The Meaning of a Quote

â€Å"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. † Helen Keller Body: As we have known, most people are too attached to the past, to what they are familiar with. Therefore, they will miss opportunities that stand right in front of them. Doors may close, but there are always other unlimited numbers of doors – new opportunities to get new happiness.Alexander Graham Bell also used to say that: â€Å"When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us†. The world is full of opportunities if we could only see them. Furthermore, not every plan works out. Successful people today must get the cheese in the past. There are losses and failures, problems in relationships, loss of money or job, and sometimes unpleasant things happen that we can not always have contro l over them.However, we can exercise control over our attention and attitude of these happenings. When one of these things happens, and we focus our attention on the loss – the closed door, we see only a closed door with the resultant frustration and unhappiness, but if we could only move our sight and attention away from the closed door, we might be surprised to discover a row of openning new doors. To sum up, I just want to say: Do not try to look at your back, look at the things stand in front of you and shoot your bolt to strike while the iron is hot. That is the necessary thing you must do after the failure.

How does Gaiman create a frightening atmosphere in the novel? Essay

Gaiman creates a frightening atmosphere in the novel by using different techniques. In chapter one Coraline’s new home is described in a horror way and is introduced in this quotation: â€Å"It was a very old house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  using the phrase â€Å"old house† often refers to horror films because the adjective â€Å"old† describes the house to have: ghost, cobwebs, peeled painting, sickly green weeds and to be neglected. Gaiman approaches the cat as strange and curious because it says: â€Å"†¦haughty black cat, which would sit on walls and tree stumps and watch her.† The cat is black which symbolises as a witch’s cat because it’s black, which makes the cat seem creepy. Also the cat is vain and proud because it says â€Å"haughty†. Describing the cat in this way makes you feel intimated. The quotation â€Å"who would sit on walls and tree stumps and watch her† feels like something is going to happen to her and the cat do esn’t want to miss any action because it says â€Å"†¦watch her.† Gaiman uses the technique personification in this quotation: â€Å"The cat shrugged†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to cause the scene to be creepy because cats don’t have shoulders and the cat is acting like a human, so this makes it: scary, strange and different. Also in chapter four he mentions Miss Spink and Miss Forcible being very horrifying in the quote â€Å"†¦thin, and pale, and quite pretty and had black-button eyes.† This quotation has a lot of adjectives including thin and pale which give a very ghostly image for them because pale is very white and so you look like a ghost and you have no soul. Gaiman has put Miss Spink and Miss Forcible with â€Å"black-button eyes† because it traps your eyes from showing any emotions and without that you do not have: a soul, character or personality. Gaiman then describes Coraline’s emotions in a different way that makes the atmosphere more frightening. The quotation says â€Å"She became certain that there was somethin g in the dark behind her: something very old and very slow. Her heart beat so hard and so loudly she was scared it would burst out of her chest.† Neil Gaiman is describing emotions without naming them: here, he shows us how scared Coraline is by describing the thumping of her heart because he writes â€Å"her heart beat so hard and so loudly† this means she was very terrified which then makes us feel that way. In chapter five Neil Gaiman describes the silence of Coraline’s flat which makes the reader feel very frightened. The quotation is â€Å"There was no other sound in the empty flat.† This quotation is frightening because it says there is â€Å"no other sound† and it is â€Å"empty†, which is the scariest thing because silence has an energy to it like no other source; therefore silence in a home can be quite disturbing and comfortable when alone. Gaiman then uses a technique, personification to make the scene: bizarre, abnormal and aberrant in the quotation â€Å"†¦the door was looking back at her.† This is a personification because doors can not look back! So this is strange and creepy and is used to emphasize unusual and vivid images or give inanimate objects feelings in order to show emotion. Gaiman uses another technique called alliteration to draw attention to the particular adjective and increase the itchiness it gives to you. The alliteration is in the quotation â€Å"A spider scuttled over the back of her hand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  When the adjective â€Å"scuttled† is used next to the noun â€Å"spider† it automatically gives you the quivers and shakes. Also in chapter 7 Gaiman uses old fashion English language to make the atmosphere seem like time has gone by so fast which make the ghost old. The quotation that the ghosts speak in old fashioned language is: â€Å"Art thou – art thou alive?† â€Å"Thou† is not used in today’s century which makes it an old fashioned word. Using this type of language makes the ghost old and that they have been trapped in the mirror by the mother whom they call â€Å"beldam† to describe her which means witch. A few sentences after that quotation he uses a technique called five senses; this is a techniques which describes something uses touch, smell, hearing, taste and sight. He uses one of senses called touch to give you a better image of the scene in the quotation: â€Å"She felt a cold hand touch her face†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Gaiman uses the sense touch to describe her face.

Compare and Contrast the poems Emily Dickinson because I could not Essay - 1

Compare and Contrast the poems Emily Dickinson because I could not stop for death and A.E Houseman immortal parts - Essay Example For instance, the analysis of death in both is examined from a solemn point of view. Dickinson uses symbolism and allegory to communicate the futility of life when death strikes (Holden and Birch 113). There is the use of humanism to make death animate especially as noted in the first stanza, second line. The persona depicts the powerful nature of death to pluck humanity from their comfortable environments to a state of oblivion. In other words, Dickinson’s use of allegory takes the form of being powerless in the presence of death. On the other hand, A.E Housman uses phonological sounds such as consonance, alliteration and assonance to reveal the permanency of death. In the first stanza, he uses the morning dream and night to dream to reveal the times of life that are affected by death. Additionally, in the superseding lines he uses say and day that are both consonance and assonance in the representation of the futility of life. There is also the use of symbolism in the third stanza when he explains about a tongue that speaks with lungs that shout. This is another revelation of how death is treated with respect and reverence in the lives of both personas in the poems. However, it is also noteworthy to observe the use of metonym in the poems to explain the internal and external repercussions of death. For example, in ‘The Immortal Part’ by A.E. Housman, he describes a brain that hums hive of dreams in the last line of the third stanza. This is a clear indication of the fundamental roles played by the brain for human judgment in life. Apparently, this is also manifested in Emily Dickinson’s poem where she talks about a death that did not acknowledge hurry in the first line, second stanza (Christensen 139). Another significant comparison is based on the use of personification and iambic pentameter to communicate the theme therein. For instance,

Tax & Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax & Ethics - Essay Example This paper will evaluate the role of companies, their professionals, and HM Revenue and Customs and will discuss whether ethical principles should be applied to the payment of tax. The four major sources used for drafting this paper are BBC, The Guardian, KPMG, and HMRC, because these sources were found potential for providing analytical information about the topic under consideration. However, only facts and figures have been mainly taken from such sources, for news reports tend to be biased depending on the reporters’ personal outlook. A BBC report dated on 21st November 2012 reflects that UK lost billions in lost revenues as a result of corporate tax avoidance by multinational corporations. The report points out that new tax avoidance schemes are emerging each year and the situation makes it difficult for HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) to curb this issue. According to National Audit Office, taxation authorities identified nearly 2,300 avoidance schemes between 2004 and 2011 (ibid). Since the actual figures of tax avoidance are not available, the UK government cannot estimate the accurate amount of loss. It has been identified that specialist tax advisers suggest best tax avoidance schemes for their clients; and this practice significantly contributes to the issue. Recently, Margaret Hodge walloped the big four accounting firm for helping companies avoid corporate taxes (as cited in Toynbee 2011). According to another BBC report dated on 3rd December 2012, some leading multinational companies including Starbucks, Amazon, and Google were severely criticised by UK government authorities for paying little or no tax. The UK government officials point that it is unfair for these companies to practice different schemes to avoid corporate taxes despite the fact that their UK operations account for hundreds of millions of pounds (BBC 2012). UK Prime Minister David Cameron states that international co-operation is necessary to tackle this issue because some for ms of tax avoidance are very difficult to address (David Cameron). In order to publicly express UK’ stance on tax avoidance, the HM Revenue & Customs publicly named top tax dodgers for the first time (as cited in King). Reportedly, Starbucks, Google, and Amazon are the three major multinational corporations that have practiced schemes to avoid corporate taxes. In addition, small businesses including Cheshire wine merchant, Menemis, and Brian Clifford Tattersall were also criticised for tax avoidance. Yet another BBC report says that Starbucks sold goods worth ?400m in UK in 2001 but paid nothing in corporate taxes (BBC news Business 2012). Starbucks managed to avoid corporate taxes by transferring some of its funds to a sister company in the form of royalty payments, buying coffee beans from Switzerland, and paying high interests rates other parts of the business in the account of borrowing (ibid). Similarly, on the strength of some well structured schemes, Google also notabl y reduced the amount paid in corporate taxes. As per reports, Google could trim down its tax bill by approximately $1bn a year by transferring profits to subsidiaries having low tax rates (O’Carroll 2011). A subsidiary located in Bermuda assisted Google to save nearly $3.1bn over a period of three years because corporate tax rate is zero in Bermuda (ibid). In response to this criticism, a Google spokesperson said: â€Å"we have an obligation to our shareholders to set up a tax-efficient

