarming downward trend from the year 2010 to 2013 where wages rates are increasingly lowering. From the graph it is also clear that the US wage growth is very little historically and there are no major fluctuations in comparison to the UK. (See Appendix 1). The Economist (2014) blames the fall in real wages on the UK’s ‘dismal productivity’ since the recession, output in the UK is below the pre-financial crisis peak. This would suggest that Britain needs more highly skilled jobs and possible incentives to boost productivity and create an efficient labour market. Real wages are effective in measuring standards, real wages statistics can be used to identify trends in wages in different countries over a particular period, this is further emphasised by the International Labour Organisation (2003) who suggest that real wages are useful for identifying differences in purchasing power of wages in different world economies, real wages can also provide an idea of the progress of a working population. Nordhaus (1997 p.30) criticises the method of calculating real wages, he states that â€Å"If we are to obtain accurate estimates of the growth of real incomes over the last century, we must some-how construct price indexes that account for the vast changes in the quality and range of goods and services that we consume†. It could be argued that countries such as the US and the UK have already constructed price indexes with the use of the Retail Price Index, the Consumer Price Index in the last century. Another of the more traditional measures of living standards is GDP; the main GDP elements that are important for living standards are GDP per capita and Real GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total output divided by the population of a country. Recent figures from the ONS (2014) shows a comparison of the top economies in the world of the year 1997 and 2012; from the graph (see Appendix 2) it is clear to see that the UK GDP per capita has risen but not as much in value as the likes of the US, Canada and Germany – the UK still however has the 4th biggest GDP per capita in the world. Nominal GDP per capita is often criticised by economists because it does not take inflation into consideration, so it is better to use Real GDP as the measurement because it is relevant and reflects a true value. Eurostat’s graph (see Appendix 3) shows the year on year growth percentage of real GDP per capita in the UK, the research shows a large dip after the financial crisis and since that has happened the percentage growth rate has never reached the peaks pre-financial crisis, this would suggest that productivity in the UK is low and there needs to be more employment created, which could lead to an increase the output of the country. The main positive of using GDP per capita as a measure is that it is used nationwide and recorded fairly frequently, GDP per capita is measured in quarters and allows countries to evaluate the figures and look at trends over different periods – this is important to identify which countries are trending downwards and is important at a regional level, governments can identify what areas are lacking in output and where investment needs to be focused. Whereas real wages are said to be useful in comparing the difference in wealth in economies International Labour Organisation (2003), Tucker (2013) argues there are several issues when comparing countries using GDP per capita, he suggests that low economically developed countries are not as accurate as wealthier countries when recording the data necessary for GDP. He also suggests that some countries have very different income distribution using the United Arab Emirates as an example; the majority of income comes from oil which is only distributed amongst a number of rich families. Real GDP per capita is important because it can give a true value after inflationary adjustments are made, however this measure also has some limitations. Similarly to GDP per capita, real GDP per capita fails to identify inequalities in income and wealth in a country, there is also the issue of the ‘black market’ which can he hidden amongst the value of real GDP per capita. Another traditional measure of living standards to consider is the Gini coefficient; the Gini index measures the actual distribution income in a country in comparison to an equal distribution of income. The index measures the difference between a Lorenz curve and a line of equality. The Gini index line of 0 represents equality whereas 100 would indicate inequality. The Poverty Site (2010) Gini Coefficient graph (see Appendix 4) shows a comparison of the 27 members of the European Union, at the time the UK figure stood at just over 30% which ranks sixth highest in inequality in Europe and higher than the EU27 average of 30%. The graph also shows how Scandinavian countries such as Sweden Finland have a much more equal society in terms of income despite their questionable taxation policies. The United Kingdom would likely try and target a smaller percentage to achieve better equality amongst the population. Concerns over income inequality have been raised recently. Treanor Farrell (2014) recent article for the Guardian discusses how the UK is the only G7 country with growing inequality, the article discusses findings from a Credit Suisse global wealth report show that the UK’s richest 10% of people represent 54.1% of the total national income. There will be inevitable pressure on the government from low income families that have been suffering from rising utility bills and only a small rise in wages. The Gini Co-efficient is very effective in showing the inequality in countries throughout the world, it can also help economists and businessman understand and support their thinking if they believe the country is increasing in terms of inequality of income. McKinley, T (1995 p.141) writes that â€Å"the Gini coefficient does not concentrate merely on differences from the mean; it is a much more direct measure of inequality because it accounts for the differences between every pair of observations†. The Gini co-efficient isn’t without its limitations, Parrillo (2008) suggests that the measure does not alter much when transfers are made between the rich and the poorer people. Another disadvantage of the Gini coefficient is that it fails to inform you of the changes in the distribution of income between income groups as opposed to alternative measures of living standards. Alternative standard of living measures Throughout the last 20-30 years there have been a number of alternative measures developed across the world, trying to find a better way to measure living standards. The Human Development Index was originally developed by the UN to monitor and develop a ranking of countries by the following criteria; average years of schooling, expected years of schooling, life expectancy from birth and gross national income per capita. From the most recent HDI data (see appendix 5) the United Kingdom ranks at #14 in the top 15, the HDI shows some interesting developments and differences between the nations of the world. The United States for example has a high GNI Per capita compares to other countries, their life expectancy however