Cultural Diversity and Language Education Assignment

Cultural Diversity and Language Education - Assignment Example Spnish cme very esily to me becuse of ll the French I hd tken nd my strong desire to lern the lnguge. fter college, I trveled for yer in South meric, where I both reinforced my Spnish nd lso picked up Portuguese while visiting Brzil. When I returned from South meric I ws unsure wht I wnted to do, so I enrolled in bilingul techer eduction progrm sponsored by Title VII. yer of student teching nd bilingul methods courses certified me s bilingul techer. I becme bilingul techer out of my love for Spnish. I see the process of becoming bilingul s lifelong journey, one in which I m still involved. When I strted teching, I hd no ide tht bilingul teching ws so controversil, stigmtized, nd complex. For 6 yers, I struggled s Spnish-English bilingul elementry school techer in Oklnd, Cliforni. Prt of this struggle ws cused by lck of support from my principl nd collegues, who did not understnd the purposes of wht is needed to develop bilingulism. During tht time, I obtined mster's degree in curriculum nd bilingul eduction. t the clssroom level, despite my techer trining nd mster's degree, I still fced dily dilemms such s, "Wht should I do with 30 kids whose lnguge dominnce vries from Spnish to English nd ll the shdes in between" "Wht kind of curriculum should I use for Omr, who hs just come from Mexico to my fourth-grde clss nd doesn't know how to hold pencil becuse he hs never gone to school before" "How do I work with Guillermo, who is very bright, fully bilingul, finishes his work in 2 minutes, nd strts to red the encyclopedi becuse he's bored" "How do I tech my clss with inferior nd inpproprite Spnish mterils nd books" Somehow, I lerned to survive by creting my own mterils nd developing meningful lerning opportunities for students; by individulizing instruction; by hving students help one nother; nd by tking students out into the community nd bringing the community into the clss through trips, projects, nd guests. The effort to do this in n unsupportive environment ws t gret psychic expense tht cu sed me to burn out. I found myself becoming imptient with the children. I needed chnge. When the chnce cme to move to New York to pursue doctorte in curriculum nd bilingul eduction t Techers College Columbi University, I looked t it s n opportunity to begin to find nswers to these teching questions. From my teaching experience, I can say that second lnguge cquisition cn begin t ny ge nd hence t different levels of brin mturity nd cognitive development. It cn tke plce predominntly in forml lerning or during informl dy-to-dy communiction (depending on socil fctors, the level of cognitive development, nd previous eduction). The ge fctor is closely relted to the method of lnguge lerning due to the difference in the cognitive orgniztion of children's nd dults' lnguge cquisition. In orgnized lerning, for exmple, different types of prctice mteril nd lerning ids exploit different input nd processing modlities (visul, uditory, nd motor). First lnguge cquisition goes "hnd in hnd" with the development of cognitive bilities nd the construction

Leadership Talents of Jack Welch Essay Example for Free

Leadership Talents of Jack Welch Essay Jack Welch was a successful Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Electric Co. (GE) for twenty years (1981 – 2001). He was admired and feared for the â€Å"new vision† that was implemented at GE. Jacks talented strategies were based on how he saw the hierarchy layers of management, how he analyzed the 42 strategic business units, and how he implemented the culture of GE to have the feel and the passion that he had been striving for. These strategies received a lot of positive and negative attention and as a result the company’s value increased by 4,000% during his tenure at GE. Jack Welch was born John Francis Welch, Jr. on November 19, 1935. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1957. Then he went on to earn a M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1960. He was introduced to Carolyn Osburn through a mutual friend, and then approximately six months later they were engaged. By November, 1959 they married two days after Welch’s 24th birthday. In 1960, Dr. Dan Fox offered Welch a chemical engineering position to work on a new project on a new thermoplastic called polyphenylene oxide (PPO) at GE. PPO was described to withstand high temperatures, which could replace hot water copper piping and stainless-steel medical instruments. Welch realized after his first year at GE that he disliked GE’s bureaucracy, which nearly drove him to leave based on the standard predetermined $1,000 raise he received in 1961. He was fed up and walked up to his boss Burt Coplan and quit. Coplan’s boss, Reuben Gutoff (Reg) called Welch and offered to meet for dinner. Gutoff took Carolyn and Jack out for dinner and promised a bigger raise, more responsibility, and would keep the bureaucracy out of his way. In addition, Gutoff added another $2,000 raise on top of the $1,000 raise Coplan already given him, which showed Welch he was serious about his promise. In 1972, Jack was named the company’s youngest Vice President then was elected Vice Chairman in 1979, then was elected the eighth chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1981. Jack held this position until he retired in 2001. During his twenty year term as CEO Jacks reputation In 1999, Forbes magazine named him â€Å"Manager of the Century† and the Financial Times named him one of the three most admired business leaders in the world today (General Electric Company). During Jacks twenty year tenure at GE he was able to step outside of the box and change the way the game was played. (Business Pundit, 2008).

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ethnographic Studies Media Essay