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods Assignment

Understanding Business and Management Research Methods - Assignment Example Understanding Business and Management Research Methods Research methodologies generally are of two types viz. quantitative and qualitative research methodology (Cameron and Molina-Azorin 2011). When both of them are combined then it is known as mixed methodology. Although authors held the view that mixed methodology is increasingly used in the business and management circles, the use of pure form of qualitative or quantitative research methodology is more visible. Further, it is stated in the article that strong theoretical and conceptual framework, legitimating, publication, academic recognition and seminal mixed method theorists make mixed methodology legitimate in research arena. Along with this, the duo claimed that this methodology is gaining popularity in fields, like medicine, nursing, health, education, behavioural and social sciences which are very exact comment of them. Though, this method is now used by a number of researchers, an established definition has not yet been written. For example, according to Thurston, Cove & Meado ws (2008, p. 3) ‘Mixed methods studies can either combine methods from different paradigms or use multiple methods within the same paradigm, or multiple strategies within methods’. However, The Journal of Mixed Methods Research (2006) defined mixed methods as ‘research in which the investigator collects, analyses, mixes, and draws inferences from both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study or a program of inquiry’.... (1950s - 1980s), Paradigm debate period (1970s - late 1990s), Procedural development period (late 1980s – 2000), and the Advocacy as a separate design period (2000+). In addition to this, the duo authors have also discussed the growing interest of the academic journals and scholars in this third method of research which increases the academic weight of academic paper (Bergman 2008). Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2007) discipline acceptance levels for mixed methods is used by the authors to show the acceptance level of this third methodological movement. There are three level of acceptance developed by Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2007) .i.e. Minimal, Moderate and Major. For every level of acceptance there are certain benchmarks being listed below (Cameron 2008). There are five benchmarks for minimal acceptance and they are awareness within the discipline of qualitative research, publication of actual mixed method studies in discipline studies, graduate students usin g mixed methods in dissertation research, discussions in journals about the need for mixed methods, and mixed methods research discussed at professional conference. There are four benchmarks for moderate acceptance i.e. leaders in the discipline advocating use of mixed methods, workshop on mixed methods research forums dedicated to the discipline, Funding companies supporting mixed methods research, methodological discussions of mixed methods in journals devoted to the discipline. There are three benchmarks for major acceptance i.e. special issues of a journal focusing on the use of mixed methods in the discipline, publication of mixed methods studies in top discipline-based journals, course on mixed methods research as part of graduate research training programs. The authors have used above discipline

The Future of Japanese Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Future of Japanese Economy - Essay Example of economic crisis like financial panic of 1927 and the oil shock, include the invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the attack on Capitalism during 1930s, war with China from 1937 to 1941, Pacific war in 1946, the Dodge line of 1949, recession of 1965 are the common examples of depression that Japan encountered other than World War II2. Though, very soon they recovered it with 10% average of economic growth in 1960s, 5% during 1970s and closer to 4% in 1980s, but after that, growth slowed down remarkably3. Strong working mentality, good government-industry relationship and implementation of advanced technology were the most favorable reasons responsible for making Japan stand on to the platform of one of the largest economy in the world from post WWII till 80s. Resultant of overinvestment in late 80s and crisis in world oil supply brought another challenge to their economy4. It became necessary for Japan to switch from mobilized productionism to more substantial welfare economy. However, t he oscillation between successful drive of the export in late 80s and bang in economy after 80s hazed that requirement and mobilized economic system disappeared very soon5. After the fading away of stock inflation and land prices, an excess of production capacity remained. This factor lowered the profitability of the production and on the other hand, bad loan weakened the financial activity. Government’s effort in recovering that downfall was not up to that level and it’s clear from the statistics of economy for the duration of 2000-20016. Hence, it is inferred that Japan is in a state of distorted industrial policy and in urgent need of a revolution. The main aim of this paper is to address the main obstacles that Japan is facing and then to state the possible solutions to overcome them. Japan is facing resistances now-a-days that it had never encountered before. Growth rate which used to be in two digit figure just after war, now expectation growth is below 1% which is too

Findings and analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Findings and analysis - Essay Example Three articles written by each of these writers were compiled. Shadid’s works include A Boy Who Was Like a Flower (2004), Syria’s Sons of No One (2011), and, House of Stone (2012). Gaskell’s work include Bombs put Kirkuk in line as next hotbed (2007), As Holidays Come and Go, War Barely Takes a Break (2009), and Army Reports Grim Milestone in Troop Suicides (2012). On the surface, there are glaring differences in terms of the content of the reportage. One of the most important of these is that Shadid’s subjects focused on individuals whereas Gaskell’s reports were more on the bigger picture. Shadid took the inductive approach to writing, using specific personalities and situations in order to report about the bigger picture of war. The implication of this is significant. First, there is the fact that the reporter was able to infiltrate the battlefront by chronicling the experiences of the victims who are caught in the crossfire of the battles. Gaske ll on the other hand focused on the movements of the war from the army’s or the strategists’ perspectives, hovering from above, exploring general terms such as army reports, army experiences and so forth. This difference implies several important things. First, there is the possibility that male correspondents report closer to the battle lines whereas female correspondents seem to be content watching from afar. This point is supported by the series of news feeds by renowned female war correspondent, Raghida Dergham, writing her pieces in a blog for The Huffington Post back in 2007 as she covered Iraq. The subjects of her articles were general themes such as the impact of the presidential election Lebanon, diplomatic tussles between major players in the Iraq War such as those involving Russia and the United States, Iran and Syria and so forth. There were interviews to individual participants but these were mostly prominent personalities, who stay away from the battlefie ld - Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki, etc. It is clear that male reporters are at an advantage or are more capable in covering the war as it happens. They are more likely to be found at the thick of things, say when gunfight erupts or the first to arrive and cover the casualties and damage of war. This is not to say that female reporters are less reliable. They are more likely to get information from decision makers and, hence, more effective in reporting diplomatic subjects, policy decisions and strategic issues. This aspect is supported by the analysis of the responses to this study’s interview questions by male and female war correspondents in the next case comparison. Male war correspondents are also more likely to report about fighting in detail as well as an emphasis on male subjects as what happened in the three articles by Shadid. On the other hand, female reporters to tend to focus on themes about women, children and family. The re could be a preferential bias to each of the subjects mentioned according to the gender differences of the reporters. While this study is not equipped to quantify this point, they are aggravated by two important variables. The first is the issue previously mentioned: women are constrained to report from the battlefield and, similarly, women are less likely to be foun

Eroding Local Control & The Influence and Climate of the Courts Essay - 2

Eroding Local Control & The Influence and Climate of the Courts - Essay Example The cost of improper education systems sums up in a downward trend in the national productivity with increased burden of care to the incarcerated persons and the unemployed through public relief (Garfield, Brimley, et al, 2008). Discussion Question 1 The degree to which education meets individual and societal aspirations depends largely on the quality of education received, which in turn tier closely with the resources made available and the extent to which they are properly used. The number of educational institutions is a fundamental contributory factor towards such quality. Thus, reducing the number of school districts in a state generally reduces the difference in ability to support education between the â€Å"wealthiest† system and the â€Å"poorest† system/district in terms of assessed valuation per pupil to be educated. As predicted by scholars like DuBois in the1970s, color line educational problem in terms of state funding in the 20th century seem to be flaring well into the 21st century with recognizable disparities. It is evidently clear that educational outcomes for students of color are proportionate functions of unequal access to educational resources. The US education system is understandably the most unequal in the industrialized world with students receiving different leaning opportunities based on social stratification. It is estimated that the expenditure ratio of wealthiest ten percent and the poorest ten percent of the district schools across states is almost 10 to 1. Averagely, the current strikingly differences are put at 3 to 1. According to Jonathan Kozol, expenditure per student in Chicago public schools in the 1990s was approximately $5000 while their Niles Township High school neighbors spent double the amount student. He also recounted the use of old textbooks, lack of science labs, inadequate teachers and more in elementary schools serving predominantly African Americans. In contrast, schools in New Trier serving 98 p ercent whites were well equipped with superior labs with up-to-date technology, experienced teachers and a wider range of courses provided. By every measure to the degree of qualification – state certification, pedagogical training, content background for teaching, test scores, college attended and the experience attained so far –fewer qualified teachers disproportionately serve in schools with greater numbers of low-income/minority students. It is utterly impossible to reconcile the two extreme scenarios with an expectation of similar student performance. It is on the basis of the foregoing facts that consolidation would be a desirable option in reducing the gap in supporting education between the wealthiest and the poorest. Discussion Question 2 While consolidation of schools would be a desirable option in terms of fiscal and educational auspices, the idea is not a â€Å"generic fits all† proposition. It is well beyond doubt that 5 school districts in Tennesse e County with separate, independent directors translates into appropriate supervisory personnel (instruction, curriculum, federal programs, special services, attendance). However, the ability to save on costs serves as a strong selling point for consolidation. Merging schools into large blocks free up unused resources for other purposes, reduces utility and maintenance costs,

