Parental involvement and students engagement in school activities free essay sample

In any given classroom and school activity of relatively extended duration and complexity, students’ engagement is never homogeneously high and productive, but rather it fluctuates depending on a number of factors (Mcwayne et al. , 2012; Mattingly et al. , 2013) such as parental involvement (Ho Williams, 2008; McNeal, 2009; Jose et al. , 2010;). Students engage better in school when parents play a positive role in their learning process (Jackson, 2010; 2011; Green et al. , 2012). Students are more likely to make a personal commitment to engage in rigorous learning when they know parents care about how well they do (Kilgore, Snyder Lentz, 2008; Keyes, 2010). However, despite the crucial role of parents, studies in relation to their involvement remain scarce. Students’ low engagement with academic activities is considered the main reason for dissatisfaction (Kuh, 2009), negative experience, and dropping out of school (LinnenbrinkPintrich, 2009; Jimmerson, Campos Greif, 2010). One of the contributory factors is the level of parents’ positive interference to the academic journey of the school (Brookmeyer, FantiHenrich, 2008). We will write a custom essay sample on Parental involvement and students engagement in school activities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page More significantly, most findings show positive relationship between parental involvement and students’ engagement in school and in the classroom (Dauber Epstein, 2008; Gorard, Rees Fevre, 2009;Cotton, 2011;Fantuzzo et al. , 2012). Nevertheless, the understanding of parental involvement is largely limited to U.S. and Western studies. In the Philippines, poor student engagement and inclination to take prohibited drugsand other delinquent behaviors are attributed to parents who have no enough time for their children’s academic difficulties (Catsambit, 2009; Castro et al. , 2012). Teachers and other education stakeholders would like to see parents more involved with school activities of their children (Gonzalez et al. , 2007). Despite this urgency, a significant number of cases of students’ lack of engagement in school such as cutting classes, tardiness, absenteeism and mediocre compliance of performance tasks and subject requirements continue to proliferate (Aaron Skakun, 2009). In addition, students’ poor engagement does not just lead them to superficial knowledge acquisition of lessons but also to deviant behaviors such as gangsterism (HamrePianta, 2007; Engle Conant, 2008; Fredicks et al. , 2011). According to Dr. Villaneda A. Olang, Baganga South District Public School Supervisor, National Achievement Test scores among elementary students were low due to poor student engagement in school. Cutting classes among these students were rampant which resulted to loss of learning motivation and incidence of drop outs increased. Further, she said that students were usually forced to help their parents in livelihood activities to augment family income. Therefore, it is in this context that the researcher got interested to conduct this research in order to determine whether family involvement predicts student engagement in Baganga, Davao Oriental. As both parental involvement and student engagement are common factors in successful relationships in a school community, looking at these variables, a number of studies have been done on student engagement and its different components as well as studies done on parental involvement. A research finding emphasizes that parental involvement in children’s learning makes the greatest difference to student achievement (Harris and Goodall, 2008). However, student motivation as an academic outcome of parental involvement has only recently been explored and investigated (Gonzales-Dettass, Willems and Doan-Holbein 2005), but there has been no specific research showing how this relationship is significant. Hence, the researcher took interest to present some specific types to determine the relationship between these variables. It only shows that the present study can give specific contribution to the field of education and generates new knowledge in student engagement to change parent’s practices in school. Statement of the Problem The main thrust of this study was to determine the relationship between parental involvement and student engagement in Baganga, Davao Oriental. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the extent of the parental involvement in terms of: 1. 1 Parenting 1. 2 Communicating 1. 3 Volunteering 1. 4 Learning at Home 1. 5 Decision-making 1. 6 Collaborating? 2. What is the level of student engagement in terms of: 2. 1 Academic Challenge 2. 2 Student-Faculty Interactions 2.  3 Active and Collaborative Learning 2. 4 Enriching Educational Experiences 2. 5 Supportive Campus Environment 3. Is there a significant relationship between parental involvement and student engagement? 4. Which domain of the parental involvement best predicts student engagement? Hypothesis This study tested the following hypothesis: 1. There is no significant relationship between parental involvement and student engagement. 2. No domain of Parental involvement signifi cantly predicts student engagement. Review of Related Literature This section presents various views, arguments, theories and findingsfrom research and publications which are relevant in establishing the essence of this study. The first part of the review discusses parental involvement which includes parenting, communicating, volunteering, decision-making andcollaborating. The second part presents student engagement which includes academic challenge, student/faculty interactions, active and collaborative learning, enriching educational experiences and supportive educational experiences. Parental Involvement Increased involvement of parents and families often cited as one of the most important ways to improve public schools. A variety of studies confirm that parent involvement makes an enormous impact on students’ attitude, attendance, and academic achievement (Anderson Minke, 2007). Although some working and single parents may be unable to contribute to schools because of work commitments and time constraints (Bauch, 2011; Castro et al. , 2012; Xu, 2012), educators are discovering many additional ways that parents can help students and their schools (Edwards Alldred, 2008). To effect change, parents must find time to participate in their children’s education (Votruba-Drzal et al. , 2012) while schools must provide the supports necessary for them to involved (Weis, 2010). Children whose parents are involved generally have higher grades and test scores (Mc Groder, 2010) as well as more positive attitudes and behaviors (Xu, 2012). And schools benefit from parental involvement in that there are long-term improvements in academic achievement, more successful school programs and more effective schools (Weis, 2010; Castro et al.  , 2012). Some researchers examined the effects ofparents involvement on school engagement. (Votruba-Drzal et al. , 2012) found that parents behavioral involvement enhances students because it fosters students motivation and engagement in school. Though many studies have identified a relationship between adolescents family experiences and their levels of engagement, these studies have most generally concentrated on demographic characteristics of the family, such as its socioeconomic status (Xu, 2012; Votruba-Drzal et al. , 2012). For instance, (Edwards Alldred, 2008) found that students whose families had a higher SES showed higher levels of school engagement, where engagement was measured by how muchstudents liked school and how much time they spent on homework. While McGroder (2008), Hill and Craft (2009) and Hill and Taylor (2010) found students performance was enhanced by behavioral and emotional engagement of students and was related to strong parent-student relationship, they ignored the links between parent-student relationship and students school engagement(Xu, 2012; Castro et al.   , 2012). Paquibot (2011) expanded upon the traditional kinds of involvement by identifying six types of involvement in schools such as parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. The following indicators were taken from the revision of Mayne’ 2011,based from Epstein six types of parental involvement (Phi Delta Kappa Center for Evaluation, Develop ment and Reasearch) Epstein,J. L. , Simon,B. S. , and Salinas, K. C. (1997). Involving parents in homework in the middle class. Parenting. Research strongly supports the benefits of having parents involved in their child’s education (Votruba-Drzal et al. , 2012). Weis, (2010) states that research also indicates that parents who are involved in their child’s academic life have a profound effect on the child’s ability to learn and help instill in them an appreciation for learning that can last a lifetime. Parenting can be better manifested when parents make themselves available during the difficult times of their students. This difficulty can be academic (Castro et al. , 2012), personal (Edwards Alldred, 2008; Coolahan et al.  , 2009) or other school-related problems (Hill Craft, 2007; Hill Taylor, 2008). In addition, parenting is better felt when there is constant communication between the teacher and the parents (Weis, 2010), exemplifying supportive behaviors and statements at home and before going to school (Coolahan et al. , 2009; Hamre Pianta, 2007) and being helpful in answering childrenâ €™s assignments or projects (Castro et al. , 2012; Mc Groder, 2008). These parenting types have been linked theoretically and empirically to children’s social and emotional outcomes. (Xu, 2012; Hamre Pianta, 2007) found that school children whose parents demonstrated authoritative parenting behaviors exhibited self-motivation in preschool and positive adjustment upon their entrance into elementary school. Conversely, children of authoritarian parents demonstrated inhibited participation and lacked initiative (Mc Groder, 2008; Coolahan et al. , 2009). Permissively-parented children exhibited lower levels of self-reliance (Edwards Alldred, 2008) and achievement motivation (Hill Craft, 2007; Hill Taylor, 2008). With respect to the indifferent/uninvolved parenting style, Castro et al. , (2012) proposed that parenting sometimes yields the poorest outcomes among children. However, research on this construct is limited and has tended to focus on adolescent developmental outcomes (Xu, 2012; Weis, 2010; Coolahan et al. , 2009). Recent empirical research, most of which has focused on minority and lower socio-economic status families, has supported the claim that reasonable parenting style is the most developmentally appropriate and supportive parenting style (Votruba-Drzal et al. , 2012; Hamre Pianta, 2007). It is generally believed that authoritative parenting encompasses an optimal mix of both warmth and control such that children receive consistent messages not only about the expectations that their parents have for them but also the support and responsiveness they need in order to meet these expectations (Leyendecker et al. , 2010; Castro et al. , 2012). This style of parenting is thought to promote social competence in preschool because it facilitates children’s early development of problem-solving and self-regulation skills necessary for social success (Edwards Alldred, 2008; McGroder, 2008; Coolahan et al.  , 2009). Communicating. Halgunseth et al. , (2009) and Lambert, Abbott-Shim and Sibley (2013) argued that a healthy communication between teachers and parents and their children would lead to the establishment of mutual trust, expressed shared goal of the best interest of the child, the creation of a vehicle for open communication (Weis, 2010; Hamre Pianta, 2007; Harr is Goodall, 2008), and the clarification of an attitude of collaboration and problem solving rather than blaming (Castro et al. , 2012; Lambert et al. , 2013).