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ethnographic Studies Media Essay Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an ethnographic approach to the study of society. Answer with detailed reference to at least one ethnographic study. Essay outline: Introduction the ethnographic approach to the study of society has its advantages and disadvantages; some of the disadvantages can be avoided if the researcher is made aware of the risk of encountering them I will first try to define the ethnographic studies and then analyse this approach from different perspectives, namely regarding the researcher, the participants and, respectively, the research process and, thusly, the final result Contents definition of the ethnography and briefly naming a few distinctive characteristics of the ethnographic approach, which basically comprises conducting interviews and doing fieldwork three perspectives from which one could look at the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an ethnographic approach to the study of society: regarding the researcher time-consuming requires sustained effort and engagement personal safety of the researcher in peril however, it is rewarding regarding the subjects privacy preciseness of the information which could be affected either by the way the researcher records information, or by the participants themselves regarding the research process and, thus, affecting the final result, the complexity and accuracy of the information from the ethnography first hand data unavoidable subjectivity covert research issues related to social identities, which leads to prejudice data which cannot be generalised -practical use of ethnographic studies Conclusion Despite noting more possible flaws than strong points in using an ethnographic approach to study the social world which are due to the fact that the ethnographic approach is a more complex way of studying reality because it poses diverse problems offering a complex final study as well, its main advantage stands out: to describe and discuss in its complexity the way in which a part of society manifests itself. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Ethnographic Studies Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an ethnographic approach to the study of society. Answer with detailed reference to at least one ethnographic study. The grade of complexity and accuracy of the results of a social research depends on adopting the most appropriate method. Every research method has its advantages and disadvantages, this also being the case of ethnographies. However, some of the disadvantages can be avoided if the researcher is made aware of the risk of encountering them. In order to outline and discuss some of the most relevant characteristics of an ethnographic approach to the study of society, I will first try to define the ethnographic studies and then analyse this approach from different perspectives, namely regarding the researcher, the participants and, respectively, the research process and, thusly, the final result. The theoretical aspects presented throughout the essay will be supported with methodological observations from Sidewalk, Mitchell Duneiers ethnography of the people who earn a living on Sixth Avenue, in Greenwich Village. Before proceeding to analyse the characteristics of an ethnographic study, we should cast our attention on one general definitions of ethnography. One should bear in mind that there are multiple understandings of the ethnographic approach, influenced by different schools of thought (Atkinson and Hammersley, 2007). Nevertheless, the most complete definition of the ethnography I have encountered is the following: [E]thnography at least (in its minimal definition) is iterative-inductive research (that evolves in design through the study), drawing on a family of methods, involving direct and sustained contact with human agents, within the context of their daily lives (and cultures), watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions, and producing a richly written account that respects the irreducibility of human experience, that acknowledges the role of theory, as well as the researchers own role, and that views humans as part object/part subject (OReilly, 2005: 3). Therefore, by using an ethnographic approach to the study of society, the social researcher enters a particular social environment in order to understand the participants in-depth, also employing open-ended interviews with the help of which to comprehend more thoroughly the participants social behaviour. After having established the broad distinctive features of ethnographic studies, we can now look at the advantages and disadvantages of adopting this social research method from the perspective of the researcher itself, namely how conducting an ethnographic research influences him or her. Doing an ethnographic research is time consuming, requiring the fieldworker to spend enough time in order to be accepted into a particular social system and then observe and reliably interpret the social relations which develop in that specific environment, as an insider (OReilly, 2005), and so to understand other peoples own worldview (Taylor, 2002: 3); it is also important to regard the normal as unfamiliar (May, 2001: 157). The research Mitchell Duneier (2001) conducted for Sidewalk lasted, for example, more than four years. This aspect also enables ethnographers to conduct open research, such being the case for Duneier, as well, at the beginning of his research, according to the methodological s ection of Sidewalk: I had only approximate notions about what I would do with the data I collected and what I sought to learn (2001: 336); however, during his fieldwork the leading questions became clear. Engaging in doing ethnographic research has other consequences for the researcher as well. Having to adopt a different role than when using quantitative research methods, the researcher becomes instrumental in the process of collecting the data to be analysed (Padgett, 1998; Marshall and Rossman, 2006). Thus, doing fieldwork requires more effort and commitment from the researcher, as May argues: participant observation is the most personally demanding and analytically difficult method of social research to undertake (2001: 153). Furthermore, after collecting information, the ethnographer has to analyse it, so that to elaborate categories for the relevant social issues denoted by the subjects (Padgett, 1998). This happened to Duneier (2001) in the process of writing Sidewalk, when after spending two years studying Hakim, the main participant in the research, he realised, helped by the useful feedback given by Hakim after reading the manuscript of the study, that he had omitted several important aspects from the social life on the sidewalk. Another effect on the fieldworker discussed here is related to his or her personal safety. If dealing with dangerous subjects, and mainly if undergoing covert research, i.e. research that has not gained the full consent, and is not conducted with the full knowledge, of the participants (OReilly, 2005: 60), the safety of the fieldworker could be jeopardized, such being the case if one studies criminals or other deviant people, especially in their own environment. Moreover, in order to better understand the participants, the ethnographer could engage in dangerous activities, for example drug dealing or smuggling, or in activities which would normally be considered morally degrading if judged by the current social norms. Duneier (2001) could have decided, for example, to buy and consume drugs himself, like some of the participants; this, he could have thought, would have enabled him to better understand their perspective on society. As a conclusion to this section of the essay, one could note that the work of an ethnographer has more disadvantages than advantages. However, the researcher who engages in such an effort should be willing to make some sacrifices in order to achieve a more lively and accurate account of how a part of society functions, this being what ethnographies offer, some would argue. Furthermore, despite the possible inconvenients, the work of an ethnographer can be rewarding because ethnographic studies always have at least one named author. For example, Mitchell Duneier (2001) has received an award for his first ethnography, Slims Table, and also numerous critical acclaims for Sidewalk. The participants in an ethnographic research are affected in various ways by the admittance of the fieldworker in their social environment. One of the aspects which should be considered is the privacy of the people involved as subjects. It should be noted that in an ethnographic research, the right of human subjects to privacy comes into conflict with other rights such as the right of the public to know (Homan, 1991: 65). The main disadvantage for the subjects of ethnographies is that the researcher intrudes in their lives and perturbs them. Although this happens especially when the ethnographer overtly assumes the role of a participant observer, i.e. openly conducted research, he or she can consent and even enjoy taking part in an ethnographic study, as Hakim and Keith do, two participants in Duneiers ethnography. In this situation, however, in the case of interviews, the subject has the chance to present as clearly as possible the information the ethnographer wants to know, not bei ng constrained by pre-defined answers, even if this means that they can distort information (Padgett, 1998). In qualitative research projects, participants remain individualities in the final result of the study, this being the reason why an ethnographer should always seek informed consent for using the real identities of the people observed and exact information, as Duneier did: I have received permission to quote almost all the people who were taped without their knowledge (2001: 13). Mitchell Duneier (2001) made sure that the people presented in his ethnography were content with the way they were presented in the book by having several meetings with each of them in which he showed them the pictures and read them the passages in which they appeared. In case the participants do not agree with their identity being revealed, information about their lives can still be found in the ethnography; however, this poses ethical questions. The problem becomes more important when the researche r is a covert participant observer. In this case, the subject is not made aware of the fact that aspects of his or her life will be made public through an ethnography, this raising more ethical issues, as OReilly asserts: ethical considerations are arguably most likely to be overridden when research is covert (2005: 60). Finally, we will cast our attention on the positive and negative aspects of doing fieldwork and its result: the ethnographic study. In order to do so, it should be noted that adopting an ethnographic approach to the study of society implies participating in a natural process which takes place in a dynamic and unforeseen reality, where people act in different and complex ways (Padgett, 1998). Being a participant observer means collecting first hand data, a part exact, recorded by technical devices as tape recorders or photo cameras, another part filtered by the ethnographer (Bourgeois, 2002). Hence, de facto, writing an ethnographic study is a very subjective process, as Duneier admits: [l]ike all observers, I have my subjectivities. [†¦] [However,] I try to help the reader recognize the lens through which the reality is refracted (2001: 14). Subjectivity can be identified as well in the fact that the researcher observes only what is caught in his eyesight and has to select the g athered information. However, by using technical devices to accurately register the words of the participants, the level of subjectivity could diminish: the meanings of a culture are embodied, in part, in its language, which cannot be grasped by an outsider without attention to the choice and order of the words and sentences (Duneier, 2001: 339); therefore this possible disadvantage of the ethnographic approach can be eliminated. In order to be a good participant observer, one has to gain the trust of the other participants, either overtly or covertly. The advantage when researching covertly is that people can be observed in natural circumstances in their environment; however, this raises ethical issues. Undertaking overt research, as the case of Duneier in Sidewalk, has the advantage of being honest with the participants, but it influences the normal state of the social relations observed; in this particular situation, Duneier emphasises the fact that there are many things members of the different races will not say in one anothers presence (2001, 338). Hence, issues of social identity rise in cases similar to the one presented in Duneiers Sidewalk (2001): the differences of race, class and social status (and in other situations of age and sex as well) between the ethnographer and the participants in the research not only made the people observed be more reserved in what they told Duneier, but also posed pro blems to the ethnographer who had to surpass his prejudices which were due to his social background. This could affect the researchers goal [which] is to describe the symbols and values of such a culture without passing judgment based on his cultural context (Marshall and Rossman, 2006: 82). Another critique of the ethnographic approach is related to the qualities of the research process, to the unsystematic way of conducting the fieldwork and collecting data (Atkinson and Hammersley, 2007; Padgett, 1998). However, social life itself is guided by unknown laws which are not systematic, so this is an adaptive method of studying it. The critics would continue by stating that this approach [is] using small, non-representative samples to produce impressionistic findings vulnerable to almost any bias one could imagine (Padgett, 1998: 12). Nevertheless, ethnographic studies reveal and explain the complexity of the human relations in a limited particular environment, which goal Duneier (2001) achieves in his ethnography, after a long lasting labour and several versions of manuscripts. As Taylor writes, an ethnographic study is said to produce situated knowledge rather than universals and to capture the detail of social life (2002: 3) and, according to Gray, some critics argue th at the findings are inadequate in representativeness and generalisability, two key criteria of validity in sociological research (2003: 15). Moreover, due to the fact that ethnographies are the result of a researchers work carried throughout long periods of time, they show a more accurate image of society, unlike the quantitative methods which register the reality of a particular moment in time. Moreover, by having contact with the world the interviewee is referring to, the ethnographer can discern what is true or plausible in his or her statements (Weinberg, 2002). Furthermore, the researcher can also make use of information related to aspects of their lives which are considered unimportant by the research participant. Duneier (2001) recalls a situation when he was rendered confused by an interviewee, without his intention; the ethnographer could realise which was the real situation because of his findings. The last point to be highlighted in this essay regards the practical use of ethnographic studies in comparison to quantitative analysis. If the latter is more useful for developing strategies, the work of an ethnographer resembles more the work of a writer; its use is not often that of changing policies, one of its critiques being concerned with its lack of impact on policy-making and practice, its limited payoff in the everyday worlds of politics and work (Atkinson and Hammersley, 2007: 17). Duneier (2001) emphasises in Sidewalk the importance of using the conclusions drawn from the ethnography to change policies and prejudices; apart from the measure he suggests the authorities should take, Duneier states that only by understanding the rich social organization of the sidewalk, in all its complexity, might citizens and politicians appreciate how much is lost when we accept the idea that the presence of a few broken windows justifies tearing down the whole informal structure (2001: 3 15). Besides the ineffective attempt to change policies, ethnographies can determine the readers to think in a different manner about what is happening around them, i.e. to think sociologically; I would say that the use of ethnographies is more personal, as is their subject. After reading Sidewalk, for example, it is desirable that people should start looking at least at the street vendors and panhandlers with different eyes, not expressing ready-made assumptions about them. To conclude, in this essay I have analysed a small part of the possible advantages and disadvantages of adopting an ethnographic approach to the study of society. I have looked at the effects of the decision to employ this research method on the researcher him/herself, on the participants and on the process and result of the research, drawing on examples from Mitchell Duneiers Sidewalk (2001). Despite noting more possible flaws than strong points in using an ethnographic approach to study the social world which are due to the fact that the ethnographic approach is a more complex way of studying reality because it poses diverse problems, offering a complex final study as well, its main advantage stands out: to describe and discuss in its complexity the way in which a part of society manifests itself. Word count: 2399 Mark: 65 (Mid Upper 2nd)

The Elusiveness of War and the Tenuousness of Morality in Tim O?Brien?s

The Elusiveness of War and the Tenuousness of Morality in Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"The Things They Carried,† â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story,† and â€Å"Style†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien demonstrates how exposure to the atrocities of nations at war leads to the soldiers having skewed perspectives on what is right and wrong, predominantly at times when the purpose of the war itself appears elusive. The ambiguity that consumes the stories of â€Å"The Things They Carried† and â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story† is displayed with irony, for the ‘moral’ of such war stories is that there is no moral at all. O’Brien portrays the character Mitchell Sanders as an observer who seeks the morals to be found through the war fatalities; however, he depicts these morals in a manner that actually stresses the impiety of the situations above all else. The characters in this novel are at the forefront of the Vietnam War, thus blinded by carnage that soon begins to obscure any prior notions held about what is moralistic and what is not. The death of Ted Lavender in â€Å"The Things They Carried† leads to Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’ moral blunder which is brought about by his guilt over the horror of the incident: Lieutenant Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself [†¦] He pictured Martha’s smooth young face [†¦] and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her. When the dustoff arrived, they carried Lavender aboard. Afterward they...