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assignment Example Introduction An organization can be analysed through various perspectives ranging from bureaucratic, contingency, cultural and political perspectives. Organization bureaucracy is witnessed both in private and public organizations depending on their structure and the culture. The system of bureaucracy is evident in DHL and it from part of the management structure and culture since it is a big firm with lots of activities carried on daily basis. Organizational culture can be considered as the basis for administration since each organization as its own set of rules that determine its behaviour. Every organization has their own unique cultures that are applied in their daily applications to achieve their aims and objectives. A proper organizational structure ensures that there is a smooth coordination and supervision of activities within the organization that hasten the performance of the organization (Spencern, 2010). The structure also acts as the foundation in which the standard opera tional procedures and routines are managed and determines which individuals participate in the decision making process. What is an organization? An organization is a mechanism for coordination actions of people in order to obtain something they desire by creating value .The vision of the company is to be a logistic company in the world, in their mission statement the company strives to simplify the life of customers and to make customers, employees and investor more successful. They make a positive contribution to the people around the by demonstrating utmost respect while achieving results (DHL, 2013b). The headquarters for DHL UAE is strategically located in Dubai since it is a world premier transhipment hub of the Middle East. The trade link amongst China and the Middle East increased to 190 billion dollars in 2010 and DHL is enjoying being part of the shipment and other related logistics. This paper analyses DHL Company in terms of contingency, cultural, bureaucracy and politica l perspective in order to understand their operations fully. What is the importance of the organization? The importance of the organization is to increase specialization and division of labour while using large-scale technology and proper external environment management. DHL in the UAE is a subsidiary of DHL worldwide express, a fast growing company in the enormous growth that is expected to continue in the near future (DHL, 2013c). The HR Department in collaboration with other departments is responsible for recruiting all the employees drawn from various backgrounds to provide the division of labour needed by the company. Administration and compensation benefits are the fastest growing areas of the HR department in the UAE Company. The salaries are being streamlined to match the regional standards of the company in order to minimize spending. The medical benefits, the employee leave, car allowance that was previously administered in ad-hoc basis are now formalized to bring them to regional guidelines. What is organization theory? This is the study of how organizations functions and how they affect and are in turn affected by the environment in which they operate. The requirements of organization theory are that managers select and manage aspects of structure and culture of the company in

Sas Institute’s “Best Employer Award” Essay Example for Free

Sas Institute’s â€Å"Best Employer Award† Essay SAS Institute’s â€Å"Best Employer Award† is based largely on its financial success and the overwhelming job satisfaction its employees report. From free health care to copious amounts of MMs, SAS spares no cost to keep their â€Å"chief assets† happy, for, as their CEO / majority owner says Contented cows give more milk. Still, today’s talented workers are not apt to spend the majority of their careers at one company because of luxurious perks. The truth is that what seems like random and excessive, is actually a well-crafted and impeccably executed strategy to create an unparalleled work and life environment. SAS is successful in applying the principles of Cognitive Evaluation Theory that emphasize keeping employees’ cognitive attention on intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic ones. SAS steers clear of Insufficient Justification or Insufficient Punishment by deemphasizing such extrinsic rewards as pay and promotion, and instead emphasizing intrinsic controllable rewards as membership within a community and a way of life. For example, SAS’s unique sick-day policy which, in contrast to industry standards, does not have a set number of allowable sick-days. David Russo states, â€Å"If youre out sick for six months, youll get cards and flowers†, and â€Å"We expect adult behavior. The result is that SAS employees average only two sick days annually. The focus on â€Å"Adult behavior† makes employees feel responsible for their obligation to the company as part of their overall reciprocity for all that the company has done for them. The lack of any real explicit punishment actually creates intrinsic pressure on the individual employee to not to take advantage of the policy in order to keep his self-perception in line with beliefs about being a good and accountable employee. By downplaying pay as an extrinsic reward and gauge of performance, SAS successfully uses Insufficient Justification to help in sidestepping the usual salary comparisons issues. The informational aspect of Cognitive Evaluation Theory is crucial to the understanding of SAS’s unique structure and policies. SAS avoids assigning tasks that have high probability of failure. Also it allows its employees freedom in choosing what to work on. As Goodnight states, â€Å"If theyve grown bored with their job, they have great freedom to move horizontally instead of having to hunt for another employer.† Jenn Mann echoes Goodnight when she states, â€Å"nobody much cares whether you show up at 9 or 11.† Taking the focus off such trivial extrinsic matters frees up employees to focus their attention on intrinsic motivations such as having fun. Self-concordance suggests that these intrinsic motivations are stronger, more internally justifiable and therefore much more likely to make the individual work harder to achieve his goal. SAS uses Needs Theory to focus its recruiting on people who exhibit a high need for affiliation and achievement, while paying close attention to those with an overtly high need for power. To cater to high achievers’ needs managers make sure to assign tasks that are realistically achievable within the prescribed timeframe and the individual’s competencies. Managers provide subordinates with rapid feedback through everyday walking and talking techniques. Praise and recognition are also provided through increasing responsibilities and tasking employees with full ownership of their products including placing their names on the finished product. Knowing that high achievers generally do not possess the gamblers mentality, SAS tailors its incentive package around security and predictability. Bonuses are not emphasized and stock options are not granted. Instead, employees are offered a competitive salary, full 401K contribution and a myriad of non-merit based benefits for thems elves and their families. For those with a high need for power, SAS provides autonomy, a collaborative environment and control over the life-cycle of a product. For example, each employee gets to plan his own schedule. SAS’s thinly staffed management ranks are designed to boost reliance on an honor code that emphasizes, above all else, adult behavior. This produces ample opportunities for employees to take on additional responsibilities. As a result, employees feel a sense of power and control over their work. SAS does differentiate those individuals whose need for control extends to control over others, or whose need for recognition extends to being treated like superstars. David Russo states, â€Å"SAS is not a good place for someone who wants to feel like a star or feel particularly important†. Recruiters reject these want-to-be star applicants because they believe SAS’s structure and environment cannot accommodate their needs. The need for affiliation is nurtured through a work-life balance that stresses community over personal economic gain. As stated in the article, â€Å"The perks are the most obvious manifestation of corporate munificence, but at their core they are only part of a workplace ethos thats based on a degree of trust.† SAS takes advantage of its relative isolation to reinforce its middle class utopian environment. By design, almost all essential services are provided on campus and by SAS employees. This includes healthcare, education, food services, entertainment, recreation and even subsidized housing (near the campus). The company organizes a plethora of extracurricular group activities that encourage collaboration, provide needed support and connects people on a personal level. Its success in satisfying employees Need for Affiliation manifests itself in SAS’s historical low turnover rate. An unfortunate byproduct of SAS’s homogenous environment is its relative lack o f innovation. Innovation, the better use of a novel idea or method, is a crucial element to the growth of a corporation. SAS has indubitably been successful in reshaping its own software and selling it to additional markets, but has not had the same success in branching out and innovating in other areas. Perhaps SAS, a monopoly in the data software industry, has consciously elected to steer clear of this more risky innovation because of financial and social concerns. Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) model helps explains why today’s SAS, while still being remarkably efficient at providing new or improved software, is not truly a leading innovator. SAS’s pay structure and overall emphasis on a family friendly, low stress environment is a conscious effort to attract the more risk adverse individual. The selection process takes care to repel mavericks who seek power and fame. The problem is that these competitive, challenging personalities are willing to take more chances. SAS is a g reat example of ASA’s chief assertion that â€Å"The People Make the Place†. But while preaching autonomy and individuality, SAS employees are quietly advocating for conformity, cloaked as corporate citizenship. The resulting atmosphere works, through attrition, to weed out any nonconformist. Pushing out dissident voices makes the remaining collective even more homogenous and less likely to innovate. The fact that SAS’s retention at this point is so low is another indication of the high level of homogeneity. The company’s reliance on a small number of working managers makes self-regulation or as they call it â€Å"adult behavior† an essential part of the overall strategy of an employee-regulated firm. Thus, SAS’s focus on attracting and selecting a particular type of risk adverse individual, while allowing attrition to remove dissidence is an effective use of ASA, all be it a rather insensitive one. These polices have essentially forced SAS to outsources the task of innovating to its client base through constant solicitation of fee dback and ideas. Another theory that could explain SAS’s relative weakness in innovation is Equity Theory which focuses on perceptions of fairness. SAS does a good job of shaping their employees perceptions of its overall Organizational Justice through such techniques as the allocation of offices for all, having no executive cafeterias and providing identical health plans for all. The two core principles for SAS are â€Å"†¦that all people at SAS are treated fairly and equally† and â€Å"†¦that the workplace should be fun and people treated with dignity and respect†. The problem is that the two principles are different. The first advocates equality and the latter respect. Treating people with respect and dignity is universally accepted and supports employees’ feelings of Interactional Justice. Equal treatment for all is not universally accepted, and conflicts with the reality of varying levels of individual contributions to a company’s success. Universal equality skews the individual’s perception of Procedural and Distributive Justice. Talented, hardworking employees find it hard to stand out because both the evaluation process and the resulting recognition are purposefully watered down. This lack of strong correlation between risk and reward, input and output makes it less likely that unique innovation will occur b ecause the risk–taking innovator will perceive an inequitable Distributive Justice. The inequitable feeling is compounded by SAS casually defined performance review process which could leave successful innovators feeling a lack of Procedural Justice. Equity theory states that there are four referent comparisons that an employee can use to gauge equitability of his situation. Even if SAS is successful, through isolationist polices, in sheltering its employees from other-outside comparison, it still needs to contend with employees’ past experiences and internal company comparisons. Admittedly, general perception of equality is a major factor in SAS’s tremendous retention rate, but for those few want-to-be superstars it’s a major deterrent to joining the firm. This is evident in the interviewee who stated â€Å"I want to have performance that permits me to do whatever I want. When I walk down the hall, I want to feel like ‘I’m the man.† Who wouldn’t want their stellar performance to lead to more money, autonomy, recognition and better future opportunities? At SAS this potential innovator was quickly ushered out the door. For good or bad, SAS is built around a sense of equality and homogeneity, even if these terms are relative and somewhat reminiscent of an Orwellian Society, where all are equal, but some are just more equal than others. To protect its successful egalitarian culture, SAS would do better to create (like many other have) a separate off-campus RD offshoot. With a distinct culture and a more equitable compensation structure, this entity can compete for innovative talent.

