Mind maps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mind maps - Essay Example Most often the map involves images, words, and lines and elements are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts and they are organized into groupings, branches, or areas. As a twenty first century educator, mind- mapping is an important (if not essential) technique to help oneself in imparting quality education to students. Educators often wish that they could more organized and less occupied with petty problems. Some may feel dejected when forced to think on our feet. No educator can help their student learn better when they are often overwhelmed with tons of information. This results in failure to create meaning in the vast field of knowledge and aid students so they can internalize and understand better. Psychological synchronization of an educator with his student is essential to build up trust and confidence. Incorporating the Hierarchy of Needs helps a teacher to provide moral, emotional and academic help to students who might need them. Similarly the Systems Theory Framework and Myer - Brigg's Theory assist in personality identification, assessment and development respectively. The Holland's Theory of Career Choices aid in student counseling with respect to personality types, aptitudes and personal preferences. The complexities and chaos

IDEA and Special Education Annotated Essay Example for Free

IDEA and Special Education Annotated Essay Bowen, S. and Rude, H. (2006). Assessment and students with disabilities: Issues and challenges with educational reform. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 25 (3), pp. 24-30. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Bowen and Rude pointed out that the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA reflected an effort to align IDEA with NCLB. This article focuses specifically on the problem of accountability, eligibility for special education services, summary of performance, and transition services for special education students. Also included are guiding principles for selecting appropriate accommodations for assessments. Ketterlin-Geller, L. (2007). Recommendations for accommodations: Implications of (in)consistency. Remedial and Special Education, 28 (4), pp. 194-206. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier. The author noted the importance of appropriate accommodations for students who have special needs. Unfortunately, student IEPs are often not aligned with the actual accommodations that are made in the classroom. This disagreement between the classroom teacher and the IEP team results in inconsistent accommodations which, according to Ketterlin-Geller, have a negative effect on student outcomes. The author outlined several possible causes for these inconsistencies. Ketterlin-Geller concluded, Regardless of the root cause for the disagreement between IEPs and teachers, the current system is placing teachers in the awkward position of enacting a set of predetermined, legally binding guidelines with the intention of providing the support needed for their students to succeed. Lynch, S. and Adams, P. (2008). Developing standards-based Individualized Education Program objectives for students with significant needs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40 (3), pp. 36-39. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier. Lynch and Adams noted the apparent conflict between the expectations of NCLB and the requirements of IDEA described guidelines that may be used to help districts to develop assessments that are inline with student IEPs. This article focuses on developing assessments that address pre-symbolic levels of learning, early symbolic learning, and expanded symbolic levels of learning. National Education Association (2004). IDEA and NCLB: Intersection of Access and Outcomes. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www. nea. org/specialed/images/ideanclbintersection. pdf This 47-page booklet describes the implications of NCLB for IDEA. Section One of the booklet addresses standardized assessments for students with disabilities, including acceptable accommodations under NCLB. The booklet also addresses how special education may affect Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) reports. The text includes several links to documents that may be used for policy guidance for districts that are developing policies for special education. Turnbull, H. (2005). Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Reauthorization: Accountability and personal responsibility. Remedial Special Education, 26 (6), pp. 320-326. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Turnbull noted that IDEA 2004 reflects the concept that the teacher, the school, and the federal government share in the responsibility of improving student outcomes. Turnbull argued that this scope of responsibility must also include parents and students if learning and student achievement are to take place. U. S. Congress (2002). No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Public Law 107-110. 2002. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www. ed. gov/legislation/ESEA02/107-110. pdf This is the full text of NCLB. Altogether, the law is 670 pages long. The sheer volume of NCLB makes it difficult for many parents and school administrators to read through understand. References to IDEA and special education are spread throughout the bill; however, the most reference with the most significance for special education is found on page 1448-1449, in which not less than 95 percent of students, including students in special education, are required to take assessments with accommodations, guidelines, and alternative assessments provided in the same manner as those provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). U. S. Congress (2004). Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Public Law 108-446. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www. copyright. gov/legislation/pl108-446. pdf The full text of the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA. It is interesting to note that although IDEA 2004 was passed 2 years after the enactment of NCLB, there is no reference to NCLB in IDEA 2004. IDEA 2004 does note, however, that all children with disabilities are included in all general State and districtwide assessment programs (p. 40). Provisions are also made for alternative assessments. The philosophy of NCLB is also reflected in the IDEA 2004 requirement that states and school districts shall report the number of students who required an alternative assessment and how those students performed on the assessment (p. 41). Voltz, D. and Fore, C. (2006). Urban special education in the context of standards-based reform. Remedial and Special Education, 27 (6), pp. 329-336. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier. Critics of NCLB have argued that children from low-income families are more likely to have difficulty passing standardized assessments. Voltz and Fore pointed out that education does not occur in a vacuum. To be effective, education reform must be linked to broader social reform, including reforms that reduce poverty and that address the effect of poverty on student achievement. Wakeman, S. , Browder, D., Meier, I. , and McColl, A. (2007). The implications of No Child Left Behind for students with developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13 (2), pp. 143-150. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. This review addresses how to develop appropriate alternative assessments for children who have developmental delays and the implications of NCLB for curriculum and instruction for these children. The authors encouraged teachers to work towards meeting challenging academic standards for their students with developmental delays and noted that there is no research indicating that functional skills must be mastered before academic learning can take place. Wakeman, et al. , also pointed out that the requirements of NCLB may make it more difficult to recruit and to retain teachers who are qualified to work with this population. Wasta, M. (2006). No Child Left Behind: The death of special education? Phi Delta Kappan, 88 (4), pp. 298-299. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Academic Search Premier. In this editorial, Wasta argues that NCLB includes unrealistic expectations for the educational outcomes of students with disabilities. Wasta fears that NCLB may lead some schools to eliminate their special education programs altogether. Despite his concerns about NCLB, Wasta contends that special education students should not be exempt from assessments and other provisions of the law. Instead, NCLB should be modified to include realistic expectations for special education students and special education programs.

Lost Art Of Letters English Language Essay

Lost Art Of Letters English Language Essay Writers often say that they do not know what they think until they put pen to paper. Putting pen to paper is a very different experience than typing on a machine. Letter writing is a lost art. Writing a letter is giving a gift of oneself. Its about sharing; it creates a two-way relationship. Addressee and writer connect and through the power of the written word give each other back to one another. For this reason, in a time of narcissistic monologues in which we do not know how to say you, there is little space for letter writing. There was a time when writing letters was our only means of communicating over long distances. In todays world, we can pick up a phone and speak to anyone anywhere in a second or two. Whether personal or business related, people pick up a phone before they pick up a pen. Over time technology and the need for speed has left the letter a thing of the past. With new forms of communication people dont seem to realize the how impersonal and sloppy text messaging , email, cards, and the telephone really are. (Affonso) Yes, all of these things are wonderful in one way or another and benefit today greatly, but nothing is savored, thought out, or meaningful. Interacting is an important component of communication. Is there something meaningful you need to say? Not only can you buy Happy Birthday and Get Well Soon cards, these days you can express any sentiment Hallmark style. Today you can go to the grocery store and buy a card to say just about anything. I Miss You, and Sorry we had a disagreement, Thinking of you, and even something as rude as an over the hill cards complete with headstones. Granted, they are nice gestures, but theyre still somebody elses words. Who really meant what the card has to say, Hallmark or the sender? Am I to be touched by this heartfelt gesture because you passed the aisle with cards on your way to pick up toilet paper? Im sorry to be dismissive. I know that most people truly feel what the card is trying to convey. I myself sometimes buy cards like these, but I write a note or letter to say it in my own words as well. Cards are just another way to shorthand true feelings and human emtion. B4, lol, jk, ROLFL, Luv u. Let us not forget the evermore ubiquitous e-mail and Instant Message. Why take the time to write a heartfelt letter when you can sit down, put your thoughts into a few brief sentences often incomplete and twisted with abbreviated language and send it off into the the atmosphere of the internet? Schools are suffering because of the prevalence of text speak. Schools are finding that because of the placement of technology in the classroom it has replaced communication. This is handicapping students communication skills and leaving them unprepared for the real world, real jobs, and real relationships. Without learning to communicate professionally it will be more difficult if not impossible for a student of this generation to know how to correctly send an email to a colleague or boss. (Minster) A level of professionalism must be conveyed to convince employers of your aptitude of speech and communication to maintain or rise in the professional world. I long to receive a three page, heart-rending, soppy letter, filled with words carefully chosen and eternal. Maybe Im just a hopelessly romantic dreamer, or just downright old-fashioned. Of all letters, the love-letter should be the most carefully prepared.   Among the written missives, they are the most thoroughly read and re-read, and the longest preserved. What I envy most are the grandmothers who can pull out their bundle of letters. Usually tied up with string or kept in a carved wooden box those letters reveal feelings of the past. History gives us knowledge but letters gives feeling and emotion. Some of the most powerful letters written are those of soldiers writing home to their wives and families. Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field. Those words of the heart could never have brought the same emotion over a text message or sent in a hallmark greeting card (Lost Art of Letter Writing).Those final words to his beloved wife are the last he would ever write, and she would keep the carbon copy of his love forever. The danger of losing this form of communication is that we will become the first generation in history to leave no written record of ourselves. If George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Ernest Hemingway had only used e-mail, would we have the same record of them that we possess through their letters and journals today? Probably not. We may have the facts downà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the part of history we all fall asleep throughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but the story would be lost. The feelings and emotions would not exist. John Adams epic letters to his wife Abigail would most likely be erased from time and the hard drive had they not written some of the most famous love letters of all time. Even if they did, it is still not the same as a letter. A letter is a personal thing, even more now because we receive so few of them. They matter because they are personal in an increasingly disconnected world, and because they take time and effort to produce. Night after night, you log onto your computer and talk with your online date for hours. At first, this is exciting and you wait all day for the time you get to sign onto the Internet. However, after a few months, its not as exciting and you are bored. Having the same type of interactions with someone over time can cause the relationship to end. The best way to keep it alive is to find other ways to make it new and exciting. Try scheduling time to get together or chat on the phone rather than via e-mail or instant messenger. Not everyone can or should fight fires, race cars, paint portraits, or sing karaoke publicly. Its fine; were all different, and as Jane Austen said, One half of the world cannot understand the pleasure of the other. Online dating is no different. Maybe all the cool kids are doing it; maybe your friends are urging you to take cursor in hand and dip into the digital dating pool. Relationships take work but Internet ones take even more work. Internet dating means you have to schedule in time for your computer to sit and chat or your new friend will simply pick out a new profile and try again. Internet dating takes more effort because you have to share so much of yours elf in a very impersonal way. (Caplan). Not only does it take more effort but it takes a lot of bravery. How do you know that you can trust Mike Dexter, the hunky fireman who volunteers at animal shelters on the weekendà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or so his profile says. For all you know he could be an eighty year old man allergic to dogs. What happened to the organic way of dating? What happened to the boy meets girl and so on and so forth. Now days if we want to impress someone of the opposite gender, its not your hair that needs an updo..its your profile on facebook that needs an update! Internet dating may work for some, but there is nothing personal or romantic about you, your bunny slippers, your PC, and good old Ben and Jerry to keep you company. We have done away with hand written letters and notes in the name of time. Because we live in the fast paced twenty first century, millions of people spend their time figuring out a way to get things done faster and more efficiently. Email and text messaging are wonderful advances. They help businesses and companies overseas stay in touch with each other. It ensures aid to countries in need when disaster strikes. It is wonderful for places like ebay and online shopping. Student teacher relationships are easily communicated via email when there is a problem or misunderstanding. However when it comes to matters of the heart, there is something to be said for the letter. It is intimate, it is personal and it communicates more than just a desire to stay in touch.

