The Green Anaconda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Green Anaconda - Essay Example The Eunectus marinus, also known as the ‘’Green Anaconda’’ is the best know of these species. Possibly lizard posterity, these snakes contain hints of pelvic and hind limbs. The workings of an Anaconda’s body are mostly unknown, with only theories concerning the two working lungs present inside it in contrast to the usual elongated one (Pinney, 1991). The Green Anaconda is usually found inside rivers, marshes and lakes in South America predominantly in the basins from Venezuela to Argentina. In some places, they also live in flooded grasslands. In dry weather, they seek refuge in caves. Their skin color helps them to camouflage themselves in the river’s contents. These anacondas are excellent swimmers and keep to their territory, which varies during the year (National Geographic, web). The Green Anaconda is built to best overcome its prey. Its lean, strong body coils around its victim, squeezing them until they die of suffocation. The muscle b ones are somewhat relaxed, the lower jaw and the upper jaw not joined and the surrounding muscles powerful, enabling the anaconda to swallow victims larger than normally possible. The thick skin and the razor sharp teeth that turn towards the back of its mouth leave the prey helpless against this deadly predator. The teeth’s function is hardly biting down or even gnawing, they are a means of trapping the prey (Thorbjarnarson, 1995). The Green Anaconda is believed to be a patient predator, mainly hunting in water bodies. It estimates the size of its victim by contrast with the size of its mouth. With only its eyes and mouth above water, the anaconda senses its prey through vibrations occurring though the water. Once its victim is close enough, in order to keep it in place, the anaconda bites it, quickly coiling its large body around it in order to suffocate and then, swallow its meal. When the anaconda squeezes its victim, it simultaneously breaks their spine or neck. The Anac onda’s usual victims are deer, pigs, turtles and sometimes, jaguars (Murphy, 1997). These victims are swallowed completely. Owing to the Green Anaconda’s slow metabolism, this snake can survive for as much as a few months. The length of time is decided by the size of its prey. This phenomenon has allowed the anaconda to survive in droughts and famines. On the other hand, food is not the only motivation for hunting. Hunting is considered to be correlated with successful mating (Pinney, 1991). The Eunectus marinus’s mating is very complex. Pheromones are secreted by the female in order to attract the male. A group of males gather around one female during the end of the March. An accumulation of males (even as many as twelve) form a ‘’mating ball’’. Shallow waters usually host the call for these. Male anacondas try inserting their hemipenes, into the female’s cloaca. In preparation for copulation, the male anacondas also try famili arizing themselves with the female anaconda’s smell. Once a male manages to insert a waxy plug in the female’s cloaca, she is prevented from further fertilization (Rivas, 2001). Once pregnant, the female can no longer feed for as long as she carried the offspring, which can be as long as six to seven months. The eggs of an Anaconda hatch within the female and come out as in their normal physical form. The eggs can be up to one hundred. The Anaconda does not portray any parental inclinations. The closest

Science fiction film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Science fiction film - Essay Example This is in general and in the cinema. When discussing the science fiction film genre a problem occurs. The distinction between science fiction and other genres is not always clear cut. Many movies span between the science fiction genre and other genres. Movies such as The Ring (2002) or the Alien series (1979, 1986, 1992, 1997) illustrate how the distinction between science fiction and horror films can be obscure. (Telotte, 2001) Some comedies, such as Mars Attacks (1996) and Back to the Future (1985), are very much science fiction. (Mitchell, 2001) In fact there is an example of a science fiction film fitting into almost any genre. Starship Troopers (1997) parallels a war film and Outland (1981) resembles a western in many respects. (Telotte, 2001) The characteristics that define the science fiction genre can be difficult to pin down. A genre such as the western has easily identifiable characteristics such as cowboys, guns, the Wild West, and bad guys with mustaches. The average person would have no trouble picking out a science fiction film but when asked to come up with a definition, most would struggle. After being exposed to a number of science fiction films people are able to recognize characteristics and clues that together to constitute a cultural consensus of what a science fiction film is. ... physical world with some type of twist which answers the question "what if." In other words it deals less with explicit characteristics and conventions and more with cultural concerns. Science fiction films give us a taste of what our lives would be like if our technological situation were different. (Newman, 1999) These technological changes could be a result of humans taking a different path in the past or the present, evolving into the future or as a result of a visit by extraterrestrials. It may sound obvious but a science fiction film is fiction. While science fiction films deal with real concerns they are entirely fictional. The film Deep Impact (1998) plays on our fear of Armageddon. (Mitchell, 2001) While an asteroid could strike earth and destroy humanity, it has not happened. For the purposes of this essay the definition of science fiction is a film that explores the repercussions of a technological situation that differs from our current relationship with technology. This definition is adequate in describing the majority of science fiction films but is still open to debate. The main distinguishing feature between the human mind and Artificial Intelligence is consciousness (Frantz, 2003). While it is true that computers are far from being fully assimilated to the human brain, advances in the field of Artificial Intelligence shed light on many features of the human mind that were previously unknown and that is a reliable indicator that there are innumerable similarities between the two. The most obvious contrast is the brain and mind in humans compared to hard drive and software in computers. Brain is the entity responsible for storing information and executing the mechanical aspect of information processing while the hard drive carrying the same function in