ranks lower than any other country in the top 15; this could suggest that the United States standard of living is not truly reflected in the HDI. Although the Scandinavian countries rank high on the HDI, Henrietta Moore of The Guardian (2014) argues that they are not the model for global prosperity; she suggests that their principles of autonomy and self determination are the reasons for their high human development. Moore summarises statistics that suggest that the Scandinavian countries are consuming resources far too quickly they rank top of both the carbon emissions usage and they rank high in the WWF’s scale of ecological impact. It could be argued that it is important to consider the environmental impacts of nation’s activities before considering their Human Development ranking. The obvious advantage of the HDI is that it makes it simple to monitor the changes in development of countries over a period of time, it is also effective to use when comparing different countries around the world and how they are developing and which element of the criteria is changing most. There is a drawback to the HDI, Soubbotina Sheram (2000) suggests that it fails to show the significance of the different elements and fails to support why a countries index may have altered over time. It could be argued that the United Nations needs to provide more reasoning and evidence to support changes in figures. Another of the more recent innovative measurements of living standards is the Happy Planet Index developed in 2006; countries are measured on life expectancy, well-being and ecological footprint. Each country is given a particular colour as in the HPI (see Appendix 6) based on their performance; green being good, amber being middle or average, red being bad performance after accumulating the different components for each country. From appendix 6, the countries performing worst are the United States and a lot of African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. The United Kingdom is ranked in the middle ranking as a result of their poor ecological footprint in which they rank #121 out of the 151 countries. Surprisingly Mexico is one of the best performing countries based on the index ranking 23rd out of 151 with a healthy well-being score. The Happy Planet Index became very popular when it first came out because of the results it produced. Simms Boyle (2009) praises the measure suggesting it is the first measure to combine well-being and environmental impact to find a countries efficiency. A social factor and criticism of the Happy Planet Index is described by Murray, P (2011) he argues that families may find that they do not welcome giving information on personal health to help determine life expectancy and levels of personal health, this suggests that the information for some countries may be inaccurate because a lot of people may have refused to give such sensitive personal information. Another alternative measure which has been viewed as a successor for GDP is the Genuine Progress Indicator, this measure is designed to measure improvements made in economic welfare. GPI takes several factors into consideration including monetary value of voluntary and unpaid work, leisure time. Similarly to the previous measures discussed, GPI takes into consideration income distribution, environmental impacts and state of the environment. The GPI also accounts for the cost of crime in the country being measured. The GPI has been tested across the world in a number of different experiments. Bagstad Shammin (2012) looked at testing different GPI factors in 17 counties in Ohio and compared the results of change from 1990-2005 (see appendix 7), from the table we can see the differences in 15 years in some important factors to the people of Ohio. There have been drastic changes in some factors including net capital investment which is good for the areas because it may improve job prospects. The advantage of GPI in this particular testing process in Ohio is that it combines an element of consumption, GDP per capita and Gini coefficient. The GPI is being used increasingly around the world because it has a number of advantages in comparison to traditional methods such as GDP, the GPI is said to take into consideration negative contributions to growth such as pollution and crime, GPI is effective in measuring people’s living standards and not just a measure of output as is the primary objective of GDP. GPI is much more useful in long term planning than GDP because environmental impacts are taking into consideration and be addressed in the long term. Although GPI takes the value of leisure time and environmental impacts, these factors are very hard to determine a specific value to include in the calculations, GDP per capita in comparison is a much simpler method; GPI is also ineffective in relation to a business cycle. Measures of living standards are ever changing; there may never be a measure more accurate or reliable as another because they all have their criticisms and drawbacks that are fresh within economist’s minds. It is clear that there is a shift of focus from just measuring output of a population through GDP per capita to recognising the issues and factors that affect a population; the alternative measures each focus on social factors such as life expectancy. Rather than looking at just earnings and wages, the newer measures of living standards focus on what is actually relevant to people around the world. GDP per capita and real wages show some difference in the level of wealth and income inequality but it is methods like the Human Development Index which can be used to determine a more global perspective of living standards, to summarise the more traditional methods are useful for measuring the wealth whereas the alternative and more innovative measures focus on the social facto rs that indicate a populations standard of living. Appendices Appendix 1 Source: Branchflower Machin (2014) Appendix 2 Source: ONS (2014) Appendix 3 Yearly change in percentage of Real GDP per capita growth in the UK Source: Eurostat (2014) Appendix 4 Source: The Poverty Site (2010) Appendix 5 HDI Index 2013 top 15 rankings, Source: United Nations Development Programme (2013) Appendix 6 Source: Happy Planet Index (2012) Appendix 7 Source: Bagstad Shammin (2012) Bibliography Bagstad,K, Shammin, R. (2011) ‘Can the Genuine Progress Indicator better inform sustainable regional progress?—A case study for Northeast Ohio’, Ecological Indicators, 18, pp.330-341, Science Direct (Online) Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ergo.glam.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S1470160X11003918# (Accessed 22/11/14). Boyle, D., Simms, A. (2009). The New Economics: A Bigger Picture. Oxford: Routledge. Branchflower, D., Machin, S. (2014) ‘Falling real wages’, Paper No CEPCP422, 19 (1) pp. 19-21. CentrePiece (Online). Available at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp422.pdf (Accessed 17/11/14) Burtless, G (1987). 1st edn. Work, Health and Income among the Elderly. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution. Crafts, N., Gazeley, I. Newell, A. (2007). Work and Pay in 20th Century Brtiain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Elliot, L (2014) ‘Living standards should be central measure of UK economic performance’ 12 March (Online) Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/12/living-standard-measure-economic-growth (Accessed 16/11/14) Eurostat (2014). Real GDP per capita, growth rate and totals. Available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graphplugin=1pcode=tsdec100language=entoolbox=sort. Accessed (17/11/14). Happy Planet Index (2012). HPI 2012: Map View. Available at: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/. (Accessed 21/11/14) International Labour Organisation. (2003). 3rd edn. Key Indicators of the Labour Market. Geneva: ILO Publications. Mankiw, N (2011). 6th edn. Principles of Economics. Ohio: South-western publishing. McKinley, T (1995). The Distribution of Wealth in Rural China. Oxford: Routledge. Moore, H (2014). ‘Why Scandinavia is not the model for global prosperity we should all pursue’. 1st December (Online). Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/01/why-scandinavia-is-not-the-model-for-global-prosperity-we-should-all-pursue. (Accessed 1/12/14) Murray, P. (2011). The Sustainable Self: A Personal Approach to Sustainability Education. Oxford: Routledge. Nordhaus, W. (1997). P.27-70. The Economics of New Goods. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ONS (2014). The UK has one of the fastest growing economies in the G7. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/elmr/gdp-and-the-labour-market/q1-2014may-gdp-update/sty-gdp-g7-economies.html. Accessed (17/11/14). Parrillo, V (2008). Encyclopedia of Social Problems. Washington DC: Sage Publications. Soubbotina, T., Sheram, K. (2000). Beyond Economic Growth: Meeting the Challenges of Global Development. Washington DC: World Bank Publications. The Economist (2014). What recovery? Real wages 413(8910), 32(US). 25th October. Retrieved from: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA387050752v=2.1u=uwcnit=rp=STNDsw=wasid=a520ff594e7283ba19a015fcb5d8e35f (Accessed 17/11/14). The Poverty Site (2010). European Union: Gini Coefficient. Available at: http://www.poverty.org.uk/e14/index.shtml. Accessed (17/11/14). Treanor, J Farrell, S (2014). ‘UK only G7 country with wider inequality than at turn of century’. 14th October (Online). Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/14/uk-inequality-wealth-credit-suisse. Accessed (17/11/14). Tucker, I (2013). Macroeconomics for Today. 8th edn. Ohio: South-western publishing. United Nations Development Programme (2013). Human Development Index and its components. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components. (Accessed 21/11/14)

Research REport On HUman Beings :: essays research papers

In my report you will find that I researched and wrote about the species known as homosapiens. Also better known as human beings. I learned a lot of information about their life styles, their behaviors, their nocturnal urge to love and their hunger for knowledge. I also learned where they fit into the grand scheme of things. I learned why they are classified how they are and how they obtain food. Humans are classified in the Kingdom of Animalia because all animalia share the common bond that they are required to eat. They cannot make there own food and they can move on there own free will through their movements. Humans are in the Phylum of Chordata because all of the Chordates have elongated symmetrical bodies and all begin life with gills to breathe in a liquid environment. Vertebrata is the subphylum where humans are put because they develop a spinal chord that stretches from the head to a paired of sense organs. Vertebrata is the most advanced and numerous subphylum of the chordates. The Class of Humans is Mammalia because they all conceive there young in the reproductive tract of their mother and then after birth their mothers nourish them with milk from their birth. Humans are in the infraclass Eutheria because the mothers of this class carry there young in their uterus before birth and this is made possible because of the umbilical cord and the placenta. The order of H umans is Primates because all of the organisms in the order of Primates share the common bond that they are all upright, breathing, non-self food producing mammals. Humans are in the suborder of Anthropoida. The Superfamily of Hominoidae. The Family of Homiadidae. The Genus of Homo and the species of Sapiens. The Habitat of Human Beings is pretty much every where. They can live on almost all terrains and they can even live in the ocean and in outer space. However the range that they live in is on the land surfaces of Earth in any kind of conditions because you have Eskimos that live in the extremely cold conditions of the arctic regions, the Californians that live in a varying set of conditions that vary from 60 degrees and raining or foggy to sunny and 100 degrees. Then there are the people of most African desert nations that battle temperatures of over 100 degrees almost every day of the year.

Susan Glaspells Trifles - The Loyalty of Mrs. Hale :: Trifles Essays

The Loyalty of Mrs. Hale in Trifles The major idea I want to write about has to do with the way Mrs. Hale stands behind Mrs. Wright even though it seems like everyone else especially (the men) would rather lock her up and throw away the key. We see this right away when she gets on the County Attorney for putting down Mrs. Wright’s house keeping. I find this to be wonderfully symbolic in that most women of this time usually allowed the men to say whatever they wanted about their sex, never standing up for themselves or each other You notice this to be so because Mrs. Peters is struggling against what she is hearing the men say versus what she feels herself. When Mrs. Hale tells Mrs. Peters that she would hate for the men to be in her kitchen snooping around and criticizing, Mrs. Peters responds by saying "Of course it’s no more than their duty". This reflects to me a lady who has been so brain washed by the manly view of her time that she can’t even see the simple feelings that women feel for and between each other. We then come to the part where the ladies are talking about Mrs. Peter’s interactions with the other women in town. Mrs. Hale said she was not part of the Ladies’ Aid (which seemed like the thing for the women to do in that town), she dressed shabbily which she never did before becoming Mr. Wright’s wife. Mrs. Hale also clearly states that she does not believe that Mrs. Wright killed her husband whereas Mrs. Peters is struggling with this, saying that the Attorney thinks it looks bad because she did not wake up when her husband was being killed in bed right beside her. Mrs. Hale takes the view I would by saying don’t blame her because obviously he didn’t wake up either or maybe he would be alive or at least maybe he could have awakened her in his struggle. Another symbolic part of the play is when the men overhear the women talking about Mrs. Wright’s quilt, wondering if she was going to quilt it or knot it, and they laugh at them. Mrs. Hale is immediately offended by the way they laughed at them where Mrs. Peters is apologizing for them because "they have a lot on their minds".