Causes of World War II Essay -- American History European

Causes of World War II Many historians have traced the causes of World War II to problems left unsolved by World War I (1914-1918). World War I and the treaties that ended it also created new political and economic problems. Forceful leaders in several countries took advantage of these problems to seize power. The desire of dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan to conquer additional territory brought them into conflict with the democratic nations. After World War I ended, representatives of the victorious nations met in Paris in 1919 to draw up peace treaties for the defeated countries. These treaties, known as the Peace of Paris, followed a long and bitter war. They were worked out in haste by these countries with opposing goals; and failed to satisfy even the victors. Of all the countries on the winning side, Italy and Japan left the peace conference most dissatisfied. Italy gained less territory than it felt it deserved and vowed to take action on its own. Japan gained control of German territories in the Pacific and thereby launched a program of expansion. But Japan was angered by the peacemakers' failure to endorse the principle of the equality of all races. The countries that lost World War I--Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey--were especially dissatisfied with the Peace of Paris. They were stripped of territory, arms and were required to make reparations (payments for war damages). The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed with Germany, punished Germany severely. The German government agreed to sign the treaty only after the victorious powers threatened to invade. Many Germans particularly resented the clause that forced Germany to accept responsibility for causing World War I. World War I seriously damaged the economies of the European countries. Both the winners and the losers came out of the war deeply in debt. The defeated powers had difficulty paying reparations to the victors, and the victors had difficulty repaying their loans to the United States. The shift from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy caused further problems. Italy and Japan suffered from too many people and too few resources after World War I. They eventually tried to solve their problems by territorial expansion. In Germany, runaway inflation destroyed the value of money and wiped out the savings of millions of people. In 1923, the Ger... ...ed by meeting Hitler's demands. That policy became known as appeasement. Chamberlain had several meetings with Hitler during September 1938 as Europe teetered on the edge of war. Hitler raised his demands at each meeting. On September 29, Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier met with Hitler and Mussolini in Munich, Germany. Chamberlain and Daladier agreed to turn over the Sudetenland to Germany, and they forced Czechoslovakia to accept the agreement. Hitler promised that he had no more territorial demands. The Munich Agreement marked the height of the policy of appeasement. Chamberlain and Daladier hoped that the agreement would satisfy Hitler and prevent war--or that it would at least prolong the peace until Britain and France were ready for war. The two leaders were mistaken on both counts. The failure of appeasement soon became clear. Hitler broke the Munich Agreement in March 1939 and seized the rest of Czechoslovakia. He thereby added Czechoslovakia's armed forces and industries to Germany's military might. In the months before World War II began, Germany's preparations for war moved ahead faster than did the military build-up of Britain and France.

Abnormal behavior Essay

There are many factors that affect and produce abnormal behavior. Its aspects vary largely depending different factors. Abnormal behavior has many varying classifications. According to the   DSM-IV, there are 5 types of Axis that classify abnormal behavior. Out of these five, there is much importance on the effect of situational factors that can range from simple or grave in nature, nonetheless, situational factors provide a huge effect on abnormal behavior. The DSM-IV provides categorical classification that segregates mental disorders into different kinds or types from a basis of sets of criteria that possess defining features. The five types are the following: Axis I – Clinical Syndrome, Axis II – Personality Disorder and Mental Retardation, Axis III – Physical Disorder, Axis IV – Psycho-social stressors and Environmental Problems, and lastly, Axis V – Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). See more: Homeless satire essay Abnormal behavior represents different effects. The causes and stimulants for this abnormal behavior may vary very uniquely. But every abnormal behavior condition can be consequences of genetic predisposition, developmental factors that influence, patterns learned due to response from situations, impact of acute or chronic life experiences, defective assumptions, and adaptation to situations. Excluding the genetic predisposition, abnormal behavior largely revolve around factors of different situations that may have started or aggravated the said abnormal behavior. The once normal behavior of people can change due to a very life-changing situation. Examples of these are traumatic events or major disasters that occurred in one’s life. Such disorders or abnormality may greatly have been caused by these kinds of situations which resulted to the change of the normal behavior into abnormal.

The Progression of Heavy Metal essays

The Progression of Heavy Metal essays As in most generations, the youth engages in some type of new and rebellious activity against the mores of their parent's previous generation. One type of rebellion that turned up in the music of the youth and becoming widely popular in the 1980s, however having origins from years before, is heavy metal. This type of music underscores morbidity, ancient civilizations, heroic conflicts, and gothic attitudes. Heavy metal had many influences on future evolutions of music and branched into other types of music. The presence of this type of music in itself, though, had such an impact that many people still listen and are influenced by it today. Although metal music became widely popular and flaunted by MTV in the 1980s, it actually began about fifteen years beforehand. Some say that metal began way back with the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and the Who's "My Generation" in 1964. However, in 1965, Alice Cooper created the band The Spiders, which really began the first roads to developing heavy metal. Metal music began to gain popularity after Woodstock of 1967, after which people began looking for a new revolution. That is when bands like Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and most influential, Black Sabbath, came between 1966 and 1970. The term "heavy metal" was coined by Steppenwolf, where, in the song "Born to Be Wild," the term "heavy metal thunder" is first used. On the other hand, the first of the influential bands included the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, commanding the followings of Rush and Van Halen. After that, by 1973, "the kings of heavy metal" (www.hard...) came to be Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. With those latter two bands also came the Satanic imagery, part trademark, of heavy metal. Jimmy Page, first from The Yardbirds, then the guitarist in Led Zeppelin, influenced much of the distortion of "heavy" guitar playing that came to classify heavy metal musi...

My father Essays - Roman Catholic Devotions, Free Essays

My father Essays - Roman Catholic Devotions, Free Essays My father In his death, my father, Glenn Vernon Martin, did something he could not do in life. He brought our family together. After he died at age 83, many of his friends told me how much they loved him?how generous he was, how outgoing, how funny, how caring. I was surprised at these descriptions. During my teenage years, there was little said to me that was not criticism. I remember him as angry. But now, ten years after his death, I recall events that seem to contradict my memory of him. When I was 16, he handed down to me the family?s 1957 Chevy. Neither one of us knew at the time that it was the coolest car anyone my age could have. When I was in the third grade he proudly accompanied me to the school tumbling contest where I won first prize. One day, while I was in single digits, he suggested we play catch in the front yard. This offer to spend time together was so anomalous that I didn?t quite understand what I was supposed to do. When I graduated from high school, my father offered to buy me a tuxedo. I refused because my father always shunned gifts. I felt with my refusal, that somehow in a convoluted, perverse logic, I was being a good son. I wish now that I could have let him buy me a tuxedo, let him be a dad. My father sold real estate but he wanted to be in show business. I was probably five years old when I saw him in a bit part at the Call Board theater on Melrose Place in Hollywood. He came on in the second act and served a drink. The theater existed until a few years ago and is now finally defunct and, I believe, a lamp shop. My father?s attitude toward my show business accomplishments was critical. After my first appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1976, he wrote a bad review of me in the newsletter of the Newport Board of Realtors where he was president. Later, he related this news to me slightly shamefaced, and said that after it appeared, his best friend came into his office holding the paper, placed it on his desk, and shook his head sternly, indicating a wordless ?no.? In the early ?80s, a close friend of mine, whose own father was killed walking across a street and whose mother committed suicide on Mother?s Day, said that if I had anything to work out with my parents, I should do it now, because one day that opportunity would be over. When I heard this remark, I had no idea that I would ever want to work anything out with them, that, in fact, there was anything to work out at all. But it stewed in my brain for years, and soon I decided to try and get to know my parents. I took them to lunch every Sunday I could, and would goad them into talking. It was our routine that after I drove them home from our lunches, my mother and father, now in their 80s, would walk me to the car. I would kiss my mother on the cheek and my father and I would wave or awkwardly say goodbye. But this time we hugged each other and he whispered, ?I love you,? with a voice barely audible. This would be the first time these words were ever spoken between us. I returned the phrase with the same awkward, broken delivery.