The Process of Development

The Process of Development Introduction This essay, will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of culture in the process of development. As it will be demonstrated, culture can both be a catlystic agent just as it can be a stumbling block for development process. Whether we like or not,we have to understand that culture plays an indespensable role in the way people respond to diferent development policies.Thus according to Spackman,in what he called Postmodern appraoch , an economic policy that leads to sustainable development opt to take into account a psychological angle also known as development with a focus on personal needs and growth; secondly, it should consider a spiritual dimension given that this trend constitutes the deepest root of human existence . Such policy he added will provide legs and not clutches .This policy is also referred to as People Centered Development (PCD) in short. (Speckman2007:24-25). The aim of this essay however is not to discuss which policy is the best but the advantages and dis advantages of culture on development process and,for the sake of this paper , I have decided to base my discusion on five important elements. These are: Sexism and Patriarchy; the impact of Lobola (dowry) on Development; African understanding of knoweledge, the understanding of Culture visavis of different deseases mainly HIV and AIDS and finally, culture and environmnet. What is culture? According to the Oxford Dictionary (1999), Culture is defined as arts and other manifestations of human itellectual achievement regarded collectively.the custums institutions and achievemtnet of a particular nation people, or group.(Oxford Dictionry, 348:1999). For an Africans the topic concerning the impact of culture and development progress is crucial because on one hand, we are eager to keep our culture of which we are proud of but on the other hand, as a leader, we are compelled to guide people toward a sustainable development. (Speckman2007:44). Christianity as a culture: From the definition provided above, one may also suggest that culture is not only what our ancestrors left to us which were transmited to us through oral traditional. After our grand parents had converteed to Christianity they somehow adopted a new culture that we inherit.In other word, I wsh to argue that Christianity itself and the way we adopt it contitute culture which deserve a special attention while discussing the isue of the impact of Culture and Development. For instance, some Zulus will say I dont practice ancestros worship because I am a Christian. In order words, this implies I dont practie that cultural practice because I have adopted another one. Thus the topic: christianity and Deveopment. What is development? : Acording Oxford Dictionary, (1999) simply one maysimply say that Development is a specified state of growth or advancement. (We will argue that s mant African scholars such as Kalenkole and Mbiti have argued Africans are very religius people and yet remained poor. (Oxford Dictionary, 1999:392). What is the relation between Culture and Development? Historically speaking, Schech and Haggis(2002) argue that the origins of the notion of development in the sense of promoting social progress lie in the same set in the nineteeth century as which are associated with the origins of the concept of culture . They added, Indeed culture and development sometimes mean almost the same thing until discourses of development planning and cultural specificity diverged in the ealry decades of the present century. (Schech and Haggis, 2002:5). Thus in Africa, specifically in South Africa, given the place ocupied by culture, one may argue that if we are projecting for a sustainable development, it is indispensable to scrutinize both the strenghts and the weaknesses that cuture can bring about and, when possible try to challenge critically some of our cultural practices and believes that appear to be as an obstruction to Development.But at all time, we first have to be conscious that we can not impliment efficient development policies while ignoring the presence of culture. Larry Yost nd Hugh Tracy were right in their eighth principle of Community Development Work when arguing the importance of involving the local leadership since the ultimate responsability for continuing development rests with the local citizen (Yost and Tracy: 1997;21). Beside that, either one is an economist or traditionalist; we all heartily and sincerely endorse the striving for economic development. In other words, Economic development expresses one of our fundamental hopes and aspiration. Moreover, in its report published in 1996, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), defined human development as the endeconomic growth a means. (Human Development Report 1996). (http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/). Disadvantages of Culture: Speaking about the disadvantages of culture on development, one may argue that sometime people because of their ignorance or lack of knowledge can deny even what is indispensable for their survival on the basis of their cultural beliefes. Thus, as it has been argued by Spackamn, people need to be empowered as toward decision making.And, in my view, any theologian and any educated person who cares about the Development of Africa should think critically about the impact of culture.According to Spackman, culture can have positive impact on development just as it can have negative repercussion on development. Thus, this situation often plunge us into a dilemma because on one hand we are eager to keep our culture of which we are proud of but on the other hand, as leaders, we are compelled to lead people toward a sustainable development. (Speckman2007:40-44), Impact of Sexism ad patrirchy on development As mentioned before, this paragph will be discussing sexism in Africa and its impact on development. I will demonstrate how sexism and patriarchy have contributed all along many years to the oppression of women and, consequently this situation has also lead to the oppression of men and the impoverishing of Africa. Definition of Sexism: According to Cambridge Dictionary, Sexism is the belief that the members( in this case women) of one sex are less intelligent , able skillful, less accepted/valued by God than the members of the other sex. Especially that women are less than men are. (Cambridge Dictionary2005:1166). Mercy Amba Oduyoye argues that Womens status in most societies is far lower than that of men. In her view, this situation is due to cultural stereotype specified under attributes and responsibilities. (Oduyoye, 2007:22).Beside that, even the way the Bible has been often interpreted has immensely contributed to women oppression. In most African society, at the death of parents in most only male children will inherit and never a girl.Thus in African society and all over the World, there is a tendency to consider a boy more valuble than a girl.when there is shortage of income in the familly, often it isthe girl who has to interrupt her studies in favor of the boy. Secondly, though a woman is said to be a partner, in most decision making, either within the society or within the familly practically, she does not have much to contribute if not nothing. In other word she is just there as an auxilliary to her husband. Once divorced, a woman loses respect and finds herself despised if she does not quickly remarry. The whole education has been in preparation for marriage, so a failure here is a total failure. No woman is destined to stay single if so she has done something wrong. (Oduyoye, 2007:22). Apart from sexism found in the culture, we also find that even the way Bible has been interpreted does not encourage wo mens emancipation. To use Nyangweso words, Marriage is endocentric. This is a universal experience that cries for reexamination.'(Nyangweso2007:61). From the Hebrew Testament to the New Testament, the position occupied by women is often portayed to be lower to that of men. Thus, Oduyoye argues that gender stratification has distorted the quality of human relations and it continues to deny the parity between women and men to accept female and male as equivalent expression of being. (Nyangweso2007:62). How then do sexism and patriarchy impact negatively on Africans development? By oppressing women, some men think that they will monopolize the power and order will be established. However, a careful observer will agree with me that by oppressing women, men are doubly oppressed. First, men are deprived from the closest source of support. As when woman and man have equal access to education and make their economic decision together, this can boost their economy. In the previous decades we saw that in some part of Africa like Senegal, women were not allowed to attend school and this in my view was oppressive toward a man as he has by himself to provide not only for himself but his wife and children whereas a woman well educated will have access to better job and financial resources. And this will solve not only her financial problem but also will be able to raise the household income. (Oduyoye, 2007:22).By doing so the man is secured from working doubly. And more interesting, a husband will have peace of mind knowing that after his death his wife and children wi ll not be mistreated by the rest of his family. Womens contribution was not really valued in terms of Development .That is why pne may ague that sexism constitute a stubling block as women are considered as passive agents in the process of the development whereas ,if they were to be valued, their input should have boosted our Development. I dare to say that taking as reference to our modern time where men and women appear to ocupy the same position and deliver the same service.Thus tooday we have Nurses, Doctors, Enginneer, Political parties Leaders such as DA in South Africa and so on.In one word, one may say that African Development will not progress untill all of those who are oppressed by sexism and partiacrhy are free. Thus the UNDPs statement (Unitied Nations development Programme), Gender equality and womens empowerment are central to achieving for inclusive, democratic, violence-free and sustainable development in Africa and therefore a condition to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). www.undp.org/porvety The impact of our religious and social beliefs on development. Land and devolpment: Culture has a huge impact on land development. Werner Sombart argued that any economic system is nothing but a manifestation of the existing culture. And, a culture exists because of a certain spirit. (12).Thus in section I wish to discuss some of both positive and negative impacts of Culture on Agriculture and environmnet in general given its role in Development. Speaking about African culture and development, it is important to understand that knoweledge as a crucial component of technology raises some pertinent questions in Arfrican culture. Its cultural construction raises questions like: What value is placed on different forms of knowledge? (And by whom)Who has access to, or access to exploit knowledge? Consequently, individual are not free to engage in research given that only a certain group of people has access to that field.Often, it is found that our Culture imposes some practices that dont encourage development. For istance, in some areas where the tra dition is still highly observed, we find that there are some places which are reserved strictly for ancestors worship as well as some restrictions to cultivate some products. This can be a challenge when the government want to develop a such area either in terms infrustructrure, roads or practice an Agriculture which will benefit many.Often, when the Government insists and go against the will of the resident of that area, it is found that the project is never successful given that as the ABCD methods states a true development project, has to be initiated by people and with people. (Class notes) Impact of Lobola on development: Beside the issue of land, another pertinent issue in our modern time which arises from culture to be discussed is the issue of Lobola and weding ceremonies .Today, in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, the issue of Lobola present a stumblig block to development for different individuals. Originally, Lobola was meant to express a link between the two families. According to one of my South African friends, lobola was like a gift of appreciation to the best familly. Howerever, as time goes on, this practice has changed its aim and has tendency to become a business whereas life does not always allow it. Consequently, most couple ends up in debts.Speaking about development, this practice does hinder financially the new couple from achieving other goals such as education of quality of both their children and themselves because they can not afford it.In the future, this situation affect both the familly and the Nation as we can only produce a service of q uality if we have rceived an education of good quality. Furthermore, any carefull observor, will argue with me that the economical situation doe no more allow to feast for a long period.Thus to enforce the new couple into endless parties and ceremonies just in the name of culture is irrespective to what is defined as Sustainable Development as According to The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, development is sustainable if it meets the needs of the Present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs..Here the point I am trying to make is that there are many cultural practices that may seem to be fastidious whereas they dont encourage savings. (http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/) Deseases, Culture and Development: Today, no country in the World is unacquainted of HIV and AIDS. According to the report generated by the UNDP in 2007, South Africa was experiencing the most severe AIDS in the World. 5.7 millions of People living with HIV and almost 1,000 AIDS deaths occuring every day. In its efort to fight this deasease, South African Goverment together with Who (World Health Organization) spent millions of Rand in order to support people who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. (http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm) One of the reasons why this desease continue to spread extremely beyond major is our behavior due to our cultural beliefs and practices .Some of the practices to consider here are levirate mariage and poligamy. Levirage mariage implies that when the father of the house dies, his brother has to replace him. And, often this happen inspite of the wish of the wife of the desease.Consequently, this practice perpuates the spread of HIV in case one of the new couple is already infected. Apart from levirate mariage, polygamy which is accepted in most African Culture like Zulu culture for instance is another obstacle.Furthermore, beside levirate mariage and Polygamy, the way our tradition conceives and deals with deaseses such as HIV and Aids and many others such as Swine Flu, Cholera and so on often end in disastrous result. On 30th of November 2006 for instance, the SACC adressed its concern about a traditional healer who claimed to have cured 500 HIV-positive people with the use of herbs which acording to the invistigation done it was just a way of attracting people to draw their attention to traditional medications.( http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-11-29-church-council-outraged-over-aidscure-claim) Beside that, some traditional healer do often suggest method which rather than leading to the cure encourage the spread of HIV. This, being because they have another understanding of the disease. Some believe that by sleeping with a virging girl they would get rid of the desease , others argue that the use of Condoms is not in accordance with our culture.I remember in my culture that there is an odd say ntawurya umunwa wugaye meaning no man can eat the mouth closed implying that a man could never have sex and stop the semens from entering the female private part.Others will go even further by arguing that condoms are Westerns assert used to spread the desease among Black People in other to exterminate them. Consequently, these b elieves have been the cause of death of many talented and energetic young people indispensable for the development of Africa. Thus while encouraging our young generation to assume the continuity of our Culture, we should be keen to think critically about certain practices that hinder the Development of our people. Beside that, each African should endeavour to reduce the cost of supporting people living with HIV and AIDSas it has huge repercussion on national economy. Impact of HIV on Development South African Government spends millions of rand each month to fight the desease and especially in the support of people living with HIVand AIDS by providing ERVs and other medications including the distribution of free condoms.These huge amount of funds which are used to support people living whith HIV and AIDS constitute a big lost as there should be used to support many other projects such as Education, scientific research,the fight against Women oppression and crime, and different studies that may help to kep our Environmnent from degradation and many other projects which in return will contribute to the Development process. By criticizing the investment in the fight against HIV and AIDS, I am not arguing that it worthless project.I do believe that People who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS are still people who deserve dignity and support. This being because first of all, they remain human like others and, most of them are indispensable for our Development. However, the point I am trying to make is that the support of people living with HIV and AIDS is very costy .Therefore, wherever possible we should be willing to divorce ourself from any practice that favor the spreading of HIV and AIDS in this case certain cultural pratices and believs mentioned above. Impact of Christianity on Development. Speaking about the church as one aspect that has shaped our culture (cfr introduction), While speaking about Development and Culture, it might look easy to criticize what had been passed on to us by our forefathers. One of the reasons is because; these cultural practices appear to be too old. Some of them are not even in practice today.They are just part of our history though we claim them to be part of our culture .And; often we just refer to them when it suits us as a way to defend our manhood, political argument and so on for instance. However, if we will have to engage critically, I think we should speak more about what appears to be a burning issue. Thus in my view, it is essential while discussing culture and development not to leave aside Christianity. This being as discussed before, the way we practice Christianity can constitute a culture.Though it is universally known that Chrisitianity is a religion, I wish to ague that Christian life is itself a culture. Thus, just as one can engage critically with his/her culture, we should also be bold to discus some of the impacts of Christianity on Development. Positive impact of Christianity on Development: One of the positive impacts of Christianity for us as African is that it has free us from diferent ancestoral practices which dont encourage development. This is for istance the total dependency on spiritual agencies and forgeting that we are the custodians of the earth.Beside that, Christianity does encourage hard working. Thus looking unto Jesus, Paul (He who does not work should not eat). And, today, some churches have sort to preach the prosperity Gospel. This kind of Gospel has some good aspects of development in a sense that it does encourage people to know that it is their fathers will that they may prosper (verse).Some individuals argue that one of the reason why Europ is more developed than africa is because we as African put the spiritual realm first and undermine our ability to create.This is often explained by the fact that in Europ, during the modern period, Europe develop dramatically especially in terms of technology and economy. Negative impact of Christianity on Development Though one may say that Christianity enclose numberous positive aspects for development, one has also to be aware of the negative impacts that Christianity can revert on Development and often due to the way, we interpret the scriptures. Often, church leaders do teach that we have to live a poor life. We have to look on things above. We should not keep our tresearues on earth here roast and will eat them. Thus, a missinterpretaion of such verses has leaded some of believers to be satisfied with their porvety and therefore hinder them from seing any need for development. Beside that, another negative aspect of Christian teachings is its impassibility visavis to issues regarding development and politic.Scholars in nowadays came to the conclusion that such attitude reveals ignorance given that the church operates within the society and whaterver strikes the society also strikes the church (Simangaliso.). It is therfore good time that the church starts to engage with not only spiritual is sues but also social issue. Conclusion In Conclusion, this essay has discussed the impact of Culture on Development. I have demonstrated how some facets of culture such as partiacrchy, sexims and Chrsitainity do impact both positively but most largely negatively on Development progress.Most extensively; I have discussed how culture in Africa has hindered the development process. I came to the understanding that there is no culture which is universal and there is no culture which is eternal. Consequently, each cultural practice should be understood from its historical and socialogical context and applied in contemplation with the current political, social and economic situation. Reference Ife,J.(2002), Community Development,(2nd edition), Pearson ,Sydney Australia NIV Bible Nyangweso.,M 2007,FemaleCircumcision, Maryknoll, New York :Orbis Oduyoye, Mercy Amba, 1986.Hearing and Knowing: Theological Reflections on Christianity in Africa,Maryknoll:Orbis.2001 Simangaliso, R, 2005, Theology and Education, the role of the Church in education for social transformation: A Methodist contribution, Cecil Renaud Library Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Speckman MT, 2007, A Biblical Vision for Africas development ?, Cluster Publication http://www.mg.co.za/article/2006-11-29-church-council-outraged-over-aidscure-claim http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm www.undp.org/porvety http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1996/ Schech,S and Haggis,J.(ed)(2002) Development: A Cultural Studies Reader ,Publisher Blackwell Yost,L and Tracy,H(ed).(1997) (class notes)