R.L.Stevenson in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ to Heighten the Horror Essay

During the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,’ R.L.Stevenson uses many techniques and language devices such as metaphor, simile, irony and personification to gradually heighten the horror. Stevenson has some powerful passages such as, the trampling of the child, the murder of Sir Danvers Carew and the transformation of Jekyll at Dr Lanyons. Stevenson sets the story in London, 1886, which at this time was the richest part of the entire world. Many of the people who lived there had little contact with crime, which is ironic because Mr Hyde, a character within Dr Jekyll, disturbs the whole scene into that of a scary and tense area. The main settings where horrific things happen are usually described as ‘†¦almost deserted†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘†¦lamp-lit†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which is a very good setting for heightening the horror in the novel. It shows mystery and emptiness which makes you wait for intense action, this causes the rhythm and speed of the story to change depending on the setting. A setting described as ‘†¦foggy†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘†¦nocturnal†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ fits greatly into a society like Dr Jekyll’s in London a place of which is dominated by secrecy the whole way through, which add suspense to the story their makes it more tense for the reader. The mystery begins at the very start, where we meet Utterson who is an intelligent lawyer who does not quickly judge other people. Mr Utterson becomes our guide throughout many of the chapters and we see all of the discoveries he makes. The door in Dr Jekyll’s house stands out because Mr Hyde uses it as if were his own and a theme of mystery evolves around it, because we do not know where it leads to. This is where we first meet Mr Hyde. He is hard to describe but has a strong effect on everybody who meets him. His behaviour is unusual. He tramples on a girl and appears to be really calm about the situation, as if he has no fear in life, which is extraordinary and inhuman. Without a fuss he accepts what he has done wrong and agrees to pay à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 compensation. The money is paid by cheque ‘†¦signed by a name [Utterson] cannot mention†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢which gives a really strong sense of mystery which carries through until the end of the novel. In chapter two ‘The Search for Hyde’ the mystery deepens even more. We here that Jekyll has left ‘†¦all his possessions†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in a signed Will to the evil Mr Hyde. Mr Utterson was the first person in the novel that we heard about, we trust him the most and therefore share in his concerns about Jekyll which appears to be blackmail. All of the mystery that Stevenson adds to the story helps make it more horrific and tense for the raeder. As the story continues, Utterson sees Hyde’s face and describes him as ‘†¦pale and dwarfish†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and that he is a mix of ‘†¦timidity and boldness†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which is very intriguing because he show two characteristics in a weird way which gives us the theme of duality. Other people find it hard to describe him, Enfield describes him as giving ‘†¦a strong feeling of deformity†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ but ‘†¦ he is not easy to describe.’ Which forces people to read on further and get deeper into the book. Although he is described as giving ‘†¦a displeasing smile†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and having a ‘†¦ghastly face†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the reader is not given a quality description of his face, which in my opinion is done deliberately by Stevenson to give a mysterious image to Mr Hyde. This causes the reader to concentrate on him and want to learn more about him, therefore would be more horrific for the reader because he does not even know what the mutant looks like, we only know his actions. Mr Hyde represents ‘†¦the beast in man†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and is described as animalistic in many occasions. An example of this is when Mr Utterson meets him and describes him as ‘†¦hissing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ like a cornered snake. Another is when Poole evaluates him as a ‘†¦thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢that squeals ‘†¦like a rat†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ he moves about ‘†¦like a monkey†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and screams in ‘†¦mere animal terror.’ These are examples of similes which suggest that Hyde is abnormal and is compared with the characters of animals-which relates to the Charles Darwin theory of apes and backward evolution, which would be terrifying for a Victorian reader because they did not believe in the theory. Mr Hyde shows how evil and spiteful he is by making the transforming of character involuntary, for Jekyll to see that his hand is ‘†¦thickly shaded with a swart. growth of hair†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which makes him describe his double personality and character as ‘†¦the animal within me licking the chops of memory.’ Hyde was haggard in the way that he ‘†¦snarled aloud into a savage laugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢which suggests how he is related to evil, like a monster. Many horror stories have monsters and other characters to portray them as horrific, but Stevenson takes it a step further and makes you picture a monster of your own choice with the little information and description given to you, this builds up the tension and horror layer by layer the more you read on. Another theme is shown when the Jekyll/Hyde double in the laboratory is described as having ‘†¦a mask upon his face.’ This shows the dual nature of Jekyll/Hyde. The weather also plays a big part in the story, it effects it by making the atmosphere feel real and heightening the horror. Stevenson uses pathetic fallacy to change the setting and atmosphere into one of which suits the story, ‘†¦it was an early cloudless night†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘†¦a brilliantly lit lane†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ with a ‘†¦full moon†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢which gives a sense of calmness. Stevenson then gives intense action, which has a strong effect on the reader and therefore effectively heightens the horror. The action is a murder, which is very horrific anyway. A maidservant witnessed the murder from her bedroom window. The maidservant described the victim, Sir Danvers Carew, as ‘†¦an old aged beautiful gentleman†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ she did not recognise him but he seemed to have ‘†¦an innocent and old-world kindness of disposition†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He came across a small man who the maidservant recognised, Mr Hyde. Sir Danvers Carew addressed Mr Hyde politely but Hyde, without replying, ‘†¦broke out into a great flame of anger†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Carew’s bones ‘†¦audibly shattered.’ The body ‘†¦jumped upon the roadway†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ until it became ‘†¦mangled.’ The murder weapon was a stick made of ‘†¦very tough and heavy wood†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ of which broke ‘†¦under the stress of his insensate cruelty.’ This is by far the most intense and scariest part of the book because Stevenson uses emotive language and other language devices to show a great contrast of description shown between Carew and Hyde of good and evil, which makes Mr Hyde seem an extraordinary evil character of ‘†¦cruelty.’ Dr Henry Jekyll is a well-known chemist and physician with qualifications to his name. We meet him in the third chapter ‘Dr Jekyll was quite at ease’. He is described as a ‘†¦large, well-made, smooth faced man of fifty†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ who had ‘†¦something of a slyish cast.’ He had ‘†¦every mark of capacity and kindness.’ He is a wealthy man whose autobiography is shown in his ‘Statement’ this tells us that he was born into a well-off family and he had a brilliant education. Jekyll is hypocritical to himself because he sees the evil side of his nature (Hyde), yet does not accept him as a natural part of him in his life and is also arrogant, thinking that he can control nature. The theme of duality is shown in many parts of the story, when Utterson shows Mr Guest, a writing expert, a letter and he notices that ‘†¦the two hands are in many points identical†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ between Hyde’s and Jekyll’s handwriting. Stevenson uses irony to make profound statements about the personality of humans, this helps the main theme and adds more information to explain the moral of the story. During the novel, we are told the story through the eyes of many people such as Enfield, Utterson, Lanyon and eventually Jekyll himself. The whole moral and idea of the story is hidden until Lanyon’s narrating, the technique of multiple perspectives which is a very good way of heightening the horror and allows us to see more clearly into their characters and relationships. Another technique used by Stevenson is revealing the plot via letters, diaries and casebooks; this makes us feel that we are actually inside the story, living out what happens and makes us equally confused by not knowing what exactly is happening. Stevenson also uses dreams as the technique of authentication because he uses things like diaries etc to continue the story; an example is when Utterson has a dream, which is full of evil foreboding, which causes the reader to have a greater desire to unmask the mysterious hidden face of Mr Hyde. This is very intense because it is what happens in real life, you have nightmares of bad things and cannot get them off your mind. In conclusion I found out that Stevenson gives a sense of tension throughout the narrating of each character, by using pathetic fallacy, detailed settings, literary devices and strong themes and morals. I think each character has a sense of mystery and horror about them of which we will never get to know. I also think that what you see is not always what you get, because nobody would have known that such an evil character could have came from someone as kind and well mannered as Dr Henry Jekyll. Evil Hyde was a natural part of Jekyll’s personality along with the good side, but because Jekyll was so arrogant he destroyed himself by trying to separate the two. The main theme is that all humans have at least two facets of their personality, good and evil, and that these exist in different measures. It is quite horrific for us to realise that the potential for evil, like Hyde, is inside each and every one of us!!