Free Essays on Tobacco Marketing

Young People: A Key Expansion Market The tobacco industry loses close to 5,000 customers every day in the US alone- including 3,500 who manage to quit and about 1,200 who die. The most promising â€Å"replacement smokers† are young people: 90% of smokers begin before they’re 21, and 60% before they’re 14! To find their new customers, every day US tobacco companies spend $11 million to advertise and promote cigarettes- more than the US Federal Office on Smoking and Health spends to prevent smoking in an entire year. US Youth: â€Å"Cool† Customers In the US, cigarette advertising links smoking with being â€Å"cool†, taking risks, and growing up. At the same time, the tobacco industry insists that it does not want children to smoke- and backs up its claims with campaigns supposedly designed to discourage young people from smoking. However, programs like â€Å"Tobacco: Helping Youth Say No† are not only slick public relations efforts designed to bolster industry credibility, they actually encourage youth tobacco use. By leaving out the health dangers, ignoring addiction, and glamorizing smoking as an â€Å"adult custom,† these campaigns reinforce the industry’s advertising theme presenting smoking as a way for children to exert independence and be grown up. International â€Å"Passport to Prosperity† Outside the US, central messages are wealth, health, and consumption- in short, â€Å"USA.† According to Kenyan physician Paul Wangai, â€Å"Many African children have two hopes. One is to go to heaven, the other to America. US tobacco companies capitalize on this by associating smoking with affluence. It’s not uncommon to hear children say they start because of the glamorous life-style associated with smoking.† In emerging markets from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, transnational tobacco giants Philip Morris, RJR Nabisco, and B.A.T. Industries aggressively hawk cigarettes with slogans like; â€Å"L & M: The Way ... Free Essays on Tobacco Marketing Free Essays on Tobacco Marketing Young People: A Key Expansion Market The tobacco industry loses close to 5,000 customers every day in the US alone- including 3,500 who manage to quit and about 1,200 who die. The most promising â€Å"replacement smokers† are young people: 90% of smokers begin before they’re 21, and 60% before they’re 14! To find their new customers, every day US tobacco companies spend $11 million to advertise and promote cigarettes- more than the US Federal Office on Smoking and Health spends to prevent smoking in an entire year. US Youth: â€Å"Cool† Customers In the US, cigarette advertising links smoking with being â€Å"cool†, taking risks, and growing up. At the same time, the tobacco industry insists that it does not want children to smoke- and backs up its claims with campaigns supposedly designed to discourage young people from smoking. However, programs like â€Å"Tobacco: Helping Youth Say No† are not only slick public relations efforts designed to bolster industry credibility, they actually encourage youth tobacco use. By leaving out the health dangers, ignoring addiction, and glamorizing smoking as an â€Å"adult custom,† these campaigns reinforce the industry’s advertising theme presenting smoking as a way for children to exert independence and be grown up. International â€Å"Passport to Prosperity† Outside the US, central messages are wealth, health, and consumption- in short, â€Å"USA.† According to Kenyan physician Paul Wangai, â€Å"Many African children have two hopes. One is to go to heaven, the other to America. US tobacco companies capitalize on this by associating smoking with affluence. It’s not uncommon to hear children say they start because of the glamorous life-style associated with smoking.† In emerging markets from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, transnational tobacco giants Philip Morris, RJR Nabisco, and B.A.T. Industries aggressively hawk cigarettes with slogans like; â€Å"L & M: The Way ...

Environmental Problem And Solution Research Paper

Environmental Problem And Solution - Research Paper Example The most common and damaging greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Unfortunately, we are currently destroying the best known carbon regulators- plants. Deforestation not only impedes carbon capture, but the dead and decayed flora further releases CO2 into the environment. As the climate keeps getting warmer the various species in their respective ecosystems are exposed to threatening adaptability challenges as a result of which their number and diversity is rapidly on decline. A proper understanding and control of CO2 is pivotal to prevent an unstoppable catastrophic warming of the Earth. Environmental Problem and Solution For the purpose of better understanding the alarming situation we are in, I have picked a news article from BBC News, Washington by Jane O’Brien, 4 November 2010, â€Å"The World’s longest running carbon dioxide experiment†. One of the most pressing challenges on global warming is the fact that nobody exactly knows how the earth wi ll react to the progressive climate change. This article provides an insight to some of the most imperative concerns about the effects of global warming, and some hypothetical suggestions of handling it. Every year the rising sea levels engulf humongous hectares of land thereby threatening the existence of heavily populated coastlines (Sarwar & Khan, 2007). Other impacts of global climate change include melting glaciers, stronger storms, higher floods, less snow north and more drought south (IPCC, 2007). Several greenhouse gases are responsible for climate warming, but CO2 forms the herculean contributor as the concentration of the other gases is much lower. The buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere is mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels in car, factories and electricity production (Miller, 2004). In the longest running CO2 experiment, carried out on the shore of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, scientists have created a unique salt marsh that simulates the situation of the futur e (O’Brien, 2010). One characteristic of CO2 is that it acts as a fertilizer on some plants making it grow appreciably faster, building new soil and hence tacking the problem of rising sea levels. The scientists in this study have tailored the condition our planet will be exposed to by the year 2100 by setting up a patch of marshland and covering it with atmospherically controlled CO2 chambers which have roughly double the CO2 content of what we have today. However other environmental peril like pollution can have a huge dampening effect on the growth promoting property of CO2. Another aspect which this living laboratory has exploited is the susceptibility of the marsh to a variety of weed, Phragmites australis. The growth of this plant is fortified by high CO2 levels. The expeditious growth of such unwanted flora can displace the native habitats and the organisms which populate it. A better understanding of how these ecosystems behave under altered condition would help in pl anning the future. Being enlightened of the increasing CO2 levels, we can be prepared to control the invasive species like Phragmites australis, which thrive on CO2 and degrade the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Another aspect of these invasive plant species is that they may help counterbalance the problem of soil erosion. Having cognizance of this dual purview it can be decided whether or not to allow these plant species to thrive. Discussion The ongoing CO2 experiment began in 1987 with the aim of examining the

Interpretation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interpretation Paper - Essay Example Instead, he suggest that why wouldn’t people appreciate that they can as well handle the matter by themselves through reconciliation. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they would have power to judge the angels and as such, it is ridiculous that they would subject themselves to other men, who do not believe in their faith, in the form of judges, to handle their cases. It is not like Paul does not appreciate the role of the judges, but rather, he confronts the weakness within the church, to the extent to which non among them would be able to stand for the rest to provide counsel. The intension of the author was to inculcate the spirit of reconciliation among the believers in the Corinth. This was ultimately to appreciate the spirit of forgiveness among the believers, and never to expose their differences to the non-believers. Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust and not before the saint? (1st Corinthians , 6:1).1 Literally, Paul is putting the role of the jury in question based on the faith they harbor. Though the question seem to be directed to the believers in Corinth, the fairness of the courts in handling the Christians cases is put to question. Sucintly, Christians are challenged to appreciate that there is no fairness in courts that would match forgiveness in Christ. The answer to Paul’s question is no! In faith every Christian should forgive others and never to seek revenge. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? (1st Corinthians, 6:2) At this instance, Paul presents a case which contradicts traditional understanding of Christianity. First, there would not be any need to judge since judgment is left to God alone. But the answer is yes! There are wise men among the Christians who are able to provide counsel but not to judge them. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit

Ethical Organizational Climate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Organizational Climate - Essay Example In 2009, less than a month after being sworn in, he signed three presidential memoranda and two executive orders concerned with ethics and transparency (Hughes and Ginnett, 2012). A leader’s public and private morality can be distinguished because people exhibit different behaviors privately and publicly.A leader cannot act privately the same way he acts in the public because the expectations in both cases are different and trying to streamline them can create strains privately or publicly. The best approach is to find a balance between the two (Bowie, 2013). A bad person cannot be a good leader because effective leadership requires respect for the people one leads. How can one be a good leader if he does not respect the very people he is supposed to lead, and who probably placed him in that position of leadership? It is impossible. If leaders do not demonstrate ethical conduct then their followers will do the same (Bowie, 2013). Next, their followers’ followers will fo llow the cue and within no time a whole society will be corrupt and unethical. Leader behavior is more important in improving ethical values in an organization than a code of ethics or employee training. This is because good leadership embodies the other two aspects. A good leader creates a conducive environment to facilitate the employee training and the creation of codes of ethics. Codes of ethics and employee training cannot create better leaders than natural leadership (Bowie, 2013).

