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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Retirement Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Retirement Planning - Essay Example us to take decisions regarding the finances which we hold in our hand right now, the opportunity cost they throw and the ultimate decision which needs to be taken up to optimize our earnings for a trouble-free future. It has various components like tax planning, managing liquidity, financing for large purchases, asset and income protection, money investment plans, and the most important function being planning for your retirement. In fact, all the above five functions are usually taken up only to cater to the financial needs after retirement. Depending on the above five parameters, you will have to set up your retirement planning goals for which the following points are to be considered: Social Security is a federal program which intends to tax the individual at the time of his employment in order to finance his older years. The online social security program gives all the details of the eligibility and the benefits which are usually changed from time to time. This program delivers a minimal payment base which may not be quite sufficient to meet all the daily needs of retirement in these inflating times (Anonymous, 2008). The funding of this program is done by taxing the current employees at the rate of 7.65% under Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. Same amount is also paid by your employer also. In this way, the current tax contributions are utilized to fund the current retirement payments and not for your future purposes. Your future receivables would be funded by the then available contributions. Here, one needs to note that, as the retirement life is prolonged, there is more burdens on the balancing act as the tax receivables is far more exceeding the tax collectibles. Hence, many people also look for other alternatives. Defined Benefit Plans: Contributions are made by the employer and the percentage of vested interest varies from one firm to the other. Vested interest means the % of contribution which can transferrable into your retirement

Monday, October 28, 2019

Debate over the Strength of Central Government Essay Example for Free

Debate over the Strength of Central Government Essay The period of 1783-1800 was shaped by the debate between those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. This period dealt with issues surrounding the formations of factions that threatened to split the young nation, the inclusion of a Bill of Rights, and the constitutionality of a national bank. Factions divided the people into those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more power given to the states. These two groups had differing viewpoints, which influenced decisions regarding the addition of a Bill of Rights and the formation of a national bank. The two major factions that almost disrupted the developing nation were formulated at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At this convention, delegates representing all states expect Rhode Island formed a new type of government with the creation of the Constitution. In the ratification process America was divided in two, the federalists and anti-federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government and hence supporting the new Constitution, while anti-federalists were in favor of giving the states a greater amount of power, thus opposing it. The opposition to the Constitution spreads from a mistrust of central government due to the grievances of English monarchy. The rights obtained by the central government took away states’ rights as seen in Sections VIII and X of the Constitution of the United States of American (Document 5). Most people who lived in cities, manufacturers, and northern merchants supported federalist views and most small farmers, southerners and frontiersmen sided with the anti-federalist views. Key federalists included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Marshall, John Jay, and James Madison. In order to promote ratification Hamilton, Jay, and Madison published a series of Federalist Papers, (Document 8). On the anti-federalist side, important figures included Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Aaron Burr, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry. These men were in favor of the Article of Confederation, which greatly limited the powers of the central government and maximized the powers of state rights. One major flaw that the anti-federalist expressed concerning the Constitution was the lack of a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights would secure the rights of the people and prevent the central government from becoming too powerful. The federalists argued that the system of checks and balances would prevent tyranny. However, when many states ratified the Constitution they attached a list of amendments to be added in a Bill of Rights. James Madison compiled these amendments and presented twelve of them to Congress. Ten were passed and added to the Constitution resulting in the American Bill of Rights. One of the most significant amendments is the tenth amendment, which states â€Å"All powers not delegated to the federal government belong to the states or to the people,† (Document 6). This declared that whatever was not restricted or allowed in the Constitution was a right retained by the people or states. The most heated debate amongst federalists and anti-federalist was over the constitutionality of a national bank. Anti-federalists believed the central government did not have the authority to create a national bank, while the federalists believed it was stated in the elastic clause of the Constitution. The United States Constitution was written in a vague terminology by the Founding Fathers, which added to the contention amongst Americans. Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a national bank to â€Å"wish the most proper and speedy measures may be taken, to discharge both foreign and domestic debt,† (Document 7). The anti-federalists, in particular Thomas Jefferson, who favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution, rejected this notion and claimed it was unconstitutional because it was not a power directly stated in the document. However, Hamilton argued that the â€Å"elastic clause† as seen in Article I Section VIII, the powers of congress (Document 5), allowed the central government to establish a bank because it was necessary and proper and constitutional, (Document 1). Hamilton, along with the other federalists, favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The debate of having a national bank was resolved by giving the national bank a twenty year charter to test it out. This debacle leads to further issues on the topic of government rights versus state rights, and almost leads to the destruction of the country. When the Constitution was in its ratification process the small states sided with federalists in wanting a stronger central government, while larger states sided with anti-federalists in wanting more state rights. This was seen in two important proposals to the Constitutional convention surrounding the executive branch. First, the New Jersey Plan or the small states plans, wanted one house that has equal representation, with one vote per state. This would make small states more powerful and have the same say in the government as the larger states did. Second, was the Virginia Plan or the large states plan (Document 4), was to have a bicameral legislative, with one house with representation based on population, and the other elected through that house. This gave more power to the states, the larger states gaining a clear advantage as well. These two plans clearly portrayed the different ideas of federalists and anti-federalist and demonstrated how vital a role states played throughout this period. This dispute was settled with the great compromise, proposed by Roger Sherman, making a bicameral legislature with the Senate with equal representation for each state and the House of Representatives based on population and direct election. The debate between those who supported a strong central government and those who wanted more state rights truly shaped the period between 1783 and 1800. It dealt with the creation of two factions that could have potentially destroyed the emerging nation and the debates over a Bill of Rights and a national bank. If it were not for the ideas, factions, and development that occurred during the making of the Constitution and the continued building of our nation after, the government of America would not have been as successful as it is today. The Idea that were fought over from 1783 to 1800 has shaped our country and allowed us to be the great nation that we are.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Forming Public Policy on AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa :: essays research papers

Jarrod Stafford Government 9 A.M. Forming Public Policy on AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa Strengths of Current Policy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 billion dollars of aid over 5 years †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bring African AIDS epidemic to forefront †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispersing resources quickly †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using new approaches and leadership model †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employing evidence-based decisions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Demanding accountability for results  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weaknesses of Current Policy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not attacking root causes of problem †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Waited many years to act effectively Opportunities †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug testing †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug market †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Showing long term good will around world †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase influence in government and economy. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case study for HIV/AIDS  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Threats †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase spread of HIV/AIDS throughout world †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compound economic and societal problems such as starvation, lack of education, and poverty †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reduce the ability of the government to handle the rising social structure dilemmas and healthcare costs †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exacerbate regional and ethnic tensions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further strain on economy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discourage foreign investment and tourism The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a horrific plight affecting every country in the world. HIV stands for 'human immunodeficiency virus'. HIV is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system and destroys or impairs their function. AIDS stands for 'acquired immunodeficiency syndrome' and describes the collection of symptoms and infections associated with acquired deficiency of the immune system. At the end of 2004, 39.4 million people worldwide were estimated to be infected . No other area has been hit harder than the Sub-Sahara Africa region. Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV—some 25.4 million . Africa’s AIDS challenge is a multifaceted problem which requires a unique, flexible, and multipronged approach. Education, prevention, and treatment are a necessary start but the United States must look deeper in order to effectively and properly help the communities of Sub-Saharan Africa. Current US policy under President George W. Bush is a massive change to previous policy. It commits 15 billion dollars of aid over a five year period. It is supposed to get resources to the frontlines of this battle quite quickly, use new approaches and a new leadership model. It is described to employ evidence-based decisions and demand accountability for results as well. The world must pray that the enemy has not grown too efficient in the 14 years since it has been identified. It does lack a focus on key issues that are at the root of the problem. AIDS, as are many diseases, is spread rapidly in areas of poverty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many threats and even a few opportunities relating to HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Left unchecked this situation would most definitely spill over and increase the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS through out the world.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Refugee mother and her child by Chinua Achebe Essay

