Language development with deaf children Essay

Erik Drasgow discussed in his article how important early exposure is for deaf children (Drasgow 1998). Unlike hearing children who are exposed to language early in the womb, deaf children get their exposure to language at birth (Drasgow 1998). Drasgow explains that studies show the earlier language is developed the higher children excel in language skills (Drasgow 1998). Deaf children born to deaf parents will acquire language as easily as hearing child born to hearing parents develops a spoken language (Drasgow 1998). It is vital for a child receive complete exposure to a natural language within their first twelve months (Drasgow 1998). Suppose a child does not have access to language until the age of six or seven, that child may never acquire a natural language (Drasgow 1998). Parents. Parents are the biggest influence for children, hearing or deaf. A deaf child born to deaf parents adapt language normally, because the parents know how to relate to their child. However, a deaf child born to hearing parents, who have no prior exposure to the deaf culture, struggle to learn how to communicate with their child. The absence of communication will interfere with a child’s development (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Hearing parents do try their best, but there are things a deaf child needs. The knowledge of visual and spatial relationships is a skill most hearing parents do not understand, however their child will need that understanding (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Also, we have learned that the signed language relies heavily on facial expressions and non-manual markers. If hearing parents choose manual communication they are so focused on the signs the parents lose the important facials that make up the signed language (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Deaf culture requires eye contact for a conversation to take place, because hearing parents are accustomed to calling out to children, peers, and family, the parents do not realize how necessary eye contact is for their child and have difficulty gaining their child’s attention (Easterbrooks & Baker 2002). Children, whether hearing or deaf, must have exposure, understanding, and support from family to truly adapt a language. b. Nanci Scheetz defines pragmatics in her book, Psychosocial Aspects of Deafness. She defines it as: â€Å"Pragmatics address how language is used to communicate in social contexts. It examines the rules that govern the exchange of language, and focuses on the reasons why individuals converse with each other. It delves into the realm of discourse and analyzes how speakers organize their thoughts into coherent conversations. Further more, it takes into consideration the speaker’s word choice, the recipient’s knowledgebase, and the choice† (Scheetz 2004). My understanding is that pragmatics takes a look at where a person stands in their social development. Society has social norms that must be followed. As we develop, we learn what is allowed in day-to-day conversation, but we also learn what is considered taboo. Christine Yoshinag-Itano makes an important point in her article. She explains those pragmatics are going to change for each developmental stage and the pragmatics for the spoken languages and the manual languages are going to be different (Itano 1997). In my opinion this is true. Deaf children should not always be compared to hearing children. Their development is not going to match a hearing child’s stage for stage. Hearing children have an opportunity to hear new words spoken by adults and can ask what they mean. While deaf children, especially in a mainstream setting, miss that chance because one sign has many different meanings. In the mainstream environment, an interpreter hears the new word and switches it to the signed language; the deaf child then misses what the educated word. In this scenario hearing children add a new word to their vocabulary and the deaf child sees the same signs he or she already knows. Instances such as these are why I believe hearing children have a higher pragmatic level and deaf children fall behind. c. Researchers Elizabeth Keating and Gene Mirus conducted a study on how deaf children relate to hearing children in a mainstream setting (Keating & Mirus 2003). These researchers observed deaf and hearing students at two Texas schools over a five-month span (Keating & Mirus 2003). They had never met the principles, teachers, or students prior to their observation (Keating & Mirus 2003). Their method was to get video surveillance of the deaf and hearing students interacting with each other (Keating & Mirus 2003). While reading this article, I was concerned that these researchers would not be able to understand the deaf children signing. However as I continued through the article they explained that Mirus is deaf, a native American Sign Language (ASL) signer, fluent in English, and was taught in a mainstream setting as a deaf student (Keating & Mirus 2003). Keating is hearing, a native English speaker and is a skilled ASL signer as well (Keating & Mirus 2003). These two authors had some helped from their research assistant Chris Moreland (Keating & Mirus 2003). He, like Mirus, was part of a mainstream deaf program, and is a fluent in ASL and English, but is not a native signer (Keating & Mirus 2003). These authors believed that having people who knew the cultures and languages was critical to the study (Keating & Mirus 2003). The authors discussed a point that I think is important, the difference between a hearing conversation and a deaf conversation. For the Deaf community, eye contact is key. If the signer trying to start the conversation does not have the desired recipients attention, then the conversation cannot take place because the signs would not be seen (Keating & Mirus 2003). Also, deaf require feed back during a conversation to ensure the other person understands and is attentive (Keating & Mirus 2003). Interruptions are common in conversations between two deaf persons and the understanding of space and time (Keating & Mirus 2003). Hearing conversations are different. Hearing conversations do not require eye contact or even be in the same room, also interruptions are considered rude in the hearing culture. These differences separate interaction with the hearing and deaf worlds. While deaf people have adapted ways to communicate with the hearing, hearing people still lack their resources (Keating & Mirus 2003). I think this area should be studied closely. Keating and Mirus’ study gives examples of conversations between children in a school setting. The researchers saw hearing children ignore the attempts of the deaf students to take part in the conversation by mimicking a hearing child’s actions or not knowing understanding why the deaf child is not paying them attention (Keating & Mirus 2003). However, when the deaf child was interacting the video showed gesturing to help the hearing child understand what was needed but the researchers also saw a deaf child misunderstand an incident with hearing children on a see-saw (Keating & Mirus 2003). A hearing child fell off the seesaw and fell, the deaf child thought another child knocked the other off on purpose (Keating & Mirus 2003). The researchers found that deaf-hearing relations never went past what was going on at the present moment and was much shorter than deaf to deaf relations and hearing to hearing conversations (Keating & Mirus 2003). I think this alone is cause for more research. It is not fair for children who are in the same classroom all day to not have anyway to interact with each other outside of gestures and lip reading. If a child is going to be placed in a mainstream setting other children should have the opportunity to learn ways to communicate with the deaf students. Chances are the same students are going to have classes together until they graduate; kindergarten to twelfth grade is far too long for children to go without learning signs or ways to communicate with the deaf students. Works Cited Drasgow, E. (1998). American sign language as a pathway to linguistic competence. Exceptional Children, 64(3), 329. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/201213704 Easterbrooks, S., & Baker, S. (2002). Language learning in children who are deaf and hard of hearing: multiple pathways. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Itano, C. Y. (1997). The challenge of assessing language in children with hearing loss. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 28(4), 362. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/232585838?accountid=14800 Keating, E., & Mirus, G. (2003). Examining interactions across language modalities: Deaf children and hearing peers at school. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 34(2), 115. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218136755?accountid=14800 Martin, D. S., Craft, A., & Sheng, Z. N. (2001). The impact of cognitive strategy instruction on deaf learners: An international comparative study. American Annals of the Deaf, 146(4), 366. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214468209?accountid=14800 Scheetz, N,. (2004). Psychosocial aspects of deafness. Boston: Pearson.