The Hessian Essay -- essays research papers

Living in a divided society based upon the religions of the Puritans and the Quakers, Evan Feversham sought out his own religious faith through his daily interactions with both religious groups. Evan Feversham was a very cynical man who had been witness to far to many wars and sorrowfulness. In a world already so full of hate and distress, he could no longer bear to witness such horrible acts of cruelty upon the suffering, yet he dealt with them each day being a doctor. He was a man of reason, attempting to solve his problems with plain and simple reasoning, for he did not believe in much anymore due to the events he had witnessed with his own eyes. From the very early ages of his life, Feversham had very little faith in God, for he felt that God had let him down by allowing the death of his father. From that point on, he had witnessed countless other deaths through participation in numerous wars and being a doctor. He was a man with very little faith in mankind, for all he saw were the death and misery that others inflicted upon each other. He began to lose more and more of his faith in God and began to reason more about why things happened and were the way there were. Through his daily interactions with both the Puritans and the Quakers, Evan Feversham appreciated both religious groups a bit better and picked up some of their religious beliefs. Dr. Feversham and Squire Hunt did not like each other a bit, for they shared different views about God’s word. â€Å"†¦and I say le...

Punished by Rewards Essay

The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes (1993), contends that rewards and punishments are â€Å"two sides of the same coin† (p. 50). Although rewards are certainly more pleasurable, they are â€Å"every bit as controlling as punishments, even if they control by seduction† (p. 51). According to Kohn, if we want youngsters to become self-regulating, responsible, caring individuals, we must abandon attempts at external control and provide students with opportunities to develop competence, connection, and autonomy in caring classroom communities† One of the most important parts of being an effective teacher is motivation of the children you are teaching. When I was learning have to be an effective teacher in my methods classes, many of the techniques that I was taught included extrinsic motivation. When I began my student teaching I watched techniques my cooperating teacher used to motivation and noticed she did not use any of the techniques I had learned in my classes. I found myself confused about how I would handle the matter of motivation when it came time for me to take control of the class on my own. I used candy and a treasure chest for rewards, but found that I only received motivation for a short time in return for these rewards. I knew that I would have to do more research and construct a new plan to motivate my student’s long term. I did some research and found that, extrinsic motivation refers to an individual’s involvement in an activity because an incentive or reward external to the activity has been offered. An extrinsically motivated child will choose to read a book or complete homework because they will get stickers when they have finished or not be allowed to watch TV if they do not finish. Another frequently used tactic to motivate children is threating to call the parent or some other authority figure if they do not get their work done. Another form of motivation is intrinsic motivation, this involves knowing that a person does what they do, not because someone else wants them to do it, or because I believe someone will respect or like me for doing it. What they do satisfies them regardless of what others may think. This true form of motivation reflects the genuine inclinations and feelings of the child, not the values or expectations of teachers or parents (Dr. Gabor Mate, 1999). Although the motivation literatures point out that intrinsic motivation is critical to student learning, the U. S. education system is organized and ran in a way that supports and promotes extrinsic motivation. Many parents and teachers believe that the external rewards such as money for good grades and bribes are the best way to motivate children. These well-intentioned, quick fix approaches to motivate send the message that there should be a tangible reward for doing schoolwork or behaving correctly. These techniques may work short-term, but long-term they will weaken the development of intrinsic motivation. Internal and external motivation does not necessarily reinforce one another. Extrinsic rewards can interfere with intrinsic motivation by turning an intrinsically attractive activity, such as reading for pleasure, into a means to an external goal, such as getting a pizza (Deci, 1995). Researchers studying motivation (Deci 1990; Ryan 1985; Nicholls 1983) generally agree on three points. First, motivation is an inherent natural capacity to learn that need to be elicited from within an individual rather than established form outside an individual. Second, teachers and parents must become aware that the long-term earning is to promote the development of motivation that arises for the child’s own nature and inclinations. Third, children must be intrinsically motivated to become self-regulated, independent, lifelong learners. One hypothesis that tested internal and external modification is the overjustofocation effect. The overjustification effect states that how individuals will feel toward performing certain tasks is determined by whether they are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to perform the task (Deci, 1971). Using the self-perception theory’s prediction that when extrinsic motivations are present they will take precedent over intrinsic motivations, the overjustification effect reveals the importance of motivation on performance (Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett). In 1971, Deci suggested that in a situation where an individual was to receive a reward for an activity, and knew about the reward prior to participating in said activity, then the individual would attribute his or her behavior to the reward instead of the activity itself. Deci’s theory led to the hypothesis that once an activity is associated with the external reward; a person will be less inclined to participate in the activity in the future without a reward present. Two years after Deci’s study, a group of researchers again tested the overjustification hypothesis in a field experiment. Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett (1973) went to a nursery school and observed children’s intrinsic interest in various activities to confirm Deci’s theory. The children were then put into one of three conditions for the experiment. In the first condition, known as the â€Å"expected-award condition,† children were told they would receive a reward (a certificate with a seal and a ribbon) for partaking in the activity that they were previously doing out of pure intrinsic interest. †¢ In the second condition, the â€Å"unexpected-award condition,† the children were not told of the reward until after they finished the activity. †¢ In the third condition, also called the â€Å"no-reward condition,† the researchers did not tell or give the children any reward. This group thus served as the control group, since extrinsic rewards were not involved either before or after performance. The extrinsic reward phase ended with the researchers giving the children the certificates based on their condition group. In the following phase, the researchers let the children go about their activities, but this time without offering or giving any rewards. In accordance with the overjustification hypothesis, the children in the â€Å"expected-reward condition† had become less interested in their activities since the introduction of the extrinsic motivation. However, there was no change in the interest of the group who received the reward unexpectedly. This is because the children in this condition did not know about the reward until after the activity, and therefore attributed their behavior to an enjoyment of the activity. Similarly, those who did not expect or receive a reward had no extrinsic motivation, and showed no decline in interest as a result. Based off of the research I did and examples I found, I plan to base the motivation I provide to my students on intrinsic techniques and rewards. I will do everything I can to help to develop the children’s intrinsic motivation, so they can gain the tools needed to motivate themselves internally. This will be a skill, once mastered that will continue to benefit them and assist them to become successful in all aspects of their lives.