Explain what the poem is about and how the poet conveys the emotions he feels. The poem is about Achebe’s encounter with a mother and child in a refugee camp. This mother was different from the other mothers as she still cherished and loved her son. The other mothers had already stopped caring for their children as survival was not the most important thing and there wasn’t any hope of survival for their children anyway. In line 9: â€Å"Most mothers there had long ceased to care† The poet’s tone was varied, in the first stanza he used long, soft vowels such as the vowel ‘o’ and words such as ‘tenderness’. In line 4, Achebe chose to used the word ‘odour’ instead of the word ‘smell’ or ‘stench’ because it sounded softer and more rounded. The softness continued until the beginning of line 5 where Achebe used hard-sounding words such as ‘diarrhoea’ and ‘blown’. The fact that the child will die is hinted repeatedly. From line 7 to line 14 of the second stanza, he seemed to be admiring the mother’s love for her child in even those circumstances. At the end, his tone was sad and regretful. In the last three lines: â€Å"†¦ like putting flowers on a tiny grave. † There was alliteration in line 5 of the second stanza: â€Å"behind blown empty bellies† The poet used the work â€Å"ghost† as a metaphor in lines 8 and 9 of the second stanza. In â€Å"ghost smile†, he meant the softening of the mother’s expression as she looked at her son. There was repetition of â€Å"ghost† and in â€Å"ghost of a mother’s pride†, it represented what the mother used to feel and here there was only the tiniest left of it. The last 2 lines were a smilie, he’s saying that her combing her son’s hair is like a final goodbye because she would probably never get to do it again. In the first line, â€Å"Madonna and Child†, this is the scene when Christ was taken from the cross and placed on Mary’s knees. Achebe is saying that even this scene could not have been more touching than of the refugee mother and her child. In line 3: â€Å"for a son she soon would have to forget. † Here he means that after the boy dies, the mother will have to concentrate on survival for herself, forcing her to forget her son. This will not be able to mourn her child. In line 4: â€Å"The air was heavy with odours†¦ † The air was thick with the stench. The air was so dense that it seemed it had a weight and was more than just gas. In lines 7 and 8: â€Å"Struggling in laboured steps†¦ † Even walking is difficult for them. Walking is hard work. Achebe doesn’t know the mother’s name, so he refers to her as â€Å"she† and â€Å"her†. â€Å"Rust-coloured† is the colour of a dark-haired person’s hair when he or she has an inadequate diet. The hair signals that the child is incredibly unhealthy and on the verge of dying. In line 11: â€Å"†¦ hair left on his skull†¦ † The child is in such poor health that his hair has fallen out. Achebe used the work â€Å"skull† because it showed how poorly the boy was and because it represented death. In line 12: â€Å"- Singing in her eyes – † The hyphens surrounding this phrase outlined its significance. This was probably because the mother remembers singing to him, when they were happy. From line 15: â€Å"act of no consequence†¦ † Combing her son’s hair would usually be something a mother wouldn’t think twice about. They were probably quite well off before they were in this situation. The punctuation Achebe used were little. At the end of the first verse he put a period. This is because he was finalizing a statement. At the end of line 5 of the second stanza, there’s another period. This is because he’d finished describing about the surroundings and was moving onto the mother. In line 7, there was a semi-colon, which indicates a pause. There is another one in line 16. In line 13 there are three periods together. This is usually used to signify that something will eventually continue. At the end of the poem he put another period. This is because he is ending the poem and also because he is once again finalizing something. Since the child is dying, death is final, so the period was suitable. In lines 13 to 16, Achebe introduced the possibility that the mother and child were probably quite well off before they were in this situation. However, their lives had changed and it was no longer that comfortable lifestyle. I thought the poem was sad. It showed how disasters could change the feelings and lives of normal people like you and me. It was an eye-opening poem, and it made me realise that if I weren’t living this lifestyle that boy may well have been anyone I know or me.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Summary of Professional Development 1, Chapter 5 – 7

To make sure the best solution will be generated once the problem is defined, guidance of idea generation techniques is significantly important in breaking down the barriers to generating. Mental blocks are mainly the hindrance on the progress toward a solution. Mental blocks can be divided into seven blocks, which are conceptual, perceptual, emotional, cultural, environmental, intellectual and expressive blocks. Goman’s blockbusters can be used to overcome these blocks. For example, Goman's Blockbusters Block| Blockbuster| 1. Negative Attitude| 1. Attitude Adjustment| 2. Fear of Failure| 2. Risk Taking| 3.Following the Rules| 3. Breaking the Rules| 4. Over-reliance on Logic| 4. Creative Internal Climate| 5. Belief That You Aren't Creative| 5. Creative Beliefs| After that, use brainstorming to generate solutions to the problem. Process of generating solutions is started with free association – that is, writing down all available suggestions without judgment of the feasi bility. Free association can be used to generate the initial set of ideas. When the flow of suggestions becomes low, triggers can be used to rejuvenate the rate of suggestions, which are vertical thinking, lateral thinking, TRIZ, cross-fertilization, and futuring.Vertical thinking can be used to build on previous ideas and generate new ideas. One of the vertical thinking techniques is Osborn’s checklist, to adapt, modify, magnify, minify, substitute, rearrange and combine. Lateral thinking is to use random stimulation and other people’s views when in a rut. Futuring is a blockbusting technique to remove all technical blocks to envision a solution in the future. The rules for futuring are relatively simple, try to imagine the ideal solution without regard to whether it is technically feasible.The fishbone diagram can be used in organizing brainstorming ideas. It can be very helpful in visualizing all the ideas which have been generated. Analogies and cross-fertilization are to bring ideas, phenomena, and knowledge from other disciplines to bear on the problem and lastly, TRIZ is to resolve contradictions. Once the real problems have been defined and some potential solutions have been generated, decision on which problem to address first and which actions should be taken to address this problem should be made.After that, the best solution from the possible alternatives should be selected. Lastly, decision on how to avoid additional problems as implementing the chosen solution would also be made. An organized process for making these decisions is the Kepner – Tregoe (K. T. ) approach. One of the unique features of each of the K. T. strategies is the way of displaying the data. In each case, situation appraisal problem analysis, decision analysis, and potential problem analysis would be used and lastly, analyzing the date listed in each table will help to reach a decision.Situation Appraisal Problems| Timing(H,M,L)| Trend(H,M,L)| Impact(H,M,L) | Next Process(PA,DA,PPA)| 1. 2. 3. | | | | | Problem Analysis | Is| Is Not| Distinction| Problem Cause| What| | | | | Where| | | | | When| | | | | Extent| | | | | Decision Analysis Potential Problems| Possible Causes| Preventive Actions| Contingent Plan| A. | 1. 2. | | | B. | 1. 2. | | | K. T. situation appraisal can be helpful when multiple problems are faced at the same time. Deciding the priority, evaluating criteria and deciding which action to take are to be done during situation appraisal.Each problem is measured against the criteria of timing, trend, and impact. These criteria are rated as warranting degree of concern, which are high (H), moderate (M), or low (L). Once the problem is known, decision analysis (DA) can be used. In the DA technique, the cause of the problem has been found and the decision at the present time is how to correct the problem. Once the decision is made, problem potential analysis (PPA) will ensure the success of the decision.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Violence and Human Dignity

Violence and Human Dignity Free Online Research Papers Our society usually interprets violence in a conventional ways just as a physical harm that is done to the body or physical destruction. Even though a lot of dictionaries would suggest some sort of physical force this definition seems very simple. Moreover most of the time this interpretation is very limited. As Robert Brown suggested violence is â€Å"the violation of personhoodâ€Å" (Brown, 7) . Violation of personhood may exist in different ways. But some of those ways may be generalized into four categories. The first category is personal overt physical assault. This is very known category in which violence is done by physical force of one person is applied on the human body. For example two people are getting into a fight and at the end they start to hit each other. Another example is of Mike Bray who was an American Baptist minister and also antiabortionist. He used to bomb abortion clinics and murder abortion doctors. By doing this he justified his actions through bible in the sense that he was saving innocent unborn human lives. Second is institutionalized over physical assault. This is also a sort of an assault that is expressed by applying force on a human body but it is not done by one individual. This type of violence comes from a more powerful source like police source or an army and a very good example shown is war (Brown, 7). A huge power of a country or even more than one countries are involved in act of human destruction by killing people. The third type of violence is personal covert violence. This type of violence does not involve physical act of destruction rather it involves psychological, spiritual and emotional act. It is verbal violence. Good example is from American history when Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. After this incident almost all Japanese looking people were verbally violated at all time in public places by Americans. It may also be written or art violence. For example an article that would humiliate and dehumanize a person in a way or even better a political cartoon or some comic picture that may in fact dehumanize a human or religion by showing it as an enemy or something lesser than a human. The fourth way of institutionalized covert violence which involves institutions violating members within a society. This kind of violation would involved racism based on color like slavery or racism based on religion like during Holocaust. It would involve sexism like in eighteenth century when males were considered men, dominant figures and women were considered as their property. They didn’t have a right to vote, right to speak up or even attend particular places like gentlemen clubs. It also involves poverty because our society seems to help out poor people but, believe it or not, there are so many societies in which a person living in a poverty would not be even considered a human being and there for would be violated by all means. Conventional understandings of violence are limited because a lot of people don’t consider some of the acts that were showed as a violence. Now we understand that racism is a violence but during racism it was considered normal, now we understand that by verbal, written and art violence we could create a total dehumanization which would cause much bigger destructions but before it was not considered a violation rather an inspiration of person’s thoughts to a particular opinion. Moreover all of these violations enforce physical abuse such as blacks were physically abused, political cartoons now days enforce war in Iraq. There for without looking at different violation it call comes down to physical violence and there for its conventional understanding becomes limited. Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10th 1948 after World War II. The origin of it started in Germany during Holocaust. It was a genocide act toward Jewish religion and Jews. Around six million of Jewish people were killed just because county’s dictator did not like Jews and tried to clear his country from them. After the war United Nations raised a question of whom to protect the human rights and there for decided that the entire world has to gather and take responsibility since the state could not protect its own people. It became a necessity to protect humans against such massive destruction and to inspire other not to follow such acts of violence. There for Universal declaration of Human Rights was adopted. In it is clearly stated to respect human dignity with all its responsibilities. It stated to make each person have his/her freedom, justice and peace. Declarations clearly does not use any religious language because people around the world have different religions and some of them don’t have a religion at all. Except it explains the responsibilities of nations straight to the point. Catholic bishops of the United States explain the origin and responsibilities of human dignity from the origin of life. Christian origins of human dignity reveals four dimensions of it. It opens up the story of creation and through the story a reader has a deeper sense of meaning. First dimension is that human dignity is good because it is created and created by God. Secondly it shows that human beings are made in Gods image. This reveals that each person is given human rights and responsibilities of everything that was created by God. The third aspect explains that just by being created human beings already have dignity within themselves and that they should care for it. The last aspect is to be fruitful and multiply. Through this dimension origin of creation gives a chance to respect human dignity and enables a person transfer it to the new generation. More over bishops explained that there are responsibilities of having human dignity. From reading â€Å"The Christian Vision of Economic Life† responsibilities were described. It states â€Å"†¦to protect human life and property, demand respect for parents and the spouses and the children of one’s neighbor and manifest a special concern for the vulnerable members of the community: widows, poor, orphans, and strangers in the land† (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 19). By protection of property was meant not to be wasting resources that were given by another human being or by nature and being able to distribute resources equally. The second was to respect parents, spouses and children of neighbor. This responsibility emphasized a respect and understanding not only of your own family but rather the family of humanity. The third aspect was to protect vulnerable members of community because they are of a lesser power and may even be lacking power at all. Through these responsibilities and actions of help it is showed our own dignity and respect. The last responsibility is justice but not a law justice. It is more a Gods justice which is dealt with â€Å"†¦rightness of the human condition before God and within society †¦manifestation of love and the condition for love to grow†( National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 22). This characteristic is more concerned with brining agreement, harmony and tranquility within a community. There for in order to achieve it there has to be some rule made that would hold the whole community within the borders of characteristics of dignity. Research Papers on Violence and Human DignityEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraWhere Wild and West MeetInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHip-Hop is Art