Close Relationships Essay

I never have been a very good communicator, be it family, friends or strangers. After reading the article â€Å"Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication† it really hit home for me. My husband and I have poor communication skills. We have been together for the past six years, and we still have a problem commutating. He likes to take over the conversation, or cut me off when we are talking. I feel at times that he is talking at , not to me, or he is making me feel like I don’t have a clue on what it going on. He has at times actually told me that I just don’t know as much as he does, therefore his ideas and suggestions should be followed, and not questioned. This has honestly caused a huge amount of arguments and constant disagreements. My lifestyle is so busy I communicate and think very quickly and a lot of the time I guess I expect people to know what I mean without fully explaining it. In my observation over time, people seem to communicate better with strangers than they do with family members. I feel that when communicating with strangers one tends to give more detail, because you never know how a stranger will understand what you are trying to communicate. â€Å"People commonly believe that they communicate better with close friends than with strangers. That closeness can lead people to overestimate how well they communicate, a phenomenon we term the ‘closeness-communication bias,’ (Keysar, 2011) I found this sentence very interesting. A wife who says to her husband, ‘it’s getting hot in here,’ as a hint for her husband to turn up the air conditioning a notch, may be surprised when he interprets her statement as a coy, amorous advance instead,† (Savitsky 2011). It has become very clear to me that even though I may communicate something to my husband, at times when he doesn’t seem to understand, I get frustrated, I plan to try a lot of the communication tools I have learned in this class to try and help clean up my communications with my friends, family and co-workers. â€Å"Our problem in communicating with riends and spouses is that we have an illusion of insight. Getting close to someone appears to create the illusion of understanding more than actual understanding, (Epley, 2011)†. I actually had this situation happen to me last weekend. My husband and I were working in the yard, he was fixing a sprinkler wire, and I was replacing sprinkler heads and drip lines. We were both doing our own things while still working in the yard. I thought everything was going great, then out of now where, my husband says, that I don’t appreciate the effort he is putting into helping â€Å"Me† in the yard. I was completely blown away. I said in a defensive tone, that I didn’t know I had to tell him thank you every time he does stuff around the house. I went on to say that it is his house to, so why do I always have to thank him, or ask him to do things to help out around the house. I know that I could have handled this situation differently; however it really gets tiresome to always have to tell him I appreciate every single little task that he completes. I had another situation between my husband and myself over the weekend. I was talking with him about hanging up our American flag, I asked him if he knew where my curtain rod went, I explained to him the one I was looking for, he finds this small rod and says that he wanted to use that one, I told him I already had plans for that rod, and the one I was looking for was perfect. He continued to take the rod that I did not want to use and put the flag on it, and they tried to hang it up. He kept telling me to just come and look at it. So after telling him for the 7th time that I didn’t want to use that rod, I went to look at it. It was too small and would not hang correctly, I told him that again, and he got pissed off at me, and told me to never ask him to help me do anything ever again†¦ I was pissed that he wouldn’t listen to me; it is always his way or no way. When this happens, it is very easy to become angry with my spouse because we expected them to understand what we meant or said, to listen and try to understand. As couples, we want to believe that we are on the same page all the time because we are so close. Whether we are face to face, back to back, in another room, or on the phone with each other, misunderstandings can and will happen without further questioning from the other spouse. When something is said, it is the other spouse’s responsibility to make sure they are clear in what they are hearing. Without this tactic, there will be misinterpretations between the spouses. This creates unhealthy communication between the spouses. My spouse it not a good family man, he prefers to do what he wants, when he want too. This tends to be a huge problem for our relationship. When my spouse gets mad at me for not listening to him, he starts making threats, like I mentioned earlier, don’t ever ask him to help again, etc†¦ So, I stop including him in those things, then he starts going through all kinds of changes because of it. He would say, I support you in anything you do. Then he would vent like crazy about our life not being the same anymore. Your self-image, in turn, results in your level of self-esteem, the beliefs and feelings you have about yourself. Self-esteem has two primary components: a sense of self-efficacy or your personal effectiveness and a sense of your personal worth and self-respect. However, your self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem are not destiny. You can also enhance your self-esteem through affirmations and positive self-talk, (Sole, 2011). You can build your self-image and your self-esteem by successful experiences. Your successes create self-confidence, which enables you to take on new challenges and continue to increase your self-esteem in an upward spiral of success. It is critical that one learns to communicate accurately; it will help all your relationships become stronger and be successful.

Education in Japan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Education in Japan - Research Paper Example In some cases, reformers have explicitly pointed to education system to have an important link to the creation of more efficient and effective learning environments. However, some of these studies also point towards an increase in psychological problems and many societal issues among Japanese children today. Numbers of studies have proved strong relation between extraordinary high standard of education system and activities of private schools and psychological problems in students of elementary schools in Japan. (Fullan, 35) As long as a child is in Junior High School in Japan, he can only attend the school which is located near their home. (Stevenson, Azuma and Hakuta, 210) Though, senior high schools can be attended anywhere within a city: this leads to a competition between schools, every student becomes willing to go to the best school and every school looks to get the best students of the city. More than 25% of senior high schools in Japanese cities are owned privately, that shows the degree of the competition at higher levels schooling in Japan. This is the time, when Japanese parents are ready to pay substantial amounts of money to make their children get admission in the best school. According to a survey, 1,073 students of private schools of Japan were observed. Out of them about 67% studied visual and arts subjects such as music, painting, abacus and calligraphy. About 25% of these students attended 3-4 times/ week, and rest of the students about 18% attended these classes 5 or more times in a week. Results showed that increasing attendance of these classes produced dizziness, alteration in sleep pattern and several other psycho physiological problems. Such results warn educationalists and parents both of adverse effects of these extracurricular activities. (Matsumoto, K. Kaku, R. Nakagawa, K and Kaneko,

Strategic Human Resources Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Human Resources Plan - Essay Example Strategy formulation is one of the ways of achieving this objective. It has the capability of transforming the organization. It is very important that the human resources of the business are aligning with the business model in order to support the organization's objectives (Baki, 2004). There are a variety of HR strategies that Ford can use; some of the firms use a combination of this in order to accomplish their goals. That strategy should be implemented which is likely to have a significant impact on the workers productivity and an impact on the human resource of the company. Ford is the world's fourth largest and one of the most successful automaker therefore it needs a strategy that will have a global impact and facilitate the entire organization across the globe to benefit from it. E-HR model is one of the ways of making use of the technology in order to control the human resource of the organization. This strategy can save costs and make the system a lot more efficient and enhance decision making in the organization. Its software and computer based tools can help the company in measurement, planning and controlling process. Ford is the world's fourth largest and one of the most successful automaker therefore it needs a strategy that will have a global impact and facilitate the entire organization across the globe to benefit from it. E-HR model is one of the ways of making use of the technology in order to control the human resource of the organization. This strategy can save costs and make the system a lot more efficient and enhance decision making in the organization. Its software and computer based tools can help the company in measurement, planning and controlling process. Suggested strategy and tactics for the function Ford is the world's fourth largest and one of the most successful automaker therefore it needs a strategy that will have a global impact and facilitate the entire organization across the globe to benefit from it. E-HR model is one of the ways of making use of the technology in order to control the human resource of the organization. This strategy can save costs and make the system a lot more efficient and enhance decision making in the organization. Its software and computer based tools can help the company in measurement, planning and controlling process (Daft, 2001). Improvement in the organizational performance Like technology has made work a more lot easier in various other fields it has also in HR management. With the inclusion of e-technology in Ford there would be less paper work involved as most of the work will be computerized. The company can benefit from the e-learning tools; there can be online tracking systems and assessment tests for the employees. Accurate data will be generated by the computer which can help in decision making for the senior management through the use of six sigma tools and the supply chain techniques and keep a track of the progress and need for improvement. This kind of information is helpful in maintaining employee retention, compensation and assessment decisions. if the implementation is effective then this strategy can have its long term impact on the HR because the use of technology has made work more efficient, fast and informed decisions are made closer to the customer. Larger data bases help to reduce the failure rate and increase the quality of decisi on making and alert the management in advance of any upcoming threats or problem so that timely action can be taken. Therefore the impact on this on Ford is going to be high (Hakala, 2008) . Key action items This strategy requires the implementation of technology and human resource information system in all the HR processes. Up to date technology and software are expensive and require training in order to be used effectively by the

Nuclear Medicine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Nuclear Medicine - Research Paper Example r radionuclide, which is in a bond with a supplementary molecules (such as, peptide, protein, or drug) or particles, that cumulates in the required tissue or organ after introducing it in the patient’s body through inhalation, swallowing, or injection (National Research Council, 2007). Depending on the characteristics, different radiopharmaceuticals are used for different diagnosis and treatment processes. Radiopharmaceuticals generally discharge beta or alpha radiation. As beta and alpha radiations are more effective than the gamma radiation that is used in diagnosis process, they are widely exploited in the most nuclear medicine procedures (National Research Council, 2007). The preparation of patients for nuclear medicine processes varies according to the type of examination or test. However, there are certain standard guidelines which are required to follow while preparing the patient to ensure the accuracy of tests. There is no need of special preparations for the scans associated with the inflammatory, bones, pulmonary, brain, lymphatic and renal systems (Patient Care, 2014). However, specific drug allergies are required to be noted by means of Diamox for brain scanning. For the scans associated with the gastrointestinal system, patients are required to fast for at least 4-5 hours (Patient Care, 2014). Some such scanning tests need pre-medicating as a part of a preparation. Further, cardiac tests consist of fasting of at least 4-5 hours prior to the test and persantine stress test need no consumption of caffeine for at least 24-30 hours before the test (Patient Care, 2014). Thyroid scanning needs pause on the consumption of specific medications befo re the scanning. Also, patients are required to inform their physician about the own medical history and present medications before going through the nuclear medicine procedures (Patient Care, 2014). Nuclear medicine is a painless, affordable, and safe mode of collecting medical data that would be otherwise

Diversity Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Diversity Management - Essay Example Diversity management was considered as the best method in handling this particular situation in the workplace that concerns multiculturalism. Generally defined as the â€Å"systematic and planned commitment by organizations to recruit, retain, reward, and promote a heterogeneous mix of employees,† diversity management offers policies that would handle the various ethnic minorities in the industries such that their needs and competitiveness are met by the industry. Its theories and techniques were applied and further developed by a large number of officers, training specialists, consultants, and even academics to enhance its strategies in order to adapt to the multicultural work environment. Diversity management was thought to help improve organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage to organizations if managed well. But instead of fixing the dilemma of multiculturalism in the workplace and as well as the individual needs of the ethnic minorities in the workplace, div ersity management were found to have its concealed effect that further made the situation more difficult for them. Moreover, there are at the same time some issues that need to be addressed brought about by this new trend in the industries. Racial discrimination is one of the most common and the most prominent issues that rises above all others. Various ethnicities that are now associated with the industries globally, face different forms of discrimination that prevents them from realizing their fullest potentials in the workplace. What they have now is a continuing struggle against racial discrimination that limits their chances of attaining the highest possible role in the company they are connected with. Since its focus is more on the individual differences of each minority, diversity management contends with the individual roles as well as the role of each ethnic minority in enhancing labour productivity, innovation and efficiency. This further challenges and limits the development of an organizational structure that encourages a heterogeneous workplace environment. Diversity management's excessive focus on the individual and unique strengths based on his ethnicity confronts one's ability of integrating and associating himself in the group. (cited in Tomei, 2003) Diversity Management and Valuing Individual Differences in Europe/UK Equality among the members of a multicultural organization or industry remains as the most critical part in management strategies. And the introduction of diversity managem

