Thursday, October 31, 2019

Education High School Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education High School - Article Example In this respect, education is not imparted by the teacher but should be developed by giving activities which enables students to think. The article stresses that so often, students are given the materials containing the information which they should memorize robbing them of the time to really develop their mental abilities. In essence, the article emphasizes that the role of the teacher is to "elicit from the pupil what is latent" in every human being and this is the rule of reason. Instead of being sausages, it sees pupils as oysters and the teachers duty is for the finest pearls to develop from within. With my current point of view, the article is an eye-opener for me. Having believed all my life that students are empty sausages where education is filled in throughout their lifetime, I must say that reading the article shows learning in a new light. To be honest, it came as a shock because I have always believed that teachers do really have to infuse knowledge that students should absorb. However, a deeper probe makes me realize that in learning, the student take a more active role than the teacher. Thinking things through, I agree with the article that knowledge should not be stuffed but should be elicited from the pupils. As the article stresses, each of us has the latent ability to reason. Every born individual has a functioning mind when he is born and should be developed as he matures. When a child reaches three years old, I have observed from my experience that he can give reasons to defend himself when his behavior is questioned. Even though this behavior is repressed in some societies, the child still learns to reason and defend his actions even to elders. This personal observation makes me realize that yes; each of us has the ability to reason which should be the most important tool in acquiring all the knowledge that through our interaction with the teachers. Eliciting knowledge from the student then calls for a unique way of teaching and learning. In the part of the teacher, eliciting knowledge then becomes much more complicated than just assigning readings and books for the students to read. I believe that Plato has modeled the classic way of bringing out and refining the reasoning skills of an individual through dialectic. In this method, the teacher asks the students probing questions which makes them think and rethink. Having been in the time where Sophists are the influential teachers, this method has been repressed by the society. However, this type of knowledge cultivation produced two of the most influential thinkers that we know today, Socrates and Aristotle serving as a proof that this method works. And I believe that this teaching method can still be applied in today's world. However, I also have concerns with the advancement of technology which now provide more avenues for the students to learn. If technological development can be utilized in such a way that it does not solely present the information that one needs but will nurture a pupil's ability to think and analyze, then it will be most efficient.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

IDENTIFY AND DISUCUSS SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE Essay

IDENTIFY AND DISUCUSS SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE 19TH CENTURY ORGANIZED INTERNATIONAL PEACE MOVEMENT - Essay Example Thus, two related issues are evolved from them. One is to provide peace in the society by restricting the apparent inevitability of war. Another is a steady increase in prosperity among all categories of people such that they do not go for any conflict. The first period of peace movement includes the ethical position of the Christian. This movement originated from the religious groups, mainly the Quakers in England and the Presbyterians in America. In the early nineteenth century, the â€Å"Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace† was established in London, followed by several other peace foundations across Europe and America. In the year 1843, the first World Peace Conference took place in London. After the conference, the traditional Christian position was enriched with human values which were more fundamental in nature (Cooper 1991, p.14-15; Dungen and Wittner 2003, pp. 363-364; The International Peace Movement, n.d.; Sneh 2008, pp.2-5). The international peace movement got upsurge in the late nineteenth century after the First Geneva Convention in 1864 where international laws are passed to protect the war victims. The movement was initiated by the Nobel Peace Laureate Henri Dunant, the initiator of â€Å"International Committee of the Red Cross†. The main objectives of the convention were – The convention is closely related to the foundation of International Committee of Red Cross. The convention thus intended to impose international law for the protection of war victims, the medical personnels and the medical facilities at war against any hostile act. The convention generalizes the Red Cross sign on white zone as a sign of medical care and nursing at the war front. This convention is the initialisation of the international peace movement. All of the conventions are related to the welfare of the war victims. The Red Cross did not advocated for the stoppage of war, but pleaded for the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Rite Of Nokan Or The Encoffinment Religion Essay

The Rite Of Nokan Or The Encoffinment Religion Essay The rite of Nokan or the encoffinment where the corpse was placed in a casket during the funeral. Traditionally, the ceremony was to relieve the family of their grief by cleansing the dead of all his worldly suffering, while hoping they would have a better life in the afterlife. The specialist handled all the necessary requirements for ease of passage into the afterlife. In early times there were two main traditions practiced Shinto and Buddhist traditions. According to Shinto traditions, the dead as well as the family unit from which he/she came from were considered to be unclean and impure; therefore the corpse had to be washed for purification. Traditional Japanese believed that the dead persons soul remained impure for some period following death before purification through memorials done by the relatives of the dead; thereafter the soul was deindividuated into an ancestor god or goddess. Traditional Japanese opinion that dead people are impure is based on the Kojiki myth, where maggots came out of the rotting body of a god. Traditionally burial gowns were also considered garments for travelling that prepared the dead when travelling to the other world. The encoffinment rite was done by the family members as death was unclean. In modern times, in keeping with this rite, family members wipe the corpse clean with a cotton cloth dipped in alcohol with the assistance funeral specialists. Traditionally Japanese funerals were to serve as prayers for the deceased persons soul while also serving as the familys time for public mourning as it was meant to keep their loved one in their memories. Typically a Japanese funeral follows the sequence: when someone dies, they are placed to rest in their homes. The corpse was placed with the head pointing the North, copying the deathbed of Gautama, and the head of the bed is well decorated. Then the previously mentioned encoffinment process. The first night after ones death is called the Tsuya; and it is for close family and friends to remember their beloved. In the morning, a cleansing meal is served called Okiyome. The funeral is thereafter carried out where the Jukai rite also known as receipt of commandments gives the dead an opportunity to receive the Buddhist commandments, automatically making the dead a disciple of the Buddha, and the dead person is accepted into Buddha hood. After all this, the deceased embarks on the journey to the other world as the coffin is carried out of the house and burnt in a crematorium to ashes. Presently about 99% Japanese are cremated while only about 1% are interred. These changes in preference on the method of sending off the dead have been brought about by the Countrys main religion, changes in dwelling environments and changes in technologies. During the high-growth era of the 1970s, cremation became popular outside of metropolitan areas and crematoriums were built in several places as a matter of national requirement. VIEWS HELD BY JAPANESE ON CORPSES Generally the elderly Japanese do not perceive the body and soul as a duality, that is flesh and spirit. The corpse is considered a very important part and if funeral rites are not carried out, the deceaseds soul will not be mourned. It is very important that the corpse is attended to and the death is mourned by as many people as possible. Additionally the corpse must be well taken care of until all rites have been carried out. The body is not just considered a vehicle or an object or a shell for the soul but it is considered an entity with a will, hopes and rights therefore the family has a responsibility to care for them, respect them and accord them a befitting farewell.. CONTINUATION OF LIFE AND DEATH The Japanese considered death a passageway leading to the continuation of death and life. The Japanese held contradicting ideas concerning the dead. Even though they wish for and hope that the dead resurrect, they live in fear of the spirit and the possible return of the dead founded on the Shintoist principle of impurity, as explained earlier on in the funeral rites. They believe impurity is transmissible and transferrable and that, a house that experienced a death and even those involved in handling the corpse are also impure. Therefore Japanese funerals have a combination of rites to reaffirming death, protect the dead, and prevent bad luck and curses and prevent the dead from resurrecting. Some practices invoke the spirit of the dead from having a feeling of longing; which include Ichizen-meshi a single bowl of rice given to the dead and Matsugo-no-mizu which is water given to the dead at the time of death. There are other contrasting customs like the Sakasa-buton or upside-down futon, whereby the dead persons blanket is placed facing upside-down, and the Sakasa-byobu or upside-down folding of the dead ones screen, where a folding screen is placed upside-down on top of the head of the deceaseds bed, and Sakasa-mizu or upside-down water, where the water for cleaning the corpse is prepared by adding hot water into cold water rather than pouring cold water into hot water as normal. All this is done with the primary aim of separating the scary situation of death from peoples day to day lives and also to prevent pulling others in to death. Other customs were also used traditionally to make it impossible for the departed soul to remain in this life or to make an attempt to return to this life. They included making burial gowns without closed stitches or backstitches , and the practice of turning the coffin three times when taking it out of the house which was done in order to confuse the deceased preventing them from ever coming back home. Similarly the deceaseds bowl of rice is shattered, and the deceased exits the house through an exit that is not the front door. Throwing of salt is also another practice aimed to remove the uncleanness and impurity brought about by the death. Up to now, there is the Kichu custom a 49-day mourning and grieving period, during which the family does not attend any festivities. During this period, since the family was made unclean by the death it is shunned and avoided. There is also Mochu which is a one-year period. A time when the family mourns the death of their member and remembers the departed. Conclusion In conclusion we have discussed in this assignment how traditional Japanese viewed death their traditions and their myths concerning death and all the elaborate preparations they carried out when sending off their dead relatives. Why and how all the rites were practiced. How the deceaseds family had a responsibility to give the dead a befitting burial and respect them because it was assumed that the dead retained their individuality as they had it before their deaths. The idea and belief that death is a station led to a continuation and made it possible for communication between the old and the dead.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Natural Environment and the Human Condition :: Environment Environmental Pollution Preservation