Personality Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality Assessment - Essay Example Idiographic method, which is person-focussed, is more in use among psychologists (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.12). The tools used for personality assessment can be categorized into two major groups, namely, â€Å"self-report instruments† and â€Å"performance-based measures† (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.14). The process of assessment involves, clarifying the referral, selecting the test battery, obtaining informed consent, fostering comfort and cooperation, and obtaining interpretable data (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.20-30). Personality examiners have used Rorshach Inkblot Test since 1960s. This test has been devised on the realization that â€Å"individuals frequently report idiosyncratic or unique personal meanings when viewing inkblot stimuli† (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp.376). It is this phenomenon that is used in assessing individuals. By dropping ink onto a piece of paper and folding it, a Rorshach stimulus card can be made (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp .377). Rorshach had experimented with many such cards and finalized 20 of them as standard stimulus cards that can be used for psychological assessment (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp.377).

Shamoon incident at Aramco Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shamoon incident at Aramco - Case Study Example This was the first malware used by the hacktivism front and hence the company’s network was not in a position to handle the complexity of this virus. Indeed, unlike other malware whose impact cannot overcome the antivirus set in the company’s network, the technology used in Aramco was way below that of the hackers. The network system in Aramco offers security to theft of data but has no capacity to handle annihilation manifested by Shamoon. In addition, the company’s anti-hacking and firewall software is incapable to deal with such technologically advanced malware like Shamoon. Moreover, the company’s IT and computer systems policies require a review. Sadly, the network system of Aramco allows multiple users to access both unclassified and classified information at the same time, which jeopardizes the security of the system as seen in the Shamoon attack. In addition, Aramco’s network allows its employees and expatriate employees to run information s ystems and then divulge such information that acts as leeway to cyber-attacks. Indeed, the company needs to review and update its IT policies and computer systems for purposes of dealing with such complicated malware as Shamoon (Mashat, 2012, p.1). Otherwise, the ease to access, lack of proper authorization, and use of ancient anti-hacking and firewall software, jeopardizes the security of Aramco’s network system. How the Attack Happened One group of hackers has claimed responsibility over the Shamoon attack on Aramco. The group, Cutting Sword of Justice asserts that the cyber-attack took place beginning Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012 at 11:08 AM and was complete within a few hours (Fisher, 2012, p.1). Although, this information is not certain, there are clear indications that lead to this assertion. Indeed, in the same day after Cutting Sword of Justice asserted this, Saudi Aramco confirmed that part of its computer system used by its employees is under cyber-attack courtesy of a c omputer virus. Alternatively, several antivirus vendors Kaspersky Lab, Symantec, McAfee confirmed the existence of such a virus and named it Shamoon or Disttrack (Higgins, 2012, P. 16). Indeed, the hackers took the virus from another computer package and dropped it off in the Aramco’s computer system. We may need to define the details of this virus to reinforce our understanding on how this attacked happened. Shamoon or Disttrack is a legitimate software driver with a digital signature inside its package. Specifically, the virus is referred to as W32. Disttrack and ha distinct security components. Indeed, W32.Disttrack has a dropper that played a major role in creating and providing the original infection. Subsequently, the dropper significantly dropped other modules in initiating the attack. In addition, the W32.Disttrack has a wiper whose main responsibility in the attack was to destroy the network of target system, Aramco. Moreover, the wiper has the capability to enable u ser-mode applications to read and write to disk sectors of other systems (Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, 2012, n. p). As such, it is most applicable in overwriting the computer's Master Boot Record. Indeed, the wiper deleted all the existing drivers and overwrote the signed one in Aramco’s network. Most significantly, the W32.Disttrack entails a reporter, which was significant in reporting the success of the attack to the attacker. The reporter takes back all the details

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts Research Paper

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts - Research Paper Example The study concluded with brief statements on the implications of the correlations between identity theft and the fast-growing Internet. Suggestions were given to improve the means of protection from online fraud and identity theft. Operational Definitions In general, Wang and Huang (2011) stated that fraud refers to the act of taking advantage of others, largely motivated by economic reasons, via varied deceptive means. Intuitively, online fraud is said to refer to those conducted and/or facilitated using the Internet. Although identity theft is the inception of many fraudulent and criminal activities, it does not necessarily mean that it is the start of all online frauds. Online fraudulent acts committed by methods of stolen identification, phishing, advanced-fee schemes, or other electronic transactions fall largely within the arena of computer-assisted crimes (McQuade (2006) and Wall (2007), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). Wang and Huang (2011) wrote that the term identity refe rs to the unique and stable characteristics associated with an individual, and the aspect of self is based upon the interior state of awareness. However, it is argued that the culture shaped by the modern information media alleviates the term from consciousness and associates with the body (Poster (2006) as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). furthermore, it has been assumed that a shift in the perspective of identifying individuals may discard the psychological portion of identity, thereby reflecting an emerging culture in the digital era. There are three general principles of identity verification to protect users‘ access to their personal belongings in the virtual space (Crume (2000) and Foster (2005), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). The first principle requires that a specific user knows some information to access the system. A pair of username and password is the most visible example of such information. The second principle of identity verification is to have something in physical form. These objects may include such material things as a key, a document, or a smart card. The third principle depends on what users must be biologically. Biological characteristics, such as the individual's fingerprints, voiceprint, iris, odor, and hand geometry may be used to verify one's identity. Identity theft is said to occur when an individual obtains a piece of personal identifying information which belongs to another individual, and uses that information without the owner‘s knowledge or approval; "Identity fraud" occurs when that stolen information is used to benefit the thief in some way (Wang and Huang, 2011; Identity Hawk, 2012). The legal definitions of identity theft are usually more precise, but this varies from state to state. A well-recognized legal definition is the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (TADA) of October 30, 1998, making identity theft a federal crime. Under TADA, anyone who knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful author ity, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law commits a federal offense.  

Personality Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personality Assessment - Essay Example Idiographic method, which is person-focussed, is more in use among psychologists (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.12). The tools used for personality assessment can be categorized into two major groups, namely, â€Å"self-report instruments† and â€Å"performance-based measures† (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.14). The process of assessment involves, clarifying the referral, selecting the test battery, obtaining informed consent, fostering comfort and cooperation, and obtaining interpretable data (Weiner and Greene, 2008, pp.20-30). Personality examiners have used Rorshach Inkblot Test since 1960s. This test has been devised on the realization that â€Å"individuals frequently report idiosyncratic or unique personal meanings when viewing inkblot stimuli† (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp.376). It is this phenomenon that is used in assessing individuals. By dropping ink onto a piece of paper and folding it, a Rorshach stimulus card can be made (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp .377). Rorshach had experimented with many such cards and finalized 20 of them as standard stimulus cards that can be used for psychological assessment (Kaplan and Saccusso, 2008, pp.377).

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts Research Paper

The Evolutional View of the Types of Identity Thefts - Research Paper Example The study concluded with brief statements on the implications of the correlations between identity theft and the fast-growing Internet. Suggestions were given to improve the means of protection from online fraud and identity theft. Operational Definitions In general, Wang and Huang (2011) stated that fraud refers to the act of taking advantage of others, largely motivated by economic reasons, via varied deceptive means. Intuitively, online fraud is said to refer to those conducted and/or facilitated using the Internet. Although identity theft is the inception of many fraudulent and criminal activities, it does not necessarily mean that it is the start of all online frauds. Online fraudulent acts committed by methods of stolen identification, phishing, advanced-fee schemes, or other electronic transactions fall largely within the arena of computer-assisted crimes (McQuade (2006) and Wall (2007), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). Wang and Huang (2011) wrote that the term identity refe rs to the unique and stable characteristics associated with an individual, and the aspect of self is based upon the interior state of awareness. However, it is argued that the culture shaped by the modern information media alleviates the term from consciousness and associates with the body (Poster (2006) as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). furthermore, it has been assumed that a shift in the perspective of identifying individuals may discard the psychological portion of identity, thereby reflecting an emerging culture in the digital era. There are three general principles of identity verification to protect users‘ access to their personal belongings in the virtual space (Crume (2000) and Foster (2005), as cited by Wang and Huang, 2011). The first principle requires that a specific user knows some information to access the system. A pair of username and password is the most visible example of such information. The second principle of identity verification is to have something in physical form. These objects may include such material things as a key, a document, or a smart card. The third principle depends on what users must be biologically. Biological characteristics, such as the individual's fingerprints, voiceprint, iris, odor, and hand geometry may be used to verify one's identity. Identity theft is said to occur when an individual obtains a piece of personal identifying information which belongs to another individual, and uses that information without the owner‘s knowledge or approval; "Identity fraud" occurs when that stolen information is used to benefit the thief in some way (Wang and Huang, 2011; Identity Hawk, 2012). The legal definitions of identity theft are usually more precise, but this varies from state to state. A well-recognized legal definition is the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (TADA) of October 30, 1998, making identity theft a federal crime. Under TADA, anyone who knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful author ity, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law commits a federal offense.  