Do parents have an influence over child delinquency?

Do parents have an influence over child delinquency? To what extent do parents have an influence over their children becoming delinquent? There have been an increasing number of stories in the media regarding children and their increasing tendencies to crime. High profile crimes such as the Jamie Bulgar murder and shootings in universities across America have sparked a high level of controversy and research into what actually makes a child delinquent. There have been a number of factors which have been associated with child delinquency such as the individual child, peers, school, neighbourhood, the media and one which has received a huge amount of attention is parents and family. This essay will be looking at the extent to which parents have an influence over there children becoming delinquent. It will explain reasons and ways in which parents influence there children into delinquency through lack of for example discipline, and a variety of other factors. It will then go on to examine other factors such as the individual, peers and school, which may contribute to a child taking the path of crime and will evaluate how much influence this has on a child. The US dept of justice created the office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention (OJJDP) which formed a study group on very young offenders to examine the prevalence and frequency of offending in children under the age of 13. This study group identified a number of risk and protective factors which were crucial in developing early intervention and protection programs for very young offenders. It found that some aspects of children’s behaviour such as temperament are established during the first five years of life. This foundation coupled with children’s exposure to certain risk and protective factors, influences the likelihood of children becoming delinquent from an early age. Risk factors are things which are most likely to pull a child into a life of crime. There are three types of risk factors; static, dynamic and protective. Static risk factors are those which are historical and cannot be changed such as age at first offence and prior criminal history. Dynam ic risk factors are those which are changeable these are things such as substance and alcohol abuse. Lastly protective factors are those which mediate and moderate the effect of exposure to risk factors. This is usually done by reducing the risk of exposure to crime, reducing negative chain reactions which means to deal with a delinquency problem identified in children from an early age rather than letting it spiral out of control. Another protective factor which should be instilled in children is establishing self esteem and self efficacy this in addition to opening up opportunities to them will reduce the calling of crime as they will have other things to keep them occupied and realise there are a number of things which they can do t broaden there horizons. However the identification of these risk factors have been difficult to pinpoint but it remains imperative to distinguish as these factors are essential to developing interventions to prevent child delinquency from escalating into chronic criminality. There area number of studies which were done in both the UK and the US to ide ntify risk factors which are associated with a child turning to crime. The Cambridge Study of Delinquency was a longitudinal survey of the development of offending and antisocial behaviour in 411 males first studied at age 8 in 1961 – at that time they were all living in a working-class deprived inner-city area of South London. It found eight different factors which contributed to children turning delinquent these were; low income family, large family, poor parenting, below average intelligence, parent with criminal record, impulsivity, antisocial behaviour, socio-economic deprivation and coming from a ‘broken’ home. A youth lifestyles survey which was carried out in the UK also identified eight different risk factors which are associated to a child turning to a life of crime these are; drug use, alcohol abuse, low interest in school, being bullied, lack of qualifications, delinquent peers, poor parenting and a lack of appropriate space for children to be in. According to the OJJDP study group on very young offenders, a group of 39 e xperts on child delinquency and child psychopathology convened by the OJJDP, risk factors for child delinquency operate in several domains: the individual child, the child’s family, peer group, school, neighbourhood and the media. This again corresponds with the findings of the Cambridge study which found compared with the un-convicted men, being a persister was predicted by having a convicted parent, high daring, a delinquent sibling, a young mother, low popularity, large family size and a disrupted family. Compared with the un-convicted men, being a desister was predicted by having poor housing, a convicted parent, high daring, low junior school attainment, low nervousness and a disrupted family. The large majority of those who were first convicted at ages 10–13 (91%) or 14–16 (84%) did not give up offending after the first offence. They continued offending (according to convictions) for an average of 13 years. Those who started at 10–13 years had an average of nine convictions; those who started at 14–16 had an average of six. In contrast, the average for those who were first convicted at age 17 or older was much lower at around two convictions each. This shows us that the younger the offender starts the longer there career in crime. The results by the OJJDP also correspond with the results found in the Youth Lifestyles survey. Most professionals agree that there is no single risk which leads a child to delinquency rather the likelihood of early juvenile offending increases as the number of risk factors and risk factor domains increases. While parental delinquency is not the whole answer to juvenile delinquency, it is one of the major factors in this problem. The notion of protective risk factors is one which parents are largely associated with. Traditionally it is the role of the parents to protect and harbour there children from a life of crime and deviance. However this is not always the case. There is wide belief that single parents are highly likely to have delinquent children for a number of reasons such as economic conditions which are inherent to single-parent families may place children at greater risk. Socialization of children residing in single-parent families may differ from those residing with two parents and may have a damaging effect on the child as well as they type of neighbourhoods, in which single parents often reside. Lastly the ways in which the system or officials from formal institutions such as school, police, and courts respond to children from single-parent homes may result in these children being more likely to be identified as delinquent. There is consistently a positive relationship between marital discord an d delinquency. Children who witness marital discord are at greater risk of becoming delinquents. Social learning theory argues that aggressive behaviour is learned; as parents display aggressive behaviour, children learn to imitate it as an acceptable means of achieving goals. However, most children who witness marital conflict do not become delinquent. A healthy home environment, one in which parents and children share affection, cohesion, and involvement, reduces the risk of delinquency. Parental rejection appears to be one of the most significant predictors of delinquency. Not only does parental attachment to children influence the likelihood of delinquency, but apparently so does the attachment of the child to the parent. This dual relationship implies an interaction between characteristics of both the parent and the child. A healthy home environment is the single most important factor necessary to keep children from becoming delinquent. Current positivist approaches generally focus on the cultural and socio-economic environment to which a young person has been exposed, and how these conditions may be criminogenic. These theories de-empathize the fault of the individual, and stress criminal behaviour is largely determined by factors out with a young person’s control. Social ecology or social disorganisation theory says crime is generated by the breakdown of traditional values and norms. This was most likely to occur in urban areas with transient populations and high levels of migration, which would produce the breakdown of family relationships and community, competing values, and increasing impersonality. Children who are inadequately supervised by parents who fail to teach them right and wrong, who do not monitor their whereabouts, friends, or activities, and who discipline them erratically and harshly are more likely to become delinquent. Marital discord is a more powerful predictor of delinquency than divorce or single-parent family structure. Family relations, not just the separation, influence delinquency. Abuse directly affects the child, yet the link between abuse and delinquency is not as strong as the link between rejection and delinquency. Abused children tend to manifest more problematic and aggressive behaviour than children who are not abused, but some abused children withdraw, become self-destructive, or focus their reaction inward. Other children show few behavioural effects of abuse. Being abused increases the chances of delinquency, but most abused children do not become delinquent. Research on causes of delinquency makes a major contribution to the understanding of the interaction of the family and delinquency. A child’s predisposition toward impulsive, aggressive, and antisocial behaviour may initiate a process within the family that ultimately leads to delinquency. Parents of a difficult child may stop parenting to gain peace within the home and may come to reject the child. Antisocial patterns established within the family may be exacerbated and reinforced as the child enters school. As the child enters adolescence, delinquent acts may further weaken the youth’s attachment to family, school and conventional ties. Whilst it is true that society does have a role to play in the upbringing of children in the sense of providing a social environment in which to bring up a child but it is clearly the role of the parent to mentor, advise and guide a child through to their adulthood. No child has it easy, but it is true some are worse off than others and as a result of being disadvantaged in some way. But there is also another class of youngster, one without discipline and respect in their life, one without a strong guide in their life which ensures that the child stays on track and in the right direction in their life. These are the roles of parents and a society which attempts to divorce parents from this responsibility is only asking for more trouble. The role of a parent, is to watch, to guard, to mentor, to guide, to create a home environment suitable for a young person, but the role of a parent is to also educate a young person in their role in society. It is a clear deficiency of a parent, when a young person goes off the tracks. Therefore the question must be asked whether parents can, through effective socialisation, prevent delinquent behaviour among there offspring? In addition to affection, three elements appear to characterize positive parenting that is normative regulation, monitoring regulation, and discipline. The quality of supervision is consistently and strongly related to delinquency. Parents must adequately monitor their children’s behaviour, whereabouts and friends. They must reliably discipline there children for antisocial and prohibited behaviour, but must do so neither rigidly or severely. It helps if they assist their children in problem solving, negotiate conflict and model pro social behaviour. Less is known about the link between parental attention to normative and moral development and subsequent delinquency than many other topics of family life. However research appears to indicate that delinquency is more likely when normative development is incomplete, and when children are unable to distinguish between right and wrong, feel little or no obligation to standards of behaviour, and have little respect for the rights and welfare of others. Parents play a critical role in moral development. A variety of family circumstances have been identified as contributing to the delinquent behaviour of children. Children who are rejected by their parents, are inadequately supervised, and grow up in homes with considerable conflict are at greatest risk of becoming delinquents. The presence of any one of these family circumstance factors increases the chances of raising a delinquent child. The addition of more than one factor further enhances the odds of misbehaviour. There appears to be a cumulative effect such that the presence of more than one of these negative family attributes compounds the likelihood of delinquency. Not all children follow the same path to delinquency; different combinations of life experiences may produce delinquent behaviour. Finally positive parenting practices during the early years and later in adolescence appear to act as buffers, preventing delinquent behaviour and assisting adolescents in desisting from further delinquent behaviour. In addition to parents having an influence on children becoming delinquency there are a number of other factors to consider such as the effect of school on children. A negative effect from school can impact the progression of delinquency developing in children. Failure to bond to school during childhood can lead to delinquency. In addition, as stated above, early neurological deficiencies, when combined with the failure of family, school, and community to provide adequate socialization, lead to early-onset offending that persists throughout life. A specific school risk factor for delinquency is poor academic performance. A meta-analysis of more than 100 studies examined the relationship between poor academic performance and delinquency and found that poor academic performance is related to the prevalence, onset, frequency, and seriousness of delinquency (Maguin and Loeber, 1996). In young children ages 8 to 11, academic performance has been related to serious later delinquency (Loeber et al., 1998). Even when individual intelligence and attention problems are taken into account, academic performance remains a predictor of delinquency. Children with weak bonds (low commitment) to school, low educational aspirations, and poor motivation are also at risk for general offending and for child delinquency (e.g., Hawkins et al., 1998; Le Blanc, Cotà ©, and Loeber, 1991). It is likely that children who perform poorly on academic tasks will fail to develop strong bonds to school and will have lower expectations of success. As a result, academic achievement and school bonding are, in many ways, interdependent. For example, one study found that boys who engage in delinquency are less committed to school and are also more likely to have â€Å"shorter plans† for their schooling. These boys described themselves as bad students (Le Blanc et al., 1991). In addition to school fellow classmates and peers can also have a negative impact on a child. Peer influences on child delinquency usually appear developmentally later than do individual and family influences. Many children entering school, for example, already show aggressive and disruptive behaviours. Two major mechanisms associated with peer factors or influences are association with deviant peers and peer rejection. Association with deviant peers is related to increased co-offending and, in a minority of cases, the joining of gangs. Related to strain theory is subcultural theory. The inability of youths to achieve socially valued status and goals results in groups of young people forming deviant or delinquent subcultures, which have their own values and norms. (Eadie Morley: 2003 p.552) Within these groups criminal behaviour may actually be valued, and increase a youth’s status. (Walklate: 2003 p.22) The notion of delinquent subcultures is relevant for crimes that are not economically motivated. Male gang members could be argued to have their own values, such as respect for fighting ability and daring. However it is not clear how different this makes them from ‘ordinary’ non-lawbreaking