The College Life :: essays research papers

The College Life Schedules are a difficult thing to balance. A person must find the time to complete a number of tasks in a day. A normal adult may have time to get everything done and still have time to spare. The normal college student on the other hand is constantly on the go. College students have busy schedules that include working, studying, and socializing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most college students work. How else are they going to have the money for all those late night pizza deliveries? Part time employees usually eat on the road on the way from school to work. They work about 5 or 6 hours a day and then head home tired and ready for bed. Maybe not every night but usually there is some kind of paper to be written or chapter to be read. Full time college students that are also full-time workers have to plan everything out in order to make the time to get everything done. One of the things most college students don’t make time for is housework. They often wait until everything is dirty to start the laundry. Dishes are another thing that tend to pile up. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates and glasses add up after a week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  College students must find time in their busy schedules to study. In order to keep up they must do daily assignments. Reading every night helps to prepare for the exams. Taking notes in class and out of class are also necessary. Students also have exams at the end of the semester that require hours of studying. Waiting until the last minute and then cramming it all in is often a final resort. Many students who have kept up just go over and recall the information. All students must find time to study in order to pass.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To escape from studying and working college students are known for socializing. They may help out in service clubs. Visiting a nursing home can be relaxing and comforting for both people.

Police Technology Essay

1. Introduction A gun may be a useful tool to arrest a suspect in a traditional crime scene, but what about a crime committed on the Internet to steal billions of dollars in a few minutes or even confidential information? Will guns be useful in this case? According to Goodman, â€Å"the world isn’t run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money, it’s run by ones and zeros †¦ It’s not about who has the most bullets. Art’s about who controls the information –what we see and hear, how we work, what we think. It’s all about information.† (p.466) With the technological revolution we have nowadays, that changed every aspect of our lives representing new threats and new crimes, police officers should be equipped with new technological tools or techniques to be able to face these new challenges. This paper aims at giving an idea about police technology and how does technology help police officers by defining the term â€Å"police technology†, shading the light on history of police technology, and giving some of the impacts of technology on police work and practice. 2. Definitions To understand exactly how does technology help police officers, this section will define what is meant by both terms â€Å"technology† and â€Å"police technology†. 2.1 Technology The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia defines technology as â€Å"Application of knowledge to the practical aims of human life or to changing and manipulation the human environment. Technology includes the use of materials, tools, techniques, and sources of power to make life easier or more pleasant and work more productive. Whereas science is concerned with how and why things happen, technology focuses on making thing happen.† 2.2 Police Technology According to Encyclopedia Britannica the term â€Å"police technology† refers to â€Å"the wide range of scientific and technological methods, techniques, and equipment used in policing.† 3. Police Technology in History and Literature This section will shade the light on the history of police technology since 1840 when officers only had guns and night-light sticks, â€Å"then came technological progress with the invention of the patrol wagon and signal service (which have) effected a revolution in police methods.† (Seaskate, Inc). (See police technology timeline in Table 1) â€Å"The adoption of information technology by police departments in the united States is a relatively recent phenomenon. Before 1987, less than 2% of the 2.200 US police departments with fewer than 100 employees used computers. And as recently as 2003, only 40% of police departments had mobile computer terminals.† (CentrePience) Moving to information technology,   â€Å"only in recent years have many agencies found the use of information technologies significantly helpful. Examples include fingerprinting databases, computerized crime mapping, and records management systems doing everything from inventory property and cataloging evidence to calculating solvability factors.† (Seaskate, Inc) 3.1 The political era (1840-1920) This period witnessed technological advances such as â€Å"telegraph, telephone, police callboxes, Bertillon system of criminal identification† (Seaskate, Inc) and (Stewart, R. W.). â€Å"The advent of fingerprinting in the 1900s and of crime laboratories in the 1920s greatly augmented the police capacity to solve crimes†. (Seaskate, Inc) 3.2 The professional model era or Nationalization of Crime (1920-1970) This period witnessed efforts that tried to â€Å"rid the government of undesirable political influences and create what they deemed professional police departments† (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"The model was the crime laboratory in Berkeley, California, Police Department then the FBI inaugurated its own laboratory which eventually became recognized as the most comprehensive and technologically advanced forensic laboratory in the world† (Seaskate, Inc). This period â€Å"saw the widespread police adoption of the automobile and the introduction of two-way radios† (Seaskate, Inc). Then, in response to rapidly rising crime rates and urban disorders, the Crime Commission was established in the 1960s (Seaskate, Inc). This period witnessed the nationalization of crime. â€Å"In 1967, the Crime Commission produced a long report that gave recommendations, 11 of them dealing with police technology (Seaskate, Inc). The President’s Crime Commission found that the nation’s criminal justice system suffered from a significant Science and technology gap (Seaskate, Inc). Then came â€Å"the advent of 911 after the commission called for establishment of a single telephone number that Americans could use to call the police† (Seaskate, Inc). The computerization for American policing was a result for the commission’s recommendations and the 911 system (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"The 911 system became enhanced (E911) when computer got smarter, showing the telephone number, address, and in some cases, the name of the person who owned the number† (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"One of the most important computer-based innovations in American policing was the advent of National Crime Information Center (NCIC), administered by FBI† (Seaskate, Inc). Computers also were â€Å"essential in the development of Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)† (Seaskate, Inc). 