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...