young men. Furthermore there is no explanation of why people unable to achieve socially valued goals should necessarily choose criminal substitutes. Subcultural theories have been criticised for making too sharp a distinction between what is deviant and what is ‘normal’. (Brown: 1998 p.23) There are also doubts about whether young people consciously reject mainstream values. (Brown: 1998 p.23) Since a 1931 report showing that 80 percent of Chicago juvenile delinquents were arrested with co-offenders, empirical evidence has supported the theory that deviant peer associations contribute to juvenile offending (Shaw and McKay, 1931). The unresolved question is whether deviant peers model and reinforce antisocial behaviours or whether the association with deviant peers is simply another manifestation of a child’s predisposition to delinquency. In other words, do â€Å"birds of a feather flock together† or does â€Å"bad company corrupt†? The theory of Differential association also deals with young people in a group context, and looks at how peer pressure and the existence of gangs could lead them into crime. (Eadie Morley: 2003 p.552) It suggests young people are motivated to commit crimes by delinquent peers, and learn criminal skills from them. (Eadie Morley: 2003 p.552) The diminished influence of peers after men marry has also been cited as a factor in desisting from offending. (Graham Bowling: 1995 p.4) There is strong evidence that young people with criminal friends are more likely to commit crimes themselves. (Walklate: 2003 p. 2) However it may be the case that offenders prefer to associate with one another, rather than delinquent peers causing someone to start offending. (Graham Bowling: 1995 p.49) Furthermore there is the question of how the delinquent peer group became delinquent initially. The Study Group found that a strong case could be made that deviant peers influence Non-delinquent juveniles to become delinquent. For example, according to data from the National Youth Survey on a representative sample of U.S. juveniles ages 11 to 17, the most frequent pattern was a child moving from association with non-delinquent peers to association with slightly deviant peers, and then on to commission of minor offences. More frequent association with deviant peers and more serious offending followed, leading to the highest level of association with deviant peers (Elliott and Menard, 1996; Keenan et al., 1995). Deviant peers influence juveniles who already have some history of delinquent behaviour to increase the severity or frequency of their offending. A few studies of children younger than 14 support this hypothesis. For example, in a study of Iowa juveniles, involvement in the juvenile justice system was highest for those who engaged in disruptive behaviour and associated with deviant peers at a young age (Simons et al., 1994). The Study Group concluded that deviant peers contribute to serious offending by child delinquents during the period of their transition to adolescence. Although an extreme form of association with deviant peers, gangs provide a ready source of co-offenders. Not surprisingly, gang membership reflects the highest degree of deviant peer influence on offending. The Rochester Youth Development Study, the Denver Youth Survey, and the Seattle Social Development Project have all shown that gangs appear to exert a considerable influence on the delinquent behaviour of individual members. Juveniles are joining gangs at younger ages, and the role of gangs in crimes committed by youthful offenders appears to be an increasing problem (Howell, 1998). In the case of violence, even after accounting for other risk factors (such as association with delinquent peers who are not gang members, family poverty, lack of parental supervision, and negative life events), gang membership still has the strongest relationship with self-reported violence (Battin et al., 1998). Lastly a focus on the individual is required when looking into factors associated with delinquency. Not everything can be blamed on parents as there is a large element of the child themselves which make them more predisposed to following a path of delinquency. Classical criminology stresses causes of crime lie within the individual offender, rather than in their external environment. For classicists offenders are motivated by rational self-interest, and the importance of free will and personal responsibility is emphasised. Rational choice theory is the clearest example of this approach. It states that people weigh up the pros and cons of committing a crime, and offend when the former outweigh the latter. A central deficiency of rational choice theory is that while it may explain when and where people commit crime, it can’t explain very well why people choose to commit crimes in the first place. Neither can it explain differences between individuals and groups in their propensity to commit crimes. James Q. Wilson said the conscience and self-control of a potential young offender must be taken into account, and that these attributes are formed by parental and societal conditioning. Rational choice does not explain why crime should be committed disproportionately by young people, males, city dwellers, and the poor. (Walklate: 2003 p.2) It also ignores the effect a, young persons peers can have on them, and the fact that some youths may be less able to accurately foresee the consequences of their actions than others. Rational choice theory does not take into account the proven correlations between certain social circumstances and individuals’ personalities, and the propensity to commit crime. If we study the characteristics of those processed by control agencies, and if we accept that they are representative of all delinquents, we may conclude that the typical juvenile delinquent is different from his peers in a number of ways. That is to say that there are a number of traits which are significant predictors of delinquent activity. Some of these traits appear to be fundamental personality factors hyperactivity, tendency to alcoholism, psychosis, low measured intelligence, small stature and poor health and being male rather than female. There are also some significant characteristic modes of social interaction which make the individual more prone to delinquency such as bad temper, unpopular with peers, disruptive behaviour in school, parents found him a difficult child, likely to be violent and poor work and bad results at school. Lastly backgrounds are important in determining whether a child will follow a path of delinquency and a career in crime. These factors include environmental, living in a slum area, living in an area of high delinquency, social class, father unskilled labourer, poor surveillance, irregular discipline, lack of affection, family interaction characterised by antisocial behaviour, family breakdown and poverty. These young people are recognized as being difficult by parents, other children and teachers. The onset of these problems was very often early in the childs life, and the first steps into delinquency were often taken as early as 9 or 10 years old. A significant implication which, has been highlighted is that bad behaviour is a general trait. Robins and Ratcliff (1980) have shown that each separate type of childhood deviance (hyper-activity, conduct disorder, bed-wetting, etc) is independently correlated with the overall level of adult deviance. Each separate type of adult deviance is predicted by the overall level of childhood deviance. The overall level of childhood deviance is a better predictor of adult deviance than any one particular childhood behaviour. These relationships do not depend on the continuation of the same behaviour from childhood into adulthood. Variation in the kind of bad behaviour manifested is more a function of age than of character. Focus on risk factors that appear at a young age is the key to preventing child delinquency and its escalation into chronic criminality. By intervening early, young children will be less likely to succumb to the accumulating risks that arise later in childhood and adolescence and less likely to incur the negative social and personal consequences of several years of disruptive and delinquent behaviours. Child delinquency usually stems from a combination of factors that varies from child to child. No single risk factor is sufficient to explain it. To develop effective methods for preventing child delinquency and its escalation into serious and violent juvenile offending, intervention methods must account for the wide range of individual, family, peer, school, and community risk factors. Some effective intervention programs that focus on reducing persistent disruptive behaviour in young children have reduced later serious, violent, and chronic offending. Some interventions focus on parent behaviours that increase the risk of persistent disruptive behaviour in children. Peer relations training and school/classroom programs have also shown some promise. Still, many gaps exist in our knowledge about the development of child delinquency, the risk and protective factors that contribute to it, and effective prevention and intervention methods. Addressing these gaps offers an exceptional opportunity to reduce overall crime level. Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria | Essay Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria | Essay A challenge for modern medicine Antibiotic resistance is a serious matter which should be addressed seriously. Every time you take antibiotics you dont need you increase your chance of contracting an infection that is caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. And if you get an infection that cant be treated by antibiotics you run the risk of your infection getting considerably worse and you might need to be treated in hospital. There are many factors affecting as to how antibiotic resistance acquires but one thing is for sure, it must be stopped! At present antibiotic resistant poses as a massive challenge for modern medicine. There is a wide variety of conditions that antibiotic resistance stands in the way of successful treatment like tuberculosis (TB) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). As we know TB is a disorder affecting the lungs and also the rest of the body. It is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis and it is reported that a third of the worlds population has been infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis. New infections occur at a astonishing rate of one per second. The proportion of people who become sick with tuberculosis each year is stable or falling worldwide but, because of population growth, the absolute number of new cases is still increasing. Prevention relies on screening programs and vaccination(http://who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/index.html) Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in multi-drug-resistant TB. In a scientific journal titled Tuberculosis resistant to isonazid and rifampin published in 1993 it was concluded that patients with tuberculosis that is resistant to isonazid and rifampin often didnt succomb to the best treatment available and that failure to obscure this reistance would end in high mortality rates and a gloomy reality for the public (Goble et al) . In the case of Staphylococcus aureus where, like tuberculosis, it has grown resistance to its most of its treatment. Staphylococcus aureus is very difficult to treat if contracted due to its high resistance rate to a group of antibiotics called beta-lactams. This group of antibiotics includes penicillin, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, clindamycin and vancomycin.There are different treatments for different variations of the disease but treatment isnt straight forward due to the high rate of antibiotic resistance. In a scientific report titled High prevalence of multidrug-resistant MRSA in a tertiary care hospital of northern India, where they were testing the resistance percentages of the known antibiotic treatments on a group of 783 patients, they found that nearly all the antibiotics that were tested, there was a high rate of resistance. For instance, from the 783 patients isolated who had staphylococcus aureus, 301 (38.44%) had shown to be methicillin-resistant, of which 217 (72.1%) were found to be multidrug-resistant. Practically all MRSA strains were showing resistance to penicillin, 95.68% showed resistance to cotrimoxazole, 92.36% showed resistance to chloramphenicol, 90.7% showed resistance to norfloxacin, 76.1% showed resistance to tetracycline, and 75.75% had shown resistance to ciprofloxacin. The antibiotic showing the least amount of resistance was vancomycin with 0.33%. (Hare Krishna Tiwari et al). How bacteria become resistant The actual way in which a bacteria strand becomes resistant is usually a mutation in a chromosomal gene of the pathogen. Whiles a organism is being treated by specific antibiotics, the antibiotics will have an effect on 99.99% bacteria but not the bacteria that have undergone mutation that prevents a certain antibiotic having an effect on these bacterial strands will reproduce and by the theory of natural selection predicts that under these circumstances, the fraction of the bacterial population carrying genes for antibiotic resistance will increase. For example, a mutation in one gene may stop or reduce the pathogens ability to transport a particular antibiotic into the cell. (Jane B. Reece). There are quite a few practices effecting as to how bacteria strands become resistant to antibiotics. One would be the unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics from doctors to patients, but there is a lot to be said about this whether it be the patient feeling they are too sick to be told that they do not require the use of antibiotics even though they could just have a viral infection which antibiotics would be of no use to them unless it were to relief their pain or that they just want their moneys worth in antibiotics. Another cause to do with the doctor patient relationship would be the fact that the doctor would be unsure of what to prescribe if need be or just how much to prescribe! There is also this looming fear for doctors that the patient might wish to make a lawsuit against them for not taking action on their symptoms or not prescribing the right medication to them first time round and therefore doctors can be prescribing antibiotics out of fear of lawsuit. Also, many practitioners who earn by means of selling medicines often prescribe more drugs than necessary for means of profit (Holloway 2000). Another major factor that promotes bacteria to become antibiotic resistant is that when people do get prescribed the right medicine or antibiotics is that they dont take the right amount each day. Some believe that it is better to take one antibiotic a day rather than two (Kardas P, March 2007) and others feel that it is ok to stop taking them when their symptoms have gone or that they will save them for the next time those symptoms occur. Its funny to actually hear that a third of people still believe that antibiotics are effective on the common cold (McNulty CA et al, August 2007). In hospitals, poor hygiene can be associated with the contraction of noscomial infections and increase the risk of substaining a resistant microorganism, one of these well known noscomial infections is MRSA. Medical staff in hospitals world wide have been urged to wash their hands inbetween viewing patients and not to wear jewlery like wedding rings, bracelets or chains of the sort as these can transmit the infection from person to person (Girou E, Legrand P, Soing-Altrach S, et al October 2006). Much has been done in hospitals to stop the spread of noscomial infections but the treat still lingers with a massive one in seven chance of picking up a noscomial infection. Another factor as to how we can contract resistant bacteria is by the food we eat. Farmers feed their livestock antibiotics for numerous reasons but the fact is if and when their livestock build resistance to the antibiotics, they are then killed and processed into meats and other sources of food and they become our food. They may tell you your daily requirements for calories, vitamins, calcium, iron etc. but they do not tell you that your food could be the source of your illness or the reason why certain antibiotics will not have an effect on you!