3.3 The Community Policing Era or Computerization of American Policing (Since 1970) The introduction of computers into policing corresponded to the beginning of the third and current era in American policing or â€Å"the Community Policing Era† from 1970 up till now (Seaskate, Inc). â€Å"In 1995, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was created by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994†. (ITI, p.3) With funding provided by COPS and other federal and state grant programs, the use of computers in law enforcement gained widespread acceptance in law enforcement agencies of all sizes. (ITI p.3) 4. The Impact of Technology on Police Work Technology has had its impacts on police work especially since the process of computerization of American policing (Figure1 in the appendices shows trends in technology use by police agencies). According to Davis, J. N., â€Å"the continuing development of computer technology has had critical impacts on law enforcement. Mobile data terminals in police cars, automatic vehicle locator systems, and computer-assisted dispatch are now commonly found in police departments. The use of expert systems and artificial intelligence by police agencies in the United States and Canada is on the increase. Examples can be found in agencies ranging from small rural Alliance, Nebraska to urban Baltimore County, Maryland†. (p.1) This section will show how does technology affect police work either in increasing effectiveness, enhancing officer safety, or assisting law enforcement agencies to meet new challenges of terrorism and cyber crimes. 4.1 Increased Effectiveness Research showed that â€Å"police departments that adopted computers together with IT management/governance practices such as CompStat did experience reduced property and violent crime and significantly increased crime clearance rates (by around 8%). Thus, researchers concluded that computers do increase the effectiveness of police work, but only if police work is substantially reorganized to take advantage of their presence† (CentrePiece, p.2). Also according to ITI, â€Å"Significant technological breakthroughs have resulted in products that have increased their crime solving effectiveness† (P.4). For example â€Å"studies led to the widespread use of night vision gear by today’s police agencies† (ITI, p.4). A technology such as fingerprint reader â€Å"has resulted in the creation of automatic fingerprint identification systems (AFIS)†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"AFIS has resulted in the clearance of thousands of crimes that would have otherwise gone unsolved†. (ITI, P.4) The â€Å"enhanced† 911 â€Å"allowed dispatchers to see on their computers screen the address and telephone number from which a 911 emergency call originated† (ITI, p.4).   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The miniaturization of body microphones and closed circuit television has benefited law enforcement in a variety of investigative and crime prevention initiatives†. (ITI, P.4) 4.2 Changed the Role of Police and How They Carry Out Their Duties Technology has changed the role of both police officers and law enforcement agencies. â€Å"With the introduction of the Community Oriented Policing model, a dramatic change occurred in how agencies measured their effectiveness†. (ITI, P.3) The previous section showed that COPS was a result for introducing computers into policing.   â€Å"The emphasis on quick response to calls for services and the number of arrests made and crimes cleared was replaced by the reduction of crimes committed†. (ITI, P.3) â€Å"The COPS program promoted the development of close/citizen relationships with a focus on improving the quality of life on a neighborhood-to-neighborhood basis. From this effort grew programs such as neighborhood Policing and Problem Solving Policing† (ITI, P.3). â€Å"For the COPS concept to be successful officers needed timely information about crime patterns and other social problems occurring on their beats†. (ITI, P.3) â€Å"In police practice the possibility to access and use electronic records has opened up a new way of gathering information for police officers. This has created and developed new ways of working for police officers: they can gather more information when involved in operational work as well as when they are present physically at the police station†. (Borglund, E.) 4.3 Improved Record Keeping and Report Writing Computers have led to a key advantage â€Å"improved recordkeeping†. â€Å"Research showed that introducing computers for record-keeping did increase the amount of recorded ‘minor crimes’ such as larceny† (CentrePiece, p.2). According to Davis, J. N., â€Å"police report writing has also evolved with changes in technology, especially the use of lap-top computers. The continued development of new computer technologies will also bring changes in police report writing†. (p.1) 4.4 Enhances Officer Safety â€Å"Significant technological breakthroughs have resulted in products that have improved officer safety† (ITI, P.4). â€Å"Soft body armor has saved hundreds of officers from death or serious injury† (ITI, P.4). â€Å"Information used in conjunction with Computer Aided Dispatch software allowed dispatchers to warn officers of potential dangers and the history of previous calls at locations prior to their arrival†. (ITI, P.4) The use of safe weapons such as â€Å"non-lethal weapons such as the Taser, beanbag shells and pepper mace had been added to the list of force options available to officers in the field† (ITI, p.4). 4.5 Assist Local Law Enforcement Agencies Meet the New Challenges of Terrorism and Cyber Crime According to Reichert, K. â€Å"creative uses of information technology have the potential to increase the capacity and effectiveness of law enforcement in fulfilling its complex mission today. Including increased demands in the post-September 11 World†. (p.4) â€Å"The pace of the use of technology in law enforcement continues to accelerate. New technologies such as the use of DNA for the criminal investigation, the growth of AFIS and Livescan fingerprinting systems, GPS tracking, and reverse-911 software are all computer dependent systems now being more widely used by agencies around the country†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"New hardware such as Personal Digital Assistance (PDAs) and other wireless devices such as web-enabled cellular telephones are changing the way information is collected and shared†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"The 911 systems have precipitated the use of computerized mapping and links between 911 systems and computer aided dispatch software† (ITI, p.4). â€Å"Incident-based reporting is being implemented across the country requiring new records management software designed to capture and report crime statistics electronically† (ITI, p.4). â€Å"The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon significantly increased awareness for the need to share information between law enforcement agencies at all levels of government†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Antiquated radio systems are being replaced so that multiple agencies can communicate during joint operations and disaster responses. Integration of computer databases is being developed for intelligence gathering and criminal investigation†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Detection technology, protection equipment and training are being provided to public safety personnel to meet the challenges of a nuclear, biological or chemical threat as well as an attack using conventional weapons†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"The use of the Internet for the commission of crimes is increasing at an alarming rate†. (ITI, p.4) â€Å"Thieves, hackers, hate groups, pedophiles, cyberspace stalkers, drug cartels and terrorist groups freely use the Internet to carry out their illegal activities†. (ITI, p.4) The Internet also offers many benefits to law enforcement† (ITI, p.5). â€Å"The ability to share information between agencies and with the public has been greatly enhanced by the use of the internet†.

