The driving age should be raised or requirements for a license should Essay

The driving age should be raised or requirements for a license should be changed - Essay Example It is said that a sixteen-year-old teenager is not mature enough to be allowed to drive and while some people might think it sounds unfair, it has been biologically proven. The frontal cortex in the human brain is responsible for motor skills, risk taking, problem solving and emotional maturity. While lack of experience might be blamed as a cause of road accidents by teenage drivers, emotional maturity is the major reason why teenagers make bad drivers. There is a process called the spreading of white matter from the back to the front of the brain which helps in effective communication between brain cells, a process that usually takes place when one attains the age of twenty and continues until one is around thirty years of age (Gillin). It is clearly visible from this fact that a teenager’s brain does not have the capacity needed to make urgent and important decisions when driving. An adult’s brain can be able to switch on fast when an emergency occurs on the road whil e he is driving, for example, when a kid decided to rush to the road, thus saving a life. Teenagers are also more of risk takers, which become a problem when they are on the road, combined with emotional immaturity being a risk taker serves as a big problem as they will want to put themselves in situations that will be difficult to handle. While I am not advocating that the driving age be changed to mid 20’s to allow for maturity, a middle ground can be reached by raising the age from sixteen to eighteen to reduce the cases of teenage motor accidents (Bjorklund and Blasi 473). Statistics show that car crashes are the number one cause of death among teenagers in the U.S and those between sixteen and nineteen years of age were more likely to be involved in serious and fatal accidents than those aged twenty years and above. The former age had an estimated 2700 deaths and 282,000 casualties in the year 2010. It is also interesting to note that death was recorded more among male d rivers of the said age group as compared to female drivers. There were also increased chances when the passenger was a teenager and in the first six months of being given a driving license. Moreover, 56% of interviewed teenagers admitted to answering mobile phones and 13% said that they are used to sending and responding to text messages while driving and a further 17% admitted that speeding was fun while driving (â€Å"Teen Drivers Facts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Some of the reasons noted as to why teens were more likely to be at risk, most of those involved in accidents at the time had been drinking and or speeding therefore resulting in fatal accidents and even death. In addition, most of the teenagers are unable to recognize dangerous situations and therefore end up taking risks that are life threatening and for those who already find themselves in such situations are not able to act fast as to prevent any forthcoming accidents. Some teenagers do not follow the rules of the road, one ver y important rule is to give enough space or headway between your car and the one in front of you therefore ensuring that you can see the road well and reduce chances of a crash in case the car ahead of you gets involved in one or brakes suddenly.

Rise And Growth Of Communalism In India History Essay

Rise And Growth Of Communalism In India History Essay Introduction: Communalism is defined as a theory of a society that is divided into several small, independent communes and the state is just a confederation of these communes. It is sometimes said to put the interests of the community above the interests of the individual. This is usually only done on the principle that the community exists for the benefit of the individuals who participate in it, so the best way to serve the interests of the individual is through the interests of the community. However it has turned to take a negative meaning where people start promoting the interests of one community over another. Communalism believes that the people of different religions have different interests in political and economic matters, regardless of whether they belong to the same nation or province. It is divided into three stages: First: People having similar religion are intended to have similar area of interests. Second: No common area of interest among people of dissimilar religion. Third: People having similar interest from different religions are incompatible to each other because of hatred and fear of religions. In the Indian context it has gone on to mean divide on the basis of religion and ethnicity leading to communal violence instead of peace and brotherhood. Growth of Communalism in India: During the revolt of 1857, which is described as the first war for independence, Hindus and Muslims fought side by side united in their purpose of defeating a common enemy. The British noticed this unity and realized that their survival rested on being able to keep the people divided, for they had managed to establish their rule because politically India had been a divided country at the time of their entry. This realization led to the famous British Divide and Rule policy. Religion was supposed to be one of the best factors to divide the people. It is used as an influential mechanism to attain economic, political and other social activities. And British used religion as their weapon to divide the strength which India had as a whole.   Till 1870 the British oppressed the Muslims greatly for they held them responsible for the revolt. After 1870 the British changed colors and instead started favoring the Muslim community. The rise of nationalism had threatened the British power in India and their efforts obviously were directed to suppress it. Now an important feature of the national movement was that it took longer to spread amongst the Muslim community. As a result the early nationalists movement was made up mainly of people from the Hindu, Parsi and Christian communities. The British noticed the absence of the Muslims in this movement, and quickly began working on ensuring that they did not join the movement. The British began implementing policies too that promoted the activities of communal forces, and divided the national struggle. When the British opened up the administration of the country most positions were taken up the Hindus since the education culture had not spread to the Muslim Community making them feel left out and demand a special reservation. Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan, an earlier nationalist drifted towards Communalism. Communalism was also fostered through the writing of the Indian History. Socio-religious reform movements like Arya Samaj, Sanatan Dharam movements, Aligarh movement, Wahabi movement and some other fringe movements contributed towards communalism. Partition of Bengal: The Partition of Bengal in 1905 was made on October 16 by then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon. Partition was promoted on the grounds that Bengal was a very large state with a large population causing the eastern region to under-governed. However, the actual motives behind the partition were different. The position of the Bengali Hindus would be weakened, since Muslims would now dominate in the East which led to Hindu opposition to the partition while the Muslims highly favored it. This partition was one more part of Divide and Rule policy. As the partition was in favor of Muslims they welcomed it, whereas the Hindus were not in favor of it. Due to this Hindu community launched a Swadeshi Movement by boycotting the British goods. Seeing this scenario British decided to support the Hindus, this act disturbed the Muslims. It was medium to tell the Muslims to go to their homeland. Formation of Muslim League: The growing communalism led to the Muslims forming a new political party called the Muslim League in 1906. Initially it was only confined to the educated class of Muslims. At around the same time the Indian National Congress began garnering mass support from its members and also consisted of young Muslims. Mohammed Ali Jinnah one of the major forces behind the creation of Pakistan was in fact a member of the Indian National Congress till 1920. Khilafat Movement: Khilafat Movement (1919-1924) was a significant Islamic movement in India during the British rule. The sultan of turkey also known as the caliph i.e. khalifa or successor of Prophet Muhammad was considered as the religious leader of the Muslims all over the world. This was first the religious political movement in India involving common Muslims. However, initially this movement was first targeted to the educated and elite Muslims only. The goals of the Khilafat Movement were: Secure the Ottoman Caliphate Turkeys territory should be protected And not letting the Muslim holy places go under the hands of Non-Muslims. The Khilafat Movement received the support of  Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, who related his Non Cooperation Movement  with it. As major Congress leaders had joined hands with this movement the other political parties came together to support the injustice faced by the Muslims. Following were some steps taken by the movement: No involvement in the Victory celebrations Boycotting of British commodities Non-cooperation Movement with the Government. The main leaders of the Khilafat Movement were Maulana Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, famously known as the Ali brothers. They were among the leaders who used to protest from jail and their voices used to be heard through magazines and newspaper which awakened the Muslim community. The hub of this movement was Bombay, where they had their first conference wherein discussing the issues of the Movement. Jinnah, Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha: The mass popularity that the Indian National Congress was enjoying led to The Muslim League feeling increasingly sidelined. As a result the Muslim League won  only 109 from 492 reserved Muslim seats and only 4.8 percent of the overall Muslim votes  showing thereby the lack of famous assistance for the Muslim League even amongst the Muslim inhabitants. In the elections of 1937 Muslims had a good response whereas its counterpart Hindus did not have encouraging response. For example, Hindu Mahasabha had acquired only 12 seats from 175 in  Punjab. This resulted in union of the parties in order to ensure survival. This got worse in 1938 when the congress prohibited communalists from functioning within the Congress organization. Thus the congress was criticized for  preaching that Hindus were the only Nation living in  India. This led to the Hindu fundamentalists version of two nation theory. The two nation theory included Hindu Maha Sabha wherein it states that the country belongs to only Hindus and the Muslims should find their own home or should remain obedient to Hindus. And other the Muslim League wherein it states that Pakistan is the only option to protect the interest of Muslims as it has the maximum population of Muslims. After the outbreak of World War II, Viceroy Linlithgow constantly promoted the Muslim League and the  Pakistan  power was used to contradict the Congress command that the British should promise to liberate  India  after the war and as evidence of honesty, shift actual power of Government to Indians immediately. Before promising or coming to a concrete solution the British wanted an agreement between the Muslims League and the Congress organization which stated that no political settlement should be made which was offensive to the Muslims League. This agreement would give Jinnah a type of a veto power which he would use in future. Jinnah the main leader of Muslim League had a different outlook for religion and its practices. One of the major drawbacks of Jinnah was he only supported the elite Muslims whereas showing no anxiety to the low and backward Muslims. The Muslim League wanted to give all the privileges to the elite Muslims only, which was for the Muslims Landlords and Nawabs. As the Muslims were not united during the pre partition days, the aim of the Muslim League was to provoke religious passions to dedicated path. As the low caste Muslims were not given importance in the Muslim League they decided their own pathway where they from sections like North West province and South where they supported Indian National Congress. Seeing this scenario the Muslim League used violent language. Since 1870, elite Hindus like zamindars, money lenders and other leaders started an organization to provoke anti Muslims and simultaneously opposing India National Congress. Their sole purpose was to remove the Muslims from the country. For them Hindus were first Hindus and then Indians. This thought formed an organization known as Hindu Mahasabha and later was called Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hindus Mahasabha created a false impression of patriotism by using slogans like Bharat Mata i.e. Mother India and so on, which created an impression that they wanted a country without Muslims. As according to them Hindus and Muslims were a separate Nation. Following are some common features of Hindu Communalism and Muslim Communalism Was mainly for elite members like, Landlords and Kings Was supported by British, basically was in favor of British and not against the British. Both wanted a separate nation as a whole Strongly opposed Indian National Congress Hatred for each other Politics was their backbone Followed a hierarchy system Were strongly against democratic ethics By understanding the roots of communalism we must recognize that it is neither signifies religion nor patriotism as one but it signifies wellbeing. Then the religious communities are being divided into various sections like elite class low class and language it should be realized that no religious community is uniform as communalists. These particular fault lies in both Hindu and Muslims community. The Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha deliberately did not allow the low caste to participate which made linguistic culture lines which divided their religion on the basis on caste. As a result there were three main aspects which lead to the partition of India which are: British Divide and Rule policy Muslim Communalism i.e. the Muslim League representing elite Muslim leaders, zamindars and nawabs Hindu Communalism i.e. Hindu Mahasabha or RSS representing Hindu leaders, Brahmins, money lenders Post-independence: Most communal riots prior to 1947 were rooted in the policy of British colonial rulers. But after the partition, a section of the Indian elite of both sections are also blamed for the problem. Communal problems post independence has been caused many factors, some of which are: The class division of society and the backwardness of our economy resulted in unequal and unbalanced economy. It is the upper classes of the less developed communities that have enjoyed the fruits of limited growth and have hence enjoyed the political power. In order to draw support from their own communities, these leaders have always encouraged communal feelings to strengthen their political support. If we were to take a surface view of bare facts of any communal riot in India, it would appear that the riot was caused by an incident so insignificant that we would stand amazed at how such a trifling matter could cause so much Larson, loot and murder. It however does not require much thinking to know that this incident was not the real cause of the riot. The basic cause for all communal disturbances is the communal atmosphere pervading the country and the communal tension built up between two communities. The communal atmosphere provides a ready tilled soil for communal minded people to sow seeds of communal hatred and nurture them until the bitter harvest of communal riots are reaped.