Earth Day Essay Example for Free

Earth Day Essay The subject of Earth Day has been covered intensively by the world press over the past decade. Many an afternoon has been enjoyed by a family, bonding over the discussion of Earth Day. Until recently considered taboo amongst polite society, it is yet to receive proper recognition for laying the foundations of democracy. Often it is seen as both a help and a hinderence to global commercial enterprises, who are yet to grow accustomed to its disombobulating nature. Complex though it is I shall now attempt to provide an exaustive report on Earth Day and its numerous industries. Social Factors There is cultural and institutional interdependence between members of any community. When Thucictholous said people only know one thing [1] he saw clearly into the human heart. Difference among people, race, culture and society is essential on the survival of our world, however Earth Day raises the question why? Recent thought on Earth Day has been a real eye-opener for society from young to old. It grows stonger every day. Economic Factors There has been a great deal of discussion in the world of economics, centred on the value of Earth Day. We shall examine the Fish-Out-Of-Water model. Taking special care to highlight the role of Earth Day within the vast framework which this provides. Oil Prices Earth Day What a splendid graph. Obviously oil prices sings a very different tune. Perhaps to coin a phrase Earth Dayeconomics will be the buzz word of the  century Political Factors No man is an island, but what of politics? Comparing the general view of politics held by the poor of the west with those of the east can be like comparing. Consider this, spoken at the tender age of 14 by jazz singer Bonaventure H. Amster Taking a walk across hot coals will inevitably hurt your feet. [2] This quotation leads me to suspect that he was not unaccustomed to Earth Day. It speaks volumes. History tells us that Earth Day will always be a vote winner, whether we like it, or not. Why did Earth Day cross the road? To get to the other side! Just my little joke, but lets hope that Earth Day doesnt inspire similar hilarity in the next elections. Conclusion To conclude, Earth Day parades along mans streets and man waves back. It fills a hole, invades where necessary and always chips in.

Role of Schedules of Reinforcement

Role of Schedules of Reinforcement To what extent are schedules of reinforcement more than just rules governing which responses will be reinforced? Illustrate your answer with basic and applied research examples. I am writing this essay in order to illustrate the role of schedules of reinforcement; basic and applied research examples provide evidence that schedules of reinforcement are more than just rules governing which responses will be reinforced. A schedule of reinforcement is defined as a rule that describes a contingency of reinforcement, those environmental arrangements that determine conditions by which behaviors will produce reinforcement (Cooper, Heron, Heward, 2007). There are two basic types in a schedule of reinforcement: a continuous reinforcement schedule (CRF schedule) is one in which each occurence of a response is reinforced, and an intermittent reinforcement schedule where each occurence of the response is not reinforced; rather, responses are occasionally or intermittently reinforced (Miltenberger, 2008). Ferster and Skinner (1957) studied various types of intermittent reinforcement schedules and described four basic types in this category: fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, variable interval. In a fixed ratio (FR) schedule, a specific or fixed number of responses must occur before the reinforcer is delivered; in a variable ratio (VR) schedule, delivery of a reinforcer is based on the number of responses that occur, but in this case, the number of responses needed for reinforcement varies each time, around an average number; in a fixed interval (FI) schedule, the interval of time is fixed, or stays the same each time; in a variable interval (VI) schedule of reinforcement, the reinforcer is delivered for the first response that occurs after an interval of time has elapsed (Miltenberger, 2008). There are also some variations on the basic intermittent schedules of reinforcement: a) the schedules of differential reinforcement of rates of responding and, b) the progressive schedules of reinforcement. Differential reinforcement provides an intervention for behavior problems associated with rate of response and that means that it is a variation of ratio schedule; delivery of the reinforcer is contingent on responses occuring at a rate either higher than or lower than some predetermined criterion (Cooper, 2007). The reinforcement of responses higher than a predetermined criterion is called differential reinforcement of high rates (DRH); when responses are reinforced only when they are lower than the criterion, the schedule provides differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL). There is also the differential reinforcement of diminishing rates (DRD) schedule that provides reinforcement at the end of a predetermined time interval when the number of responses is less than a criterio n that is gradually decreased across time intervals based on the individuals performance (Cooper, 2007). Progessive schedules of reinforcement by contrast, systematically thin each successive reinforcement opportunity independent of the participants behavior (Cooper, 2007), Progressive ratio (PR) and progressive interval (PI) schedules of reinforcement change schedule requirements using a) arithmetic progressions to add a constant amount to each successive ratio or interval or b) geometric progressions to add successively a constant proportion of the preceding ratio or interval (Lattal Neef, 1996). Additionally, applied behavior analysts combine the elements of continuous reinforcement, the four schedules of reinforcement, differential reinforcement of various rates of responding and extinction to form compound schedules of reinforcement. Concurrent schedules of reinforcement occur when a) two or more contingencies of reinforcement b) operate independently and simultaneously c)for two or more behaviors (Cooper, 2007). Discriminative schedules of reinforcement consist of a) multiple schedules -present two or more basic schedules of reinforrcement in an alterating, usually random, sequence; the basic schedules within the multiple schedule occur successively and independently and a discriminative stimulus is correlated with each basic schedule; the stimulus is present as long as the schedule is in effect- and b) chained schedules -the multiple and chained schedules have two or more basic schedule requirements that occur successively and have a discriminative stimulus correlated wi th each independent schedule (Cooper, 2007). Nondiscriminative schedules consist of a) mixed schedules -use an identical procedure to multiple ones but, without discriminative stimuli- and b) tandem schedules -identical to chained schedules, but also without the discriminative stimuli (Cooper, 2007). Now through basic and applied research examples from all types of schedules of reinforcement, it is going to be shown the role of schedules of reinforcement; the schedules of reinforcement play a major role in a behavior change program, and also in the acquisition and maintenance of a behavior. In the study of Kirby and Shields (1972), a systematic measure of changes in academic response rate and accuracy through a more direct approach to academic performance was conducted. The study was designed to measure the combined effects of an adjusting fixed-ratio schedule of immediate praise and immediate correctness feedback on the arithmetic response rate of a seventh- grade student and to measure possible collateral changes in study behavior. The study was divided into four phases: baseline, treatment 1, reversal, treatment 2. Using an adjusting fixed-ratio schedule, delivery of reinforcement was initially given for every two problems completed; then, the experimenter gradually increased the units of work or number of problems completed before delivering reinforcement. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the fixed-ratio schedule of praise and immediate correctness feedback in increasing the subjects arithmetic response rate and associated attending behavior. When students rate of correct problem solving was increased through systematic reinforcement, incompatible behaviors of non-attending decreased. It was also noted that during reversal, when all praise and immediate correctness feedback was withheld, the subject maintained a much higher level of arithmetic achievement and attending behavior than before treatment 1. The adjusting ratio schedule of reinforcement frequent contact with the student during early ph ases requiring small units of work, it requires no extra effort during later phases when large units of work are assigned. In the study of De Luca and Holborn (1992), the effects of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement on pedaling a stationary exercise bicycle were examined. A changing-criterion design was used in which each successive criterion was increased over mean performance rate in the previous phase by approximately 15%. The participants were 3 obese and 3 nonobese boys. The experimental phases were: baseline, VR-first subphase (the VR schedule of reinforcement was introduced after a stable baseline had been achieved), VR-second subphase (stability had been achieved in the first subphase), VR-third subphase (stability was achieved for the second subphase), return to baseline and return to VR third subphase. All participants had systematic increases in their rate of pedaling with each VR value, meaning that the larger the variable ratio, the higher the rate of response. The results indicated that the rate of exercise can be increased using a VR schedule of reinforcement. The introduction of the initial VR subphase of the changing-criterion design produced marked increases in the rate of exercise for all subjects. Rasmussen and Oneill (2006), examined the effects of fixed-time reinforcement schedules on problem behavior of students with emotional-behavioral disorders in a clinical day-treatment classroom setting. The participants were three elementary-aged students and the dependent variable for all 3 participants was the frequency of verbal disruptions. The study employed an ABAB withdrawl design, alternating between baseline and FI conditions -verbal praise and pats on the arm were provided, with a final brief schedule thinning phase for each participant. All participants exhibited variable but relatively high rates during baseline. Implementation of FT schedules resulted in immediate, substantial, and stable decreases for all participants. The results of this study demonstrate the use of FT schedules and their implementation in a day-treatment classroom setting with children with clinically diagnosed emotional or behavioral disorders. These procedures were effective in reducing disruptive verbal behavior and these reductions were maintained while the FI schedules underwent initial thinning. The effectiveness of fixed-time schedules has also been evaluated through data on both appropriate and inappropriate responses. In the study of Roane, Fisher and Sgro (2001), fixed-time schedules were used in order to reduce destructive behavior but also, to increase adaptive behavior. The participant was a 12-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder and traumatic brain injury. There were two conditions: control condition and FT condition; with the exception of the FT schedule of reinforcement, the FT condition was identical to the control condition. During the FT condition, increases in two adaptive responses were observed, even though neither response was reinforced through direct contingencies. Similarly, decreases in destructive behavior were obtained under the FT schedule. The results suggest that, in addition to suppressing inappropriate behavior, FT schedules may also increase and stabilize adaptive behavior. Austin and Soeda (2008), validated the use of fixed-time reinforcer delivery with typically developing population. A fixed-time teacher attention was used to decrease off-task behavior in two third-grade boys. An ABAB was used with two phases: baseline (the teacher interacted with the boys in her usual manner) and noncontingent reinforcement-NCR (the teacher provided attention on an FT schedule). The findings indicated that NCR was an effective strategy for reducing the off-task behaviors of both boys, as immediate and sustained reductions in the percentage of intervals with off-task behavior were observed. Van Camp, Lerman, Kelley, Contrucci and Vondran (2000), evaluated the efficacy of noncontingent reinforcement with variable interval schedules in reducing problem behavior maintained by social consequences, comparing the effects of VT and FT reinforcement schedules with 2 individuals who had been diagnosed with moderate to severe mental retardation. Baseline and treatment conditions -with FT and VT sessions- were conducted in both participants. Although previous studies on the use of NCR as treatment for problem behavior have primarily examined FT schedules, results of this study indicated that VT schedules were as effective as FT schedules in reducing problem behavior. Carr, Kellum and Chong (2001), examined the effects of fixed-time and variable-time schedules on responding with 2 adults with mental retardation. Multielement and reversal designs were used to compare the effects of FT and VT schedules previously maintained on variable-ratio reinforcement schedules. The target behavior for the first participant was defined as making a penci mark on his name and placing the paper into the receptable. The target behavior for the second participant was defined as picking up a paper clip and dropping it in the receptable. The experimental phases were: baseline, FR 1 reinforcement, VR 3 reinforcement, FT, VT. The results showed that both FT and VT schedules were equally effective in reducing the target behaviors. Wright and Vollmer (2002), used a treatment package that involved an adjusting differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate responding (DRL) schedule, response blocking and prompts in order to reduce rapid eating. The participant was a 17-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with profound mental retardation. The experimental phases consisted of baseline and treatment condition, where an adjusting DRL procedure was introduced, along with blocking and prompts. The DRL intervals were determined by calculating the average IRT from previous sessions. The results showed that the treatment package was effective in increasing the IRTs between each attempted bite of food. The treatment package also resulted in an increase in the negative side-effects (increase in the levels of SIB and tantrums). However, the treatment continued despite these side-effects, which eventually decreased. In the study of Dietz and Repp (1973), a differential reinforcement of diminishing rates (DRD) schedule was used in order to decrease classroom misbehavior. The procedure that was followed was that reinforcement was produced when responding was less than a limit for a period of time, rather than when a response followed a specified period of no responding. Three experiments were conducted. In the first experiment DRD schedule was implemented to reduce the talking-out behavior of one 11-year old boy, classified as trainable mentally retarded (TRM) in a special classroom. The second experiment involved the reduction of talk-outs in a group of ten TRM students in an also special classroom, and the third experiment involved the use of a DRD schedule to reduce the verbal behavior of a group of 15 high school students in a regular class. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of DRD schedules in reducing classroom disruption both in individual and in group behaviors. In addition, the success with both TRM students and with high school students suggests the efficacy of DRD schedules across widely divergent groups. In the present study the use of positive reinforcement suggests also a nonpunitive method of classroom control. Roane, Lerman and Vorndran (2001), tried to examine if the reinforcing stimuli can be differentially effective as response requirements increase by evaluating responding under increasing schedule requirements via progressive-ratio schedules and behavioral economic analyses. In experiment 1 (reinforcer assessment), four individuals with developmental disabilities, who had been referred for the assessment and treatment of severe behavior problems, participated. The findings showed that one stimulus was associated with greater response persistence under increasing schedule requirements for all participants. Results also suggested that progressive schedules allow a relatively expeditious examination of shifts in reinforcer preference or value under increasing schedule requirements. In experiment 2, the correspondence between responding under progressive schedules and levels of destructive behavior under various reinforcement-based treatments was examined in order to evaluate the utility of the reinforcer assessment. Three interventions were selected: noncontingent reinforcement, DRA and DRO. Results indicated that the high-preference stimuli identified via this assessment were more likely to reduce problem behavior or increase adaptive behavior than stimuli identified as less preferred. In summary, results of this study suggest that stimuli identified as similarly preferred via a commonly used preference assessment were differentially effective under increasing schedule requirements. Additionally, stimuli that were more effective under progressive schedules were more likely to produce decreases in problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. The influence of concurrent reinforcement schedules on behavior change without the use of extinction was examined by Hoch, McComas and Thomson (2002). Two responses were measured: problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement, and task completion in three children with autism. Moreover, the maintenance of behavior change was evaluated under conditions of increased response requirements and leaner schedules of reinforcement. The results showed that immediate and sustained decreases in problem behavior and increases in task completion occurred when task completion produced both negative reinforcement and access to preferred activities and problem behavior continued to result in negative reinforcement. The findings demonstrated that concurrent schedules of reinforcement can be arranged to decrease negatively reinforced problem behavior and increase an adaptive alternative response without the use of escape extinction. Tiger and Hanley (2004), described a multiple-schedule procedure to reduce ill-timed requests, which involved providing children with two distinct continuous signals that were correlated with periods in which teacher attention was either available or unavailable. Cammilleri, Tiger and Hanley (2008), conducted a study in order to assess the efficacy of a classwide application of the multiple-schedule procedure described by Tiger and Hanley when implemented by teachers during instructional periods in three elementary classrooms. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of a classwide multiple-schedule procedure when implemented by teachers in a private elementary school classroom. Conclusively, schedules of reinforcement are not only rules that govern which responses will be reinforced; they are substantial components of a behavior change program. CRF schedules are used in the acquisition of a behavior -when a person is learning a behavior or engaging in the behavior for the first time. Once the person has acquired or learned the behavior, an intermittent reinforcement schedule is used so that the person continues to engage in the behavior -maintenance of behavior (Miltenberger, 2008). In this way, schedules of reinforcement help in the progression to naturally occurring reinforcement, which is a major goal for most behavior change programs. It was shown that schedules of reinforcement can be applied effectively in different settings, behaviors, populations. They have been used to decrease inappropriate behaviors such as rapid eating (Wright Vollmer, 2002) or classroom misbehavior (Dietz Repp, 1973); to increase appropriate behaviors such as arithmetic response rate and attending behavior (Kirby Shields, 1972). They have also been applied in both typically developing children (e.g. Austin Soeda, 2008), and in children with behavior problems (e.g. Rasmussen ONeill, 2006). Schedules of reinforcement can have great effects in a behavior change program, but it is also very important to know how and when to apply the most appropriate schedule or a combination of them in a specific behavior. References Austin, J. L., Soeda, J. M. (2008). Fixed-time teacher attention to decrease off-task behaviors of typically developing third graders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 279-283. Cammilleri, A. P., Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P. (2008). Developing stimulus control of young childrens requests to teachers: Classwide applications of multiple schedules. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 299-303. Carr, J. E., Kellum, K. K., Chong, I. M. (2001). The reductive effects of noncontingent reinforcement: Fixed-time versus variable-time schedules. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 34, 505-509. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.), Schedules of reinforcement (pp. 304-323). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. De Luca, R. V., Holborn, S. W. (1992). Effects of a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule with changing criteria on exercise in obese and nonobese boys. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 671-679. Dietz, S. M., Repp, A. C. (1973). Decreasing classroom misbehavior through the use of DRL schedules of reinforcement. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 6, 457-463. Hoch, H., McComas, J. J. and Thomson, A. L., Paone, D. (2002). Concurrent reinforcement schedules: Behavior change and maintenance without extinction. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 35, 155-169. Kirby, F. D., Shields, F. (1972). Modification of arithmetic response rate and attending behavior in a seventh-grade student. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5, 79-84. Lattal, K. A., Neef, N. A. (1996). Recent reinforcement-schedule research and applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 213-220. Cited in Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.), Schedules of reinforcement (pp. 304-323). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Rasmussen, K., ONeill, R. E. (2006). The effects of fixed-time reinforcement schedules on problem behavior of children with emotional and behavioral disorders in a day-treatment classroom setting. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39, 453-457. Roane, H. S., Fisher, W. W., Sgro, G. M. (2001). Effects of a fixed-time schedule on aberrant and adaptive behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 34, 333-336. Roane, H. S., Lerman, D. C. and Vorndran, C. M. (2001). Assessing reinforcers under progressive schedule requirements. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 34, 145-167. Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P. (2004). Developing stimulus control of preschooler mands: An analysis of schedule-correlated and contingency-specifying stimuli. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 517-521. Cited in Cammilleri, A. P., Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P. (2008). Developing stimulus control of young childrens requests to teachers: Classwide applications of multiple schedules. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 299-303. Van Camp, C. M., Lerman, D. C., Kelley, M. E., Contrucci, S. A., Vorndran, C. M. (2000). Variable-time reinforcement schedules in the treatment of socially maintained problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 545-557. Wright, C. S., Vollmer, T. R. (2002). Evaluation of a treatment package to reduce rapid eating. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 35, 89-93.