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Endometriosis

about her battle with endometriosis. She, along with 90 million other women, has experienced the physical and emotional pain that comes with endometriosis. Endometriosis has caused these women horrible menstrual pain and sometimes even infertility. The biggest complication with Endometriosis (endo) is that most of the women who have it don’t actually know what it is. Many women are told that their chronic pain and fatigue are normal, or even that they are over-reacting. Not only is this frustrating for the woman, but leaving endo untreated will often result in a worsening of the disease. Health care professionals and the general public must both be made aware of this awful disease, so as to aide in early detection and treatment. A rise in awareness will bring rises in information promotion, and more treatment options. It will also lessen the burden of the many women who live with endometriosis. Endo is defined as â€Å"the appearance of tissue from the endometrium (lining of the uterus) outside the uterus, in such locations as on the ovaries or surface of the fallopian tubes, on the outer back wall of the uterus, or in the pelvic space between uterus and rectum† (Ammer, 199). This condition causes the most problems during menstruation. â€Å"When the uterine lining, which was built up in preparation for pregnancy, is shed, the e... Free Essays on Endometriosis Free Essays on Endometriosis Endometriosis â€Å"E-an emotional rollercoaster, N-a never ending road of pain and suffering, D-debilitating and infuriating, O-opinions and advice-when will they ever end, M-the marathon nights that are so lonely and desperate, E-escape the pain-please, take it away, T-tired and drained, R-respect from the doctors-is this too much to ask, I-independence regained-it’s what we all want, O-others caring and understanding-this would be so nice, S-self esteem-this must be regained, I-inner turmoil-we all must let go, S-so life goes on, as we all know† Belle Brown wrote these compelling words about her battle with endometriosis. She, along with 90 million other women, has experienced the physical and emotional pain that comes with endometriosis. Endometriosis has caused these women horrible menstrual pain and sometimes even infertility. The biggest complication with Endometriosis (endo) is that most of the women who have it don’t actually know what it is. Many women are told that their chronic pain and fatigue are normal, or even that they are over-reacting. Not only is this frustrating for the woman, but leaving endo untreated will often result in a worsening of the disease. Health care professionals and the general public must both be made aware of this awful disease, so as to aide in early detection and treatment. A rise in awareness will bring rises in information promotion, and more treatment options. It will also lessen the burden of the many women who live with endometriosis. Endo is defined as â€Å"the appearance of tissue from the endometrium (lining of the uterus) outside the uterus, in such locations as on the ovaries or surface of the fallopian tubes, on the outer back wall of the uterus, or in the pelvic space between uterus and rectum† (Ammer, 199). This condition causes the most problems during menstruation. â€Å"When the uterine lining, which was built up in preparation for pregnancy, is shed, the e...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Heres How Schrodingers Cat Works

Heres How Schrodingers Cat Works Erwin Schrodinger was one of the key figures in quantum physics, even before his famous Schrodingers Cat thought experiment. He had created the quantum wave function, which was now the defining equation of motion in the universe, but the problem is that it expressed all motion in the form of a series of probabilities- something which goes in direct violation to how most scientists of the day (and possibly even today) like to believe about how physical reality operates. Schrodinger himself was one such scientist and he came up with the concept of Schrodingers Cat to illustrate the issues with quantum physics. Lets consider the issues, then, and see how Schrodinger sought to illustrate them through analogy. Quantum Indeterminancy The quantum wave function portrays all physical quantities as a series of quantum states along with a probability of a system being in a given state. Consider a single radioactive atom with a half-life of one hour. According to the quantum physics wave function, after one hour the radioactive atom will be in a state where it is both decayed and not-decayed. Once a measurement of the atom is made, the wave function will collapse into one state, but until then, it will remain as a superposition of the two quantum states. This is a key aspect of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics- its not just that the scientist doesnt know which state its in, but its rather that the physical reality is not determined until the act of measurement takes place. In some unknown way, the very act of observation is what solidifies the situation into one state or another. Until that observation takes place, the physical reality is split between all possibilities. On to the Cat Schrodinger extended this by proposing that a hypothetical cat be placed in a hypothetical box. In the box with the cat we would place a vial of poison gas, which would instantly kill the cat. The vial is hooked up to an apparatus which is wired into a Geiger counter, a device used to detect radiation. The aforementioned radioactive atom is placed near the Geiger counter and left there for exactly one hour. If the atom decays, then the Geiger counter will detect the radiation, break the vial, and kill the cat. If the atom does not decay, then the vial will be intact and the cat will be alive. After the one-hour period, the atom is in a state where it is both decayed and not-decayed. However, given how weve constructed the situation, this means that the vial is both broken and not-broken and, ultimately, according to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics the cat is both dead and alive. Interpretations of Schrodingers Cat Stephen Hawking is famously quoted as saying When I hear about Schrodingers cat, I reach for my gun. This represents the thoughts of many physicists, because there are several aspects about the thought experiment that bring up issues. The biggest problem with the analogy is that quantum physics typically only operates on the microscopic scale of atoms and subatomic particles, not on the macroscopic scale of cats and poison vials. The Copenhagen interpretation states that the act of measuring something causes the quantum wave function to collapse. In this analogy, really, the act of measurement takes place by the Geiger counter. There are scores of interactions along the chain of events- it is impossible to isolate the cat or the separate portions of the system so that it is truly quantum mechanical in nature. By the time the cat itself enters the equation, the measurement has already been made ... a thousand times over, measurements have been made- by the atoms of the Geiger counter, the vial-breaking apparatus, the vial, the poison gas, and the cat itself. Even the atoms of the box are making measurements when you consider that if the cat falls over dead, it will come in contact with different atoms than if it paces anxiously around the box. Whether or not the scientist opens the box is irrelevant, the cat is either alive or dead, not a superposition of the two states. Still, in some strict views of the Copenhagen interpretation, it is actually an observation by a conscious entity which is required. This strict form of the interpretation is generally the minority view among physicists today, although there remains some intriguing argument that the collapse of the quantum wavefunctions may be linked to consciousness. (For a more thorough discussion of the role of consciousness in quantum physics, I suggest Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness by Bruce Rosenblum Fred Kuttner.) Still another interpretation is the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which proposes that the situation actually branches off into many worlds. In some of these worlds the cat will be dead upon opening the box, in others the cat will be alive. While fascinating to the public, and certainly to science fiction authors, the Many Worlds Interpretation is also a minority view among physicists, though there is no specific evidence for or against it. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Bussiness Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bussiness Organisations - Essay Example The relationship between leadership and national culture has often been held to impact closely the success and failure of an organisation in terms of leadership style, motivation and employee performance(Bass, 1990; Collins and Porras, 1996).In the context of National culture at least academics have pointed out that transformational leadership attributes which pertain to empowerment and perception contribute to employee job satisfaction and commitment in a very positive way (Iverson and Roy, 1994). The business academia has often focused upon the influence of gender on leadership and its various dimensions. When we are thus perusing the relationship between gender role and leadership style academics have pointed out towards a tendency of attaching "masculinity with task-oriented leadership styles and femininity with relationship-oriented ones".(Oshagbemi and Gill, 2003).It is perceived by the researchers and the academia that if sexes are perceived so differently in organizations their leadership styles would also differ a lot and this would seem likely that leadership styles are also different. Leadership is morality magnified"(Ciulla, 2006:17).In this regard this section seeks to define the relationships between ethics and leadership in the organisational context.The modern leader has to weather and face a plethora of situations like financial and political scandals,international pressure,public image,regulation and the current business mood and in this context it is also worth noting that gender and national culture issues have also reflected upon the common problems versus cultural specificity.(Individual responsibility v Corporate conscience). CONCLUSION This report concludes that the term "Leadership"is subjectively constructed and the whole concept has many dimensions.For Gardner (1995, p. 292), "The greatest challenge the leaders face is to bring about significant and lasting changes in a large and heterogeneous group". The link between leadership and ethics and gender has been accordingly explored to reflect cultural contexts aswell. INTRODUCTION The meaning and usage of the notion of leadership as an ingredient of success and value in an organisations contemporary structure has received a mixed response from the business academia,where skeptics have gone as far as to say that "All definitions are arbitrary. They reflect choices that cannot be proved or validated" (Shamir and Eilam 2005:395).The question is that when we seek an authentic meaning of the role of leadership instead of the "glittery and shiny"part it can be seen that the mere display of socially desirable behaviours does not make a good leader.Rather good leadership in the organisational structure should exhibit something more "genuine" and decisions based on a leaders courage to follow his or her own convictions.(Shamir and Eilam 2005) .According to Cooper et al (2005) this would indicate that we should be looking at leadership behaviours rather than styles like transformational, transactional, etc and there is a need to discuss how the leadership in promoting s uccess in contemporary organisations has to be multidimensional with regard to drawing from the elements such as traits, behaviors, and contexts.This