Cabinet of Styles :: Personal Narrative Timeline Papers

Cabinet of Styles Wow, am I tired. I tried to go to bed early last night, but couldn't sleep for squat. So I turned on the tube. Nothing of interest was on so I turned it to MTV. It was, like, Jams hour or something so it lulled me to sleep. Around one am or so it was Headbanger's ball or Alternative Nation. The strobe flashes from the screen woke me up really fast. Damn MTV. FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH. Their music changes from Enya's soft, sweet lullabies to Dead President's traumatic, trashy rock. It's kinda like their commercials, which I see as a microcosm of that whole network. Flash things at an audience, be loud, obnoxious and downright stupid sometimes and make money of f of it. Maybe I am just cranky because it woke me up. I don't mind MTV, just not at one in the morning. Maybe VH1 is better to sleep to. Hey, maybe that's kinda what Mike was talking about in class about styles in society as related to me. Different situations demands different styles. Cool! So anyway, I should clean out that file cabinet today....no, too much work...but yet, I have nothing better to do so I may as well. Maybe if I keep MTV on while I do it, I can get through that pile of junk more quickly. 10:45 am: THE FILE CABINET God I have a lot of junk. I've kept papers from high school writing classes. As if they are worth revising...they sound so childish now. Neat, here's one I wrote in ninth grade. I have to laugh as I read it though, because I always sounded the same in my writings back then. Somehow my personality ended up being expressed through the character no matter what. If I tried to make my character into someone I wasn't the story was awkward and stilted. One of them was an essay I wrote right after a break up; the assignment was just a character sketch. Ã ¬Her attention was caught, however, when her friend Mary said that hse had a date for that weekend. She flet as if he's been slapped in the face. Her mind wandered to the days when she had been busy dating. It seemed to bery long ago." Of course my character was a depressed girl whose friends were all dating and she was home all alone to moon over the lost love.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Essay

There are many examples in the Catcher in the Rye, that show Holden’s hate toward the idea of losing innocence. Holden mentions a lot about children, his love for them and how he wants to save their innocence. He seems to relate more to people younger than him, whether they are male of female. He cares about them so much, becuase they haven’t lost their innocence, unlike adults who are all â€Å"phonies.† There are three main things he does and talks about, that shows his concern. His fascination to save innocence, erasing profanity, and Allie’s baseball glove. The first thing he constantly mentions is the loss of innocence. Holden seems to gravitate toward children; he shows them respect more then anyone else. He backs this up by mentioning how childrem are not phonies. Whenever he is around children he seems to curse less, and he has a nicer attitude toward them, rather than complaining. â€Å"Thousands of little kids and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean except me. Ans what I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all† (Salinger 173) He is more worried about the children and their innocence, then worrying about himself and school. The second things hes does is erasing the profanity that was written in the school’s walls. He hated the ides of children seeing it and reading the swear words that were being written on the walls. He has a feeling that children would lose their innocence and more or less have the mentality of an adolescent and become â€Å"phonie.† â€Å"Somebody’d written â€Å"**** ***† on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy, I thought how Phoebe and all other little kids would see it, and how they’d wonder what the hell that meant, and then finally some dirty kids would tell them.† (Salinger 201) What ironic is, that even though he doens’t want the kids to know any profanity, he always swears, even when he is around Pheobe. The third thing is that he keeps talking about his borther Allie, his baseball glove, and his death. Holden has a really hard time dealing with the death of Allie. Reason being that he does not like to see a child lose his/her innocence. He hates the fact that innocence was lost, and he could not save it, because he is not the catcher in the rye. The glove is the only memory of Allie and his innocence. Another thing that pained him is that his brother did not lose his innocence from adulthood, but from life and his death. â€Å"He got leukaemian and died when we up in Maine, on July 18, 1946. You’ve liked him. He was two years younger than I was, but he was fifty times intelligent.† (Salinger 38) In conclusion, Holden’s fascination with children exceeds everything, even the respect for his parents. Children in a way do have an innocent aspect. Holden’s perception of innocence made the book very intriguing, because no one knos what he is going to do or say next. It is almost like he has a double personality, sometimes he is cruel to people and criticise them, and sometimes he is caring and looked everything in a nice way, especially  children.