Melanoma

Breakthroughs in medicine are occurring at a more predictable rate in the 21st century. This is due to technology and also the glut of information that is due to decades of research in the area of biology and medicine. Still, there are some medical conditions and illnesses that still puzzle the medical community and the public. One of these is melanoma a type of cancer.This study will look into the basic definition of this sickness. This paper will also address the current status and future standing of the illness and provide information as to what will be the next possible steps in curing the disease and the future of melanoma treatment.MelanomaThis disease is a type of skin cancer but it is not just an ordinary kind of cancerous growth but it is actually, â€Å"†¦the most serious type of skin cancer† (Melanoma.com, 2007). The main cause of melanoma is too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation such as in the case of sun bathers and those who just crave to have that bron ze look and then go lie under intense UV rays courtesy of tanning booths.This type of disease is prevalent because this is a nation of sun worshippers, meaning people in this country just love to bask under the ultraviolet glow of sunlight just to get that much sought after tan. Now, melanoma is on the rise and the faster growing cancer in the United States of America.It is a serious problem not just because of its frequency but also because it is very aggressive. In fact, â€Å"The median survival of patients is generally limited to 6 t 10 months, and it has not been significantly improved since the 1970s† (University of Michigan Health System, 2007).But according to the National Cancer Institute (â€Å"NCI†) this type of cancer can also occur in the eye and is called intraocular or ocular melanoma (NCI, 2007). But the organ of choice – so to speak – for the disease is the human skin which is the largest organ of the human body. It is not only because of the large surface area but more on the fact that melanoma develops first in the skin cell called melanocytes.Melanocytes are skin cells found in the skin that is in charge in the production of melanin. Melanin’s main purpose is to give skin its color and explains why those who live in different environs e.g. too much sun, have a different skin color than those who only receive minimal amounts of sunlight throughout the year.Another major purpose of melanin is to protect deeper layers of the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet or UV rays. Due to prevalence of the disease in those who love to get deep tan lying motionless in beaches or those frequenting tanning booths there is a consensus that too much exposure to UV light is the major cause of melanoma.When a person spends a considerable amount of time under the sun, melanocytes are worked into a frenzy – they work extra hard to produce melanin. This increased activity when done frequently causes this partic ular cell to suddenly behave abnormally. When this happens, Stage 1 cancer has already occurred. Yet, no one has been able to pinpoint the exact mechanism or the exact chemical process that cause this abnormality. The dermatology research team in the University of Michigan asserts remarked that, â€Å"The identification of the molecular basis of melanoma progression [†¦] are largely unknown† (Soengas, 2007).Current StatusIn the early stages of melanoma, it is highly treatable but there are limited options for those who are already in the advanced stages (Medical News Today, 2007). There are bigger problems when it concerns this illness. Reacting to the aforementioned poor prognosis of those who are in the later stages of the disease, the University of Michigan research team gave the following findings, â€Å"A main contributor to this poor prognosis is an extreme resistance to standard modalities of anticancer treatment, ranging fro immuno, to radiao or chemotherapyâ₠¬  (Soengas, 2007).Future StandingThere are exciting developments though and one could be found in the laboratories of The Wistar Institute, an independent nonprofit biomedical research institution dedicated to discovering the causes and curse for major diseases including cancer. One of their researchers discovered that a substance called peptide exists in approximately 70 percent of melanomas but not in normal cells. Dorothee Herlyn the main proponent of this novel vaccine approach used the peptide to stimulate T cells in the body to attack the melanoma cells. Herlyn found out that a substantial proportion of melanoma patients, about 50 percent have killer T cells responding to the peptide and is very optimistic that in due time this new approach will be able to treat at least one third of all melanoma patients (Medical News Today, 2007).DiscussionAs mentioned earlier there are is still no hard evidence that will point to the exact cause of the disease on the molecular level. So f ar what is ascertain is the fact that too much exposure to UV rays are causing the melanocytes in the skin to grow abnormally and then becomes cancer causing.Prevention of course is better than seeking more expensive and emotionally draining cure especially when it comes to cancer. So experts suggest decreasing the amount of time under the harsh elements of the sun’s rays. Also, there is a serious need to be conscious of protecting one self from ultraviolet rays and this includes sun screen lotions, hats, working under the shade etc.But when cancer has already set in medical professionals are needed on the scene. There are at least four (4) major types of treatment (National Cancer Institute, 2007):Surgery – This includes removing the melanoma or removing cancer cells and some of the normal tissue around it. Lymphadenectomy is also an option wherein the lymph nodes are removed. Skin grafting is also part of this type of treatment.Chemotherapy – Cancer drugs are taken orally or injected into a vein so that it can enter the bloodstream and kill cancer cells. But due to the fact that melanoma is in the skin, basically outside the internal organs of the body this common cancer treatment has to be modified. The technique is called â€Å"hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion† where the flow of blood from the limb is inhibited through the use of tourniquet and thus anticancer drug can be put directly into the blood of the limb.Radiation Therapy – There are two types of radiation therapy – internal and external radiation therapy where the former uses high-energy x-rays while the latter uses radioactive substances sealed in catheters and then placed near the affected areas of the body.Biologic Therapy – This type of therapy finds ways to boos the body’s immune system so that it can fight the disease.There are also new types of treatment being tested in clinical trials. One is the aforementioned radical technique de veloped by Dorothee Herlyn of The Wistar Institute where she was able to coax T killer cells to attack melanoma and what a novel approach indeed.Works CitedMedical News Today. â€Å"Melanoma Research Progress Suggests Optimism for Future Cures.†Available from < http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45539&nfid=rssfeeds> Accessed [20 April 2007].Melanoma.com. â€Å"What is Melanoma?† Available from Accessed [19 April 2007].Soengas, Maria. â€Å"Molecular Basis of Melanoma Progression and Drug Resistance.† University

Behavior Modification Essays

Behavior Modification Essays Behavior Modification Essay Behavior Modification Essay Applied behavior analysis can be used in all walks of life; its amazing to see how beneficial it can be to enhance someones life such as helping to improve an athletes game to change classroom behaviors. For the two scenarios the rationale for each selected behavioral modification strategy will be explained, discuss behavioral chaining, using of token economies for classrooms, mastering units of behavior, and end by discussing the role of back up reinforcers. Goal: Improving Brendans Serve Brendan is a 17-year-old tennis player that wishes to improve his game. Brendans coach referred him to a sports psychologist to assist him with improving his serve. Achieving his overall goal of serving with the correct speed and accuracy to help him win his matches is the target behavior that needs modification. I must admit before this chapter, I didnt even know that behavior analysis could help improve an athletes game. It is rather fascinating. The sports psychologist decided which behavior modification would best suit Brendans needs by interviewing him, reviewing videotapes of his serve, and considering which strategy would fit him personally for the task he is performing. The result the psychologist chose was the strategy of behavior chaining. An alternative that he could have chosen was shaping reinforcement, but that is found to be time consuming and with Brendans competitive drive, I am sure he wanted results as soon as possible. To help improve Brendans serve, the psychologist would complete what is known as a task analysis of the components of the behavioral sequence or indentify all the different stimulus-response components in the chain. (What is behavioral, 2011). With Brendan, it was determined that each step of his serve be broken down into separate units or steps. The units in this scenario include: the starting position, ball toss, swing of the racket back, acceleration of the racket, contact with the ball, and the final unit consisting of follow-through. There are different behavior chaining methods, for determining which method to use for each individual you must decide which procedure to use to teach the new sequence of behavior. For Brendan, I believe forward chaining, teaching the chain from the beginning to the end are taught so it flows through its naturally occurring order so that he receives training on each step as he proceeds to the next. You could use total-task chaining, being taught all at once when reinforcement depends on completing the entire chain, but with this case it is best to get each step broken down to work on each one individually. A behavior chain is a sequence of certain responses; it can be broken down into smaller steps using task analysis. It involves reinforcing individual responses that occur in a sequence that are linked together to achieve a certain behavior and produce a terminal outcome. After the initial unit has been reinforced, known as the primary reinforcement, then each response in the chain simultaneously serves as a secondary reinforcer for the response that produced it and as a discriminative stimulus for the next response in the chain (Cooper, Heron, Howard, 2007). Each step of this chain must be followed in its naturally occurring order for this task. Once each unit of the task has been achieved, then reinforcement has been acquired for that behavior in the sequence and then going on to the next unit until reinforcement has been made for each of the units in the chain. If the targeted skill has been achieved, then the procedure is considered to be effective. Effectiveness and efficiency of teaching can be determined to be critical factors in evaluating chaining procedures. Efficiency is defined as the number of learning trials or time it takes to reach the criterion performance, as well as the number of errors that occur in order to achieve acquisition (Gast, Doyle, Wolery, Ault, 1991). If there is difficulty with mastering an aspect of the behavior chain, the behaviorist should allow for adjustments in the task analysis and allow for more extensive training on certain parts of more difficult units in order to achieve reinforcement to the ultimate goal of mastery. In order to achieve mastery level of unit behavior, you take the individual units in sequence and have demonstrated mastery for the completion for each unit and concrete observable criterion for mastery of each unit. Brendan must continue reinforcement to maintain behavior or his performance may suffer. Token Economy for Ms. Rileys Class For the case of Ms. Riley and her energetic third-grade class, an ABA professional came up with the idea for implementing a token economy system to help with a goal of trying to settle them down enough to learn. A token economy is defined as a system in which individuals can earn tokens for targeted behaviors and once a specified number of tokens have been earned, they can be traded in for an item or activity that is desired. For a classroom that needs a behavior modification program in place, token economies can be used to meet educational and behavioral goals for children. Since no other teacher has been able to accomplish this with class, a reward system with tokens may be a way to focus their attention for meeting their desired behaviors, it clearly seems as it would be the best rationale. Tokens function as a conditioned reinforcer to achieve the target behavior. Token economies are designed using six steps. The first step is to select the tokens that will be used; in this case it is a puzzle piece. The children will have a puzzle on the wall, each day they meet their desired behavior, they earn a puzzle piece to be glued to the puzzle. This way they can clearly see how they are progressing and how far they have to go to earn their prize. The puzzle on the wall can serve as a reminder and reinforcer to behave, which includes; no fighting, remain seated during class, raising hands to answer problems or ask a question, and completing assignments in class. Step two consists of identifying the target behavior and rules. We already know the target behavior is to settle down to be able to learn, so the rules are as follows: there is a ten piece puzzle on the wall, for each, the class will receive a puzzle piece, when the puzzle is complete, the class will have a pizza party and no homework assigned for two weekends in a row. The third step is choosing back up reinforcers. In this case, the children seem very energetic; some backup reinforcers can include an extra long recess, watching a movie, or playing games. Backup reinforcers can help the children to see that they can actually earn rewards for good behavior in addition to waiting to celebrate their party. In this case, in addition to the party prize, if the children go five days in a row obtaining a puzzle piece they will get one of these of the backup reinforcers rewarded. Step four is establishing a ratio of exchange meaning at first, the ratio between the number of tokens and the price of backup items should be small so the learners success is immediate, gradually adjusting the ratio exchange to maintain responsiveness of the children (Cooper, Howard, ; Heron, 2007). Step five is specifying in writing, when and how tokens will be rewarded and what happens if the requirements are not met, basically laying out the rules. We have already established how tokens are earned, but some actions need to be focused on, such as students fighting or acting out, there will be no bonus of the backup reinforcer incentive for that week. Most children like additional recesses or extra incentives and if someone messes that up, they might use peer pressure to stop it from happening again. The last step is conducting a field test before implementation. A few days before starting the token economy, observe the children and tally to see if they would have earned a puzzle piece without actually giving them one and decide if they system is appropriate for the children. Being a parent of three children I know kids like to be rewarded and as a parent we enjoy giving our children treats and rewards for behaving and acting appropriately. They dont have to be anything big, just a little extra perk now and then to thank them for being good and showing our appreciation for behaving. The same principle works for classes, what kid wouldnt behave to receive a pizza party or no homework for a couple weekends? Conclusion Each case used different methods for behavioral modification, I hope that I was able to clearly identify the rationale behind each of the ABA professionals choices, and discuss what they were and how and why they would help each scenario. References Cooper, J. , Heron, T. Howard, W. (2007). Applied behavior analysis. (2nd Edition). Upper Saddler River, NJ: Pearson Education. Gast, D. , Doyle, P. , Wolery, M. , Ault, M. , (1991). Assessing the acquisition of incidental information by secondary-age students with mental retardation: comparison of response prompting strategies. American Journal of Mental Retardation. 1991;96:63-80. What is behavioral chaining?. (2011). Retrieved from allsands. com/Health/behavioralchain_vyl_gn. htm

