Western Education Romans

ED 6000 Philosophical Foundations in Education Beginning Questions ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? 2-3 sentence responses foundation of your philosophy paper reflects your current stance/belief 30 minutes keep a copy for your final personal philosophy paper Scriptural Focus Deut. 6:1-9 Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Scriptural Focus Deut. 6:1-9 Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! Scriptural Focus Deut. 6:1-9 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Scriptural Focus Deut. 6:1-9 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Big Ideas: ! ? ! ? ! ? What are the enduring principles that have stood the test of time? To what extent are the principles being applied in today s classrooms? List the big ideas that you have experienced in today s classrooms and or those that should, from your perspective, be a part of current educational practice. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Hebrews ! ? ! ? longest recorded western history teaching of religion and moral training A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Greeks ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? city-state civilization based on slavery achieve elegant leisure ignity of the citizen letters, music, gymnastics conscripted military service A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION Romans ! ? ! ? ! ? patricians, plebeians, freed men and slaves piety, courage, honesty, dignity, sobriety A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Christian ! ? ! ? ! ? change of heart attain peace and growth in body, mind, and spirit underground schools ! ? A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCA TION Renaissance (New Birth) ! ? ! ? Seven Liberal arts ! ? trivium: grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic or logic ! ? quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music Renaissance Man da Vinci ! ? oastfulness, individualism and a resentment toward authority A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION Reformation (1500-1750) ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? educated class advocated reform Germany-moral indignation England-remove wealth from the church Geneva-strictly theologicals England became largely Protestant back to the basics grammar/spelling Inquisition court of heresy Heliocentrism (Copernicus) A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Jan Amos Comenius (1592-1627) ! ? developmental stages ! ? infant, child, youth, adult ! ? Orbis Pictus 1653-54 – the first picture book for school children A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? The purpose of education is that which every gentleman desires for his sons, virtue, wisdom, breeding and learning. I place virtue as the first and most necessary. I put learning last, especially if I tell you I think it the least part. Some Thoughts Concerning Education, p. 147. John Locke (1632-1704) A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION John Locke (1632-1704) ! ? ! ? Tabula Rasa ! ? There would be no problem, †¦ if the human intellect were even, and like a fair sheet of paper with no writing on it. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION United States Old Deluder Satan Act (Massachusetts 1647) ne chief project of the old deluder, Satan, to keep men from a knowledge of the Scriptures, as in former times by keeping them in an unknown tongue, so in these latter times by persuading from the use of tongues†¦ A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION †¦. it is therefore ordered, that every township in this jurisdiction, after the Lord hath increased their number t o fifty thousand, shall then forthwith appoint one within their town to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read, whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such children, or by the inhabitants in general. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Enlightenment & Revolution (1750-1830 ! ? Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) ! ? Romanticism ! ? Emile ! ? On Education ! ? The Social Contract A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) ! ? ! ? The child will come to understand the world through creative play facilitated by the use of geometric objects (labeled by Froebel as gifts ) in which pure form is dominant. 1840 Pedagogics of the Kindergarten A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Maria Montessori (1870-1952) ! ? 1896 University of Rome s first woman physician graduate ! 1912 Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy ! ? If one fails to learn, there is a natural punishment that takes place as a loss of the consciousness of our own power and greatness, which constitute the quality of manhood. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Maria Montessori (1870-1952) ! ? ! ? ! ? The classroom must be a prepared environment The classroom must always contain stimulating apparatus, objects, toys , and literature in order to capture the child s inner drives to be active. sensitive periods A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? John Dewey (1859-1952) ! ? ! ? ! ? ? psychologist, philosopher, educator, social critic and political activist Progressivism moral relativism applied evolutionary theory to ! ? biology ! ? geology ! ? anthropology A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? John Dewey (1859-1952) ! ? Morality is learned within a social context by observing appropriate rules, which emerge from shared experience. ! ? Values are defined through use of the scientific method as one selects a choice of action and how it will effect self, others, the community, and the environment. A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION Catholic Church (1929) ! ? Every method of education founded, wholly or in part, on the denial or forgetfulness of original sin and grace, and relying on the sole powers of human nature, is unsound†¦ A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? †¦Such, generally speaking, are those modern systems bearing various names which appeal to a pretended self-government and unrestrained freedom on the part of the child, and which diminish or even suppress the teacher s authority and action, attributing to the child an exclusive primacy of initiative, and an activity independent of any higher law, natural or divine, in the work of his education. Catholic Church (1929) A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Scientific or Logical Positivism (1950-1967) ! ? ! ? ! ? purpose of education national development stand against the threat of communism ! ? U. S. Department of Education ! ? ! ? ! ? President Jackson signed legislation that created the first Department of Education in1867 (non-cabinet level) that lasted less than a year President Charter signed Public Law 96-88 The Department of Education Organization Act in 1979 Reagan established it as a cabinet-level agency in 1981 A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) ? ! ? ! ? operant behavior teaching machines Beyond Freedom and Dignity A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? Multiculturalism & Private Schools (1980-1990) ! ? Mortimer Adler (1982) ! ? ! ? ! ? The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto liberal, non-specialized education without electives or vocational classes three purposes ! ? ! ? ! ? use leisure time well earn their living ethically tea ch people to be responsible citizens in a democracy ! ? A Nation at Risk (1983) ! ? ! ? ! ? National Commission of Excellence in Education The Imperative For Educational Reform If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. As it stands, we have allowed this to happen to ourselves†¦ A HISTORY OF WESTERN EDUCATION ! ? †¦We have even squandered the gains in student achievement made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have dismantled essential support systems which helped make those gains possible. We have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament. A Nation at Risk (1983) ! ? A Nation at Risk (1983) ? ! ? ! ? ! ? strengthen graduation requirements five new basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer science adopt higher and measurable standards for academic performance significantly increase time students spend engaged in learning Strengthen the teaching profession through higher standards for preparation and professional growth ! ? A HISTORY OF WEST ERN EDUCATION ! ? Standards (1998-present) ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ? Academic Content Standards for Students No Child Left Behind Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Pros and Cons of Self-Study Essay

It has recently come up as a controversial issue whether students should study alone or not. Some people stand for the idea that self-study helps them become more independent. Others point out that this way of learning put them in certain difficulties. This essay will give us a chance to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the issue in more details. On the bright side, the supporters of self-study have a thought that studying alone benefits students in terms of becoming more concentrative as well as more independent. To begin with, it has been proven to be true that self-study helps students find essential silence to get high concentration. As the master of fact, when students study independently, there is no one can disturb them so that they usually focus on their lessons. For example, anyone who study alone at home doesn’t meet friends to talk about irrelevant matters such as an upcoming performance of a rock star that might make students tend to lose their attention. In addition, it is also evident that learners who are self-study, are more independent than others. As far as I am concerned, when nobody can help, it has better to do it myself. For instance, in the face of not understanding their lesson, students learning alone manage to achieve knowledge by themselves through finding source of books in the library or looking up information on the internet. This proves that they are more active in their studying. On the dark side, the opponents of this issue come up with an argument that students are more likely to encounter certain disadvantages when they study independently. These students are not only short of ideas to cope with a big assignment but also find it a bit hard to master their presentation skills without group support. First of all, one’s mind could not think many ideas because of their limited imagination. This causes they always find it difficult to getting on their assignment. To illustrate, if one student could find out three ideas, a group with ten students would increase this figure to thirty. Another point is that learners studying by themselves will probably be lack of presentation skill. Hardly can anybody deny the fact that when learning alone, students cannot practice to present effectively. For example, they do not have anyone who comment or give them advice for their performance. They will not figure out where the problem is to fix it and they have to do everything on their own. In brief, I absolutely agree with the saying: â€Å"every coin has both sides†. Self-study also has its pros and cons. Students should use their way of learning alone as a foundation to launch their group study.

Arm Length and Heigh Investigation-Science

Arm Length and Height Investigation By: Teresa Gebhardt Our Hypothesis is that, there is a linear correlation between arm length and height. We believe from observing our fellow students in class that taller people have longer arms. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the 24 students arm length compared to their height. Testing this hypothesis is important so that we can solve our theory that taller people have longer arms. The control was one single student who measured the majority of the other students.Shoes were removed to ensure accuracy and we made everyone stand straight against the wall, when being measured to prevent imprecise measurements. We used a meter stick to measure arm length and measuring tape to measure height. We converted the inches from the measuring tape to meters so we had an exact unit. We measured from the tip of your longest finger to under the left arm’s armpit. Our sample size was 24 American students from the ages of 18- 21.The replicate measur es we used were measuring the arm length and height of the same subject (student) three times. We then took the average of those three answers, which were sufficiently similar. Our assumptions are that the wall is straight, the floor is leveled, and that we perfected the way to measure. We found that the taller you are the longer your arms are. The average length of my classes’ arm length is 1. 64M and the average height of my class is . 7 M.The data collected shows that arm length increases as height increases. We used a table with 5 columns labeled: Subject, Trial #, height, arm length, average. Our limitations are that we only tested 24 students. The majority were Americans but of different races. We tested boys and girls. We only tested students of the ages between 18-21. My suggestion for doing this experiment again would be to separate males from females to see if sex is a determinant.