Friday, October 18, 2019

Indian space program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Indian space program - Essay Example However, there was another country, which made the dream of going to space its own, and this was a developing nation situated in Asia, known by the name ‘India.’ The Indians, although lagging in terms of national progress and technological advancement, still developed their own space technology and finally sent their first human to space shortly after the same was done by the former mentioned countries. Since then India has dedicated its time and efforts to strenuously enhance in the field of space technology and reach further heights, which decades ago, was not even imagined of. Pallava Bagla, one of India’s prominent science commentators, and author of ‘Destination Moon: India’s Quest for Moon, Mars and Beyond’ highlights that where it was the â€Å"US against the Soviets† in the last century’s space race, however, in the present century this space race means â€Å"India against China (Burke, 2013: 1). The topic of space travel and allied programmes in the context of the world in general and India in particular assumes great scope in the present day, as it may pave the way for future progress on various aspects. Besides, India is a nation that always strives to forge friendly relations with other countries, especially the UK and US. Therefore, it is also a topic relevant to the present global political environment. Literature Review: In order to gain extensive knowledge on the present space programmes in India and to attain an overall idea of their space capabilities, it is necessary to review the information by analysing the literature published on the topic in reliable sources. This, apart from providing evidence on the existing knowledge that the researcher possesses, will also enable to reveal additional aspects of the topic that the researcher may not be aware of. Therefore, a literature review has been conducted, which has enabled the research to gain the following information, which is arranged in different sections as under. Historical Background of Indian Space Programme: Indian Space Programme found its origins in â€Å"Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR),† which was formed under the â€Å"Department of Atomic Energy in 1962† (Outcome Budget of the Department of Space Government of India 2013: 1). The first official undertaking of the Indian Space Programme took place on an auspicious November day in the year 1963, with the launch of the â€Å"first sounding rockets† that aimed to investigate the earth’s ionosphere (Outcome Budget of the Department of Space Government of India 2013: 1). The launch took place at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, situated in Thiruvananthapuram, which is the capital city of a major south Indian state. Later on, in 1967, the â€Å"Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station (ESCES)† was set up in â€Å"Ahmedabad† (Dadhwal 2013: 2). The year 1969 saw the transformati on of the space program into a concrete organization, which came to be known as the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Thus, with the formation of the ISRO, India was able to take its space endeavours to the next level, and this was further enhanced with the constitution of the Indian Space Commission as well as the establishment of the Department of Space (DoS) in 1972. India owes the groundwork of its space endeavours to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, â€Å"

Describe the original position. why does Rawls thinks that it is a Essay

Describe the original position. why does Rawls thinks that it is a good device selecting principles of justiceHow does Nozick c - Essay Example The foundation of this principle is that everybody is takes up a position in the society as equal and free in relation to other members of the same society. The people therefore agree to jointly commit to the principles of social and political justice. This position, the original position, is distinguished from other social views by what Rawls terms as the â€Å"veil of ignorance†; an insurance policy that guarantees impartiality of ones judgment. This is done by depriving every member of the society all the knowledge of his or her unique and individual characteristics relative to the other members of the same society based on the historical and social characteristics of the said individual. They therefore operate from a common point of ignorance as to the circumstances and capacities of every member of that society (Rawls, 1999, p. 15). However, as to their knowledge of specific fundamental interests that they all enjoy, nothing is done. This is in addition to information bas ed on biology, economics, psychology and several other aspects of the social sciences. Under the original position therefore, the parties are then given several alternatives of the major conceptions of what justice is based on the common and customary usage of political and social philosophy and given the option to pick the best alternatives of the concept of justice that would be the best means of advancing their interests. These interests are those aspects that would then enable them to pursue their fundamental interests and final ends in the most effective manner. In the best possible justifiable scenario that while ensuring all their interests are catered for, it does not short change the individual member of the group (Rawls, 1999, p. 17). It is the contention of Rawls that it would be most rational for the parties involved in making these choices to select the two principles of justice. The first principle of justice guarantees individual’s basic rights and freedoms tha t are needed to ensure the security of the most basic interests of an individual who is free. It also allows citizens to equally pursue a broad range of conceptions that they consider to be good. The second principle of justice is more sociological. It provides equality in employment opportunities and education. In this way, individuals are enabled to compete at an equal level for the prerogatives and powers of any office. It also secures for everybody the minimum of the all-purpose means, this includes wealth and income that one would require in order to pursue their specific interests and to maintain their dignity as equal and free persons of the society in which they are in. The Original Position and Argument for Justice It should be noted that according to Rawls, the original position is not a situation that involves bargaining. This view does not contemplate that the parties will make proposals and counterproposals so as to negotiate the various principles of justice. It is als o no a free ranging discussion. The parties do not come up with their own constructions of what justice is. The fundamental basis of this position is that the deliberations that may exist between the members of the society are more constrained. They are actually given a specific list of the conceptions of justice that is based on the social and political philosophy of the West. While the list is not exclusive, its principles are basically

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Mentoring Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mentoring - Assignment Example One of the most important ways to integrate with one’s audience or with other shareholders is seeking to hone the skills of intimacy with those that one integrates with. However, as with many skills, the ability to increase one’s ability within this area requires practice and dedication in order to effect. However, one can easily estimate the one of the prime determinants towards affecting a positive effect on intimacy with respect to one’s audience is seeking to integrate an understanding and level of empathy with the particular approach. As such, the best way to coach an increase in this ability would be to seek to increase an increase in the relationship development that the speaker and/or teacher has with regards to the students (Yildiz, 2013). Although one might argue that â€Å"intimacy† in speaking is not something that can be learned to such a great degree and is either something that is innately gifted, learning how to speak with a level of ease and comfort can be learned as one develops more appropriate and effective relational skills with regards to how they can appreciate and interact with their audience. Without such a level of appreciation, coaching on such a topic would be utterly fruitless. However, due to the fact that the teacher must first realize that they stand to improve within the given area prior to any changes or remedial help being given or integrated, it is incumbent upon the reader to realize that cooperation from all members within the process is required in order to effect a positive change.