AS Unit F911- Communication in care settings Coursework

AS Unit F911- Communication in care settings - Coursework Example The receiver must then respond to the message given to them. As an example, when the practitioner wants to convey information about a particular health situation, they may first tell the patient the condition that they have found through testing and other means. They may next send the family to a website that gives more information about the disease or condition, and they would probably provide written handouts about the disease or condition. These are all effective ways of communicating to the patient. Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication, also known as body language, is a type of communication that people convey to one another on an unconscious level. This level of communication goes back and forth between two people who are talking to each other all the time. As an example, an individual may be sending a verbal message to another person. Person one is conveying the information and person two is listening. If person two does not like what person one is saying, or they ar e feeling uncomfortable with what is being said, they may cross their arms. This is a signal to the other person that something is going wrong with how person two is receiving the message. If person one recognizes the body language, they can ask the individual if they are feeling uncomfortable and they can talk more about the issue so that person two finds a better comfort level. Nonverbal communication is a system of cues from one person to another and there are fiver roles they can play (Segal, 2011): 1. Nonverbal communication can repeat a verbal message or add emphasis to it. Often, people will use hand gestures as they are trying to make a specific point which can add emphasis to what is being said. 2. Noverbal communication can contradict what an individual is trying to say. For example, the individual may be saying that they are happy about a situation when in fact, they are feeling nervous. Their eyes or the fact that they are fidgeting may show that they are uncomfortable w ith what is being said. 3. Nonverbal communication can substitute for a verbal expression. As an example, when sending a message of empathy, showing empathy with the eyes, or with a warm smile can convey more than stating how someone feels about a situation. 4. Nonverbal communication can compliment what is being said. A caregiver who rubs the back of someone who is feeling depressed while they are telling them not to worry can be comforting to the individual hearing the message of bad news. 5. Nonverbal communication can also add an accent to the communication. As an example, someone pounding their fist on the table while conveying anger would accent the message that was given. Nonverbal communication is essential to an understanding in patient care because the practitioner must understand how to read the body language of their patients and/or the family so they can better serve their needs. Verbal Communication Most people are familiar with verbal communication because it is how w e talk to each other. Verbal communication can be quiet or loud and it can serve the purpose of getting information across to a patient and/or their family members. When verbally communicating in care settings it is important to use simple language, make sure that the pace of the conversation is not too fast or slow and it is important to use short sentences (NVQ Made Simple, 2010). The reason these things are important is

Surveillance for protection or surveillance for control Thesis

Surveillance for protection or surveillance for control - Thesis Example Despite the fact that surveillance has been necessitated by serious underpinnings such as security, law enforcement and technological advancement, there is still a considerable ambivalence towards the same, with a larger fraction being indifferent about the same, with others resisting. This paper explores the concept of surveillance as it applies to art within an ethical or a necessary tool in combating social ills. Recent developments in the world have continually advanced the idea of huge benefits that is apparent with a network of technology, and the impetus to this implies that people should appreciate and participate rather than protest. Each and every person is wired differently and the mysterious artist Bansky represents a form of post modern reflexive, this means that they have a self awareness and soberly part of a process of individual perception and that of the society in a deconstructive manner1. That is they will never accept the state of affairs as provided, but will have a reason to go against the establishment. However, surveillance given its benefits remains controversial, as privacy rights fall deeply in the interest and considerations of many a people. In Britain, for instance, the use of surveillance and surveillance cameras, especially the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras immediately appear to be helpful in abating, arresting and thwarting crime. Nonetheles s ethical considerations for the use of surveillance cameras have been a thorn in the flesh of the establishment, particularly profiling of certain people who share similar features. The case for more protection and security in the midst of increased terror activities directed towards western countries, and the need to put behind bars those deemed by the society as being harmful towards mutual coexistence is equally strong. Though surveillance of persons in Britain is

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Case study - Essay Example In this facet of marketing, creation of an up-to-date customer database can save time, money incurred for traveling or communication and physical strain of frequent visits. Moreover, it ensures repeated business as the database regulates proximity with select customers. The process of making a customer database involves the stages like selecting customers to enroll in the list and keeping the track of customer data, studying buying capacity and needs of the customer, collecting details of contact information and buying habits of the target customer etc (Stones & Jacobs, 10-12). These stages simplify the progress of the business volume in direct marketing by all means. Direct mail plays a vital role in formulating direct marketing business. It is the most effective way of advertising where large numbers of customers are addressed at a single unit of time. Business people of various trades and organizations with personal relation activities use this technique to stimulate and maximize the potential response of the target groups. Almost everything in business is possible through advertising via direct mail system. The preparation and maintenance of a customer database helps in the operation of a very effective time-scale in the business process. In most cases, direct marketing is to be prompt and quick active for the stability of the business flow. Intact business volume levels are met by the application of an effective time scale. It promotes the pace of operation the time involved in each activity is bound to a scaled time pattern required for accomplishing a job. Scheduled activities only can create credibility of the business unit among its customers. This faith improves sales and the trade volume of the organization increases with a combination of values. Recognition of the product in the market is guaranteed by the value of service

Explorer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explorer - Essay Example Little did we know that this peculiar personality of his could be a problem solver and even a life-saver. This happened when we went hiking. We used to do an overnight hiking and do camp outs in the forest. We already know the routine of what to bring during a camping. The tent, blankets, insect repeller, even first aid kit were almost always ready for us to bring as a logistical support. For food, we bring ready to open canned goods because of its convenience. Except this once instance where one of my brilliant cousin did the grocery and chose to buy canned goods which does not have the automatic opener (the protruding level like thing that we just have to pull to open the can). Now we are the camping site, miles away from home and in a middle of a night, starving and we are presented with a problem: how can we eat our canned goods when there is no opener. No one also brought a can opener because we are used to the idea that canned goods has its own opener. It was a problem solving situation. Our uncle threw the problem to us for us to find a solution. The solutions that were presented ranged from anecdotal to ridiculous to irritating. A cousin proposed that we skip the dinner for the night as a means to fast. I was hungry and so are other cousins so nobody agreed with his idea. Another bright idea from a cousin who could put us all in danger was putting the canned goods in fire hoping that the heat inside will open the can itself. We are worried however that it might explode or we might just render the food inedible by setting the can on fire. Another idea that was suggested was to smash the can so that it will open. For sure it will open only that we also cannot eat its contents. Until Jim made his typical smirk which we already know he is into something. He brought out his fork and put it on the lid of the canned good (it was spam, I think). Then Mark get it, he immediately jump out of seat and used