Batman Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Batman - Research Paper Example He is a protagonist with enough drawbacks to be worthy enough of a common man. In fact it is this faulty nature that makes him adorable and identifiable with every person who likes the character. Although batman has changed multiple times since his creation, he still manages to maintain his anti-hero status every time. Batman was created way back in 1939 immediately after the success of the Superman. Bob Kane and Bill Finger created the character originally. There are several villains to give him a tough time starting from his arch rival Joker to Penguin, Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow and Riddler. He is the only superhero to fight a league of women super villains like Poison Ivy, Catwomen, Talia al Ghul etc. Batman lives under the identity of millionaire Bruce Wayne in the fictional Gotham city. He is a playboy millionaire, making several mistakes and wasting one chance after another in his life. His only respite lies in doing something good for the world. Batman’s goodness prevents him from killing the evil people. He rather aims in destroying just the evil in them. This makes him take the blame for several murders, lose his beloved ones and render him helpless when his close friends are in bizarre need. And the worst part is he is forced to change his ways against his will in killing or harming the villains, when it is too late. Each series of Batman which emerged over the past century highlighted his ethical dilemmas, late decisions and faulty personality establishing him strongly as an antihero. Joker and the Batman Joker is a petty thief set up to get shot by his own boss for having an affair with his mistress. Batman tries to save him from death and handover him to the hands of the law. But, he is dropped into a chemical factory by accident which turns him into an ugly psychopath resembling a joker with white skin and green hair. He blames Batman for his ill fate and becomes his main rival. Batman himself has a personal revenge with him, as Joker had mur dered his parents in front of his eyes when he was a child. The incident inspired him to take an oath on his parent’s grave stating he will always fight to establish justice in Gotham city. Batman only tries to disarm Joker in several instances in spite of his personal vengeance. But each time, he manages to cause more harm than good. He paralyses batman’s friend, kills Rachel, transforms Dent into a villain and goes on unstoppable. He forces Batman to the verge of killing him each time, but escapes in the end (Robert, 2008). Batman on the other hand fears there will not be any difference between him and Joker if he completely killed him. Batman fears he does not have the right to kill or harm anyone, but can only defend the helpless. Joker character is the complete opposite of Batman. He derives pleasure in harming people. He simply cannot live without inflicting some sort of pain to others. As he himself says in the movie â€Å"you won't kill me out of some misplace d sense of self-righteousness. And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever†. The relationship between Batman and the Joker is similar to that of day and night. One cannot exist without another. It takes a Joker to keep Batman from getting depressed with helplessness and guilt. It takes a Batman for Joker to keep him in line. Though Joker is considered as the prominent villain of the Batman series he is looked upon as the extreme

Women's Right for Equality in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Women's Right for Equality in the USA - Essay Example However, within a glove where the majority of individuals made their individual food, clothes, and houses instead of purchasing these things ready-made, the work that a farm wife did was vital to the family’s essential survival (Fredman 61).  Ã‚  I.  Substitution of subsistence financial system with the marketplace financial system. A.  Change of women’s role from productive to reproductive B.  Reassessment of the gender functionsC.  Emergence of Gender Equality debate A.  Discontent of women with their position in the society B.  Change of government legal position on Women’s liberty C.  The constitutionalization of the rights of groups including minority groups. II.  Debate on the wages and the rights of Women A. Reexamination of women’s wages vis-à  -vis the men’s.   B. Equating women’s workload with the wages in relation to men’s.   C. Revisiting the declarations that affirm fairness to women.

The Risk of Using the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Risk of Using the Internet - Essay Example Following this, the safety of one's self is also given great importance. With the internet, there are no such physiological needs that need to be fulfilled and it follows that the next concern would be security (Lester & Resnick, 2003). Often, people question the safety of the internet in various aspects. Is the internet truly safe Before tackling this issue, it is necessary to have a background on the internet. The internet is not simply about browsing through sites in the World Wide Web. It is a global network of computers and electronic devices which provides an avenue for these devices to exchange information. In fact, any such device connected to the outside world through a network may be considered part of the internet. There is no doubt that most companies and even individuals use the internet in one way or another. Unfortunately, the widespread use of the internet also makes it suitable as an accessory for crime. Computers and the internet may make one's life more convenient but they may also put one's privacy in danger. Most people are unaware that their computers may be under attack from simply surfing the internet. Computer users are inclined to think that they are anonymous and their identities are completely secure. However, this is not always the case. As a matter of fact, each computer is actually assigned with a unique address referred to as an internet protocol (IP) address. It is similar to a home address in the sense that it may be used to locate a computer within the internet. In fact, a computer may be likened to a house which typically has a front and back door. While the occupants of the house almost always ensure the security of the front door, the other door may be neglected. Similarly, a hacker only needs to locate an open backdoor to break into a system. Computer users will not even notice that a hacker has established a connection to their system. A well-equipped hacker can do anything without the need to be in close proximity to his target (Branigan, 2005). Moreover, hackers can collect information from a computer within a short span of time. Personal information including passwords to secure accounts may be acquired, effectively compromising the privacy of the user. Even with the presence of a firewall to protect the system, there are several more ways to infiltrate a computer. These include the use of viruses and the exploitation of bugs present in some web browsers. Any downloaded content involves the risk of getting one's computer infected (Branigan, 2005). Programs which are acquired through the internet may be viruses or may contain viruses which then attack a computer. At the very least, these viruses may simply be annoying. However, in more complex attacks, these viruses can be used to collect private information from a computer which can then be used in malicious ways. Anti-virus software provides both preventive and active protection against such risks. However, as Branigan stated, the virus scanning software is only as effective as its virus definitions. It is therefore important to update the said software frequently. Unfortunately, despite attempts at improving the performance of such software, virus makers are able to produce more r esilient code. One of the most popular crimes over the internet is online fraud. Electronic mail is a fast way to communicate with other people and is quickly

Actue MI (RE Write) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Actue MI (RE Write) - Essay Example Through this experience, I am able to indicate the various problems that were experienced by my patient as a result of their illness, specifically as they relate to the three primary issues of blood glucose level, anxiety and pain, which has been exacerbated by the patient’s new physiology. It has been widely recognised that holistic care is of increased interest within the nursing profession as understanding is gained regarding the complex cyclic relationship between a person’s physical health and psychological health (Messer & Meldrum, 1995). While the interest is increasing, this is not a new discovery as the World Health Organization, as early as 1946 (cited by Roper, Logan and Tierney, 1998), defined health as a â€Å"state of complete mental and social well-being† rather than the generally accepted definition of the absence of illness or infirmity. Clearly, there is a real need for recognition and support for more than the patient’s physical well-being within the nursing profession. A holistic approach to nursing would include caring for the obvious physical needs of the patient, but also providing assistance and caring for their spiritual, emotional, social and cultural needs as well. In discussing the care of my selected patient, it will be demonstrated how these holistic considerations were a part of the overall care provided, especially within the context of the registered nurse’s role. For the purposes of this study, I will refer to my selected patient as Mrs. Harris (patient profile, appendix 1). This is in direct accordance with the confidentiality codes listed in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2004) Code of Professional Conduct. In addition, I will not refer directly to any client, colleague or Trust with which I was engaged while making this study. Mrs. Harris, 75, was brought by ambulance to the Accident and Emergency department accompanied by her husband and two grown daughters

THE IMPACT OF TRADE ON LABOUR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

THE IMPACT OF TRADE ON LABOUR - Essay Example Then it has collected some data of international trade volume and unemployment rate of a developing and a developed nation to find out whether any strong relationship does exist between the two variables. On the basis of its research, the study has come to the conclusion that trade does not significantly affect labor market in real world. Introduction: According to the Economic theory, we know that there are gains from trade. But these gains are reflected as net gains. Despite there been a secular increase in both exports and imports and has been regarded as a percentage of Gross National Product which is considered to be beneficial for the economy and also though the increased exports have generated additional employment opportunities, but still these changes have been accompanied by reduced employment opportunities and adjustment burdens for workers in import-competing industries. The workers had to adapt themselves to the new working environment of changing demand conditions in th e import competing industries which involve extended periods of job research, restraining and relocation which demands to be a bit costly venture. As per the analysis, women and the minorities, the less educated and the lower paid groups, as compared to men, had to take more burdens on themselves and they were not in a position to afford the cost even. Since the last two decades, quite a number of developing countries have undergone liberalization of their trade regimes. The proponents of such liberalization have argued that one of the chief beneficiaries of greater openness to trade is the workers in these countries. Basically, trade liberalization with abundant supply of labor has encouraged producers to reallocate output towards labor intensive goods. Hence the resulting increase in the demand for labor, given the labor market conditions, has translated into some condition of an increase in employment and wages. The logic behind this argument has been totally justified and compel ling and has been supported by the proponents of early liberalization as the Newly Industrialized Economies of East Asia like Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. According to Robbins in the year 1996, and Wood in 1997, recent episodes of trade liberalization have appeared not to have been associated with large improvements in prospects for the typical worker. The apparent divergence between the expectations of liberalization advocates and the recent evidence has been explained by various factors. For example, the liberalization in trade has lead to an inflow of new technologies from abroad. But in this case, the growing evidence suggests that the new technologies are increasingly skill biased and therefore according to the recent episodes of trade liberalization that may lead to an increased demand for workers but that will comprised of less number of workers who are highly skilled, as per Wood in 1997. ( Wood, 1997) On the other way, the available evidence may be incomplete in some important ways. As for example, it has been highly observed that the short run effects of liberalization are likely to be adverse for aggregate labor, even among the proponents of trade liberalization. It takes a lot of time for resources to get reallocated in new firms and industries and it is also possible that the available time series is not enough to capture the effects of trade fully. In a similar way, the number of countries that have been taken into observation may not be the most appropriate ones.