Atmosphere in Blessing And Island Man Essays

Atmosphere in Blessing And Island Man Essays Atmosphere in Blessing And Island Man Essay Atmosphere in Blessing And Island Man Essay The theme of this poem is very religious. This is shown from four references to religion. The first one being blessing, repeated twice, first on stanza 4 line 5 and in the title. This will imply to the reader that they are religious but not of any set religion of yet. The second one being kindly god, this shows to the reader that they are not of a Christian background and therefore are not Christian them selves. This is as Christian God would be spelt God, with a capital letter. For example the Greek gods will be spelt god without a capital letter. This would then impact on the reader that these people are not Christians even though the Dharker uses the word congregation. The poet specifically uses this language too emphasise how this village is a multi-cultural place and highlights that there is not one set religion. Congregation is a Christian word that describes a gathering in a church this may contradict her statement about god, but it will enhance the ide a of the settlement being a multi-cultural, missed religious place. In the poem Blessing Dharker uses the poetic technique onomatopoeia. The poet also uses the technique of sibilance. An example of onomatopoeia in Blessing is when Dharker says the word splash in stanza 2 line 2. Another example of this is when the poet uses the work crashes. Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it is describing as crashes sounds like the action it is describing. Crashes is describing how the water is slamming to the floor and making a crashing sound. I believe this implies to the reader that the poet is trying to set the scene in the readers mind. This emphasises how this was such a blessing and it over-exaggerates the reaction of the people and how it affects them. This helps the reader feel what the people are feeling. Sibilance is were a poet would use a word or words containing s sounds and sh sounds. An example of sibilance in the poem would be splash. This gives the effect on the reader that they are hearing what the splash is actually sounding like and this develops an atmosphere in the readers mind, to help the reader hear what the people are hearing. This will demonstrate how the people are suffering without water, when they get water it is a gift from god, s blessing. I believe that Dharker uses these two techniques combined to set an aural image in the readers mind, this is done by how the onomatopoeias are helping the reader imagine how it would be like without water and helping them imagine the sounds and what is going on and sibilance will help the reader image the sounds that are going on in this village also. The value of water to the people in this poem is very great. This is shown by the word silver is being used. Silver is a pun as it has two meanings, one being the colour silver and the other being the value of silver. The poet may have intended to use both meanings as the water is very valuable to the people. Fortune is used in the third Stanza, this is also a pun. One meaning being luck and how the people are lucky to have this blessing. Money is another meaning for fortune and the people have no money. The poet may want this to affect the reader by using both of these words and both of their meanings to make the reader think about every perspective. The structure indicates the pipe bursting, it shows how at the start it trickles out, this refers to the short sharp opening stanza which had end-stop punctuation. In the second stanza, it increases a little bit more. This will refer to the pipe building up more tension/pressure ready to burst out. In the third stanza, there is a big increase in lines and enjambment is used. Enjambment is when there is no punctuation at the end of a line and this forces the reader to read on and this helps the poem flow well. In stanza 4 the pressure of the pipe is slowly stopping, this is shown by the line length and the amount of lines, these being mainly short and not very many. Dharker gave the poem an irregular structure. The poem does have end-stop punctuation in some places and were it is not this helps the poem flow easier and is better for reading as it does not stop and start. Imtiaz Dharker uses the poetic technique of enjambment. She does this in stanza 3, line 3 and 4. Silver crashes to the ground/and the flow has found. This is an example of enjambment. This will give the poem the effect of it flowing more naturally, this gives the reader the idea of the poem flowing as water does. When the end-stop punctuation stops and the enjambment is being used this will give the effect of the stanzas flowing easier and better to make it flow as easy as water does. Imtiaz Dharker was boring in Lahore in 1954. She moved to Glasgow of a young age and now speaks and writes in English. She also speaks Indian fluently as well. She now moves form England too India a lot of the time. She originates from India but would class them both as home. She writes this poem to inform of us as fortunate and lucky people that things like this are actually happening. She is showing and informing these people who are oblivious to all of this happening and trying to make them see what she has seen and experienced. This may not be written from experience but she has witnessed what it is to live at both ends of the scale. She has been through what it is like to be wealthy and she has witnesses the complete opposite and feels she to inform us of this. This comes across not being too forcing like some charity appeals are even though this is not a charity appeal it is only telling people that these things go on and let them act how they want in any way possible. This is good as it does not become too forcing for people and they are not pressured in to something and if this affects them enough this may help them act upon their thoughts. She is trying to show us what we take for granted in England. I believe the implications of the title are that they are describing what is happening in the poem. Dharker describes it as a blessing as this will never happen on a daily basis. This is a miracle to the people of this town/village, a gift from god. Grace Nichols Island Man The main themes of Island Man are; cultural displacement, the value of water, community and freedom. One of the most important themes of Grace Nichols Island Man are how island man values water. This is shown in his name as Island Man would imply that he likes to be surrounded by water and this feels homely for him. In Blessing the value of water is also a them, this is shown by how the villagers value the water form the pipe as it is scarce in their village/town, were as in Island Man values water in a different perspective as he has grown up around water and feels it is a part of him. Freedom is a main theme and it is shown by how Island Man had sacrificed his freedom for a better quality of life in some ways. One of these ways being living quality but he has sacrificed what he loves, the sea and water for a repetitive boring life in London. He feels as if everything is too crowded and he is becoming claustrophobic. Were as in Blessing the theme of freedom is in the opposite sense, it shows how the children are innocent by how they are playing and living for the moment. Cultural displacement is shown by how Island Man is lonely and how his life is on repeat every day, where as in Blessing there is a sense of community togetherness and the children having freedom running around playing and how Island Man is on his own and is homesick. Grace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1950. She grew up their and became a teacher and a journalist. She then emigrated to the UK and is a very well known and famous poet. The dedication of the poem Island Man will imply that the Island Man is misplaced. Evidence to support this point is when Grace Nichols suggests he is of mixed nationalities when she writes Caribbean Island Man in London. She does this to make the reader feel sympathetic for Island Man as he does not where his home is. He may have immigrated for a reason and therefore is un-able to go home. She has written this poem for the reader to question Island Mans morals as he may have been confused of were his home is or were he is most welcome. Free verse gives the poet freedom to write however comfortable for them and how they think is most effective. Grace Nichols uses free verse in Island Man and this has given her to structure her poem however she pleases. An example of this is on the last line of stanza 2 when she spaces groggily, groggily away from the rest of the line. This emphasises how Island Man is feeling and reminds the reader how he feels and what time of day it is. Grace Nichols uses the poetic technique of sibilance through out the poem.