Big Bang theory and the problem of nothingness Essay

The question of why there is something rather than nothing concerns with the creation of things in the universe – we know that all things come from other things, objects are made by humans, tress grow from seeds, etc. If the human mind traces back the roots of all these things, the causes of all these things, it will always come to an idea of a Maker – and for years the idea of the Maker has been held by God. But then, even the idea of a God or a Maker is dubious – who made the Maker? Yet, how can there always have been a something in the first place? Or do we conceive a state of nothingness? That out of nothing comes something, probably the first maker or cause. The problem lies in how something can come out of nothing. A theory to sufficiently answer the question of nothingness must first prove that it indeed start out with nothing. The Big Bang Theory provides a model by which there seems to be nothing, and out of that nothingness came something – the formation of the cosmos and everything we know of. However, if the Big Bang Theory is true, it still does not answer the question of why there is something rather than nothing. The Big Bang Model is the widely accepted theory of the universe’s evolution, with its premise that the universe started out as dense and hot state that has been expanding for about 14 billion years. First of all, the Big Bang Theory starts out with something – a particle, a hot and dense space. At its most basic level it already does not fulfill the requirements of nothingness. There could be nothing in that hot dense space – nothing material that our senses could perceive or our minds can imagine, but the laws of science tell us that all energy is transferred, nothing is lost. Therefore, the energy of the hot dense space is what created other objects in space – the energy simply evolved or transferred. This proves that there is something rather than nothing even in the Big Bang Theory. This seems to be a tautological argument, but consider this – can nothingness expand? If the tenets of Big Bang Theory be considered, the question still arises – does nothingness have properties? Does nothingness have temperature? If the universe came from a hot, dense space, then it is not nothingness because nothingness does not have any properties – nothingness does not exist. Any existence of a supposed property of nothingness defeats its state of nothingness. Therefore, the Big Bang Theory is just a substitute for the idea of a Maker – if we do not believe in God the Creator and subscribe to science instead, Big Bang is a good choice, but it still poses the question: where did the hot, dense space come from? Or at least, where did the heat and density come from? It seems then that the question of nothingness is still not solved.

Graduate School - Statement of Purpose essays

Graduate School - Statement of Purpose essays I typed so furiously my roommate thought my fingers had become infected with a strange disease. When he asked what I was working on with such intensity, I told him that I was placing the finishing touches on my senior project. I didn't want to tell him that I had also vowed to help my company restructure their database for Internet sales and that I had to leave for work in a few hours. Taking on several projects at once is one of my trademarks, something I do out of sheer enjoyment for the love and thrill of programming. Plus, I always finish my work on time. My senior project, which was about building online sales assistance systems using CWAdvisor and Internet Voice, turned out to be a success according to my instructors; their positive feedback further spurned my desire to take my career one giant step forward and apply to graduate school. Although I gravitate toward and therefore specialize in Internet sales-based systems creation and engineering, I have also worked in ancillary related fields. In fact, my Associate's Degree was earned in the field of electrical engineering, which gave me a fundamental and fascinating foundation in computer hardware before working for the company I have been with for the past five years. As a software production engineer, I have been truly able to hone my skills and directly apply what I was learning. I excelled at work and at school, as simultaneously I attended a Bachelor's program in computer science. I will receive my computer science undergraduate degree this December and hope to immediately enter graduate school the following spring, in the year 2005. Because of the seamless integration of my undergraduate career with my long-term professional in the software developing industry, I am uniquely situated to excel at graduate studies immediately. Furthermore, my motivation and match my experience. Few classes in my field of choice give me problems, but for some reason, I never quite ap...