To consider the human condition apart from the natural environment is both foolish and inconceivable. It is in unity with a modern mode of thought that humans are raised to think that they are in some way separated from their natural environment. In developed society the weather has become nothing more than something to discuss with the person standing next to you in the checkout line. Population refers to how many people will be at the movies this weekend. Agriculture is what shows up in the produce section of the grocery store and fire is something you can find on You_Tube and watch on your television screen. Practically nothing directly relates to the environment that we are so intrinsically a part of. Humanity has neglected to develop a consciousness about its position in a world, which includes but is not defined by human society. As far as we know, the beginnings of humanity date back to 3.5 million years ago. Homo erectus (the earliest form of man) was roaming the earth, in Africa, with his hands free enabling him to travel great distances and utilize basic stone tools. The species Homo erectus lived in small, hunter-gatherer groups. Because of constant movement, in search of vegetation and game in addition to a small population, he was unable to leave a lasting impact on the environment. (Ponting) Essentially, he was a very smart ape. (McCrone) Just 100,000 years ago came the development of Homo sapiens whom had a larger brain case and far more advanced hunting techniques, using bolas stones, snarling and trapping. And 30,000 years ago came the development of Homo sapiens sapiens. The bow and arrow was developed along with the needle and thread. Tools and technology were quickly developing and man had the resourcefulness for global spread. The manipulation of fire is regarded as one of mans greatest feats concerning early technology. There is a debate as to when man first intentionally used fire, McCrone argues that Homo erectus was successfully using fire as a tool about 1.5 million years ago. He doesn't think that Homo erectus would have been able to spread its population the way it did without the use of fire which would have facilitated cooking, food preservation and tool making; all of which would have been necessary to migrate great distances. There is evidence of hearths being used in Europe as early as 400,000 years ago, which clearly require controlled use of fire.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Interview analysis Essay

The results of the interviews: The interviewees have been asked a bunch of questions regarding the ethical issues in the field of la enforcement. Before looking at the results of the interviews, it would be better to look at the questions first. These questions were as follows: 1. Why are ethics and character so important in the field of law enforcement? 2. Do you feel that police are more ethical today, or were they more ethical ten years ago? 3. Why do police officers become involved in misconduct? 4. Do you feel that there is enough training offered in ethics at the police academy level? If not, why is that? 5. Should ethics training be offered as an on-going process for law enforcement officers? 6. Do you feel that education and/or training in ethics would reduce incidents of police corruption? Now the results can be presented here. The answer of each question will be reported separately here. As far as the first question is concerned, both of the interviewees have expressed great regards for the ethical values associated with their positions. Although the two interviewees belong to two different generations, their perspectives on ethical values in the field of law enforcement are similar. Both of them stressed the need of ethics and character in the field of law enforcement. According to the jail super indent he could not have performed his duty well in his long career without following ethical norms; whereas the junior police officer believes that without giving proper respect to ethics he could not have been trustable to the society. According to both of them importance of ethics in the field of law enforcement is huge. As law enforcement practitioners they feel that without obeying ethical norms it is quite difficult to present themselves as the protector of the society. They feel that without having ethical norms to guide their conduct, they would be no better than the bad guys whom they arrest. Society put police on a very high position on account of their responsibility to the society. So it is extremely important for these guys to do right things and in order to do these they need to follow ethical norms. According them, even if their fellow practitioners do not bother about paying reverence to ethics and do not like other to do so, it is very important to do their respective duties in ethical ways. In case of the second question, the jail superintendent finds it very hard to make a comparison between the present situation and the situation that existed ten years ago. In his twenty five years of career he has seen lots of incidences of violation of ethical norms by police officers. He told that corruption in the field of law enforcement is not a new phenomenon. He himself saw a number of cases of violation of ethical norms in past by police. Police used to be accused of various crimes even ten years ago. He, however, feels that most of the departments are trying to becoming better in enforcing higher ethical standards for the practitioners. According to the jail superintended every department are trying to employ best officers for representing the respective agencies. He himself put emphasis on examining ethical values of the officers before appointing them in his department. The junior police officer on the other hand was not at all agree to draw a comparison between the two period as he feel that serving only three years in the police force he cant judge the situation that existed ten years ago as he lack proper experience. He, however, feel that at present higher authorities are paying great attention to ethical values of police, they are trying to strengthen ethical norms. He even cited an example of suspension of three junior police officers, one senior police officer and five constables on account of violation of ethical norms in last three years. He feel that today, may be in fear of suspension, police officers are trying to maintain the ethical codes of their respective positions. Although exceptions are there, he finds most of his fellow police officers obeying ethical norms. As far as the third question is concerned, both of them feel that it is not right to accuse entire police department of involving in misconduct. They feel if the entire system got corrupted, then it would not be possible for any government to maintain peace in the society. According to them, the situation have not deteriorated to such an extent that an emergency can be called upon. It simply tells the fact that there still exists good officers who are well aware of their responsibilities and perform their duties with great care. They however, did not forget to express their concern over the presence of some bad apples in the basket. Both of them are of the opinion that through the loopholes if the system some bad people enter into the system and do bad staff by taking advantage of their positions. These people have a tendency to develop a perception about themselves that they are above law and can do whatever they want to. The jail superintend as well as the junior police officer are of the opinion that the bad activities of these few people spoil the image of the entire system. They also feel that involvement of these bad people in undesired activities sometimes provokes others to involve in these acts as temptation is huge there. However, they feel that it is not right to accuse entire department of involving in misconduct. As for the forth question, the jail superintendent is of the opinion that the training system is enough for grounding ethical values among the officers. He said that the training system has been designed at a gross level. He said that the training system can not be made individual specific as it would bring huge complexities. In general the training system is well designed to guide a police officer in right direction. But he feel that ultimately the issue boils down to the fact that how an individual officer will utilize his training and follow the rules and regulations and become an example of an excellent officer. He thinks that no extra training can change a person who have a mentality to do his own staff and entered into the system only to take bad advantages of his position. The junior officer however differs to some extent from the point of view of the jail superintendent. This junior officer feels the training system is good but it can be made better as there exists wide scope for the betterment of the existing training system. He feels that a general level of time sometimes is not appropriate, particularly when people from diverse culture and background join the force. Some people inherits personality traits like greed, stubbornness in negative way, aggression, etc. hich are capable enough of diverting their focus from their responsibilities. The training system should have a method of finding out people with these personality traits and offering them special training in order to ensure that their focus will be kept only on their assigned responsibilities. Thus according the junior police officer theb training system should be modified by some extent. As far as the fifth question is concerned, both of the interviewees feel that ethical training should be made an ongoing process for the law enforcement officers. The jail superintendent said that at the beginning of his career the training was used to be offered only at the time of entering into the police force. Although sometimes some special training used to be offered, it was not made a ongoing process as a result of which many officers were found to have forgotten their actual duties. A police officer’s social responsibility is huge than a mere service man or an ordinary citizen. A process of updates of ethics training is essential at regular interval to keep them reminding of their duties and how to conduct themselves while performing their duties other wise they would fall apart. The junior police officer also feels that it is very important to remind constantly every officer of their responsibilities and the way of conducting their duties otherwise there exists a huge probability of forgetting the purpose of their service. Thus h also stressed on making ethics training a ongoing process for the law enforcement officers. As for the sixth question, both of the interviewees here feel that education and ethics training can play a great role in reducing the incidents of police corruption. Proper education and ethics training can grow among the officers a feeling of responsibility towards the society and to their respective departments. They are of the opinion that proper training and education can make the officers understand that their misconduct not only ruin their image but also the image of their departments as well as of their families and thus law enforcement officers can become more cautious while performing their duties and try to refrain from engaging any king of misconduct. Analysis of the results of the interviews: The results of the two interviews show that the law enforcement practitioners are quite sensible and possess adequate knowledge about the current situation. In spite of being a part of the law enforcement system they did not hesitate to point out its loopholes. An interesting thing has come out by analyzing the perspectives of these law enforcement officers. Looking at their answers it seems that sometimes media exaggerate the incidents and blame the entire system for the misconduct of one individual. Of course there are many examples where police officers have been accused of violating ethical norms, like misbehaving with people, involving in sexual crimes, involving in corruption like taking bribes, paying least attention to the suffering of the masses, focusing on their own personal gains and so on. Both of the interviews have admitted these facts, but they do not feel it right to accuse the entire system of these misconducts. Looking at these examples, they have also stressed on the importance of ethics training in the criminal justice system. Looking at their answers it seems that continuous ethical training is the only ways of reducing these sorts of misconducts. Although, they do not possess any clear idea about whether police were more ethical ten years ago than now, they have accepted that violations of ethical norms were quite prevalent in past too and thus it is not a new phenomenon. In essence the interviewees put stress on the importance of ethics in the field of law enforcement field and point out the importance of ethical training and education as a significant tool of reducing misconduct and corruption by police officers as ethical training and education can act as moral booster and make officers aware of their responsibilities. Conclusion: The interviewees seem to be quite right in their answer. In spite of being a part of the law enforcement system they did not try to cover up its shortcomings. The actual scenario seems to be quite similar to what the interviewees have pointed out. As the two interviewees pointed out, the importance of ethics in the field of law enforcement is huge. The issue of ethics is not new in the field of law enforcement, in fact the topic of ethical behavior have been in this field for centuries. With time concerns over ethical issues have become more and more difficult to address. In today’s society ethical standards have taken a very complex shape. Not only that, but ethical standard of law enforcement officers are also being continuously scrutinized by the public. Therefore, law enforcement officers should carry their tasks following ethical codes. Law enforcement personnel are set at a high position by the society, and hence it is the duty of these officers to perform their job in an efficient and professional way. They are not allowed to express any personal views or emotions while performing their duties. To accomplish this, they are required to adhere to the codes of ethics and conduct. Ethical standard of law enforcement officers requires them to do right thing in the right way at the right time for appropriate causes. Keeping the essence of ethical standard in mind, the â€Å"International Association of Chiefs of Police† set up a code of ethics (Grant, 2002, p. 1). This code of ethics has to be followed by every member of this association. This ethical code dictates how the officers would conduct their jobs. People have established a set of social norms and values that they want all law enforcement personnel to practice. In order to follow these norms and values and to gain respect from public, it is necessary for law enforcement officers to behave in ethical way and conduct themselves accordingly not only on duty, but also off duty. This ethical code accompanied by proper ethics training encourages officers in the field of law enforcement to become a part of an ethical profession. (Grant, 2002, pp. 1-2).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Berkshire Partners: Bidding for Carter’s Essay