Culture Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Culture - Research Paper Example Black Americans are facing some issues related to affirmative action, racial profiling and federal controversies in the modern world. These issues have affected the development of the entire American society. Racial profiling is being practiced in the American society drastically. Important federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Department have stated that they rely on racial discrimination. The main reason due to which these agencies practice racial discrimination is the safety and security of country. Racial profiling arises because all the immigrants are not treated equally in the immigration and the customs department. It has been observed that people belonging from different religion and country are generally detained and thoroughly checked while other citizens of America are minutely checked. Discrimination based on racial profiling is growing day by day and the black Americans are the most common victims of such problems (Wilkins & Williams, 2008). Whenever an African-American citizen of the United States enters the border from a foreign country their luggage are thoroughly checked and they are detained for long hours in the airports. Some of the citizens even miss their plane due to intense checking procedures. Racial profiling is practiced on a large scale in the American society. Some of the African-Americans also believe that racial profiling is the 21st century version of slavery and inequality. According to statistical data, it has been observed that around 12-13 percent of the African-American populations are drug users however 38 percent of populations get arrested for drug-related crimes. Based on the police reports it has also been recorded that the minority group of America get arrested quite often because they mostly belong to the lower group of the American society. This shows that the law-making system is not efficient and the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Mentoring Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mentoring - Assignment Example One of the most important ways to integrate with one’s audience or with other shareholders is seeking to hone the skills of intimacy with those that one integrates with. However, as with many skills, the ability to increase one’s ability within this area requires practice and dedication in order to effect. However, one can easily estimate the one of the prime determinants towards affecting a positive effect on intimacy with respect to one’s audience is seeking to integrate an understanding and level of empathy with the particular approach. As such, the best way to coach an increase in this ability would be to seek to increase an increase in the relationship development that the speaker and/or teacher has with regards to the students (Yildiz, 2013). Although one might argue that â€Å"intimacy† in speaking is not something that can be learned to such a great degree and is either something that is innately gifted, learning how to speak with a level of ease and comfort can be learned as one develops more appropriate and effective relational skills with regards to how they can appreciate and interact with their audience. Without such a level of appreciation, coaching on such a topic would be utterly fruitless. However, due to the fact that the teacher must first realize that they stand to improve within the given area prior to any changes or remedial help being given or integrated, it is incumbent upon the reader to realize that cooperation from all members within the process is required in order to effect a positive change.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

495 disc Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

495 disc - Assignment Example The ability to choose your roommate and have access to television and DVD player is very enticing. Interns like having fun and accessing such facilities together with the freedom is great. Availability of the house cleaner give interns more time to focus on the productivity of the company. In line with the week’s readings, Qualcomm incorporated Maslow hierarchy of needs theory as an employee motivational and retention tool. It tries to meet the need s of the interns in order to make the motivated and have interest in working for the company in future (Montana & Charnov, 2008). Through the payment, the company accomplishes the physiological and security need of its interns. Offering the interns the opportunity to choose their roommates in the fully furnished houses help them meet their social needs. The strategies adopted by Qualcomm make the interns comfortable. Chances of requesting retention to work for the company are

Political Discourse Essay Example for Free

Political Discourse Essay Political incivility has been around for a very long time. According to the article â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Nasty Politics in America†, a number of studies have been conducted to prove that politics has always been â€Å"a bit rough†. Many people in and out of the political world are agreeing that politics these days have turned in to a horrible cycle. Politics today involves nasty language about fellow members families, angry protests and violent outbursts. Sometimes racial slurs and discrimination is also involved in bringing down your opponent. Furthermore, political incivility has caused a variety of problems in American politics throughout the years. Knowing this, what are some of the things that can be done to help increase political civility? Political incivility has caused a variety of problems in the political process. Politics today is often biased based off of the partisan media and views of opposing sides of various parties. According to the article â€Å"What Is Civil Engagement Argument and Why Does Aspiring to It Matter? † the partisan media only shares those facts that are inconvenient to their opponents, engage emotion, and replace argument with ridicule causing many of the listeners or viewers to have angry views of the policies on the opposing side. Allowing the partisan media to be broadcasted for Americans to see causes outrage and incivility in the world around us. This brings me to my next point where the violence in the political world is getting out of control. The violence that occurs includes both physical and emotional attacks by the opposing parties. For example, the district office of a Georgia representative was defaced with a swastika, and the lawmaker, who happens to be African American, has been the recipient of racist hate mail (Shea and Sproveri, 417). There have also been many other instances where racial violence was used including during the final health-care reform meetings. A lot of the protesters yelled out racial slurs at the African American members of Congress. Also during this time one of the legislators was spat on while entering the Capitol Building to cast his vote (Shea and Sproveri, 417). This type of violence causes politicians to lack the motivation to run for office. Olympia Snowe, a former Senate member, finds it very frustrating that the atmosphere of polarization and the â€Å"my way or the highway† ideologies has become persuasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions (Maisel, 408). She is resigning from office and decided not to run for her forth term in office. Other politicians are afraid of ridicule about their families and therefore will not be running for office any longer. Another reason that political discourse is harming the American political process is it is influencing the ability of govern. â€Å"Incivility leads to an inability to govern and, therefore, more can be done in other areas† (Maisel, 408). The inability to govern leads the government officials to detach from politics and take interest in other areas. Also, politicians in today’s era have only one thing on their mind and that is to win. They do not care about the common good or the similar believes of the opposing parties. All they want to do is finish on top. This situation is causing the president and other officials to lack the ability to pass laws that may benefit the whole population. â€Å"According to NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll conducted in the fall of 2011, more than four out of five voters felt that the Congress’s decisions on the debt ceiling were decisions made for partisan political advantages† (Maisel, 408). This is problematic because it brings other officials to not want to run for office and for the population to be dissatisfied with the whole system of government. This can lead to outburst and protests by the people of the nation. So, what is the best way to increase civility in American politics? First, we can follow the ways of the people during the World War II period where partisan differences still existed but at the end of the day the government officials went back to their families where their wives and children were interacting with the wives and children of those with whom they had been debating with (Maisel, 409). In those times, the politicians worked together for one cause, which was to be united and progress with the well being of the nation. That is what the politicians in today’s world need to realize. The politicians in that era had certain rules they needed to abide by like they had to treat others involved with respect and civility. They also relied strictly on truth and not on the fact that they need to win no matter what the consequences to the nation are. This seems to be one of the biggest problems that the American politics has today. The US House of Representatives has it’s own set of rules that ensure that there is civility. The Congress has a set of rules that ensure that the disagreements in Congress are purely philosophical but not personal and that their views are legitimate even if they are wrong (Jamieson and Hardy, 412). This is exactly the type of rules that need to be set for regular debates and this will ensure that the members do not over step those boundaries. The House makes sure that the members do not call each other bad names or over step any boundaries that may cause them to lie. They are not even allowed to call their fellow members hypocritical even if they are being hypocritical. Their understanding is that each side needs to be heard and then they will come up with a compromise to make both parties accept it. In conclusion, the political incivility going on today is effecting the government in ways unimaginable. Politicians are not willing to run for office because of their fear of having their families or themselves ridiculed and talked about in an inappropriate manner, there is a big increase in violence during debates and the politicians of today are only focused on winning and not on the benefit of the greater good. There is a lot that needs to be improved before there could be any type of change in the political world. The government needs to set a variety of rules for debates just like the House of Representatives or the Senate has that will set a limit to the type of things the politicians can say to each other. This will minimize the political discourse today and help new politicians accomplish more and help the nation prosper in the future.