Stone Angel essays

Stone Angel essays Irony is the contrast between the way things seem and the way things are. There are three different types; verbal, situational and dramatic irony. Situational irony occurs throughout the novel. Hagar realizes her problems in her happiness on her deathbed and it is too late to do anything. She blames Bram for her faults, her favorite son abandons her and her neglected son ends up taking care of her. In Margaret Laurences novel, The Stone Angel, irony plays a major role in Hagar Shipleys happiness. Due to irony in the novel the main character, Hagar Shipley realizes the causes of her happiness too late. Hagar has lost her pride near the end of the book and this is shown in verbal irony. Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that led me there was fear. I was alone, never anything else, and never free, for I carried my chains within me, and they spread out from me and shackled all I touched(Laurence 292). Hagar finally decides not to hold in her emotions anymore and realizes she has los t her pride. She has to live her life with out her true happiness. Hagar also blames her husband Bram, for her unhappiness in her life. Situational irony occurs when Hagar Shipley blames Bram for her unhappiness. Hagar gets mad at Bram and Bram talks back to her. Ill talk any way I feel like. If you dont care for it, you can-(85). This situation happens near the beginning of the book when they are fighting over money while figuring out what to use it for. Hagar Shipley also believes she has suffered because her favorite son abandons her while her juvenile son ends up taking care of her. Dramatic irony occurs when Hagar feels unhappy when her favorite son abandoned her and her juvenile son then takes care of her. Near the end of the novel, Marvin is talking to Hagar and she tells him that he is a better son. Youve been cranky, Marvin. Youve been a good to me, always. A better son than John ...

Analysis of Respiratory Physiology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Respiratory Physiology - Lab Report Example   The necessity of breathing is well established in science. The significance of this act is well known to all. Without it any person is unable to live. This underlines the importance of the study of the respiratory physiology. Every medical professional, whether he is involved in internal medicine, surgery or even psychiatry has to have the basics of respiratory physiology. From the basic concept of gas exchange and its movement into the blood to the complex aerobic metabolism in the mitochondria and the excretion of the metabolic by-products, all of these hold an importance for a physician providing clinical care to patients. Respiratory physiology revolves around the respiratory system mainly, especially the lungs and bronchus. However without the support of musculoskeletal and nervous system lungs are unable to carry their function. The control of this process depends on a variety of factors which are spread out across different specialties (Schwartzstein & Parker, 2005). Diffe rent authors have reported different factors in different books and research articles. As Guyton and Hall, (2010) explain in their book that the different factors regulate each and every step of breathing which in turn are further regulated by the higher centers. Neural and chemical control is the highlight of this control. Breathing rate itself depends on the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Along with this the rate at which the alveolar air is removed from the lungs also affects the rate of breathing. On the other hand separate factors affect the diffusion of gas across respiratory membrane. These factors include the thickness and the surface area of the membrane and the diffusion coefficient of the gas. Among these factors there are some factors which can be controlled. However some factors are fixed and variability isn’t possible. Secondly the measurement of lung volume is also very significant. The lung volume has different components which need to be addre ssed. Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), tidal volume (TV), residual volume (RV), inspiratory vital capacity (ITC), functional residual capacity (FRC), inspiratory capacity (IC) and total lung capacity (TLC) are the different static lung volumes (shown in figure -1). Their main use lies in the detection, characterization and quantification of the severity of any respiratory disease (Wanger et al., 2005). They also play an important part in the assessment of the prognosis and treatment of a respiratory disorder. TV = 0.644 L IRV = 1.615 L ERV = 1.079 L IC = 2.259 L FRC = 2.279 L VC = 3.338 L TLC = 4.538 L Figure – 1: Subdivisions of static lung capacity This lab report comprises of three different experiments, all done with the intention of investigating about respiratory physiology. The aim of the study revolves around the quest of the finding of different factors which regulate breathing, their respective effects, and their significance.  Ã‚  

Network Operating Systems Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Network Operating Systems - Coursework Example New version i.e. USB 3.0 will take approximately 3.3 seconds to transfer 1 gigabyte of data (, Data Transfer Rates to Jump With USB 3.0 ). Moreover, transferring files on a network incorporates file transfer protocol, Microsoft windows sharing, P2P networks etc. In order to share a file, folder, optical drive or hard drive, configuration of FTP is required. This includes configuration of a network place. Steps that are involved in this process are: click ‘my network places’ ? ‘add a network place’? specify address by providing the path known as the ‘FTP site’ and click ‘next’?uncheck ‘log on anonymously’? click ‘OK’. After following these steps, FTP site will be created that will be available on the network for the users to transfer files. However, the transmission of files within the network will be conducted by FTP. FTP facilitates the users to share files in a simplest of methods along with configuring a n FTP site or server. FreeBSD also includes FTP server software named as ‘ftpd’, that is located in the base system. ‘ftdp’ enables the network administrator to configure FTP server in a simple way (, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) ).However, Linux uses ‘scp’ to share files on a remote location.

Taking Genre Out of Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Taking Genre Out of Music - Essay Example When listening to music, most will state interests according to the genre first as well as which singers or musicians are most popular within this genre. However, this limits the music because of the stereotypes which surround the music while changing the potential experiments which musicians might use without the music. To allow music to be accessible to all groups without labels or limits, the genre should be taken out of music. This allows those who are interested in different variations of music to find the best overall sounds while providing musicians with alternatives for experimentation. Furthermore, it would introduce a different sense of appreciation while the music would no longer be recognized first by the stereotypes. The concept of genre is one which is based on labeling music according to what the songs by a specific artist sound like. Often, this depicts the instrumentation used, arrangements that are played and the overall sound that the musician conveys. ... The content of both is similar, specifically with the idea of women needing men in relationships. Lyrics by Griggs include â€Å"she don’t know how much I need her, she don’t know I’d fall apart† and lyrics with McGraw are similar, with â€Å"just to see you smile / I’d do anything that you wanted me to.† The same topic as well as the same arrangements is then seen because of the expectations with the genre. Another aspect that is related to the genre and the approach to the music is based on responses from society and how this relates to the music. The genre is all that most will look at before determining if the music should be listened to or not. Stereotypes are built around the genre of music, specifically because of the expectations with the music. More important, the stereotypes create a specific sense of personality and behavior which is known to define the individual and how they respond to the music. Beliefs one may have, behaviors f rom society and their association with the genre then creates divisions between specific groups of individuals. All which create these different behaviors are known to relate directly to genres of music which are used to identify the individual, which creates stereotypes not only from the music but also from the cultural relationship which many create from this (Rentfrow, Gosling, 306). The association with genre that is based on the expectations from the musician as well as the social association from those in society is one which becomes limiting in expression. This is important to note because of stereotypes which are created because of the identity of genre which many use to show a specific behavior and which creates a sense of separation from others.

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard Essay

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard - Essay Example A gold standard system would make it more difficult for the government and Federal Reserve to implement monetary policies. A gold standard system prevents the government firm minting currency notes and coins that can it can endorse. This means that when there is increased demand for cash, the government cannot supply. As a result, the economy goes through reduced growth and more inflation as the value of paper money skyrockets.A gold standard system means the United States is neglecting its ongoing soaring currency rates and distribution problems instead of offering a solution. In a period of economic turmoil, the government and its people should not focus on future likelihoods of forex and currency techniques. Instead, Americans ought to use every tool in the economic and academic arsenal to solve high jobless rates, the piling national debt, nonrenewable sources of energy, and corresponding environmental crises.A gold standard means the government lacks influence over the economy. The government currently prints paper money and mints coins, which is good for an era of intermittent economic crises. This role shows the government can make an effort towards restoring an economy and actually stimulate it. These efforts are reactionary activities that can reinstate the value of the dollar during an economic depression. In a gold standard, the government cannot restore the economy. This means that when a gold standard economy is in a meltdown, the government cannot make any decisions towards improving this economy.