fight club :: essays research papers

I think that everyone, to some sense, is uncomfortable or insecure in surroundings they are unfamiliar with. For me it is hard to be confident in surroundings I am not used to. Having confidence in myself is a huge part of life. Insecure feelings in a foreign place are a very lonely part of life, learning how to overcome these feelings is always beneficial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Last August I chose to try out for a hockey team in Port Alberny, British Columbia. The challenge I faced before I stepped on the ice was to rise above the nerves I had developed during my long car and ferry ride. The ten hours I spent in the car was horrible. I had all that time to think how the camp could turn out, which made me nervous. There were all the questions in my head. How would I match up against my competition? What if I played badly? What would the coaches think of me? And would I get cut or make the team? My whole hockey career I always worked hard to be the best that I could be. Making this team meant I would have a shot at achieving a college scholarship. Upon my arrival to the rink I had to do a physical fitness test with the other guys in the camp. As soon as I joined the group of guys, I immediately felt distanced from all of them, since I was a day late to the camp and from the U.S. It was like I was walking around with Bobs bitch tits on my chest from the book Fight Club. Bob was a body builder taking hormones which caused him to grow breasts. He was used to having a fit body. So going from a muscular guy to having â€Å"bitch tits† is a huge change in his appearance. This would be hard for any man to accept. I imagine he must have felt as I did, like the spotlight was on him. I am not the kind of person who wants to be the center of attention. The coaches made us take a timed two kilometer run, which was tiring for just about everyone. After the run, we had a little rest, my legs felt like they were going to fall off; they were so stiff from the ten hour car ride and then running two km.