My personal Management Experience Essay Example

My personal Management Experience Essay Example My personal Management Experience Essay My personal Management Experience Essay My Personal Management Experience Name; Course: Date: My Personal Management Experience I was employed as a store manager for a jewelry store that was only just opening. My boss called me one morning and said, â€Å"I want you to be in Eastridge Mall tomorrow,† and he gave me the address. I showed up the following day at the Mall as directed and found a store under construction. The whole place consisted of construction material and debris. There were Sheetrock walls, hanging wires from the ceiling and brand new showcases ready to be installed. He called me the same evening and surprised me by saying, â€Å"Congratulation, this is the store you will be running.† I accepted this new and greater responsibility with newfound confidence. I had worked as a jewelry sales person and I understood quite well the difficult task that lay ahead. This was bound to be a wonderful experience. I had always wanted to mange big assignments and this was one of them. My first management challenge consisted in establishing a clientele, forming a strong workforce and making a reasonable profit for the company. My boss believed in my vast experience as a sales person and he expected me to deliver the required results. . I had to strategize on how to kick-start the operations of the store and how to capture loyal customers. This was no mean feat for someone who has never had any management experience in the past. Running a new store is a challenging task. In the retail world, all businesses are driven by the desire to make profits. This was a difficult task considering the fact that I was given a brand new store with no clientele and located in a very unfamiliar market. I had to apply what I had learnt from my experience as a sales person and what I had learnt from my management classes to this challenge. I was required to takeover the planning from now onwards. As the manager, I was tasked with the responsibility of organizing the required resources whether financial or material to be delivered to the store. I was also responsible for the staffing. The store needed an adequate and competent workforce to be able to make it through this stage. For the operations to run smoothly, I had to be able to guide and motivate my workforce and ensure that everything was going according to the plans set down. This is just but a brief insight of the task that lay ahead of me. As a manager, I was supposed to do my work diligently. The construction was already underway, I had to incorporate my company’s designs into the already laid out designs. This was to make sure that the store is constructed according to the company’s standards. I therefore had to be present at the construction site to supervise the ongoing construction. This was my first assignment. I had to co-ordinate the construction process and I was leaving nothing to chance. Signs for example, were to be placed in the right places and given perfect angling; the lighting system had to meet the company’s standards. Since this business involves expensive jewelry, security was very important. I had to ensure that the security system was standard. All the display cases had to be secured to ensure no one tampers with the jewelry. These measures had to be taken to ensure that everything was in place. In this stage of the project, I applied management control. This assisted me in verifying whether the construction work was going accordi ng to my plan After overseeing the completion of the construction work, I had to focus on the opening of the store. This was one of the most important stages of this assignment. My mission was to put up a credible work force that will assist me in developing the store into a competitive and profit making outlet. I recruited a formidable sales team bout one month before the store commenced its operations. This was essential because without the right sales people I (Store manager) would not succeed. Coming up with the right team was quite difficult. I had set my own objectives on the kind of people I wanted for this job. I had to build a competent group of workers and so I chose those that really suited my descriptions for the best. As a manager I was guided by one principle, I gave my work the best I can and treated my customers with the respect they deserved. As quoted in Arnold et al’s article in the Journal of Retailing issue number 85 of 2009, â€Å"transformational managers attempt to act in the best interests of both the customer and the company to provide effective solutions to the needs of both groups (Bass, 1977)†. This principle motivates me to do my best and guides all my practices as a manager. A manager however does not work alone; he is assisted in his work by his sales team. I strived to instill these values in the team that I managed to create. I set goals for the sales team we had to get the business running and rake up sales within the first two months. These objectives guided my choice of candidates for the sales job. I laid out the minimum qualifications and the attributes of the sales personnel. My ideal candidate had to possess the following characteristics. First, they must be lovers of jewelry, a person who does not love what he/she is selling will find it difficult to passionately market a piece to a customer and convince them to purchase it regardless of its price. Second, the person must be enthusiastic; customers prefer sales people who are lively and appealing. Positive attitude will always result in customer satisfaction and eventually a sale. Third, the person must be ambitious; employees who want to advance in their careers in future always give their best. Keeping in mind all these expectations, I formed a sales team that consisted of seven dedicated people. They were lovers of jewelry, enthusiastic, and all desired to grow in their respective careers. They also had to fulfill my manager’s expectations. These p eople had to be proficient in whatever they were going to do so training was necessary. After hiring them, I trained them on the various roles they would take in the store. Several years ago, I was working as a sales person at my first job (Zale’s the Diamond Store). The manager at this store had a great relationship with his workers. I loved the way he related with those under him and he inspired me to be like him. He was also unbelievably talented in the art of marketing. He knew how lure the customer into buying something; he always knew the right words to use. .He taught me how to approach the customer, make a conversation, find out about their needs, and listen to them. He believed that through listening, we learn more about someone than when we talk. Roman et al in their article in the journal of marketing management say that listening skills can lead to higher sales performance â€Å"From the salesperson’s perspective, empirical research has shown that effective listening leads to higher sales performance† ( Roman et al, 2005 ). He inspired me and I strived to pass down his values to my sales team The staffing function required much more time than I had anticipated; I had to set up instruction/training sessions for my team on a daily basis. The training comprised education on customer service, product knowledge and listening and communication skills. The daily sessions are essential because they are also used to review the progress of our daily objectives and assist us in making corrections as appropriate. Through these meetings, we interact, highlight the problem areas, and propose solutions or improvements as appropriate. We have set up half hour opening and closing meetings where we talk about the store’s goals break it down to our individual goals, and then we discuss whether we have achieved those goals and what we ought to do in order to achieve them. In the closing meetings, we review the days work and evaluate individual as well as team performance. These meetings represent a minor form of performance appraisal. Another strategy that I employ when dealing with m y team involves role-play and building scenarios. This has an enormous impact on their learning. It is a great confidence builder and aids the team in their learning. The bottom line is I always recognize the efforts of my sales team and closely monitor their behavior and correct them in areas where they have gone wrong. My short-term goals were to be able to gain a consistent flow of sales and to attract a meaningful number of customers. With these goals in mind, we set out on the methods to achieve them. I identified several ways through which we could be able to gain and retain customers. One important was to have a motivated sales team, second was to carry out intensive marketing of the new store. These were key strategies for the achievement of our goals. I had to motivate my sales people and ensure that we marketed ourselves well. Together with the head office, we embarked on massive promotional campaigns on print and communication media and in the internet. We also put up a series of promotional billboards in the neighborhood. Our marketing campaign paid off very well and within a few days, customers started streaming into our store. The second step involved the motivation of workers, we offered incentives for those who achieved a certain amount of sales and the daily meetings enabled them to be participatory and hardworking. Overall, the performance of the sales team and the store in general exceeded my expectations. I agreed to become a manager because I believed in my ability to recognize the areas for potential improvement in my sales associates and correct it before became too late. I understood that every single flaw within my sales team would reflect ten times greater on my own portfolio. I achieve that by creating a great relationship with my team. Achieving our short-term goals was not as difficult as I had previously thought. With the motivated workforce and the regular clientele, we were way beyond our goals. My focus now shifted to the medium term goals. One of my medium term objectives involved the retaining of present customers and improvement of sales. We had to create an impression on the clientele to ensure that they will come back again. This was not an easy feat to achieve. Great and efficient customer service is a combination of patience, intelligence and understanding. The sales team had to be made aware of these three pillars of effective customer service delivery. I ensured that I reminded them about this in our daily meetings and instructed them on how customers should be handled. Another important step that I took was to enforce disciplinary actions, these were necessary in order to maintain a reliable and strong sales team. At the end of the day, the manager is responsible for the mistakes of his team. It is t herefore prudent to have disciplinary action taken against team members who violate the rules set to govern misconduct at the workplace. This is one way through which the work force can stay focused on the company’s objectives. When a manager metes out punishment on an employee it is always for the good of the employee and the company. When the employee is repeatedly involved in misconduct, he/she should be replaced. Some of these rules were agreed on as we embarked on the journey to achieve greater sales and to retain and gain more customers. As a manager, I prided myself in being a successful organizer. I had the roles of all my seven sales personnel well defined, each of them had a role clearly carved out for them. Teamwork was an important element of the sales process. If one member of the sales team found it difficult to convince a customer, it was normal practice to refer them to another member. If both failed to make a deal with the customer, I always intervene to save the situation and make the sale. I have never been a manager who works only to collect paychecks, but to gain my paycheck and deserve it. My participation motivates the team; they are aware of the need to be effective and to do their best. Having a rapport with your customer gives them the motivation to come again. They also recommend the store to their friends. Excellent customer service helps the company establish this rapport with the customers and in turn enables the organization to increase sales. I endeavored to ensure that the sales team mainta ined an excellent rapport with customers in order to achieve the goal of maximum sales and to gain more clients. Through these simple steps, we were able to establish ourselves as a formidable force within the jewelry market. Our sales soared at unbelievable rates and clients continued streaming into our store. My manager acknowledged my performance and even upgraded my store’s capacity due to the increasing sales that we were registering. We had made a lot of progress as far as the achievement of our goals was concerned. We attained parity in sales and the number of customers who called at our store had increased. However, one problem still troubled me; we had inconsistencies in the sale of a particular stock of diamond rings. This ring had registered the least sales despite being tone of the most valuable and most sought after rings in the country. I figured out that there might be a problem in its display station and made the decision to have it displayed at a different position. We deliberated on this as a team and I decided that this particular ring be displayed on the finest showcase for the customers to see. Each member was supposed to take keen interest on customers who showed their interest in the ring and attend to them with the tact and experience they had gained over the few months that the store has been in operation. Another problem that we had to contend with was the height of the showcases it was observ ed that the showcases were taller than the standard height. This made it difficult for the customers to have a comprehensive view of the jewelry showcased. This was identified as an impediment to the sales process. Some jewelry had intrinsic features that could only be noticed by an observant customer. Others like rings had minute details that can only be seen if the customer has the best view. This therefore posed a major problem. The showcases had to be replaced with others that were waist-length in order to allow the customers to have a comprehensive view of the jewelry. These two were some of the major challenges that we faced in the jewelry store. We were able to replace the showcases after receiving financial help from the head office. Our sales increased considerably with this new adjustment and we realized that customers could now see all the jewelry displayed in the store. Our sales staff also became busier than before since customers were now more interested in the detail. We have not yet achieved our goals as a company yet but according to my observation, we are right on track and given more time, we will be a force to reckon with in the jewelry market. As a manager, I believe I have employed the functions of management as taught in management class and that is the reason why I have a wonderful record of accomplishment. I planned my processes and objectives quite well and organized all the resources required to achieve them. I also ensured that I had a well, developed and qualified workforce for the job. I ensured that the workforce was well motivated and that communication in the store was open. Constant evaluation and reviews of the progress of operations also assisted me in troubleshooting potential threat areas and finding credible solutions to these threats. Recognizing the passion for what we do is the key to our success. The only reason why I have been featured on the company’s â€Å"newspaper† for several years now is because my store registered the highest profit margin. I am proud of myself simply because I always give the best of my efforts, set higher than normal expectations for myself and never lose hope in difficult times.

About the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

About the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance of countries from Europe and North America promising collective defense. Currently numbering 29 nations, NATO was formed initially to counter the communist East and has searched for a new identity in the post-Cold War world. Background In the aftermath of the Second World War, with ideologically opposed Soviet armies occupying much of Eastern Europe and fears still high over German aggression, the nations of Western Europe searched for a new form of military alliance to protect themselves. In March 1948 the Brussels Pact was signed between France, Britain, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, creating a defence alliance called the Western European Union, but there was a feeling that any effective alliance would have to include the US and Canada. In the US there was widespread concern about both the spread of Communism in Europe – strong Communist parties had formed in France and Italy - and potential aggression from Soviet armies, leading the US to seek talks about an Atlantic alliance with the west of Europe. The perceived need for a new defensive unit to rival the Eastern bloc was exacerbated by the Berlin Blockade of 1949, leading to an agreement that same year with many nations from Europe. Some nations opposed membership and still do, e.g. Sweden, Ireland. Creation, Structure, and Collective Security NATO was created by the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty, which was signed on April 5th 1949. There were twelve signatories, including the United States, Canada and Britain (full list below). The head of NATOs military operations is the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a position always held by an American so their troops don’t come under foreign command, answering to the North Atlantic Council of ambassadors from member nations, which is led by the Secretary General of NATO, who is always European. The centrepiece of the NATO treaty is Article 5, promising collective security: an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all; and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. The German Question The NATO treaty also allowed for the alliance’s expansion among European nations, and one of the earliest debates among NATO members was the German question: should West Germany (the East was under rival Soviet control) be re-armed and allowed to join NATO. There was opposition, invoking the recent German aggression which caused World War Two, but in May 1955 Germany was allowed to join, a move which caused upset in Russia and led to the formation of the rival Warsaw Pact alliance of Eastern communist nations. NATO and the Cold War NATO had, in many ways, been formed to secure West Europe against the threat of Soviet Russia, and the Cold War of 1945 to 1991 saw an often tense military standoff between NATO on one side and the Warsaw Pact nations on the other. However, there was never a direct military engagement, thanks in part to the threat of nuclear war; as part of NATO agreements nuclear weapons were stationed in Europe. There were tensions within NATO itself, and in 1966 France withdrew from the military command established in 1949. Nevertheless, there was never a Russian incursion into the western democracies, in large part due to the NATO alliance. Europe was very familiar with an aggressor taking one country after another thanks for the late 1930s and did not let it happen again. NATO After the Cold War The end of the Cold War in 1991 led to three major developments: the expansion of NATO to include new nations from the former Eastern bloc (full list below), the re-imagining of NATO as a ‘co-operative security’ alliance able to deal with European conflicts not involving member nations and the first use of NATO forces in combat. This first occurred during the Wars of the Former Yugoslavia, when NATO used air-strikes first against Bosnian-Serb positions in 1995, and again in 1999 against Serbia, plus the creation of a 60,000 peace keeping force in the region. NATO also created the Partnership for Peace initiative in 1994, aimed at engaging and building trust with ex-Warsaw Pact nations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and later the nations from the Former Yugoslavia. Other 30 countries have so far joined, and ten have become full members of NATO. NATO and the War on Terror: The conflict in the former Yugoslavia had not involved a NATO member state, and the famous clause 5 was first – and unanimously - invoked in 2001 after terrorist attacks on the United States, leading to NATO forces running peace-keeping operations in Afghanistan. NATO has also created the Allied Rapid Reaction Force (ARRF) for faster responses. However, NATO has come under pressure in recent years from people arguing it should be scaled down, or left to Europe, despite the increase in Russian aggression in the same period. NATO might still be searching for a role, but it played a huge role in maintaining the status quo in the Cold War, and has potential in a world where Cold War aftershocks keep happening.   Member States 1949 Founder Members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France (withdrew from military structure 1966), Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States1952: Greece (withdrew from military command 1974 – 80), Turkey1955: West Germany (With East Germany as reunified Germany from 1990)1982: Spain1999: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia2009: Albania, Croatia2017: Montenegro

