Using Literature as a Gateway to Critical Thinking

Sometimes, the groans can be heard clear across a campus, and they resonate in memory for years. When a professor assigns a text for reading, anything from the poem â€Å"Just to say† by William Carlos Williams to Herman Melville’s â€Å"Moby Dick,† the students are rapid to react as if they have been handed a death sentence. In some cases, this is because they have so much their reading on their plates that they just feel overwhelmed, but many times, it is a matter of their previous failures to grasp anything meaningful from a literature assignment. This later is the primary point of importance in continuing to distribute the literature. Many university students lack a fundamental grasp on the tools they require to read and write critically, which in turns leaves them without the ability to think and reason in logical and critical terms. The influence of critical thinking on the success of a student at the university level is undeniable.   It will influence how well they comprehend the texts in front of them. It will affect the way in which they can relate one text to another across classroom and semester borders. It will also have a great effect in the way in which they can communicate their ideas to both their peers and their instructors. The way in which a student learns to read and produce written work will be the fundamental core of their language and communication abilities without regard to area of specialization. This learning begins very early in childhood. Learning to read as a child one develops a sense that the author is the beginning and end of the page, and the words used are there for the sole purpose of the surface story. Once a student is capable of surpassing this stage and he or she begins to consider the works on a deeper philosophical level the real learning begins. The student will begin reading for more than simple content and an entire new world will open up full of possibilities. Many students will never learn to recognize the deeper or more subtle meaning in many of the texts unless they are first exposed to it in literature.   Poetry is exceptionally useful for this purpose. The allusions, worked in through metaphor, simile, and symbolism, give a deeper insight to the position of the author from the outset. The famous lines of â€Å"This is Just to Say† by William Carlos Williams provides an excellent example for this type of inquiry: I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold If five students are asked what the narrator is really speaking about, the instructor will likely get five, or more, differing opinions. The poem may be about real plums.   The poem may be about the consumption of personal space or time.   The poem may be speaking on the conceit that obtaining forgiveness for acting may be earier to obtain than permission. These tools allow the student to understand there is a greater depth to the approach than the simple words on the page as a literal expression of a real object, place, or person. At the same time, these keys offer a new light on the author’s angle of approach. Knowing where the author is coming from helps to weed out fallacious arguments, personal vendettas, and even suppositions masquerading as facts. While others ideas can help a reader to formulate their own intellectually sound opinions, those ideas will only be as firmly grounded as the foundation of facts they are based on. The number of times that something is presented as a fact, only to turn out to be an opinion may really shock and surprise many of the students who are used to opening a text for a class and consuming what is before them for regurgitation. This technique is particularly well suited to high schools where the teacher to student ratio often precludes discussion. When the students then have to begin seeking out secondary sources and turn to the internet for information they will have to confront decisions on what is ‘good information’ versus ‘bad information.’ They will not even be able to be certain that newspaper articles and TV shows presented as news are giving them the honest facts. Looking at headlines on the internet, with a tool such as Google News, you can instantly see how word choices affect the entire tone of a story and change meaning dramatically even when reporting on the same incident. By giving students the tools they need to think critically, through the exploration of literature, the universities will begin to overcome the most common objections to much of the assigned reading. These students will begin, and continue, to question even those facts and ideas that appeal to them. This will give them the ability to construct strong and fair opinions of their own. It will lead them to be more cautious when writing papers for any number of disciplines. Not only will they have the moral stamina to stand up for their opinions, they will be certain that their opinions and statements are both fully realized and backed up with good documentation. The trouble with literature in the classrooms is not in the amount of time spent on literature itself, but on the lack of time spent on discussing the literature to bring about these changes to the culpabilities of the students as critical thinkers. Just reading it is not good enough.   In order to derive a benefit which will deepen the experience of education, and therefore contribute more effectively to the community, the time must be taken to teach explication as well as construct. Defining the importance of literature for the students and then perusing the matter if educating with it as a matter of common course is imperative to the end result of a well educated individual. These individuals will return more to society than what they take from it. In order the continue to chip away at the disparity between classes, races, and even genders, it is important to continue to train students who will think and reason in logical and critical terms through the ability to read and write critically. Literature is as imperative as resource as the air they breathe.