Online Enrollment System of Act Essay Example for Free

Online Enrollment System of Act Essay 1. Background of the Study The need for powerful and flexible data management systems is increasing in science, engineering, business and the personnel fields. The success of an organization depends on its ability to acquire accurate and timely data about its operation, to manage this data effectively, and to use it to analyze its own activities. Nowadays, web-based applications are widely used due to their ubiquity. This universal availability of information is sparking an era of collaboration. The Internet is neither an extraordinary communications tool nor revolutionary. It simply represents the current stage in the development of human capabilities through written language, which itself derived from the spoken form (Holmes, 2006). Given its current and potential growth, the Internet, which emerged as a powerful tool for information management, has become a prodigious avenue for e-commerce, offering transaction convenience and service efficiency. Continuing innovation in technologies can lead to organizational changes that range from improvement of day-to-day operations and for easy access it provides for the end users (Forman, 2007). Many schools today have adapted this innovation. Among these are online services offered by the Western Mindanao State University (http://www.wmsu.edu.ph/) and Far Eastern University (http://www.feu.edu.ph/). Challenged for such innovation, a group of researchers have decided to conduct a study in Asian College of Technology (ACT), one of the academic institutions here in Cebu that offers ITE (IT Education) courses. Through potent marketing and advertisement strategy, the institution continues to soar its heights towards academic excellence and gains the hearts of some parents in all status, to send their children to college. To meet the demands of the large number of employee and student population, a web-based enterprise system is proposed for the academic institution which includes different sub-systems that will cater the needs to improve its service, operation, processing and other transactions critical to the institution from the enrollment procedures, storing of student permanent records and accounts, student evaluation and as well as grade management. In lieu to this, the researchers divided the enterprise system into sub-systems and each member is assigned to a particular module. The researcher decided to focus on proposing an online enrollment system which will soon enhance their enrollment process as part of the proposed web-based enterprise system. Though an existing enrollment client system, a desktop application has already been used to facilitate the student enrollment process but still a demand on a faster, systematic and more convenient way of student admission and enrollment procedures are technically vital. The study considered the prevailing process of the institution and how the current process can be modified for a more efficient and effective enrollment system. One of the factors to be considered for the proposed system is the lack of manpower to accommodate numerous enrollees, the tedious task of filling up application or enrollment forms, the inaccuracies of information provided by the enrollees, the inefficiency of selecting subject schedules and the slow process of adjusting the schedules enrolled by the students. These factors cause enrollment delay, which really affects the impression of the institution towards its clients and as well as to the enrollment personnel. 2. Statement of the Problem Asian College of Technology, as of 1st semester of SY 2012-2013, has increased its student population. The problems arises during the enrollment period were prevalent as those really affect the impression of the institution. The system seeks to solve the following problems: †¢ Lack of manpower to accommodate large number of enrollees; †¢ Tedious task of filling up and submission of application or enrollment forms; †¢ Inaccuracies of information provided by the enrollees; †¢ Inefficiencies of selecting subject schedules by the enrollment personnel to the enrollees; and †¢ Delay and tiresome processing of schedule adjustments. In order to help students and enrollment personnel to overcome the mentioned difficulties, the researcher came up with an idea of enhancing the existing enrollment procedures through an online enrollment system. 1.3 Goals and Objectives The main objective of this research is to design an online enrollment system as a response of the encountered difficulties during the course of the enrollment period. Furthermore, it specifically aims to: †¢ Provide availability of the system via web to facilitate preliminary enrollment procedures; †¢ Provide a user-friendly interface in filling up student information without the hassle of queuing; †¢ Improve accuracy by providing user data validation features; †¢ Improve efficiency by providing the student a user-interface to select the desired subject schedules; †¢ Minimize delay for processing of schedule adjustments by providing the students a ubiquitous and better system via web without the hassle of queuing. 4. Significance of the Study The proposed study will be beneficial to the following: †¢ Schools: It serves as an essential and efficient tool for improving the current enrollment procedures. †¢ Enrollment Personnel: It will provide them better facilitation, customer service and better technical assistance to student enrollees. †¢ Students: It will give an elated impression to them since the system provides convenient and hassle-free features for enrollment transactions. †¢ Researchers: It will help them in the field of automating and improving current systems and set them to discover things where technology is involved. The system provides them the opportunity to apply their skills and be able to share their knowledge through system development. †¢ Future Researchers: This may open doors for researchers related to enhance and improve online enrollment system utilizing latest and current web technologies. Further, this will serve as a useful reference and guide for further research and develop their own projects. †¢ Readers: The study may serve as valuable reference for further studies on how systems are developed and designed. Further, this may motivate them to be in the technical field and will aid them in the development of their own projects in the near future.

Light Pollution In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay

Light Pollution In Hong Kong Environmental Sciences Essay Hong Kong is well-known as the Pearl of the Orient because of its bright lights of skyline at night. It is generally acknowledged by business parties that the brighter the lights in the city, the more business opportunities they will grab. (Lau, 2012) Nevertheless, behind this glamorous metropolitan city, the overuse of outdoor lighting facilities sacrifices Hong Kongs valuable natural resources and citizens good living environment. Light pollution caused by it has been increasing rapidly and is an environmental problem, which also has similar adverse impacts as other pollution such as air, noise, plagued Hong Kong in this decade. Thus, the Government has taken a pragmatic approach to tackle the problem with an issue of Guidelines on Industry Best Practices for External Lighting Installations at the beginning of this year. (Environment Bureau, et al., 2012) However, it is deemed to be far less than enough to ease serious light pollution in this flourishing city. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to discuss how light pollution affect the environment and residents; and (2) to analyze relation between light pollution problem and different aspect which include public awareness, business and law. Background of Light Pollution Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is the alteration of natural light levels in the outdoor environment owing to artificial light sources. The increase in night sky brightness due to light pollution diminishes the view of stars and planets. (Cinzano, et al., 2000) Generally, outdoor lights initially are designed for illuminating a specific area on the ground or wall, but in reality, some light spill out to a much larger area. (Pun So, 2009) Some lighting facilities even direct upward and this cause a much more serious light pollution. In Hong Kong, according to the data collected by the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong since 2003, the urban night sky is on average 100 times brighter than the darkest rural sites. (Pun So, 2009) This indicates that high population and lighting densities can aggravate light pollution problem. Excessive use of strong spotlights for illuminating advertising billboards and huge neon signs on commercial building are the main factors of light pollution problem in Hong Kong. Other pollution sources include street lamps with poor design of lampshades and pointing direction and other artificial lighting with little regard to fixture shielding. To narrow the scope of light pollution source discussed in this paper, it will mainly focus at lighting facilities for commercial use. Adverse Impact of Light Pollution Light Pollution has adverse effect on natural environment and human beings, such as energy wastage disruption to ecosystem and health problems. (Cheung, 2010) Excessive use of lights leads to a wastage of energy. Some neon signs and lights for illuminating advertising billboards switch on even at midnight when there are only a few people on the street who may have a chance to look at the advertisements. This energy wastage may aggravate air pollution as well as global warning problem because Hong Kongs electricity is generated using coal and natural gas. (HK Electric, 2011) The generation of electricity emits carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Its increase in atmosphere causes an increase of the temperature world-wide. (Narisada Schreuder, 2004) The excessive use of lighting facilities for commercial use is not essential in our lives and this not only leads to light pollution but also other pollution problem such as global warming and exhaustion of non-renewable resources. As