An analysis of skills an knowledge required to undertake degree Essay

An analysis of skills an knowledge required to undertake degree studies in LAW,and follow a future career path in company lawyer after graduation - Essay Example These legal method skills include applying and interpreting UK legislation, Law reports, European community legislations, human rights and treaties. Other legal method skills such as argument deconstruction and construction, oral argument skills and legal questions answering in both essay and problems are essential (Hanson 2012). Citing on the substantive and the critical aspect of studying Law as subject, students essentially requires a range of knowledge and skills competency in the legal system. The basic legal skills that are paramount for any law student are advocacy, consultation, negotiation, opinion writing, drafting and legal research (Gillespie 2013). Notably, becoming a company lawyer is demanding and there is need for developing strong advocacy skills for advancement and competency. Advocacy skills entail effective communication and presentation skills whether it is speech-making, proposal forwarding to clients or argument presentation (Smit, Waters & BIICL, 2009). The advocacy skills enhance interpersonal abilities of a company lawyer to be representing the organization competently on legal matters. In any successful career path especially in law, there is need for an individual to have proper consultation skills. The presentation skills are vital since consultation facilitates acquisition of authoritative information and ability to advice clients based on different legal situations. Consultation skills enable lawyers to extract information logically and be in a position of explaining concepts clearly, accurately and with simplicity (Blom-Cooper, Dickson & Drewry 2009). Moreover, the presentation skills boost lawyer’s understanding different techniques of questioning and effectiveness of challenging people while maintaining their trust. Moreover, a company lawyer should have strong negotiation skills. Negotiation techniques portray the lawyer’s image that further boosts

Is oral sucrose an effective method of pain relief for pre-term Literature review

Is oral sucrose an effective method of pain relief for pre-term neonates - Literature review Example Preterm neonates undergo several diagnostic procedures in the clinics and hospital, from vitamin K injection during the first hours after being delivered up to heel pricks for blood sampling to detect metabolic aberrations few days after being discharged. Some preterm neonates also undergo necessary resuscitation and ventilation to sustain and support life of premature vital organs. These situations warrant the administration of drugs and behavioral interventions like opioid analgesics, local and general anesthetics, sedative/ hypnotics, NSAIDS, and sucrose (Anand et al 2006, p. 11). While there are several researches performed to validate the efficiency of these agents in neonates, the issue on safety on the preterm neonates remains an active area of debate. In this review, research articles from journals in scholarly databases such as Cochrane databases and PubMed were evaluated and compared based on their relevant evidence on the practice of using oral sucrose in preterm neonates. Only the studies that utilized a randomized controlled trial designs were selected. The design and number of participants utilized in the studies will be considered and discussed in this paper. Moreover, the research articles are classified and covered under specific procedure often undergone by neonates. The Challenge of Pain Assessment New developments in the neurobiological, embryological, and developmental studies established that even the primitive forms of human life respond to noxious stimuli through a combination of distinct behaviors and physiological activity (Anand et al 2006, p. 9). Like adults, unnecessary pain and suffering of the fetus and the neonate need to be prevented to avoid short- term and long- term consequences (Haidon and Cunliffe 2010, p. 123). As with every situation, assessments always precede interventions even in the management of pain. In the actual clinic setting, the pain felt by the neonates are often overlooked as a normal pattern of their behavio r. For instance, neonates undergoing procedures in the clinics and hospitals like bladder catheterization, needle sticks, surgery, mechanical ventilation, and even the administration of intravenous antibiotics are expected to cry due to discomfort and pain. Because of the ubiquitous nature of pain in preterm neonates, clinicians may fail to address the suffering in minor procedures and fail to perform necessary actions (Porter, Wolf, and Miller 1999, p. 1). Failure to acknowledge the importance of alleviating pain in the preterm and term neonates can result to serious consequences in their neurologic maturation. Therefore, more sensitive assessment tools are needed to detect the level of pain in the neonates and to validate the intervention researches in pain relief. Currently, specific tools consider multidimensional features associated with pain like cry behavior, grimace, quality of sucking, and physiological outcomes (Vani, Nimbalkar, and Thakre 2009, p. 200). Neonates may show different spectra of crying depending on each situation (Belliene et al. 2004, p. 142). Unlike adults, pain assessment of preterm neonates rely on these signs rather that an actual description and quality of pain (Lawrence et al. 1993). Although several researches were conducted to minimize the unnecessary pain, the assessment of pain in preterm

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, Essay

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, bharati mukherjee, and v. s. naipaul - Essay Example es. Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, and V.S. Naipaul can all, in different ways, be considered writers in exile. They have all traveled across the sea, all have come to a new, "foreign" land, and each one interacts with the English language as both "a home" for words and an alien tongue. In addition, within these three writers' works, we can see the operations of exile, how the thesethbiographical and linguistic exile of these writers come to be processed and represented, reflected and distorted, and the effect that the concept of exile (that resounds throughout their works) has on the literary and historical contexts that are their new "homes." These novelist's treat exile not simply as a condition of the post-colonial world, but as a central means to understand the self. Rather than labeling them proponents of any post-colonial literature, therefore, we should perhaps call these three novelists the most important artists of a new genre: a literature of exile. Salman Rushdie is an... d Mumbai) on 19 June 1947-the year of Indian independence and the year that acquires so much importance in his most critically acclaimed novel, Midnight's Children (1981). However, while still a child, he moved to England and was schooled at two of the pillars of the British establishment: Rugby and Cambridge. Consequently, his homeland was necessarily doubled, between the Indian subcontinent (where he later lived again, in Pakistan, with his family) and the British Isles to which he returned a second time to work in an advertising agency before beginning his career as a novelist. It is precisely this double identity that informs a great deal of Rushdie's literature-from his first novel, Grimus (1975), to his most recent non-fiction and travel-writing works, such as Step Across the Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992-2002 (2002) and "The East is Blue" (2004). He is able to write about both the culture of his parents and his newly adopted culture from the position of a partial outsider to both, and is able to understand both sides of a sometimes (often violently) opposed set of cultural constructions. This is not to say that Rushdie's writing career has been one in which he feigns a transcendental stance, a distanced style, that sets him above both cultures as an objective and unbiased third party. The case is quite the reverse. His writing is very much "at ground level": it locates itself within the heady back and forth of cultural interchange. Like a geneticist he splices (and inextricably interweaves) a double helix from the quite separate societies of which he has been a part. Rushdie crosses English literary references with Quoranic exegesis and mixes Indian folklore with modern American slang. It is precisely within this interweaving that is born the exciting

Can you judge a book by its e- cover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Can you judge a book by its e- cover - Essay Example at the first stage of their evolution, mobile handsets like iPhone are generations ahead and can promote the creative potential of e-books with no difficulty. If we look at the book market, we will see that it has proved to be more flexible than any other consumer sector; there was an overall 1% decline in the entire year 2009. However, sales showed an increase in book-stores and e-book stores like Amazon.com. Digital technology is at its boom in the market; it has started to achieve a real visibility with more affordable e-readers for the very first time, making their headway in sales. I-pod and i-phone occurrence has increased the growth of audio books and more rapidly e-books. At the same time, as digitalization, united with the power of the social web, is also leading to new expansions in self-publishing, all together with downloads and print-on-demand. According to the survey, seven from ten consumers are readers and buyers, among which women are at top, being the key readers, and especially those who are childless and are third agers. On the other hand, man is keen on non-fiction and more likely to buy hardbacks, for knowledge or fo r work (Mintel, 2007). E-books are read on pocket-sized devices known as e-readers which can store up to 350 digitally downloaded books. Retailers as Waterstones and Amazon are now competing to become the primary suppliers of eBooks. Amazon has itself launched kindle e-reader; it has a wireless internet link, similar to a mobile phone that allows the downloading of books and daily newspapers on the go (Sandoval,  McCarthy, 2007). E-readers and e-books continue to grow in popularity. The new world of cyber has made e-books a popular product, and they maintain to gain more attractiveness. E-books are bought and sold online just as products are bought and sold in the offline world. Billions of e-books are sold on the Internet since many years, and many people make a very good living buying and selling these e-books; some are