Intimations of the American Character: Five American Writers

America’s only 230 years old, give or take, therefore to ask after the American character is much the same as asking after the character of a two-year old – not impossible, but hardly definitive. There’s a an anecdote of general reportage that on Nixon’s first trip to China Kissinger asked Mao what he thought of the French Revolution. Mao answered that it was too soon to tell.Perhaps it is too soon to tell what the American character is as can be determined in the literature of the 17th – 19th Centuries, but one cannot mistake that in the various works of its first significant authors (writers who felt themselves sufficiently invested in this democratic experiment spread over some six million square miles of beautiful and infinitely resourceful land) the first intimations if not indications of who and what we are (as opposed to where we came from – the old countries) make themselves known.Harold Bloom, Professor, author, reader, man of extrao rdinary powers of memorization, idiosyncratic, self-proclaimed Falstaffian, wrote, ironically enough, a work entitled â€Å"The Anxiety of Influence. † With reference only to the title, which implies so much, especially for any would–be artist who seeks place his/her own unique stamp on his/her work, one encounters the first problem for the truly creative: We are not born without context. Mozarts aside, we must school ourselves, absorb, learn, model, mimic and copy before we write, paint, sing, play music, dance, in a wholly new and original way.The struggle to achieve what is original implies its own anxiety. Like Michelangelo’s slaves f marble, will we ever break free? Has American broken free of its overwhelming British influences? And if we have broken free, if we have achieved a unique and American voice, to whom do we owe the credit for the great break with our bi-continental past? The important word here is context. No source is tapped in a vacuum. We are the progeny of forebears; we are the ancestors of those to come.Time being what it is we can only look back. First, review the grim declamations of Jonathan Edwards and feel the anxiety of that faith which rested in an angry God, full of spit, fire and fury, an unhappy parent disappointed in his children, a God in a nominally Christian world, who’s narrowed the avenue of salvation to inches of rock-ledge that can be traversed by so few that a minister’s left with little to do but warn his congregation about how bad it’s going to be when they’re dropped like spiders into the eternal flame.Of course, no God is ever as awful as his followers and Edwards’ admonitions are the high point of that drive towards â€Å"purity† which drove the puritans from the corrupt Anglicanism of Elizabeth and James (not to mention Henry VIII who had his own take mercy and forgiveness). If one were to read too much of Jonathan Edwards, one might conclude that the American character is a dour, determined and fatalistic, the unfortunate result of Augustine’s fear dripped through Calvin’s Swiss rectitude by way of Anglo-Saxon provincialism played out in the hands and minds of truly brave pilgrims determined to reform themselves almost out of existence.In short the first expression of America’s self, its character, was a reaction to the wavering, the wiggle-room, and the corruption in late Elizabethan, Jamesian-Protestantism. It is the expression of what one people might attribute to a god who’s angry with the failure of his children. But Edwards’s declamations are not the word of god so much as their expression of man angry with man.Ironically, the supposed anger of this god, by way of Edwards, will move Puritan congregation to embrace a work ethic (Protestant, New England, rural, elemental, purifying) which will stand in opposition to the source of the Reformation, itself – Luther’s reading of R omans which asserts salvation by grace and not by good works. But time passed and America, with its depth and breadth of resourcefulness, its brave and entrepreneurial people who made the move, took the chance, crossed the ocean in search of a better life, and would not be held captive in the ornate chains of those ministers well-schooled in the endless dark night of the soul.Brave people, entrepreneurs, the â€Å"can-do† sort of people who cross oceans are not the type of people to succumb to anxieties. And they are not without humor. Indeed they require humor, because humor is the step-sister of practicality. The ironic point of view, the wit, the clever turn of phrase, the creativity and intelligence of the comedic mode, are often the best means to drive home points and conclusions and directives that might otherwise be lost in the didactic drone of dogma.Ben Franklin gave voice to humor and common sense and practicality in his writings. We look upon him now, perhaps unfor tunately, as a cartoon figure of Disney’s imagination, or that precious gent employed each early summer to dress up in velvet, lace and granny glasses, to walk the streets of Philadelphia and scare children with the stilted language of the poor mimic. But to do so would be our loss. Franklin was a genius.He was a polymath, self educated and like most early Americans, born (as if dropped whole) into a new land affording infinite potential without the â€Å"floors or ceilings† of given classes, gifted with the curiosity and intelligence to make sense out of the new, original American experience, and to express the process for others. He was an inventor, a newspaper man, a man of letters, a political in-fighter, a political theorist schooled in the writings of the Enlightenment.He was a humanist who, unlike his ascetic Puritans ancestors of Boston and environs, believed that humans were of value, body, mind and spirit. Franklin dared to believe, in the most general sense of the lesser-dogmatic theists that man was deserving of something better than Edwards’s angry white bearded, sententious, demanding, unpredictable, inconsistent and contrary God.Through Franklin the American character first developed the genius of common sense, leavened with humor. In the settlement of New York by the inveterate, humanistic Dutch and Philadelphia by the easy, peaceful, sometimes silent Quakers, Franklin, the man who traveled south, denied the anxiety driven, forbidding world view (so often fostered in too-cold climates) that sought to prepare man for eternity while denying the value of the here and now.Through Franklin we learn that man is capable of creativity, here and now, that man can better his station in life, that life is worth living and that process, ritual, form and style (Franklin’s writing can not but reflect some of the 18th Century politesse) are meant to follow function and that substance, rather than appearance, is the determinative va lue.Throughout a review of Franklin’s writings, one is struck by that wave of humanism and democratic values that asserted themselves in the wake of decadent royalties and courts and found their most eloquent expression in the preamble to America’s Declaration of Independence, penned by Jefferson (edited, polished, affirmed, if not ghost written by Franklin. ) Emerson, the sage of Concord, virtually unknown in cocktail conversation today, but for the notion of some salty rigid circumspect New England self reliance, is the American writer with whom all American writers must contend.Like America, itself, full of contradictions and principles that outran its very self, Emerson was an iconoclast, who looked about the beauty of Concord and saw that although the world was good, man made institutions, were, over time, necessarily corruptible and, instead of assisting the individual in his walk through life, ultimately hindered the individual from clear sight, a post-Christian pantheism, a transcendent vision of God’s grandeur and all that can be deduced, derived from that.In a way analogous to the solitary loneliness of the dark night of the soul, Emerson encouraged the brave entrepreneurial American, optimistic, human, and sufficiently wise not only to appreciate the comedic mode of life (i. e. , life is ultimately and always salvageable), but to travel past the thickets of dogma, to apply his gifted and most importantly his co-creative mind to an understanding of the world about him. Yes, the America might be the New Jerusalem, a new place of unbounded physical grace, but the kingdom must be experienced within as well.Emerson’s transcendent view is best appreciated when one posits the pure permeability of the divine through nature and then through the very self. Humanism need not stand in opposition to Edwards’s angry god, but need only accommodate God, affording Him the place he’s had forever, within and without ourselves. Thoreau lived a mile from Emerson. They were friends to the degree that that they could offer and receive friendship.Both were complex, but Thoreau gave voice and body to complexities, contradictions that flowed from Emerson’s first indications of a uniquely American voice. (All men are created equal, and yet Americans buy and sell slaves. ) Thoreau is a photographic negative to much of what Emerson implies. Tough they both lived in this grand new country, Thoreau, the prophet, also recognized problems which would and still occur to this day in a country so bountiful it invited a work ethic as boundless as its resources, size and frontiers.Work is a balm to the anxious and energetic soul. Perhaps it’s too much to say that all work is busy work (though a walk down Park Avenue on a Monday in September might make one wonder), but work and the American’s over-praise of the over-valued activity is a defense to work’s essential nature – a distraction fr om the anxiety of being. Americans praise those Americans who work hard, keep their heads down, work hard, never look up, never question, and might ask after function but never purpose.And these are the workers, the people, the men and women, who live the lives of quiet desperation. Thoreau is a radical in that he goes to the very source of an idea cloaked in so many assumptions and â€Å"givens† that the questioning itself renders him an iconoclast, an eccentric of the first order. Living alone by a pond is nothing compared to asking those questions which might upset the underpinnings of a society too busy to ask anything. Thoreau loafs with the intensity of a Kant.He questions not only the American way of life with its work ethic, but also the proposition that life’s primary value lies in work and that through work (only work) man will find his identity, ultimately his purpose and after this life perhaps his salvation. Thoreau is a â€Å"loafer† like Whitman, but Thoreau does not loaf to escape work, he â€Å"loafs† to escape meaningless work and to question the assumptions of New England in the early 19th centuryThere’s a cliche in the work-a-day world, devoted to the corporate mind and group think that sublimates the individual to the will and survival and perhaps betterment of the group. It is this: Nobody’s indispensable. Thoreau either heard or intuited this dismissal of the human and his efforts (Willy Loman 100 years on), and said: Why do we engage in a system which demands our lives, makes false promises and considers us utterly dispensable? The American work ethic makes promises and offers the appearance of payback to justify itself. Indeed, such a charade is one under-pinning of the capitalist system.We’re promised ticky-tacky houses, country clubs, swimming pools, unlimited credit at usurious rates, nice clothes, the right schools for above-average kids, and of course the magical totem , the icon, t he car, the uber-van, the humvee, the mode of transportation that will â€Å"tell them who we are. † Thoreau anticipated all of this – the uneasy contract by which Americans remain trapped in the first and second levels of the hierarchy of needs while our demi-gods of celebrity and power achieve a self-actualization denied everybody else. Not surprisingly we are then bought off with television, sports, bread and circuses.One of the contradictions in Thoreau is that the assertion of the individual is Romantic, but the means employed is ascetic and classical. To live deliberately is not to live with frippery or Boucher’s swings or the ease of decadent courts. To live deliberately is a radical undertaking, directing the speedy to slow down to take time to loaf and view the smallest, finest things, those effects of creation which in their brief majesty put to shame all the useless memos, briefs, papers, efforts and transactions set down in the 19th Century’s ethos of success and wealth as the outward sign of grace.Thoreau stands in opposition to the America’s madness for work. Walden has changed lives. People have been seen reading it during their rush commutes. Whitman turns within and explodes without. He does not so much challenge the hustle and bustle of the great democratic experiment as he seeks to encompass it, to swallow it, to take it in, because the genius of the poet – this new American poet – is begin enough, grand enough, to express the vastness of it all. Indeed every part of every part is a part of every part.To turn within is to look without, to subsume the All. Whitman breaks the line open. Even a grade student looking at a poem by Whitman and a poem by Philip Freneau can’t help but see the difference in form. The old and tired expresses itself in neat stanzas, century old rules. But Whitman’s lines span the page. They scan and pose propositions only to complete the circle with their o pposition stated like closing a door on a completed whole. The compliment forms the greater proposition.This is a poet not so much of contradictions (though he admits as much), but a poet, like a demi-god, who can reconcile the apparent and real contradictions of life. Does America contradict itself (Slavery – All men are created equal)? Yes. Can America reconcile its contradictions? Perhaps. One war says we have; other wars say we have not. Perhaps it’s too facile to remark that whereas the country was split north and south, Samuel Clemens, born in Missouri, a border state, obtained his unique voice traveling north and south along a river which in its own way sought to hold the warring halves together.In Huckleberry Finn Twain reconciles the optimism and humor of Franklin, the adventuresome self-reliance of Emerson, Thoreau’s marginal iconoclast and Whitman’s reconciled over-soul. And yet, Mark Twain, the humorist, the colloquial voice of wisdom, the woo ly relative we place at the head of the table, soon encountered, as America encountered the cracks and flaws of life, its random terribleness, its self-inflicted wounds.At the very heart of the American character is the mater of slavery, the ludicrous contradiction of eloquence scripted to blow trumpets of gold and light bonfires of freedom that would out-enlighten the enlightenment. And still the ships came from the west coast of Africa. Slaves – bought and sold. These contradictions are essential. They are indicators of life itself and neither America, its character nor its poets and writers are immune.Though we can look fondly on America’s optimism, humor, practicality, favor of substance over form, the acknowledgment that form follows substance, that in America merit counts – we must also look upon the all too common type, born of the all too common fatigue evident in a country that offers just enough in a zero-sum game to keep the citizen alive one more day , for one more effort, for one more expenditure: We know the desperate worker, who expends enormous amounts of energy, convincing himself, fooling himself that what he does has meaning and purpose, that he’s paid enough (as all those bleeding-heart liberal programs for all those minorities don’t get in the way) and that someday, maybe when he retires with a weak heart and a spent spirit, he and his wife will travel the length and breadth of this great country and call to mind something of what that old gay poet wrote – something about atoms and bed-fellows and lilacs This too is the American character – desperate, tired, vain, prejudiced, spent, rigid, utterly human and, for all of it, ultimately forgivable.

Analyzing The Oregon Study In Regard To Medicaid For American Citizens

Analyzing The Oregon Study In Regard To Medicaid For American Citizens This article challenges the originally widely praised concept of the famous Oregon experiment; a study conducted in 2011 claiming that having Medicaid was significantly better than being uninsured, which directly refuted various studies claiming that individuals are no better or worse off with Medicaid than without it. The public response to its’ preliminary, flimsy, and uncertain results in 2011 was driven by media hype and premature over eagerness—headlines such as â€Å"A new, rigorous study from Oregon confirms that Medicaid does, indeed, save lives,† (Roy) and â€Å"What we found in a nutshell is that having Medicaid makes a big difference in peoples’ lives† (Roy) flooded front pages; the Oregon experiment had ignited national, growing faith in Obamacare that was previously unseen. The day prior to publishing of this article, May 1st 2013, the authors of the original Oregon study released their updated two year results— â€Å"Medicaid g enerated no significant improvement in measured physical health outcomes.† This article analyzes the staggering results, critiques the experimental methods used, and questions the $450 billion/year spent on a seemingly futile program. The structure of the Oregon study was centered around the comparison between the health outcomes of individuals enrolled in Medicaid, versus the health outcomes of the uninsured. The outcomes examined for comparison were levels of elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated HbA1c levels, and long-term cardiovascular risk (measured by Framingham scores). The main question the authors wanted to answer: Did Medicaid improve the health of its enrollees? Before analyzing the statistical data of the experiment, it is crucial to understand the flawed structural setup that introduced massive bias and even possibly skewed the results. The Medicaid population was partially self selected, making it an inaccurate representative sample of the common population. The Medicaid users were consciously and knowingly aware that they were receiving the benefits of Medicaid, and the uninsured were well aware that they were uninsured—this concept could potentially favor the Medicaid population due to prevalent bias. In much more accurate clinical trials, both the doctor and patient should be unaware whether the patient has received the placebo or the test drug in order to achieve an unbiased, accurate answer. The Oregon authors also only measured the baseline health status of the uninsured group, not the baselines of the Medicaid group. This massive flaw doesn’t allow for accurate results within the Medicaid group by offering no definiti ve method of comparison when analyzing the data. The process of creating the Medicaid group was also driven by massive bias. Of the 35,169 residents who â€Å"won† the lottery to gain Medicaid enrollment, only about 30% actually enrolled, and 60% of those selected out of the 30% physically filled out the forms to receive benefits. The 60% who signed up are clearly more likely to need the treatment and benefits compared to the other 40%, who didn’t bother to fill out paperwork. (Roy) Those who chose to enroll were therefore sicker and more in need of treatment; making them more likely to benefit from treatment than the control group, or the uninsured. The final element of bias introduced, and perhaps most significant, is how the state of Oregon individually manages their Medicaid program compared to the national average. In Oregon, Medicaid pays primary care physicians approximately 62% of what private insurers pay. Our national average pays 52%, and many blue states pa y well under 40%. (Roy) Because the state of Oregon pays their health care professionals more, their beneficiaries have better access to doctors; better access to doctors should lead to better health outcomes for beneficiaries than we’d likely see in other states, making the state of Oregon an unsuitable host for this experiment. As for the data, the authors found no statistically significant differences in elevated blood pressure, HbA1c levels, high cholesterol, or long-term cardiovascular risks between the insured and the uninsured. The sole, significant difference between the two groups in this study was the amount spent and the utilization of services. Medicaid patients spent an average of $1,172 more than the uninsured, with zero statistically supported data leading to better health outcomes. (Roy) These findings are extremely significant; the flaws within the setup of the experiment introduce extreme bias and inevitably lead to inaccurate data. I am convinced of the validity of this article due to the meticulous research, critique, and analyzation on the flaws of the Oregon experiment as a whole as conducted by the author. He raises a notable point that should be seriously considered by American citizens, government officials, and policy makers alike. With the heavy reliance on Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, this experiment questions the major flaws within the system in its entirety, making us ask ourselves: Is it worth it?