The Caspian Basin and the Caspian Environment Programme Essay -- Natur

The Caspian Basin and the Caspian Environment Programme The Caspian Basin is a unique ecosystem, the largest inland body of water in the world; and yet its importance in global politics is much more linked to its wealth of natural resources of oil and gas, rather than to any intrinsic environmental worth. This paper will analyse the policy process concerning a regional international regime, the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP). This organisation was initiated by major external donor actors, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank, yet intimately involves the five littoral states of the Caspian: the four ex-republics of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) – Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan – as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran. When considering the area of policy process analysis, it is essential to remember the complexity involved, but most importantly, that the various elements, whether the actors, institutions, or the instru ments involved, are all influenced and shaped by how the process has developed before. It is this interaction of change, a product of policy feedback and learning, together with continuity, which informs the policy process. While the CEP is a new organisation (officially established from mid-1998), it is heavily influenced by the inputs of the aforementioned donor agencies, which are operating within institutional constraints and a contextual process. In addition, when analysing the efforts to safeguard the ecological and environmental aspects of the Caspian, there is the problem of common pool resources, where there is every incentive to exploit the natural resource wealth, while taking little responsibil... ...g/unep/section2.htm UNDP: http://www.caspianenvironment.org/undp.htm World Bank: http://www.caspianenvironment.org/wb.htm Saiko, T. A. and Zonn, I. S. (1996). "Europe’s First Desert." In Glantz, M. H. and Zonn, I. S. (eds.) Scientific, Environmental, and Political Issues in the Circum-Caspian Region. (pp.141-144) Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Sievers, E. W. (2001). "The Caspian, Regional Seas, and the Case for a Cultural Study of Law." Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, 13, pp.361-. State Dept on-line sources: http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/mena/caspdip.htm#9 Vinogradov, S. V. (1996). "Toward Regional Cooperation in the Caspian: A Legal Perspective." In Glantz, M. H. and Zonn, I. S. (eds.) Scientific, Environmental, and Political Issues in the Circum-Caspian Region. (pp.53-66) Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Economic growth Essay

Economic growth refers to the increase in the levels of a country’s wealth and capital as a result of positive change in the levels of production of goods and services during a certain period of time. 1 Economic growth is usually ignited by technological advancements and positive external forces. Economic growth can be measured either in terms of nominal growth or real growth. Nominal growth takes inflation into account and thus demonstrates economic growth as Net Domestic Product while real growth does not account for inflation and thus demonstrates economic growth as Gross Domestic Product. Economic growth is usually determined by levels of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is the preferred means of measuring economic growth because increase or decrease in the GDP levels in a country reflects the real the standards of living of its population. GDP is the total market value of all final products of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year expressed in money value. 2 GDP of a country equals total consumer investments and government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of imports. As such, GDP can be summarised as follows: †¢ GDP = Consumption + gross Investment + Government Spending + (Exports-Imports) or simply GDP = C+I+G+(X-M). However, it must be noted that economic growth entails more than just mere change of scale of economic magnitudes. By its very own nature, growth modifies economic structures thereby adjusting the general technological and social dynamics in a country. Bourguignon points out that economic growth may modify the sectoral structure of an economic unit, leading to close down of firms in one sector and creation of new firms in another. 3 Bourguignon further notes that â€Å"growth modifies the structure of prices, thus affecting the standard of living in households in a way that depends on their consumption preferences†. 4 Moreover, economic growth calls for increased technological innovations which in turn increases the necessity for increased technological knowledge and skills, a situation that would require increased investment in education and better remuneration for holders of such important skills. The final and most important attribute of economic growth is that it reduces the abundant availability of public goods such as adequate water supply and clean air due to increased pollution. Consequently, this may call for intervention and preventive measures in order to maintain adequate supply of the environmental goods. Therefore, economic growth impacts on the economy, social structures and environmental factors of a country. Therefore, people, as the human factors of economic growth remain very important components of economic growth. While economic growth is primarily driven by state dynamics and machinery, the interactions within the societal fabric bear consequential impact on the manner in which economic growth may either be beneficial or harmful to the long-term interest of the people. 5 Therefore, the pursuit of economic growth presents as much benefits as threats to the long-term interests of the people. The different principles and models of economic growth are best demonstrated by different existing theories of economic growth. 1. J. Mokyr, Long-term economic growth and history of technology, Department of Economics and history, Northwestern University, 2005, p. 33 2. R. Lucas, lectures on economic growth, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2002, p. 41 3. F. Bourguignon, Handbook of economic growth, World Bank, 2006, p. 7 4. F. Bourguignon 5. E. Helpman, The mystery of economic growth, Cambridge: Harvard University, 2004, p. 7 Theoretical background Although there are many theories and models of economic growth, the exogenous theory of economic growth and the endogenous theory of economic growth provide the most vivid theoretical background on issues concerning economic growth. The exogenous theory was advanced by the neo-classical theorists while the endogenous theory was advanced by the modern economic theorists. The exogenous theory of economic growth was advanced by Robert Solow and Trevor Swan. The theory states that â€Å"long-run rate of growth of a system is determined by forces outside the system†. 6The main prediction of this theory is that an economy will always converge towards a steady state of growth which depends absolutely on the rate of technological progress and growth of labour. The theory is based on a series of equations which demonstrate the relationship between labour, time, capital goods, output and investments. The main argument of the exogenous growth theory is based on the assumption that capital expansion is subject to diminishing returns. Therefore, given a fixed amount of labour force, the impact on the output of the last unit of capital accumulated will always be less than the impact on the preceding units. 7 This cycle continues to a point where new amounts of technological progress and labour force adds no new value to capital produced. New technological innovations and labour force output only serve to replenish the loss of value to existing capital due to depreciation. Solow and Swan refer to this as static state of growth. Modern theorists such as Barro, Ormerod, and Romer disagreed with the idea of static state of growth subject to diminishing returns as advanced by the exogenous theorists. They therefore developed a more relevant and realistic theory that came to be referred to as the endogenous theory. Proponents of endogenous growth theory argue that comparisons between trends of production in industrialised countries today and before industrialisation reveal that growth was generated and sustained by forces within as opposed to forces outside the countries. The endogenous theory states that â€Å"economic growth is generated from within a system as a direct result of internal processes†. 8 according to the endogenous theorists, improvement in productivity can be linked to a faster pace of innovation and committed investment in human capital. â€Å"The theory notes that the enhancement of a nation’s human capital will lead to economic growth by means of the development of new form of technology that will lead to efficient and sufficient means of production†. 9 The main focus of the endogenous theorists lies on the need for both government and private sector institutions to nurture innovations through incentives that will encourage individuals to be innovative. As Romer points out, â€Å"the rate of technological progress should not be taken given in a growth model, but rather, appropriate government policies have to be applied in order to raise a country’s growth rate†. 10Such policies should particularly be targeted towards creating higher levels of competition in markets and greater innovation initiatives among individuals. Endogenous theorists identify private investment in research and development as being the key driving force for technical progress. Furthermore, protection of property rights and patents can provide the incentive to engage in research and development. 6. R. M. Solow, Review of economics and statistics, Technical change and the aggregate production function 1957, P. 39 7. Solow 8. P. Romer, Review of economics and statistics, Technical change and the aggregate production function 1957, P. 73 9. Romer p. 74 10. Romer p. 81 Why the pursuit of economic growth is not in people’s long-term interest Concerns to the effect that the pursuit of economic growth is not in people’s long-term interest are very much validated by the current worrying trends of economic growth. While proponents of economic growth cite many benefits associated with economic growth, such benefits only stand to serve people’s short-term interests. It is increasingly becoming apparent that just like the past, the current economic growth initiatives are being undertaken with little regard to long-term repercussions of such initiatives. One of the most important long-term interests that economic growth should guarantee is the safety and conservation of the ecosystem, which will in turn guarantee people’s long-term interests. To the contrary, the aspects of the safety of natural resources and the environmental preservation are the most abused by economic growth. Yet, the gradual destruction of the environment harbours the risk of eventual destruction of the planet earth. Without action on climate change, economic growth and development are likely to generate levels of greenhouse gas emissions that would be very damaging. 11 Economic growth is evidently increasing the demand for fossil-fuel energy, thus the failure to implement appropriate international collective actions will allow manufacturers and consumers to continue with their risky energy consumption behaviours, thereby posing greater threats of adverse climatic change. Adequate supply of the environmental goods is facing continuous challenges as economic growth continues to wreck havoc on the environment. The Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change (2006) identified that the world ecosystem is facing threats of eminent destruction due to increased levels of greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere. According to the Stern Report, greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere stood at around 430 CO2 equivalents as of 2006, compared to 280ppm before industrial revolution. 12The overwhelming pollution is as a result of combined forces of emissions of toxic gases from the power sectors, transport sectors, building sectors, industry sectors, land use sectors and land use sectors throughout the world. Indeed, these particular sectors represent the key driving forces of economic growth. As pointed out in the Stern Report â€Å"emissions have been driven by economic development. Carbon dioxide emissions have strongly been correlated with GDP per head across time and countries. North America and Europe have produced around 70% of carbon dioxide emissions from energy production since 1850, while developing countries account for less than one quarter of cumulative emissions. †13 Annual emissions are increasing at constant rates year after year. Between 1950 and the year 2000, emission of Carbon dioxide which accounts for the largest share of green house gases, grew by 2. 5% annually. 14The Stern Report further warns that without action to combat climate change, atmospheric concentration of green house gases will continue to rise. â€Å"In a plausible business as usual scenario, they will reach 555ppm CO2e by the year 2035†. 15 Moreover, total emissions are bound to increase more rapidly than emissions per head in tandem with the projections that global population will remain positive until 2050. 11. Stern Review report on economics of change, Impact of climate change on growth and development, November 2006, p. 169 12. Greenhouse gases are usually converted to a common unit, CO2 equivalent, which measures the amount of carbon dioxide that would produce the same global warming potential (GWP) over a given period as the total amount of greenhouse gas in question. 13. Stern Review report on economics of change 14. Stern Review report on economics of change 15. Stern Review report on economics of change These are the most shocking revelations concerning the gradual and unabated destruction that economic growth is imposing on the environment! The future generations remain exposed to the risks of frequent disasters that are associated with global warming. Such risks include food and water shortages, increase air pollution, increased desert cover, rise in sea levels as well as increased frequencies of tornadoes and tsunamis. Obviously, such threats of climatic change will impact negatively on population growth and living conditions for the people in future. Table 1 demonstrates a variety of experiences across different countries of the world. The EU and the economies in transition reported considerable reduction in carbon intensity during the period. However, India went against the grain and significantly increased carbon emissions during the same period. Developing countries registered significant growth in populations as well as growth in GDP per head. Equally notable is the tremendous decrease in the energy intensity of output in India and China. This table clearly demonstrates that despite the high levels of emissions, many countries undertook important economic reforms in the 1990’s, a move that led to marked improvements in utilisation of energy, with many countries registering significant reductions in wasteful use of energy. Risks posed by economic growth are set to reduce with increased adoption of energy efficient production strategies that will ensure environmental conservation while not hurting long-term growth rate targets. Why the pursuit of economic growth is in people’s long-term interest Despite the many reservations that opponents of economic growth have, there exists a general consensus that economic growth is a prerequisite requirement for the well being of the current and future generations. The future can only be secures through persistent creation of wealth and capital. Industrial revolution is credited for having ignited economic growth and eventual improvement of living standards. â€Å"The significance of industrial revolution is best captured by the Malthusian theory of economic growth which argues that industrial revolution and advancement in medicine translated to increased life expectancy and reduced infant mortality†. 15 15. R. Lucas, lectures on economic growth, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2002, p. 49 According to the Malthusian theory, this industrial revolution culminated to increased income and population growth and eventual increase in income per capita in industrialised counties, and lasted for many years thereafter. 16Therefore, economic growth remains a very important component sustained development of both current and future generations. Conclusion It is evident that economic growth also corresponds to processes of rapid replacement and reorganisation of human activities as well as natural resources, all in the spirit of investment and maximisation of returns. As such, â€Å"this realisation of the exponential abilities of the human race, as facilitated by self-organised life support and cultural systems, is a confirmation of the creative and flexible nature of human beings which however, is highly unpredictable in many ways. 17 Environmental threats posed by economic growth not withstanding, economic growth remains an important transition that this world must undergo. Therefore, the challenges posed by economic growth can best be tackled through creation of a balance between the conflicting concepts economic growth and mitigation of risks posed by economic growth. Economic growth is a manifestation of technological change. â€Å"Yet the essence of technological modernity is non-stationery: many scholars have acknowledged that technological change has become self propelled and autocatalytic, whereby change feeds on change. Thus unlike other form of growths, technology is not bound from above. Inventions have become a norm thus are unstoppable by forces of any nature. †18 The stern Report acknowledges that â€Å"the relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions is not immutable. There are practical examples where change in energy technologies, the structure of economies and the pattern of demand have reduced the responsiveness of emissions to income growth, particularly in the richest countries. Strong deliberate policy choices will be needed, however, to decarbonise both developing countries on the scale required for climate stabilisation†. 19 This is in itself a confirmation that effective protection and conservation of the environmental goods can be achieved tremendously through the adoption of energy efficient production strategies that will ensure environmental conservation while not hurting long-term growth rate targets. However, wide reaching strategies should be employed in the noble cause of environmental protection. Strategies that are over reliant on reduction of fossil fuels may not be enough to stop the overwhelming emissions of poisonous gases. Other strategies such as radical shift shifts towards service based economies have proved effective in slowing down or reversing the increase in emissions of poisonous gases to the atmosphere. 20There should also be increased lobbying for the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol of Climate Change by all countries in the world, including the United States. Being the world’s largest economy, the United States releases the highest amounts of toxic gas emissions to the atmosphere, yet the country has refused to recognise the Kyoto protocol which seeks to protect the world from being further exposed to the threat of climatic change. 16. R. Lucas, lectures on economic growth, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2002, p. 48 17. E. Helpman, The mystery of economic growth, Cambridge: Harvard University, 2004, p. 16 18. J. Mokyr, Long-term economic growth and history of technology, Department of Economics and history, Northwestern University, 2005, p. 37 19. Stern Review report on economics of change, Impact of climate change on growth and development, November 2006, p. 169 20. Stern Review report on economics of change Bibliography Aghion, P. & Steven N. Durlauf, (Ed), Handbook of economic growth, Vol. 1B. Elsevier B. V. , 2005. Bourguignon, F. Handbook of economic growth, World Bank, 2006. Helpman, E. The mystery of economic growth, Cambridge: Harvard University, 2004 Larry E. J. Neoclassical models of endogenous growth: the effects of physical policy, innovations and fluctuations, Elsevier B. V. 2005 p. 9-32. Lucas, R. lectures on economic growth, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2002 Mokyr, J. Long-term economic growth and history of technology, Department of Economics and history, Northwestern University, 2005, p. 32 – 43 Romer, P. Journal of Political Economy, Endogenous technological change, Vol. 98, No. 5, Oct. 1990. p. 71-102. Solow R. M. Review of economics and statistics, Technical change and the aggregate production function 1957, P. 37-51 Stern Review report on economics of change, Impact of climate change on growth and development, November 2006, retrieved on 29 March 2007, < http://www. hm-treasury. gov. uk/media/3/2/Chapter_7_Projecting_the_Growth_of_Greenhouse-Gas_Emissions. pdf