The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun :: A Raisin in the Sun

The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry is about living the "American Dream". Hansberry wrote her story in 1959. The "American Dream" that she describes and the one that currently exists are vastly different. In 1959, the dream was to work hard and live a comfortable life. American’s believed that you would live a good life as long as you had your family and had food on the table. Let’s fast forward to 2003. The "American Dream" is to have two cars, a glamorous house, a pool, a 40 hour a week job, and oodles of "stuff". I define stuff as material possessions such as DVD’s, video games, and TV’s. When did the dream go from being happy to having tons of material possessions? I am devising a tipping point strategy to change the "American Dream" back to having a close relationship with your family, working hard, and being happy. By changing the dream, Americans will be happier and have less stress in their life. The new "American Dream" is strongly engraved into the minds of society. It will be difficult to "tip" back the other way. The change will not happen suddenly. It can only happen slowly, and over a long period of time. The change from Hansberry’s dream and the current dream also took years to change. The Law of the Few plays a huge role in changing the dream. To tip the dream in the better direction, some people that are influential in society need to adopt this dream as their own. If a man as successful as Bill Gates decided that he wanted a more laid back, it would do a great deal to attract others to do so as well. In retrospect, if I adopted this dream, no one would care. Bill Gates is considered a connector in our society. He has done much to improve our technology. That is why he would be more likely to cause a "social epidemic" than I would. The second factor that would have to be dealt with in changing the "American Dream" is the stickiness factor. Let’s use Bill Gates as the example again. If he went on TV proclaiming that he was a billionaire, no one would listen. Even if they did listen, they would not remember. If Gates went on TV and said he was only going to work part time and he was going to give most of his money to charity, people would listen.