Create Your Own School Essay

A public schools’ job is to create a standardized environment for students of the general population; however, public schools don’t always meet the needs of the students. Charter schools exist to meet the needs of the students and are more open to parental involvement and local control over state and bureaucracies’ control. However, â€Å"charter schools may deter some minority, poor, and working families from seeking enrollment by requiring them to complete volunteer hours and failing to provide transportation and free lunches to eligible students† (Schnaiberg 2000). My school I create will take the benefits of public schools and the benefits of charter schools to create an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity. My school offers students in preschool through twelfth grade, an extended school day and longer school year, because most of December is off. My secular school is founded on respecting and encouraging other religions t hus the school works around religious holidays, creating all secular and religious holidays off days. School is in session September 3rd through June 20th. Students in early childhood education program and kindergarten are in class Monday-Friday 7:30am-12:30 pm. Students in first through fifth are in class Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:45 pm. Students in sixth through eighth are in class Monday-Friday 6:45am-4:45 pm. Students in ninth through twelfth are in class Monday-Friday 6am-12:30 pm. Students in ninth through twelfth grade are required to have a Monday-Friday work experience internship; students under sixteen have an on-campus internship (1-4pm), while students over sixteen have an off-campus internship (1:30-4:30pm). My school’s goals are to have students by the end of twelfth grade be able to understand and comprehend at or near college level. In addition, students will learn three languages (English, Spanish, and another), read music sheets, be able to play a musical instrument or sing, have life skills, and have a knowledge of the diverse world we live in. All students pre school through twelfth grade will learn English composition, math, science, grammar, social sciences, geography, reading, literature, foreign languages, visual/performing arts (music, art, theatre, and dance), cultural diversity, U.S. government/economy, and physical education. Middle school students will learn speech: interpersonal communication, small group communication, argumentation, intercultural communication, public speaking, and forensics/debate. Middle school and high school students will learn required electives: basic life skills, introduction to computers, cultures of the world, nutrition/health/safety/careers, life skills, philosophy/religions/cultural anthropology, and human sexuality/anatomy/physiology. My school’s goals are to have students prepared for college and/or having a job as well as serving in the community. In addition to a work experience internship, high school students are required to take personal electives, which are any additional high school electives taken through the local community college or 30 units of college units though AP, CLEP, Dantes, etc. Middle school students are required to take personal electives, which are any additional middle school electives that are high school level. All students sixth through twelfth are required to complete community service to graduate and achieve units (10 units=20 hrs). Middle school students are required to complete at least sixty hours of community service and high school students are required to complete at least eighty hours of community service to graduate. Middle school students are required 360 units to graduate including personal electives and community service; high school students are required 520 units to graduate including personal electives, work internship, and community service. Summer school is required for middle school and high school students. Students are required at least twenty units. Repertory and accelerated classes available. My school holds a high sta ndard for the teachers as well for the students. Students are expected to behave, strive for excellence, respect others, have a good character, and be willing to learn, while the faculty is expected to do the same. â€Å"Most charter schools do not require their teachers to be certified† (Borsa 1999). However, my school requires all teachers K-5th to hold a Teaching Credential and a Masters Degree and teachers 6th-12th are required to hold a Masters or Doctoral Degree in the area they teach. My school promotes a healthy life style, school uniforms, and parent involvement. Parents are required to pay one fee that covers all school material, lunches, schools uniforms, field trips, and other necessary items. The food at my school, which is free, and healthy, that means no soft drinks, cookies, candy, chips, or any other junk food; all birthdays at school will be celebrated without unhealthy food. Parents are encouraged to eat healthy and show students healthy life styles. Students are required to wear a school uniform, a short-sleeved tee shirt with school logo and black pants/shorts/dress/skirt or for formal attire is long-sleeved shirt and black pants/shorts /dress/skirt. The shirt will have a color to represent a grade: Pre-K: Pink, K: Purple 1st: Blue, 2nd: Turquoise, 3rd: Green, 4th: Light Green, 5th: Yellow, 6th: Orange, 7th: Red, 8th: Maroon, 9th: Brown, 10th: Black, 11th: Gray, and 12th: White. Like the school uniform, backpacks will be in the color of the school uniform and have the students name on it. My school has no state standardized tests, but the use of state standards. Instead students are required to test into each grade through a test that measures their cognitive and behavioral level. The complete cognitive test has twenty-seven essays and 2030 multiple choice/true-false questions, which is two essays and 140 or 150 questions per grade. The cognitive test measures what the student should know by the end of each grade. Students can challenge an exam if they feel the grade or class they are in doesn’t reflect their abilities. In addition, students are required to take a â€Å"test out exam â€Å"in each subject. It serves as a measure for student learning, and an evaluation for teachers and parents. This exam is compared to the â€Å"test in exam† and options for tutoring/after school help for struggling students. If student doesn’t score higher than 80 percent on an exam, they won’t be promoted to the next class or grade unless they successfully retake the exam. The exam can be retaken twice before the student must repeat a grade of class. My school doesn’t use the Standard Letter Grade, but gives students the option for it. Instead of standard letter grades, students in K-5 will have a grade of Pass (B- or higher in Standard Letter Grade) or No Pass (C+ or lower in Standard Letter Grade). Then 6-12th grade students will have the option of keeping their grades in Pass/No Pass or having standard letter grades. (Students will be put on Academic Probation if their GPA reaches 2.99 or below.) Behavior, class participation, in-class work for students K-12 will be graded in O=Outstanding, E=Exceeds Expectations, A=Acceptable, P=Passing, N=Needs Improvement. Each week behavior and participation reports are sent home so parents can see how their student’s behavior and participation improves or becomes a problem. Teachers and parents go over the child’s portfolio, which includes tests, papers, art, quizzes, and other in-class material each quarter. At the end of the year students evaluate their own work and other’s work in the portfolio. The student, the teacher, other studen ts, and the parent grade the portfolio like pieces of art are evaluated at an art gallery. My school gives students the option of independent study or regular classroom learning in middle school and high school. All preschool through twelfth grade students are put in their cognitive level and in small classrooms of twenty students of less; however, middle school and high school students have the option of regular class or packets. In regular class students participate in in-class assignments, quizzes, and tests; students must earn homework and extra credit. Students must have at least 240 points out of 300 to pass each quarter; otherwise the quarter will be repeated in packets. In a packets class or independent study students come to class participate and take in-class quizzes and tests; however, class work is done in packets. Students must have an A- or higher to move on to the next packet. Packets are allowed to be taken home and are equivalent to one week of regular class in-class work; only Physical Education, Speech, Science Lab, and Visual/Performing Arts are not allowed to be taken in packets. The packets are recommended for students who are ill, on religious holidays, etc., which prevent them from attending class. In addition, all students on holiday (December) have the option of completing packets for credit and completing quizzes and tests online with a proctor; the packet requires an A- or better to move on. Overall, my school focuses on creating an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity; however, there are intuitional and individual barriers. Intuitional barriers will arise when parents who aren’t secular will try to implement their beliefs into the curriculum, but this school offers a well-rounded approach to learning not faith-based learning. In addition, problems may arise when parents try to control what the child learns and what they become; parents are encouraged to let their children be good at what they are good at. Small class sizes and indivualized learning can cause problems for students and parents who want a more mainstreamed education. Students may feel it is too hard for them, but this school is meant to be challenging in academics, but not in socializing. Since there will be intuitional and individual barriers, parents and teachers are encouraged to be open and discuss any problems and look for what is in the best interest of the child. My belief is that education should offer students prepare students for life outside of education. I provided a school that offers students an extended school day and longer school year and summer school to keep kids out of trouble and respect religious beliefs. My school has educated students prepared for college and/or having a job as well as serving in the community. In addition, I provided a school that promotes a healthy life style, school uniforms, individual learning, good behavior, options in learning, and parent involvement. The goal of my school is to prepare and educate students to learn and be the best they can be in whatever they are good at. This charter school will create an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity and more. Although this charter school will have intuitional and individual barriers, the school will provide more positive learning than a negative one. References Borsa, J., Ahmed, M., & Perry, K. (August 1999). Charter School Goverence. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, Jackson Hole, WY. ED 436 856. Schnaiberg, L. (2000). Charter schools: Choice, diversity may be at odds. Education Week, 19(35), 1, 18-20.

Infant Immortality in The United States Essay Example

Infant Immortality in The United States Essay Example Infant Immortality in The United States Paper Infant Immortality in The United States Paper Trends in infant mortality are considered to be a barometer of technology and an accurate indicator of the health of a society. Despite technological excellence and numerous social programs offered throughout the country, the infant mortality rate (IMR) in the United States continues to be a national concern. For many, â€Å"infant mortality† brings to mind the deprivation and poverty found in third world countries. Yet in the United States, nearly 40,000 children die every year for some of the same reasons that cause infant death in underdeveloped parts of the world (Anderson, 1987). Infant mortality is prevalent in this country despite a richly developed and technologically advanced society. According to the Census Bureau, the IMR in the United States has dropped almost 66 percent in the past three decades (Eberstadt, 1991). In 1960, out of every thousand babies born, 26 died within their first year of life. By 1991, that number had dropped to less than nine out of every thousand babies (Eberstadt et al. , 1991). According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the US infant mortality rate in 1987 was higher than in 23 other countries or territories, including most of Western Europe, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The US infant mortality rate was about 20 percent higher than Norway’s, nearly 50 percent higher than in the Netherlands, and 200 percent higher than Japan’s (Eberstadt et al. , 1991). The United States has not always fared so poorly in this international ranking. In the early 1950’s it ranked sixth best (Anderson et al. , 1987). The Select Committee on Hunger held a Congressional hearing on infant mortality in the United States on April 29, 1987. Representative Mickey Leland (D. , TX), the committee’s chairperson, acknowledged the continued statistical improvements over the prior two decades. But he was very critical of the decline of the United States in the international ranking, expressing dismay that a country as wealthy and powerful as the United States should have an infant mortality rate worse than that of 16 other industrialized nations (Anderson et al. , 1987). Through mediums such as this hearing and other forums, the federal government addresses this concern and establishes programs that may aid the fight against infant mortality. The decrease in the occurrence of infant death is, if considered on statistical merit, a valid picture of a society that is implementing advances in technology against killers of our babies. The gap between infant mortality rates in the United States and other countries points to what is principally a parental problem. Nicholas Eberstadt of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies writes that the dramatic increases in illegitimate births, drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, and the failure of parents to take advantage of prenatal care are the primary reasons for the higher than expected rates of infant mortality in the United States. This social problem will not be eliminated by addressing it when a doctor is standing in a delivery room with a newborn baby who may already have a death sentence cradled in his arms. Instead, infant mortality must be addressed by educating and providing social programs that benefit the expectant mother. In 1960, the ten leading causes of infant mortality in the United States were (in order of occurrence): postnatal asphyxia, immaturity, birth defects, birth injuries, influenza/pneumonia, accidents, pneumonia/newborn, gastritis and other GI disorders, hemolytic disease, and immaturity with other complications. Over the past three decades, advances in neonatal intensive care have changed the leading causes of infant mortality. In 1992, the ten leading causes were: birth defects, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), preterm/low birthweight, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), maternal complications of pregnancy, complications during birth, infections, accidents, hypoxia/birth asphyxia, and pneumonia/influenza (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, 1996). Since 1960, advances in prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies and postnatal care have provided more effective preventative strategies and better treatment of neonatal conditions. This has decreased infant deaths related to conditions such as postnatal asphyxia, birth injuries, and bacterial infections. In 1992, birth defects and prematurity, which have multiple causes and require complex preventative measures, have become the leading causes of infant death. In 1992, birth defects accounted for 7,449 infant deaths (183. 2 per 100,000 live births) and SIDS accounted for 120. 3 deaths per 100,000 live births (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation et al. , 1996). This statistical data points to the following conclusion. The behavior of the biological mother and father before and during pregnancy is killing many of the infants born today in the United States. No matter the level of technology available, an infant that has been abused gestationally throughout pregnancy poses a variety of problems that increases the likelihood of neonatal (from birth through 27 days of life) and postneonatal (from 28 days through 1 year) death. As a country, the United States has acquired technological advances that are incomparable to other cultures. As a society, the United States has inflicted conditions upon our infants that challenge even the vastest technological capabilities. Therefore, improving existing social programs and implementing new programs to combat infant mortality must continue. In the federal â€Å"Healthy Start† program there are four strategies for reducing infant mortality. They are: reducing high-risk pregnancies; reducing the incidence of low birthweight and preterm births; improving birthweight-specific survival; and reducing specific causes of postneonatal mortality (Strobino, 1995). Reducing high-risk pregnancies and the incidence of low birthweight and preterm births can only be accomplished through education and prenatal care. Proper infant care following the birth of a child, whether or not the child is obviously at risk, can only increase the likelihood of a long productive life. Resources, Education, and Care in the Home (REACH) is an interagency program implemented in Chicago designed to reduce preventable causes of death among infants at risk due to social factors (Boyd, 1996). Home visits were made by a trained team consisting of a nurse and community worker during the first year of the child’s life. The visits focused on the relationship between the family and health professionals. Services were offered free of charge at reasonably convenient times. Cases were individually assigned to registered nurses who coordinated the mother’s contact with participating agencies, made referrals to social service agencies, and provided individual counseling (Boyd et al. , 1996). Results show that repeated home visits offering infant health monitoring plus individualized teaching helped mothers maintain good health practices and identify illnesses early. The postneonatal rate among REACH infants was 4. 7 deaths per 1000 live births in communities where rates for nonparticipants ranged from 5. 2 to 10. 9 per 100 (Boyd et al. , 1996). This study demonstrates a need for more intensive services following the birth of a child to â€Å"socially challenged† families. Many illnesses can be identified in the early, treatable stages of development by educated individuals. These programs and others like them lead the fight against infant mortality by educating families about infant care and programs that are available to them.