[ an example of this is in the first stanza line 2 and 3. the words are sounds, wakes and surf. Sibilance will imply to the reader and will set an aural picture. This picture is that of the seas and the water, the poet wants to set this picture in the readers mind. Sibilance is also used in Blessing for the same sense, to create the scene of what Imtiaz Dharker is seeing in her imagination. This sets a good atmosphere in the readers mind in both poems. Another way in which Grace Nichols emphasises sound is when she says the word wombing. I think she uses the image of a womb to the reader to imagine what it would be like to be in a womb. This being a sanctuary of piece and maybe feeling enclosed, every sound being muffled. This symbolises how Island Man feels claustrophobic, trapped in the imaginary womb. Grace Nichols has made up this word wombing, this may have been because their was no other word that could fit her description she was trying to portray to the reader. Grace Nichols uses this peculiar use of language to show how Island Man is in-between sleeping and waking and how the sounds around him influence what he hears in his dreams. This is most probably the best word that would describe what Grace Nichols is thinking. Grace Nichols uses another technique to emphasise sound, this being onomatopoeia and it is shown by when she says the word roar in stanza 3. This is to emphasise the loudness of the cars, in his dream the cars are interpreted as the the sound of the blue surf. Similar too Imtiaz Dharkers use of onomatopoeia as she uses these to emphasise the sound of the thing she is describing. In stanza 3 she replaces the word sound, which would have made sense but she chooses to use sand. This shows how Island Man is connected with the Caribbean and dreams of being at home on the beach. Grace Nichols uses repetition in stanza 2 line 6, the phrase is groggily, groggily. This emphasises how Island Man is still half asleep. Groggy means for some to still be very tired and still be feeling like they should be asleep, this is shown in Island Man as he is feeling very tired and feels like this. Repetition will emphasise what the poet want to get across to the reader and in Island Man this creates an atmosphere of being lazy. Personification is uses in stanza 2 line 3. The sun is surfacing defiantly is the example of this. Personification is when you would make an object or thing have human features or feelings. This line shows how the sun is in the Caribbean as in London most days would be dark and overcast. In the Caribbean were Island Man feels most comfortable is where the sun would be. A point to back this up is when Grace Nichols implies it is his island. She does this when she says of his small emerald island. She does this to imply to the reader this is where he feels most welcome at home in the Caribbean with the sun sea and sand. An example of a pun is in the poem were he poet states the word emerald in the sentence of his small emerald island. Imtiaz Dharker also has a use of a pun this being silver. Both silver and emerald are describing colour and fortune/preciousness. One of the meanings of emerald being colour may be describing the green vegetation of the island, the Caribbean and England. Another meaning for emerald is how precious it is. When Grace Nichols uses his in this sentence this shows to the readers that the Caribbean is his own island at heart. This shows the connection that Island Man had with the Caribbean and how he feels alienated in London. A comparison to Blessing would be that they are using a pun for the same reason. This being to show how precious the water/island is to the people/Island Man and how the colour influences the people and Island Man. Grace Nichols uses repetition again in stanza 4 line 1. This is when she repeats the word muffling. Grace Nichols does this to emphasise to the reader how Island Man is still half in a sleeping state. This would also give the effect on the reader that Island Man is talking in his sleeping state. A link back to a quote at the start of the poem would be when Grace Nichols writes wombing. This implies a sanctuary were all the sounds of the outside would be muffled. Muffling will imply that he may be muffling into the waves/creases in this pillow. Grace Nichols chooses the phrase his crumpled pillow waves. I believe this is the best example of how Island Man is homesick and how he feels alienated in both societies. This is because Grace Nichols wants us to think of the crumples in the pillow being the peak of the waves in the middle of the clear blue Caribbean Sea. This gives the effect on the reader that when he is falling asleep all he is thinking about is home, the Caribbean therefore he is dreaming of home and is hearing sounds in London and relating them to sounds at home. For example the sounds of the blue surf is really the dull North Circular roar. He hears sounds in real life and they are interpreted as sounds he wants them to be in his dreams. On the last line of Grace Nichols states a very strong and very blunt phrase, Another London day. This is the most effective line in the poem. This is because it emphasises the monotonous feeling that Island Man has been experiencing. It is very blunt and straight to the point which makes it effective. This shows how repetitive London life is and how Island Man dreams of being in the free Caribbean. Although Blessing is about freedom and gain, Island Man is about freedom and loss. A mutual theme is water and it is emphasised in two different ways. They both create different atmospheres using different and similar poetic techniques. I feel that Blessing is a more effective poem and has more context surrounding it.

Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organized Crime - Essay Example Despite the fact that there were criminal organizations existing before this prohibition, the country experienced an upward development of strong organizations, which took advantage of the prohibition to make millions of dollars through illegal importation and sale of liquor to the American citizens. For example, a Chicago gang, the Capones, led by a notorious gangster, Al Capone, is said to have been making more than $100 million on annual basis through bootlegging of liquor and other criminal activities such as prostitution (Abadinsky, 2002). After the ban was lifted in 1933, criminal organizations that depended on income from the sale of liquor had to look for other sources of income and this brought about a rise in activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, gun trafficking and extortion among others. This paper is a critical evaluation on some of the criminal organizations in the US. Criminal Organizations in the US The US is a country, which is rich in diversity esp ecially due to the presence of high numbers of immigrants from all corners of the world. This diversity has propelled the country’s economic growth but it has also led to the emergence of numerous criminal organizations and street gangs as a result of culture importation coupled with poverty and insecurity in neighborhoods especially those belonging to the minority groups. Some of these organizations have grown in size such that they are not only operating within the US but also across international borders. Mara Salvatrucha, for example, is a transnational organized criminal gang, which is perceived as being one of the most notorious both internationally and within the US. It is estimated that the gang has more than 50000 active members, 10000 of whom are supposedly operating inside the US (Logan, 2009). The formation of this gang was motivated by the need to provide protection for its members but with time, it has deviated from its original goal by engaging in well organize d criminal operations involving drug trafficking, extortion, gun trafficking, murder among others (Logan, 2009). Mara Salvatrucha, commonly abbreviated as MS-13, begun in Los Angeles after immigrants from El Salvador, who were escaping from civil conflicts in their country met hostile communities of Mexican and African American origins, who were not willing to accommodate them in their neighborhoods. The Mexicans and African Americans in Los Angeles had well established street gangs, which kept on attacking and harassing the Salvadorians to the point that it became too much for the immigrants to handle. They were used to armed conflicts due to the civil war in their country and therefore, they had the skills and the motivation to defend them selves from armed attacks (Logan, 2009). The US authorities have had a difficult task of identifying and arresting members of this gang but their actions are highly credited for the ever increasing numbers of Mara Salvatruchans (Monteith, 2010). It is believed that the authorities have made this possible through deportation of gang members, which has made it possible for them to recruit new members from their home countries only to return to the US through illegal means to meet with members of their families and other gang members operating within