Cause and Effect;What would be the effects of dropping out of high Essay

Cause and Effect;What would be the effects of dropping out of high school - Essay Example High school dropouts will hardly provide any meaningful skills to the job market and therefore, not able to secure good jobs. This causes a sharp drop in living standards among high school dropouts. Lack of education means lack of skills needed by most employers if not all. This leaves high school dropouts with no choice than to do the unskilled jobs that are lowly paid. Whereas this is a loss to the employment sector, most of the loss occurs to the dropouts since they forego the gratification that comes with professional jobs. Such dropouts can hardly support their families with the little income they have. More notably, they are most likely to create a poor generation since their family foundations are already economically unstable. With the increasing problems associated with global economic crisis, high school dropouts are most likely to face overwhelming competition and difficult living conditions. US government has to make a huge budgetary allocation every year in aid for the poor families that cannot support themselves. A great number of high school dropouts add to this burden every year. This is because as they can hardly support themselves economically. Additionally, they nurture families that are not economically stable thereby adding more pressure to the already heavily burdened government spending. For instance, the government has to struggle raising funds to support a healthcare program for the poor even when the poor, such as high school dropouts, cannot afford to contribute financially to the program. Poor living conditions and lack of livelihood is a prerequisite to criminal activities. Criminal activities are most likely to be more prevalent among high school dropouts due to inability to generate enough income. High school dropouts hardly have any option apart from engaging in criminal activities due to the overwhelming competition in the modern society. More notably, high school dropouts are, most certainly, likely to associate with

Strength And Weakness Essay Example for Free

Strength And Weakness Essay Klick and Tabarrok use changes in the terror alert levels in Washington to infer a variation in police deployment, and provide an estimate of the police crime elasticity as -0.3 which is similar to the results got by Levittï ¼Ë†1997ï ¼â€°Ã¯ ¼Å' Di Tella and Schargrodsk (2004) and Draca et al.(2008). Although Di Tella and Schargrodsk is creative by using a terrorist bomb which lead to police deployment and get statistically significant result, one concern here is that a single shock does not generally allow a researcher to use critical values from standard asymptotic theory to judge the statistical significance of observing a given test statistic. However, Klick and Tabarrok use terror alert level which varies four times in the period, and it reduces the possibility of spurious correlation. Furthermore, they use the daily data and the treatment window is short, so their results are less likely to be due to changes in other factor. Comparing the earlier studies like Levitt(2002), Kovandzic and Sloan(2002), Corman and Mocan(2005) which use observational study, Klick and Tabarrok use natural experiment that usually allow firmer causal conclusions to be drawn than observational studies, so they provide better evidence for a general link between police number and crime rates. Klick and Tabarrok also find no deterrence effect for homicide while Levitt found the largest deterrence effect for homicides in earlier studies, this is notable. Read more:  Strengths and Weaknesses Essay One significant shortcoming of Klick and Tabarrok research is its reliance on single jurisdiction. Although strong designs require this and it can provide a better identification, there is a concern about external validity. For example, Klick and Tabarrok reveals a statistically significant result applying the data from one single city Washington DC, but it is unclear whether this effect observed in Washington DC could be expected in other cities. In particular, this research does not provide any evident about the actual variation in terms of the police number and it does not examine how police are allocated to reduce crime. Therefore, use of this design in other  cities and more detailed information on police allocation has the potential to increase confidence in these results substantially. This research uses IV method, so a possibly excessive faith in instrumental variable can really be a problem. Robustness of the IV used is far from proven, which means that issues of endogeneity may not have been fully dealt with as the author claim. In this case, the change in transport usage pattern and the police effort can really affect criminal rate. As Draca, Machin and Witt(2009) explain, the indirect effect from adopting IV may rely on two displacement: spatial displacement and temporal displacement. But Klick and Tabarrok does not involve it. Reference: Draca, M., Machin, S. and Witt, R. (2008) Panic on the Streets of London: Police, Crime and the July 2005 Terror Attacks. CEP Discussion Paper no. 852. Levitt, S.D. (1997) Using Electoral Cycles in Police Hiring to Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime, The American Economic Review 87(3): 270-290 Levitt, S.D. (2002) Using Electoral Cycles in Police Hiring to Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime: Reply, The American Economic Review 92(4): 1244-1250. Di Tella, R. and Schargrodsky, E. (2004) Do Police Reduce Crime? Estimates Using the Allocation of Police Forces after a Terrorist Attack, The American Economic Review 94(1): 115-133.

The Problems With Ship Breaking In Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay

The Problems With Ship Breaking In Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay Introduction Environmental degradation and depletion of resources are alarmingly increasing in developing countries due to lack effective legislations, non-compliance of international standards in ship breaking process. It is manifested mainly by pollution, deforestation, destruction of wetlands, depletion of soil nutrients, etc. In Bangladesh, both rapid population growth and a degraded environment create serious threats to the economic development. This leads to other serious problems such as poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy. Since the majority of people in Bangladesh derive their livelihoods from the use and extraction of all types of resources, the living condition in Bangladesh, especially of the poor, becomes extremely vulnerable to environmental damage  [1]  .  The instant paper is directed to scan the relevant literatures on the impact of ship breaking in Bangladesh and also to put forward some proposals to be undertaken to this end. Super tankers and giant cargo ships are the backbone of our global consumer society. Hundreds of meters long, ferrying millions of tons of goods across the globe, the perpendicular size of these immense vessels is awe inspiring. Even when these ships are not seaworthy anymore, and repairs are not inexpensively viable, the raw material it is constructed from has a greater value for other purposes. Construction of one such behemoth is a fascinating feat of engineering, however, the destruction and final resting place of these steel giants is even more intriguing. Ship breaking is the process that dismantles an obsolete vessels structure for scrapping or disposal. Conducted at a pier or dry dock or dismantling ship, it includes a wide range of activities, from removing all gears and equipment to cutting down the ships infrastructure (OSHA, 2001)  [2]  . Ship breaking although is demanding but a very risky process indeed. It involves pollution, environmental hazards, and health issues. Ship breaking was recognized as a highly mechanized task until the 1960s in the industrialized countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, but as the costs of upholding environmental health and safety standards increased the activity moved towards the poor Asiatic states from the early 1980s. The industry since then took a different approach where the ship owners to maximise profits sent their vessels to the scrap yards of poor South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan where payment, health and safety requirements are minimal and workers are desperate for work. Ship breaking activities in Bangladesh is concentrated on the port city Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal. Ship breaking activities are being practiced in the coastal areas and have gained importance in the macro and micro-economy of poverty stricken Bangladesh. Rising demand of raw materials for re-rolling mills and other purposes has made ship breaking activity as one of the major character in the industrial revolution of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is dependant on its ship breaking industry for its domestic steel requirements, thus making it as one of the major resources for steel. This is why ship breaking industry is not subject to any environmental laws or health and safety regulations for workers in Bangladesh. Even though there is no such law regarding ship breaking and on top of that no one is even concerned about the environmental hazard which is leading the country to an outrageous environmental exposure. After the vessels end their navigability period, the owners send them to the shipyards in Chittagong to recover their valuable steel where about 95% of a vessel is recycled. However, these ships contain hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead paint and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). During scrapping, by manual and basic methods, these toxic substances are released into the atmosphere. This phenomenon produces a strong and considerable contamination of the surrounding environment and lethal diseases into the workers. These activities exemplify both the potentialities and the dangers of an increasingly globalising economy.  [3]   PROBLEMS DUE TO SHIP BREAKING Ships built before the 1980s, contain many deadly materials. Ship breaking activities in Chittagong, Bangladesh pollute the soil, sea and rivers of the surrounding. Local fishing and agriculture as a livelihood are almost impossible over there due to the discharge of this toxic gases and oil pollution in the sea. This erosion of their traditional livelihoods drives more and more impoverished people to the dangerous shipyards. Samples taken from the yard shows contamination with high levels of mineral oil and toxic substances. Discharge of oil to the sea also results physical damage to the birds, mammals and marine organisms and their natural habitats. Wastes like blasting residue and paint chips contaminate the soil and surface water. Improper storage and disposal of scrap metals and wastes also causes lead contamination. Environmentally hazardous fumes evolve when metal and paint is heated during hot work. The pollution is both severe and long-standing. Unlike in Western countries w here there are stringent regulations on hazardous substances and health and safety measure, in Chittagong yard rules and regulations are rarely applied. Laws on health and safety matters although exists but are hardly enforced and moreover even if the law becomes stringent due to corrupt politics the ship owners apply their powers to withdraw the law and orders.  Following a High Court directive, the commerce ministry of Bangladesh incorporated a condition in its Import Policy Order 2009-2012, which said an exporter of a vessel had to submit a pre-cleaning certificate from the country of origin stating the ship was cleaned before exportation but then again the government amended the law allowing the Chittagong ship breaking industry to no longer require the documentation from the selling nations environmental authorities certifying vessels were free of toxic substances.  [4]  Ã‚  The Basel convention and several other international treaties laid down rules and regulations whic h states that ships that are built with deadly toxic substances shall not be exported for recycling unless they are pre-cleaned and has undergone a cleaning test. But in Chittagong ship breaking yard the owners in violation of the law import those toxic vessels without pre-cleaning. As a result of this violation, terrible poisons and toxic gases are released into the environment playing havoc with the health of the people and all living creature in the ecosystem. The workers in Chittagong yard are permanently exposed to toxic substances. They breathe in these toxic fumes and asbestos dust. Not only on the job, but also in the sleeping quarters nearby they inhale these toxic gases. One out of four workers is expected to contract cancer due to workplace poisons. This makes the Chittagong ship breaking industry the most deadly in the world. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS DUE TO SHIP BREAKING Aside from the health of the yard workers, in recent years, ship breaking has become an issue of major  environmental concern. In addition to steel and other useful materials, however, ships contain many hazardous substances. Many ship breaking yards in developing nations have no  proper enforceable environmental law, enabling large quantities of highly toxic materials to escape into the environment causing serious health problems amongst the labours in the ship breaking yard, the local population and wildlife.  [5]  The hazards are as follows: Hazardous Substances Asbestos fibres, dusts PCBs PVC (combustion products) Heavy and toxic metals(lead, mercury, cadmium, copper, zinc etc. Welding fumes Organometallic substances (tributylin, etc.) Volatile organic compounds (solvents) Lack of hazard communication (storage, labelling, material safety data sheets) Inhalation in confined and enclosed spaces Batteries, fire-fighting liquids Compressed gas cylinders Physical Hazards Noise Vibration Extreme temperatures Poor illumination Biological Hazards Toxic marine organisms Animal bites Risk of communicable diseases transmitted by pests, vermin, rodents, insects and other animals that may infest the ship others) Infectious diseases (TB, malaria, dengue fever, hepatitis, respiratory infections, others) Ergonomic and Psychological Hazards Repetitive strain injuries, awkward postures, repetitive and monotonous work, excessive workload. Mental stress, strained human relations (aggressive behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, violence) IMPACTS OF SHIP BREAKING DUE TO DISCHARGED POLLUTANTS Most hazardous materials nowadays are restricted or banned today but a ship built about 30 years ago still contains these materials. It also carries hazardous and flammable chemicals used for painting, repair and maintenance, etc. Cables and electrical and other control systems contain hazardous material and emit hazardous gases, if burned. The paint coat, contaminated air, soil and water when torched or scraped, is hazardous for human and the environment. The protection of health and of the workers handling the hazardous waste is of crucial importance.  [6]   Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) POPs are chemicals that are highly toxic, remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, bio accumulate through the food web, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human population, wildlife and the environment.  [7]  This group of priority pollutants consists of pesticides such as DDT, industrial chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and unintentional by-products of industrial processes such as dioxins, furans and orgaotins. POPs are transported across international boundaries far from their sources no matter wherever they are used, even to regions where they have never been used or produced. Due to its emission the ecosystems particularly becomes risky because of the long-range environmental transportation and bio-magnification of these substances. Consequently, POPs pose a threat to the environm ent and to human health all over the globe. Exposure to POPs may cause acute, medium or long-term impacts. It also gives rise to cancer and other related diseases. Chittagong ship breaking industry is a prospective basis of these fatal chemicals of POPs. Asbestos Asbestos is the name given to a group of six different fibrous minerals (Amosite, Chrysotile, Crocidolite, and the fibrous varieties of Tremolite, Actinolite, and Anthophyllite) that occurs naturally in the environment. All forms of asbestos are hazardous, and inhalation of these fibres can cause severe diseases. On the ship breaking beaches of Chittagong, asbestos fibres and flocks fly around in the open air and the labours over there take out asbestos insulation materials with their bare hands without any safety precautions. Workers who repeatedly breathe in asbestos fibres with lengths greater than or equal to 5ÃŽÂ ¼m may develop a slow build-up of a disease called asbestosis. a scar-like tissue in the lungs and in the membrane that surrounds the lungs. This is a serious disease and can eventually lead to disability or death in people exposed to high amounts of asbestos over a long period. Asbestos workers also have increased chances of getting lung cancer as well. Oil Pollution Oil is a highly volatile compound composed of mainly hydrocarbon, sulphur containing compounds etc. Approximately 75% of the constituents of oil are hydrocarbons. As a result ship breaking, oil residues and the other refuses are being spilled and mixed with soil and water in the beach. In Chittagong yard the beach is black due to oil spills, and fishes have already started to disappear as per the researchers report. In freshwater environments, perhaps the most dangerous problem is contamination of drinking water sources. Food sources, such as fish and crustaceans both marine and fresh water, may be tainted and the consumption of tainted food causes human health problems and also loss for export trade in foreign market. Oil pollution also threatens the livelihoods of fisherman. Impact of ship breaking on the surrounding environment and coastal community Toxic oil and metallic substances through intake of affected fish, causes human health hazards. In ship breaking areas various refuse and disposable materials are discharged and spilled from scraped ships and it often gets mixed with the beach soil .The scrap from the ships is staked haphazardly on the sea shore, leaving behind an accumulation of metal fragments and rust in the soil. These together with extensive human and mechanical activities often go on as routine work for the scrapping of ships in that area as a result the beach soil loses its binding properties and this accelerate the rate and the amount of shore erosion and increase the turbidity of sea water of the surrounding area. Disruption of bio-diversity in the long run may also destroy the suitability of human settlement. During the breaking period accidental death sometimes occurs. Due to lack of proper sanitation and drinking water workers suffer from water borne diseases. As the sound pollution is a regular phenomenon during dismantling, inhabitants of the adjacent areas live in a painful situation .The poor coastal community get a variety of employment opportunities in the industry and it turns into a way of livelihood to them. On the other hand social crime, abuse of drugs and illegal activities increases due to ship breaking activities in that area. As the commercially important species are replaced by low priced species and scarcity of fish, many coastal fishermen are leaving their hereditary profession and moving around everyday as environmental refugees in a state of under employment and poverty to unemployment and grim poverty. SHIP BREAKING AND INTERNATIONAL LAW The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) (1998) PIC is internationally applied to the trans-boundary movement of hazardous waste. The Rotterdam Convention, subjects to the Prior Informed Consent procedure for 30 hazardous pesticides and 11 industrial chemicals such as chlordane, chlordimeform, chlorobenzilate, Asbestos, PBBs, PCBs etc. Most of these hazardous substances are present in ships that were built 20 to 30 years back. Countries lacking adequate infrastructure to monitor the import and use of such hazardous substances were in violence of the law. In terms of ship breaking, owners have to make a declaration of hazardous substances on board, on arrival at the yard for dismantling. However, PIC by itself is not sufficient to stop unsafe scrapping. What is needed is that the country from which the toxic ship arrives needs to notify the importing country. The importing country can then take measures for the adequate treatment of these hazardous substances. But unfortunately in the case of Chittagong ship yard it is often seen that end of life vessels have been exported without the importing authorities being alerted. The Basel Convention Articles 4 and 6 of the Basel Convention impose strict conditions that go further than the PIC convention on the trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes. It imposes an obligation of due diligence, on all ship owners. All parties are required to provide information about a proposed trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes, to the countries concerned. Three elements must be proved for the violation of the Basel Convention to the issue of ship breaking: (i) Proof that the waste will not be properly dealt with by the ship breaking country. (ii) The legal recognition that ships are waste. (iii) An established intention to discardby the owner of the ship.  [8]  This convention is very much applicable to the Chittagong yard but unfortunately they are hardly followed by both importing and exporting parties of the yard.  [9]   United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) UNEP is responsible for the implementation of the Basel Convention. It is currently drafting guidelines on the environmentally sound management for the full and partial dismantling of ships, in order to provide recommendations on procedures and practices to be implemented to attain Environmental Sound Management (ESM) in ship breaking yards. International labour Organization (ILO) The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The guidelines suggest a national framework defining the general responsibilities and rights for employers, workers and regulatory authorities in ship breaking. In addition, the guidelines also provides recommendations on safe ship breaking operations including the management of hazardous substances, protection and preventative measures for workers against hazards and suggestions for a competency based training program. The ILO approach is to facilitate step-by-step improvements to the practice of dismantling ships on beaches. If these approaches are applied, the Chittagong ship breaking yard will reach a satisfactory quality.  [10]  The ILO guideline suggests the: Ensuring there is an inventory of hazardous materials on board; Decontamination and gas-freeing; Planning for safe demolition; Recycling and; Safe waste management. The International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) MARPOL is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years. It is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. In the issue of ship breaking MARPOL would apply to the discharges that occur from ships sent for ship breaking, which take place within the territorial waters of the ship breaking country. Practically this means that once the ship is delivered to a ship breaking yard any discharge, notably of oil or oily mixtures will be prohibited under this convention. Such oily wastes must be retained on board or discharged to reception facilities in port.  [11]   International Maritime Organization (IMO) In December 2003, the IMO issued a document entitled Guidelines on Ship Recycling. The Guideline is urbanized to give advice to all relevant stakeholders in the recycling process. The Guidelines suggest practical measures for all stages of the ship recycling process. They are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New ship and equipment design, in particular to minimize the use to hazardous substances and waste generation as well as to facilitate recycling and the removal of hazardous materials; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Preparation of a Green Passport for new and existing ships; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selection of a recycling facility and preparation of a ship for recycling including a ship Recycling Plan and;   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roles for primary stakeholders including flag, port and recycling states, the Basel Convention, the ILO and the shipping industry. The Guidelines seeks to give confidence to recycling as the best means of ship disposal. In general, the Guidelines take the view that the responsibility for environment and worker protection in ship recycling facilities must respite with the recycling feature itself and with the regulatory authorities of the country in which it operates. Nevertheless, it is noted that ship owners and other stakeholders also have a responsibility to address the issues involved. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) The aim of ICS is to encourage high standards of operation and the provision of high quality and efficient shipping services. It also strives for a regulatory environment which supports safe shipping operations, protection of the environment and adherence to internationally adopted standards and procedures regarding ship breaking. ICS also promotes properly considered international regulation of shipping and oppose unilateral and regional action by governments. ICS took the initiative to establish an Industry Working Party on Ship Recycling (IWPSR) on the 23rd of February 1999. The IWPSR established an Industry Code of Practice on ship recycling in August 2001. This Code of Practice is the basis for the IMOs own guidelines. It is aimed at the ship owners, and encourages for the present shipping companies to initiate and complete a programme to identify and record, as far as is practicable, on each of their existing ships, any potentially hazardous material, as well as to make every e ffort to minimize the amount of potentially hazardous materials on board of the ship and while recycling of ships. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) The Stockholm Convention (Article 3.2) restricts the import and export of POPs to cases where, for example, the purpose is environmentally sound disposal. It also requires that POPs may not be transported across international boundaries without taking into account relevant international rules, standards and guidelines (Article6.1). The Stockholm Convention requires Parties to take measures to reduce or eliminate releases of POPs from intentional production and use (Article 3), unintentional production (Article 5) and stockpiles and wastes (Article 6). Concepts of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) are to be further elaborated by the Conference of the Parties. Bangladesh being a signatory government of the convention must take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment in the Chittagong ship breaking yard.  [12]   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The issue of human rights in ship breaking yards came to the attention of the international community in the 1990s through the concerted actions of different non-governmental organizations, above all Greenpeace, trade unions such as the International Transport Workers Federation and the International Metalworkers Federation, and intergovernmental bodies, such as the International Labour Organization. The awful working conditions and the dangers to the health and safety of the workers, publicized by several investigative media reports, led to a public outcry, which in turn generated an international mobilization on the issue.  [13]   SOLUTIONS FOR A SAFER ENVIRONMENT Abide by the law All the international treaties and the international UN bodies must together act against unacceptable ship breaking practices. The yard owners and the workers must have the appropriate knowledge regarding the law, health and safety issues and they also have to be encouraged to abide by the law as requires. The government must take reasonable steps to make the law obligatory to abide by on the ship breaking yards. Stop dumping toxic ships The shipping industry is responsible for its own vessels. They should take immediate measures to prevent pollution of the environment and protect the workers that dismantle their ships. They can do that by decontaminating and gas-freeing their ship-for-scrap before export to developing countries.  [14]   Gas Free Certificates No ship recycling facility shall undertake any cutting or dismantling activity onboard a vessel until a ship has been tested for flammability and a Gas-Free for hot works certificate granted. This test must take place at the ship recycling facility just prior to any cutting or dismantling taking place. Prevent pollution The shipping industry is responsible for its own vessels. They should take immediate measures to prevent pollution of the environment and protect the workers that dismantle their ships. They can do that by decontaminating and degassing their ship-for-scrap before export to Asia. Governments Role The government of Bangladesh should formulate and implement a national policy and principles for safe and sustainable ship breaking after having consultation with relevant organizations, employers and workers. They should also include this sector under the ministry of industry defined by the Factory Act, 1965 and formulate a policy so that, workers rights and welfare; occupational safety health (OHP) could be ensured and it could be eco-friendly as well. Usage of Technological Renovation Ship-owners should gradually make their vessels cleaner by the usage of better technology machineries during the recycling process. They should provide their workers with more and more safe and precautionary machineries that do not risk the workers life. During maintenance and survey stops, hazardous materials should be replaced with clean alternatives. In addition, ship-owners should, together with shipbuilders and classification societies, commit to the development of clean ships to avoid future disposal problems.  [15]   CONCLUSION Though in Bangladesh, ship breaking is now considered as a formal industry by law but the activities in real are not at all formalized yet. There is no enforcement of the labour laws, no legal binding framework to ensure Bangladesh comply with international human rights and environmental commitments. Above all, there are no consolidated policies or strategies or guidelines in Bangladesh for ship dismantling and there is a serious lack of communication between the responsible Ministries. According to several researchers the whole coastal area in Chittagong is in high risk by pollution generated from the ship breaking activities. Toxic chemicals and hazardous materials are not managed in an environmentally sound way; the beach is black due to oil spills, and fishes have started to disappear. Also the ship breaking activities has impact on the human health, directly to the workers; it has impacts on the food chain, on physiochemical properties of seawater, inter tidal sediments and soil and above all the on the biodiversity . As Bangladesh is one of the largest countries in respect of ship breaking activities, the subsequent impact on the environment and violation of human rights in the ship breaking yards drew the attention of different concerned bodies around the world as well as within Bangladesh in recent years. If the ship breaking industry is to bring development in the country, the same shall also be applied to ensure minimization of pollution effect. A longer stretch along the seashore is in no way justified for continuation of this business. Rather a certain separate zone like a dockyard should be selected by the competent authority to be undertaken at the right time, before it is too late. Considering the vital role of ship breaking in national economy ship breaking can not be stopped. Rather a sustainable approach should be taken to minimize the negative consequences of ship breaking activities in our coastal zone.

Wolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening Essay -- Chopin Awakening

Wolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening In her essay "Un-Utterable Longing: The Discourse of Feminine Sexuality in Kate Chopin's The Awakening", Cynthia Griffin Wolff creates what Ross Murfin describes as "a critical whole that is greater than the sum of its parts." (376) By employing a variety of critical approaches (including feminist, gender, cultural, new historicism, psychoanalytic and deconstruction) Wolff offers the reader a more complete (albeit complex) explanation of Edna Pontellier's behavior and motivations than any single approach could provide. Wolff contends that locating the source of Edna's repression is the key to understanding Chopin's story. Wolff's perspective is feminist in that she focuses primarily on the character of Edna. By analyzing The Awakening in a historical context Wolff is also able to effectively explain not only Edna's motivations, but also those of nineteenth-century women in general. According to Wolff, Edna's repression can be traced to the gender crisis that developed within the Presbyterian church during the nineteenth-century. Unli...

Business Assignment :: essays research papers

Business Name Business Address Line 1 Business Address Line 2 Dear Business Name: Over the past 50 years, your company has been a loyal supporter of the Morris County Senior Center. The contributions that we have received from your company have helped this center grow in many ways. Because of your support, we have been able to help Morris County’s Senior Citizens feel like they were young again. Recently, our non-profit organization has run into some financial concerns. The vans that we use to transport our guests are old and run down. Because of this, certain measures have occurred to the disappointment of our guests. Here at the Center, we serve the needs of Morris County’s 1,000 Senior Citizens. It is the only place where they can meet their peers, use a special library, avoid extreme weather and get a well-balanced meal. Most individuals come here by way of our bus system. These buses are used for various day trips to museums, plays, and similar functions. Occasionally they are used to transport the temporarily disabled to the doctors or pharmacists. As I’m sure you have heard, recent state and federal cutbacks have dug into our organizations budget. Also, two of our largest supporters have taken their companies else where which has also taken a cut out of our budget. Here at the center we have under taken this special fundraiser to raise the costs of purchasing three new buses. We figure total costs to be $84,000. This figure includes estimates on ho much the center could gain from selling the old vans. According to our estimates, the purchase of these new vans will be a much better investment than continually fix our existing vans which right now is costing us $300 a week.