The Stuff of the Universe Book Review Research Paper

The Stuff of the Universe Book Review - Research Paper Example In that context, the book tends to discuss not only the visible aspects of the geography of the universe like the stars and the planets, but also delves exhaustively on the elusive ingredients of the universe like the dark matter which is predominant and all pervasive. The book under consideration furnishes a lucid understanding as to whether this universe is expanding or rather contracting. The overall objective of the book appears to be to give to the readers the necessary information that will go into achieving a relative perspective of the universe and the humanity’s place in it. The essential theme of The Stuff of the Universe tends to delve on the predominant query as to what features of the universe as the humanity knows it were pivotal to the emergence of life on earth and whether it was merely a coincidence or some deeper reasons that led to such a propitious alignment of the cosmic elements and constituent. The humanity has always been curious about the fundamental q uestions surrounding the origins of the universe and life and this book caters to this curious and academic aspect of human interest. However, the lacuna rampant in this sphere of human interest has been that the science of cosmology has been to a great extent kept remote and away from the everyday concerns that engross the mankind. In that context, The Stuff of the Universe tends to bridge the gap between the mundane concerns of life and death engaging the humanity and how the cosmic elements tend to play a pivotal role in these concerns. In the book, Gribbin and Ress have tried to make the queries surrounding the origins of the universe an integral part of the mainstream life. They talk about varied stages of the origins of the universe as when it was just a second old, or its earlier stages. The book intends to bring the science of cosmology, out from the privileged scope of the cosmologists and astrophysicists to the realm of general public. The book comprises of three parts. Th e Part I, ‘Cosmic Coincidences: How special is the Universe?’ discusses the geography of the universe and two kinds of dark matter. However, in this part, the main forte of the authors lies in their ability to establish links between the cartography and constitution of the universe to the everyday human existence. For instance, it gets really enticing to learn that, â€Å"We live in a galaxy. Galaxies contain stars, and stars are made of baryons- the same sort of stuff, to a physicist, as our own bodies are made of.†1 Part II, ‘The Stuff of the Universe: The Particle Zoo’ is primarily about the essential constitution of the universe and the constituents affiliated to it. This part elaborates on the cosmic constituents and phenomenon like halo stuff, gravity’s telescopes, cosmic string, core stuff, etc. in as lucid and simple a language as could be possible for a Cosmologist to interpret the cosmic facts to a layman. Part III, ‘The Bespok e Universe: Tailor-Made for Man; or off the Peg? ‘touches on the perpetually stimulating and ever poking questions as to whether the existence of life on earth was part of a great and ever unraveling plan or merely a prosaic coincidence. The book both ponders on the individual constituents of the universe like galaxies, stars, quasars and their constitution and evolution as well as links this knowledge to the philosophical and theological queries grappling the mankind since times immemorial, in as simple and precise language as

Self harm in adolescents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Self harm in adolescents - Essay Example It is necessary to understand the ethical considerations when dealing with an adolescent who intends or is engaging in self injury. There are ethical issues concerning the student. The student should be assured of confidentiality on the issues they discuss with the counselor or nurse. Additionally, there are ethical concerns on parent’s responsibility and the schools responsibility. The counselor should maintain high standards of professionalism. It is important that the counselor is capable of detecting the symptoms of self-injury early. Majority of adolescents who engage in the self injurious acts do so when they are freshmen or when experiencing great emotional challenges. They ensure that they cannot be discovered and might continue for long if they do not get assisted (Motz, 2009). The school authorities and parents should avail the resources necessary to encourage safety. As people begin to assist the self injurious adolescent, it is necessary to be aware of the ethical complications. Information about the self injurious adolescent should remain confidential, unless the information would prevent danger from the adolescent from causing further harm to themselves or others. Self injurious behavior should be reported even when the adolescent is not exposed to danger, but needs assistance from professionals or parents. However, self injurious behavior should not be considered as an indicator of suicidal intention. For some adolescents, injuring self relieves their tension and helps them deal with stress. Consulting with legal authorities as well as the school administration on the problem is necessary. An extensive and intensive assessment of situation is necessary. This includes; establishing the nature and frequency of the self inflicted harm. There is need to consult if the adolescent is hurting and needs care. If they are not cooperating and increase the frequency of hurting self, consulting the professional could be necessary to enable them cope with their challenges. The legal authorities may be involved in establishing the nature of injury, if it is caused by the adolescent or by another person. Medical intervention may be necessary. The adolescent could be having wounds or infection that needs treatment. Understand the emotions that cause the adolescent to hurt self and possible motivation for their actions. Enquire if they inflict their wounds or harm when alone or when with others. Be sure to know if they share objects of injury with others. Investigate what triggers the strong emotions. Moreover, find out who knows about the

DRAGONWINGS SUMMARY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DRAGONWINGS SUMMARY - Assignment Example Windrider and his son save Uncle Bright star’s son from being shot by corrupt neighborhood watchmen. Moon collects and delivers laundry to his father, but one day Black Dog, the uncle’s son beats Moon and steals money received from laundry clients. Windrider goes to an underground gang and fights Black Dog to avenge his son, in the process Moon and his father kill a man. They escape the village after the murder and plan to work for Mr. Alger. Moon and his dad move into a stable behind the house of Miss Whitlaw. The neighborhood boys are cruel to Moon, and they ridicule his English. Moon requests Miss Whitlaw to help him in writing a letter to ask the Wright brothers to help his father with plane specifications. Windrider refuses to use the specifications at first but with time he agrees. An earthquake occurs in San Francisco in 1906 and demolishes the city, and two of the family members disappear. Windrider builds a functional airplane â€Å"Dragonwings,† but Black Dog shows up and robs them off their savings. The next day the company loans Windrider lots of money. Windrider flies his plane, but in the process its frame snaps and he breaks his leg and ribs. The company helps Windrider in bringing his wife to

Food Retail Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Retail - Assignment Example Given the trend toward globalization and international expansion of markets, modern retailers are faced with increasing competition as well as the need to expand their products and services to appeal to broader market segments. This process is requiring retail grocers to identify and target specific ethnic market segments. In the same way that US retailers have successfully targeted Hispanic consumers, international retail grocery companies such as Tesco must focus on diversifying their product line and successfully marketing to significant segments such as the Muslim community. According to the company, Tesco is one of the world's leading international food retailers with over 2500 stores worldwide and a commitment to long-term growth (Tesco: At a Glance, 2006: 1). In fact, it has been called the "success story" of British supermarket retailing whose industry leadership has been widely accepted (Kacker & Sternquist, 1994: 202). This places the organization at the forefront of market development because its broad reach locates it's outlets in many different markets with an extremely diverse customer base. In those areas which have high concentrations of devout Muslims, this means offering a product line that comports with the strict dietary laws known as Halal. There is no doubt about the fact that the Muslim community has significant economic power; in France, it is estimated that if the 60 million Muslims who reside there would consume and purchase only Halal meat, the product could account for 10% to 15% of the French national meat market (Kutschera, 199 6: 40). Given Tesco's stated corporate responsibility policy, which notes the organization's intent to appeal to customers across many social and economic ranges as well as use their size and success as a force for good in playing an important role in local communities, Tesco has given itself no choice but to develop products that will appeal to this constituency (Tesco: Corporate Responsibility, 2005: 1). The concept of Halal, which means "acceptable," is to the Muslim community what Kosher is to the Jewish community. It is a set of dietary laws which prescribe the manner in which foods are processed prior to being consumed, and there is increasing Muslim demand for the provision of these products (Haddad & Lummis, 1987: 20). In fact, making acceptable food available to devout Muslims is so important that many European countries are now including it as part of the food services available in public institutions such as schools and hospitals; and if they cannot find it elsewhere, many Muslims will purchase their meat from Jewish shops because of

Google tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Google tools - Essay Example Thus, users have the opportunity to assess and address the causes of slow page loading. The download speed is estimated on a scale of 100 points. Webpage â€Å"Page Speed Online† was tested with a view to assess its own speed loading; it got an overall Page Speed Score of 96 (out of 100). The result obtained can be regarded as excellent. Recommendations on improvement of the site load speed are divided into three points: high-priority, medium priority and low priority. Thus, users have the opportunity to optimize their sites accordingly. Google Page Speed is capable to analyze the mobile versions of various websites and provide the recommendations on their optimization. One can use Google Page Speed absolutely free. Key words: Google search, Google Labs, Google instruments, Page Speed testing. GOOGLE INSTRUMENTS Google is considered to be the most powerful search engine. Shortest time of indexing, a huge number of data centers, unique algorithms for information processing and other achievements of the company create conditions under which the search of necessary data is becoming more and more perfect. But Google is not only a search engine - it is also a mail server, and promotional projects (Adsense and Adwords), and free blogging service, as well as tools that allow interested users to obtain various information for any purpose. Benefits of Google services and tools are centralized data repository and thought-out interface availability. Nowadays a lot of people complain of the low quality of websites page loading. Now it is easy to check up the speed of any loading page you are interested in. Google released a tool that measures the speed of any web page downloading. The given tool, which is available in Google Labs, analyzes download speed of any specified website, besides it makes recommendations on how to improve it. And though there are a lot of similar instruments in the network (reviews of instruments measuring the speed of site downloading), a t ool suggested by Google arouses a special interest of users. This experimental tool for assessing site speed is called Google Page Speed (URL ). It should be noted that the given instrument is easy to use. Just enter your website address, and Google will return a page with a speed rating of the site loading; suggestions on how to improve loading speed will be also helpful. The download speed is estimated by a 100-point scale. It is curious to know that the very page â€Å"Page Speed Online† got an overall Page Speed Score of 96 (out of 100), so, needless to say, that the result is more than just good. Recommendations on improvement of the site load speed (or the reasons for its slow-loading) are divided into three points: high-priority, medium priority and low priority. Thus, we have clear guidelines how to start optimizing the site for its faster loading. Here are some examples of how Google GOOGLE INSTRUMENTS assesses the reasons for a site slowing down: High priority: enab le caching. Medium priority: combine images into CSS sprites to minimize JavaScript, optimize the styles and minimize diversion. Low priority: hide redirects; zoom the image out; minify the CSS; minify HTML. (URL ). The assessment tool Google Page Speed has an advantage over other tools because of its capability to analyze the mobile versions of various