The association of community organization of reform now (ACORN) Research Paper

The association of community organization of reform now (ACORN) - Research Paper Example The attainments of ACORN are inclusive of prosperous crusades and operations for better housing, schools, neighborhood security, job provisions, health care, etc. The members of ACORN take part in local meets and diligently work upon the stipulations and functions, thereby, electing leadership from the neighborhood level up, and paying the organization's foundation expenses by means of membership dues as well as grassroots fundraisers (Official Website, 2009). This organization has faced up to the conventional concepts of what a community organization actually is, along with its family of organizations which is inclusive of two radio stations, a housing corporation, a voter registration set of connections, and various publications. Today, ACORN has become America's most eminent left-wing community organization. Until now, there is little that is known, however, ACORN has played a significant role in the sub-prime mortgage issue which has degraded the support of Americans with regards to the free market problem-solving, thereby, setting off a widespread chain of financial catastrophes. Moreover, ACORN is also inferred in vote scams from coast to coast. The ultimate aim of ACORN is to provide America with the change and transformation which is believed in by the socialists, be it by any means. It is intentionally organized to steer clear of any kind of inspections (Vadum, 2008). The longevity, size and scope of ACORN make it distinct amongst the masses, however, two features actually distinguish it from others, and they are an absolute commitment to organizing the poor and the under-privileged and the powerless, along with a continuous willingness and ability to break new ground (Official Website, 2009). 1.2 History of ACORN The sixth decade of the twentieth century was a significant epoch in the history of American politics for the reason that the American decade observed struggles and efforts for freedom of the people with low-income and the minorities across the nation along with a war that intensely disseminated all Americans (Official Website, 2009). In the midst of all the hassle and conflicts, some significant lessons were taken care of by the ones who profoundly cared about America and her residents. Those lessons could be anything about endurance by making a lasting influence on the nation. One of the social welfare communities which took into account all the perils investigated various concepts and ideologies, thereby, developing a distinct formula for a government of justice in America. It was the National Welfare Rights Organization or NWRO, which was piloted by George Wiley (Official Website, 2009). Wiley established this organization in the mid-sixties in order to establish a national driv e for the requirements and rights of the low-income residents of America. By the year 1966, the NWRO was in charge of 170 groups in around 60

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But Essay

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But the realities of management can be established on the basis of evidence, rather than ideas about what they ought to be - Essay Example Management facilitates the production of desired and useful outcomes in the system of organization. However, management faces many disagreements about its ideals which always exist. However, management realities can be established on basis of evidence, instead of what they ought to be. Managers are the business drivers of an organisations goals and objectives, so as to realise its realities. Therefore, management has many challenges that result into conflicts. Fortunately, if these conflicts can be solved on the basis of evidence, they can be turned into great opportunities for the business, rather than ideas of what they would have been (Pruitt, 1983). Hence, a skilled manager will always seek to turn challenges into opportunities by basing his decisions and actions on evidence. This essay looks into the disagreements that exist in business, how management realities can be established on the basis of evidence rather than ideas about what they ought to be. Some of the issues raised in the statement are what the disagreements and their causes, what are the management realities and what evidence are required. In the past, management was looked at from the functional perspective, which is, regularly measuring a quantity and undertaking necessary adjustments of the initial plans in order to attain the desired goals, even without planning. One of the greatest contributor of modern management concepts, Henri Fayol (1841-1925, pg, 23) however considers management functions as planning, forecasting, coordinating, commanding, and organizing the activities of a business. However, Mary Follet (1869-1933) describes management as the philosophy of having things done by other people (Gomez-Mejia, 2008, pg 19). The difficulties of defining management, changing nature in its definitions, and difficulties of connecting managerial practices with the class or cadre of management shows how critical and difficult management task involve, since they finally dictate the well being

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard Essay

Should the United States Return to a Gold Standard - Essay Example A gold standard system would make it more difficult for the government and Federal Reserve to implement monetary policies. A gold standard system prevents the government firm minting currency notes and coins that can it can endorse. This means that when there is increased demand for cash, the government cannot supply. As a result, the economy goes through reduced growth and more inflation as the value of paper money skyrockets.A gold standard system means the United States is neglecting its ongoing soaring currency rates and distribution problems instead of offering a solution. In a period of economic turmoil, the government and its people should not focus on future likelihoods of forex and currency techniques. Instead, Americans ought to use every tool in the economic and academic arsenal to solve high jobless rates, the piling national debt, nonrenewable sources of energy, and corresponding environmental crises.A gold standard means the government lacks influence over the economy. The government currently prints paper money and mints coins, which is good for an era of intermittent economic crises. This role shows the government can make an effort towards restoring an economy and actually stimulate it. These efforts are reactionary activities that can reinstate the value of the dollar during an economic depression. In a gold standard, the government cannot restore the economy. This means that when a gold standard economy is in a meltdown, the government cannot make any decisions towards improving this economy.

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But Essay

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But the realities of management can be established on the basis of evidence, rather than ideas about what they ought to be - Essay Example Management facilitates the production of desired and useful outcomes in the system of organization. However, management faces many disagreements about its ideals which always exist. However, management realities can be established on basis of evidence, instead of what they ought to be. Managers are the business drivers of an organisations goals and objectives, so as to realise its realities. Therefore, management has many challenges that result into conflicts. Fortunately, if these conflicts can be solved on the basis of evidence, they can be turned into great opportunities for the business, rather than ideas of what they would have been (Pruitt, 1983). Hence, a skilled manager will always seek to turn challenges into opportunities by basing his decisions and actions on evidence. This essay looks into the disagreements that exist in business, how management realities can be established on the basis of evidence rather than ideas about what they ought to be. Some of the issues raised in the statement are what the disagreements and their causes, what are the management realities and what evidence are required. In the past, management was looked at from the functional perspective, which is, regularly measuring a quantity and undertaking necessary adjustments of the initial plans in order to attain the desired goals, even without planning. One of the greatest contributor of modern management concepts, Henri Fayol (1841-1925, pg, 23) however considers management functions as planning, forecasting, coordinating, commanding, and organizing the activities of a business. However, Mary Follet (1869-1933) describes management as the philosophy of having things done by other people (Gomez-Mejia, 2008, pg 19). The difficulties of defining management, changing nature in its definitions, and difficulties of connecting managerial practices with the class or cadre of management shows how critical and difficult management task involve, since they finally dictate the well being

Financial Management Questions Essay Example for Free

Financial Management Questions Essay Question 1:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medwig Corporation has a DSO of 17 days.   The company averages $3500 in credit sales each day.   What is the company’s average account’s receivable?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Answer / Solution:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accounts Receivable = Days Sales Outstanding * (Sales / Days)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = 17 * (3500/1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = $59,500 Question 2: Discuss some of the techniques available to reduce risk exposures?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Answer:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Insurance is one of the simplest and most available ways to reduce exposure to risk.   It involves the transfer of risk to another company.   Depending on the amount and nature of the risk involved, risk retention by self-insurance might not be a practical option, especially if the cost of transferring the risk (insurance premiums) is reasonable enough to not add significant costs.   Risk transfer is not done always through insurance, however. Outsourcing some operations to a company who agrees to take on the risk involved is another type of risk reduction.   Some tasks are best suited for specialized companies, and large organizations might outsource such activities as customer support, software development and internal security. Derivative hedging is also an option, depending on the nature of the company.   Futures contracts, for example, reduce the risk of price fluctuations in a particular commodity, and are very useful to transfer it to a speculator.   A company producing commodities would benefit from this type of hedge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aside from transferring risks, a company might try to reduce risk by reducing the inherent cause of the risk.   Instead of hiring a single custodian for cash transfers, a company might hire another one to reduce the risk of employee theft.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last method is to avoid the risk completely.   This will completely circumvent possible losses, but it also precludes any possible gains from taking on the risk.