The Mystery of What is Normal Essay -- Normality Family Essays

The Mystery of What is â€Å"Normal† In order to think about whether someone’s family is â€Å"normal† or not, you would have to consider many factors.â€Å"Normal† in what sense of the word?What aspect of the family are we considering the normality?Are we talking about the family’s culture, quality of living, habits, the way that the present themselves, or are we just comparing them to the people next door?Are we talking about the normality of the family at face value or are we asking about the normality of that family which only members of that family have experienced?There are so many definitions of the word â€Å"normal.†Finding a definition of the word â€Å"normal† depends on the person’s definition of what he or she thinks â€Å"normal† means. In the dictionary, it states that the definition of â€Å"normal† is â€Å"Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical.†But the word itself has a wide range of meanings.It can mean: â€Å"what’s accepted,† â€Å"average,† â€Å"just like everyone else,† or â€Å"just not sticking out in the crowd† just to name a few. We all have different perceptions of what the word normal means, and what is considered to be different.This perception is always changing and is affected by everything around us.If you ask a person what is normal one day, and then ask him again in about a month, that person will probably give an entirely different answer.The word normal is, in the most part, has opinionated definition.It varies from person to person, and changes dramatically as each person learns, experiences and accepts new things. Now that that has all been said, how can I consider if my family is normal or not?If the definition of the word normal varies from person to person, my answer to the ... ...â€Å"devil cat?†How many people have a father with an explosive temper?How many people have a mother who is a supervisor in a party plan?I’m sure that every person has a family that has differences that ranges from beliefs to habits to any experience of even the smallest significance. The strongest word that I would use to compare anyone’s family is the word â€Å"similar.†No family is â€Å"normal.†I myself have a hard time using the word â€Å"normal.†The only way that a family could be considered as normal is if every family was exactly alike, and alike in everyway possible.There is no true definition of the word â€Å"normal† in a society where what’s frowned upon one day is commonplace the next, and vice versa. Works Cited Bass, Randal. â€Å"Borders as Barriers: Otherness and Difference.† Bordrtext: Cultural Reading for Contemporary Writers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. 205-210

Middle Eastern Women Rights in Islamic Society

Women Rights of the Middle East â€Å"Life is full of unhappiness and most of it caused by women (Harik and Marston 11)†. For women in the Middle East life is faced with great and unequal odds, as their human rights are limited, due to Islamic beliefs and that of patriarchy. From their daily actions at home to their physical appearance, Middle Eastern women are portrayed as quiet, faceless women veiled from head to toe. While this image is just another stereotype, women in the middle do face many obstacles and challenges of creating their own identity as they are frequently denied a voice in their rights.Living in a society dominated by men life is not, but regardless women in the Middle East, predominantly Muslims, continue to fight for change as they balance their traditional roles with those of modern society. In the Middle East a person’s religion is a way of life, the basis of their identity. It defines a person’s beliefs and morality as it sets strong guide lines for behaviors between both men and women. Without Religion, it is said society would â€Å"fall apart† forgetting about their God and responsibilities that carry their honor.For many religious Middle easterners their faith gives them a powerful sense of who they are. While many feel this powerful sense of support others feel a religion’s rules or morals can also restrict a person’s freedom. This burden tends to fall on women in the Middle East where most religions are developed and led by men (Harik and Marston 53). Followers know as Muslims practice what is known as Islam, the religion of many Middle Easterners. This practice began in the seventh century A. D from the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (Harik and Marston 54).In the beliefs of Islam it is said that there is only one god and His messenger is Mohammed. The basic practices required by Muslim’s are called the five pillars, in which Mohammed’s revolutionary teachings express that a ll people are equal in God’s eyes. This meaning that men and women of all classes should share the same spiritual rewards as well as sacrifices. Not only are Muslims expected to live pure and modest lives but they are also to serve God by working for social justice. This is something thatMuslims don’t abide by as women rights as still to this day faced with great injustice (55). Men seem to hold absolute power leaving women with few, if any rights. This leaves women feeling unvalued and treated as little more than piece of property. In Mohammed’s revolutionary teaching women are also to be protected and treated equally by men yet in many countries of the Middle East they do not (58). For women marriage is a great arrangement as in order to marry someone a male guardian has to grant approval.The minimum age for a girl to get married is seventeen but judges can also marry a minor girl with consent of her father. Muslim women may not marry a non-Muslim but for a ma le its ok to (Afary). Besides some of the issues women may face in their her relationship, there are other is handling your classes Middle Eastern / Muslim women faces. For instance women in traditional lands such as Saudi Arabia are to remain strictly obedient to men (Harik and Marston 59). Under the Taliban women have to wear a burka giving them restrictive head to toe covering.As appose to that of a lighter veil in which is more common in urban centers. The enforcements of these laws are usually done by religious police and the ministry. If women are to go against these actions then women are severely beaten for showing their wrist, hands, or ankles. They are also tormented for begging in the streets as they are left with nothing but their own will (Afary). Many inequalities still do exist within the Muslim society. In Muslim societies such as Kuwait, women face issues with their right to vote and their right to run for political office.Under the reading of Islam it is interprete d by Kuwait’s that women are forbidden to hold a position of authority, but this interpretation makes no senses as under Islam it really states people are all equal (Korman 94). Other Kuwait’s believe that women are voting through their father or husband who cast a vote for the entire family not leaving a women’s voice unheard (95). Two great issues for women as we can see have been the right to vote and the right to run for political office.This was acted on in the year 1999 by Sheik Jaber III, past ruler of Kuwait, who issued a royal decree granting women the right to vote. Unfortunately, on November of 1999, the National Assembly voted down the measure, due to time, claiming it was not right to grant those rights for Kuwaiti women yet (Korman 94). Yet inequalities may not be the case for women in more westernized nations as they receive greater freedom (60). This is where the great diversity between modernist Muslim’s and conservative Muslim’s c ome in.Modernist Muslims argue genuine Islam is compatible with modern west society and political ideas such as democracy and the equality of women. The views of women in society are supported by revelations of the prophet Mohammed. On the other hand we have conservative Muslims where they believe in following their traditional ways and those rules set out by the patriarchal society based on strictly Islamic ideas (61). For most Middle East largely traditional and more prevalent among educated and progressive Muslims there is a strong movement called Fundamentalism.In Kuwait, conservative Muslim women wrestle with other groups that find ways to reconcile modern practices with Islamic tradition. This struggle has heated up in the last years since the Gulf War, as it reflects the intense debate regarding women’s rights (Korman 94). To Westerners, Middle Eastern women are what the media has always chosen to reflect on dressed in black veils, subordinate to the men of their famil ies and oppressed by their societies and state alike. It is rare that the diversity in the Middle East is shown, let alone when it pertains to women .As with everything else in the Middle East, the situation is full of conflicting images. Though Kuwait is situated in the most conservative part of the Muslim world, Kuwaiti women drive, are allowed to travel alone, and enjoy a central role in their own families. Yet this does not seem to be new or controversial to the conservative Kuwaiti society (Afary). In the year 2000 women have been able to vote in almost every country except in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Women in Kuwait have were promised the vote, but lost their right in a 199 Parliament vote on the issue.Kuwait lacks an organized women’s rights movement but they have been working to uphold a committee that has not yet resumed full activities since the Gulf War. Women’s social cultural society- committees dealing with cultural affairs, social activities, while statistical studies on women have shown cases of Kuwaiti women married to non- Kuwait’s receive (Country reports on human rights practices for 1993). Middle Eastern women have become politically active in recent years. During the Gulf War in which, women’s groups protested against the Iraqi occupation.They protested on government policy’s buy constant marches on the National Assembly pressuring them to reform the right for them to vote (Korman 95). Many women fear they won’t be able to run for political office, a compromise, decided upon by members of parliament. Thankfully the Women Affair committee and Union of women societies have given women a voice in political affairs. From inequalities to great mile stones made, tradition and change has come long ways for Middle Eastern women and Muslim women. Over the years women have gone from being treated as a piece of property to being treated as actual human beings, equal to men.Although many improvements hav e been made in the way Middle Easterners see a Muslim women’s role in society, there continues to be discrimination towards women in the modern and traditional Islamic society. Regardless of the battles these women may face, Middle Eastern women to this day continue to fight for their rights in hope that one day their traditional roles will balance out with modern society. For now Middle Eastern women will struggle in order to succeed for their future rights and for those of future women.