1. Berkshire brought expertise in finding the right financing structure and operational and strategy related to the retail and manufacturing industry. Berkshire managers believed that the equity portion of a capital structure should be at least 25% to order to achieve the desired results as far as return and to show true commitment to the lending base. When determining the capital structure, they also seriously took into account such questions as: Is this the appropriate amount of leverage for a business of this type; what do the rating look like; how difficult will it be to get financing and what about financing costs? Once Berkshire had taken an equity position in a firm, Berkshire would help the firm management by prioritizing key objectives, improving organizational design, building a quality team of managers and aiding the integration process of a subsequent acquisition. Berkshire would add value up front with extensive due diligence, addressing opportunities for companies, and aligning strategically and building a strong relationship with management. Since Carter’s was an established business, they would receive a great deal of care and attention up front and then moderate to low oversight during the rest of the investment until exit. Berkshire also added value by exiting most of their investments by sale of a company instead of the typical IPO used by most private equity firms. Berkshire was more apt to facilitate an IPO in the middle of ownership with the intention of staying involved with the management and helping the company grow. Berkshire’s deep acquisition experience and familiarity with capital markets enabled very attractive financing to be put in place, as Berkshire solicited the views of a range of potential partners including Merrill, First Union, Lehman etc. in order to ensure the optimal financing structure. In addition, Berkshire had met with the Carter Management on two occasions and had a strong, open line of communication. Therefore, Berkshire should have a strong understanding of Carter’s goals. Ultimately, Berkshire used â€Å"internal and external resources to undertake a thorough planning process that both built a road map to guide management’s operating execution, but also served to coalesce the team around the significant potential inherent in the opportunities ahead of their company.† 2. Berkshire had developed a focus on â€Å"building strong, growth oriented companies in conjunction with strong equity incented management teams.† Carter’s was definitely financially strong as mentioned in the last question and growth orientated, as they recently diversified into the discount market for baby and young children’s apparel and were looking to move into the two to six year old playwear segments . They had shown success in a competitive, non-seasonal industry. Carter’s management team was disciplined and working to increase operating efficiencies by shortening development cycle and aiming to use 100% offshore sourcing in the near future. Management was also set on building on relationships with major customers (top eight wholesale customers represented 74% of wholesale revenue), and to continue to build profitable retail outlet stores. Berkshire liked the fact that Carter’s was a strong recognizable brand that could be leveraged across multiple channels and be viewed as a consumer products company. The only problem could be that Goldman Sachs was using a staple on financing structure. Berkshire felt this structure limited their ability to get an edge in the bidding process by bringing more creative financing deals to the table with Carter’s Investcorp wanted to exit the company in mid 2000 because they were at the end of a 5 year investing period and wanted liquidity in order provide quality returns for investors to set the stage for future financing. They could of went public (IPO) with Carter’s in 2001 but it would take over a year to exit the situation after the IPO and the IPO market was at a standstill. In addition, in summer of 2001 Carter’s was on the path to operational and financial success. From 1992 to 2000, the company increased revenue at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% with EDITDA increasing 22.1%. Since Carter’s was bought by Investcorp, the firm had a improved brand recognition, a lower cost structure, expanded into the discount channel with Tykes, and the movement of some manufacturing operations offshore to reduce cost. These improvements and Carter’s ability to weather economic swings made the company a attractive commodity among financial buyers.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Statistics Paper Essay Example

Healthcare/Statistics Paper Essay Example Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Alice makes an appointment with her primary care physician to talk about her arthritis. She tells her doctor that she has seen on TV this wonderful new medicine that in only days will relieve the pain that she has in her fingers and hands. The ad shows people playing golf, sewing and even typing on a computer – all people who before the medication could not do any of these things without pain. The ad had two people – a man and a woman – who both explained how their lives were totally changed once they started using the medication. She pulls out a notepad and gives her doctor specific information from the TV ad: According to Dr. Jonas Smart – the doctor who created the medicine a â€Å"major medical study† showed that 98% of the people who used the medication found relief – many of them totally. Alice wants to try the medicine but it can only be ordered by mail and is very expensive (Alice lives on a fixed income and the $75.00 price tag is high for her) and is seeking her doctor’s OK to buy it. In light of the above scenario, discuss this situation and then add to it a discussion of ads that you have seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines where medicines or treatments are advertised. As each one of us may agree, certain medical products that are distributed in the market are coupled with persuasive advertisements, which are often coupled with researches. Nowadays, people are becoming more conscious and cautious about their health, especially with the skyrocketing number of individuals with diseases of the vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and other notable diseases, thereby realizing the need to stay healthy and to possibly be free from all sorts of ailments. As such, people tend to scrutinize their prospective products and see the benefits that they could possibly get from it. In line with the aforementioned need comes the advent of informative advertisements that are frequently seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines, where medicines and various treatment modalities are being laid down to render facts to a vast array of consumers. Nevertheless, with the current global recession and fiscal crisis in the economy, people also have a tendency to be vigilant about the price of the health products that they are to use. Indeed, the aforesaid facts can be seen in the above scenario involving Alice, who wanted to make sure that the new medicine she was eyeing for arthritis would be worth her limited income. For this reason, she sought the advice of an expert, who is, of course, her doctor. Discuss items like the following: What do you think of the â€Å"data† that are used to support the claims? To what degree can the information be trusted? When â€Å"major studies† are claimed, what does this mean? The data that are used to support the claims must have been obtained from actual researches are conducted to measure the effectiveness of a particular product to the individuals who have tried using it. For instance, in the new anti-arthritis medication, the research participants are the ones who are covered by data, including their responses as to the effect of the said medication to their condition. In this way, the 98% of the people- who, according to Dr. Jonas Smart, felt improvement in their condition because of the medication’s relieving effect- can be said as the data that support the claims of the medication’s efficacy. On the other hand, when dealing about the accuracy, reliability and trustworthiness of the data for claimed research/studies, many critics refute, even regarded those studies as having prevailing bias (Ioannidis, 2005). Furthermore, according to Ioannidis (2005): Too large and too highly significant effects may actually be more likely to be signs of large bias in most fields of modern research. They should lead investigators to careful critical thinking about what might have gone wrong with their data, analyses, and results. (p. 700) At this point, if we were to look at the 98% positive response to Dr. Smart’s medication, we can easily discern that it has â€Å"too high significant effects†, which may lead to a significant bias, as regarded in the above quotation. Hence, for major studies to be hailed as â€Å"claimed†, it must be assumed ―perhaps, hoped for― that they must have accurate, reliable, and careful analyses of data and results (Ioannidis, 2005). References Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Medicine, 2, 8, pp. 696-701. [Ioannidis JPA, 2005 Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Med 2(8): e124. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124]