Introduction How does money become contaminated with cocaine Essay

Introduction How does money become contaminated with cocaine - Essay Example o the fact that cocaine is snorted from rolled-up bills, money recovered on the drugs trade from police raids is often contaminated with cocaine heavily. Tainted bills put into the counting machines also contaminates money. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is a technique in which a GC is coupled to a MS to separate, recognize, and quantify complex chemical mixtures. Vaporization of the sample solution takes place after it is injected into the inlet of GC. The sample solution sweeps by a carrier gas onto a chromatographic column. Flowing of the sample through the column causes separation of the compounds consisting of the required mixture by virtue of their interaction with the carrier gas and the column’s coating. The column’s latter part passes from a heated line of transfer and finishes at the ion source entrance. This is where the compounds are changed into ions. A mass analyzer fulfills the purpose of separating the ions that are positively charged. After separating, the ions enter a detector which sends information to a computer for visual

Introduction to Routing and Switching Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Routing and Switching Essay 1. Introduction – Computer Network A computer network is a setup which comprises of multiple computers and devices to create connection in order to support the communication of all such devices. This facilitates sharing of information and resources to all the users present in the network. The following are the main purposes that the network provides to its users:  · Communication- networks allow free flow of communication among all the users. These include chat, messages, emails, conferences, etc.  · Sharing of Resources – Resources can be shared among all the users within a network. These include: o Hardware The different computers in a network can also make use of a single hardware attached to the network. Consider the example of a shared printer attached to multiple devices in the network like in case of a university or office environment. o Software- Network also allows users to share software application programs through their computers o Files and other data – Files and data can be shared among systems in a network environment through authorized access. This helps members to work and submit tasks on the same domain and within deadlines, thus saving from hassles. 2. The Open Systems Interconnection OSI Model The hardware components of the network operate at the layers of the OSI model which are briefly discussed below: Physical layer This is concerned with the functions that carry a stream of bits over a physical medium at the mechanical and electrical level. Hubs and Repeaters operate at the physical layer of the OSI model. Data link Layer This layer categorizes data from network layer (upper layer) into frames and handles errors of the physical layer to provide to the network layer. The Bridges operate at the Data link layer of the OSI Model. Network Layer The delivery of the packet is the responsibility of the network layer which can include multiple links. Network layer can be used in cases of multiple networks where there are some links between the networks. Routers operate at the Network layer of the OSI model. Transport Layer The transport layer is also responsible for delivery of packets but it also recognizes relationship between messages. This is done in proper order and the layer also ensures control of error and flow at the source as well as the destination. Session Layer This layer controls dialog and synchronizes interaction within the network. Presentation Layer This layer is also one of the most important layers as it is looks into the syntax and semantics of the data being transferred within the network. Application Layer This layer involves interfaces and other supporting frames for the user to access the network. 3. Hardware Components within a Network The following re the basic hardware components within a network to interconnect devices (Sosinsky 33): 3.1 Network Interface Cards (NICs) These are the components used to connect to another networking medium. The NIC has a unique identification number known as Media Access Control address (MAC address) that is provided by the manufacturer. 3.2 Repeaters Repeater is a device used to transmit signals after cleaning them by regenerating the original bit pattern. 3.3 Hubs Hub connects multiple devices in the network so that they appear as a single device, therefore, it has multiple ports. 3.4 Bridges These are also hardware components that connect multiple segments of the network. 4. Network Hardware Components – Routers and Switches Routers and switches are important components of the computer network that support the above mentioned purpose of a network. These are discussed in details as under: 4.1 Routers Router is a software or device that helps in transmitting data between users in a predefined manner, thus helping in serving the purpose of the network. The data is in the form of packets that travels along the network, where the routers process the data present in the packet. In many cases there is a pre-defined forwarding or routing table used to direct the information to the appropriate destination (Beasley 62). The main tasks of the routers include:  · Ensures information forwarding to the required destination  · Keeps track and avoids information from reaching where not needed 4.1.1 Characteristics The following are the characteristics of Routers:  · The routers correspond to internet Protocols such as the internet Protocol, internet Control message Protocol, etc.  · Provides interfaces between the packet networks through the required functions  · Sends and receives datagrams  · Chooses destination for the datagram according to the routing database  · Provides support facilities for network management which includes status and exception reporting, debugging, etc. 4.1.2 Routing Routing is the process of sharing information by connecting networks and translating protocols between them. It functions at the network layer of the OSI model, acquiring addresses from the IP header of the layer to get the sources and destination. Here the Routing Protocols are used. Routers also use the routing tables to decide the destination of the packets. The routing tables include:  · Address information  · Connection Priorities  · Traffic Rules Routing differs in its delivery schemes which include the following:  · Delivery to a single node (unicast) where the node is predefined.  · Delivery to multiple specified nodes (multicast)  · Delivery to all the nodes that are part of the network (Broadcast)

Development of Radio in Africa

Development of Radio in Africa Melissa Paddock Topic: The development of radio in African countries, including South Africa In this academic assignment I will be describing the historical background and development of radio in Africa as well as in South Africa. I will also provide information about the present situation of radio today in Africa and South Africa. Radio was first broadcasted in South Africa in 1924. There has been three different phases that have occurred since the development of radio in Africa and South Africa. The first phase is the historical beginning of radio on the African continent. These were the first stages of development which would lead radio to become a mass media in the future. Radio was started in Africa when the European, British, Belgium, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian settlers arrived on the African continent and started to take control of the different countries. This was known as the Colonial period. These settlers started radio broadcasting to fulfil their own personal needs and interests. Only at a much later stage did the colonisers introduce radio services for the local and indigenous people of Africa. (http://www.transculturalwriting.com/radiophonics/contents/usr/downloads/radiophonics/A_Brief_History.pdf; accessed on 27 February 2014) The second phase in radio broadcasting now started with the development of the radio in South Africa and Africa after the colonial period. â€Å"The domestic broadcasting systems of all European powers were at this time stare (not government necessarily) monopolies such as the British independent public service model of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or the French government radio stations. The Portuguese permitted some private broadcasting by colonial settlers in their colonies, but the main picture was one of national state monopolies† (http://www.transculturalwriting.com/radiophonics/contents/usr/downloads/radiophonics/A_Brief_History.pdf; accessed on 27 February 2014). Some of the first broadcasts on the African continent took place in South Africa. In Johannesburg (the Association of Scientific and Technical Services), Durban (Durban Corporation) and Cape Town (the Cape Peninsula Publicity Association), the radio stations were given licences to broadcast. These three radio stations started their broadcasting in 1924 but very soon after their establishment they all found themselves in debt. This is when the government decided that a commercial option would not provide the service that they required and wanted. In 1927 a man named I.W.Schlesinger, an insurance entrepreneur that purchased the three failing radio stations, decided to connect the three stations together into one network and called it the African Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). But in 1929 the ABC fall into a shortfall situation owing to several implications such as poor landline connections, high costs of programme production and because of the difficulty enforcing the licence payments . The ABC eventually reversed its financial position and within a couple years they were able to carry out capital improvements, this was all because of the schemes that that had implemented. The main audience at this stage were elite English speaking people. Most of the radio’s shows were broadcasted in English, which showed the development of the inequality of the languages used in broadcasting. Afrikaans was domination in the rural areas. In 1931, the ABC then changed its policies as they introduced a 30minute segment done in Afrikaans, and then in 1936 they had changed the 30minute segment to a 90minute one. There was no broadcasting done in any African language. John Reith, Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), was invited to South Africa in 1934 where he recommended a new form of broadcasting for the country. (Teer-Tomaselli de Villiers 2014: 153 154) In 1936 The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was established. Very soon after the establishment of the SABC, they began to move away from the structure and way of broadcasting that was done by the BBC. There were issues with the unequal use of different languages. In June 1938 the first broadcast quality carrier link was set up between Grahamstown and Johannesburg. In 1939 a short wave receiving station was established near Panorama outside Pretoria. The main issue with the radio broadcasting was that there was dominantly English being spoken and only in 1939 did the radio start to bring in Afrikaans. The radio never catered for the black native people as there was no mention of African languages during broadcasting. In 1948 the National Party came into power in South Africa and they and the Afrikaner Broederbond acquired more domination in broadcasting. In 1950 the SABC introduced their first commercial radio station known as Springbok Radio. Springbok Radio’s pr ogramming was aimed at the white English speaking people. Only after 1943 did they start broadcasting their programmes in Afrikaans as well. It was only in the 1960’s that they started broadcasting in African languages to cater for the black native people who listened to the radio. This was when Radio Bantu was developed during the Apartheid era, this allowed the black people to keep up to date with the political issues in South Africa. The radio stations now started to use VHF (Very High Frequency) and FM signals and networks. There was now an establishment of many African languages used in the broadcasting of programmes and music on the radio. From 1980 till 1984 there was the introduction of independent commercial radio stations such as Capital Radio, Radio 702 and Radio5. At the beginning of 1996 there were 22 radio stations in South Africa, out of those 22 stations 11 of them were broadcasted in the official African languages. Some new radio stations that were introduced were SAfm, KFM and Radio Lotus. This was the development of radio broadcasting in South Africa. (Teer-Tomaselli de Villiers 2014: 160 162) Radio development in the rest of Africa happened as follows: â€Å"in 1927 in Kenya, in 1932 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), in 1933 in Mozambique, and in 1935 in the French Congo. The earliest radio in British West Africa was not broadcast by wireless transmission but via wired services-subscribers had loudspeakers installed in their homes to receive the service. This was how broadcasting began in Siena Leone in 1934, Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1935, and Nigeria in 1936. Unlike the wireless services in Britains other colonies, these were created with native African listeners in mind. Then in 1936 the British colonial administration decided to develop radio broadcasting throughout its African colonies as a public service for native people. In Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), World War II provided an incentive with major consequences for the development of radio in that territory. A small radio station was established principally with the objective of carrying news (in African lan guages) of the wars progress to the Families of Soldiers fighting with the British forces in Africa and Asia. Radio also developed rapidly in other parts of Africa due to the war† ((http://www.transculturalwriting.com/radiophonics/contents/usr/downloads/radiophonics/A_Brief_History.pdf; accessed on 27 February 2014).). These radio stations after the war were now focused on educating, informing and entertaining the African listeners. These radio stations had very little independence as the government had strict control over them, only from the 1960’s and onwards did they start gaining their independence. These radio services relied on shortwave connections to be able to reach distant places. The situation of radio today is still very important. Most people in Africa and South Africa have access to a radio where they can be constantly updated, informed and entertained 24/7. Radio has played as a major nation building feature in Africa. Direct broadcasting by satellite was started in the early 21st century. Radio is still a dominant mass medium throughout the African continent. Every country in Africa has at least one radio station. Radio’s now days are more technologically advanced and have much better network signals that allow for longer distance connectivity to that radio station. We can now even listen to the radio on our phones which allows for mobile and portable connectivity. More and more people now have access to radios as they are inexpensive. People in the rural areas now have access to radios which allows them to be kept informed by the news every day. Radios are an important feature in people’s everyday lives. Everyday new inventions and creativ e innovations are being formed in order to keep continuously developing the radio into an advanced electronic mass medium. To conclude, radio was first developed to satisfy the needs, wants and desires of the settlers that colonised the African continent. It went through a stage of racial discrimination where no African language was used, as well as minimal usage of the Afrikaans language, in the broadcasting of the radio channel. Later when languages became equal and more channels were developed in order to accompany for all races, cultures and languages. Eventually radio had been developed throughout the African continent and most people had easy access to it. Now the radio is used to inform, educate and entertain its viewers. Radio is now one of the most important forms of mass media because every person has access or owns a radio. Radio will forever live on and will never stop developing. References Mytton, G. Date unknown. A Brief History of Radio Broadcasting in Africa. http://www.transculturalwriting.com/radiophonics/contents/usr/downloads/radiophonics/A_Brief_History.pdf; accessed on 27 February 2014. Teer-Tomaselli, R. de Villiers, C. 2014. Radio: Theatre of the Mind.