Technology and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Technology and Education - Essay Example This study is vital as it can help in gaining a deeper understanding of the connection between technology and education. The paper will be divided into five sections. The first section is the introduction wherein the background of the study, the focus of research, and it significance and the structure of the paper are given. It guides the reader as to what may be expected from the entire study. The second section deals with the various learning theories. Discussion of constructivism, behaviourism, and audio-visual theories will be undertaken. These theories of learning provide a solid framework in which to understand the connection between use of technology and student-learning improvement. The third section will centre in laying down the advantages, limitations, and impact of the theories of learning to the integration of technology to education. This section highlights the presupposition that as each theory explains the reality of technology in education, its influence on the actual integration of technology in education varies. The fourth section will deal with the analysis. In this part of the pape r, BF Skinner’s behaviourism will be given more focus. Finally, the last segment of the paper will be the conclusion wherein the summary of the discussion as well as the position of the paper pertinent to the issue raise in this study will be given. In the end, theories of learning, especially behaviourism establishes a framework where technology becomes the tool, not just in learning but also in developing and re-enforcing positive behaviours towards learning. The Theories Three fundamental theories of learning will be discussed in this paper, namely, constructivism, audio-visual theories, and behaviourism. The selected theories provide an opportunity to see the theories of learning within a spectrum with constructivism on one side and behaviourism on the other end. Meanwhile, audio-visual theories present developments in technology have effect learning as it is

History of Germany Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of Germany - Assignment Example 2. The environmental concerns were multiple. First of all, because of enormous coal mining in Germany, the coal resources were slowly reducing; moreover, because of the coal mining there were huge mounds of rock and waste of the industry, which occupied huge territories. Also, development of industries was gradually destroying atmosphere and polluting air. Furthermore, the issue of air pollution was extremely important in those times, because they were new and people hadn’t yet created any solutions for the issues like that. The population boom rose up a question concerning overpopulation in Germany and hence the demand for production of goods and resources also increased, which led to partial depletion of natural resources. 3. Weimar Constitution was very vicious as it was extremely delusional in its democratic focus. First of all, it made people think that they lived in democratic republic and had their right to take control over political power. In fact, it helped Hitler to rise to power, as he used the opportunity of free speech and liberal values in order to establish his authoritarian power. The problem was that Hitler’s party was the biggest in those times and therefore it acquired more votes than any other party in the elections of 1933. Moreover, people were dissatisfied with Socialist Democrats ruling, so Hitler’s party was the only appropriate choice for them. 4. The very first reason why women voted for Hitler back in 1933 was that Nazi Party was proclaimed to be a Christian party and they stated that they were standing for Christianity, so women, who are considered to be greater fighters for their religious values than men, were glad that such a religious party was going to rule. Talking about urban women, they were more open-minded and well-informed of what was going on in the country, so voting for Nazi Party was the only choice for them, as well as for the men who agreed that Socialist

Technology and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Technology and Education - Essay Example This study is vital as it can help in gaining a deeper understanding of the connection between technology and education. The paper will be divided into five sections. The first section is the introduction wherein the background of the study, the focus of research, and it significance and the structure of the paper are given. It guides the reader as to what may be expected from the entire study. The second section deals with the various learning theories. Discussion of constructivism, behaviourism, and audio-visual theories will be undertaken. These theories of learning provide a solid framework in which to understand the connection between use of technology and student-learning improvement. The third section will centre in laying down the advantages, limitations, and impact of the theories of learning to the integration of technology to education. This section highlights the presupposition that as each theory explains the reality of technology in education, its influence on the actual integration of technology in education varies. The fourth section will deal with the analysis. In this part of the pape r, BF Skinner’s behaviourism will be given more focus. Finally, the last segment of the paper will be the conclusion wherein the summary of the discussion as well as the position of the paper pertinent to the issue raise in this study will be given. In the end, theories of learning, especially behaviourism establishes a framework where technology becomes the tool, not just in learning but also in developing and re-enforcing positive behaviours towards learning. The Theories Three fundamental theories of learning will be discussed in this paper, namely, constructivism, audio-visual theories, and behaviourism. The selected theories provide an opportunity to see the theories of learning within a spectrum with constructivism on one side and behaviourism on the other end. Meanwhile, audio-visual theories present developments in technology have effect learning as it is

Creative Song Assignment Essay Example for Free

Creative Song Assignment Essay The Creative Song Assignment was an interesting assignment, because I have zero experience in mixing music. It was an interesting experience, because it did take me out of my comfort zone. When I first started, I felt lost. I had no idea what I was doing, so I decided to do a little research to see how I can best complete this assignment. I finally settled on using a program called Audacity and the genres of hip hop and alternative rock. I chose a program called audacity, because it gives you an option of mixing different songs. I am sure that there are a lot of other programs better suited for this assignment, but I found this to be pretty easy to use. I really enjoyed playing around with the different settings. It took me a couple of days before I finally picked two songs to work on. I am sure that there are many more experienced people out there that can mix my songs better than me, but I think I did a good job considering my experience level. I decide to pick hip hop and alternative rock, because they are two of my favorite genres. I know that hip hop and alternative rock have been mixed before, so I felt an intrigue in trying to accomplish this myself. I knew that I wanted to use Radiohead’s Karma Police as my alternative, because that is one of my favorite songs. I had a difficult time picking a rap song, because the lyrics did not match up well together. I finally decided to just use a hip hop beat that I found on soundcloud. In my opinion, I felt that this was best, because you can hear the lyrics of the alternative song, but still hear the hip hop beat. The part that took me a while was trying to get the songs in sync perfectly. I really wanted to find a way to lower the alternative rock song’s instrumentals, but I could not do it. I think it would have sounded better if I could mix the hip hop beat with the Karma Police vocals. I am sure it could probably be done with professional mixing equipment.