Monday, October 21, 2019

history 1301 Technology in America essays

history 1301 Technology in America essays An American can be described in many ways. Americans from the 1700s, 1800s and today all have differences and similarities; these can be affected by technology, culture, location and government. Each similarity and difference tells you a little more about Americans and their role in society, making America what it is today. Technology in America has changed over the years and done so quite rapidly. In the 1700s Americans did a lot of hard farm work because they didnt have the technology to have a machine to do the work of hundreds of people in less time like Americans do today. The technology Americans had in the 1700s they brought over with them from Europe. In order to communicate with each other they had to travel down rivers and roads. They did not have cell phones or the Internet to send an e-mail from their home to anywhere in the world in a second like Americans today do. In the 1800s the technology was not much more advanced than the 1700s, but they did have ships and built canals. They were able to begin producing at a higher quality for a lower price. Americans became more intelligent through the years. They formed new opinions and tried out new ideas, some of which failed and some improved technology greatly. We are starting to witness the beginning of a new era in Americans today. It is ful l of information and technology. Today we have inventions such as the stealth fighter, the computer and nuclear power plants. Things that were only imagined in the past have now become todays reality. Single machines hold the jobs that would have taken hundreds of men to accomplish by hand in the 1700s and1800s. Technology is not always used for the best purposes though. Our great society has allowed the production of many weapons whose sole intention is to create mass destruction and kill large amounts of life. Many people now live in constant fear of the use of these weapons,...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Punctuation of Appositives

Punctuation of Appositives Punctuation of Appositives Punctuation of Appositives By Mark Nichol Consider the sentence â€Å"The site’s editor Mary Smith wrote an opinion on the topic.† The lack of supporting punctuation in the identification of the writer of the opinion is an error. This mistake is common when appositives are involved. An appositive is a word or phrase that is equivalent in meaning to another; in this case, â€Å"the site’s editor† and â€Å"Mary Smith† are different ways of referring to the same person, so they are appositives. (Similarly, in â€Å"The car, a brand-new Tesla, attracted much attention,† â€Å"the car† and â€Å"a brand-new Tesla† are appositives.) â€Å"The site’s editor, Mary Smith, wrote an opinion on the topic† and â€Å"Mary Smith, the site’s editor, wrote an opinion on the topic† both present additional information that is not essential to the sentence (and therefore is set off parenthetically by a pair of commas). Each one also unequivocally identifies Mary Smith as the sole editor of the site. (However, whether that means she is the only person who edits content on the site or she holds the specific position of editor and supervises one or more assistant editors is not certain; it would be better, if the latter is true, for her to hold a more distinctive title, such as â€Å"editor in chief.†) By contrast, the original wording is flawed, in that the appositives, or equivalent phrases, â€Å"the site’s editor† and â€Å"Mary Smith,† butt up against each other without intervening punctuation. (In the preceding sentence, appositives and â€Å"equivalent phrases† are themselves appositives.) The similar-looking but distinct construction in â€Å"Site editor Mary Smith wrote an opinion on the topic,† however, is correct, in that â€Å"site editor† is a job description that is essential to understanding Smith’s role in writing the opinion, rather than a parenthetical explanation that can be omitted. This version, though, also makes it unclear whether Smith is the only editor; is she the editor, or an editor? To indicate the latter, â€Å"Mary Smith, one of the site’s editors, wrote an opinion on the topic† or â€Å"Mary Smith, a site editor, wrote an opinion on the topic† is better. The original problem is related to that inherent in a sentence such as â€Å"John’s sister Jane is getting married.† The sentence may not accurately reflect how many sisters John has. As it is written, Jane is only one of two or more sisters; the lack of a comma between sister and Jane indicates that her name is essential information: The sister of John who is named Jane is getting married. â€Å"John’s sister, Jane, is getting married,† on the other hand, includes an optional parenthesis: John’s sister, whose name is Jane, is getting married. Depending on context, appositives may or may not be set off from each other by commas or other punctuation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc80 Idioms with the Word TimeHow to Send Tactful Emails from a Technical Support Desk

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Effective team and performance management Assignment

Effective team and performance management - Assignment Example The key purpose of this assignment was to ensure accomplishment of a comprehensive understanding of the concept of working in teams, and various factors associated with the same such as, the manner in which teams function, how to enhance the performance of teams; avoid arguments and disagreements and working together towards a common goal; various ways to avoid conflicts within teams; the issue of leadership and emotional intelligence; the impact and influence of decision making and the skill of negotiating with team members, among others. For the purpose of accomplishing this task, i.e., that of working in teams effectively and successfully completing the various group activities assigned to us as a part of this study, we used various models and theories to support and understand the concept of effective team management. The models proposed to be used for this task include conceptual models, mathematical models as well as computational models. For instance, the Cannon-Bowers (Cannon -Bowers et al., 1995) model of team effectiveness; the Tuckman model of team development developed by Bruce Tuckman (1965); Belbin's team role theory - a model which identifies 9 team roles which are associated with each specific personality trait of the members in a team; etc among many others. Finally, my personal reflections of the tasks performed based on my individual experiences will be explained using the John's (2000) model of structured reflection which includes three key factors i.e. experience, reflection and alternative action. These models and theories will be applied to the group activities assigned to us, in order to interpret, examine and analyze the manner in which the concept of team performance and management functions. 2. Reflection For the purpose of this segment, three key tasks undertaken by us will be described, and the corresponding experiences and issues associated with the same, will be reflected upon in a brief manner. The formation process of our team ca me through coincidence such as when tutor asked everyone to form a group; our group came into existence due to the fact that we were sitting in a same row at that very time. The group was consisted of multicultural members. I was both excited as well as nervous since this was my first time working with such a multicultural group. Before we could work on the assigned tasks, all the team members were given a Belbin questionnaire, based on which our roles in a team would be decided. According to the results of this questionnaire, I was assigned the role of a team worker and implementer. The rest of the team members were assigned appropriate roles according to their respective results. This worked in the favour of our team, since we all were best suited for the roles assigned to us, and helped us function effortlessly. Task 1: Egg flying contest. Description of the task assigned: For the purpose of this task, the team members were asked to choose 5 out of 7 resources provided to them, t o enable the egg to be dropped from 2m without breaking it. It also required the teams to select leaders and each team was assigned a time limit of 15 minutes, to accomplish this task. Key issues faced: The key issue faced during this task was deciding on the resources to be selected, that would help us in successfully executing the activity, without breaking the eggs. The members were divided on the opinion regarding which resources to choose, and there were lot of discussions and debates