A Look Into False Memory Syndrome :: Memory Psychology Disorders Medical Essays

Memory is the mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experiences. A repressed memory is one that is retained in the subconscious mind, where one is not aware of it but where it can still affect both conscious thoughts and behavior. When memory is distorted or confabulated, the result can be what has been called the False Memory Syndrome: a condition in which a person's identity and interpersonal relationships are entered around a memory of traumatic experience which is objectively false but in which the person strongly believes (note that the syndrome is not characterized by false memories as such). We all have memories that are inaccurate. Rather, the syndrome may be diagnosed when the memory is so deeply ingrained that it orients the individual's entire personality and lifestyle, in turn disrupting all sorts of other adaptive behaviors. The analogy to personality disorder is intentional. False memory syndrome is especially destructive because the person assiduously avoids c onfrontation with any evidence that might challenge the memory. Thus it takes on a life of its own, encapsulated and resistant to correction. The person may become so focused on the memory that he or she may be effectively distracted from coping with real problems in his or her life (Loftus 1980, 1997). There are many models which try to explain how memory works. Nevertheless, we do not know exactly how memory works. One of the most questionable models of memory is the one which assumes that every experience a person has had is 'recorded' in memory and that some of these memories are of traumatic events too terrible to want to remember. These terrible memories are locked away in the subconscious mind, i.e. repressed, only to be remembered in adulthood when some triggering event opens the door to the unconscious. Both before and after the repressed memory is remembered, it causes physical and mental disorders in a person. Some people have made an effort to explain their pain, even cancer, as coming from repressed memories of incest in the body. Scientists have studied related phenomenon such as people whose hands bleed in certain religious settings. Presumably such people, called stigmatics, "are not revealing unconscious memories of being crucified as young children, but rather are demonstrating a fascinating psychogenic anomaly that springs from their conscious fixation on the suffering of Christ. Similarly, it is possible that conscious fixation on the idea that one was sexually abused might increase the frequency of some physical symptoms, regardless of whether or not the abuse really occurred.

The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making Essay -- Ethics Morals Decisio

The Impact of Ethics on Decision Making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ferrel and Gardiner (1991) say there are two criteria to ethical choices on top of being legal. The first being; â€Å"One does not infringe on the basic inalienable human rights – such as life, freedom of speech and privacy, due process – recognized by our society (ethical formalism).† Basically stating the respect of others should be considered in all decisions. The second states each person should strive towards an increase in self-esteem and mental health. Maintaining self-respect should be thought of in the decision making process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We all face decisions in every day life, some appear obvious and easy while others do not. People are always struggling with their ethics during the decision making process. There are those who do not how to decided which is ethical or not. I found an â€Å"Ethics Quick Test† from the Online Ethics for Engineering and Science page (2002), which provides seven things, to check in order to examine the ethical implications toward a person decisions: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is the action legal? 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does it comply with your understanding of our values? 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you do it, will you feel bad? 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How will it look in the newspaper? 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you know it is wrong, do not do it. 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you are not sure, ask. 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keep asking until you get an answer. Even though this information pertains to a specific topic it can also be used in everyday life. Everyone should be able to look at a c...

What Is Morality :: essays research papers

Definition essay: What is Morality? I'll tell you that morality is probably one of the biggest, most confusing things to look at when you need to write a paper about it. After some deliberation, I have concluded a few things about morality and what it is. Morality is one of those words that you don't hear very often, and use even less frequently. It is perfectly described by Webster's Dictionary as a set of guidelines that govern a person's actions. Without such a code, anarchy would rule supreme. Human beings are human because we can limit ourselves and our behaviour. Moral values are a byproduct of a society that must live together. Even though in Mother Nature the only restricting factor is that of reproduction and supply of food, because our society groups together, (otherwise it probably wouldn't be a society), it needs codes of conduct. We have established government, religion and moral character to regulate this population. All are fairly organized, with moral character being left entirely to the self, while with government or religion often times another person will tell you what to do. Without self-limitation, the Jones's across the street would be hell to live with. They would be insulting, perverse, lying and cheating neighbors. Morality, the set of rules that limit excessiveness in our behavior, is the foundation of all government, religion. It moderates our beliefs and laws; describes how one should act. Moral rules, if you will, include several basic so called 'golden' rules: thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not commit adultery; etc. When people start losing some or all of these moral rules, society falls apart. It has been proven, for example, by the Roman Empire. Close to the end of Rome's "glorious" rule, they ruled most of the known world. Also, people would have sex with any living thing that had a suitable opening. Human life was taken for granted: people committed suicide for stupid reasons; depression, shame, angst, my brother died. To our fairly Judeo-Christian moral standards today, this is despicable, horrifying.