Factors in Financing Public Education

Factors in Financing Public Education Introduction to Public Education Public Education is about the development of each child as an individual and their abilities to benefit our societies. Colleges and universities are critical social enterprises that have operated largely unchanged for centuries. In recent years, however, the traditional models of higher education have struggled to respond to the demands of new consumer groups, rapidly evolving demands of existing stakeholders, and emerging technologies that fundamentally change historic assumptions about how, when, why and what people learn (Public Administration Review, 2015). Public Education in the United States means a free education for all students, which holds importance to families who are underprivileged but still deserve the right to education regardless of their religion, race or abilities. Education holds importance as our nation has strengthened because of what people know and can do. Public education has provided opportunity for advancement and made an economic difference for individual s, as The United States is a world leader in high school completion Eighty-seven percent of eighteen to twenty four year olds have completed high school (American Imperative, 2006). So, public education is a worthy investment for state government, with immense social and economic benefits. However, there still remains a high and low end of annual expenditures of counties within the states on education, as it is never equal. Improving education outcomes has been shown through studies to result in national saving of about seven billion dollars in public assistance, food stamps, and housing assistance. These are just a few examples of what the governments funds towards education can help reduce the funds needed in other areas. Also, with improved education society benefits when citizens are employed with higher earnings as it gives the government the ability to collect greater tax revenue. All of these factors contribute to why education holds importance for citizens as well as our gov ernment, but the lack of financial support is the issue of importance. Most believe the federal budget is of more importance to our government than the education of citizens, which is the only way we get knowledgeable citizens to run our government. Supporting Factor of Finances Spent on Public Education Nearly half of the K-12 education funding in the United States is intended to come from the states, drawn from a combination of income taxes, fees, and other taxes. This is why the public finances contribute to education, because without these funds the educational systems of each state would fail to exist. As an overall share of the total federal budget, federal spending on elementary and secondary education programs through the U.S. Department of Education account for less than three percent of the total federal budget. In the annual appropriations process, elementary and secondary education funding accounts for about five percent of discretionary funding across all federal programs. Early school funding litigation efforts generally focused on education equity, which sought the same level of per-pupil funding for every student in the state. Since the late 1980s, litigation has focused more on education adequacy, which seeks funding levels necessary to ensure that every student rece ives an adequate education. Defining what constitutes an adequate education as well as what resources are necessary to provide that level of education, have been central questions in the litigation (School Finance). For the past several years, we have been living through the most severe recession since the Great Depression, which has affected public education, not just through cuts to core programs, but through job losses that destabilize students families, cuts to other critical services that the communities depend on, and stress that pulls at the social fabric that unites us. Public Education is a public responsibility and must be a public trust. As used here, the term public education means education that is publicly financed, tuition- free, accountable to public authorities, and accessible to all students. It covers various types of public schools, including traditional schools, charter and magnet schools, vocational schools, and alternative schools. During the 1960s and 70s, th e federal government enacted a series of laws aimed at improving education for poor children, migrant children, students with disabilities, Native Americans, limited-English proficient children, and women and girls. These laws brought additional funding to public schools, along with new requirements to meet the special needs of particular groups of students. In recent years, the emphasis of state and federal reforms has shifted to improving public education for allstudents. The No Child Left Behind Act requires public schools to steadily raise achievement and to close the test score gaps that exist for minority, poor, and special needs students until one hundred percent of United States students are performing at the same high level. Schools that fall short of these goals must undergo a series of interventions. In summary, the growth of public education during the past two centuries has been fueled by high ideals about advancing the common good, but the realities of public schools h ave sometimes failed to live up to these ideals (Kober, 2007). Most taxpayers provide this subsidy because public education in their eyes is crucial to forming the public good. It prevents poverty as well as decreases the crime rate, and prepares young people for the work force, and fosters social mobility. The United States has changed dramatically since the early debates on the role of public schools and the role of the federal government in supporting and sustaining them. The importance of education for the common good has shifted from primarily local control to state and national control, with national attention from the Federal government and national organizations. Studies have shown that twenty five percent of most state budgets contribute to educational funding (Jenkins and Hill, 2011). States are one of the main funders of the nations public elementary and secondary schools, which provide grants to local school districts where entities are responsible for administering scho ols. However, the federal government provides only about ten percent of public school revenues. Although the funding numbers have increased, there is still a lack of federal dollars relating to the opposing factors. Opposing Factors of Finances Spent on Public Education Americans spend more to educate their children than the citizens of most other countries; in fact, only Norway spends more per capita on education. Yet when it comes to student performance, the United States ranks no better than average, resting directly in the middle of the pack of developed nations. Rising government debts and lack of improved student performance have led some to call for cutbacks in school funding. In recent years, skyrocketing state and federal debt levels have led some politicians to support cuts in the educational budget. Conservative politicians have vowed to eliminate the Department of Education ever since its creation, arguing that schooling is an issue for states and local governments to handle, and that tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere. Another strategy aimed at reducing government spending is the restriction of public employee union rights, particularly those of teachers unions. In 2011, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker introduced a bill that so ught to eliminate the right of teachers and other public employees to collectively bargain for their salary and benefits. This was presented as a way to reduce state costs and to help close the budget gap. Critics of the current public school system have argued that, despite massive education spending in recent decades, public schools are doing a progressively worse job of educating American children. For example, Washington, DC, boasts one of the highest per-student school funding rates, yet scores below average on student performance. Public school advocates point out that much of the current spending in the public school system goes toward administrative costs; if the federal and state governments reduced the number of regulations and policies that school districts are forced to follow, they assert, the money saved could be spent on improving the teacher-to-student ratio and purchasing necessary classroom supplies such as textbooks-areas proven to directly impact student performa nce (Gale, 2015). Assessment of Supporting and Opposing Sides of Public Education Funding In my research, I found that both of the supporting and opposing sides have arguable factors to their belief in whether or not public financing through the government is relevant and helpful in education. I believe that while both sides do show factual proof of evidence, I agree that finances should be used in the budgeting process of the government and states for education. Each citizen should be given full advantage of an education to broaden their future regardless of their financial situation. As the schooling systems receive funds, this allows an opportunity for supplies as well as facilities to be created and purchased to hold schooling and educational opportunities. The supporting and opposing factors are a result in the expenditures of tax dollars and revenues, which creates the combustion between the two parties. While it is hard to provide whether one argument trumps another, I feel that the supporting factors of government spending on education are pertinent to myself. Pub lic education specifically relates to myself because if it were not for the opportunity to receive a free education through my local government, my parents would not have obtained the ability to send me to receive a higher education; college. Also, in the supporting factors is stated the factual evidence that education improves the communities as well as lowers things such as crime rates which is of importance to our common wealth and good. The federal and state debt levels have led to politicians deceiving beliefs in education as well as their support in reducing the federal budget for them. This has led to controversy about whether the issue should be left to state and local or federal government when it comes to the financial standpoint. If education is what entails a citizen being equipped for their desired field, then I do not see why limiting the money for a skill needed for employment would even be an option. If the federal government is limited in the education department, t hen that includes the omission of federal student loans to only private loans. Federal government has to rebuild their education funding. Conclusion As the federal debt is increasing, I agree that the federal government has to budget accordingly in the educational department. In suggestion, federal loans for education should be limited, which would reduce the amount of college debt in America, which has recently exceeded the amount borrowed on credit cards. As there is much insight to what should occur in the governments action, opinions of citizens persist. It is made clear in the arguments that government funds are needed in order for education to occur as the state funding and grants are not enough. Education is important for all citizens because even the intelligent kids should be given the opportunity to receive a diploma in order to share their ideas in corporations or even a government position in their future. As there is the opposing factor that although all these funds poor into the school systems of lower level income areas, the testing scores still remain low which cause confrontation between the supporting and opposi ng parties. This occurs in every school system, as there are students with lower motivation in private schooling where their education is paid for by their parents and not the government. Government funds are also used to provide an income for what I think is one of the most important occupations in the United States, which is the career of teaching. Teachers often use their own funds to provide school materials, or to make the classroom environment more collaborative and energetic for students, but they are argued against as some citizens think they should no receive pay. While much of a schools budget is believed to be spent on the administration, there are other things that play into the factor of finances such as the cost of a new gymnasium facility to keep the students healthy, art room and supplies to allow creativity, books for the knowledge and development of the brain, as well as a playground for the enjoyment of being a kid. A parent with three children and a $20,000 salar y per year should not have to fight for their child a free education just because of their circumstances. I believe that government should require the local and state governments to pour their tax dollars into an education because it overall creates a better place. Public Finance plays into the issue because the collection of taxes is used for the public good in which this case, the public educate is the good. I am in support of government financial support in funding education, and firmly believe that it distributes good to our society through its outcome. References (2016, September 26). Speak Your Mind: Challenges Facing Higher Education. Retrieved March  08, 2017, from https://publicadministrationreview.org/speak-your-mind-challenges-facing-higher-education/ (2006, April 27). An American imperative: Public education. Retrieved March 06, 2017, from  http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/An-American-imperative-Public-education School Finance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from  http://www.edcentral.org/edcyclopedia/school-finance/ Kober, N. (2007). Why We Still Need Public Schools. Retrieved from  http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED503799.pdf Jenkins, C. J., Hill, M. H. (2011). Role Of Federal Government In Public Education: Historical Perspectives. Retrieved March 06, 2017, from  http://lwv.org/content/role-federal-government-public-education%C2%A0-historical-perspectives Gale (2015). School Funding. Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Accessed 6, Mar. 2017. Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints in Context,  link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999078/OVIC?u=uscaikenxid=48e25cca.

Graduation Speech: Carry On! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I will open with a quote, "a failure is not someone who tries and fails, but rather someone who fails and gives up." I started my freshmen year of high school at East High. From the start I struggled to complete my school work. Low motivation was the major factor that eventually led to me failing english, math, science, physical education, you name it I failed it. As I began to lose more credits and fail more courses my self esteem plummeted along with my motivation. By my sophomore year I felt like a major failure and as such I wanted desperately to drop out of high school. With the little motivation I had left and tremendous support from my mother I continued school for another year. As my junior year wore on however it became apparent that I was falling in short in my courses once again. My failures seemed have stacked up all through high school and I was now left to face a pile of failings a mile high. In a last ditch effort I consulted my high school councilor and discussed what options I had to finished school. After careful consideration I decided that Winema was the option for me. I was wrong if I thought that Winema was just a means of getting my diploma. It goes fare beyond academic instruction only. Winema, I learned, is a place where you form friendships that contribute to your educational learning as well as to the development of your identity. Through the use of traditional and alternative teaching styles the school brings communication, art, and critical thinking into what could be the dry facts of curriculum. When I arrived for my first day at the high school I realized how very diverse we are as a student body. Even at a glance it is obvious that we come from all walks of life, all ages, and all colors. We each have different beliefs and religious affiliations, but we all have one thing in common. We are not failures. In spite of our disappointment at times or just the need to make a change we trudged on in order to get our high school diplomas. We relied on our friends and family and on each other to get through the tough times at Winema. When life was just not going well, and getting to school seemed like a monumental task, we persisted by continuing to attend and plowing the road that led to our diploma.