Friday, October 18, 2019

Poverty in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty in the United States - Research Paper Example This points us to one reality that no matter how rich and powerful a country is, its people would still experience inequality. In light of these facts, this essay will unravel the reasons of American poverty. At the end, it shall be providing a conclusion as to the state of poverty in the United States. Poverty in America In America, poverty status is ascertained by comparing the family’s yearly income â€Å"to a set of dollar values† commonly referred to as thresholds which may differ as to the size of the family, number of siblings and age of the householder (Bishaw and Macartney 1). According to a latest survey produced by the US Census Bureau, about fourteen percent (14%) of the people in the United States had incomes which fall below their respective poverty threshold (Bishaw and Macartney 1). This is to say that of the three hundred (300) million plus American people, nearly forty three (43) million are considered poor (Bishaw and Macartney 1). Although this numbe r is quite small compared to other nations, it is relevant to know the reason of this turn out as it poses a great challenge to the American government. Actually, it has been noted that America’s poverty rate has increased substantially from the year 2008 to 2009. The increase is considered to be the highest since 1994 (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, and Smith 14). Out of the fifty (50) states making up the United States of America, thirty-one (31) states have observed a constant rise of their poverty rate (Bishaw and Macartney 1). This finding is somehow alarming knowing that the American government has been active in fighting poverty in almost all of its sectors. Also, America has been known for its welfare system. Under this particular system, assistance in the form of money or free service is given to the poor and needy within the American society (â€Å"US Welfare†). Relevantly, most of the poor people in US are Hispanics or Latinos (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, and Smith 14). To note, the Latinos in the country are actually immigrants. These immigrants are known to be having a hard time finding an employment. As a result, many of them do not have enough resource to support their existence. If this situation will persist, it could be stated then, that the American government has failed to address the social problem and that its program aimed to alleviate poverty has not been effective. Causes of American Poverty In 2001, a poll was conducted to know the sentiments of the American people with regard to the existence of poverty in their country (Iceland 70). In this survey, the respondents were asked of their opinion with regard to the bigger cause of poverty in America today. They were to choose any of the two options: (1) â€Å"that people are not doing enough to help themselves out of poverty or† (2) â€Å"that circumstances beyond their control cause them to be poor† (Iceland 70). The first option of course puts the blame to the person him self or herself. This is to say that it is his or her personal decisions or choices in life which made him or her poor. The second option on the other hand implies that there are external factors which cause the person to be poor. It could be due to the policies of the government or cultural issues. Significantly, the responses of the respondents were closely evenly split. Forty-eight (48) percent have chosen the first cause while forty-five (45)

How Roche Diagnostics Develops Global Managers Essay

How Roche Diagnostics Develops Global Managers - Essay Example To become a global manager a person must have a combination of experience, education, and exposure to foreign locations. Being bilingual or speaking several languages is a great skill to have for a global manager. The responsibility for producing global managers lies in the human resource department of a corporation. The HR department has to recruit global managers and it must also develop in-house talent to become the future leaders of an organization. Developing talent internally has tremendous benefits for a company because it helps improve the employee retention rate of the firm. The participation of the executive management team is necessary to design an effective global management training program. The CEO must be involved in the process because he is a person that can influence the aspirations of a young talented businessperson to become a global leader. My career choice is business administration. Global leaders are needed in business organizations due to the fact that intern ational expansion has become a strategy that is used more than ever before by business organizations. In the United States many companies have started out small. For instance Starbucks started as a single coffeehouse that bought the Starbucks brand along with six stores. Today the firm has over 16,000 outlets worldwide. This massive international growth would not have been possible would the presence of global leaders. A lack of global leadership can be detrimental to a business organization. The managers of businesses must have basic knowledge about global affairs. For instance foreign exchange monetary fluctuation should be monitored by managers making purchasing decisions. If the currency of a country goes up by 30% in a month, this type of information would be important to know to stay away from buying goods from such a place that is facing inflationary forces. A lack of global leadership can also inhibit the ability of a manager to make decisions on how to market a company glob ally through the use of e-commerce. Most companies in today’s marketplace cannot rely solely on the domestic marketplace. The current affairs and policy changes of countries must be understood by global managers. If a country makes a product illegal a firm that does not keep up with changes in international laws could get into legal troubles if it does remove its product from a country that banned its use. The United States government must get more involved in the development of global leaders. There are numerous ways in which the government can contribute towards the cause. For instance the government could develop an incentive program that would pay companies 50% of the travel expenses associated with training and development programs for global management. Another way the government could help is by offering more grants and scholarships for graduate students studying international business. The Federal government will let students borrow up to $138,500 to complete a gradua te degree (Studentaid, 2011). This type of access to financing helps, but a lot of adults are not willing to absorb so much extra debt when they have to pay a mortgage, other debt payments, bills, and living expenses for themselves and their families. At the undergraduate level the government has an excellent scholarship program called Pell Grant. The government could create a similar grant program for business graduate students

Thursday, October 17, 2019

English Employment Law Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

English Employment Law Study - Essay Example Self-Employed Individuals- Self-employed individuals are regarded as those individuals who are independent and run their business own. These individuals can also be duly considered as self-regulating contractors who are responsible for making broad regulations in order to attain predetermined business targets. It is worth to mention that self-employed individuals are   responsible for adopting   as well as implementing   broad decisions for smooth conduct of business (Kemp Little, 2012). A big similarity between the workers and the employees in the organizational context of the UK is that both of them are covered under common statutes of employment law. These include Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, Employment Tribunals Act 1996, Employment Rights Act 1996, Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, Data Protection Act 1998 and Human Rights Act 1998. All these laws are enacted by the government in order to defend the rig hts of the employees as well as the workers belonging to different organizations of the UK (Kemp Little, 2012). Employees - All the employees in the UK are covered with special laws that eventually protect their respective rights by a considerable level. The basic understanding of these laws and statutory employment protection legislation apply to all those employees who work in diverse organisations despite their status i.e. higher, lower or middle level employees.   Employees are entitled to all major rights as long as they serve the basic purpose. of performing their

Classical Theorists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classical Theorists - Essay Example Wilson did not believe in the principle of equality, implying that claims to superior wisdom cannot validate law or rule and that legalize government is based on the people’s consent. Wilson acknowledges that that expertise and skill is the title to govern or administer. Despite this, Wilson suggests that under certain circumstances and at certain times, certain systems in America will work. Wilson trusted in the expertise as the best way to administer which is coupled with a reflective of republican view of self-government (Cook, 2007). Democracy has enlightened many people of the stubborn, ignorant, foolish, and selfish to people who emanate from distinct nationalities. Despite this, Wilson believed that there was still hope in that his aim was to champion for bureaucracy from wise and intelligent people, generate from them, and open for the people a bureau of economical, knowledgeable, and skilled administration. Wilson’s views on administration and politics were har d to sell to the American people because they preferred and believed in democracy. Wilson believes that administration must be perceptive to public view. When assessing the dichotomy of politics and administration, Wilson argues that the establishment of a public office must be viewed as a public trust (Cook, 2007). Wilson’s views on an effective administration were based on the idea that trained and skilled servants would teach the people by enhancing public belief/views and thereby even governing them. Therefore, according to Wilson, the bureaucracy would educate and enlighten voters. This implies that Wilson was more concerned about civil service, which he believed was self-sufficient and cultured to act aggressively, and in relate with the popular vote by ways of constant public advice and elections in order to attain arbitrariness of class struggle (Cook, 2007). Wilson’s approach to politics and administration was not ideal because it failed

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Financial Analysis of St. Vincents hospital Essay

Financial Analysis of St. Vincents hospital - Essay Example The St. Vincent’s hospital was a major health providing institution within the Manhattan area and it had been serving the local community since being formed in the year 1849, besides the health care facility, a medical college was also on the offerings. St. Vincent’s hospital was closed on April 30, 2010 and it was found that the hospital owed billions of dollars; hence it had to file for bankruptcy. As of April 30th, the hospital had to sack 3000 employees because of its closure. This led to a huge hue and cry amongst the employees of the hospital as the 3000 employees had to face the grudging effect of the loan and that too in a very stiff economic environment where job cutting was a major feature (NY1 News, 2010). Many attempts were made to stop the closure of the hospital but all of these attempts went in vain. U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Jerrold Nadler were all involved in forwarding an application to the U.S. Department of Housi ng and Urban Development (HUD) so that the hospital could be saved from bankruptcy. This request was made to the HUD department because of the department’s ability to offer mortgage insurance. The senators along with the congressman explained that the hospital had a long history of offering major emergency and other health care services in that area and it would be difficult to diversify the emergency patients of St.