The Kennedy Conspiracy

The Kennedy Conspiracy The assassination of president Kennedy took place in the midst of two largely secret wars that the Kennedy brothers(president John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy) were waging concurrently, one against organized crime and the other against Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba.The war against organized crime was largely Robert F. Kennedy's pet operation, but it was carried on with full backing of his brother, the president.Robert F. Kennedy also played a major role in the struggle to overthrow Fidel Castro, but it was essentially an effort carried on by the CIA in alliance with the Cuban exiles.By the time the Kennedy's came to power, organized crime and its pawns in organized labor, like Jimmy Hoffa and the teamster's union, had become enormously powerful and arrogant.The Mafia bosses, inebriated with their power, and essentially unchallenged by the federal Government, had become arrogant and spoiled.Lee Harvey Oswald's seat in the Texas Theatre in D...They basically th ought that they could get away with anything. Even J. Edgar Hoover himself aided Mafia advancement. Finally Robert F. Kennedy forced Hoover to face up to the organized crime.MafiaThe accession of the Kennedy's to power brought a radical change in the relationship between the Federal Government and the Mafia families. Under the Kennedys there were to be no compromises with the Mafia. It was to be an all out war. This was the first time in US history that the executive branch of the government was to lead the fight against organized crime. After the debacle of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, President Kennedy's Cuba Study Group came to the conclusion that "there can be no long-term living with Castro as a neighbor" and the president accepted this conclusion. Accordingly, in the summer of 1961, the Kennedy's launched a massive campaign to overthrow Fidel Castro,

Inventors of the Modern Computer

Inventors of the Modern Computer In November of 1971, a company called Intel publicly introduced the worlds first single-chip microprocessor, the Intel 4004 (U.S. Patent #3,821,715), invented by Intel engineers Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Stanley Mazor. After the invention of integrated circuits  revolutionized computer design, the only place to go was down in size that is. The Intel 4004 chip took the integrated circuit down one step further by placing all the parts that made a computer think (i.e. central processing unit, memory, input and output controls) on one small chip. Programming intelligence into inanimate objects had now become possible. The History of Intel In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore were two unhappy engineers working for the Fairchild Semiconductor Company who decided to quit and create their own company at a time when many Fairchild employees were leaving to create start-ups. People like Noyce and Moore were nicknamed the Fairchildren. Robert Noyce typed himself a one-page idea of what he wanted to do with his new company, and that was enough to convince San Francisco venture capitalist Art Rock to back Noyces and Moores new venture. Rock raised $2.5 million dollars in less than 2 days. Intel Trademark The name Moore Noyce was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so the two founders decided upon the name Intel for their new company, a shortened version of Integrated Electronics. Intels first money-making product was the 3101 Schottky bipolar 64-bit static random access memory (SRAM) chip. One Chip Does the Work of Twelve In late 1969, a potential client from Japan called Busicom, asked to have twelve custom chips designed. Separate chips for keyboard scanning, display control, printer control and other functions for a Busicom-manufactured calculator. Intel did not have the manpower for the job but they did have the brainpower to come up with a solution. Intel engineer, Ted Hoff decided that Intel could build one chip to do the work of twelve. Intel and Busicom agreed and funded the new programmable, general-purpose logic chip. Federico Faggin headed the design team along with Ted Hoff and Stanley Mazor, who wrote the software for the new chip. Nine months later, a revolution was born. At 1/8th inch wide by 1/6th inch long and consisting of 2,300 MOS (metal oxide semiconductor) transistors, the baby chip had as much power as the ENIAC, which had filled 3,000 cubic feet with 18,000 vacuum tubes. Cleverly, Intel decided to buy back the design and marketing rights to the 4004 from Busicom for $60,000. The next year Busicom went bankrupt, they never produced a product using the 4004. Intel followed a clever marketing plan to encourage the development of applications for the 4004 chip, leading to its widespread use within months. The Intel 4004 Microprocessor The 4004 was the worlds first universal microprocessor. In the late 1960s, many scientists had discussed the possibility of a computer on a chip, but nearly everyone felt that integrated circuit technology was not yet ready to support such a chip. Intels Ted Hoff felt differently; he was the first person to recognize that the new silicon-gated MOS technology might make a single-chip CPU (central processing unit) possible. Hoff and the Intel team developed such an architecture with just over 2,300 transistors in an area of only 3 by 4 millimeters. With its 4-bit CPU, command register, decoder, decoding control, control monitoring of machine commands and interim register, the 4004 was one heck of a little invention. Todays 64-bit microprocessors are still based on similar designs, and the microprocessor is still the most complex mass-produced product ever with more than 5.5 million transistors performing hundreds of millions of calculations each second - numbers that are sure to be outdated fast.

Engineering Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Engineering Ethics - Essay Example In order to attain this, engineering ethics, which are, a set of principles that guide the conduct and the way engineers perform their roles are employed. Engineers being professionals should work to raise the health, welfare and safety standards of the society while putting into consideration the sustainability of resources and the environmental impacts. They should be personally and professionally committed to improving the livelihood of the society through proper knowledge exploitation and innovations. The engineering discipline derives its values from the individuals involved. These values are based on the common values which bring people together. Therefore, all activities should be conducted with honesty, fairness and integrity. Engineers should adhere to the essence of equality in opportunity and social justice, and freedom of choice. Professional engineers have to acquire and apply wisely, the knowledge relevant to the skills required to serve other people. They should act with competence and exceptional care at all times. They should keep themselves updated and avoid misleading others and perform only services within their areas of expertise. Engineers should also present and review engineering theories and interpretations honestly and accurately. Engineers should ensure that all the activities undertaken is lawful and justified. They should strive to lessen and justify the impacts on society and the environment, and withhold the health and safety concerns of the public. They should also act responsibly, lawfully and professionally to protect the reputation of their discipline. Engineers should exert high leadership standards in the application and management of technology. They should ensure that the positions they hold in the society is not used to realize personal interests or to harm the society. They should promote the understanding on the effects and advantages of engineering achievements while being objective and honest in any statements