Which is more effective in fighting crime, knowledge?

Sociologists, in an attempt to explain and point out the reasons behind delinquency, have concluded that there are connections between specific youth behaviors with the home environment, family background, the neighborhood, associations, and many other aspects that together, or separately affect the formative years of young people’s social environment. Delinquent children usually come from a background of difficult circumstances. Parental alcoholism, poverty, breakdown of family, abusive conditions in the home, death of parents during armed conflicts or drug overdose, and the HIV/AIDS scourge, and etc. are some of the various reasons that can leave children virtually orphaned.One or both parents may be physically present, but because of irresponsibility on their part (if even one of them is addicted to drugs or alcoholic), a child may grow developing certain ways and attitudes that are directly/indirectly caused by the parent/s addiction or drug-related behavior. In this case, true delinquency lies on the parents; and the children are, in a way, orphaned or unaccompanied, and without any means of subsistence which, in the first place, the parents’ fundamental responsibility to provide. Generally, and increasingly, these children are born and/or raised without a father.They are first in the line of those who are at greatest risk of falling into juvenile delinquency. Without noticing it as it is typical of any youth to be lacking in prudence, with newly embraced group, the gang, a corresponding subculture starts to assimilate them, and before long, they start to engage in activities of adult criminal groups. It is usually after being engaged in criminal activities for an extended period of time with its accompanying consequences (such as ending up in prison or rehabilitation institutions for drug addicts) that delinquents realize they are into a very dangerous zone.A large portion of all juvenile violations (between two-thirds and three-quarters) ar e perpetrated by youths who are members of certain gangs (Venkatesh, 1997). Unlike in school and their family, these have no strict rules to be followed except loyalty to the group. It gives young people esteem when they somehow feel they are the â€Å"rule† in themselves. This is the lure of gangs. It gives the promise of fulfillment to would be delinquents. Popularity, access to the powerful figures on the streets, freedom to express one’s self, as well as easy flow of money (if the gang is also involved in some illegal activities such as drug dealings, which is common in most gangs) are seemingly within grasp of anybody who just have the guts to dare (OJJDP, Mar. 2003).Children who are well taken care of by their parents and are thus adequately supervised are at less odds to be involved in criminal activities. Studies have proven that. A dysfunctional family, on the other hand, which is commonly characterized by regular conflicts, parental negligence, poor communica tion because of absorption to outside activities by parents, are always assumed to be the breeding ground for delinquents (Venkatesh, 1997).Studies on Risk versus Protective FactorsAn insightful paper prepared by Resnick describes the theoretical viewpoint that risk and protective factors are two things that may â€Å"mirror† each other. Risk factors like low academic performance increases the possibility of child or youth’s involvement in activities that may harm themselves and others while protective factors such as high academic performance increases the likelihood also of the individual committing aggression against another.These factors reside in an individual and that a disproportion of one especially the â€Å"risk factors† over the other indicates a caution or warning; the person may traverse in a direction which may foster a tendency to exhibit aggression or violent behavior. In the study, identifying these balance or imbalance within individuals may he lp reduce the occurrence of school violence by early detection of symptoms thus, interventions may be employed coming from various strategic points like the home, and the school and the community (Resnick, 2004).According to the Laub (1998), the home and the school are milieus that importantly direct the development of aggression or violence. Aggression at home significantly reflects what may eventually occur as aggression or violence in school, though not always. Male students attack peers or other male students. In addition, teachers are hurt either by verbal abuse, physical injury or threats of aggression. Fights that commonly occur in the campuses relate to â€Å"possession of toys, equipment and/or territory, about retaliation, & rules of games† (Laub, 1998).Nature of Violence or Aggressionâ€Å"From very early, the oxygen of the criminal's life is to seek excitement by doing the forbidden.†-S.SamenowA radical turn from the contemporary to classical rationalizatio ns on violent behavior equivalent to possessing a criminal mind, Stanton Samenow offered a quite â€Å"sweeping† point of view based on what he calls â€Å"errors of thinking.† Whereas years spent in studying and treating adolescence clinical disorders, he had leaned upon the understanding that adolescents, criminal behavior and/or violence in general have social determinants as a major factor, this change of mind was brought about by a collaborative work with another practitioner Dr. Yochelson (Genre,http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/samenow.htm).An elevated fear on the occurrence of violence in school is expectedly high not only because of what happened in Virginia Tech recently; this is because other forms of aggression or violent acts committed by students have not changed instead, increased in number among campuses today. In an excellent study by Jaana, the author specifically isolated these acts as becoming the source of fear for the average students to e xperience anytime during their school lives.The study reveals that suburban schools are also profiled as becoming unsafe these days. These violent activities can be in the form of physical attack for no apparent reason or provocation, fights without using any weapon, pilfering, breaking and entering school property, and vandalism. In addition, victimization occurs, in the manner of students stealing property of another (e.g., books etc.), being threatened because of racial or cultural difference, bullying, and threats of injury to teachers and not only to students among others (Jaana, 2001 in http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/Acrobatfiles/statistics_2008.pdf).Reference:Genre, C.T. 2007. â€Å"Stanton Samenow:The Criminalpersonality). Retrieved May 6, 2008Laub, J.H., & Lauritsen, J.L. (1998). The Interdependence of School Violence with    Neighborhood and Family Conditions. In D.S. Elliott, B. Hamburg, & K.R.   Ã‚   Williams (Editors), Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective, (pp. 127-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   155). New York, NY:Cambridge University Press. Retrieved May 6, 2008from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Center for the Study and Prevention of ViolenceJaana, 2001 in Selected School and Youth violence   Ã‚  Ã‚   statistics. Department of Juvenile Justice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP).Retrieved May 6, 2008.   