Classical Theorists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classical Theorists - Essay Example Wilson did not believe in the principle of equality, implying that claims to superior wisdom cannot validate law or rule and that legalize government is based on the people’s consent. Wilson acknowledges that that expertise and skill is the title to govern or administer. Despite this, Wilson suggests that under certain circumstances and at certain times, certain systems in America will work. Wilson trusted in the expertise as the best way to administer which is coupled with a reflective of republican view of self-government (Cook, 2007). Democracy has enlightened many people of the stubborn, ignorant, foolish, and selfish to people who emanate from distinct nationalities. Despite this, Wilson believed that there was still hope in that his aim was to champion for bureaucracy from wise and intelligent people, generate from them, and open for the people a bureau of economical, knowledgeable, and skilled administration. Wilson’s views on administration and politics were har d to sell to the American people because they preferred and believed in democracy. Wilson believes that administration must be perceptive to public view. When assessing the dichotomy of politics and administration, Wilson argues that the establishment of a public office must be viewed as a public trust (Cook, 2007). Wilson’s views on an effective administration were based on the idea that trained and skilled servants would teach the people by enhancing public belief/views and thereby even governing them. Therefore, according to Wilson, the bureaucracy would educate and enlighten voters. This implies that Wilson was more concerned about civil service, which he believed was self-sufficient and cultured to act aggressively, and in relate with the popular vote by ways of constant public advice and elections in order to attain arbitrariness of class struggle (Cook, 2007). Wilson’s approach to politics and administration was not ideal because it failed

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Common Core State Standards Essay Example for Free

Common Core State Standards Essay Is a girl in your neighborhood being taught the same things as a boy in another neighborhood? Is a graduating senior in Baton Rouge as prepared to get a job as a graduating senior in Minneapolis? The answer to these questions is â€Å"no,† and rightfully so. All children are unique. A student with autism or dyslexia should not be taught the same way as students who have no learning disabilities. Indiana, which adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), is now eliminating those standards because, the state asserts, Common Core â€Å"takes control of educational content and standards away from parents, taxpayers, local school districts, and states† (Volsky). The Indiana legislators want to write new standards, which are governed locally, not at the federal level. NEED A TRANSITION? Forty-five American states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the CCSS (Common Core State Standards Initiative). These standards were designed by a group of teachers, school chiefs, administrators, and other experts. The CCSS are suggested targets in English Language Arts and Mathematics that set the skills a student should possess in order to proceed to the next level of education. There is no clear divide on the standards between Republicans and Democrats; both have expressed their concerns. But, the controversy reached its peak when the Obama administration slowly started to support the CCSS (Bidwell). Proponents of the CCSS argue that the standards ensure that all students will have the same set of skills, the standards will make sure all students are college ready, and that the standards are a new state-led effort instead of a federal effort. I believe that all states should abolish the CCSS because children with disabilities should not be expected to learn the same way as advanced students, the CCSS takes away from the tradition and individuality of independent/parochial schools, and the problem in education is not standards but poverty. The CCSS have not made success easy for students with learning disabilities. According to the CCSS, students with disabilities â€Å"must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum† (Herbert 10). In addition to students with disabilities, students without disabilities learn different things in different ways, mature at different rates, and have different talents and goals. There is no reason for states to have standards that require students to learn the same things at the same time, and learn them the same way (McClusky). The CCSS â€Å"moves all kids largely in lock-step, processing them like soulless widgets† (McClusky). In a recent discussion, Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania special education student teachers expressed their frustrations in trying to teach special-ed students within the confines of the CCSS (Beals 2). The CCSS are supposed to boost national achievement levels, but by restricting these students to subject matter beyond thei r cognitive abilities, the standards are ultimately lowering student achievements. The CCSS also take away from the tradition and individuality of independent/parochial schools. Parochial schools are private schools that are affiliated with some religious organization and whose curriculum includes religion along with all major subjects. As a graduate of Catholic schools, I believe it is important that the traditions and religion classes be kept alive in these schools. The standards were approved without consideration of how they would affect Catholic schools (Strauss 4). The Catholic education is geared at preparing students for a life of spirit, truth, and faith in God, all of which are never mentioned in the CCSS. Adopting the standards into Catholic schools will essentially diminish them of their tradition to help children not only obtain an education but to develop their faith. As an education major, I have observed many Catholic schools. On the walls, on the boards, and in the hallways, there are examples of prayer and religion everywhere. Taking this away wou ld be taking away the identity of these students. This will ultimately lead to the some students being ashamed of their religion. Another issue that arises is the involvement of the federal government. Independent and parochial schools are independent in their finances and governance and in most cases rely on tuition for funding. The CCSS are state-led efforts but, because these  schools are free from state and federal government financing and guidance, they will not be able to afford the implementation of the CCSS. One of the reasons people believe CCSS are needed is because of the idea that America’s school system has low national test scores. This is not because the current standards are not working; the real issue is poverty. The reason for low-test scores is that about 23% of American students live in poverty. Finland, which has the highest-ranking test scores, has only 5% of students living in poverty (Krashen 37). Poverty stricken children in Queens, NY that have a lack of health care, food insecurity, and lack of library access will not succeed as well as a student going to a school in the Upper East Side of New York City. For example, studies show that food-insecure children are more likely to have slow language development, and problems in social behavior and emotional control (Krashen 38). This results in missed schools days, causing students to repeat grades, which leads to low achievement scores. Instead of spending money on implementing the standards, schools need to spend t he funds on sufficient food programs, improved health care (including more school nurses), and more money going towards libraries in lower-income schools. Some in favor of the CCSS believe that the standards will ensure that all students, no matter what race, gender, or state they are in, will have the same set of skills when graduating to each new grade level (Gardner and Powell 50). Although this is a great notion in theory, the idea that every single student in America will know the exact same things is a major overgeneralization. Even with the CCSS, children with disabilities are physically and mentally incapable of learning the same things at the same rate as a student in advanced or gifted programs. The CCSS have also increased the rigor of the curriculum students are learning. Therefore, students who are already struggling to not fall behind will struggle even further causing the students, parents, and teachers to suffer. In addition to underachieving students, overachieving students will also be negatively affected by the standards. Children who learn faster than others, or who are naturally smarter than their peers will be for ced to learn at the same pace as students who are not as gifted. This will result in students being bored  and losing all interest in school. If every single child in America had the same cognitive abilities, the CCSS would be the answer; but they are not. Other proponents believe that the CCSS will make sure all students graduating from high school are college ready. The problem with this is, America has too many over educated students; the professional work force does not have enough jobs for American students when they graduate. If all students are college ready, no one will want to work at grocery stores, fast food restaurants, mechanic shops, etc. If every student gets a degree and starts work in the professional world, the economy will eventually fail. There will be no farmers to produce groceries; there will be no waitresses; there will be no janitors or cleaning services. In order for this country’s economy to produce money, there needs to be people who do not earn college degrees. One major reason people are supporting the CCSS is because they are state-led instead of being dictated by the federal government. The federal government is largely imposing the CCSS. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, both of which do not represent states, created the standards. The hasty adoption by most states was federal action. To compete for a part of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (ADD DEFINITION) reward, a federal government led education effort, states had to adopt the CCSS (McCluskey). When the CCSS came about, the Obama administration only gave states two options: adopt the CCSS or make sure a state university certified a student as college ready. Also, the U.S. Department of Education funded two programs that created the national tests that coincide with the CCSS (McCluskey). With all of this federal involvement, the CCSS is no longer a state-led effort. It is a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† program that ignores the nee ds of the individual states. The reason to oppose the CCSS is not because of the content, some of which is great, the reason is that the CCSS lacks most qualities needed to be considered authoritative, or to even be considered standards. Sadly, the CCSS is generating in America’s education system severe and lasting damage that would take decades to reverse. The CCSS is bad for states, teachers,  students, parents, and anyone associated with the education process. Now, ask yourself these questions again. Is a girl in your neighborhood being taught the same things as a boy in another neighborhood? Is a graduating senior in Baton Rouge as prepared to get a job as a graduating senior in Minneapolis? Still, the answer is â€Å"no†. Do you believe me now that this is a good answer? Works Cited Bidwell, Allie. The History Of Common Core State Standards. U.S. News Digital Weekly 6.9 (2014): 7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Common Core State Standards Initiative., 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. Herbert, Marion. Common Cores Implications For Special Ed Students. District Administration 47.2 (2011): 10.Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Krashen, Stephen. THE COMMON CORE. (Cover Story). Knowledge Quest 42.3 (2014): 36-45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. McCluskey, Neal. No Child Is Standard. Reading Today 31.2 (2013): 30. Academic SearchComplete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Strauss, Valerie. â€Å"Catholic scholars blast Common Core in letter to U.S. bishops.† Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Personal development as a strategic manager