Describe a Friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Describe a Friend - Essay Example The Simpsons is, of course, the very famous American cartoon show. I understand that the show is very popular with adults in America, especially with college students. But back home when a twenty year old watches cartoons as much as Arence, most people think he did not have a fulfilled childhood. I asked him why he still watches the show and he answered, "I just enjoy it." But I think it goes more deeply than that. Arence actually arranges his scheduled around the show so that he can watch it both times it airs each day. Not only that, but he even leaves off his homework for the commercial break. And he doesn't just watch it when it comes on, but he also tapes the show so that he can watch it over and over again. He has seen the episodes so much that he will quote along with the show, speaking in a voice like Homer Simpson or Mr. Burns. The lobby where the television is located is intended for 100 students to share. Every night Arence makes his way down from the third floor, places a chair right in front of the TV and prepares to watch his show. The lobby has two couches and tables and chairs where students sit down to study. Every night everyone in the lobby kind of waits for Arence to come down for his nightly ritual.

Intelligent Design Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intelligent Design Philosophy - Essay Example Moreover, the principle of separation of state and the Church has precluded its teaching in schools. Nonetheless, creationism never really disappeared especially for those who remained to abide by the principles of Christian fundamentalism. Today, creationism takes a different shape, a shape that promises to be more scientifically in sync by underscoring empirical evidence rather than the idea of a Divine Being to explain its thesis. The concept of intelligent design emerged in the latter part of the 20th century and was founded by experts in various scientific fields. The arguments underpinning this concept attempt to point out the inability of the Darwinian evolution to explain certain phenomena. The arguments underlying the intelligent design concept are discussed in the preceding paragraphs as well as the counter-arguments of those who opposed them. Background: History of Intelligent Design The intelligent design movement is assailed as being rooted in Christian fundamentalism, a religious movement that originated in the United States and was sparked by the rise of Christian modernism in Europe in the late 19th century. The fundamentalist came out with a series of 12 booklets called collectively The Fundamentals: The Testimony of the Truth that attacked, among others, Darwin’s theory of evolution (Flank 17-21). Darwin’s Origin of Species, which was published in 1859, began to be taught in US schools and the fundamentalists vehemently fought this. Christian fundamentalist, however, declined after the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 where legal luminary Clarence Darrow acted as counsel in a test case that breached a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution. In this case, the fundamentalists were depicted as â€Å"uneducated hicks and backwoods country bumpkins† (Flank 21-24). In 1987, however, the final blow was dealt to creation science when the US SC itself invalidated an Arkansas law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in the case of Ed wards v Aguillard 482 US 578 (1987) (Young & Edis 2-3). With the death of creation science, intelligent design took its place as a theory that was foist to foil Darwin’s evolution. Conceived in the 1980s, it was the brainchild of some Christian intellectuals such as Phillip Johnson, who wrote Darwin on Trial, Michael Behe, a biochemist, and William Debski, a mathematician and philosopher, among others. Johnson subsequently established the right-wing think tank Center for Science and Culture and published a new book called The Wedge of Truth after the group’s wedge strategy, which has purportedly the overthrow of materialism as its goal. The strategy consists of the publication of books and technical and scientific materials within a span of five years to be incorporated into the public school system as well as to drum up support from their â€Å"natural constituency, namely, Christians† (Young and Edis 3). Intelligent Design: The Concept Intelligence design is a n origin-of-life theory that opposes the natural selection essence of evolution. Thus, this concept subscribes to the idea that there must be a grand ‘designer’ out there who directs the development of life because life and the universe are too complex to have merely come on their own without any entity or being guiding them. This theory directly conflicts with Darwin’