http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/Acrobatfiles/statistics_2007.pdfVenkatesh, S. ‘The social organization of street gang activity in an urban ghetto,’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal of Sociology, vol. 103, No. 1, July 1997, pp. 82-111.Yochelson, Samuel & Stanton Samenow. The Criminal Personality. N.Y.: Jason Aronsen,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1976,    1977, 1986._____Accessed Retrieved May 6, 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   _______ 2007. Selected School and Youth violence    statistics. Department of Juvenile Justice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP). Retrieved May 6, 2008  Ã‚   http://www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/Acrobatfiles/statistics_2007.pdf_______OJJDP, Mar. 2003. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a    component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of   Ã‚  Ã‚   Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Office for Victims of Crime. Retrieved May 6, 2008.

Best Practices Guide for Multi-Disciplinary Teams Essay

Schools across the US are beginning to open-up classrooms, teachers are finding that they are no longer working alone or exclusively with members of their own profession. But with parent, Paraprofessionals, nurses, learning support staff, educational psychologists, social workers, and even community leaders and volunteers. This type of collaboration is called multidisciplinary teams, in its simplest terms this means members of different professions working together. Each member of a multidisciplinary team has an essential function and has valuable contribution to make in the identifying learning goals for the student, as well as the delivery of these goals across all areas from curriculum to learning opportunities and even the students extracurricular activities. Members of this team are also able to support the child at home to ensure that there is success between home and school. The success of the student depends on a strong home/school relationship; therefore, parents are strongly encouraged to participate. Each member of the team has specific qualification and duties: Local education agency (LEA) A representative qualified to supervise the needs of the student, someone who is knowledgeable of the general curriculum, is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency, and has the authority to commit agency resources. Family Not only is emphasis upon parental participation ethically proper and legally required, but â€Å"parental involvement has been associated with higher grades, positive behaviors and attitudes, reduced absenteeism, and increased study habits† (Lawrence & Heller, 2001). Related staff and services This group of people can vary depending on the student or issue being evaluated. Most commonly you will have a school psychologist who may be responsible for completing an assessment of the student, analyzing and interpreting assessment data and conduct follow-up observations to determine the success of modifications put in place to aid the student. Other related personnel can include: †¢ Speech-language therapists †¢ Occupational therapists †¢ Physical therapists †¢ Vision specialists †¢ Medical personnel, such as nurses and dietitians †¢ Social workers †¢ Counselors and mental health personnel †¢ Adaptive physical education teachers †¢ Vocational specialists †¢ others Administrators A school administrator, principal or assistant principal is an essential member of the team. Because the administrator should be aware of specific resources and expertise within the school In addition, administrators are qualified to supervise the program and can commit necessary resources. The administrator usually works with LEA’s. Regular education teachers The regular education teacher and the special education teacher more than likely have shared and equal responsibilities to all students in the classroom. Usually, the regular education teacher’s role is ultimately in charge of instruction in the classroom. The teacher is also the line of communication between the school and home, keeping the parents informed about the student’s achievement and grades and educational programs. Special education teachers The special educator’s role is that of individualizing, diagnosing, and modifying curriculum. In an inclusive classroom the special education teacher would provide assessment and instructional planning in the mainstream setting, conduct remediation and tutorial and team teach. Team teaching arrangements were used in the 1960s (Stainback, S. & Stainback, W., 1996) in an attempt to reach a wider range of children with diverse learning needs, particularly those at risk. Identification and Placement Procedures One of the most significant and complicated parts of a special education program is identifying eligible students, this is because the criteria for verifying a disability can be subjective and subject to change. Mistakenly identifying students as disabled or failing to identify students who actually need services can have a long term impact. Detailed steps have been created to improve the process of identifying a disability and ensuring fairness. Student Assistance Teams and Multidisciplinary Team Two procedures included the use of a student assistance team and a multidisciplinary evaluation team. The student assistance team search for alternative solutions when a student is having problems. The student assistance team is usually comprised of regular teachers, counselors and administrators, school psychologists and special education teachers can also be a part of the student assistance team. When the issue can not be resolved by the student assistance team then a written referral is made for an evaluation by the multidisciplinary team. Multidisciplinary team includes, but is not limited to psychologists, teachers (general and special education), administrators, and other specialists. This group of professionals follows federal and state regulations in order to determine whether a student is eligible for special education services. Before any student can be evaluated, however, the written permission must be obtained from the parents. The team approach provides additional validity to the verification process. Medical, educational, psychological, and social characteristics are usually used in the verification process. In many cases the School psychologist interprets the assessment data and is responsible for translating this information to the team for implementation. Once it has been determined that special education services are needed the team may meet as often as needed to discuss the implementation. School personnel are required to provide documentation of the mastery of benchmarks and annual goals. It is not required that all goals are meet one school term, but they must provide evidence that they are working toward achieving the goals.