Personal development as a strategic manager Introduction: This discussion is all about: The main areas of discussion in this essay are individual abilities required to achieve the strategic ambitions, additional qualities required for being able to acquire personal leadership development for supporting achievement of strategic ambitions, having abilities to understand the effectiveness of leadership development plans and support the work environment that supports organization values. For any organization, it is extremely important to understand the hurdles of success which is generally profitability. Role of strategic manager in the organization: The strategic manager is the person who can understand the nature of business, life of business, major and minor issues related to the business, so in order to gain maximum profit every organization must have strategic manager. The strategic manager follows SWOT analysis and prepares strategies for his organization. Initially the strategic manager must have special skills (abilities) which he has to maintain, evaluate and also justify the outcomes of those skills (strategies) on the units or organization. This essay is focusing on a company named Tata Strategic Management Group Mr. Ratan N Tata is the chairman of Tata group since 1991. He is also the chairman of major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Tea, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Teleservices etc.. During his tenor the TATA group has earned total revenue of $67.4 billion in 2009-10. The Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG) is a Mumbai-based consult company that position among the peak three management consulting company in South Asia locates up in 1991 as a separation of Tata industry. TSMG has accomplished over 500 schedules with more than 100 clients across countries and industry sectors. More than 60 per cent of TSMGs business comes from non-Tata clients and 25 per cent from global consumers. The group has held business in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Middle East, Germany, the UK and the US. Tata planned has a team of more than 70 consultants. Section 1 : Be able to identify personal skills to achieving strategic ambitions The strategic manger requires build on his management skills and focusing on the needs of implement the managerial strategy. Strategic ambitions play a role of driver for improvement in the organization. These ambitions are comprise of some positive thoughts and negative thoughts. Strategic ambitions are to be design the quality into the structure of the organization, plan and control improvements, assure improvements and position the organization in the market at pinnacle level. 1.1 : Analyze the strategic direction of the organization To be a successful strategic manager, one should have clear vision and clear idea of the mission which the organization wants to achieve. He has to prepare strategies for the profitability and growth of the company. As no organization can achieve its goal unless the stages of achievement are not clear, so strategic manager has to understand the stages of progress as the management is the process of number of decisions. And when he become eligible to identify the achievements, he can set up new goals and of course by this only they can identify the process of strategies. 1.2 : Evaluate the strategic skills required of a the leader to achieve the strategic ambition The strategic manager needs to recognize the achievement of ambition so he understands how his strategies are working in the business, whether his strategies lead to the organizational goal or not and also these strategies are obliging to him for the future strategic management. He needs to check the positive result of the strategies with the help of identifying the ambitions. 1.3:Assess the relationship between existing, required and future skills to achieve the strategic ambition Ambitions are made with some normal opinion or ideas which can also consist of risk. Strategic manager can not make any thoughts or strategies. There might be chances of negative effect of strategies made by strategic manager. And if the strategies fail it not only affects to the growth of strategic manager but also whole organization. As an individual, it is more important to be alert of negatives of strategies. If a strategic manager is not able to identify the strategic ambitions, then it would be very late to get better the wrong decisions made by him. Example The Tata Strategic Management Group suggests clients in the areas of plan formulation, policy exploitation, arrangement improvement and company analytics. When Tata strategic management group was establish on 1991, it was running completely in the strategy spce and worked about with Tata group companies. Now a day, it is increase over moderately a few industries, and has clients from crosswise the India and all over the world. Mr. Raju Bhinge chief executives of Tata strategic management group have formed the companys target. The target of the company for 2010 was to become a chief Indian global management consulting firm, with minimum 10 lines of business, a occurrence in 10 countries and more than 50 per cent of income from other countries. Right now Tata strategic management group is given that its services in west Asia and south Asia .in adding up to India this are a focus for the more students or clients around the worldwide world. Section 2: Be able to manage personal leadership development to support achieving strategic ambitions 2.1: Discuss the opportunities to support leadership development The achievement of strategies depends on the completion of the strategies. Goals of the company are exaggerated by the application of strategy in different industries and other factors. For this reason, at this phase it is more important for the planned manager to develop a control to support the ambitions. In the big organizations there are many people to create strategies so one has to develop himself from a very start to have own strategies to work with the other employees, he should have control power on his resolution making skill and applications of certain plans. This not only involves benefits of individuals receiving success fast but also a heavy risk of getting responsible. In such circumstances, when one manages relationship with the same level employees and also encourage others as a group requires great strategies as this is something away from the common managers. This leadership quality for achievements of ambitions is itself a top strategy because it also involves man agement of human resources. 2.2:Construct a personal development plan to direct leadership development The other issue that went in the support was that while it was simple to indict a McKinsey for a project plan, that was very, comfortable to keep their services right throughout conclusion. With TSMG, on the further hand, each project shaped a kind of symbiosis that the client has a company that would happily be a partner in accomplishment, while TSMG gained learnings that were much richer than their western counterpart could get jointly. To give its service a clear benefit, Tata strategic management has decisive on construction expert teams. Pankaj Gupta, exercise head for customer and retail, elaborate, In many cases, company add technological expert to our plan teams — people who have actually been in higher status of companies for next few years in automotive, customer products. This is a very tough differentiator that sets Tata strategic management groups services except for from and on pinnacle of those of its competitor in the market. 2.3 Devise an implementation process for the development plan The first project that Tata strategic management group took up within the group was a policy study for the Tata Oil Mills which was linked in its sale to Hindustan Lever. after that came the study for restructuring Voltas, the policy study for Lakmà © which lead to the sale of the comprise business to Unilever, the gaining of Little Woods — a English-owned retail series in south India — and Trents hooked on attire retail throughout Westside and Food Grocery retail all the way through Star Bazaar. Tata strategic management group work on the attainment of VSNL, its broadband entrance plan and business data services expansion strategy; it up to the business drawing for the groups right of entry into shopper electronics business, provided JV cooperation and performance support for the arrangement of Infiniti Retail. Tata strategic management group also worked on the whole plan for the Tata Sky satellite television service project. Quite a few of these experience opened new opportunity, enable Tata strategic management group to move out of its satisfied home lawn into other Tata companies. Last economic, other Tata industry comprise 10 to 15 per cent of company At present, non-Tata production is more than 50 per cent and is projected to make more than 70 per cent at the end of the next year. From 2005, on the start of capability developed in-house, Tata strategic management group start offering few of its services to hard markets such as the America and the London. It has three aid for that markets. One is strategic study for sympathetic country compilation markets, competitor approach, etc. The second is financial research, which includes work on opinion, equity, fixed income, etc. Third is mathematical optimisation or an analytical solution, which comprises risk modelling and projecting modelling, like fraud in telecom or risk study in insurance. With its new business model and internationalisation strategy well on track, Tata strategic management group has comprehensive its core competencies and is rousing into completely new areas of process. No doubt that the company is being motivated and dreaming big for the future. Section 3: Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership development plan 3.1: Assess the achievement of outcomes of the plan against original objectives It is very essential for an alive organization to appraise the effectiveness of the leadership development. In the market every organization has its competitors and it becomes very difficult for it to beat from it or maintain its position in the market among the others. The best way to maintain its standing or position among the other competitors is to check the effectiveness of the strategies the steps taken by the organization. Sometimes it becomes necessary the evaluation for the benefit of the company. Example: In case of TSMG, they had their own space to move with. This also guided them to compete with existing giants in their own field of serving companies for strategies primarily of deciding the group of companies they can cater. Detailed contents: Although the only Indian management consulting packed in of significance, Tata strategic management group have created a place for the company, and enjoys a private positioning. But the journey has not been an easy one. Even if the anxiety enjoyed by the Tata brand did offer the right qualifications and helped the corporation set up its lineage the real challenge has been judgment customers from the combination. In like to Tata group companies, for example, were reluctant to work with Tata strategic management group, have a threat of a difference of notice and in view of the number of areas the 93-corporation cluster has an incidence in, this has been a massive handicap. But Tata strategic management group did find out a way out, by touching into part where the group was not represented. 3.2:Evaluate the impact of the attainment of the of objectives on strategic ambitions At the final examination, this restriction has proved to be a support in costume. Tata strategic management group put in an extra effort to piece out a balance and corroborate its bravery Of path, being an Indian company with Tata main beliefs had its recompense too because next to a McKinsey or a Deloitte, customers were pleased to work with a company that delivered quality, was easy to get to during the grounding and operation stages of the mission, and was sensible too. 3.3:Review and update the leadership development plan Bobby Pauly, an engagement manager at Tata strategic management group, explains that the â€Å"Indian customers rapidly exposed the soothe of working with a coalition of consultants which had an added connected view of their society, markets and people, and an ability to relay to them. Tata strategic management group open actionable solution, in its place of providing them a western view of the world. Section 4: Be able to advocate staff welfare environment that supports organizational values 4.1: Evaluate the impact of corporate commitment to staff welfare on organizational values In any association there should be a proper message between peak level management and the bottom line employees. Because if there is some gap between them then employees get unhappy within the unit this leads to discontent and it ultimately leads the strategies of any business open to many. In the strategic management there is a chain of strategies and once the link is broken it creates a big problem for any organization. The achievement of goal of the organization becomes very difficult. Strategies involve many long processes and once it affected at one stage it vanish the process till the end stage. It is the duty of a strategic manager to provide the environment in the organization which is more comfortable in terms of competitions and cooperation. The employees must be aware of organizational value rather than personal growth too. The team work in the organization is therefore a unique feature of such strategies to be successful. The strategic manager should think of the followin g criteria: A healthy competition Cooperation Money involved Learning opportunities Opportunities of growth Work appreciation Safety at wor 4.2:Discuss how a staff welfare environment can affect achievement of organizational objectives For any organization it is very significant to create s staff benefit atmosphere for the employees because if there is no proper working environment then they can not achieve well and it became hard for the organization to achieve the goal and objective of the company. To create a welfare staff atmosphere company should have to provide some training to the staff. It should have to provide some technical knowledge in order to get better their technical information which helps them to make job easy. They have to create some training program in the house or out side in other organization. They have to provide some extra information like physical condition and safety or medical check up etc. To inspire the employees company have to provides some extra services to the employees like free somewhere to stay , subsidy , free power , free teaching for the children etc. this all steps will help to organization to create a staff benefit atmosphere and it also help to achieve the objectives of t he organization. 4.3:consider the influences of a corporate commitment to staff welfare on the development of organizational values Every association has to do some promise in order to get better the staff welfare on the growth of organizational value. Tata steel has shared 378.4 million of wealth to make the welfare of the staff during the reporting year. They have exceeded their targets on employee key performance measures like employees satisfaction and economic value addition. They are also targeting on customer satisfaction as well. Company have no hesitation on creating a better off, cleaner and happier for the staff but they also recognize that there is yet considerable scope for improvement. Another main point is Tata steel is contribution its all vision and goals with the every employees of the organization that is why if the vision is clear for everybody it will help to get success and also help to create more value of the organization in the current market. Incorporation with TECS A march in this approach was the up to addition of Tata Economic Consultancy Services (TECS) with Tata management group services in April 2006. TECSs skill dishonesty in savings not obligatory infrastructure and control sectors and totally complement the knowledge Tata strategic management group has in rule. Tata strategic management group lacked a spotlight in infrastructure and government perform a gap that Tata monetary Consultancy Services can block. Together their knowledge could drag in a huge number of road and rail network projects. Communications spend have by now seen an increase in India and Tata strategic management group (along with TECS) has been engaged in no fewer than six SEZ homework. While Tata planned management group look after of condition and brand, the techno-possibility aspects — include plan strategy and the structure of the capability — are manage by TECS. The going away is good now, but what dishonesty ahead? Consulting is a chronic industry related to in general fiscal situation. What does it mean for the organisations growth plans? Binge is silently convinced, The pressure is there, but we have been capable to ease them by as long as a broad variety of solutions to consumers adding up new offerings in company analytics, and rising in the global liberty. Tata Strategic Management Group, it appears, is prepared to take centre step. Conclusion: Strategic management plays a extremely important position in any organization development within very less time period and for that following points are very important: Effective role of strategic manager in the organization He should be able of recognize his ambition, view, strengths and weaknesses. Strategic manager should be a good leader in the organization and make strategies for the achievement of goal of the organization. He should be a good assessor to check whether his strategies are gainful for the company or not, whether the strategies followed by the organization becoming productive for the employees or not and also maintain position of the organization in the market. The ideal model of SWOT is something which is of necessity needed to be unstated and applied by any Strategic Manager to get the success. Attractive problems, Inventive solutions Tata strategic management group has undertaken some consult project for few of the top names in corporation. These contain British Telecom Tata strategic organization group do a customer insight plan for their business assistance. British Telecom was looking at international clientele, to effort and understands their data network needs. A progressive work out it appears as one of the best practices of consumer thoughtful, and has been useful in dozens of their international companies. Rolls Royce Rolls Royce comes to Tata strategic management group with a stimulating problem. The plant of Rolls Royce Norway had reached its full ability and they were look for a new global developed centre in India or China. Tata strategic management group complete the India case, and certain the company that India is better in compare to China. Mumbai Railway Corporation The central rail section of Mumbai was preparation to construct an innovative 80,000 sq metre position structure at Carnac Bunder, to give out as a second position linked to the main railway station of the city named Chhatrapati Shivaji in Mumbai. Tata Economic Consultancy military is supporting Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation to go into at the finest land use mix for commerce growth along with architectural plans for a Global class railway station.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Effects/Origins of Racism :: essays research papers