Light, Darkness, and Idolatry in The Damnation of Theron Ware :: Essays Papers

Light, Darkness, and Idolatry in The Damnation of Theron Ware In the first chapter of The Damnation of Theron Ware, Harold Frederic describes in tedious detail every sight, sound, and structure comprising the annual Nedahma Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Using images that evoke Dante's Empyrean or "Tenth Heaven" (Cantos XXX-XXXIII of Paradiso), Frederic remarks upon the hierarchical alignment of the clergy in attendance as well as the tendency of every eye present at the conference to be fixed upon a common objective point. Here Dante's and Frederic's versions of "the saved" diverge. Frederic's Methodists gaze not at an all-encompassing, all-penetrating light, but at a Bishop whose vision fails him as he reads through a list of minister's assignments for the coming year. The difference here, as distinct as the light Dante sees, begins Frederic's meditation on a major and seemingly unanswerable question in the novel. With Theron as his guinea pig, Frederic systematically poses the question of where truth originates. The locus of a ttention of the entire assembly at Tecumseh proclaims nothing of overwhelming truth or even permanence. "The light," on the other hand, originates "...from numerous tin-lined circles of flaring gas-jets arranged on the ceiling..." (Frederic 1). This light transcends and shines down upon the entire group. Here Frederic sets up the notion that truth comes not from one particular point but from several, some of which we might not be able to see. Dante, remarking on his final vision of the "Eternal Light," says, "In its profundity I saw--ingathered / and bound by love into one single volume-- / what, in the universe, seems separate, scattered..." (Paradiso XXXIII, 85-87). Setting aside obvious colloquial, linguistic, and stylistic differences which account for the six-hundred years which separate these two authors, the above quotation bears striking resemblance to the words of another seemingly enlightened character, Father Forbes. He states, in his first conversation of length with Theron: "So the truth remains always the truth, even though you give a charter to ten hundred thousand separate numskulls to examine it by the light of their private judgment, and report that it is as many different varieties of something else" (Frederic 70). This assertion that the truth exists beyond the realm of earthly understanding is echoed in Father Forbes' final words to Theron, which reverberate like the sound of the door slammed in the minister's face: "The truth is always relative, Mr. Ware..." (Frederic 326).

Pros Cons of Free Trade Essay

I think Free Trade has its good and it’s bad. A good example is, the Auto industry. Here in Indiana we have a lot of foreign auto manufactures such as Subaru, Toyota, and Honda, just to name a few. As for American there is Chrysler and Ford. This can decrease the value of the American car, because of all the choices from the foreign market. This could eventually cause a loss of sales and money for the American manufactures, which could cause layo%s and loss of income for their employees in the future. However, overall the advantages of free trade de&nitely outweigh the disadvantages, by crea’ng more jobs. Pro â€Å"Indiana workers need trade to maintain and create jobs. In 2010, 761,500 jobs in Indiana depend on trade. In 2008, 20. 5 percent of jobs in Indiana depended on trade, up from 10. 0 percent from 1992. Indiana’s trade-related employment grew more than &ve ‘mes faster than total employment from 2004 to 2008. †(Business Roundtable, 2010). Con â€Å"Free trade is a convenient, well-packaged ideology that resonates well with consumers, and lines the pockets and ambi’ons of CEO’s and poli’cians. † (He%ner, Thomas, May 2012) As a result, in Indiana and the US nearly 50 percent of all new cars now sold are foreign. Unfortunately, because of Free Trade more people think buying an American product is cheap or not good quality. As a result of this the middle-class that rely on an American industry for employment and opportunity is being destroyed and falling further into debt. References h=p://trade. businessroundtable. org/ h=p://economyincrisis. org/content/why-free-trade-hurts-america.

The Power of a Little Girl’s Photo

The picture from Sudan, which won Kevin Carter a Pulitzer Prize in 1994, is memorable because it shows the seriousness of the situation in Sudan during that time; reflects the role of photographers in conveying the unknown circumstances to us; and   tells the impact of covering such events on photographers as manifested by Carter’s suicide. The winning picture depicts a pitiful, starving little Sudanese girl with her head bowed to the earth; obviously very weak and dying. Behind her back is a vulture which seems to be waiting for her to die so it could have something to eat.The story behind the picture is related by Mac Leod Scott in his article, The Life and Death of Kevin Carter. Mac Leod wrote how Carter was able to shot the photograph. Carter went to Sudan to photograph the rebel movement in the country. When he reached the country, he started taking pictures of famine victims. He saw lots of people who are starving. They were so thin and terribly malnourished. In his at tempt to find another view, he went to an open bush. While in the bush, he heard a soft whimpering sound and found a little girl trying to walk her way to the feeding center. He came nearer to photograph her.As he tried to shoot, a vulture landed just behind the girl. He captured the scene. Carter later confessed that he waited for another 20 minutes expecting the vulture to spread its wings but it did not. After taking all the shots that he needed, he chased the vulture away. He saw the helpless little girl attempting to walk toward the feeding center. Carter remained in his position under the tree. He smoked and cried. He became depressed afterwards.To stress why the Pulitzer-prized picture is memorable, four supporting claims are written below.Firstly, the picture itself shocked the world. According to Scott’s words, the photograph â€Å"made the world weep†. The emotional impact of the photograph is hard to forget.   In the picture, the vulture is just waiting fo r the girl to die so it could eat her. Imagine a big bird is preying on the flesh of a child for its food. Many find it gruesome as they don’t usually such kind of pictures and news in the headlines. The photo got many reactions from different people around the world. When someone sees it, there is something in the emotion that makes one feel more than pity for the little girl.Further, Scott reported how the picture was seen by millions of people.   The New York Times was looking for pictures about Sudan back then when Carter sold the photograph to the famous newspaper in March 26, 1993. The NY Times published the picture and many readers were overwhelmed by it. Many papers also published the picture and were stared by millions of people around the globe.The media picked up on the story and the picture. Those who saw the picture pity the Sudanese girl and wondered what have become of her. Hundreds of readers called the NY Times office to inquire what happened to the girl. T he NY Times said it did not know if she reaches the feeding center. The paper said that no one knows the fate of the poor little girl. Likewise, the readers also wanted to find out if Carter was able to help her in her struggle.Secondly, the picture reveals the real condition of Sudan during that time. The world came to know Sudan because of the picture. Sudan is a large country in North Africa. Until now, the political unrest in the country continues and the civil war is killing many people. On top of that, famine has been ravaging the land regularly. Based on an article by Bruce Nelan, published in Time Magazine on July 27, 1998, the country experiences famine every three or four years.Both the civil war and the famine resulted to the death of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese. The year 1994 marked the most devastating famine – the year when the picture was taken. Nelan added that hunger is always a threat in the country of roughly 40 million people. In 1989 alone, 250,000 died. In a related article, written by another Time reporter, Maryann London in 2001, about 1.5 million of people have already died either in the civil war or in famine. Sadly, the famine affects everyone most especially the children who are the most vulnerable segment of the population.Nelan further wrote that, usually, the only way to get to a feeding center is by walking which usually takes days or weeks to reach these centers run by international relief agencies. Mostly die along the way as what might have happened to the girl in the picture. According to Bill Keller, in his article in the Time Magazine published on July 29, 1994, the girl collapsed as she was on her way to the feeding center.Thirdly, the photographer who took the picture committed suicide by carbon poisoning three months after receiving his prize. Carter is from Johannesburg, South Africa. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography that year together with Paul Watson who took a picture from Somalia (Gord on, 1994).But, as Keller reported, the people blamed him for not helping the dying little girl. Carter’s action was criticized. Many suggested that he should have decided to help the little girl by giving her something to eat or by carrying her to the feeding center. He has the chance to help one starving little girl but he walked away after taking her picture.Moreover, as Scott said, Carter was haunted by what he had seen during his career- the violence, famine, dying people and war. Maybe he could not take it any more. Presently, there is a documentary film that seeks to explain Carter’s suicide, entitled as The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club by Dan Krauss.On a personal note, I do not want to judge Carter as many have already blamed him in the past. However, I am one with others in saying that he should have somehow helped the dying girl by offering food or water. I do not know what was in his mind then. Blaming is the readers’ reaction on Carter which I think had much effect on him and his decision to end his life.Lastly, the picture highlights the role of photographers in showing the unknown to us. Before Carter took the picture, many people were not aware of the gravity of the situation in Sudan. Most people in the West are not even familiar with the country.Through the picture, the world suddenly realized that there is so much happening in many countries that we are not aware of. It is the photographers who connect us to the unfamiliar sufferings around the globe. They give us pictures which tell stories. As Susan Sontag wrote, â€Å"to collect photographs is to collect the world† and photographs provide evidences. More so, Nathan Thornburgh of Time Magazine penned that photography has the power to trap moment in time and he ascribed photojournalism as the perfect medium for showing stories. I say, without photographers, there would be no pictures to behold.Nevertheless, capturing the scenes of a war-tor n area or other violence-related activities is tough. From here, one can infer that covering such violence and heart-wrenching events have impact on the photographers as evidenced by Carter’s suicide. The drama and the difficulty of recording such delicate situations may have its negative influence on the photographers. It can be noted that Carter sunk into depression before he committed suicide. The violence, famine, and dying children- Carter remembered while he lived- and made him more depressed. He maybe was too sad. He might have remembered the dying little Sudanese girl from time to time.In conclusion, I guess the picture is powerful enough that’s why it is too memorable. My reasons are all cited above. Pictures show us reality. And the photographers who took them for us deserved to be affirmed as they serve as our link to many realities around the world. As what the picture of the dying Sudanese girl tells us, we can say that photographers are very important as they show us the different situations in the world. Without them, there will be no pictures which will show us how blessed we are because we have more than enough food to eat and how other people in the world are suffering because of famine. Without the pictures and the photographers, we will never know what is really happening. We will remain ignorant of the people who need our help – even just for a piece of food.Works CitedGordon, Jim.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Judges have a difference of opinion†¦.†Ã‚  News Photographer  49.n5  (May 1994):  4(1).  General OneFile.  Gale.  Northern Virginia Community College Annandale campus.  21 Apr. 2008.Keller, Bill.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Kevin Carter, a Pulitzer winner for Sudan photo, is dead at 33.†The New York Times  143  (July 29, 1994):  C16(N) pB8(L).  Expanded Academic ASAP.  Gale.  Northern Virginia Community College Annandale campus.  21 Apr. 2008  .London, Maryann B. â€Å"Baroness who Frees Slaves†. 19 March 2001. Time Magazine. 30 April 2008