for ecosystem, being an important stop-over point of the East Asia-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds, Hong Kongs excessive outdoor lightings may affect migratory as well as non-migratory birds. It may disorient physiological cycles and the movement of animals. (Travis Catherine, 2004) The breeding patterns of nocturnal animals and insect populations and management of metabolism, development and life programmes of plants are also affected adversely. (Deda, et al., 2007) Human beings may also be the victim of light pollution mainly because their living environment is brighter due to the strong light pollution source such as neon sign. A brighter night area will make them difficult to have a satisfactory sleeping at night. Sleep disruption may cause irritability, tiredness and nervousness in the following day. (Wu Wong, 2012) Their immunity to disease may also decrease and in turn lead to a longer-term health risks. (The Campaign for Dark Skies, 2009) Disruption of sleeping is the most concerned adverse impact by the public since it is the most apparent effect observed in their lives. Light Pollution and Public Awareness Light pollution problem is complicated by public ignorance. In the past, the general public was oblivious to the damage being done and did not value what was destroyed by light pollution. (Berry, 1976) Fortunately, the increasing evidence of adverse effects mentioned above make people start to pay more attention on this issue, but still it is not the most concerned pollution problem in Hong Kong. When local residents were asked about which environmental issues they are most concerned in 2008, more than a half answered drinking water pollution, air pollution, and global warning. (DeGolyer, 2008) Light pollution even did not appear in the choice of answers. This may be because light pollution problem only start to get high publicity in this decade while the public has been educated about other pollution problem for a long time. Public awareness with intrinsic knowledge has played an important role in solving environmental problem. (Bickerstaff Walker, 2001) Take air pollution as an ex ample, the community at large is aware of this problem. The Government, environmental groups, individuals who are environmentalism and other stakeholders have taken a lot of actions to tackle the problem such as implementing mitigation measures, raising public awareness on this issue and trying their little effort to take practical action. Therefore, public awareness contributes to the ease of pollution even though the pollution level has not met an acceptable level yet. It may be pleasing to note that the public awareness of light pollution problem seems to be arising but this may be because more light pollution sources which are mainly from commercial parties exists in urban area. There is a growing number of people lodging complaints about light pollution to the authorities. According to the statistic provided by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr. Edward Yau at the Legislative Council in 2010, complaints about light pollution had increased from 103 in 2007 to 389 in 2009. (Hong Kongs Information Services Department, 2010) This indicates that more light pollution exists in Hong Kong and thus more people are concerned about this pollution problem because it directly affects their living quality to some extent. This increase of public awareness has helped to ease light pollution in Hong Kong. There are more people to urge the Government to have more pragmatic measures in addressing the problem. When complaints are received from abutting residents , some commercial building owners such as The One shopping complex in Tsim Sha Tsui are also willing to reduce the brightness of their lighting facilities. (Cheung, 2011) However, the level of public awareness on light pollution in Hong Kong is far less than enough for a success in solving this problem. Education and publicity measures could be used to increase it so that it can motivate the community to tackle light pollution problem with more effort. Light Pollution and Business Hong Kongs economy relies on commercial and tourism industry heavily. These two industries correlate closely with the increasingly serious light pollution problem. Commercial sector relies on lighting to attract business. So, use of lighting facilities is understandable. However, overuse and over-brightness of their lighting facilities are the main factor of light pollution and should be reduced. Business parties generally pay little attention on light pollution caused by them, even though they emphasize corporate social responsibility. Some of them think that switching off the lights required by the public will eliminate Hong Kongs economic activities at night and deprive local residents of a late dinner break. If residents nearby are not satisfied with their bright lights, they can choose to live in a dimmer district. (Cheung, 2011) So, most of them do not take any practical action to alleviate light pollution problem caused by them. Another problem is due to Hong Kongs famous skyline at night which entices tourists. A majority of tourists visit Hong Kong mainly due to its reputation on neon lights. They look forward to enjoy a spectacular night view in Victoria Harbour with many neon signs on skyscrapers on two sides of the harbour. Since Hong Kongs economy is reliant on tourism, the Government introduced A Symphony of Lights which combines interactive lights of building around Victoria Harbour in 2004 to boost tourism industry. (Tourism Commission, 2005) So, business parties may think that light pollution is only a small side-effect of flourishing tourism industry and fast economic development. These lights and huge neon signs are part of Hong Kongs culture and are often used by commercial sector and even the Government as a tool for attracting tourists and local customers to buy their product and thus stimulate economy. However, in an opinion survey conducted in 2010, people who visited areas of intensive external lighting, including tourists, customers, have a higher proportion considering external lighting signs bright or too bright than shop owners, building owners and property management. (Policy 21 Limited, 2010) So, this indicates that business parties do not need to use such high level of brightness of lighting signs so to attract local and foreign customers. They can adjust the brightness to an acceptable level so that people nearby will not be adversely affected by them while they could still use lighting signs to attract customers. Light Pollution and the Law In Hong Kong, there is no specific ordinance with regard to light pollution. (Legislative Council, 2011) Even the public and green groups have urged the Government to introduce law to combat light pollution, which is similar to what they did to solve other pollution problems, the Government only issued a guideline, namely Guidelines on Industry Best Practices for External Lighting Installations, in January 2012. Different from an ordinance, the voluntary guideline only suggests the Government departments and private sector to have a better external lighting installations. (Environment Bureau, et al., 2012) It is deemed to be toothless to alleviate this increasingly severe environmental problem as no one could enforce business partes. (Cheung, 2011) One of the agruments for no legislation in Hong Kong is that some Asian countries which have similar economies to Hong Kong do not adopt any mandatory regulation over external lighting. (Legislative Council, 2011) However, the urban planning of Hong Kong and these countries should also be considered. Hong Kong has a relatively poor urban planning in the past because of rare land available for development, so residential and commercial buildings were always buit next to each other in urban area, such as Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui; while for other Asian countries, their business area has a clear speration from residential area. Thus, they do not need to use legislation on external lighting of commercial building to solve light pollution problem. In fact, there are many countries, such as Britiain and the United States with mandatory action in regulation of external light. (Legislative Council, 2011) Hong Kong Legislative Council should consider the citys special culture and take partia l approach in mandatory regulation, such as only restricting the applicability of regularoty framework to new lighting installation. In addition, the light from huge neon signs and flashing lights on the top of commercial buildings can even bleed into residential flats nearby with double curtains on windows. This problem cannot be solved only by the residents. Even though they compain to relative authorities, the officials cannot reduce the brightness of the pollution source due to lack of ordinance. So, one of the reugulation may empower the officials to enforce commercial buildings to mitigate their light pollution source to an acceptable level after a complaint about their lighting facilities is lodged. As a result, the citys culture City of the Night will not be altered a lot after the introduction of law regarding external lighting. A mandatory approach to solve light pollution problem should be much better than a voluntary guideline. Conclusion Light pollution has been a widely-discussed topic in Hong Kong in this decade. There has been a call to the Government for working in full swing to map out strategies to solve this environmental problem effectively. A series of short to long term measures, including education, publicity and law enforcement should be implemented. Apart from the Government, all sectors families, communities and public and private organizations at every level must also recognize their roles in alleviating light pollution problem in Hong Kong. In fact, the environment is a public resource that requires collaborative efforts of the whole community to conserve. It would be pleasing to note that everyone is enthusiastic in solving this problem and in the near future, we will create for ourselves and our further generation a better and light-pollution-free city in which to live and work.