Bush A= Plan :: essays research papers

Bush A+ Plan Lieutenant Governor Brogan and Governor Bush fought for approval of what they called, the Bush/Brogan A+ Plan for education. This was a comprehensive system of school reform. They believed that each student should gain one years of knowledge with one year of school. They also believed that no student should be left behind. These are the principals that the plan was built upon. In order for them to be assured that a student gained a years knowledge in a years time, the FCAT was set in place. This FCAT tests students till the tenth grade. The results of this test is then used to make sure the student is not left behind. The education is then centered around the individual needs of each student. Although this is not the only reason for the FCAT test. The test also shows if the school is performing to standards. Schools are assigned a performance grade based on the student achievement from the FCAT. If the school receives a failing grade, then resources are put into effect. The school receives addition money assistance, along with salary incentives for the teachers in those schools. I personally do not see the reason to award a failing school or a teachers of that school. But I guess I stand corrected, due to the fact the program seems to be working for the most part. I believe there are some problems with this plan. I believe that the children that exceed the standards are left behind. When my daughter entered the sixth grade she was ready for Algebra 1. The school felt that only eight graders should take algebra 1. Their reasoning was that in the seventh and eighth grade they would not have a math for her to complete. Due to this reasoning, I feel, they decided to leave my child behind. My daughter was taken out of the public school and placed in a private school. In the private school she was able to exceed at her learning capabilities. Today she is attending CFCC as a full time student. This is her second semester. She carries thirteen credits this semester, with a 4.0 grade average. My daughter is thirteen years old. She shall receive her A.A. degree by the time she is fourteen. I believe if she had been left in the public school, she would of been held back from her abilities.

To what extent is the American Constitution an elitist document?

To what extent is the American Constitution an elitist document? Why then did the framers provide for public participation in the political process? The best way to approach this assignment is to split it into two and answer first to what extent do I feel the American Constitution an elitist document. When this has been answered then it will be possible to move on to try to understand why the framers of the constitution provided for public participation in the political process. I should begin by saying that I think the Constitution is a very elitist document, but before I elaborate on that opinion I feel that it is necessary to firstly define what an ‘elite' is, and also to provide a bit of background information on the Constitution. An elite is defined by Webster's Dictionary as the best of a class; the socially superior part of society; or a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise power or influence. When we talk about elites though we have to bear in mind that they prize order and stability above all else, and if they can preserve the status quo they will, however this is diverting from the main question. It is perhaps the last part of the definition that is most relevant when we come to the American Constitution, and ask ourselves to what extent it is an elitist document. Before I come to that though I feel that it is necessary to explain how the Constitution of the United States of America came into being. Without going too far back into history, the thirteen North American colonies had rebelled against the British government after coming to see King George III and his colonial governors as tyrants, and also there were disputes over taxes that had to paid both to the colonial legislatures and the British government. These tensions reached a climax in 1775 and the American War of Independence broke out. This war lasted until 1783, when the British granted independence to each of the thirteen colonies. Each of the thirteen states were now independent and bound together under a loose agreement called the Articles of Confederation (AOC). The Articles of Confederation provided for a unicameral legislature with each state being allotted representatives based upon their total population, but each state had only 1 vote in the legislature. There were many flaws in this arrangement like the fact that there was no executive body; the fact that nine states had to agree to pass legislation; and crucially the AOC could not legislate in the following areas: The national government could not levy taxes, only request funds from the states. This resulted in the national government going into debt almost immediately. * The national government could not regulate commerce and each state had set up tariffs against the other. The result was a building economic recession. * The national government did not have exclusive control over the money supply. Each state and the national government had its own money supply. In the face of these crises, the elites (for want of a better word), of the thirteen states decided unilaterally to revise the AOC, and so the Constitution of 1787 was born. It is now time to examine to what extent the Constitution is an elitist document. â€Å"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. â€Å"1 Superficially at least the Constitution can be said to be a very elitist document by virtue of the way in which it came into being. It was written by fifty-five men out of a population of approximately four million. If we consider that the framing of the Constitution to be the real beginning of the USA, which was in theory supposed to be a democracy, then we have to see the Constitution to be an elitist document because of the way in which the Founding Fathers (a tiny fraction of the population) decided to scrap the AOC and come up with an alternative behind closed doors, without the majority of the population knowing what was going on. Another superficial argument can be made based upon the fact that the delegates who signed the Constitution were as Thomas Jefferson put it â€Å"†¦ an assembly of demigods†. According to Dye and Zeigler â€Å"the men at the convention belonged to the nation's intellectual and economic elites†2. Therefore the Constitution was always going to be biased towards elites because even though the majority of the population were small freeholding farmers their views were not taken into account at the Convention for the simple reason that none of the delegates really came from that section of the nation. As I have said both these reasons are superficial, but if we get into the detail of the constitution then we can see that it is a very elitist document in several key areas. The first is economic elitism. The Constitution gave Congress â€Å"power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States†3. This is all well and good, but when taken with the fact that according to Article 1 Section 2 â€Å"Representatives [and direct taxes] shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers†4 – taxation and representation based upon population. This meant in essence that a rich man paid exactly the same amount of tax as a poor man regardless of his wealth, and if we consider that the men at the convention were all very we ll-off if not extremely rich, then whatever their intentions were the constitution could only benefit them and those like them. The Constitution also gave Congress the power to regulate commerce between the states. This regulation in concert with the provision that â€Å"No tax or duty shall be paid on articles exported from any state†5 created a huge free trade area were none had existed before, and of course this would be very beneficial to those American merchants – including many of the framers of the Constitution- that traded across the USA. Again we can see just how elitist the Constitution is because it benefits big business even though the majority of the population were small freeholders and small merchants that benefited from a certain degree of protectionism. Economic elitism can also be seen in the parts of the constitution that give Congress powers over the regulation and value of money, bankruptcy laws, weights and measures, and so forth. These powers would enhance financial stability in the nation and this move could only benefit the more economically orientated members of the Constitutional Convention. There is also evidence of military elitism within the Constitution. Section 8 of Article 1 provides for the creation of an army and navy. Naturally a nation needs an army and navy, but this act has to be seen in the context of just what the American elites gained from it. The Constitution concentrated the military might of the USA under the Commander in Chief aka the President. The President also had the power, with the advice of the senate, to make treaties and to send and receive ambassadors. We have seen that the Founding Fathers wished to create a strong centralised government and this concentration of military and diplomatic might gave them the ability to do just that, with the added benefit of giving them the means to put down any revolution that might occur. Therefore in this sense it can be shown that the Constitution is an elitist document since it enshrined the desires of the Founding Fathers for stability and freedom from revolution, and since the President who commanded all this great power would invariably be a member of the elites himself, their position within society could and would be safeguarded. Other instances of elitism within the Constitution are the sections that deal with slavery: â€Å"No person held to service or labour in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labour, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labour may be due†6. As can be seen this section allows the continuation of the slave holding elites within American society, at a time when the idea of all men being equal was being bandied about. From the above we can see that the Constitution of the USA is elitist, then we have to ask the question that why, if the document is elitist, did the framers provide for public participation in the electoral process. Firstly, if we accept that the framers of the Constitution were the nation's elites, then we have to remember that above all else elites desire order and stability. Therefore at a very basic level the answer to the question would be that as elites (by their very definition) make up a tiny percentage of the populaton then it would be in their best interests to provide for public participation in the political process because of the possibility that the masses could rise up against them, as they themselves had rebelled against the British. But if we look at the question in detail we can see that the real reason that the framers provided for public participation in the political process was that the public's participation was extremely limited in scale. Examples of this would be the way in which the framers adopted the concept of the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances whereby legislative powers were vested in a Congress and Senate; executive powers in a President; and judicial powers in a Supreme Court. Each of these institutions were elected by different constituencies (or in the case of the Supreme Court appointed by the President), and each served different lengths of terms. This prevented the complete renewal of government at a stroke and created continuity within the national government, but regardless of any benefits that this system might have, the fact cannot be avoided that if the people wish to have a change of government, or make their feelings known at all, then they must wait years for it, which is hardly a fair system. The system of checks and balances also diminishes the public's participation in the political process, because, for example, the people elect a President who is radical and wishes to change the status quo, then he can issue executive orders, but Congress can override those orders, and if the president wishes to execute laws he has to rely on executive departments created by Congress. The best justification for this system comes from either James Madison or Alexander Hamilton when they wrote: Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions†. 7 Judicial Review is another key aspect of the system of checks and balances. This is basically an idea that arose from the Marbury v. Madison Case of 1803, whereby the Chief Justice argued that the Supreme Court had the power not only to invalidate laws passed by the lower courts, but also to invalidate laws passed by the elected Congress. From this we can see just how limited the public participation in the political process was because the Congress elected by the people was able to be overruled by the appointed Supreme Court. However the greatest example of how limited the public's participation was in the political process, was the way in which the elections were conducted. By this I mean specifically the elitist way in which the smaller states did not have the same degree of representation, and thus power of the larger states, for example Rhode Island had one representative in Congress, while Virginia had ten. And even this pales in comparison with the Electoral College. Essentially when the people vote in a presidential election they vote for delegates to the Electoral College who then choose the president from the candidates. What is wrong with this system is when you take into consideration that each state sends delegates to the Electoral College on a basis of population; and in each state the candidate with the most votes takes all the electoral votes (even if they win by only 1%); then those who did not vote for the candidate are effectively throwing their votes away. This system is further complicated by the fact that in the beginning the Electoral College was envisaged as a way for the elites to ensure that their preferred candidate got the job, and to enable them to ‘correct' any misjudgements the public might have made on polling day. In conclusion therefore it can be seen that the American Constitution is a very elitist document, by virtue of the way in which it was conceived; the men who wrote it; the economic elitism imbedded in the document and of course the military elitism. Secondly the question as to why the framers of the Constitution provided for public participation is an easy one – they provided for public participation because they had diluted it so much, and built in so many checks and balances that they did not have to worry about threats to stability and order, which were after all the greatest concerns of elites.