Managing Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing Change - Research Paper Example These achievements however, have been coupled with various drawbacks but with the application of economic theories with an illustration of the Contingency Theory such hurdles are to be tackled. The study provides recommendations on the various aspects that require adjusting for the economies to thrive even more. With the onset of the financial crisis within the past decade, the financial markets in the Gulf region have undergone various changes and institutions and business entities have adopted new market strategies to counter the implications of the crisis. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf countries (GCC) - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are keen to improve their economic competitiveness in the international market. From the early 1970s to the early 1980s the GCC member countries made significant developments in the financial front. The financial institutions were beneficiaries of the lucrative returns brought about by the abundant oil revenue. At the time up to the 1990s, the primary focus of the institutions was on short-term lending trade, building and construction and manufacturing. With the 1990s came global financial integration that entailed the carrying out of economic restructurings especially due to the effects of the Gulf war. Technological novelty and new market strategies centred on consumer-based services were adopted. Following the Gulf war was a variation of loan problems in banks across nations affected by it. The financial set-up of the GCC has overtime faced a number of challenges that revolve around the augmented role of the private sector in the financial market, the high demand for new financial services and the aspect of global participation. Efficiency and productivity are therefore a principal concern in this modern age. The countries in the GCC have links with banks that are expansively

UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UNIT 4 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT - Essay Example Anti-Abortionists on the other hand agree in unison that it is pretty much in defiance as laid down in the holy books of God to commit such a heinous act like abortion. The rationale that can be provided here is that if at any point in time it was in defiance with the laws as proposed and put forward by God, then it is between the woman under question and her God and she is the one who will be the recipient of chastisement with regards to the abortion decision that she has taken. A number of people are of the view that abortion can threaten a mother’s life and hence should be deemed as illegal right from the onset. Again there are some opinions which suggest that if the mother does not want to have the baby then it would be best to at least give birth to the newborn and give it to some orphan house so that those women who do not have children in their lives can raise their families in accordance. This seems pretty valid since giving a newborn for the sake of adoption is a good route none the less if a family is against the birth and the eventual raise of the baby. This is due to the fact that at times it has been seen that these children suffer immensely as they sit for ages in the orphanages making them look like unwanted guests in this world. Different people raise different opinions but this is true that each one of us has a responsibility towards the society and thus we should be responsible enough of take it. Indeed abortion is a very sensitive topic that has been shown flames during its discussion in different meetings and seminars. Controversy is one thing that is sure to make rounds of these board room meetings and hospital seminars. Then again, choosing whether one should have an abortion or not is pretty much dependent on the family and more so the mother, if not the father as well. This is said so as to make sure that the society does not have to pay for the unwanted and

Purpose of this assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Purpose of this assignment - Essay Example Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) brings about synergy and better use of communication funds and Balancing the 'push' and 'pull' strategies Improves the company's ability to reach the right consumer at the right place at the right time with the right message. There is also a lot more to developing and implementing a successful Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program. This assignment will focus on the rapidly evolving field of integrated marketing communications. The assignment will examine the evolving role of IMC, how it differs from traditional advertising and promotion, and provide insights into how to measure the effectiveness of IMC programs. IMC has an increasingly central role to play in today's market place, because if offers companies a way to strategically coordinate messages and establish a meaningful dialogue with customers. In short, IMC provides organisations with a strategic method for both establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders. And this is essential for marketing success in the twenty-first century The marketplace is changing. What was once a single audience has fragmented and companies have to establish and maintain brand relationships with a variety of groups of people-customers, as well as other stakeholders, such as employees, investors, suppliers and distributors, local communities, and the media. Organisations now have to communicate with these groups using a wide variety of media. Consequently there are more kinds of messages than ever before and inconsistency can become a company-wide problem. That is why IMC is also needed to coordinate communication consistency Because the mass media now have considerably less importance than they have had in the past, dialogue is becoming increasingly critical in this marketplace. That means that companies can no longer rely only on one-way communication targeted to large groups of customers. To be successful now, organizations must not only be able to target messages to individual customers, but also to listen and respond to all th eir stakeholders. That means they must know who these people are, and the key to that is database-driven communication. IMC is critical to brand relationship programs, because it provides the skills and new ways of thinking that are necessary if organizations are to create and successfully manage dialogue with customers and other key stakeholders. Integrated Marketing communication frame work Integrated Marketing Communications provides a framework for managing brand contacts. We all know the importance of branding out product or service, we also know the importance of maintaining a dialogue with our stakeholder relationship marketing, one-to-one, the voice of the customer, and most of us believe in communication consistency. However, these are only techniques that often fail to when practised without clear philosophy, or if not supported by integrated process. At a minimum, IMC provides and underlying model by: Identifying your StakeholdersIdentifying your Brand contacts Analysing Communications amongst Customers At Each Brand Contact Encouraging Dialogue At Each Brand Con

Closed Circuit Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Closed Circuit Television - Essay Example But generally speaking the number of staff to monitor the whereabouts of the children would go down. If properly equipped advanced CCTV technology is used, facial recognition and the use of multiple cameras at once can cut down on time to locate a specific child when his or her caregivers come to pick them up. Different colored badges for the children can also be used to readily distinguish between boys and girls. DISADVANTAGES The presence of CCTV does not mean that the daycare administration can relax by turning over the task of safety and security to a system. Rather the CCTV should supplement the already established security in place. Extreme care and caution should be used when sending a child off from the center and care should be taken to see that the child leaves with an established and known caregiver or relative. In case the staff suspects anything out of the ordinary, contact must be established with the parents or caregivers of the child in every doubtful circumstance. An other thing is that the persons monitoring the CCTV cameras must be alert and vigilant at all times. There should be proper shifts established and more than one person monitoring at one time, depending on the size of the center. A plan should be in place as to what to do in case of suspicious activity.

Marketing report for a company that produces health organic food Assignment

Marketing report for a company that produces health organic food products - Assignment Example 200). To start with, is to develop a fresh product line which will aim at improving sales by at least 20%. Secondly, a â€Å"new and enhanced† commodity line to the already on hand customer base will be launched through conveying improvements and revisions. Furthermore, we intend to raise product awareness by at least 40% before the end of this year among the intended audience. Finally, carry out an extensive study on the different segments of the market and formulate new ways of satisfying each segment’s needs (Nash, 2000, p. 68). Market Segments Understanding market segmentation is very important since it will enable QOFPC to concentrate on satisfying the specific needs of its customers (Kotler et al, 2009, p. 200). Though mass marketing has its own advantages, it has also been criticized and companies are currently being advised to concentrate of micro-marketing where production is driven by market segments. There are different segments of the market that needs to be studies in order to know how to engage effectively on the production process. For instance, by QOFPC studying the behavior of its potential customers, it will be in a position to determine how to play between quality and low price in its search to satisfy all its customer categories (Schmid, 2007, p.102). First and foremost QOFPC needs to understand the demographic component of the market. This component takes into consideration things such as age, the size of the families of potential customers, gender, income, occupation, religion, social class, race and education. These demographic units are closely linked with consumer needs and preferences (Schmid, 2007, p.103). For example consumer needs change widely with age; a child may prefer very sweet food products as compared to an old person. Studying the geographic segment (focuses on regions, cities and rural and urban areas) is equally important since it will allow the company to identify the buying capability of its market. People in rural areas are mostly ignorant and have low incomes, hence, require different marketing strategies from those in urban areas (Nash, 2000, p. 70). By understanding these variations, the company will be able to estimate its market size and choose an appropriate media of reaching its market effectively. According to Kotler et al (2009, p. 205), the psychographic segment focuses on people’s lifestyles, socio-economic status, values/beliefs and personalities. Under this segment, psychology is applied to the demographic factors in order to have a clear understanding of the potential customers. People of the same age may have different beliefs that are likely to affect their tastes and preferences. The final market segment that needs understanding is the behavioral segment that focuses on: occasions, benefits, usage rate, attitude, readiness stage, user status and loyalty status. QOFPC needs to study the possibility of occurrence of occasions such as festivals that will boost i ts sales in order to target them effectively (Nash, 2000, p. 70). Moreover, since this company produces health organic foods, it will be of great importance to study individuals who exactly buy the products and their buying capability. Marketing Strategy Using Marketing Mix Marketing strategies aim at creating the value of customers, capturing and delivering that customer value and above all sustaining the customer value (Nash, 2000, p. 90). An appropriate marketing strategy calls for discipline blending and high flexibility.

Closed Circuit Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Closed Circuit Television - Essay Example But generally speaking the number of staff to monitor the whereabouts of the children would go down. If properly equipped advanced CCTV technology is used, facial recognition and the use of multiple cameras at once can cut down on time to locate a specific child when his or her caregivers come to pick them up. Different colored badges for the children can also be used to readily distinguish between boys and girls. DISADVANTAGES The presence of CCTV does not mean that the daycare administration can relax by turning over the task of safety and security to a system. Rather the CCTV should supplement the already established security in place. Extreme care and caution should be used when sending a child off from the center and care should be taken to see that the child leaves with an established and known caregiver or relative. In case the staff suspects anything out of the ordinary, contact must be established with the parents or caregivers of the child in every doubtful circumstance. An other thing is that the persons monitoring the CCTV cameras must be alert and vigilant at all times. There should be proper shifts established and more than one person monitoring at one time, depending on the size of the center. A plan should be in place as to what to do in case of suspicious activity.