Explain How Internal And External Business Essay

Explain How Internal And External Business Essay Business is an organization or company that provides goods and services to the community. The general aim of a business is to satisfy the needs and wants of the community whilst also making a profit. In Australia business has a major impact on our everyday lives. Business provides people with employment, it boosts our economy and also it allows us to have a greater quality of life. This means it provides us with the benefits needed to lead a simple and convenient life. There are several factors that can influence a business, these factors include Internal and External influences. Internal influences include factors the business itself may have some control over, whilst on the other hand factors that the business can not control such as laws and regulations are External influences. Importance of business Business is like the blood that flows through our bodies, with out business our lives would be almost impossible. Business plays many different roles in our everyday lives. Most people either own or work for a particular business. Businesses make it possible for the community and even further places such as overseas countries to receive and sell goods and services. A business can be anything that provides goods and services to the community such as corner shops providing customers with goods and sweets and they can also be larger companies such as Nike selling shoes and clothing all over the world. Businesses allow for our economy to grow and become stronger, with out a strong economy a country can not run as smoothly as preferred. One of the main reasons why businesses are so important in our everyday life is due to the fact that businesses provide millions and millions of people with job opportunities. If businesses did not exist people will not be able to work and earn money for e veryday living. There are certain factors that can influence a business. These factors include internal and external influences. Internal influence Internal influences are influences that a business has some control over, such influences include product, location, management, resource management and business culture. 2 Product influences: These influences affect a large majority of the internal structures and operations of a business. Depending on the types of goods and services the business produces will depend on the internal structure. If the goods being produced require certain equipment, these needs must be catered to so that the business may go on with its production. Each type of business has a different set of product influence, for example a service provider will require less preparation, whilst on the other hand a manufacturer will need more services to produce the goods sold. The size of a business can be determined by the different types of goods and services produced and also the availability of technology. So from this we understand that the amount of goods and services produced by a business depends on the size of the business. Poor productivity can be seen in the article Anger at Vodafone Sydney morning herald, this impacts on the business because Vodafone is providing very poor services to their customers, therefore tempting the customers to switch to another network, taking business away from Vodafone. 3 Location influences: One of the most important factors of a business is the location in which that business is positioned in. The location can either make or break the business. Location is especially important for retail and service oriented businesses, as they need to be seen and recognized by customers. The business owner must take into consideration of where he/she chooses to locate their business The business must be in area with a good image, for eg not a poor suburb, they business must be located in a place were customers are consistently walking past and spotting the shop, for eg in the city. Another important thing is that the business must be convenient towards the customers, so that they may take the time and effort to check the place out, if the business is located in a area which is not convenient the customers may loose interest and go somewhere else. 4 Resource influences: -Basically there are 4 main types of resources available to a business, these include: Human resources Information Resources Physical resources Financial resources Human resources may be considered as the most important resource, for they are the employees that allow for the business to run. Information resources are all the actions in which the business takes to research and learn more about their situation for eg sales reports. Physical resources include all the equipment and tools necessary for running the business. Financial resources are basically what the business depends on to buy and help support their business, for example to buy new machines. 5 Management influences: There is no doubt that over time businesses and the way in which businesses are run have dramatically changed. Management has been a part of business that has been changed in an effective way. In the past there were many levels of management and hierarchy in a business that new ideas and issues had to go through, but now due to many factors such as the pressure of competitiveness from globalisation the way in which businesses are run have been altered. These days there are much fewer levels that new ideas and issues have to go through, this will result in quicker and more efficient decisions that in the long run will allow the business to focus on the way it runs. This allows businesses to adapt quicker and more efficiently to the ever changing needs and wants of consumers because there are fewer managers in which the process of decision making must go through. 6 Business culture: In reality every business has its own type of business culture, these are all the values, beliefs and ideas that are agreed upon by all employees and managers of the business. The culture of a business is shown in the way in which the business acts and performs. Business culture is usually shown in the rules and regulations of a business such as the way staff are expected to dress and behave. Culture has been proven to be a necessary tool that must be used by businesses to achieve the best out of its staff members and customers. Business culture is proven to be important in the video Australias food fight: west farmers vs. Woolworths. Coles have changed their business culture by undergoing management change, which has allowed for a different culture to be applied, and this has proven to be successful as they are now basically ahead of Woolworths. 7 Internal influences have an extraordinary impact on business in Australia. They include every thing from were the business is located to how the business is run. The location of a business basically is essential for the success of the business, depending on were it is located, it must be convenient and visible to customers. If it is not located in a convenient area customers may not be able to get to the business and purchase from it. The management of a business is the way in which the business is run, in order to have a successful business it must be under good management and the necessary actions must be taken when they are called for, for eg if employees are needed to be cut off, due to lack of financial sustainability. So basically it is essential for businesses to be affected by internal influences in a positive way. External influences External influences are factors that a business may have little or no control over, such factors include: Economic, financial, geographical, social, legal, political, institutional, technological, competitive situation and markets influences. 8 Economical influences In Australia and the rest of the world, the economy experiences economic cycles. These cycles include booms and busts (recession). Basically during an economic boom the economy experiences higher levels of employment, they may be so confident in their sales that they may increase the price of items to gain higher profits. Also during booms wages of employees tend to increase as more profit is being made by the business. However the economic cycle does have its down side, such as when the economy is experiencing a recession period. An unfortunate reality of recessions is that employment rates decrease due to the fact that the business is not making enough sale profits to keep their employees. Another effect of recession is that business may not be able to raise the price of their products because people are not purchasing so they may have to even lower prices to continue to compete in the market. The influences of economical factors are shown in the article Petrol prices soar and no r elief in site. Due to the poor economical status prices are raised and customers may not be able to purchase petrol at this price. Another ecomical influence can be seen in the radio article impact of floods on grocery prices 2GB, Sydney, this impacts on the business because all the crops are being destroyed making it impossible to make a profit, with farmers not making profits the economy will suffer and be under pressure. 9 Financial influences Financial influences impact a business in several ways. due to deregulation which is basically the extermination of government regulation in an business, Businesses are now able to improve competitiveness with each other. Even better, now due to globalisation, Australia is now able to trade goods overseas, further more improving the financial sustainability of the country. 10 Geographical influences Geographical influences impact businesses in many ways. Australia is located in the Asia-pacific region, the economical statuss in these surrounding countries are very important in the interest of Australia. Basically if china is doing well, it may be able to trade goods and services with Australia creating an advantage for both countries. Another thing is that a lot of Australian companies are located in the Asia-Pacific region, so the countries must be economically doing well for the Australian companies to survive. Also the demography of the country has a significant influence on businesses, for eg Australia must be run to suit people of all different cultures, ages and sexes. One major demographic impact on Australia is the ageing population, with an ageing population there must be centres and facilities created for elders. Also with people retiring, their jobs will need to be completed by younger people, who may not be as experienced as the retired worker. Globalisation is also an important fact of geographical issues, due to globalisation Australia is not tied down just to trade goods and services throughout Australia, but how ever to do so around the entire world. The impact of globalisation can be seen in the video picking up an Aussie apple, we see that Australia is beginning to import overseas apples to Australia. 11 Social influences Social influences have an sever impact on the success of a business. For eg as time goes on peoples taste in fashion and trends will change. If businesses do not adapt to these changes they may be affected in a very negative way. In order for a business to make a profit they must take into consideration all the new fashions and trends going around. One other major social influence is the influence of of our environment which is basically wearing away day by day, businesses must always consider what is in the best interest of the environment, for eg not giving out plastic bags after a sale. One final issue is the issue of family-work practices, as women give birth they must leave work, and this may result in the business losing an employee, affecting in the production of the business. An example of social influences can be seen in the article Petrol price soars and no relief in site, With the rise of petrol, the people in society may decide that instead of using cars, they can probabl y save money by using public transport or riding a bike to work. 12 Legal influences Businesses can not just do as they please. There are many legal actions that influence businesses and basically tell them what they can or cant do. With more and more laws being passed onto businesses, the business must adapt their company to what the law is telling them to do. Generally the people of a society expect that businesses may run under the rules and guidelines provided by the law. Businesses must be aware of all the laws so that they may not breach them and pay the penalties. 13 Political influences Even though political influences may not be the most affective factors onto a business, they still have a pretty heavy impact. For eg whenever a new election Is held, the new government may introduce new policies. A policy that was introduced in 2000 was the goods and services tax, this was a 10 percent tax on the supply of most goods and services used in Australia, this affected businesses in a way that they had to collect taxes basically on behalf of the government. However deregulation has also been introduced in the picture in the past few decades, this is the removal of government regulation in industry, and this takes pressure off businesses and allows for a greater range of competitiveness. 14 Institutional influences Three institutional influences on business are government, regulatory bodies and trade unions and employer associations. Government: Three levels which are federal, state and local. Federal government deals mainly with issues such as tax, making sure that the taxes are being paid and also things such as how the businesses are running in according to the customs regulations. State governments deal with lower case issues such as workers rights and responsibilities such as OHS requirements and making sure businesses are abiding by the state laws and trade practices Local government deals with issues such the condition of building and making sure of improvements, parking rules and fire regulations Regulatory bodies; These bodies observe and understand the way that businesses deal with certain issues and how the business treats its community and consumers. Examples of regulatory bodies include: the Office of fair trading and the Australian competition and consumer commission. (ACCC) Other institutional influences are Trade unions and Australian stock exchanges, these groups have aims such as improving working conditions and pay rates. 15 Technological influences Technology without a doubt has had probably one of the most affects on businesses. With new technologies being invented and discovered every day this can only help improve productivity and efficiency for businesses. Technology has allowed for robotic machinery to be used in productivity which in the long run cheapens the cost of productivity as no employee or has to be paid. Robots also help to reduce the amount of boring and repetitive jobs that some humans may have to do. Also communication technology has been improving rapidly over the past few years making it even easier to communicate with suppliers and consumers, with out them actually being there. Businesses must strive to use the available technology to the best of their ability so that they may keep up or even be ahead of competitors. 16 Competitive situation influences These influences may be very helpful and useful to both consumers and producers, for eg when two businesses are competing to be the market leader, they will lower costs of their stock to attract customers. As a result they will be making more sales and more importantly a profit. These competitive situations also benefit consumers because with competition in a market there will be a greater range of goods available for consumption, this allows the consumer to get a wider variety of choice when considering the good or service they want. Competitive situations are shown in the video Australias food fight: west farmers VS Woolworths as these companies are competing with each other to get the most customer satisfaction, It also discuss how the affects of globalisation such as Aldi here in Australia also competing amongst the big guns. Another example of competitive situation is shown in the article Anger at Vodafone, with Vodafone giving such poor services, customers will want to change to another network providing greater coverage. 17 External influences have a major impact on our every day lives in Australia, with all the different types of factors such as social and technological influences our lives are affected on a day to day basis. If external influences did not exist we would not be living in a society were goods and services from all around the world are accessible to us for our own usage. External influences can be both positive and /or negative for example, competitiveness in the market allows for a variety of options for consumers to choose from but contrasting the effects of external factors such as geographical issues involving the weather can have a negative affect, for eg flooding in farms or drought seasons. Conclusion As mentioned in the executive summary above, business can be compared to the blood in a living organism, it is essential for our everyday survival and living. Business allows us to live the pleasures and entertaining lives that we live each day. Internal influences summed up can be recognized as influences that a business can control whilst external influences are those factors that the business can not control. Internal influences for eg can be explained as factors that a business can use and apply to help determine the success of their business, such as the location in which they choose to place their business. External can be explained by using the example of a economic recession, this can affect the business in many negative ways such as letting employers go. So summed up we can say that business is essential for everyday living and it can be broken down into two different types, Internal and external, and it can be concluded that they basically determine how the business is run and how successful it will be. The end  Ã…’