The Quiet Revolution

The Quiet Revolution The purpose of this paper is to analyze the aspects of The Quiet Revolution on Quebec, and how the changes implemented by Lesage made Quebec the province it is today. The Quiet Revolution was only quiet at name; it triggered many conflicts that appeared in Quebec. The province began to move away from Catholic Church with the help of nationalists, leaving Quebec reformed and quite different from how it was before the 1960’s. Before the Quiet Revolution, Quebec was majorly formed of rural population.They believed that rural was much better than urban, but due to large families and the lack of good land, it pushed most Quebeckers to move to the cities. By 1921, half of Quebec’s population was urbanized. Manufacture industries of textile and shoes located in Quebec, were attracting many Quebeckers to work. The schools of Quebec were owned by the Catholic Church, and were mostly run by priests, nuns and brothers. The Quiet Revolution was a period between 1960 and 1966; it was mainly a period of political, social and economic change (Winston Knoll Collegiate).The Union Nationale party was in power since 1944, it held conservative outdated values. The election of June 1960 was the beginning of revolutionary changes that were about to happened in Quebec. The election of June 22nd 1960, when the Liberal Party of Quebec ran by Jean Lesage finally won 51. 5% against Union Nationale. â€Å"The main issue of the election was indicated by the Liberal slogan, â€Å"It's time for a change†(The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2012)†. The government under Lesage began new era with open debates, changing the political electoral map so each urban area would be well represented.The government changed the voting age from 21 to 18. Lesage by increasing loans, made the budget grow from $745 million to $2. 1 billion in less than six years. The Baby Boom generation that had reached adolescence put a lot of pressure on Quebec’s poor educatio nal system; the role of Catholic Church was quite criticized and abolished pushing the government into creating a department of education, the Parent Report created a school system available to the entire population.One of the major accomplishments by the government in the economic sector was the nationalization of private electricity companies, an idea that was introduced by Rene Levesque, a minister of natural resources. The government of Jean Lesage encouraged industrialization, promoting investments and guaranteeing economic benefits through the buy-Quebec policy, all these objectives were met when Hydro-Quebec became the symbol of success and economic resources. The creation of â€Å"caisse de depot et placement du Quebec† triggered the creation of the Quebec pension plan, which immediately grew to billion dollars.Quebec’s favorite slogan that had huge improvements was the â€Å"maitres chez nous† (masters in our own house) which promoted and influenced fed eral-provincial relations. The demands that were imposed by Lesage were largely met. â€Å"Lesage forced the federal government to accept Quebec's withdrawal from several cost-sharing programs and to compensate Quebec fiscally (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2012)†. Therefore Quebec was the only province that had the right to withdraw. Thus, the conflicts then rose between the English Canadians and the French Canadian. The federal Pearson Liberal government established the Royal Commission on bilingualism and biculturalism, which warned that Canada was passing through the greatest crisis in its history (The Quiet Revolution Changed Quebec Forver). Pearson liberal party to gain more strength and credibility hired three wise men; Jean Marchand, Gerard Pelletier and Pierre Eliott Trudeau. Quebec was gaining power and these changes made many different French Canadian nationalists for example; FLQ (Front de liberation du Quebec) believed that Quebec is a distinct society and worship s eparatism, which resulted in terrorism.In 1966, when Quebec faced elections they were confident of triumph, but the Union National had add changes to its image attracted more conservative voters and since the Quiet Revolution never really influenced the rural areas. On June 5th of 1966 the Union National won the elections against the Liberals. Although, the liberal party was elected in 1960 and defeated in 1966, Jean Lesage in 6 years of power had accomplished forceful changes; the French language took more place and importance in Canada, the welfare state; including the pension plan, Medicare and Hydro Quebec.The Quiet Revolution was an important point of reference in Quebec’s history; all governments elected in Quebec never omit to mention the importance and the positive consequences that it brought to Quebec. Words: 770 References 1. The Quiet Revolution changed Quebec Forever, http://www. llss. sd73. bc. ca/socials11/materials/chapter8/quiet_revn_changed_que_forever. pdf 2. October Crisis, The Quiet Revolution, http://www. historyofrights. com/flq1. html 3. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2012 http://www. thecanadianencyclopedia. com/articles/quiet-revolution