Final Paper Week 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final Paper Week 8 - Assignment Example nto five different categories namely Power (sense of wining or accomplishment), Love and Belonging (feeling of receiving love, give love, or accepted by others), Freedom (sense of autonomy, independence or having personal space), Fun( sense of pleasure and enjoyment) and Survival (basic needs of food, shelter, or sexual fulfillment). RT asserts that these essential human needs should be met in order for an individual to operate optimally. According to Dr. Glasser, every person is always struggling to achieve these needs and some of the needs are often met without the knowledge of an individual (Murdock, 2013). For instance, reaching out to support group or socializing with workmates and friends or family members is an effective way of satisfying the need for love and belonging and most of people may not be aware of this fact as they consider it an ordinary occurrence. The fact that every person is always striving to attain all the five basic needs is the central construct of Reality Therapy. This is also a clear justification that all human beings are always in control of what they want in their lives in the quest to meet their basic needs and it does not matter whether their actions help them achieve their basic desires. Murdock (2013) asserts that it is unfortunate that most individuals act inappropriately in their pursuit to achieve the basic needs and thus the issue of individual choice arises, as it is believed that it is through choices that one makes his goals attainable or not. It is noteworthy that achieving the need for love and belonging is the primary goal of most individuals as people always want to feel connected and accepted before they pursue other goals. This claim can be justified by the fact that one of the key goals of RT is to assist people reconnect with individuals they consider part of their quality world. According to RT, individuals are mainly motivated to achieve their needs but the needs for significant relationship often

Tuition Fees In England

Tuition Fees In England English universities are well-known throughout the world for their excellence. Yet, in less than twenty years, Higher Education was reformed. Before 1988, Local Education Authorities was in charge of Higher Education, its funding, its functioning, and of students grants of its area. The adoption of the 1988 Education Act under Margaret Thatchers government marked the beginning of long series of reforms. The last to date made the headline news because of the students manifestations which followed from the bill. Indeed from 1998 to nowadays, the issue deals with the tuition fees a fee paid for instruction its legitimacy and its price. This issue is largely controversial even within the Labour party. Why such shift for prestigious Higher Education system? How the Higher Education was reformed? Why did students manifestations follow from the bill? To figure it out, we are going to focus at first on the creation of a new system in order to then analyse the rising of tuitions fees and the students protest and finally we are going to analyse the new students hardships. The creation of a new system a cost sharing system 1998 : Turning point 1998 marked a turning point in the history of English education the Local Education Authorities no longer covered the student scholar fees (ten years before, in 1988) and the students were then involved in the payment of fees for their study. Indeed, in 1996 the government commissioned a report on the funding of the Higher Education that is to say, how Higher Education should develop to meet the needs of the UK over the next 20 years. The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was chaired by Sir Ronald Dearing Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. The report was published in 1997 and it stated that more than  £2 billion would be needed to adapt the Higher Education to the new demands (increasing numbers of students) and needs. The solution proposed was made up with a hundred recommendations. The most important one was the participation of the student on the payment of their own study. The report praised the introduction of the means-tested tuition fees based on familys income. The 1998 Teaching and Higher Education Act was the governmental response to this report. It was enacted under Tony Blairs government. It introduced the means tested tuition fees as follows: Student whose family income was inferior to  £23,000 per year would not pay tuition fees. Student whose family income was situated between  £23,000 and  £35,000 would pay a percentage fees in function of their means. The tuition fees would be  £1,000 per academic year. By setting this mean testing system, 1/3 of students would not have to pay tuition fees. Yet, the maintenance grants (grants to help students with the living costs) would be replaced by maintenance loans. Students would begin to pay off their loans when they would work and earn at least  £10,000 per year. It met little active opposition from students. But this act created debate within the Labour party itself, some members of the party were strict opponent to the end of the Free Higher Education. Reason of introduction of tuition fees But why did the government need to implement such a system? The major reason was the lack of funding in Higher Education. In less than 20 years the Higher Education shifted from an elite system to a mass system. Indeed, the number of students going to university rose from 6% to around 33% between 1962 and 1996. So, universities have to adapt their infrastructures, equipment, and by consequence they needed money. Moreover, the aim of the government was to make it more accessible for all students from all backgrounds with the introduction of mean testing tuition fees. Creation of top up fees In 2004 another measure would be adopted by the Labour Party. Despite the former act which created the tuition fees up to  £1,000, Tony Blairs government concluded that the funding of Higher Education was not enough. In this sense, the Labour Party proposed another act in 2004, The Higher Education Act. It enabled universities to set their own tuition fees depending on their own needs of funding: it was called top up fees. It could go up to  £3,000 per academic year. These tuition fees could be pay at the end of the degree, it would take the form of a loan student would pay off this loan when he would have a job and earn more than  £15,000 per year. The debt would be written off after 25 years. Another feature was the reintroduction of the maintenance grants in order to help the poorest students (yet students could win private bursaries through the universities competitive). The main objections of the opponents were the expensive fees which created pressure upon students, and they estimated the variable fees as the form of privatisation of Higher Education. Those measures were a first step to higher education reform. The government was going to take further measures in the forthcoming years. Tuition fees rising and students protest The investigation By November 2009, Gordon Browns government launched a new investigation on Higher Education; it would be a review on fees and university funding. It was chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley and composed of some Vice-Chancellor of Universities such as David Eastwood and Julia King. The Independent Review of The Higher Education Funding and Finance was published on October 2010. It established few principles such as more investment for Higher Education, fair access to all, affordable payments, same treatment for part-time students as full-time students, and underlined that no one should have to pay loans until they start to work. In order to respect those principles, the major proposals were the following ones: Universities could charge any fees it seemed necessary, there would be no cap the up-front fees were removed and replaced by tuition fees loans No means testing maintenance loans and additional financial support for poorest families (under  £60,000) which would be paid back only when the graduate would have an income of at least  £21,000 per year. If the graduates work stops whatever the reason the repayment stops. The debts would be written off after 30 years. The government proposal Meanwhile, the government passed from a labour government to a coalition one with the election of David Cameron as Prime Minister and Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister in May 2010. The government proposal to the Browne Report responded on November 2010 and it included several features. The main one was the rejection of the Brownes proposal to remove the tuition fees cap, and government proposed to cap the tuition fees to  £9,000 per year. As for loans, government aligned itself with the Browne recommendations by declaring that students would begin to pay off once they would earn between  £15,000 and  £21,000. The MPs had to vote if they agreed or not on this proposal by December. The new elected Liberal Democrat had been pledged to the National Union of Students to not increase the tuition fees before being elected. Once the report was published, Nick Clegg, leader of Liberal Democrats, claimed that the Browne Report could be fair and sustainable. While the coalition government allowed the Liberal Democrats to abstain the vote on this issue, Nick Clegg wrote to his MPs I am painfully aware of the pledge we all made to voters on tuition fees ahead of the general election. Departing from that pledge will be one of the most difficult decisions of my political career. He was going to break his pledge. This bill sparked off some waves of demonstrations throughout the entire country. Students riots On November, 10th, students began to demonstrate against the government bill, and showed their anger towards the expensive rate of fees. It was organized by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union (UCU) prior to the government vote in order to convince MPs to not vote in favour of the bill. Those demonstrations took place in several cities such as Cambridge, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but the most important one set up in London. The march in London was composed of more than 50,000 persons, but was overshadowed by violence. Indeed, the demonstration turned into a violent riot when some demonstrators began to attack the headquarters of the Conservative Party breaking some windows and burning some Nick Cleggs and David Camerons effigies on the roof of the building. David Cameron answered to the media that he would not change his mind on this bill and denounced the extreme violence of this riot. Another march was organized on November 2010, 24th by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC). Taking into consideration the event of November, 10th the Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,000 policemen throughout London. This time, this protest turned into a violent clash between policemen and protesters. On December, 9th, date of the governmental vote, another protest happened in Trafalgar Square. More than clashes between policemen and rioters, this time some protestors attacked a Royal car transporting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple was not injured by the attack. To understand why this protest turned into a violent riot, one has to understand the impact of such a measure on students lifestyle. New students hardships Students indebted All those changes in less than 20 years largely impacted students lifestyle. The tuitions fees are extremely expensive, and could be a curb on students choice to go or not at university. Students have to choose between being in debt or to abandon the idea of studying. This is an important feature to take into account especially for the poorest students. According to The push universities guide (a British organisation which informs students on higher education), the average student debts could hit  £53,000 for the students starting their course in 2012. For those who started courses in 2011, it was estimated at  £26,100. The largest students indebted are the Londoners. It is easily understandable considering the expensive cost of living in the city. For example, a student who wants to pass a degree will have to pay  £27,000 just to have access to universities (if the university charges  £9,000), then will be in debt of more than  £28,000 (the inflation has to be taken into account). If the graduate begins to work and has an income of  £19,000, it is estimated that the student will pay off during 30 years before the debt would be written off. So, the student would have paid back around 67% of his debt. If the graduate has an income of  £25,000, he will pay off his debt during 18 years. The internal government figures reveal that only one quarter of students will be able to pay off their debt. Therefore, the majority of indebted student will never be able to pay off their loans. If the estimation turns to be accurate, it would underline a huge issue in the created system (millions of pounds would be lost) as well as the inefficiency of the measure taken. Several difficulties Students have to cope with others difficulties such as the need for a job. The number of full-time students with jobs rose by 54% in the last 10 years stated the Trades Union Congress in 2006. Most of students have to take part time jobs in order to survive because their families cannot afford the cost of the student life and because the maintenance loans do not offer enough money. 61 % of the students who have a part time job come from family with poor background. The average hours of a part time job for a student are 14 hours per week. Such an amount of hours have clearly an impact on their studies: they often miss classes, lectures, which lead to poorer attainments than the others students. Furthermore, those students have less leisure time, less social life than the other students. This phenomenon is not very different from France but the majority of students do not have the financial pressure of beginning their life with such an amount of loans. Moreover, by creating such a financial pressure, the students choice about his job would depend on this income (in order to be able to repay his debt and to afford a high standard of living). Some jobs might be abandoned by the graduates because of their salaries, and could create a new societal problem. Another feature is that students could not give up after a year to reorientate towards another course of study an academic year can cost up to  £9,000 to choose a wrong course of study can be very expensive. To sum up, Higher Education underwent some mains shifts by the last decades, and the end is not yet in sight. Tuitions fees are still a burning issue. Indeed the reforms come into force only this year, in September 2012, that is the reason why we cannot analyse yet the real impact on the society and also there are only estimations. But some shortcomings already appear such as the inefficiency of the Student Loan system, which could lead to another social problem: if the majority of students would not be able to pay off their debts, who would reimburse it? Moreover, after the breaking pledge of Nick Clegg on the rising of tuition fees he recognized and apologized publicly in the media only on September 2012 the deputy prime minister went down in the opinion polls. Sources http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=409011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/10/student-protest-fees-violent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuition_fees_in_the_United_Kingdom http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/only-a-quarter-of-all-graduates-will-pay-off-loans-2158168.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/5302082.stm http://www.3s4.org.uk/drivers/changing-student-lifestyle http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2004/jan/27/tuitionfees.students http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8057871/Grants-loans-and-tuition-fees-a-timeline-of-how-university-funding-has-evolved.html http://www.ifs.org.uk/wps/wp1004.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11954333 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/24/student-school-pupils-protests-walkout http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11877034