The Importance of Educational Improvements in California Schools Essay

The Importance of Educational Improvements in California Schools â€Å"The competitiveness of Americans in this global market is coming to depend †¦on the functions that Americans perform—the value they add—within the global economy.† United States citizens devote a significant portion of their incomes to educate future generations through the taxes they pay, and the resultant expenditures of federal, state, and local governments on education. As the epigraph of this essay suggests active participation in a competitive global economy will be required of future tax payers, if we (the people of California) desire to create an environment in our state in which individuals can continue to pursue personal, public, and economic growth. The California Educational Master Plan puts it this way. â€Å"If unity, equity, quality, and efficiency are to be achieved, the Governor, legislature, and people of California must provide the required financial resources.† Moreover, as those responsible for implementing this plan work toward educating the diverse student population of California for a variety of ends—citizenship and economic participation among them—it behooves teachers, administrators, and poli cy makers to consider carefully the practical implications of the linguistic diversity of California’s students. This seems especially urgent when we consider the importance of meeting students at their actual level of knowledge and ability, while looking toward developing them into full participants in the American experiment. Specifically, stakeholders must consider the variety of developmental categories and other characteristics of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds if we are to improve teaching and learning in California’s ... ...engagement and research into best practices for teaching LEP students a top priority instead of leaving new teachers struggling to â€Å"reinvent the wheel† in California’s multi-cultural classroom. Such a commitment can only benefit students, the profession of English, and the body politic as a whole. If we fail to teach LEP students comprehensively and explicitly to succeed as English speakers and writers we are undercutting our own political and economic futures. Moreover, a lack of ESL teacher preparation represents a failure to realize the uniqueness of ESL speakers and writers within California’s complex (56 distinct languages) teaching environment. And while many teachers will not be called upon to teach an entire course in ESL writing, the fact that 1 out of every 4 students is an English Language Learner is something no serious English teacher can ignore.

Explore the Theme of Kingship and Ruling in Sophocles’ Antigone.

In Sophocles’ Antigone, the audience experiences a catharsis wherein sympathy and fear is evoked for Creon, a tragic hero whose Kingship was spoilt by corruption, human fallibility and pride. Throughout the play, Creon has demonstrated how even rulers with a strong moral stance can still fail in their attempts to do good, unfortunately due to exceeding the limits of their humanity. To begin, the tragedy that befalls Creon as a man devoted to his country and to his religion seems to feel undeserved.Creon declares â€Å"whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing† as an expression of his loyalty to his State; the dramatic element is accentuated through the term â€Å"nothing† which reverberates off the script in an echo that demands the viewer’s reverence and attention. In this way, Creon’s stance on leadership is magnanimous because Creon no longer works on the order of his family’s needs but on the order of the Go ds and his state.To highlight this, we see the chorus exclaim: â€Å"the king of the realm is coming†¦ whatever the gods are sending now†¦ / what new plan will he launch† The significance of this â€Å"realm† is interpreted as something divine yet disconnected from humanity, so as to highlight Creon as merely a servant to the Gods. In this sense, Creon is a character that is empathized with for his respect towards the Gods, thus his actions can be attributed to the will of the Gods. â€Å"Exactly when did you last see the gods celebrating traitors? Inconceivable! exclaims Creon, whose actions are characterised by a morality modeled after their will. A modern audience will interpret the duty of the King to come as a direct order from the Gods, therefore whatever law Creon enacts, and whatever cause he chooses to pursue, would have been the Gods’ law. The question thus arises: was Creon’s tragedy truly of his own doing? The authority of the King diminishes when put into perspective with the Gods, and the audience can view how even a man of superior rank can still be thwarted by the almighty powers of God.This, as a result, can reinforce a feeling of fear, or caution for those watching. However, one question seems to question the purity of his intentions: â€Å"Am I to rule this land for others—or myself? † Although, contextually speaking, this question was meant to demonstrate his loyalty to the state, it does include dark, subtle undertones that could reveal Creon’s hidden intention. The hyphen in the ending of the question â€Å"—or myself? † seems to delay the response and give a slight hesitance to Creon’s speech.The question stands: does Creon make decision because he believes it is best for his country? Or does he rule because the influence of power has enabled him to act upon his own bias? Creon’s kingship creates an extension of itself with Haemon, whose â€Å"flesh and blood† describes how profoundly connected Haemon is to his father. The tie between Creon and Haemon explores how kingship challenges both the emotional and human relationship between father and son. Perhaps he invests so much of himself into the idea of â€Å"father and son, the same blood† that a part of him equally dies with his son.Haemon has been included into Creon’s life as an indispensable structure, a piece inseparable piece from the framework of Creon himself. In fact, Creon cries to the â€Å"harbor of Death† asking â€Å"why me? why are you killing me? †, thereby portraying how the blood link that connects both father and son is interwoven in their lives so that one life is married to the other. Creon describes himself as a â€Å"shattered† man after the death of his son, thereby illuminating his vulnerability as a flawed human being.As such, the audience, witnessing his fall, can experience a heightened catharsis knowing a man of such supremacy can crumple so easily and in such a wretched fashion. It is implied that Creon himself has the power to shape Haemon’s destiny and his duty as a person by â€Å"produc[ing] good sons—a household full of them, dutiful and attentive†. Creon describes his son to be â€Å"bred and reared† for a specific purpose. Both terms â€Å"produce† and â€Å"bred† create the effect of a human fabricated at certain specifications.This puts Creon in a state of authority not only over the mores his son must live by, but the way his son is formed as a human being, which is eerily reminiscent of the divine authorities and the power of the fates to write out a person’s destiny. In a sense, Creon compares the greatness of his sovereignty to that of the Gods, thus portraying how his power is a prerequisite to his hubris. Moreover, Creon establishes dominance over other men using his title as King, naturally elevating him beyond the rank o f mortal men.To demonstrate his frightening autocracy, Antigone claims that â€Å"[the chorus] would praise me too/ if their lips weren’t locked in fear†. This fear of Creon is further bolstered by powerful oratory, which Creon uses as a tool in commanding his people’s patriotism and emotions. The expressive visual imagery characterized of Creon’s speech can turn a traitor into a fiend who â€Å"thirsted to drink his kinsmen’s blood. † The impact of the words â€Å"thirsted† and â€Å"blood† stress this graphic image of death and blight, which Creon manipulates to kindle hate and passion in his people against Creon’s enemies.Although a ruler is meant to serve the state and protect it, Creon uses his rhetoric to advance his own beliefs—a decision characterized by greed. What is debatable about where Creon’s sense of leadership is whether he is doing this as an act of greed or an act of what he believes is co rrect for the state. Leading on from power, the audience understands that Creon’s arrogance comes from the notion that his power ennobles him beyond the ranks of mere humanity. They see him gain much more authority as a saint, savior or being closely linked to God.His sentries all address him as â€Å"My lord† and Creon is able to issue death sentences to reinforce his superiority. Creon uses terms that are definitive of a person’s fate, despite the fact that he has no control over their fate in any substantial way: â€Å"Not a word of hope—your doom is sealed. † The precise diction of â€Å"doom† recalls the notion of a terrible fate that stretches beyond the mere human life, and forwards into the dark murkiness of afterlife. To pronounce it as â€Å"sealed† is to imply it is fixed; Creon uses this to strike fear in the heart of Antigone, yet it also presupposes that our fates, once written, are unchangeable.The dramatic irony that c omes with Creon proclaiming this as his fate is being written heightens the tragic ending of the play—the Katastasis. Creon’s arrogance could be seen as a shift in character from what the audience knows of Creon in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Creon once proclaimed, â€Å"if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of balance† as a display of humility and rationality. Before his reign as King of Thebes, Creon understood the natural traits found in a good leader involved a sense of poise and understanding of one’s own limits.Yet, once he had possessed â€Å"the throne and all its powers†, there was a change in character. â€Å"All its powers† incorporates the idea of excess and abundance, which is characterised as hubris, therefore the audience might feel a sense of fear for the upcoming and inevitable demise that may come for Creon. Naturally, when this power is questioned, Creon’s insec urities begin to appear and after some time, become more pronounced and irrational. Creon expresses his shame and his exasperation of Antigone’s defiance through the terms â€Å"laughing, / mocking us to our face with what she’d done†.These words hint to a sense of stigma that comes with a woman defying the rules set out for her by the authorities that govern her. Drawing from the cultural context of Sophocles’ play, women were mainly viewed as inferior beings—often they were weak or even dangerous, which makes the defiance against the state and Creon’s edict more grave and scandalous. Creon portrays his fear of being diminished by a woman through his cry: â€Å"I am not the man, not now: she is the man / if this victory goes to her and she goes free. / Never! † because essentially, her freedom would mean his defeat, which in the end would blemish, or even completely fracture, his stature as an omnipotent ruler. Moreover, Creon become s erratic as he is faced with his flaws as a human being. When he is first notified of his errors by a sentry: â€Å"Oh it’s terrible when the one who does the judging / judges things all wrong†, he retaliates in a unnecessarily cruel manner: â€Å"you just be clever about your judgments— / †¦ you’ll swear your dirty money brought you pain. Personally, his cruelty can be interpreted as a defensive insult inflicted to shield himself from the truth of his humanity. This interpretation is supported by the way Creon storms off by â€Å"turning sharply†, as his actions seem to portray a sense of flinching (characterized by â€Å"sharply†) annoyance. This same effect is particularly seen in Creon’s dialogue with Tiresias after he is told of his fate. Creon’s language becomes more infused with anger and insecurity, making him appear weaker: â€Å"you shoot your arrows at my head like archers at the target—† He seem s to refute his own guilt, and justify imself as a person of superiority: â€Å"are you aware you’re speaking to the king? †, which makes him appear untouchable. Creon’s spite is felt through his sharp intonation of â€Å"Spit it out! † and â€Å"lust for injustice! † His reaction to his fate up until his concession is characterized by defensiveness and verbal insults, which can highlight how much of his power and glory he is afraid of losing, Creon becomes frightened by the prospect wherein he would have to concede to his hamartia and undeniable fallibility as a human.The main purpose of these effects is to illuminate Creon’s very human flaws: his insecurities, his paranoia of being thwarted by a woman of lesser importance, and his irritable temper. These flaws consequently form the nature of his demise and conclude the circle of his journey as the Tragic Hero. Essentially, his kingship has brought upon him his downfall because power is ins eparable from vanity, and vanity became the hamartia of the Creon’s character.

Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia Essay Example

Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia Essay Example Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia Paper Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia Paper From Suffering to Suffrage As Mary Wollstonecraft once said, â€Å"I do not wish them to have power over men, but over themselves. † In this quote, â€Å"themselves† is referred to as women of course. It is somewhat customary to pick up a paper in today’s light and perhaps see read about Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, or First Lady, Michelle Obama, even media specialist, Oprah Winfrey. The list could go on and on, but the point remains the same. If King Hammurabi of Babylon were living in today’s world and saw how dramatic the power of women has transformed over the years, he would perhaps declare himself Queen of Babylon. Kevin Reilly accurately depicts the struggling role of women from this early period of civilization through Assyrian law, a palace decree, and Hammurabi’s Code. The first text that is mentioned by Reilly, is that titled, Assyrian law. These codes tell us many things about the role of women in early civilization. The following code comes from two official documents that were from an empire based in Mesopotamia as far back as 1,100 B. C. E. The Assyrian law which will be discussed first, gives knowledgeable understanding of the attitudes of the men towards the women in that time period. The Assyrian law introduces many different concepts relating to the role of women during this early civilization. The first concept considers the daily attire of a woman upon presenting herself in public. â€Å"Wives of a man, or [widows], or any [Assyrian] women who go out into the main thoroughfare [shall not have] their heads [bare]† (Reilly 34). This Assyrian law calls for the wearing of a veil, when seen in public. Although in the United States you would be hard pressed to find a female wearing a veil, it is not uncommon to travel out to the Middle East and witness this occurrence. This rule applied to not only the wives of the husband but any existing daughters that wish to go out into the main. The status changes quite a bit when describing the role of an unmarried woman. It was said that any unmarried woman was to leave her entire head bare when walking out into public. A prostitute as well must be bare while addressing the public. The Assyrian law had a way of putting the prostitutes, and unmarried women below the status of married women, and then married women also found themselves on an entire level below men. There were evere consequences to any prostitute who decided to wear a veil. â€Å"They shall not take away her jewelry, but he who has seized her takes her clothing; they shall strike her 50 blows with rods; they shall pour hot pitch over her head. † (Reilly 34). This quote is very powerful in the way that these acts which occurred often back then, would not be anywhere near tolerated today. The physical pain that the female would endure in t his process, not to mention the embarrassment of being stripped of all clothing leaving only jewelry, would be more than enough to relegate the role of the female. Perhaps the most disturbing part of the Assyrian code involves the tormenting of a slave that chose to wear a veil in public. The slave would be brought to the palace and stripped naked only to have her ears cut off. This is an extreme punishment that is unheard of in today’s terms. These punishments do serve a purpose however, in showing how the role of women in early civilizations was nearly absent. A palace decree was issued by the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser. This decree mentioned the harsh punishments that would take place to man if he entered the palace without first being castrated. If an official knows a man is not castrated who enters the palace, then both the man and the official are subject to harsh punishment as well. â€Å".. they shall amputate one foot of each of these officials. † (Reilly 34). The interesting part about the palace decree would be how it fails to mention the role of the woman of the early civilization; it fails to even notice she existed. The woman was treated so unfavorably that it was not even a thought of whether or not she could gain entry into such a prestigious palace. The palace decree shows how the role of a woman from this era was basically absent and not in effect. In the latter part of Reilly’s text there is another code that shows the role of women in early civilization. Hammurabi’s code is a text that gives us an idea of people’s sense of justice and proper punishment. The concepts discussed in Hammurabi’s code include family, marriage, economics and contracts. From the family and marriage passage it was said that if a woman is wayward or unruly in an attempt to declare herself free from any marital relations with the husband she would receive harsh punishment. â€Å"†¦they shall cast that woman into the water. † (Reilly 60) This is a severe punishment and shows how limited a woman’s role was during the early civilization. In today’s world there would never be any punishment for a woman refusing to marry a man. Today, the role of a woman has drastically changed from being almost suppressed to more of an imperative role. In the economics and contracts portion of Hammurabi’s code it was said that a daughter or wife could be put up for debt services for up to three years. â€Å"†¦they shall perform service in the house of their buyer of the one who holds them in debt service for three years. † (Reilly 60). This slave like description of Hammurabi’s code is something that is not existent and has not been existent ever since the abolition of slavery. Back in the early era it was permissible to allow another buyer to acquire the services of a wife or daughter if there was an outstanding obligation that needed to be fulfilled. Times have changed dramatically for the better for the role of women, and if Hammurabi’s code was still in effect today it would be hard for people to take it seriously. Kevin Reilly did a remarkable job in using various texts to help illustrate the limited role of women back in the early civilization. The Assyrian law and Hammurabi’s code especially contributed the most to help portray the way that women were treated and thought of back during this early era. Women could not be trusted and were always placed on a level below that of a man. Today things are different and women have become a powerful force that lead different political and social sectors in the country. It is safe to say that the role of women has changed and has changed for the better for women. Instead of women not having power over anything including themselves as seen in the early civilization, they now have a well developed role in society and an immense power over themselves.