Market Demand For Gasoline Economics Essay

Market Demand For Gasoline Economics Essay a) Analyze the market demand for the product or service and draw the demand curve. In the demand curve you are required to show different amounts of quantity demanded at different price with quantity in the horizontal axis and price on the vertical axis. Mention 3 factors that can affect the demand for this product or service. The product that I choose is gasoline. Gasoline is elastic goods which means, the quantity demanded for gasoline are respond greatly when the prices is changes. Market demand means by adding together the quantities demanded by all individuals at each price. The graph above has shown the market demand for the gasoline. MARKET DEMAND FOR GASOLINE Price of gasoline Lisa Mira Market demand 1 12 8 20 2 9 7 16 3 7 6 13 4 4 4 8 5 3 2 5 6 2 1 3 7 1 0 1 DEMAND CURVE FOR GASOLINE From this graph, we can see the relationship between the price and quantity is negative. At price $4, the quantity demanded for gasoline is 8 units. When the price increasing to $5, the quantity demanded has decreasing to 5 units. And when the price has gone down to $3, the quantity demanded for gasoline has increasing to 13 units. We have 3 factors that can affect the demand for gasoline. Firstly is the average income of consumers. When people income rises, consumers tend to purchase more automobile. So, the demand for gasoline also will be increases. Secondly is the size of market. When the number of population is high, people tend to use more gasoline for their transportation. Example like, in Malaysia, we have 2 million people. So people tend to use 25 times more gasoline than Singapore only has 1 million people. Lastly is price of related goods. Availability of related goods or complementary goods such as natural gas will affect the demand for gasoline also. b) Analyze the market supply for the product or service and draw the demand curve. In the supply curve, you are required to show the quantity demanded at different prices. You are also required to name 3 factors of production for the good or service you choose. Market supply is the sum of all individual supplies at each possible price. Gasoline is elastic good for supplier. The graph above has shown the market supply for the gasoline. MARKET SUPPLY FOR GASOLINE Price of gasoline Diana Catherine Market supply 1 0 1 1 2 1 2 3 3 2 3 5 4 4 4 8 5 6 7 13 6 7 10 17 7 9 11 20 SUPPLY CURVE FOR GASOLINE The 3 factor of production for gasoline is: Land. It includes the soil, rivers,  Ã‚   lakes, ocean, mountain, forest, minerals and resource.   Capital. Capital goods are classified into four. Firstly is fixed capital, secondly, circulating capital, thirdly is free capital, and lastly is specialized capital. Labor is an exertion of physical, muscular strength, ability and mental efforts of individual. What is equilibrium? Find the equilibrium price and quantity of the product or service and draw its graph. You need to explain what happens when there is a surplus for this product or service and show it in a separate graph. Equilibrium refers to a situation in which the price has reached the level where quantity supplied equals quantity demanded. At that equilibrium, there is no tendency for the price to rice or fall. Equilibrium price means the price that balances quantity supplied and quantity demanded. The equilibrium price is also called the market-clearing price. On a graph, it is the price at which the supply and demand curves intersect. Equilibrium quantity means the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded at the equilibrium price. On a graph it is the quantity at which the supply and demand curves intersect. EQUILIBRIUM Price of gasoline ($) Quantity of demanded Quantity of supplied 1 20 1 2 16 3 3 13 5 4 8 8 5 5 13 6 3 17 7 1 20 THE EQUILIBRIUM OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR GASOLINE GRAPH FOR SURPLUS Surplus occurs when the price more than the equilibrium price and the quantity supplied more than the quantity demanded. There is excess supply or a surplus. Suppliers will lower the price to increase sales, thereby moving toward equilibrium. Refer to the graph above, we can see the surplus occurs when the price increase to $6. At $6, the quantity of supplier is 17 and the quantity demanded is 3. Thats means, at the price, the suppliers want to sell more than demanders want to buy. When price of gasoline at $4 and the quantity supplier is 8 units, we call it equilibrium because at this price, the quantity of demand and quantity of suppliers is equal. When surplus occurs, we will loss in revenue and price will gradually falls to reach a state of equilibrium as suppliers will lower their price. d) Using the secondary data, show the changes of the demand and supply of these goods and service in the past and explain the result in word and then draw a graph. The price of gasoline in year 1973 has decrease to 1.5 dollars per gallon, compare to the previous year; in 1967 the price is 1.8 dollars per gallon. Then, in year 1975, the price has goes up to 2 dollar per gallon. That time we call is the first oil shock occurs. And then, the second oil shock occurs in 1983 with the price increases to 2.8 dollars per gallon. In 1985, the price of gasoline has decrease to 1.4 dollars per gallon and then its decrease the price to 2 dollar gain in 1990 when the first gulf war occurs. Lastly, in 2004, when the war in Iraq occurs, they have not many changes to the price of gasoline. The graph above has show the fluctuated price of gasoline. Refers to the graph, we can see the demand of gasoline has decreases when the price has increase because gasoline is an elastic goods. People can use gas when the price of gasoline increases. The supplier also increases when the price of gasoline is increases. GRAPH FOR GASOLINE 2) Distinguish the difference between normal good and inferior good? Give 3 examples for each. Normal good is a quantity demanded for a particular good or service as a result of changes in the given level of income. A normal good is one that experiences an increase in demand as the real income of an individual or economy increase. To define a normal good is by calculating its income of demand. If this Coe-efficient is positive and lower than one, the good is considered to be a normal good. An example of normal good is: luxury cars mobile phone Television. Inferior goods means a type of good for which demand decline as the level of income or real GDP in the economy increases. This occurs when a good has more costly substitutes that see an increase in demand as the societys economy improves. An inferior good is the opposite of a normal good, which experience an increase in demand along with increases in the income level. An example of an inferior good is: public transportation hamburger Secondhand television. In your opinion, is diamond a normal good or an inferior good? Justify your answer. Diamond is a normal good because when the income raises, the demand for diamond also rises and vice versa. Diamond is such one of the luxuries good. Only some people who have a high income are afford to purchase it. Beside that, when the price of diamond is fall, the demand for the diamond will be increases. Thats means; people are willing to buy a diamond when the price is going down. Thats what we call a normal good. c) Product x and y are substitutes and product y is an inferior product. What is the effect of an increase in the income on the demand of product y? How the change in the demand of product y affects the demand for product x? Draw the diagram for both product x and y and show the changes of demand curves in them. Product x and y are substitutes and product y is an inferior product. When the income increases, the demand for product y will be decrease because when the consumer has a high income, the demand also increases. They prefer to choose a normal good compare to the inferior good. Lets say, when the incomes are normal, consumers prefer to eat a hamburger, but when their income increases, they prefer to go to restaurant to eat a healthy food. Thats means, the demand for hamburgers are decreases when the income rises. When the demand of product y is decreases, the demand for product x will be increases because consumer are consume to buy a product x much more than product y. It can show at the graph below: Product x Product y 3) The table below illustrates how the total utility that Ahmed derives from eating ice-cream changes as he consumes more and more ice cream each day. Fill in the table above. Ice-cream Total utility Marginal utility 0 0 0 1 12 12 2 22 10 3 28 6 4 32 4 5 34 2 b) Draw a diagram and explain the law of diminishing marginal utility for Ahmed. Law of diminishing marginal utility for Ahmed i) Total utility ii) Marginal utility The law of diminishing marginal utility means, as the amount of a good increases, the marginal utility of that good tends to diminish. When we consume more and more good, our total utility will grow at a slower and slower rate. Growth in total utility slows because our marginal utility diminishes as more of the good is consumed. For Ahmed, at one consumption of ice-cream, the total utility is 12 and the marginal utility or their satisfaction is 12, but as he consume 2 or more ice-cream, the marginal utility has falls. By the law of diminishing marginal utility, the marginal utility falls with increasing levels of consumption. 4) Differentiate market economy, command economy, and mix economy. Market economy is a system of allocating resource based only on the interaction of market forces, such as supply and demand. A true market economy is free of governmental influence, collusion and other external interference. We also call it a laissez faire style. The individuals and private sector firms make major decision about production and consumption. Thats a private ownership of resources. The price and market systems are used to coordinate and direct economy activity. Consumers would determine and influence the producers decisions to produce goods. In this form of economic organization, firms, motivated by the desire to maximize profit, buy inputs and produce and sells output. Household, armed with their factor incomes, go to markets and determines the demand for commodities. The interaction of firms supply and household demand then determines the prices and quantities of goods. Command economy is an economy where supply and price are regulated by the government rather than market forces. Government planners decide which goods and services they want produced and how they are distributed. Sometimes we call it centrally planned economy. That is a public ownership of all recourse. Decision making is through central economic planning. Everything is controlled by the government. Mixed economy is an economy system in which both the private enterprise and a degree of state monopoly coexist. All modern economics are mixed where means of production are shared between the private and public sector. We also called it a dual economy system. Mixed economy is a dominant form of economic organization in noncommunist countries. Mixed economies rely primarily on the price system for their economic organization but use a variety of government interventions such as taxes, spending and regulation to handle macroeconomic instability and market failures. b) Do you agree with the contention that mixed economy is the best of all the three system? Yes, I agree that mixed economy is the best of all the three system because in a mixed type economy, both, the private ownership as well as the state takes part in the means of production, distribution and other type of economic activities. The mixed economy allows private participation in the field of production in an environment of competition with an objective of attaining profit. On the contrary following to the socialism features it includes public ownership in production for maximizing social welfare. Simply in such type of economy there is the presence of private economic freedom with centralized planning with a common goal of avoiding the problems associated with both capitalism as well as socialism. In this system, the freedom in the economic activities are influenced by the government regulation and licensing policies.

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Hamlet is Truly Sane :: The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

Hamlet is Truly Sane In William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, we meet an interesting character named Hamlet. His father is killed and he finds out it was his uncle who murdered him. This, among other events, is believed to drive Hamlet insane. But he is not insane, he merely puts on an act because he craves attention, and is really quite sane. There are little incidents that tell the truth of his state of mind. He plans ahead, before doing something important. He acts in a calm and rational manner (most of the time) when planning, and when carrying out this plan, acts irrational. Everything he does is done for a viable reason; there is a purpose to what he does and why he does it. Also, Hamlet is aware of what is going on around him, something someone insane would not see. Hamlet plans ahead before doing certain tasks. When the acting company comes along, Hamlet talks to himself discussing that the play will bring about the conscience of the killer. He thinks of a play where a man is killed by someone close, something that resembles Hamlet's father's murder. This was not done in a state of insanity, and it was not spurr-of-the-moment idea. Hamlet thought this through and planned it out ahead. People insane do not think to plan ahead and do not act in rational manner. When Hamlet does act irrationally, it is in front of people; it is as if Hamlet wants the world to think he is insane. But maybe his reason for acting insane is legitamite.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of Hamlet's actions are done for a viable reason. He does not go off and do random acts of violence or anything of the sort. When Hamlet was going to kill Claudius the first time, he stopped himself, because Claudius was in confession. If Hamlet had killed him there, all of Cladius' sins would have been wiped away, and Hamlet feared sending him to heaven, so he would wait for a better time to kill Claudius. When Hamlet was arguing with his mother and Polonius approaches, Hamlet assumes it was the King. They scuffle, and Hamlet stabs Polonius. Hamlet thought it was the King, a viable reason, just not true. The most important reason to prove Hamlet's sanity is that he is aware of what is going on around him.

The Jazz Age :: essays research papers

The Jazz Age   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of the influential artists of the past came from the jazz age such as Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Basie and Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Cab Calloway, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, and many others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frank Sinatra was dominating the scene in 1947. He had a voice that was carefully articulated, and had meaningful quality that could make everyone feel that he was sending a private message in his songs to everyone in the audience. It was not however a happy scene. This was widely known as Sinatra’s career skidding down. His personal appearances were gone along with the screaming fans. His once top charted recordings were now near the bottom, if they even placed at all. His contracts with filmmakers and record dealers were thinking about dropping him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sinatra’s problems were due to a few factors with his career. One of them was the fact that he held friendships with Mafia bosses, and his obvious womanizing of all fans and press. There were outside sources too, including the introduction to newer singing styles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sinatra wasn’t the only one hurting during this time. The big band swing era was on its way out too. The bands started taking strike after the war and singers became the main attraction as apposed to the band. People were paying more attention to the singers as the main performer and the band were placed somewhere less needed. Sinatra had been undermining the band swing era that had been his foundation. Sinatra’s orchestra was the foundation of his career and what had originally made him famous, but by 1947 his orchestra was no longer in existence. For several years Sinatra kept singing expertly but he was very modest about it. His musical career was instant and fantastic, and he was once again a superstar reaching a status that is so great.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1948, Billie Holiday was at her peak, physically and musically. Surprisingly the main reason due to her transformation was her spending time in a federal reformatory for the possession of narcotics. While she was in the federal reformatory she was stripped of her narcotics and because of this she lost her pudginess and became a strikingly beautiful woman. Even after not singing for so long her voice was retained and was said to be even richer and more refined than before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Billie Holiday was unable to work at nightclubs because of police restrictions with performers with criminal records.