Past, Present, and Future: An Examination of the Hood and Historical Fi

Society has always been influential to fads that are displaced throughout media; the public witnesses a direct mirror of themselves and current culture portrayed on movie screens, musical lyrics, and televisions scripts. During the 1990s, African-American filmmakers depicted stereotypical black youth and culture in films such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Menace II Society (1993), otherwise known as the â€Å"hood† films. However, as much to the popularity and success of the hood films, there was great opposition to it. Historical movies like Daughters of the Dust (1991) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) were created to argue against hood films to portray a different African-American community that is not racialized. I am going to compare and contrast both the hood and historical films Edward Guerrero and Paula Massood both believed that the hood film was created for the benefit of portraying reality in African-American communities. Yet, Mark Berrettini, Joel Brouwer, Roger Berger, and Marilyn Wesley argue that the hood films are counterfactual to society and historical films are necessary to show a positive African-American culture. Mirroring the anger and frustration of the African-American community of the 1960s-1970s, 1990s black filmmakers created the hood film. Like the Blaxploitation era, the film industry noted an increase in moviegoers and films to watch hood films. Both 1960s and 1990s, African-Americans were frustrated with their political and economic conditions in urban environments and addressed their anger towards making movies (Guerrero 159). It became Hollywood’s strategy to create an answer to black frustration with movies that illustrated social pressure in the ghetto (Guerrero 158). Hollywood also portrayed the ... ...he black population. Paula Massood and Edward Guerrero believed that hood films were essential to illustrate the social frustration of young African-American communities within urban communities. Although youth of color were criminalized and violent, it illustrated a hard truth for the greater society emphasizing the need for social and economic help in impoverish environments. On the other hand, Mark Berrettini, Joel Brouwer, Roger Berger, and Marilyn Wesley argue that historical films represented a community that was lost to the hood films; an African-American community that is resilient and spirited during times of slavery and racial inequality. Historical films are genuine for African-American communities because they displayed a positive outlook of their culture. Ultimately, both the hood and historical films are realistic to the African-American communities.

Religion in Public Schools :: Prayer in Public Schools

Religion in the Classroom In the past Religion was confined to the state now with religious freedom everything has changed or at least started to change. In order for religion to be in a private school now it is again trying to be in Public schools. People ask "why can't freedom to acknowledge god be enjoyed again by children in every schoolroom across this land?" In the past, a long time ago children always prayed before class started and before lunch. But things have changed, "in 1791 the separation of church and state" started. Although it was made clear about the separation of the two "as late as 1951 some twenty states permitted schools to begin the day by reading aloud a passage of the bible." Bu t that had to stop. People didn't have the same beliefs when it comes to religion, if a family absent even believe in god why should their child be forced to pray? On many different occasions questions similar to this one were brought up and complained about. That is what started it all real big. When complaining, arguing and fighting all started over the silent moment. In 1978 a few lawyers got together and considered a constitutional law. The original law said that public school teachers in gr ades 1-6 "shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute, shall be observed for meditation." This law did not work for long, because it still allowed oral prayer in public high schools. Later in 1981, the Alabama State Senator D onald G. Holmes successfully passed a bill that included all grades calling it "the moment of silence" this law said that "the teacher (was) to announce that the silent moment may be used for voluntary prayer." Although it would have to be si lent prayer. Even after this new law started the lawyers that were opposed to this were trying to say that students "do not have a right to pray in school" silently or otherwise because of growing impressions that affect their life. The silent mom ent supposedly "(forced) religion on children." I don't agree with that at all, if there has to be a moment of silence then any child can use that moment however he or she wants, it does not necessarily have to be used fro prayer. Usually "the chi ldren who have been brought up with prayer or some type of religion are usually proven to be better" kids.