A Prryhic Victory Analysis

ENGL 2, MWF 12:10 Jordan Morgan November 9, 2012 â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory† Analysis For years there has been the never-ending controversial issue regarding condom being distributed within the United States high schools. January 8, 1994, Anna Quindlen publishes her article, â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory,† in the New York Times, where she states that not allowing condoms to be distributed in high schools is self-defeating, harmful to students, and inconvenient for parents.Quindlen attempts to persuade readers, but is not completely successful. Quindlen provides a rhetorical example that is intended to demonstrate a need for condom distribution within the schools. She, then, introduces Dr. Cohall as an authority figure and explains that the opt-out idea, from the previous example, is likely to be used. Quindlen provides raw numbers about sexually transmitted diseases and gives specific examples that are intended to demonstrate that parents are not adequately teaching their childr en.Furthermore, she claims that many of her opponents live in Fantasyland and then provides a specific example that is intended to demonstrate this. Finally, Quindlen claims that condoms are not the real issue, but deeper parent-child difficulties are. Quindlen was aiming for a specific reaction from the reader. Her main goal is to persuade the reader enough that they will end up viewing her opinion on condom distribution as if it were their own. Because her article reaches out to readers of all ages, she is hoping that it would move her readers into taking action upon this issue.She wants students in high school to starting demanding that their schools provide them with condoms, and she hopes that those who are faculty at schools stand up and start distributing them. As a result of her article, Quindlen is hoping to make a difference just by publishing her article. In the very first sentence of Quindlen’s article she says, â€Å"Pop quiz. † By using his statement she is identifying roles. In school, the teacher is the person who would give a pop quiz after teaching something. So by saying this she creates a subject position that makes her the teacher, and the readers are the students.By stating this phase she is assigning the responsibilities of the teacher and student. Quindlen, as the teacher, has the right to teach that condom distribution is the right thing to do, while the readers are expected to just intake this information as if there are no other options. She provides a scenario of a high school boy who was denied a condom from the school nurse and in result, he got a sexually transmitted disease. After this scenario, she provides a multiple choice question that implies that there is only one correct answer, hers.Although Quindlen has identified who the student and teacher are, her tool fails because students, quite frequently, despise their teachers. By immediately springing a pop quiz on the reader, she has irritated the readers by mak ing them emotionally inferior to her. This tool is inefficient because Quindlen blindsides her readers with unexpected emotion. Quindlen introduces Dr. Cohall, a pediatrician into her article where she refers to him as a â€Å"champion of condom distribution. † Just because Dr. Cohall is a pediatrician does not make him a champion of condom distribution, let alone a champion at all.Pediatricians work with young children who are not sexually active, therefore sexually transmitted diseases would not be present and there would be no reason to be distributing condoms in that profession. Dr. Cohall later states that there were one hundred and fifty cases of sexually transmitted diseases within the three high school clinics that he put on in 1992. Quindlen rephrases Cohall’s statement and writes it as â€Å"150 cases† to purposely catch the readers’ attention and to make them react as if that is a large number of cases. Also, these cases could possibly be a rep eated case for the same person.For example, one student can have five cases, another could have three, and so forth. This number misrepresents how many students are reporting sexually transmitted diseases. Also, Dr. Cohall does not state the total number of students at each of the three schools. There could be two hundred students and one hundred and fifty cases could have a sexually transmitted disease, or there could be one hundred and fifty cases out of two thousand students. The total number is not explained which weakens her argument. She also represents the number of cases combined within three schools, which means that each school has approximately fifty cases.That does not sound nearly as outstanding as what she stated. Dr. Cohall is simply providing raw numbers, which leaves a lot of uncertainty. If Dr. Coholl had reported his numbers as a general population he would have a much higher authority. Therefore, Dr. Coholl has little creditability and is not much of a resource f or Quindlen. Quindlen refers to Dr. Cohall, again, and tells the story of what happened to a girl whose mother found out that she is sexually active. According to the teenage girl, her mother found her birth control pills, seized her by the throat and said, â€Å"I brought you into this world; I can take you out of it. After this threat, the girl squeezed out of her mother’s grip and jumped out her window to escape her mother and in result, broke her leg. Quindlen uses this story as an example of her idea of parent-child sex talks. This example is not logical. The reason the girl was trying to escape her mother in the first place is because she feared for her life, so it would make no sense for her to turn around and risk her life by jumping out of the window. Again, this source is not credible. The typical parent approaches this subject in a very sensitive matter and avoids attacking their child.Due to the fact that her source in not credible and her example is too extreme, Quindlen’s argument is flawed and ineffective. Quindlen explains the problems she has with ABC Network because they have removed the commercials about condoms during primetime television. ABC complained that condoms were too inappropriate for family-oriented television, when in fact, the condom commercials were mild and informative. Quindlen provides an analogy between condom commercials and the primetime television show Roseanne. She states that the show is much more candid about sexual activity than the condom commercials.Roseanne shows the indiscrete sexual relationship between her and her husband. Roseanne’s sister, Jackie, is known on the show for having one night stands and being openly lesbian. Quindlen claims that ABC is being hypocritical in the sense that they are showing Roseanne on the, so-called, family-oriented network during primetime, but refuses to show mild condom commercials. Quindlen makes an efficient argument by stating that children are left mor e curious about sex after watching Roseanne than they would be after seeing a condom commercial.This analogy does support and strengthen her argument in her article. In her article, Quindlen shows a persona of superiority and sarcasm. She clearly proves in the first paragraph that she feels the reader is ignorant and that she, being superior, must teach the reader the correct way to think. Quindlen is only weakening her argument by implying that her readers need to be taught what to think. Quindlen is showing her sarcasm by say things, such as â€Å"Don’t you just love those mother-daughter sex talks? † not only to entertain readers, but to also entertain herself.Her persona comes across as arrogant when she uses sarcasm in certain situations. For example, a girl throwing herself out of a window should be a tragic event, but Quindlen is sarcastic about it which makes it seem as though she is not taking it seriously. Sarcasm, used correctly, can be effective, but in thi s case, it was facetious. When talking about serious matters such as sexually transmitted diseases and condoms, readers are stuck questioning Quindlen’s egocentric persona instead of focusing on the matter at hand.In her New York Times article, â€Å"A Pyrrhic Victory,† Anna Quindlen takes her stand on condom distribution in high schools throughout the United States. She claims that we are harming students by not distributing condoms in schools, and that it shouldn’t be the parents’ responsibility because they are too ignorant to handle the situation. Her attempt to persuade the reader of her beliefs is flawed and ineffective. She starts the article by providing a subject position that creates emotions within the reader against Quindlen personally. Her statistics from Dr.Cohall are incomplete and her reference to the girl in the story involves a source that is not credible. On the other hand, she does provide a strong analogy about Roseanne and condom com mercials, but it is not strong enough to compensate for the rest of the weaknesses throughout the article. Finally, Quindlen’s persona of sarcasm and superiority harms her argument by creating questions and doubt within the reader. Quindlen fails to convince readers that condom distribution is essential, and irritates the reader by pointing out their incompetence.