American studies

Parrington is credited to be the person who founded American studies due to his winning Pulitzer Prize in the American thought. American studies are an interdisciplinary discipline which deals with the studies of united stated. Incorporated in the American studies are disciplines like economics, literature, history and women’s culture. Also included in the American studies are the film and urban studies as well as the culture of United States. Traditionally, it was believed that knowledge was meant for men and thus was discriminatory.The modern American studies have challenged that in that in today’s culture and practice, women have been given equal opportunity to pursue careers in all fields which were earlier male dominated. Also, the traditional setting of studies segregated the aliens on basis of race and color. The modern studies have challenged this believe by incorporating all individuals in the scholarship arrangements. Critics in favor of traditional approach a rgue that incorporating multiculturalism in American studies may deny the students from experiencing their real culture.This has been challenged by modern studies with scholars arguing that multiculturalism would lead to democracy in America thus is beneficial. Traditional studies also had dismissed some scholarly projects which have been lately accepted by the modern studies. Modern studies also allows interdisciplinary work and which has led to more women being accepted as equal partners by their male counterparts (Kessler-Harris Alice, para 2). This paper will thus focus on the patterns the American studies have taken and the importance of multicultural integrated studies to both the students and the United States.American studies history, patterns and its implications American studies dates back to the 1920s and 1930s but was more profound during the Second World War and also during the post war era which fostered a climate of patriotism and nationalism. The war led to the need of defending the values of the United States which led to the alteration of most of the careers and this also altered the view of the whole world on academics. The traditional method of the American studies was explained by the use of myth and symbol.Scholars advocating for this form of system claimed to have identified some recurring themes which were being used in American texts. Such recurring texts were meant to illuminate and esteem the American culture which was unique (Levander Caroline, para 3). During the myth and symbol era which was in led to innovation of American studies, white men Protestants were the scholars. Their aim was to try to understand and single out the American exceptionalism. In so doing, they left out everybody else.This mode of studies emerged during the cold war period and was seen as an effort to justify the dominance of America after the Second World War and also to celebrate the exceptionalism of America. This was the first shape the American studies took in the 1950s. However, the politics of 1960s led to the transformation of the academic field as well as the society at large. After this transformation, women and racial diversity as well as other workers were recognized. This creation story is criticized on the ground that it failed too acknowledge the scholarships which characterized the post war years.Also this traditional approach of studies does not acknowledge the fact that American studies were invented long before the cold war era. American studies emerged in 1930s and was being practiced by many scholars both within and outside the myth and symbol academy. The concerns of these scholars paved way for today’s American studies (Maddox Lucy, pp 12). The Marxism school of thoughts helps in explaining the different patterns that the American studies have gone through to the currents multicultural form of scholarship.However, they are not distinct and tend to overlap at various intervals. The first school of thought is that of Karl Marxism. This school focused on the struggle existing between capitol and labor as well as the tradition of politics which engaged in scholarship and which motivated people to pursue their craft. Scholarship in this period was founded on recognition of the negative impacts of the industrial capitalism and class divisions which were profound in United States. The practitioners of those days were the public intellectuals and were involved in both the politics and social matters.This group of scholars advocated for a socialist tradition as they termed industrial capitalist to be hostile and against democracy (May Elaine Tyler, para 4). These academic practitioners engaged in fields which were emerging known as the academic mavericks challenged the state of the studies in practice and also expanded the scope of the study both in method and also in content. In doing this, they first explored the unique characteristic of American culture. During this era, America was thoug ht to be an inferior extension of Europe.The intellectuals of the time had ignored the literature of America since it was viewed to be of low standards. The practitioners had a task to retrieve and restore American literature from the set academic considerations margin. American literature was legitimized and instituted within the academy of learning. Post war critics however focused their analysis on the text but the researchers sought to base their analysis on the literature’s history as well as the cultural changes. Focusing on the cultural diversity led to emergence of the modern multicultural American studies (May Elaine Tyler, para 6).Evolution of American studies is also credited to the historians of the 1920s and 1930s. Unlike their counterparts in literature, these historians focused their study on government, politics and the prevailing wars. Some of the historians focused their attention on the democratic spirit exhibited by American people as they were fighting th e aristocracy of the Europeans and also the monopoly of the American capital. A study by Mary Beard acknowledged the role of women in history making unlike in traditional setting where women were not recognized.Democracy which emerged in United States at this era led to more minorities being given a chance to exercise their abilities thus the emergence of American studies (Kessler-Harris Alicev, para 5). Another school which explains the pattern the American studies have taken is the Leo Marxism School which takes a myth and symbol approach. This school emerged during the cold war time. The political and intellectual culture which had earlier developed started to wane after the Second World War. During the cold war, Americanism and democracy as well as capitalism and established institutions were classified together.During this era, international affairs and official activities took the central stage of the United States. This in turn led to the destruction and elimination of capita lism which in turn led to United States being described as classless by some intellectuals and policy makers. Elimination of social classes led to the cohesion of America thus setting it apart from all other states (May Elaine Tyler, para 9). The effects of post war period led to many changes occurring in the American studies.This era was characterized by institutions building and full institution of interdisciplinary fledging enterprises. Interdisciplinary field was more visible during this period which saw most of the scholars identifying with it. American studies were incorporated in the universities, at home as well as abroad during this period. During this period, regional associations emerged which were managed through grants from the public and also from private funding. The need for an informed nation and the values the country was deriving from this informed nation led to an increase in interest in the studies.This saw United States becoming the market leader in offering st udies (Guernsey Lisa, para 3). The traditional believe about scholarship was that only the people considered to be ‘intellectuals’ were in a position to make important decisions concerning the direction the state was to take. This was meant to esteem the uniqueness of the United States and in doing so, the intellectuals left out all other people. The minority groups mostly the blacks were also not considered as being capable of contributing to the overall development of the country.With the current or modern American studies program, this has been challenged in that America is a multicultural country and as such the contribution of every person is necessary to ensure its growth. Introduction of American studies program led to a more informed people in the country thus more development making the United States to be ahead of all other states in terms of development (May Elaine Tyler, para 11). Traditional approach to scholarship also advocated for maintenance of a nation al identity by ensuring that all minor groups and aliens were alienated from the American studies.However, this has been proved to be erroneous in that the introduction of black history has not so far been troublesome in the country. Such inclusion has also led to changing and shaping and avoiding dominance by one particular group especially the whites and has helped in promoting the notion of a common vision in the country. Also, the traditional believe was that women were a minority and could not contribute to the general growth of the economy. This is erroneous since accomplishments of great women such as Jane Addams have not posed any threat in terms of gender and class divisions.Whereas the traditional approach to studies fostered divisions and racism, the modern form of study program fosters more unity in the country (Guernsey Lisa, para 7). Conclusion American studies have evolved over long period from the time when it was believed that the minorities and women were not to be integrated into the country’s form of scholarship to the modern integrative form of scholarship program. American studies have also been adopted by different countries and thus has helped in forging more cooperation and understanding among nations.Recognition that all individuals have a right to pursue their careers without any form of discrimination on either gender, racial or even color and integration of multiculturalism in American studies have helped in shaping and the superiority of the modern American studies. Work cited: Guernsey Lisa: A Movement in the Mirror: American Studies in the 1970s. Retrieved on 5th January 2009 from, http://xroads. virginia. edu/%7EMA95/guernsey/chap1_1. html Kessler-Harris Alice: Cultural Locations: Positioning American Studies in the Great Debate. (1992). Retrieved on 5th January 2009 from,http://xroads. virginia. edu/%7EMA95/guernsey/kharris. html Levander Caroline: The Changing Landscape of American Studies in a Global Era. Retrieved on 5th January 2009 from, http://www. clir. org/activities/digitalscholar2/levander11_11. pdf. Maddox Lucy: Locating American Studies: The Evolution of a Discipline. 1999. Published by JHU Press, ISBN 0801860563 May Elaine Tyler: The Radical Roots of American Studies†: Presidential Address to the American Studies Association. 1995. Retrieved on 5th January 2009 from, http://academics. eckerd. edu/instructor/junkinwf/SyllabiF06/griggscm/AM401/May. htm

How Farmers Are Involved in Agricultural Extension Programme Planning in Ondo State Adp Essay