Dell in Brazil

1. Why did Dell decide to invest in Brazil? Dell decided to invest in Brazil because of its strategy to expand internationally. Dell had operations in many countries but did not have any manufacturing plants in Latin America, which was the fastest growing market for computers. Brazil was the ideal place for its manufacturing plant in Latin America because it presented a huge potential market for Dell since it was Latin America’s largest country with over 170 million people. Dell felt that the only way to dominate and become effective it the Brazilian market was to have its own manufacturing plant in Brazil.In addition, Brazil contained high import tariffs which would cut away at Dell’s profits if it had to export products from the U. S. into Brazil. Also attractive was Brazil’s membership in Mercosul. This would be beneficial for Dell because any company producing 60% of a product in a Mercosul country would be exempt from all tariffs when exporting to other coun tries associated with Mercosul. These countries associated with Mercosul included Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Boliva, and Brazil. Therefore, Dell would have an advantage when exporting its products from Brazil to any of these other Mercosul countries. . What were the pros and cons of the five short-listed states for Dell’s investment in Brazil? Why did Dell select to invest in the state of Rio Grande do Sul? The 5 short listed states for Dell’s investment in Brazil included Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, and Minas Gerais. Some of the pros that were common in all of these states were adequate levels of education, a sufficient pool of qualified labor, a steady supply of electricity, and sufficient telecommunications and transportation infrastructure.Beginning with the pros for Sao Paulo, this state contained the largest market for personal computers in Brazil due to its large population. It also had a huge supply of skilled labor. Sao Paul o presented two attractive locations for the plant in the cities of Sao Jose dos Campos and Campinas. The cons for Sao Paulo included the mannerisms of the state government officials who seemed indifferent to Dell’s specific needs and concerns. Sao Paulo’s investment promotion agency did not seem catering to Dell’s selection team since the state did not have any problems attracting foreign investment.In addition, Sao Paulo did not offer Dell any special financial incentives to attract their investment. Next, Rio de Janeiro had several pros common to all 5 states as previously mentioned. However, the state offered Dell very few financial incentives with the intention of receiving a counter offer from Dell. Dell responded negatively to this initial low offering of incentives and did not return to renegotiate. Parana also contained the same pros that were common among the 5 states. On the other hand, the main negative of the state included the amount of financial i ncentives that the government was offering.These financial incentives did not compare to the financial incentives that other states such as Rio Grande do Sul offered. In addition, the state and its promotional agency did not seem determined to attract Dell’s investment. Dell was given a general presentation that did not address the company specifically. Aside from the common pros listed above, Minas Gerais greatest advantage was its investment promotion agency INDI. The agency was very qualified and catering to Dell’s concerns. The INDI even set up meetings for Dell’s selection team to meet state government officials.The state also offered favorable financial incentives that included a 70% reduction in ICMS tax for 10 years and a loan of R$20 million to be paid back in a 4 year period with a 4 year grace period. The state also offered free land for the plant to be built on. However, the cons of Minas Gerais centered around the region being highly industrialized. The Dell selection team felt that the state was a â€Å"heavy-industry, rust-belt, region. † Because of this, Dell felt that the government would not be able to satisfy Dell’s specific needs as a high-technology company.The last state was Rio Grande Do Sul, which was most attractive to Dell. The biggest plus of this state was its independent, non-profit investment promotion agency, Polo. Polo was very helpful in addressing Dell’s concerns and even went to Dell’s office in Texas to give a presentation. The Polo was eager to seek high technology investment and was determined to attract Dell’s investment. For other pros, Rio Grande do Sul had an adequate infrastructure and had one of the most efficient telecommunications infrastructures in the country.This would create huge cost savings for the plant. The state also posed few security concerns as its roads were much safer than roads in other states such as Sao Paulo. Rio Grande Do Sul’s capita l, Porto Alegre, was the ideal location of the plant. This city specifically made Dell feel at ease since the crime rate was very low. Other pros included existence of many established universities, a huge pool of skilled labor, and a high standard of living among the population.Most of all, the government offered Dell the most favorable incentives out of the 5 states. It offered a 75% reduction in ICMS tax for 12 years, and R$20 million loan with a 5 year grace period and a 10 year payback period. The main negative of Rio Grande Do Sul was the recent change in its state government creating an uncertainty in political views toward foreign investment. Olivio Dutra had just been voted into office and was greatly opposed to the deal and the financial incentives that had been previously offered to Dell by the state.This change in the political environment was a huge negative as Dell’s new deal was now discarded. Dell eventually decided to invest in the Rio Grande Do Sul mainly be cause of its investment promotion agency, Polo. As described above, the Polo was very catering to Dell’s specific needs. Polo was very well prepared when the site selection team came to visit. The agency arranged private interviews with business leaders and state officials. It even took Dell’s selection team to a local bar that resembled the atmosphere of Texas.This local microbrewery contained well educated and friendly people, which convinced the team that there was certainly qualified, personable, and articulate people that could be hired at the new plant. Polo’s determination and quick, thorough preparation won the attention of Dell’s selection. In addition, the state offered Dell the most favorable financial incentives out of the 5 states. 3. Why didn’t the new governor Olivio Dutra approve of the deal that former governor Britto had negotiated with Dell? Olivio Dutra was part of the socialist Workers’ Party.He did not approve of the de al because he was opposed to the government giving multinational corporations special incentives and benefits. By offering these corporations special benefits, the multinational corporations could play each state against each other for their own self interest. Many felt that these corporations were already extremely wealthy and did not need to be seeking tax advantages from poor states. Throughout his campaign against governor Britto, he focused on criticizing the excessive benefits that Britto had given these multinational corporations.Therefore, when Dutra finally took office, he had to follow through with his words and take action. This then led to Dutra rejecting Dell and Ford’s deals by suspending the loans granted to these corporations and refusing to offer tax incentives. 4. Given the changed terms of operation, which of Dell’s options seems most plausible to you: (a) Leave Brazil entirely? ; (b) Move the plant to another state? ; or (c) Try to renegotiate with Governor Dutra? I believe that Dell should first try to renegotiate with Governor Dutra. Dutra’s actions had already cause the state to lose Ford’s investment.Losing another huge opportunity for investment in Rio Grande Do Sul would be horrible for Dutra’s reputation as the new governor. Therefore, I believe Dutra would be willing to be less strict concerning its â€Å"no incentives† policy. As the case states, Dutra was even willing to renegotiate with Ford after hearing that it was moving its operations to another state. However, Ford had already made their decision to move and was not going to renegotiate. Therefore, I believe Dutra would not also risk losing Dell’s investment and would be even more willing to renegotiate with the company.It would not hurt Dell to see what Dutra will offer during renegotiations. If Dutra still maintains a strict stance on providing few incentives, then Dell should move its operations to Minas Gerais, which had a lso offered favorable financial incentives. Although the company may be concerned over the political policy uncertainty of Dutra, Dutra has had a reputation for his honest and effective ways. For this reason, if he does grant Dell financial incentives, he would stay true to his words so Dell would not have to question the future political environment. 5) In your view, which factor was decisive for Governor Dutra’s new relaxed policy towards Dell? The decisive factor for Governor Dutra’s new relaxed policy was Ford’s decision to move its operations out of the state to Bahia. The loss of Ford’s investment was detrimental to Rio Grande do Sul because Ford’s operations in the state could have improved its economy and provided thousands of jobs for its residents. For this reason, this lost opportunity was very bad for Governor Dutra’s political reputation in the eyes of Rio Grande do Sul’s people.If Governor Dutra also let Dell’s in vestment slip away, this could ruin Dutra’s political status and eliminate his chances of ever being reelected as governor. Therefore, Dutra probably learned from his mistake in the Ford renegotiations of being too strict with his â€Å"no incentive† policy. Dell could easily move its operations to another state such as Minas Gerais, who also offered Dell similar incentives. This would be easy to do since Dell had not yet started to build its plant in Rio Grande do Sul. This certainly caused Dutra to have a more relaxed policy towards Dell with the intention to not lose Dell’s investment as well.

Nuclear Technology and Countries of the Persian Gulf Essay

Nuclear energy has been used widely only for thirty years . In sixtieth it was an exotic source of power, researched by scientists, and widely discussed in press. Nowadays, as Ilan Lipper & Jon Stone state in their article about nuclear powers and society, it is the second largest energy source in the U. S. There are more than 110 nuclear plants throughout the U. S, and they produce more energy than hydropower, oil or gas, researchers write. For the U. S nuclear energy became a cheap and relatively safe source of energy, and many countries decided to adopt American experience in this field. Today most European and Asian countries have nuclear plants that provide them with energy. Nevertheless, a question emerges which is whether it is safe to grant access to nuclear powers to countries of the Persian Gulf, like Iran, who are known for being aggressive and searching for the means to get weapons. Politicians and usual people all over the world are discussing this question. Their main fears are that nuclear power in wrong hands may be transformed into weapon, and thus harm the ecology severely. Discussions take place all over the world about the influence of nuclear power plants on the ecology. Some say that they are not safe, even when nuclear powers are used only as a source of energy, and not as a weapon. The thing is that nuclear power plants use radioactive materials like uranium and plutonium to produce energy, and there are toxic wastes left, the authors of encyclopedia entry on renewable energy source on NationMaster, a large statistical data source claim. They add that the results of one significant radiation leakage accident on Yucca Mountain were disastrous; so people should be really very careful when using nuclear energy as the source of electricity. In the same time, Ilan Lipper & Jon Stone prove that the dangers of using nuclear power are overestimated. They state that unlike the wastes that stay after burning of coal, which stay toxic forever, nuclear wastes toxicity reduces with each passing day, as its elements are not stable. They prove that the amount of toxic wastes thrown into the air each year is less in the countries where nuclear plants are the main source of electricity, than in the countries where there are few or no nuclear plants. It is clearly seen that nuclear power is a very effective source of energy, and the damage it does to ecology in normal conditions is less than that of burning coal, or other means of getting electricity. Nevertheless human factor should not be forgotten. One serious human mistake is enough to let the effective and relatively safe nuclear power lead to disastrous consequences. In case an uncontrollable chain reaction emerges on the nuclear power plant, thousands of acres of lands and thousands of tons of water would be polluted, and the health of thousands of people would be damaged. The problem with nuclear power is that it is too powerful. When used correctly it can let governments save billions of dollars, as the energy produced by nuclear power plants is relatively cheap, and protect the environment from negative influence of toxic wastes other methods of getting electricity produce, but one mistake with nuclear power can lead to unpredictable and very serious consequences. Another serious problem with using nuclear power for producing energy is that the elements used for it can also be used for creating nuclear weapon. Human beings have always been at war with each other, and since prehistoric times they have been inventing more and more accomplished methods of murdering each other. On the present moment nuclear weapon is one of the most effective ones, along with bacteriological weapon. Nuclear weapon was used only two times in history, on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It slaughtered all the dwellers of these cities, and polluted the area so that people could not live there. More than sixty years passed, and still no one lives in these places. The consequences of using nuclear weapon were so disastrous and cruel that humans finally understood they had to stop. Most countries signed various agreements stating that they would not use and produce nuclear weapons. Still many countries have nuclear powers, either officially on non-officially, but no one comes to the scratch to use them. Everyone understands that the first bomb dropped will became the end of the world we all live in. Nuclear weapon is so powerful that dozen bombs dropped can slaughter several millions of people, depending on bombs’ sizes. The country which became the target of the nuclear attack will fight back with nuclear weapon murdering people and making land unfit to live on. That is why the issue of giving nuclear power to aggressive countries like those of the Persian Gulf is so debatable. The leaders of these countries state they need nuclear power in order to make the life of their people better, enhance their economy and protect ecology. For example, Iranian scientists prove that the oil and gas resources Iran has are not enough for satisfying the countries need of electricity, as the plants that recycle them to get electricity are out dated, with tons of equipment broken. The article published in Herald Tribune states that the demand on electricity is getting bigger with each passing year, and using non-renewable resources like oil for satisfying it is not rational, and, moreover, dangerous for the country’s ecology. They add that 57 of 60 oil fields need major repairs and modernization in order to produce enough oil to satisfy the demand in electricity. In general their viewpoint is easy to understand, as they want to use the cheap and relatively safe method of getting electricity most European and American countries use. In the same time Iranian aggressive politics towards other countries makes everyone suspect that they can use nuclear powers in purposes other than producing electricity. Giacomo Luciani, the Director of Gulf Research Center, states in his article â€Å"The Gulf Countries and Nuclear Energy† that the resources of oil are scarce in Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. He proves that soon there will not be enough of oil there to satisfy the existing demand in electricity. He adds that the restrictions USA and its allies impose on Persian Gulf countries in the issue of nuclear energy put their industries from adequate development. Luciani reminds that there are some industries within these countries, like aluminium smelting and water desalination that are of crucial importance to this region, and to other countries. His viewpoint is that given that Persian Gulf countries are gradually becoming industrial ones it is not rational to deprive them of the means to get cheap electricity, which is essential for all industrial fields. â€Å"The key to success is exactly in viewing nuclear technology as an economic, not a political or security choice. † – says Luciani. Nevertheless, given the political situation in this region the question of granting access to nuclear power cannot be viewed as an economic issue only. Some of the leaders of these countries are too ambitious to be satisfied with current situation. Of course most people who vote for creating nuclear power plants in Iran, Dahrain and other countries of this region in fact want to provide electricity. Their goal is to help develop industry in this region, in order to provide well-being to its dwellers. Meanwhile one person in power who desires control would be enough to create nuclear power plants to security threat. There are no warranties that the leaders of these countries will not be able to access nuclear power plants, as their powers in their countries are almost unlimited. In addition, terroristic groups functioning in Persian Gulf region should not be forgotten. Terrorists are people who are ready for anything to reach their goals; murdering thousands of people is not an ethical problem for them; again, there is no warranty they will not be able to access elements used for nuclear reactions on plants producing electricity. Nuclear energy is a relatively safe and cheap source of electricity nowadays. Most American and European countries use it. Some economists see nuclear plants as a universal solution for satisfying the demand in electricity. Meanwhile there are aspects about nuclear energy that have to be considered when using it. Using nuclear power may be dangerous, as an uncontrollable chain reaction may occur, and lead to nuclear explosion. In the same time the danger exists that nuclear powers may be used to create nuclear weapons. This fear is one of the main obstacles for giving Iran and other countries of the Persian Gulf access to nuclear powers. Researchers prove it would be beneficial for their economy, but, given the current political situation in that region, the decision cannot be the purely economical one. At the moment giving nuclear powers to Persian Gulf countries is too dangerous for the well-being of all the people in the world. References 1. Lipper, I. , Stone, J. (1998). Nuclear Energy & Society. Earth and Society Interaction Project. Retrieved January 3, 2008 from http://www. umich. edu/~gs265/society/nuclear. htm 2. Luciani, G. (2007). The Gulf Countries and Nuclear Energy. Gulf Monitor, 6(20-23). Retrieved January 3, 2008 from http://www. grc. ae/data/contents/uploads/Gulf_Monitor_no_6_3450. pdf 3. Renewable Energy Source. (2005). Nation Master Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 3, 2008 from http://www. nationmaster. com/encyclopedia/Renewable-energy-source#Is_nuclear_energy_renewable. 3F 4. Sahimi, M. , Mojtahed-Zadeh, P. , Afrasiabi, K. L. (2003, October 14). Energy : Iran needs nuclear power. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2008 from http://www. iht. com/articles/2003/10/14/edsahimi_ed3_. php