Monday, October 14, 2019

ISTE NETS Standards for Teachers

ISTE NETS Standards for Teachers Module 1: Assessing Strengths and Improvement Opportunities Comparison to NETS-T Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity I believe I do a fairly good job of engaging students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital media and tools (NETS-T 1b). For example, most of my international ELLs are majoring in international trade. Therefore, I have my business English students do a business plan proposal and presentation. In small groups, students use the Internet to research opportunities and possibilities for starting their own business. They also have to create a business plan indicating their product or service, cost structure, and projected profits or losses for the first, second, third, and fifth years, among other things. They then organize this information into a PowerPoint presentation and present their proposals to the class. Students then vote for the proposal that is the most realistic and plausible and has the best chance of success. Many aspects of this multi-faceted assignment deal with real-world issues and authentic problems and use digital tools and resource s to address them. I am, however, relatively weak on NETS-T 1c, promoting student reflection. Standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments I believe the business plan example discussed above is also decent example of a Digital-Age Learning Experience that adapt[s] relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (NETS-T 2a). Students learn to do Internet research and use common office productivity software while acquiring and learning to communicate in business English. During the term, students also have to send me several business-related emails such as asking for more information, placing an order, checking an orders status, complaining as a customer, and handling complaints from customers. We do similar topics as phone calls as well. These sorts of activities provide me with formative and summative assessment data (NETS-T 2d). Lawton (2014) says that 21st century assessments must move beyond simple right and wrong answers. PowerPoints, presentations, emails, and phone calls go a long way toward accomplishing that goal. Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning I do very little with digital communication or collaboration with students or colleagues beyond email and WeChat (a Chinese real-time messaging and social media app similar to WhatsApp). There are three primary reasons for this: culture, government restrictions, and my own ignorance. Culturally, everyone in China uses WeChat for both personal and professional communications. I, however, find it inadequate for professional or academic correspondence or collaboration. WeChat is so pervasive, in fact, that while most Chinese have email accounts, they rarely use them or even check them. It is common for me to send an email then use WeChat to inform the recipient that an email has been sent. Chinas Great Firewall (i.e. government restriction) is another barrier. The Chinese government blocks many Western websites and web-based services such Google (including Gmail, Google Docs, Google Classroom, Google Translate, Google Scholar, and YouTube, etc.), Twitter, and Facebook. VPNs to get aroun d such blocks are available, but they are often expensive, unreliable, and the government does its best to ban and block them as well. Finally, my own ignorance is a barrier. I simply have not taken the time to research and explore the options that may be available to me in China. Part of the reason is time, part of it is complacency. I simply have not had the motivation to investigate. Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility This standard is also quite difficult to meet in my current environment. China has a reputation for weak protection of intellectual property (IP) rights. While Chinas written IP laws are comparable to those of more developed nations, they were written only relatively recently, the courts have little experience with IP cases, and enforcement is inconsistent (Ang, Yingmei, Chaopeng, 2014). For example, from firsthand experience, Beijing is filled with DVD stores that cater to foreigners. Every Western DVD is bootlegged and pirated. Likewise, counterfeit bags, shoes, and clothing are easily available even though the government has shut down many of the offending shops in recent years. They just reopen elsewhere. Similarly, it is very common for university students to purchase photocopies of required textbooks. Any copy center in Beijing is happy to copy a textbook, even the ones on campus. In fact, two years ago I attempted to require my students to buy authentic copies of my class req uired text but I was swiftly reprimanded by my superiors. No, no, no, no, no! my supervisor said. Authentic books are far too expensive. Our students cannot afford them, I was told. Photocopies are better! The universities are owned, operated, and controlled by the same government that writes and enforces IP laws. It is little wonder that foreigners have the impression that copyright laws and intellectual property rights do not exist in China in any meaningful way. Having said that, one thing I am able to do-and I do it zealously-is insist upon proper documentation and citation of sources. I do my best to investigate, verify, and prove suspected plagiarism but it is difficult to do so when Yahoo is the only tool at my disposal. I would like to invest in a service such as Turnitin to catch, or better yet, prevent plagiarism. Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership Rogers (2003, cited in Oncu, Delialioglu, Brown, 2008, p. 21) identified five types of people with regard to technology adoption: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. My level of resistance seems to be increasing as I age. I know I am not the innovator I once was; at this point I might classify myself as mid-majority had Rogers included that type in his scheme. I think part of professional growth and leadership with regards to technology is to approach technology with a more critical eye than is typical. While there are many undeniable benefits to using technology in the classroom, there are also potential dangers, drawbacks, and disadvantages that appear to be overlooked, ignored, or dismissed out of hand (Langford, Narayan, Von Glahn, 2016). For example, concerns have been raised that overreliance on technology can cause declines in critical thinking and analytical skills (Porter, 2014; Greenfield, 2009, cited in Langford, Narayan, Von Glahn, 2016) and that overdependence on the Internet hampers peoples ability to think, understand, retain, and analyze information (Carr, 2010; Ciarcia, 2012; Friedman Heafner, 2012, cited in Langford, Narayan, Von Glahn, 2016). Finally, Bauerlein (2008) believes that the digital age has generated access to immense information at the expense of making us dumber. He worries that the younger generation is increasingly disconnected from culture, history, politics and context contributing to ignorance and apathy (cited in Langford, Narayan, Von Glahn, 2016, p. 4). I think it behooves teachers and educators to acknowledge both sides of the debate and not automatically assume that any and all technology is beneficial or even harmless. Our students often embrace new technology cavalierly. Therefore, as teachers, educators, and leaders, it is incumbent upon us to evaluate the use and potential consequences of technology before adopting it rather than blindly follow the pervasive culture. In oth er words, if overuse of technology is part of the problem, as some believe, is more technology really the answer? As leaders we must ask hard questions and be willing to defy the status quo (Bennis, 1989, cited in Shoup, 2016). Conclusion I believe I have done a fairly good job of meeting some of the indictors of the ISTE NETS standards for teachers. On the other hand, some of the standards and their indicators will be difficult to meet in my Chinese university teaching and learning context. Even so, there are two things I believe I can do to further develop the skills I need to meet the NETS-T standards and indicators. My first goal is to research age-appropriate online collaborative tools available and accessible in China. Such tools will help my business English students further develop their English reading and writing proficiency as well as prepare them for their future careers where such collaboration is commonplace. Secondly, I want to develop my professional growth and leadership by researching and understanding the potential problems and pitfalls presented by technology beyond the three most commonly associated with youth-predators, plagiarism, and porn-and how to mitigate them. Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) Below is a Technology Integration Matrix reflecting my business English class for my international university students. I chose this class because I believe it is the most technology-integrated class I currently teach. My TOEFL and IELTS workshops are far less technology-dependent. In fact, I felt it necessary to create and add a new Level of Technology Integration to the Matrix: Non‑Integration. There are several reasons why a teacher may not integrate certain aspects of technology with his or her instruction including, but not limited to, unawareness that such technology exists, ignorance regarding its use, a lack of resources or access, or a rationale where such use is deemed inappropriate (Kayalar, 2016). For example, I myself am unaware of age-appropriate online resources for goal-directed learning that are available and accessible in China. Levels of Technology Integration into the Curriculum Non-Integration Entry Adoption Adaptation Infusion Transformation Learning Environment Characteristics Active Students use technology seamlessly (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the Internet) as they create business plans, proposals, and presentations as a means to develop English language proficiency. Collaborative Students primarily work alone or in pairs or small groups when researching and creating their business plans and proposals. Most if not all collaboration is done in person. Constructive Students select and use appropriate technology tools and resources to create and present a complete business plan and proposal in English. Authentic Students select and use appropriate technology tools and resources to create and present a complete business plan and proposal in English. Goal-Directed Students do not use technology in this manner. Goal 1 I would like my business English international students and myself to research and explore age-appropriate goal-directed online resources available and accessible in China that will aid their English-language acquisition and use. This might effectively move us from Goal‑Oriented / Non-Integration to Goal-Oriented / Entry. Researching English-language educational tools in English will itself help build students English-language vocabulary and reading comprehension skills as they try to discover online tools and ways they can be used to facilitate other aspects of their language acquisition and use. Goal 2 I would like to move my business English international students from Collaborative / Entry to Collaborative / Adoption. In China, WeChat is the preferred means of real-time messaging and communication. However, email is more common in other parts of the world, especially in professional business environments. I would like to extend email (or other collaborative tools) use into the arena of real-world collaboration as opposed to the merely academic exercise it is currently. Conclusion While many benefits of integrating technology across the curriculum are strong and undeniable, several barriers remain. These barriers might be categorized as external (relative to the teacher) or internal. External barriers largely involve the availability and accessibility of age-appropriate technological tools and resources, and are largely outside the teachers control. Student social-economic status, school or district funding, or government policy and regulation are all examples of external barriers that may make it difficult to fully integrate technology inside the classroom. Internal barriers to technological integration pertain to teacher willingness, knowledge, and skill, and their legitimate concerns regarding student welfare as well as founded or unfounded prejudices and biases against technology. I would like to echo Langford, Narayan, and Von Glahns (2016) caution against using technology for technologys sake and instead thoughtfully and critically adopt only those techn ologies and methods proven to enhance the student educational experience, in my case, the acquisition and use of the English language at the university level. References Ang, J. S., Yingmei, C., Chaopeng, W. (2014). Does enforcement of intellectual property rights matter in china? Evidence from financing and investment choices in the high-tech industry. Review of Economics Statistics, 96(2), 332-348. Kayalar, F. (2016). Cross-cultural comparison of teachers views upon integration and use of technology in classroom. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 15(2), 11-19. Langford, S., Narayan, A., Von Glahn, N. (2016). Revisiting the technology and student learning debates: Critical issues and multiple perspectives. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching Learning Journal, 9(2), 1-15. Lawton, D. (2014). Beyond bubble sheets and number two pencils: Assessment in the digital age. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(1), 53-58. Oncu, S., Delialioglu, O., Brown, C. A. (2008). Critical components for technology integration: How do instructors make decisions? The Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 27(1), 19-46. Shoup, J. R. (2016). Leadership, organizational, and institutional studies: Reconciling and teaching competing perspectives. Journal of Leadership Education, 15(4), 167-182.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Curating has a traditional meaning and context of collection, preservation and presentation. The word curate is derived from the Latin verb curare, to care or to cure. In a traditional view, a curator is tasked to organize, filter, preserve, store and occasionally present art and artifacts in a gallery, museum or library. Historically, curators were not seen as creators of content, but simply as keepers of important objects. In the remix culture of creative commons, fair use and copyleft, the concept of a creator has expanded to include those who reasonably transform and present existing content as something educational, interesting, new or satirical (Cariou v. Prince, Universal City Studios v. Sony Corp., Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music). Curating is the greatest example of the remixing content. While designing the presentation of objects by making strategic choices considering audience and understanding goals, a curator gathers pieces that already exist in order to provide an interesting or new perspective on a subject. A curator is creating a sensory learning experience to aid in understanding and conversation. A curator is not simply a collector and preservationist, but rather a contributor to the story the art and plays an important role in learning and understanding. Albert Einstein recognized the traditional concept of the collection and cultivation of established theories in science by practicing re combination of knowledge to enlighten new ideas. In a letter to colleague Jacques S. Hadamard in 1945, Einstein wrote: The desire to arrive finally at logically connected concepts is the emotional basis of this rather vague play†¦ taken from a psychological viewpoint, this combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in pro... ...meo and Juliet; the toothpick Bridge you constructed in Freshman Physics, the History paper on the Russian Revolution from Junior Modern History class; the college entrance essays you're forced to produce with the acute understanding of yourself and your life goals at 17. Usually they are treated as separate objects usually sorted into age group piles and filed away. Meaning that all first grade objects are with other first grade objects, second grade objects are with other second grade objects, and so†on, chronologically. The ordering is fitted into the academic pigeon holes of age and development on a straight trajectory. This seems arbitrary in significance and experience by simply being ordered by academic year. The misunderstanding in this is that learning doesn't really happen in a straight line or chronological progress, although it can still be progressive.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Properties of Gases Essay