The Sinking of the Titanic :: essays research papers

Introduction The R.M.S. Titanic sideswiped an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912. Estimated to be able to stay afloat for 2 days under the worst scenario, the ship sank in less than 3 hours [Gannon, 1995]. Main Cause for Sinking The iceberg created a 300-foot gash in the Titanic's hull above and below the waterline. Structural Errors That Accelerated the Sinking Steel brittleness Tests on Titanic's steel showed that the steel had high sulfur content, which increases the brittleness of steel by disrupting the grain structure [Hill, 1996]. This increase in brittleness contributed to the severity of the hull's damage. Titanic's steel showed high levels of oxygen, which leads to an increased ductile-to-brittle transition temperature. For Titanic's steel, that temperature was determined to be 25 to 35 degrees C [Hill, 1996]. The water temperature that night was below freezing. The wrought iron rivets that fastened the hull plates to the Titanic's main structure also failed because of brittle fracture during the collision with the iceberg. Low water temperatures contributed to this failure [Garzke and others, 1994]. Shipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Midsection Contributing to this failure in the midsection was the design of Titanic's huge spiral staircase. The staircase not only weakened the midsection's structure, but served as a means for water to pass up through the ship. As it filled with water, the bow submerged, raising the stern out of water. When the stern reached an angle of about 45 degrees, the stresses in the ship's midsection (15 tons per square inch) caused the steel to fail and the bow to rip loose and sink [Gannon, 1995]. Conpartments The lower section of the Titanic was divided into sixteen major watertight compartments. Actually, the compartments were watertight only in the horizontal direction--their tops were open. After the collision, six watertight compartments began filling with water. Soon, water spilled over the tops. Scientists have concluded that the watertight compartments contributed to the disaster by keeping the flood waters in the bow of the ship [Gannon, 1995]. If there had been no compartments, the incoming water would have spread out, and the Titanic would have likely remained afloat for another six hours. Human Errors that Accelerated the Sinking Captainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mistake Captain E. J. Smith had not slowed the ship's speed that night, although the ship's wireless operators had received several ice warnings. The ship was moving at more than 22 knots. Crewà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mistake The sea was a "flat calm," a rarity for these waters.

Poverty: Causes and Effects Essay

I. Introduction Most of us today experience the feeling of being poor. It might be in material things or in monetary matters. We can even see the people around begging just to live. It can somehow be the picture of our corrupt government. Officials don’t see the thirst and hunger these people are experiencing. They just think of themselves. Thus, worsening the increase of those people in the poverty line. Isn’t bad to look after our country full of beggars? Asking for pennies and food to eat. We might not be effective in terms of monetary problems, but at least we can give them the feeling of love and care. The supply of basic needs can be restricted by constraints on government services such as corruption, debt and loan conditionalities and by the brain drain of health care and educational professionals. Strategies of increasing income to make basic needs more affordable typically include welfare, accommodating business regulations and providing financial services. Today, poverty reduction is a major goal and issue for many international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. The English word â€Å"poverty† came from Latin pauper = â€Å"poor†, via Anglo-Norman povert. There are many definitions of poverty depending on the context of the situation and the views of the person giving the definition. Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life. II. Literature Review The individuals who are most at risk of developing problem drug use are those who are at the margins of society. They are individuals who are socially and economically marginalised and disaffected from school, family, work and standard forms of leisure. However the relationship between these factors and drug use is not linear. For example although the majority of problem drug users may have experienced a number of these problems the converse may not hold true; that is, individuals who are economically and politically/socially marginalised will not necessarily become problematic drug users. Neale suggests however that particular sub-groups of the population such as the homeless, those who have been in care and/or excluded from school and those in contact with the criminal justice system or mental health services are more susceptible to the various risk factors and that drug misuse is more prevalent among these particular groups (Neale 2002). According to Spooner (2005) the social environment is a powerful influence on health and social outcomes. In this context drug use and related problems result from the complex interplay of the individual and the environment whereby social institutions or structures can influence the environment in a manner that can influence drug use and related problems. Societal structures include government policies, taxation systems, 11 laws and service systems such as welfare, education, health and justice. As such increased attention to the ‘social’ determinants of drug use is required. People from all backgrounds and classes take drugs for many reasons: for pleasure, to treat physical or emotional pain, for stress or anxiety, or because their friends do. But the pattern of who develops a drug problem and encounters other problems shows a close link between drug misuse and social exclusion. The first signs of the link between problematic drug use and social exclusion became apparent in the US post-war period as some of the big cities encountered the first shocks of de-industrialisation. A series of studies by the Chicago School of Sociology showed clearly that poverty and decay in inner cities were the key causes of the heroin epidemics of the 1950s and 1960s in New York, Chicago and other US cities. In the 1980s those same factors helped to fuel the crack epidemics in the US. An influential study by Parker et al (1986) undertaken in the Wirral during the 1980s showed the average prevalence of heroin users across the peninsular was 18.2 per 1,000 among 16-24 year-olds. But the spread ranged in different districts from zero to 162 per 1,000. The variation in geographical prevalence was highly correlated with seven indicators of background deprivation levels in each area: unemployment rate, council tenancies, overcrowding, larger families, unskilled employment, single parent families and lack of access to a car. A study by Dr Laurence Gruer of some 3,715 drugrelated emergency hospital admissions in Greater Glasgow from 1991 to 1996 plotted them by postcode using a standard index of deprivation (cited ACMD 1998). The admission rate from the most deprived areas exceeded that from the least deprived areas by a factor of 30, so that if the admission rate for the least deprived area had applied across the city, the number of admissions would have been 92 per cent lower. It was noted that the relationship between deprivation and drug misuse is higher than any other health variable they had studied. III. Discussion Health One third of deaths – some 18 million people a year or 50,000 per day – are due to poverty-related causes: in total 270 million people, most of them women and children, have died as a result of poverty since 1990. Those living in poverty suffer disproportionately from hunger or even starvation and disease. Those living in poverty suffer lower life expectancy. According to the World Health Organization, hunger andmalnutrition are the single gravest threats to the world’s public health and malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all case. Hunger Rises in the costs of living making poor people less able to afford items. Poor person spend agreater portion of their budgets on food than richer people. As a result, poor households and those near the poverty threshold can be particularly vulnerable to increases in food prices. For example, in late 2007 increases in the price of grains led to food riots in some countries. TheWorld Bank warned that 100 million people were at risk of sinking deeper into poverty. Threats to the supply of food may also be caused by drought and the water crisis. Intensive farmingoften leads to a vicious cycle of exhaustion of soil fertility and decline of agricultural yields. Approximately 40% of the world’s agricultural land is seriously degraded. In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its population by 2025, according to United Nations University’s Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. Every year nearly 11 million children living in poverty die before their fifth birthday. 1.02 billion people go to bed hungry every night. According to the Global Hunger Index, South Asia has the highest child malnutrition rate of the world’s regions. Nearly half of all Indianchildren are undernourished, one of the highest rates in the world and nearly double the rate of Sub-Saharan Africa. Every year, more than half a million women die in pregnancy or childbirth. Almost 90% of maternal deaths occur in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, compared to less than 1% in the developed world. Women who have born children into poverty may not be able to nourish the children efficiently and provide adequate care in infancy. The children may also suffer from disease that has been passed down to the child through birth. Asthma and rickets are common problems children acquire when born into poverty. Education Research has found that there is a high risk of educational underachievement for children who are from low-income housing circumstances. This often is a process that begins in primary school for some less fortunate children. Instruction in the US educational system, as well as in most other countries, tends to be geared towards those students who come from more advantaged backgrounds. As a result, these children are at a higher risk than other children for retention in their grade, special placements during the school’s hours and even not completing their high school education. There are indeed many explanations for why students tend to drop out of school. For children with low resources, the risk factors are similar to others such as juvenile delinquency rates, higher levels of teenage pregnancy, and the economic dependency upon their low income parent or parents. Families and society who submit low levels of investment in the education and development of less fortunate child ren end up with less favorable results for the children who see a life of parental employment reduction and low wages. Higher rates of early childbearing with all the connected risks to family, health and well-being are majorly important issues to address since education from preschool to high school are both identifiably meaningful in a life. Poverty often drastically affects children’s success in school. A child’s â€Å"home activities, preferences, mannerisms† must align with the world and in the cases that they do not these students are at a disadvantage in the school and most importantly the classroom. Therefore, it is safe to state that children who live at or below the poverty level will have far less success educationally than children who live above the poverty line. Poor children have a great deal less healthcare and this ultimately results in many absences from the academic year. Additionally, poor children are much more likely to suffer from hunger, fatigue, irritability, headaches, ear infections, flu, and colds. These illnesses could potentially restrict a child or student’s focus and concentration. Housing Poverty increases the risk of homelessness. Slum-dwellers, who make up a third of the world’s urban population, live in a poverty no better, if not worse, than rural people, who are the traditional focus of the poverty in the developing world, according to a report by the United Nations. There are over 100 million street children worldwide. Most of the children living in institutions around the world have a surviving parent or close relative, and they most commonly entered orphanages because of poverty. Experts and child advocates maintain that orphanages are expensive and often harm children’s development by separating them from their families. It is speculated that, flush with money, orphanages are increasing and push for children to join even though demographic data show that even the poorest extended families usually take in children whose parents have died. Violence According to experts, many women become victims of trafficking, the most common form of which is prostitution, as a means of survival and economic desperation.] Deterioration of living conditions can often compel children to abandon school in order to contribute to the family income, putting them at risk of being exploited, according to ECPAT International, an NGO designed to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children. For example, in Zimbabwe, a number of girls are turning to prostitution for foodto survive because of the increasing poverty. In one survey, 67% of children from disadvantaged inner cities said they had witnessed a serious assault, and 33% reported witnessing a homicide. 51% of fifth graders from New Orleans (median income for a household: $27,133) have been found to be victims of violence, compared to 3212% in Washington, DC(mean income for a household: $40,127) IV. Conclusion The main problem in our country nowadays is poverty. Many experts made a research on how to solve it. Most in the community of the Philippines are graving. But sad to say that until now it is still in the stage of calamity. Poverty happens everywhere. They think citiesmay offer them a better-off living. They think they’ll be much better off living in the cities than in their own villages, which only offer them natural resources. Being rich and having a great sum of money instantly are often the cause of massive exodus. What happens later is beyond their expectations; they become jobless, homeless, and the worse impact is that they are unable to return to their villages for they don’t even have money to return. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. Poor children are the most prone to this and are often the victims to malnutrition, deficiencies, diseases and ultimately deaths caused by hunger. The persons who are in the position must have enough knowledge about the solutions on the problem. They should make a step by step process to ensure the proper on the global major problem.