Business Strategy And Economics

Abstract This paper is focused on the importance of disruptive innovation as described in the teaching of Professor Clayton Christensen.The first part of the paper introduces a business report of Christensen’s theory on disruptive innovation. The focus is on major assumptions of this theory, as they are applied to the performance of one of the leading European airline companies, Ryanair. Moreover, the second part of the paper outlines a plan that clarifies how the professor’s teaching enhances the potential of individuals to move forward to a sustainable and successful future based on the model of disruptive innovation. Introduction The theory on disruptive innovation has gained adequate importance in the global business environment. Introduced by Professor Clayton Christensen, this theory emphasises that companies should refocus their capacities and resources on technology in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and growth in particular market segments (Christensen et al., 2008). Disruptive innovation is a powerful tool to drive the expansion of companies that are concerned with the attainment of long-term success (Christensen, 1997). The objective of this paper is to provide a business report on the theory of disruptive innovation as applied in the case of Ryanair, as well as to outline a plan of how the professor’s teaching can lead to developing of a sustainable and successful future, as human beings. Business Report In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen (1997) introduced his distinct concept on disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovations are usually initiated as versions of products and services that already exist in the market, but they are identified as less desirable due to the aspect of lower quality. However, such products and services tend to improve with time and thus gain recognition among major customer population (Christensen et al., 2008). The conceptual framework of disruptive innovation is based on opportunity recognition, which is associated with the generation of useful ideas through implementing a past, present and future approach. The importance of considering past events have been acknowledged as a way to understand the specificity of how certain innovations have occurred (Cortez, 2014). Awareness of current trends in a particular business sector should be maintained in order to demonstrate disruptive innovation. Moreover, presenting possible scenarios is ano ther essential step of this approach that could help companies gain a strong competitive advantage (Christensen, 1997). Disruptive innovations can be perceived as ‘factor changers’ in the sense that they shape the markets into which specific products and services are introduced (Govindarajan et al., 2011). Therefore, disruptive innovations can refer to any product or service that has successfully altered dimensions of behaviour or technology in a particular market. It can be indicated that disruptive innovation usually characterises as low-end innovation and new market innovation (Christensen et al., 2008). Low-end innovation takes place when leaders tend to implement a strategy of over-supplying the needs of their customers with substantial technological capability or services that they may not actually need. As a result, a vacuum is created within such low-end market, which in turn reflects in a situation where customers with low demands are more likely to achieve their goals at lower cost (Jang, 2013). This aspect illustrates the validity of the theory on disruptive innovation consider ing the numerous examples of successful companies that have relied on this strategy, including Apple, Ryanair, and Rolls Royce. The second type of disruptive innovation, new market innovation, is focused on the formation of a new niche of customers by the introduction of new products or services. Individuals can be facilitated to complete certain procedures or processes that have been previously identified as challenging or quite demanding in terms of requiring a wide range of skills and knowledge (Christensen, 1997). However, established organisations usually demonstrate a trend to ignore the growth of new markets because of the prevailing conception that such markets are low margin. Similarly to low-end disruptive innovation, new market innovation indicates the importance of enhancing product offerings and expanding product niches (Habtay, 2012). Emphasis is put on attracting customers away from recognised or established products and services. Substantial disruption takes place as a direct result of this process, as the newly introduced products and services have the power to change the existing market on a permanent basis (Maldonado, 2014). The theory of disruptive innovation is valid because of the focus it maintains on the capacity of companies to refocus on technology advancements to optimise their performance. An example of the theory on disruptive innovation in practice can be found in the business operations of Ryanair. In the 1990s, leading airline European companies in the industry decided that the opportunities arising from the implementation of a low-cost strategy do not present a substantial threat to their market (Paton, 2013). Yet, newcomers in the European airline industry, such as EasyJet, applied the example of Ryanair’s point-to-point strategy. A direct outcome of this initiative was the creation of a low-cost niche market, which led to significant shifts in market behaviour as well as technology utilisation (Maldonado, 2014). It can be suggested that such niche of customers have realised the importance of Ryanair’s strategy even though they have not been identified as regular flyers. In addition, the low-cost and no frills strategy soon started to attract a considerable number of business travellers, who demonstrated a rapid switch from high-cost airline compani es to low-cost airlines (Christensen et al., 2008). This has been done with the assumption that low-cost airlines have significantly improved their service as a result of the implementation of disruptive innovation principles (Habtay, 2012). Such aspect demonstrates the validity of the theory considering its successful application to expanding companies’ growth in new markets. Ryanair has succeeded in the creation of a new market of budget travellers, which represents an example of the theory on disruptive innovation. The basic of such success was to offer routes to customers that no other airline did at rather competitive, affordable prices. The main aspect of disruptive innovation is to refocus technology use (Paton, 2013). This has helped the airline to maintain a close contact with its customers through optimisation of the internet use, commitment to quality, and safety maintenance and adequately focused criteria for growth. Ryanair has achieved its objective to reduce its operation cost through maximising its use of technical advances, as it introduced the options of booking of tickets and issuing of boarding cards online (Schmidt and Druehl, 2008). This airline company has provided a relevant example of how its operational teams and processes are brought together to deliver innovation in specific target niches. It has been assumed that the innovation introduced by Ryanair is desired by the target niche market (Habtay, 2012). Therefore, it can be argued that innovation levels should be maintained in balance in order to achieve the company’s initially presented goals for growth and expansion. As illustrated in Professor Clayton’s theory on disruptive innovation, an emergent strategy that organisations should adopt should be based on essential principles. Initially, companies that consider the option of disruptive innovation should incorporate elements of learning into their strategy plan (Paton, 2013). Furthermore, organisations should be focused on finding relevant information that can guarantee that they move in the right direction, similarly to what Ryanair did in the European airline industry through its adherence to the disruptive innovation model (Schmidt and Druehl, 2008). As a result, this type of innovation can produce long-term catalytic change, as illustrated in the example of Ryanair. The way in which a new technology addresses the demands presented in an existing customer segment is an important condition for success. Existing customers have been found powerful to affect an organisation’s resource allocation process (Christensen et al., 2008). The basic idea behind the application of disruptive innovation in practice is to introduce new functions or attributes, as Ryanair introduced a low-cost strategy and flexible fares to its customers (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). A significant assumption can be provided in relation to new market disruptive innovation in the sense that it is more likely to prosper among customers that companies have not been addressed previously. As implied in The Innovator’s Dilemma, Professor Clayton’s theory of disruptive innovation illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of using financial ratios to measure business performance in both the short-term and long-term (Christensen, 1997). The strengths associated with using these ratios refer to the capacity of companies to use specific financial information to advance their business operations. Weaknesses of these ratios include improperly maintained focus or irrelevant or inaccurate financial details. The most important ratios with regards to Professor Clayton’s theory are the following profitability ratios: Return on Capital Employed (ROCE); Current Ratio and Acid Test Ratio (Christensen et al., 2008). The ratio of RONA presents a comparison of net income with the specific net assets. The ratio of ROCE provides significant information about the returns that an organisation achieves from the capital it employed. In the case of Ryanair, the company’s ROCE ratio indicated a significant increase from 6.86% in 2011 to more than 10% in 2013 before tax (Paton, 2013). The formula for calculating the current ratio is to divide current assets and current liabilities. Therefore, Ryanair’s current ratio in 2013 is 1.97:1. Acid test ratio is obtained through subtracting current assets and inventory and the result is divided with current liabilities (Habtay, 2012). The acid test ratio in 2013 is 1.97:1. These ratios indicate that the company performs well in its niche target market as a result of the introduction of disruptive innovation. Plan Professor Clayton’s teaching provides fundamental business ideas that can help individuals move forward to a sustainable and successful future, as human beings. His concepts reinforce the potential of professionals in the business world to bring about a substantial change that can alter positively their lives (Christensen et al., 2008). When human beings are confronted with new technological innovations, they tend to explore the numerous opportunities associated with such technology advancements that can help them become more successful in their operations. Sustainability emerges as an essential dimension in Clayton’s teaching on disruptive innovation (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). By finding new markets for new technologies, individuals can help companies move in the right direction through adhering to the model of disruptive innovation (Christensen et al., 2008). Technology is the key to a sustainable and successful future for human beings considering the emphasis on improvement in product performance. There has been always a drive to seek improvement of products and services in any market segment. Clayton’s teaching motivates individuals to restructure their thinking and present distinct inferences regarding the application of disruptive innovation models in practice (Chandra and Yang, 2011). In fact, the model suggested by the professor indicates a proven path to achieving a sustainable and successful future based on the concept of disruptive innovation. The ability of human beings to innovate is leading in the contemporary business world, which is oriented towards long-term success. Clayton’s ideas are focused on presenting a realistic framework according to which sustainable is achievable as well as new innovations address current needs and expectations identified in different markets (Christensen et al., 2008). As Clayton a rgued, market leaders are responsible for embracing such innovations and exploit the numerous advantages of technologies. As a result, this would contribute to the emergence of a high level of sustainability in the dynamic business environment (Maldonado, 2014). The model introduced by Professor Clayton provides managers with an opportunity to offer relevant insights into the most appropriate way of utilising disruptive technologies. The professor presents his arguments in a clear, consistent manner, which helps individuals understand the specificity and applicability of his theory (Christensen, 1997). The emergence of particular value networks is in line with the basic idea to refocus on technology through the distinct model of disruptive innovation (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). Moreover, Professor Clayton emphasises the necessity to discuss different managerial decisions, which contribute to enhanced sustainability in the business world. Moving to a sustainable and successful future may be challenging for human beings, but they can make a sense of all activities pertaining to disruptive innovation and apply them in practice. This can help individuals realise the potential and practicalities of the ideas shared by Professor Clayton (Habtay, 2012). Emphasis on the learning cycle shows that both individuals and companies can embrace the concept of change, which may contribute to expanding sustainability not only in the organisational context but also in society (Christensen et al., 2008). The professor’s teaching is intended to clarify any misunderstanding related to business performance in the contemporary world. His ideas suggest that sustainability and business success are attainable through the simple realisation of companies’ potential (Christensen, 1997). In addition, the development of new capabilities as related to specific organisational boundaries may be a relevant solution to overcome problems i n a company’s performance. Conclusion This paper discussed Professor Clayton Christensen’s theory on disruptive innovation, which has been recognised as a significant tool in driving the growth of many organisations (Christensen et al., 2008). The paper also provided arguments pertaining to the successful implementation of the theory in practice. Ryanair was referred to as an example of company, which adheres to the model of disruptive innovation (Paton, 2013). It has been concluded that Ryanair’s low-cost strategy has brought substantial success to the company. Moreover, the paper discussed details on how the professor’s teaching is inspiring for human beings in the process of moving forward to a sustainable and successful future. References Chandra, Y. and Yang, S. (2011). ‘Managing Disruptive Innovation’. Journal of General Management, vol. 37(2), pp.23-50. Christensen, C., Johnson, C. W. and Horn, M. B. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw-Hill. Christensen, C. (1997). The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Cortez, N. (2014). ‘Regulating Disruptive Innovation’. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, vol. 29(1), pp.175-228. Govindarajan, V., Kopalle, P. K. and Danneels, E. (2011). ‘The Effects of Mainstream and Emerging Customer Orientations on Radical and Disruptive Innovations’. Journal of Product Innovation Management, (1), pp.121-132. Habtay, S. R. (2012). ‘A Firm-Level Analysis on the Relative Difference between Technology-Driven and Market-Driven Disruptive Business Model Innovations’. Creativity & Innovation Management, vol. 21(3), pp.290-303. Jang, S. W. (2013). ‘Seven Disruptive Innovations for Future Industries’. SERI Quarterly, vol. 6(3), pp.94-98. Maldonado, E. R. (2014). ‘How to Identify Disruptive New Businesses’. Global Conference on Business & Finance Proceedings, vol. 9(1), pp.510-520. Paton, M. (2013). Ryanair Profits Soar 21% [online]. The Motley Fool. Available at: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/01/28/ryanair-profits-soars.aspx [Accessed: 14 August 2014]. Petrick, I. J. and Martinelli, R. (2012). ‘Driving Disruptive Innovation’. Research Technology Management, vol. 55(6), pp.49-57. Schmidt, G. M. and Druehl, C. T. (2008). ‘When Is a Disruptive Innovation Disruptive?’ Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 25(4), pp.347-369.