Introduction Background This report covers Properties of Gases and will allow me the opportunity to explore chemical and physical properties of gases. Collection and use of these gases will also be conducted in this lab. Statement of Problem Collecting gases is a difficult process. Singling out a gas and obtaining only that gas is the challenge we face in this experiment. Purpose of Experiment The purpose of this experiment is use water, chemicals and metals along with collection tubes to extract a single gas and to store it. Then to use only that gas and see how it responds to other testing. Hypothesis If the gases are correctly singled out and collected properly. We should be able to observe changes when the gases are introduced to heat or fire. Experiment Test tubes will be used to single out gases from two forms of metals along with an acid and hydrogen peroxide. Baking soda, vinegar, alka seltzer, bromthymol blue and limewater will also be used to observe the properties of gases. Data Charts Page 2 LabPaq – Properties of gases General Chemistry Analysis Error and Trends When attempting to mix the Hydrogen and Oxygen together. I may have lost a small amount of hydrogen as I lifted the bulb filled with 2/3 hydrogen from the 24-well plate. I did not receive a reaction when I squeezed the bulb of hydrogen oxygen onto the flame. Hypothesis Conclusion It was challenging using my thumb to try and hold the gases in their pipet bulbs. I repeated a few of the experiments to make sure I received the same results and feel fairly confident that I obtained the results that were expected. Practical Applications Parts of this experiment used household items to collect data from. Learning the gas properties these household items contain is invaluable. Page 3

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Crime Diversion Programs and Prevention of Juvenile Crime Essay

We may think that all convicted individuals should spend some time, or in some cases, a substantial amount of time behind bars for the crimes that they have committed. It is true that under the current scheme of the law, people who have transgressed against the statutes that the society has set must stand before the judgment of the bar of law and if found guilty, pay restitution for their acts. But there is another way that these individuals can pay for their transgressions and not have to go in jail, what with the congested prison system currently plaguing penal facilities. Crime Diversion programs In the light of congested facilities in the penal system, several initiatives have taken root in the justice system designed to abet the instances of individuals from getting incarcerated for what the justice system calls non-violent or petty crimes. In California, several policy-making groups have endorsed ballot proposals that intend to address the situation of criminals committing these types of offenses to pay restitution for their crimes and for the society to satisfy the need for retribution for the transgressions that they have committed. Diversion Programs: what are they in the first place? These are intended to aid some offenders to defeat their habits (Gorelick Law Offices). In this regard, it is the desired goal that giving counsel to the offender in lieu of just incarcerating him/her (Gorelick). It was observed that the former instead of the latter mode of dealing with criminals are achieving greater rates of success (Gorelick). In this context, the offender is allowed to use the resources available to be able to sort out his/her problems (Gorelick). Proposition 36 In the late part of 2000, the voting public in the Big Bear state enacted a ballot proposal that would mandate certain individuals convicted of drug-related crimes to enter drug rehabilitation programs instead of incarceration (Allison Colker, 2004). The California Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, or simply Proposition 36, is not the pioneering law that seeks to mandate rehabilitation instead of incarceration for those convicted of drug related crimes (Colker, 2004). But the Proposition has gained nationwide notice for the innovative and some times debatable provisions (Colker, 2004). Many supporters of the initiative view the controversial policy as a pragmatic approach to the problem of crime and drug addiction (Colker, 2004). But there is opposition to the new statute that argues that the proposition is a callow solution to a very multifarious problem (Colker, 2004). In the context of Proposition 36, people who are convicted users of illegal narcotics are asked to enter treatment programs as a provision in their probation programs (Gorelick). Individuals who are drug users but have not convicted of violent offenses and those that have been caught twice for the simple offense of drug use are eligible for the diversion program (Gorelick). In a research study conducted by the California Legislative Analysts Office, it stated that the Proposition will have substantial ramifications both for state and local authorities (Colker, 2004). In the report, it is estimated that 24,000 people incarcerated for non violent illegal narcotics possession will be stationed in community based rehabilitation programs instead of languishing in state penal facilities (Colker, 2004). Penal Code 1000 In this program, individuals who are convicted of drug related cases must attend a four month long seminar once a week (Gorelick). If the offender fulfills all the requirements in the program, then the criminal record of the individual will be expunged (Gorelick). This condition is pursuant that the offender is not accosted and is legally charged within a period of one and half years (Gorelick). In the operation of Proposition 36, the conviction and the criminal record of the offender will be removed (Wallin and Klarich). In the Penal 1000 ambit, the record will stay with the defendant until completion of the program and probation period (Wallin and Klarich). Crime Diversion and Juvenile Crime As the term connotes, juvenile crime diversion programs are formulated to arrest the trend of juveniles committing more grievous offenses in the future (County of San Diego). While many programs vary in the composition and programs they espouse, several similarities are found in each of the programs (San Diego). If the juvenile is arrested, the arresting authority, embodied by the police or law enforcement official, can refer the juvenile offender to a diversion program instead of incarceration (San Diego). If the juvenile offender meets the criteria set for referral, then a Juvenile Diversion Specialist will take over the disposition of the case from the police, and can recommend to the parents and the offender courses of action that the JDS will take (San Diego). Many large cities have incorporated the efforts of strict law enforcement with the option for treatment (Little Hoover Commission). In their studies and experience, the rates of crime have significantly decreased in the adoption of preventive measures in the lowering of instances of crimes instigated by youths (Hoover). These programs have been proven to be cost effective if these programs are focused on the families of the risk sector of the children (Hoover). California has given valuable input by allocating resources in the way of prevention initiatives in the education establishment, law enforcement and the support for community based programs (Hoover). It is here that a greater understanding on the factors of crime causation (Hoover). At present, the factors behind why crimes are committed and its prevention (Hoover). Research has allowed the viewing of factors in the causation of crime and the attendant factors behind them (Hoover). It is also seen in the past years that prevention programs and their effectiveness have been measures using scientific techniques and processes (Hoover). Communities with the assistance of state authorities have been able to formulate programs that are designed to prevent crime from juvenile individuals (Hoover). References Colker, A. C. (2004). California’s proposition 36 and other state diversion `programs: moving drug offenders out of prison and into treatment. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://www. ncsl. org/programs/health/capropib. htm County of San Diego. (n. d. ). Juvenile diversion. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://www. co. san-diego. ca. us/grandjury/reports/2003_2004/JuvenileDiversion. pdf Gorelick Law Offices. (n. d. ). Diversion programs in Conta Costra and Alameda County. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://www. gorelick-law. com/Criminal_Defense/Diversion_Programs. aspx Little Hoover Commission. (n. d. ). The opportunity of this generation. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://www. lhc. ca. gov/lhcdir/159/finding2. pdf Wallin and Klarich. (n. d. ). California drug diversion program under Penal Code 1000 minimizes collateral damage. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://www. southerncaliforniadefenseblog. com/2009/03/california_drug_diversion_prog. html