Capitalism versus Socialism Essay

Budget deficit is just one of the many factors that negatively affect the provision of most of the government projects in the society. Without the sufficient amount of government funds, building of infrastructures and other public goods would be delayed or underprovided. As we can remember, there are some goods and services that can only be provided efficiently if the government is the one who supply it instead of the private firms to protect the rights and welfare of the consumer group. If there exist under provision of these public goods, the societal welfare would negatively be affected. In this regard, there is a question on whether what should prevail in our economy, capitalism or socialism? One may say that this debate between capitalism and socialism is already a cliche, but we cannot set aside the arguments and points of each side which could give us guide us in understanding what is happening in the real world. Let me discuss first capitalism. Capitalism promotes the concentration of the government in the provision of security in the society and not to intervene in the business world. Some capitalists say that, with the intervention of the government, person who wants to establish a business enterprise is being deprived due to the policies that are being implemented by the government. For instance, legal monopoly that was given by the government to some companies hinders other people from starting their own water/electric company. This failure of other people to start their own utility business, as capitalists believe, is a violation to their freedom. Socialism, on the other hand, is extremely the opposite of the capitalists thinking. Here, government intervention is very much welcome and the society is recognizing the ability of the government to efficiently handle companies and to equally distribute whatever the goods or service that they produce to their citizens. One good example to this is the provision of government of medical services and education. Since not all individuals can afford the costs of schooling provided by private firms, what the government does is they establish public schools charging at a minimum amount. As for the medical services, the government establishes public hospitals and clinics that would provide its citizens cheaper medical services and medicines for less capable people. With this, the basic right of human, to have education and access to medical services, is being fulfilled by the government. The reason why government provides efficient goods and services is due to the fact that they are providing the said goods and services at a reasonable price unlike private firms, especially monopolists, that charges above what is socially acceptable price. Now, based from the points of these two ideologies, therefore, it depends on the situation if whether a certain government intervention is good to the society. If the government interferes in the market in order to protect the welfare of its citizens, then, there is no room for capitalists to say that they are being deprived by the government to put their own business. In addition to that, establishing another utility business, like electric company, would be very costly due to the high fixed costs that they must face. This is the reason why it would be efficient if only one would continue ‘monopolize’ the production of electricity in the country. In this regard, if there would be an under provision of public goods like education, electricity, medical services and security due to budget deficit of the government; societal welfare would surely be greatly devastated. More people would be deprived with their basic human rights and might suffer to private firm’s abusing power. Only during instances wherein the private firms abuses their power and charge high to their customer by providing inelastic goods the government initiate actions to regulate the situation. Good Economics versus Good Politics One could say that an act promotes good economics if it aims for the maximization of the satisfaction of the society or market (Sharma, 2007). On the other hand, one could say that an act promotes good politics if it is backed up by a good policy for the welfare of the majority. Most of the analysts say that good economics leads to good politics and vice versa. Others believe that it’s the other way around. The point of the latter is that, making policies that promotes the no personal interest would lead to good economics since promoting the interest of the majority is tantamount to saying that they are maximizing the satisfaction of the society or they are after for the optimal level of societal welfare (Gittins, 2004). In order for each of the said ideals to exists, it must ensure the survival of one another. It seems hard for the politicians to set aside their personal political interest for the public interest but it should be done in order to attain what is really best for the economy and for the country. One way to promote the public interest is to lessen the burdens being imposed to the public like- tax (Gruen, 2007). Minimizing the tax rate would require a long battle and endless debate but the thing is, if all of the politicians would set aside their personal interest everything is possible for the government and they could act efficiently for the betterment of the economy. In this regard, there is no point arguing what is the best for the society- good economics or good politics, since one is needed for the existence of the other. Invisible Hand Principle Advocated by Adam Smith, invisible hand supports capitalist’s view. According to Adam Smith, the government must not intervene in the market and focus only on providing security and justice system to the society. They also believe that government lessens the societal welfare with their imposition of taxes. Taxes just add up to the operational costs of the businesses that in turn being passed to the consumers. In short, the burden of the taxes that are being imposed by the government goes to the end consumers. Adam Smith believes that market systems has its own mechanism to ‘heal’ itself and move back again towards the equilibrium condition even without the intervention of the government. By satisfying the ‘selfish’ motives of producers and consumers, they are unconsciously helping each other. Therefore, increasing the taxes rate collection of the government to cover the budget deficit would be an unwise idea since it would only add up to the burden of the consumers or the public. Government intervention must have the right timing and, as much as possible, impose less burden to the consumers. As what have been cited a while ago, government intervention depends on the situation and the condition between the private firms and the consumer group. Government intervention would only be sufficient if it uplifts the welfare of the consumer group with less negative effects on the private firms. But as for the increasing tax rate scenario, it seems that, although unintentionally, the government negatively affects the welfare of the consumer group while leaving the private firms unharmed since they only pass the taxes to the consumers. In this case, it would be better if the government let the ‘invisible hand’ or the free market system to put back into order the economy. Production Possibilities Curve There are some instances wherein private firms are being restricted in passing the added costs of government intervention to their consumers. Like for instance, the imposition of tariff on importers, tariff is another income generating activities of the government aside from taxation. With the extra expenses of the importers on every unit of goods that they are importing to the country, they can now only afford to buy less of the said imported goods depending on their allotted budget. In this scenario, the business would be producing below its production possibilities curve or PPF. This means that with the existence of higher tariffs on imported goods needed by local industries, the companies could only buy fewer imported raw materials and, therefore, producing fewer number of finished products than with the optimal level of production. This situation is treated to be inefficient, but since tariff is a form of income generation of the government, the only thing that the government could do is to find the efficient level of tariff rate wherein businesses could still produce closely to their PPF. With this, the value of the efficiency that is lost from the private firms would be justified and would return to them in a form of infrastructures in a form of roads and bridges which could alleviate the efficiency of their operation. In reality, it is pretty hard to produce within the PPF due to the existence of various intervening variables and tariff is one of them. The least thing that businesses could do is to produce closer to their PPF or their optimal level of production based on their capacity and capability. Opportunity Costs With the possibility of under provision of important government services, the government cannot afford to make it happen due to the high opportunity costs involved in the case. The government might forego the value of the welfare of its citizens in exchange of the improvement of the welfare of the corporations. If the welfare of the corporations and consumer group is to be calculated, the welfare of the consumer group is surely larger than with the welfare of the corporations in the market; and in the first place, it is the duty of the government to protect and prioritize the safety and welfare of the majority- citizens of their country. Just imagine the number of students that might stop schooling with the cutting of the budget for education; the number of sick and less capable citizens that only relies on the help of the government for cheaper medical services and/or medicines from public hospitals and clinics. To make the situation worst, the government prioritizes the welfare of Iraqis than with its own citizen. It was aired in the news that the government raised the amount of budget for the ‘peace keeping role’ of the government to Iraqi people. It is not bad to help other people, but ‘think first about the welfare of your own people before the others’ since that is the right thing to do. The point here is that, the reason why the government suffers to budget deficit is due to their wrong priorities. The government must not set aside the welfare of its citizen since it would bail them higher opportunity costs.