HOW FARMERS ARE INVOLVED IN AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION PROGRAMME PLANNING IN ONDO STATE ADP. The Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) were first launched as viable projects in 1972 only two years after the end of civil war, when Nigeria was facing its first food and fibre shock. It started in Northern Nigerian towns of Gombe and Gusau with two pilot projects assisted by the World Bank. The projects were to be funded under a tripartite agreement involving World Bank 66%, Federal government 20% and State government 14% in addition to payments of salaries of local staff. The two main objectives of the ADPs were to increase food production, and to raise the income of small-scale farmers. The ondo state ADP was created after the success of the three (3) pilot projects in 1975 covering an LGA in 3 States. The success of the pilot schemes lead to expansion to other LGAs and States (Ondo state inclusive) in the late 70s and by 1989, all the states of the Federation were implementing the integrated approach. The Ondo state ADP is the implementation organ of the state ministry of agriculture. Ondo State Agricultural Development Project (ODSADEP) is an institution structurally divided into two Zones, four sub-Zones, and eighteen Blocks/LGAs containing 162 cells/circles. The achievable number of farm families (FF) stood at 180,000 with EA: FF ratio of 1:1782.(ODSADEP, 2012) I. ADP ZONES: ZONE I (Northern part – covers 8 Local Governments) ZONE II (Southern part – covers 10 Local Governments) The order of hierrachy in the ODSADEP starts with The Project Manager of ADP, Mr Idowu Olabode,followed by Directors of each department, Deputy Directors, Zonal Extension officers,Area Zonal Extension Officers,Zonal WIA, Block extension supervisor, Block extension Agents, Extension agents, Radio/TV officers, audio visual technican, photographer, etc. SOME OF THE EXTENSION TRAINING PROGRAMMES CARRIED OUT BY THE ODSADEP IN THE YEAR 2012. Title | Organizers| Categories ofTrainees| Date| No. ofTrainees| Collaborators| Orientation/Review Training on FFS| ADP| Extension staffs| 23rd-24thApril, 2012| 27| FGN & AfDB| Training of Farmers ledfacilitators on FFS| ADP| Farmers | 18th-19thJuly, 2012| 34| FGN & AfDB| NPFS Women Training| ADP| Women farmers| 21st-24thAug., 2012| 268| FGN & AfDB| Sensitization of WomenFarmers Group on integratedfarming.| ADP| Womenfarmers| 26th Apr-24thMay, 2012| 1,602|Â  Ondo State Government| Demand Driven CourseTraining (NPFS)| ADP| Farmers | 14th-26thJune, 2012 | 201| FGN & AfDB| Establishment andManagement of HomeGarden Training (NPFS)| ADP| Farmers | 17th-27thJuly, 2012| 186| FGN & AfDB| (source: OSADEP, 2012) ILLUSTRATION OF HOW A SUCCESSFUL AGRIC EXTENSION PROGRAMME PLANNING IS CARRIED BY ODSADEP FOR FARMERS PROGRAMME: Farmers Training on Food Security in Bolorunduro in Ondo West Local Government Area. Writing and implementing an extension program requires planning. Extension program planning involves a process of selecting the best course of action to accomplish an objective. It deals with an individual extension worker’s decision. The precise patterns vary considerably as situations differ from one another, however, the following steps in planning should be taken into consideration: Collection of facts: . This includes facts about the village people of Bolorunduro in Ondo West Local Government Area, Ondo State. Their physical conditions, existing farm & home practices, trends & outlook. Besides, other facts about their customs, traditions, rural institutions, peoples’ organisations operating in the area, etc. should be collected. 2. Analysis of the situation – After collecting facts, they are analysed & interpreted to find out the problems & needs of the people. 3. Identification of problems- As a result of the analysis of facts the important gaps between ‘what is’ & ‘what should be’ are identified & the problems leading to such a situation are located. These gaps represent the people’s needs which is food insecurity. 4. Determination of objectives- the aim of the training was to train farmers’ groups on how to utilise the knowledge and skills which they will acquire during the training in efforts to achieve food security. to train farmers in all aspects of farming and food production, farm management and to keep the farmers’ groups alive to enable them to have some joint benefits in the project. 5. Developing the plan of work – the calendar of activities is developed Operation| Teaching objective| Teaching methods| Time table| Staff to do the job| Training on food security| 1. to train farmers in all aspects of farming and food production, farm management andto keep the farmers’ groups alive |Â  LectureVisual aids| 12th-15th April, 2012| Extension agents| 6. Execution of the plan of work – arrangement for supplying the necessary inputs, teaching aids, extension literature etc. Was being made available & the specific action was initiated. 7. Evaluation – here, measurement of the degree of success of the programme in terms of the objectives & goals are set forth. This is basically done to determine the changes in the behaviour of the people as a result of the extension programme. The evaluation is done not only of the physical achievements but also of the methods & techniques used & of the other steps in the programme-planning process, so that the strong & weak points may be identified & necessary changes made. 8. Reconsideration – The systematic & periodic evaluation of the programme will reveal the weak & strong points of the programme. Based on these points the programme is reconsidered & the necessary adjustments & changes are made in order to make it more meaningful & sound. References Ondo State Agricultural Development Programme (2012): ondo state agricultural development programme Akure, national agricultural extension review and planning Meeting report for year 2012

Gustav klimt

They may be completely different to another figure. Josephine Wall is a popular British artist and sculptor. Famous for fantastical works. This painting shows a beautiful girl with strawberry blonde hair out and about on a summer afternoon. The young girl enjoys the sun on her face on a warm midsummer day. The top of her head is covered with a straw hat, and she is surrounded by vibrant summer flowers and trees, and vivid butterflies. But perhaps the most wonderful part of this painting is what is happening right on top of the girl's hat.The Tara around her hat turns into a field where people are enjoying the summer and one another. I find this painting to be wonderful. There is such simplicity behind this painting that helps u feel relaxed when looking at it. The simple lives of the people on top of the girls hat are relaxing because we can easily make out that they are having a wonderful time in the summers sun. It captures the soul of summer and what summer should look like in a s ense. Rob Gonzales is a Canadian painter of magic realism with a unique perspective and style.The Sun Sets Sail is a smooth and calming painting that is also a wonderful optical illusion. Surrealistic paintings which show two seemingly different realistic scenes that magically merge into one. Gonzales exhibits his talent to trick the audience's perception by establishing the ships as the negative space of the arches under the aqueduct. His treatment of details on the ships and the aqueduct create an optical illusion, and a wonderful piece of artwork.Gonzales used shape in order to define the contours of the sailing hips; the arches under the aqueduct are roughly the same shape as the ships. This diagonal composition strengthens the sensation of movement that the ships create. The space created in the painting extends well beyond the edges. There is no limit set by any object in the space. The aqueduct starts to define an edge, but the arches show more space beyond. The colors in the painting also play a role in defining the optical illusion.The aqueduct is a blue silhouette on the left, and that color becomes the sky on the right. The choice to use Just blues and whites make the illusion smooth and simple. Franz Saver Windcheater (20 April 1805 – 8 July 1873) was a German painter, known for his portraits of royalty in the mid-nineteenth century. The Princess Leonia reclines on a low Turkish sofa on a veranda overlooking a lush tropical landscape. The style is naturalistic, and the detail is so precise, it looks like a photograph.It was painted in Rome when Franz met the Princess and her husband and made portraits of both of them. Princess Leonia she was a daughter of one of the most influential families of the Russian nobility. Known for her great beauty and intellect, the Princess is resplendent in a luxurious gown of ivory silk moor ©. She is lying on an open balcony and behind the column are plants, and further back, the ocean with a distant island and clouds in the sky displaying the colors of sunset. Windcheater used atmospheric perspective as he painted each receding item with less detail.The detail of the carpet in the foreground, and the large column and rapiers in the background, do not quite as precise, thus, not seem as important. This technique serves two purposes: to show the distance of the island and the horizon from the balcony, and also to ensure that Princess Leonia is the focus of the painting. I chose this painting because of the many different elements of design and principles of art used. The implied texture of her gown; the depth created with atmospheric perspective; the asymmetrical balance, as she is definitely more on the left side of the picture.

The Phenomenon of the Equity Premium Puzzle Assignment

The Phenomenon of the Equity Premium Puzzle - Assignment Example Myopic loss aversion is a behavioral finance approach used to explain the size of equity risk premium. Behavioral finance deviates from the standard economic theory and integrates the human psychology with economic theory. The concept of myopic loss aversion rests on two principals   It includes the cognitive and unconscious operations used by people to organize, evaluate and keep track of financial activities. This approach implies that people tend to make and evaluate decisions one at a time and then they place them in separate mental accounts rather than evaluate them in a broader context. In a financial perspective, this refers to how transactions are grouped both cross-sectionally (are securities evaluated one at a time or as portfolios) and inter-temporally (how often are portfolios evaluated). When this narrow evaluation of the decisions and outcomes take place, financial investors will tend to make short-term decisions rather than adopt long-term policies regarding their investments and evaluate their gains and losses frequently. â€Å"When we look at the historical record of investment returns, we find that the vast majority of long-term returns are derived from just seven percent of all trading months. The returns of the remaining ninety-three percent of the months on average are virtually zero†. It implies that the shorter the investment horizon, greater the chances that the investor will experience a loss in the value his portfolio. Moreover, if an investor has the risk-averse preferences then the time horizon over which he evaluates his portfolio also impacts his investment preferences. For example, stocks seem to be risky and yield fewer returns in the short run, while debt instrument is safer and seem to be profitable in short run. So if a risk inverse investor inspects his portfolio daily then he will find the bonds much more profitable and attractive as compared to stocks and will find the stock highly risky and yielding lower returns, because stock prices highly fluctuate up and down on daily basis and losses have a double effect on investor’s mind.

Organizational Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Design - Essay Example Recent reports from all over the world shows that most of the companies reducing their work forces to stay in the market. Though the IT sector and real estate field has immensely affected by the current crisis, all the other sectors also suffered a lot from the current crisis. Apart from financial crisis, so many other factors like growing crime rates and violence are also made it difficult to operate business functions. There is an important relationship between the organizational structure and strategies.† A strategy is the plans and actions necessary to achieve organizational goals† (Griffin and Moorhead, (2007), p.450) The success of a business lies in identifying the proper organizational structure and strategies. The goals of the organization must be well defined before implementing changes in organizational structure. As far as Fruity Foods (FF) store is concerned, the main problem is the location. No store can operate successfully in a poor location even if their products are better compared to others. Second problem of FF is the environment. Customers are normally reluctant in going for shopping in places where the crime rates are more. More over this shop is more vulnerable to theft because of the owner’s inability to take necessary precautions. Since the owners are approaching their retirement, this store needs to be completely restructured in order to sustain in the market. For that purpose, an evaluation of the organizational environment is essential. â€Å"The organizational environment includes all of the elements ---people, other organizations, economic factors, objects and events---that lie outside the boundaries of the organization. The environment is composed of two layers; the general environment and the task environment. The general environment includes all of the broad set of dimensions and a factor within which the organization is operates including political, legal, cultural, technological, international and