Basic Ecological Concept

Basic Ecological Concept Levels of Organization Cells- are composed of Cell Membrane, Nucleus and Protoplasm. Tissue-is an aggregation of cells performing a common function or functions. Organs- is the aggregation of tissues usually forming a definite shapes, and performing a definite function within an organ system. Organ System-is a group of organs that perform coordinated functions together to keep the organism alive and functioning well. The scope of the biology includes the study of all these and may extend to the level of the organism such as behavior, and the organism mechanism for interacting with its environment.Ecology started from the study of the organism-a group of organisms that is similar in appearance, behavior and genetic make up belong to the same species. The biological species concept state that members of a species are those individual that are genetically related enough to be able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Population The group of the individua ls belonging to one species and is found together in a define area at a certain time.A population possesses characteristics that more empirically describe the group such as: population Density, Dispersion, Natality, Mortality, Growth, Age Distribution, and Reproductive potential. Population Density Describe the degree of crowdedness of a population in a given area. Crude Density may be computed from the number of individuals or the total population biomass per unit space. Ecological or specific Density describes the number or biomass per unit of space that is actually available to the population. Dispersion The distribution of organisms over the space where they are found.Three pattern have been observed: clumped, random, and uniform. The clumped Distribution is the most common type of pattern since the soil or medium on which organisms are found in nature are not uniform. Random Distribution is rare in nature, occurring only where the soil is generally rich so that the plants can g row and thrive anywhere. Uniform Distribution is found in artificial cultivated areas. Natality/Morality Natality corresponds to what is termed in humans as birth rate or the number of new individuals produced in the pupolation for a period of time.Morality is known as death rate in human demographics, or the number of deaths in a given time period. Growth Is an important feature of a population since the increases or decreases of population size determines its interaction with other populations in the community and its impact on the environment. Age Distribution Is classifies the population according to age brackets or to general age groups such as prereproductive, reproductive and postreproductive. Reproductive PotentialThe Reproductive potential of a population is its theoretical capacity to produce the maximum number of offspring in ideal conditions. Community The community has properties that may be used to further clarify its composition and its interaction with the environmen t. Like species dominance, diversity, relative abundance, species richness and evenness. Dominance Is attained by a species in a community by virtue of a greater number of individuals, or by size such as the overwhelming sizes of sequoia trees, or any other attribute that enables the species to control the community. DiversityDiversity is the opposite of dominance, a case where no single species has greater number or biomass or other relative importance than other species in the community. Ecosystem The basic unit of ecology because it includes the living and nonliving components. The setting includes necessary nonliving components such as soil, water, air, and the cycles that keep and renew them, which are collectively called the biogeochemical cycles. Bioenergetics Energy is necessary for maintaining the life processes of organisms. The sun is the source of all the energy that goes into the ecosystem. The solar ystem is radiated on to the earth where a tiny fraction of it is tappe d by plants and used in photosynthesis. Solar energy released in the form of light waves called photons. Herbivores are organism that feed on plants. Carnivores are organism that feed on other organism. Omnivores are organism that consume both plants and animals. Food Chain The sequence of eating and being eaten may be described by food chain. It also indicates the role, the feeding mode and rank of each organism. Food Web A food web shows the various possibilities of the sequence of eating and being eaten in the ecosystem.There are two major types of food webs in the ecosystem: the grazing food web is the more conspicuous type because it is usually composed of large plants and animals that are familiar. Law of Energy First law of thermodynamics stated that energy is never created nor destroyed but is transformed from one form to another. Second law of thermodynamics states that as energy is transformed it degrades or diminishes. Biogeochemical Cycles Substances that organisms need to survive are called nutrients such as water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.Nutrients move through the ecosystem in cycles called biogeochemical cycles where bio refers to the living organism, geo refers to the inorganic molecules such as those found in rocks, air, and water, and chemical refers to the interactions of the elements between them. Water cycle Evaporation-the heat of the sun, or solar energy makes water vapor, which is water in gaseous form, continually rising from water bodies and from the land. Condensation-it brings water into the atmosphere where the water molecules clump together. Precipitation-the clumps get too big and too heavy, they fall back down to the earth.In the form of rain, snow, hail or sleet. Water cycle is the movements of several chemical substances through the ecosystem. Carbon cycle-During photosynthesis plants use up carbon dioxide, combining it with water to form sugars particularly glucose. Consumption of these sugars breaks them down re leasing CO2. Nitrogen Cycle-Nitrogen is an important component of proteins, the building block of all living matter. Fixation- the process of converting nitrogen from the gaseous state, N2 to the usable ammonia, NH3, and nitrate NO3.Mineralization or ammonification-involve the breakdown of dead organisms and their proteins and nucleic acids are further broken down into amino acids. Nitrification-where the bacteria such as the nitosomonas use ammonia to produce their energy needs by converting it. Denitrification- is the process by which nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere. Phosphorus cycle-the sedimentary rocks which contain phosphorus in the form of the mineral apatite comprise a pool phosphorus. Phosphorus is released when these rocks weather naturally, which takes along time, or when human mines these rocks to release phosphorus which is used to fertilizers soap.Sulfur cycle- a basically sedimentary nutrients cycles through air, soil and water. The sulfur cycle involves the th ree spheres as it cycle through the soil, waterway, and atmosphere. It originates from the crust and mantle of the earth and is spewed out during volcanic eruptions. It is found in the volcanic rocks and many minerals. Limiting Factors and the Law of Tolerance Law of the Minimum- states that when there is not enough of a certain nutrient in the environment, the growth of organism that needs that nutrient will be severely limited.Studies also show that too much of any nutrient will likewise limit growth, giving rise to the Law of limiting Factors. Sunlight and Temperature are two important physical factors that limit the distribution and abundance of organism. Species Interactions The population of two species may positively or negatively affect the existence of one another in the community. Mutualism- refers to the interaction between two species where both are benefited. Competition- is an example of a positive negative interaction when two species of the same species strive to obt ain the same limited resource.Predation- is an example of a positive negative interaction wherein the predator eats the prey. Parasitism- is another type of positive negative interaction wherein the hosts provide nourishment to the parasite. Commensalism- is a form of positive zero interaction wherein in the commensal also referred to as hitchhiker attaches itself to the host while the host is neither help nor harmed by the interaction. Amensalism- is an example of a negative zero interaction wherein one organism is inhibited while the other is not affected.