Wearable Motion Detection Technology to Detect Falls

Wearable Motion Detection Technology to Detect Falls Louise Patterson 1. Project Title The development of a fully working model using wearable motion detection technology to detect and alert to falls within the home. 2. Abstract The focus of this document concerns the research and methodology into the problem of people with care needs being able to live independently within their own homes with minimum intervention. Elderly people particularly tend to have an increased risk of falling and sustaining serious injury than younger people. Other people with certain medical conditions also have a higher risk of falling due to seizures, balance problems etc. Current fall detection alert systems are expensive and obtrusive. They require landline phone connections and a call centre network with access to personal information to contact the appropriate carer. Sensors are rarely waterproof and can be easily damaged. The way the sensors are carried on the body can irritate and become annoying to the patient. One of the biggest, most costly failures of current systems occur when a call button has been touched by accident, resulting in accidental alerts being sent to the call centre. The main objective of this research and proposed model is to provide an investigation into the possibility of using new technology to provide a more effective system. Which Such a system will work only for fall detection and send alerts to appropriate personnel with the option for camera access to enabling them to view situation on way to alert. Specifically the project seeks to discover if new ring motion detection technology can be used to provide a more cost effective way of detecting falls within the home. Provisioning of a sensor which is both waterproof and unobtrusive to the wearer, which can be used to send an alert via txt or email directly to carers, thereby removing the need for an expensive, dedicated landline alert system and call centre network. Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Project Title 2. Abstract 3. Aims 4. Objective 5. Justification 6. Literature Review 7. Methodology 8. Work Plan 9. References 3. Aims The aim of the project is to develop a working model for fall detection using motion detection technology in the form of a wearable ring, thereby replacing current, outdated and non user friendly equipment. Thereafter presenting the working model to appropriate bodies in order to facilitate a huge reduction in what has become a costly and awkward system to run and maintain for all parties. To achieve this, research in what defines a fall will be carried out as well as research for application creation using the processing language and motion detection programming using the available software development kits provided by the ring developers. Current fall detection applications will be researched to compare and improve on proposed model. To achieve this, research will be carried out to determine what defines a fall in the current system, as well as the range of fall detection applications currently available. Following this, research will be required into the most appropriate type of application creation tools to use in the working model. Tools include the type of processing language required and the particular motion detection programming available through the software development kits provided by the ring developers. Comparisons will be drawn from research findings in order to discover what improvements could be made on the proposed working model. 4. Objectives 5. Justification 6. Literature Review The purpose of the papers read is how to define the fall within the scope of the project and what technologies are best suited to project. With this in mind the following papers contain information on fall detection and the different technologies that may be used to complete a project of this type. Challenges, issues and trends in fall detection systems by Raul Igual, Carlos Medrano, and Inmaculada Plaza: Published online July 6 2013 in the BioMedical Engineering OnLine Fall detection system using Kinect’s infrared sensor by Georgios Mastorakis and Dimitrios Makris : Published December 2014 in the Journal of Real-Time Image Processing Heterogeneous multi-sensor fusion based on an evidential network for fall detection by Paulo Armando CAVALCANTE AGUILAR, Jerome Boudy, Dan Istrate, et. Al.: Submitted to HAL on the 14 Dec 2012. Accurate, Fast Fall Detection Using Gyroscopes and Accelerometer-Derived Posture Information By Qiang Li, John A. Stankovic, et. Al. Challenges, issues and trends in fall detection systems: this paper covers many of the different studies already taken place. It details the devices and methods used to detect falls. Fall detection system using Kinect’s infrared sensor : This paper cover the use of the xbox’s kinect sensors in fall detection. The same technology used in the nod ring. Heterogeneous multi-sensor fusion based on an evidential network for fall detection : covers how the network is used to alert and detect the falls. Accurate, Fast Fall Detection Using Gyroscopes and Accelerometer-Derived Posture Information: covers how the bodies position is used with accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect falls. 7. Methodology The research required to enable completion of the project will the follow the flow diagram used within Objectives. Secondary research will be carried out into what defines a fall. This will require papers, articles, books and websites to be read on the definition of what constitutes a fall. The information gained from this research will be compared and contrasted in to tables to analyse what movements and positions best constitute a fall and will cover the most appropriate scenarios for the system model. During this research any currently available algorithms, diagrams and coding will be collated, analysed and used to determine the fall definition selected for the project. Another aspect required for the system model is the final position of the fall and the time of inactivity that would indicate a fall. The data will be collated and analysed using graphs and diagrams to select the most appropriate solution that encompasses the most data to create an all-encompassing fall detection system. Time inactivity data will be collected from research data to compare and contrast time retrieved to select the median figure for inactivity and use this in the development of the system. Then all the collated data will be compared analysed and a conclusion drawn, showing the best options for the project, and the development of the equations required for coding of the device sensors. Once a fall definition has been selected the language used to program the device sensors needs to be researched and learned. The sensor device has available software developer’s kits (SDK) for android, iOS and UNIX among others. The use of these kits will require a steep learning curve and require reading and taking practical courses on learning the languages required. Learning the language, will be achieved through books, online courses and available API’s and code. The Project Supervisor will assist in the project ensuring the correct language is used and coding is fit for purpose. Although the ring comes with its own software, other methods of programming appropriate to the current skill set will be researched, by contacting developers through the developer’s forum and other programmers to assist with programming the sensors. At this stage any compatibility issues with the sensor and devices will be noted and used during the testing of the completed model to facilitate improvements. During the process of learning the coding language, the programming of the ring using this knowledge will be initiated. Sample codes will be modified and tested by programming the device to test functionality. Current fall technology research will include investigating current papers, applications and systems. Available current applications will be compared against the proposed project model to determine possible areas for improvement. Initial alert sending programming will be programmed within the rings SDK, producing results of positive fall detection and sending them to a receiving device. Knowledge and programming developed during research will be used to complete alert programming. Testing will be carried out using simulated alerts on various platforms, at different distances from sensor to base station. Results will be collated and displayed in graphs showing comparisons and analysis. The alert sending system which sends messages to mobile phones and emails will be programmed using the SDK or language used to program other functions. The completed model is to be tested using actual falls which creates an ethical issue. To address this issue local martial arts instructors will be approached to request their assistance with testing. The instructors will be asked to provide the test equipment to classes in order to record falls that take place during normal class activities. To fulfil any ethical considerations these tests will be recorded and the appropriate paperwork for consent obtained. These tests will ensure fall detection, alerts sending and receiving and the effective range of the system. The results will then be collated and reproduced in graphs, tables and illustrations to demonstrate success and failure rates, distance achieved and sending and receiving times. Future developments are investigated through searching for additional functionality of the sensor devices used within the model and possible cost effective additions which, when added to the system model improve the project and add features resulting in a reliable care model. The final step will be compiling the report for submission. This will done by pooling all research, tables, graphs and coding into the documentation required for the MSc project. 8. Work Plan The MSc Smart Networks course leader has stated the project must be completed and submitted for marking so graduation can be achieved in December or January. With this is mind the completed project must be submitted to lecturer in plenty of time to allow for marking and external evaluation. To ensure this is the case a final submission date of October 30th 2015 has been selected with a start date of the 22nd of June 2015. A draft submission is to be submitted no later than the 25th of September. Timeline As a literature review is a learning and development process this will be an ongoing method from June to the end of September. Programming and initial testing will commence in the first week in July and continue until a completed model is ready for final testing. Final testing is to commence in the third week of September and last for two weeks. Compiling of data and research will be compiled as an ongoing process, however writing the project will start in earnest at the same time as final testing. Due to the complexity of the project fortnightly meetings / tutorial sessions will be arranged with the supervisor. 9. References

Marriage is a Sacred Union between Man and Woman Essay -- Gay Marriage

Marriage is Sacred Marriage has always been a sacred agreement between a man and a woman. This definition was written in the Bible and sanctified by God. Our country was founded on the principles of the Bible and therefore should not support an action, such as legalizing gay marriage, which goes against our founding beliefs. When it comes to the issue of gay marriage, Americans have many different views. Research shows that the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, but when it comes to deciding who should make the laws, Americans are split in half (Bayles 6). 48% of Americans said that the federal government should make the laws and 46% say it should be left to the states (6). This information shows that the majority of Americans have strong opinions about the issue, but don’t know of any way to solve the issue (6). The controversy of gay marriage is seen even in groups who support strong marriages. Author Karen Peterson uses her article to address the issue of how gay marriage sits with the â€Å"marriage movement,† the coalition of professionals dedicated to strengthening marriages (7). This movement has successfully included pro-marriage initiatives across America and formed new high school courses on relationships (Peterson 7). Peterson finds that the â€Å"marriage movement† has many different views within itself and struggles with the question of â€Å"How can one be a proponent of marriage in general but oppose marriages between gays† (7). David Blankenhorn who is the founder of the Institute for American Values and an important member of the coalition, says that they hope to settle the issue and no longer be silent about it. The coalition hopes to participate in and improve the nationa... ... come from this decision. Allowing gays to marry will go against American history and simply cause problems for the people of America now and in the future. Works Cited Bayles, Fred, and Andrea Stone. â€Å"Gay-marriages foes try to stop ‘activist courts.’† USA Today 25 Feb. 2004: 06a. Bennett, William. â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone.† Newsweek 3 June 1996: 27. Breslau, Karen, Brad Stone, Debra Rosenberg and Tamara Lipper. â€Å"Outlaw Vows.† Newsweek 1 Mar. 2004: 40. â€Å"Broken marriages, not gay nuptials, pose risk to kids.† USA Today 23 Feb. 2004: 18a. Peterson, Karen S. â€Å"On gays, ‘marriage movement’ is on both sides of the aisle.† USA Today 4 Aug. 2003: 07d. Sullivan, Andrew. â€Å"Let Gays Marry.† Newsweek 3 June 1996: 26. Taylor, Chris. â€Å"I Do: No You Don’t.† Time 1 Mar. 2004: 3c. â€Å"USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll.† USA Today 24 Feb. 2004: 06d.

The Fear of Science :: Scientific Essays Papers

The Fear of Science My whole life I have loved science. The fact that people, mankind, has the ability to invent things that make our world better, easier, or even worse off amazes me. I am absolutely astounded by science. Every single aspect of science is fascinating, from cancer research to the periodic table of elements, all is so interesting. Why people abandon, reject or have no interest in science is a question that I propose. Is it because they purely do not care? Or maybe it is fear. Resistance to science is born of fear (Bishop 241). This quote by J. Michael Bishop is a great example of why the world often avoids science. I feel that science is something that people often take for granted. Science is very significant to me because it is my major. I want to be a nurse practitioner and that is based on anatomy and biology. These two sciences are based on the human body, which is an amazing machine. Through science we have been able to learn more about our bodies. We now know how our bodies work, why they shut down and how to help when it does. The research done based on the human body has given us medicines to live longer and have a more fulfilling life. With the study of the human body we also know what is bad for us, like smoking and drinking, and what is good for us, like exercise and a balanced diet. These things should be significant to everyone because without the knowledge, our lives would be shorter than they already are. Science has helped us in many ways. Along with studying our bodies, it has provided insight on how the world and universe works. We know why volcanoes erupt and how earthquakes happen. This knowledge is helpful to us because we can prepare for natural disasters. Another thing that science has given to our society is technology. I feel that the two go hand in hand. From electricity to cell phones, all have been developed by science. Computers are also a part of our daily life and make things much easier for us. Our society does not appreciate scienc e the way it should, rather it just raises the expectations of science. Yet despite these proud achievements, science today is increasingly mistrusted and under attack (Bishop 237). Bishops quote clearly shows that science is taken for granted.