Drugs, controlling the trafficking

Drugs, controlling the trafficking Free Online Research Papers I believe the curtail of submissive drugs anywhere should become illegal. Drug trafficking involves negative criminal activity where ever it is. Drugs involves gangs and gang violence. The thought of allowing drugs filtrate near neighbors fowl represents in a negative manner. For example; drug use in America has filtrated havoc and hatred wherever evil lurks. In America; drug trafficking controls gang territory where it becomes unmissable. The drug lords who control over people keeps threat to the controversy of poising the minds of the youth. Drugs are easy and it works. It becomes easy to get drugs anywhere because it is universal and illegal. Drugs are so subversive I have seen 3rd graders bring it to school to share with their friends. Weed is is not a burden when used as a pain killer by common people instead of going to the doctor. Cocaine illegitimacy is in favor amongst American athletes. The media uses drugs in movies and sports as a distraction and a burden that everyone is aware of. Once used in the media it attracts drug use amongst junior high and high school students. Drugs are so easy that a family can earn a decent income of over $30 grand in a half a year and with this choice real work does not matter. Where there is drugs, it attracts prostitution. Gangs will use girls to help promote the use of sell of drugs. The young girls sell their bodies to get drugs. Young girls will act as prostitutes at even an early age of 8 to attract the sell of drugs. If Americans are aware that drugs are a problem, how will we control the problem anywhere else? Proper representation should be considered. In Las Vegas, the west side originally had no drug problem until the projects brought drugs into the neighborhoods. In the ghetto where you see them drive BMW or Jaguar cars and no one in the family works, you wonder why police become suspicious of how the poor black could drive this car. It is where you have leaders of the church like pastors, ministers who want men out of jails who commit these crimes and they promote the use of drugs in some of the churches. I t is where innocent people are killed through drive bys to debate and ask for truth and Gods calling. How could we in this country support the use of drugs when the drugs are being poured into this country by whites or people who have the money to support drug trafficking by the police and politicians. Any government who defines drugs illegal we need to find ways to stop the sell of drugs. If drugs became legal nothing would change. Peoples lives would still be effected negatively neutral. Do we want the same for Bolivia and Afghanistan? How do we control drug popularity and sells? Is there an answer by example? Police profiling should be allowed there with the same tough laws we have in America to clean some of the mess up. We need to be by example to promote ways of peace with its people. Research Papers on Drugs, controlling the traffickingThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseHip-Hop is ArtNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceCapital PunishmentPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresWhere Wild and West Meet

Air pollutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Air pollutions - Essay Example Firstly, one cannot begin to consider the question of whether establishing a train system would benefit the greater good without coming to a broad understanding of the fact that trains are inherently more efficient means of transportation than cars. For instance, a train is capable of moving multiple tons of cargo or passengers for the equivalent of 1 gallon of fuel; conversely a car, even at the most efficient level, requires at least one gallon to move 1 person more than 25-40 miles. Given this efficiency based argument, it comes to the central question of why trains are not utilized as a means of both saving money and the environment. The first reason for this is of course the issue of cost. It has been estimated that building a train system across the United States that would mirror train systems in Japan, Europe, or other developed regions around the world would cost trillions of dollars (High Speed Rail Overview 99). Such a program could of course be started under the logic tha t like Eisenhower’s Interstate program, the economic benefits would ultimately be repaid to the government over time due to economic gains of more rapid and cheaper transportation; however, the fact remains that the initial price tag associated with such an endeavor is so staggering that few if any politicians are willing to take up such a cause during one of the most trying and difficult economic times within the nation’s history (Boyd 38). Moreover, another factor that ties directly into the issue of cost is the level of debt that such a project would necessarily entail. As such, due to the hesitancy of the political leaders and many of the citizens to add on to an already monumental national deficit, no such project has been suggested. A secondary issue that is keeping the train from being further developed within the United States has to do with the unique culture that has seen the car become a type of iconic American symbol of freedom. Seeking to categorize this l evel of iconoclasm would be futile in such a brief work; however, suffice it to say that the car itself has become intrinsically tied to the American understanding and expression of individualism and freedom. In such a way, being a passenger on a train diminishes this feeling of individualism as everyone on the train arrives at the given destination at the same time and via the same means (Frohardt 339). Although this can of course be seen as a bit of an over simplification, it is doubtful that such a cultural understanding of freedom and transportation is likely to change within our lifetime. Although the implementation a rail system within the United States and throughout much of the rest of the world would doubtless save tens of billions of gallons/liters of fossil fuels from being burned and sent into the atmosphere in the form of carbon, the fact of the matter is that many nations are unlikely to develop these resources due to a fundamental lack of available cash with which to do so. More importantly, as one looks at the examples of modern train systems that function efficiently and hold these up as an example, one fundamental fact is noticed concerning them; the fact that each and every one of these nations or regions has shared a

Assistant rotation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assistant rotation - Essay Example I was lucky to be able to help put them in place. Then, the most important aspect about the processor is listening in order to put down on the paper. Some children’s parent did not want their kids to have fluoride, and were to follow the parent’s request. These factors included: health risk, allergy, or other medical factors. All the children behaved extremely well in the entire process. I did not have any problem performing FL to them. Subsequently, I noticed by wearing the gown, mast, and loupe might worry them a little. Because I was cheerful in the process of treatment, the children were happy to cooperate with the FLvitamin. This was because we learned about the fluoride topic in the preventive class which helped me to know how to explain simple sentient to them in order for them to understand. For me, the most important experience of this exercise was teamwork. The doctors and the assistant updated the health history for any oral lesion or cavity. We went over the paperwork and applied the FL procedure. The coordinator made sure all the documents were accurate in each block and any waste unopened FL was to be reported. In addition, I was able to take the time to interact with kids and in the process the rotation was also a great improvement on my knowledge and clinical skills. In this regard, I do not have any negative aspects to add because we all had a great experience on this wonderful