Fools Crow

The tribal status of White Man’s Dog, as it were in the beginning of Fools Crow, was certainly not as he desired it to be. Due to the position of wealth his father had risen to, it seems the tribe expected much from him. Welch does not go into great detail concerning the views of the tribes people on White Man’s Dog, but Yellow Kidney describes him on page 7 as having â€Å"much heart but (being) unlucky†[1]. It is true, being eight-teen without a wife and having only three horses, none of which being block horn runners; White Man’s Dog does in fact appear unlucky. However, Yellow Kidney plays a major role in the reversal of this luck. White Man’s Dog has a complete turn in tribal status, earning a wife and horses as well as a new identity with in the tribe. Dreams are a constant theme in Fools Crow. Many different characters have dreams, and each responds differently to them. During the journey to the Crow Raid, White Man’s Dog has a dream about naked women desiring him, but fears danger if he goes. He wants to inform Yellow Kidney of this dream put hesitates due to advice he had received from his father. In the end this was a costly decision, as the dream comes to fruition during the raid, not White Man’s Dog, but for Yellow Kidney. Turns-out the alarm for risk was valid, as Yellow Kidney gets very sick from his encounter with the Crow Women. When news of White Mans Dog feels responsible[2] for this outcome. During this same raid, Fast Horse also has a dream. Fast Horse is prideful and boasts of his dream, which turned out to not come true. Fast Horse was greatly humiliated by this and seemed to have his future driven by it. The most consequential dream was had by Mik-api. In this dream, Mik-api spoke to Raven about Wolverine who was trapped, and needed White Man’s Dog to help him. This dream did in fact come to realization and resulted in White Man’s Dog gaining confidence and his ‘medicine’. As a result of White Man’s Dog realizing his new inner strength, he was able to take part in war against the Crows. This battle would prove life changing for White Man’s Dog as it would be where he earned his new name; Fools Crow. His great modesty made acceptance of his new name very difficult. The meaning behind it had been stretched greatly out of its real context. During battle, White Man’s Dog played dead, fooling the Crow Chief, Bull Shield. Because Bull Shield assumed White Man’s Dog was indeed dead, it was possible for him to spring up and kill the chief. This account was, as I said, greatly inflated and reported that, with use of medicine, White Man’s Dog was able to fool all the crows, thus earning his new name Fools Crow. As I have read through all the tales and recounts contained in the many great pieces of Native American Literature, one theme has stood out to me more than anything else. Maybe it is due to my admiration for nature, but it seems all tribes made great attempts to both explain natural events and create an association of these events with human life. Welch clearly depicts the Blackfoot people as being of this same mind frame. The names and life given to the wind, the sun and various animals’ reports on their own view of the world they live in. The relationship a male Blackfoot has with â€Å"his animal† shows this relationship between humans and nature. This disposition, of a human and nature link, shows the worldview of this tribe clearly as an all-encompassing outlook. They undoubtedly see the world as one big union, everything being linked to one another. The walk I took with White Man’s Dog, growing and changing into Fools Crow was an intense one to say the least. James Welch has the uncanny ability to connect reader to character and I feel as if Fools Crow and I have a bond, as if he and his story have been made alive with in the many nights I’ve spent with him.