Freedom Writers Analysis Essay

Freedom Writers is a drama movie based on the book â€Å"The Freedom Writers Diary† written by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell. The movie was first released on January 5th 2007 in the USA, and on May 18th 2007 in Norway. The director of the movie is Richard LaGravenese and the screenwriters are the Freedom Writers, Erin Gruwell and Richard LaGravenese. The Music is made by Mark Isham, will.i.am, Talib Kweli and other various artists. The main actors are Hilary Swank as Erin Gruwell, Patrick Dempsey as Scott Casey, Imelda Staunton as Margaret Campbell, April L. Hernandez as Eva Benitez, Mario as Andre Bryant, Jason Finn as Marcus and Jaclyn Ngan as Sindy. The Freedom Writers is about the young, novice teacher Erin Gruwell and the students in classroom 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School, Long Beach, California. The story takes place from year 1992 to 1995 and it is a true story. Ms Gruwell was very excited for her first day. She had big plans for how she was going to get the students to line up outside the classroom door, instead of not showing up to class or quit before the first semester was finished. This was how the schools’ reputation had turned out to be after the integration program was suggested at Woodrow Wilson. To teach the street kids, was a lot easier said than done. To get the students’ attention, Ms Gruwell had to call them Nazis and count how many of them who had lost friends to gang violence. The students comes from many different societies. In room 203 there are blacks, whites, Latinos and Cambodians. For many of these kids, death, violence, gangs, and fighting for territories, are daily events. They come from broken families and have had a very difficult and challenging childhood. They are happy if they make it to the end of the day. One of the students, Eva, said to Ms Gruwell during class; â€Å"what are you doing in here that makes a god damn difference to my life?† This wakes Ms Gruwell up, and she starts to use unusual methods like playing games, bring the students on trips, and make them write diaries to try to teach, and to help them with their lives and their chance to graduate high school and go to college. The title of the movie and the book are based on these diaries. There are many strong characters in this movie. It is not easy to decide who the main characters are, because we feel like we get to know every one of them, and each character have its own story. Ms Gruwell seemed like an inexperienced, rich man’s daughter, but through the things she did, she showed us some admirable sides of herself. Eva Benitez is a Latino/Spanish- American girl. She has a very strong personality and fights hard for what she thinks is right. But under the unyielding mask, we can sense a hint of uncertainty. Marcus is a black boy, and one of the persons we get to know most about. He seems like a very nice boy, but he also has his dark secrets. Marcus changes his personality and his way of living a lot because he wants to move back home to his mother. Sindy is a Cambodian girl. She was involved in the main conflicts in the movie. She has been in a refugee camp, and after the war in Cambodia her father is not the same anymore. Her character shows no fear and an admirable willpower. There are many positive things to say about the movie. Many of the actors did an excellent job by playing the characters and getting their personality come through. April L. Hernandez is one of them. She did an excellent job playing Eva Benitez. She had very many different emotions like anger, sadness, frustration and relief. I also liked the music they chose. It was not typical film music. It was up to date hip hop and pop music, which could have been exactly the kind of music the students would have listened to. You feel like you are getting very close to them, and that you get to know them. Although it was a very good movie, there are some negative things as well. The movie was quite predictable. After Ms. Gruwell had caught the student’s attention, you could imagine how the movie was going to end. At some points the movie was pretty boring. This movie shows that it is possible for a teacher to inspire a class and to make a difference in someone’s life. There has been made many movies like this before, for example Half Nelson and Music of the Heart. This movie is different from the others because it is based on a true story. Nevertheless, it was a touching and inspiring movie with many funny moments. I would give this movie 4 stars. It is not one of my favorites, but definitely worth to see.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Organization Design Structure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organization Design Structure - Assignment Example Naturally raised food is hard to come by on such large scale, so Chipotle leaves some of the procurement to regional or local levels in order to supply the best product to the local markets. This also allows Chipotle to leverage other markets when product demand cannot be met in a certain area. This allows the top management to offer leadership to the company to the right way while maintaining core competencies and allowing the operational levels to maintain daily quality standards. This structure is ideal for geographical focus where chipotle’s different geographical units can alter their products to suit the local market. Workplace policies can also be crafted to cater for the specific region only. Lack of competent and qualified managers in newly established units is a greater problem that Chipotle is experiencing. Chipotle can adopt a single tier multidivisional matrix level called New Restaurant Development whose main purpose would to open new stores and to train managers from different regions. This would mean that the new stores would be opened by trained professionals who know how to handle all the problems of opening a new store and how to lean on the local and regional managers for additional help and information. This also would be an excellent way to hold a high quality standard during the most essential part of a new restaurant, the

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

J. Alfred Prufrock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

J. Alfred Prufrock - Essay Example It is possible to trace the major patterns of abstract images related to time, inertia, sickness, fear and failure in the poem. When taken as a whole, all these may be seen as the contributive aspects of the unpromising prospects of human relationships. The â€Å"you and I† of the poem remain undefined until the end of the poem, but the psyche of the speaker, â€Å"I† is characterized by the image of a â€Å"patient etherized upon a table†. The image of sickness and inertia overshadows the whole poem. The â€Å"half-deserted streets†, â€Å"muttering retreats† and the winding streets hrough which the disintegrated self of the narrator walks leads to â€Å"an overwhelming question† which reminds one of Mathew Arnold’s Dover beach, where a similar question, seemingly on love, raises the reader’s expectations momentarily. But the emphasis is shifted to somewhere else, when he mentions like a refrain, The narrator’s indecision regarding the social mingling and the eventual meeting of these women are expressed in the latter part of the poem, though the reason for his indecision and fear are not properly accounted for. It seems that the image of the women and that of their talking about art are just representations of a pretentious life that the narrator is unable to cope with, or rise up to, and these images are presented in a specific order so that they constitute more towards the rationale of the theme than any logical reasoning. Hence it is possible to analyze these images as part of the impressionistic technique that modernist poets followed. F.R Leavis , after his question â€Å"Can this be poetry†, quotes these lines and observes: â€Å"And yet there are passages that, for all their oddness of imagery and tone, do not immediately condemn themselves as ‘unpoetical’ even by anthological standards† (Leavis, 66). Even for the contemporary reader who has an overview and clear

Monday, October 7, 2019

International Commercial Disputes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Commercial Disputes - Essay Example (Armstrong, K; Fire of Asia; Allied Publication; 2004; page 98) Commercial dispute arbitration on an international scale would entail interesting specifics. The Encyclopaedia Britannica would state that the art of international arbitration began between the United States and Great Britain approximately in the year 1794 in order for America to build a sound national economy and ensure commercial prosperity. The pursuit of international negotiations led to the creation of the Jay Treaty. This treaty, regardless of its extremely controversial nature and the nation's outrage, passed the senate at President Washington's urging. Commercial dispute arbitration, as can be seen just in early American developments, would in fact bring interesting considerations to light. The evolution of commercial dispute arbitration has in fact become something of an incredible undertaking. This would be undeniable in light of the vast number of often daily changes involved in international business relations and political and social contexts worldwide. In the realm of judgments managed in arbitral situations the International Law Association, which was founded in 1873 utilizes definitions of public policy including international public policy and public policy. Public policy would be those moral, social or economic considerations which would in fact be applied by various courts as grounds for refusal to enforce arbitral awards whether they are domestic or foreign. International public policy would in fact be public policy applied by state courts in regard to foreign awards in place of domestic awards. This is a much narrower focus than public policy would be. Yet again, there is reason to clarify that international public policy should not be confused with what i s known as transnational public policy. (Gower, N D and Banerjee, S; Good Governance: a Look into the Future of International balance; Alliance Publishers; 2004; page 12) Transnational, or in most cases, truly international public policy would be those principles that represent international consensus in regard to universal standards and includes accepted norms of conduct which must always apply. Transnational public policy comprises the fundamental rules of law, jus cogens in public international law, the principles of universal justice, and the general principles of morality accepted by those nations referred to as "civilised." The various conventions in regard to international law would be the New York Convention of 1958, the Geneva Convention of 1927, the Panama Convention of 1975, the Riyadh Convention in 1983, and the 1965 Washington Convention. There have been various national laws to affect arbitration including the UNCITRAL Model Law, the OHADA Uniform Act, and state legislation. The UNCITRAL Model Law would owe its origins to a request the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee made in 1977. The reasoning behind the development of UNCITRAL would be a consideration by the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee which maintained there was a lack of uniformity in national courts approaches to award enforcement. This is where harmonisation of enforcement practices was necessary in States enforcement practices. The committee also concluded that there must be judicial control of the

Sunday, October 6, 2019

The Legalization of Same-sex Marriages Research Paper

The Legalization of Same-sex Marriages - Research Paper Example This can be seen as an extension of the discrimination that homosexual individuals have to face in the society. The lack of legalization also results in a lesser number of families amongst the homosexual communities across the world. In a society that still does not recognize any other social unit as much as the family, the lack of recognition for homosexual families can result in psychological problems that may lead to many problems for the individuals involved. This paper shall look at the psychological aspect of the problem and argue that the problems faced by such couples has a lot to do with the lack of legal recognition that they receive at the hands of the state and religious groups that they may be a part of. This paper shall examine the different aspects of the problem at hand and attempt to look at the perspectives that different groups endorse as far as same-sex marriage is concerned. There are several arguments that are used against the institutionalization of gay marriag es. One of the most important of such arguments is advanced by religious conservatives who argue that there is a need to improve the health of the institution of marriage. They cite the high divorce rates and the general lack of belief that the youth of today demonstrates in marriage as reasons for it to be preserved as a bastion of heterosexual normativity (Overview of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States). In many of these arguments is visible a strain of religious orthodoxy that bestows n heterosexual marriages the mantle of legitimacy. What is important here is that in such arguments, a marriage is defined as one where there is a certain level of productivity. It is true that same-sex marriages do not result in a traditional production of children. It therefore, is against conventional ideas of a marriage where one of the most important aspects is that of procreation. Heterosexual marriages, according to those who oppose same-sex marriages, weaken the foundations of marriage a s a social institution. While looking at children as only part of the reason for marriage, one removes the focus from marriage as an institution meant for procreation. This results in a greater emphasis on individuality and this weakens the concept of the couple as a sacrosanct unit. This can then be considered to be a reason for the frequent breakups of marriages and the condition that children of such marriages find themselves in. Another argument against the implementation of the clause of same-sex marriages is that it is considered to be too divisive to take up. This can be seen in the reluctance that certain institutions of the state have in pursuing it to a logical conclusion (Hope and fear in gay marriage cases at high court). There is a chance that there may be chaos in the violence that may result from the implementation of such a decision. Here, violence is not meant in merely a physical sense. The mental and psychological stress that may result in the people who are homos exual and live amongst a largely heterosexual community is something that is avoidable. Thus, there is the fear of a backlash from communities who feel that their sentiments are not taken into account by the state. This may lead to the breaking of neighborhoods and relationships that are forged without taking into account the sexual orientation of a person. The importance of such relationships cannot be disregarded as they result in many transactions that an individual is a part of.  Ã‚