Human behavior theories Essay

Working as a community facilitator is all about empowering and facilitating change within individuals and communities. As their practice facilitators need to identify any challenges and work with the communities to look at ways of solving these problems together. This then requires first for the facilitator to find out why these challenges or problems come about in the first place. Theories are designed to understand human development, identity and approaches to practice. They help turn complicated human, behavioural and social singularities into ideas that are more accessible. It can be said then that theories provide a basis for understanding and reflecting on what we do which then helps us help communities on a micro, mezzo and macro levels. This essay will look at two of the human behaviour theories and how they help us understand and work with our communities (that we as facilitators serve) better. 2. DEFINITION OF TERMS 2. 1. Theory According to (Body, 2014) â€Å"A theory is a logical system of concepts that helps to explain why something happens in a particular way and to predict outcomes†. This means that by preparing their practice on theory, this leads a facilitator to get a better understanding of his/her own task, do some goal planning and also anticipate whatever outcomes there may be. 2. 2. Community Communities are unique with regard to the people in them, place, interaction meaning. According to (Heaven, 2014) â€Å"While we traditionally think of a community as the people in a given geographical location, the word can really refer to any group sharing something in common†. This could also mean any small geographical areas from e. g. a neighbourhood, housing project or development to any community with a large geographically-defined community. 3. HUMAN BEHAVIOR THEORIESÃ'Ž 3. 1. Social Construction Social construction is influential in changing grounded theory. As a way of trying to understand the social world, social construction views knowledge as being 2 constructed (as the name suggests) instead of being created. In this theory communities are seen as alternating between both subjective and objective reality. Past theorists believed that knowledge is beliefs in which people have rational confidence, a common sense of understanding and consensual notion as to what is knowledge. Social construction came about as a way to deal with the nature of reality. It has its origins in sociology and has been linked with the modern era of qualitative research. Reality is it may be something that we are not even aware of. Things like segregation according to what gender, race and class you are a just basic examples of social construction. These things only have meaning because society gives them meaning. According to Tom Andrews (2014) â€Å"Constructionists view knowledge and truth as created not discovered by the mind and supports the view that being a realist is not inconsistent with being a constructionist†. A person can believe that concepts are constructed other than being discovered yet relate to something in the real world. This is consistent with an idea that was put out that reality is socially defined but this one referred to the subjective experience of everyday life as opposed to the objective reality of the natural world. As Steedman (2000) said, â€Å"most of what is known and most of the knowing that is done is concerned with trying to make sense of what it is to be human, as opposed to scientific knowledge†. Individuals or communities decide or rather create this reality one may then ask how this reality or knowledge emerges or how it comes to have significance for society to which social constructionists may answer as they view knowledge as being created by the interactions of individuals within society which is at the centre of social construction as a theory. Andrews (2014) believes that subjective reality is brought about by the interaction of people with their social world and with this social world influencing them it results to routines and habits. That is to say that any regularly repeated action becomes a pattern which at some point can be done without much effort needed. With time this forms a sort of store of knowledge which is passed on to future generations which is then subjective reality. 3 Society gives you and identity from birth. Our identities as people come not from the inside but from the social sphere. Conversation is the main way of maintaining, modifying and reconstructing subjective reality. It compromises notions that are shared unproblematically between the communities so much so that these notions need not be defined each time they are used in conversation and come to assume reality. 3. 2. Examples of Social Construction The most common of all social constructions is that of men and women. Men are required (by society) to have qualities such as control, efficiency, toughness and coolness under emotional distress whilst women on the other hand are said to be the fragile amongst the two with qualities such as inefficiency, emotional expressiveness, caring and mutuality. This is what society has deemed as normal over the years which is what gives the battle of Patriarchy versus Matriarchy in this modern generation. Women today believe that they are more than able to do whatever the â€Å"men† can do and sometimes do it even better. It is clear though that in society’s opinion of gender that men should hold all the power. Laura Flores (2012) is quoted as saying â€Å"Power looks sexy on men, not on women†. But this could be seen as having a double meaning. Other than the obvious meaning we get, it could also mean that women are seen as unable to learn the skills or unable to do whatever a man can do as well. Feminists have been fighting hard battles in order to change this thinking and they have succeeded in changing some people’s minds but the in the traditional societies, mostly in the rural areas this social construction of men and women is still very much evident. Men still go out to provide for the family while the women is expected to stay behind and take care of the children and the home. One other example one could use is that of the social construction of gender. This is slightly different from the previous example used. When a baby is brought into the world the first thing that the doctor will look at is the baby’s sexual category (whether they are male or female) and this is where this social construction begins. Immediately after they are classified as boy or girl the parents then fall into this shared mechanism by dressing them in colours that are â€Å"appropriate† for their gender. Flores says â€Å"the â€Å"normal† thing to do in this case would be for the 4 baby girl to be dressed in pink and the baby boys to be dressed in blue†. You don’t want to be seen as weird for dressing your baby girl in blue or your baby boy in pink, right? Society has put aside colours as some of the symbols that differentiate between boys and girls. Children will then grow like this and then start to try to be like the people who are the same gender as them, â€Å"girls should start acting like their mommy and boys act like their daddy†. Each one will be expected to dress or act in a certain way (as in the first example) but such things are what leads to stereotypes. 3. 3. Asset Based Community Approach 3. 3. 1. What is Asset Based Community Approach (ABCD)? Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is an approach for sustainable community development. The basis of ABCD is that it believes that communities can develop themselves by recognizing and using existing but often hidden assets to create economic opportunities. It builds those already existing assets in the community and gets individuals, associations and institutions to band together to build on their assets instead of focusing on their needs. It is a naturally positive approach. A large amount of time is spent in trying to identify the assets within a particular community whether it be from individuals, institutions and associations before they are then organised to build on them to the benefit of the community as a whole. The basic key as mentioned above is to use what is already in the community. The ABC approach aims to change people’s view that their needs can only be met by an outsider (professional). When it comes to working with the community, a facilitator who applies the ABCD approach should be adamant about stepping back and letting the community figure things out for themselves. They enlist the help of associations that are within the community in terms of the community development approach and additional support. However Community driven development is mostly done by outside agencies instead of networks that exist in the community already. 3. 3. 2. Discussion on ABCD ABCD pulls out the strengths and weaknesses within a community’s shared history as a starting point for change. Out of all the assets that a community may 5 have ABCD focuses on the assets that are deep rooted in social relationships and sees them as being both evident in both formal and informal networks and associations. It believes that everyone in the community has something to offer and that no one can be said to unimportant. ABCD view individuals as being as being at the centre of it all. The residents of the community has gifts and skills which they can out on the table. These need to be recognized and noted as in community development you can’t do anything with people’s needs but only their assets. Needs are only valuable to institutions. Institutions are groups of people (usually professionals) who share a common interest out of their own choice. These could be agencies or schools etc. these institutions help the community get resources and that in turn gives them a sense of civic responsibility. In terms of assets one could include physical assets such as land, space, funds etc. as they also could be used. 3. 3. 3. How is it facilitated in communities? As mentioned above ABCD is the development of self-mobilisation for change. This development has been implemented in many communities. The task for any agency that comes into a community such as NGO’s is how to put in place this development in other communities without creating a sense of dependency. There are different methods that are facilitated by NGO’s in communities for ABCD. Methods such as Collecting stories whereby they build confidence, informal discussions and interview that also have the goal of drawing out people’s experiences. Success in this will also enable them to uncover any gifts, skills, talents and assets that people in the community may have. Mapping the capacities and assets of individuals, associations and local institutions. Mapping is more than just gathering data on the community. It is of importance that you let the community and institutions d the mapping for themselves as they build new relationships, learn more about help and talents of other community members and also see any connections between different assets. 6 CONCLUSION Understanding a community is crucial to being able to work in it. Failing to understand it will deny you credibility and make it difficult for you both to connect with community members and to negotiate the twists and turns of starting and implementing a community initiative or intervention. Social constructionism places great emphasis on everyday interactions between people and how they use language to construct their reality. It regards the social practices people engage in as the focus of enquiry. This is very similar to the focus of grounded theory but without the emphasis on language. Social constructionism that views society as existing both as objective and subjective reality is fully compatible with classical grounded theory, unlike constructionist grounded theory which takes a relativist position. The ABCD is a substitute the more known needs-based approach. Instead of focusing on what the communities do not have, ABCD looks at what they have to offer. It not only creates a chance for the community to play a part in but they also lead the community planning process. The ABCD is always successful in getting individual participation in the projects in brings to their communities. 7 REFERENCE LIST Andrews, T (2012). What is social constructionism? [ONLINE] Available at: http://groundedtheoryreview. com/2012/06/01/what-is-social-constructionism/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Body, A. (n. d. ). Theories Used in Social Work Practice. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. socialworkdegree. net/theories-used-in-social-work-practice/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Cunningham, G and Mathie, A. (2002). Asset Based Community Development- An Overview. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www. synergos.org/knowledge/o2/abcdoverview. htm . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Flores, L (2012). What is social construction? [ONLINE] Available at: http://oakes. ucsc. edu/academics/Core %20Course/oakes-core-awards-2012/laura-flores. html . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Hampton, C and Heaven C (n. d. ). Section 2. Understanding and Describing the Community. [ONLINE] Available at: http://ctb. ku. edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-a nd-resources/describe-the-community/main . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Simmons staff. (n. d. ). Theories Used in Social Work Practice. [ONLINE] Available at: http://socialwork.simmons. edu/theories-used-social-work-practice/ . [Last Accessed 26 August 2014]. Steedman, P. (2000). On the relations between seeing, interpreting and knowing. London: Sage. Suttles G, D. (1972). The social construction of communities. 1st ed. Illinois: University of Chicago Press. Vance S. C. (1989). Social construction theory: problems in the history of sexuality. 1st ed. Amsterdam: An Dekker. 8 Varien M, D Potter, M. J, (2008). The Social Construction of Communities: Agency, Structure, and Identity in the Prehispanic Southwest (Archaeology in Society). 1st Ed. New York: Rowman and Littlefield publishers.