Today, the United States is respected around the world as an international business powerhouse, notorious for a flourishing capitalistic marketplace. However, the very foundation for this commercial capitalist market was rooted in the exploitation of Africans. At first, the primary use of North American land was to provide the raw materials necessary for the British to produce goods to the end user. The need for cheap laborers soon arose. Europeans filled this void through the use of free laborers—African slaves. Africans were viewed as inferior beings, mere property to be traded and used like a horse or a cow, which gave Europeans the notion that this practice was morally acceptable. At first, only wealthy Europeans could afford the goods produced by the African slave trade; however, the goods soon became affordable to the middle class and the demand for additional slaves grew rapidly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the time of the American Revolution, slavery was the very basis for the American economy. Most of the country’s industries revolved around and depended upon the use of traded peoples. If not directly using Africans to provide labor, most businesses in America somehow related to the use of this free labor and all Europeans benefited in some way. Textiles manufacturing was the staple industry during the Industrial Revolution, most of whose raw cotton was grown by enslaved Africans. Those not directly involved in the trade of Africans benefited from the purchase and sale of products created by the slavery system. The triangular trade emerged, allowing Europe and the American colonies to benefit, while exploiting blacks even further (to gain economically in Africa, one would have to take part in the trade by providing the laborers). The textile industry’s success was based on the use of slave labor, and without it, it’s questionable whether the U.S. would have become a major industrial power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sons and grandsons of the earlier traders in slaves and slave-produced products benefited both directly (by becoming captains of the industries fueled by the slave trade) and indirectly (by the intergenerational transference of wealth). Americans not only gained economically, but also in terms of living conditions and life expectancies. Even the educational system (i.e. Brown University) benefited from the profits of the slave trade. Political figures that helped form the bases for our nation’s principles and are commonly viewed today as respectable, noble men (such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson) were able to live their luxurious lifestyles because of their slave ownership.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Rene Descartes :: essays research papers

Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was born March 31, 1596 in La Haye, Touraine. Descartes was the son of a minor nobleman and belonged to a family that had produced a number of learned men. At the age of eight, he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou, where he remained for eight years. Besides the usual classical studies, he received instruction in math and in Scholastic philosophy. Roman Catholicism exerted a strong influence on Descartes throughout his life. Upon graduation from school, he studied law at the University of Poitiers, graduating in 1616. He never practiced law, however--in 1618 he entered the service of Prince Maurice of Nassau at Breda, Netherlands, with the intention of following a military career. In succeeding years Descartes served in other armies, but his attention had already been attracted to the problems of mathematics and philosophy to which he was to devote the rest of his life. He made a pilgrimage to Italy in 1623-24, and spent the years from 1624 to 1628 in France. While in France, he devoted himself to the study of philosophy and also experimented in optics. In 1628, having sold his properties in France, he moved to the Netherlands, where he spent most of the rest of his life. He lived for varying periods in a number of different cities in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Deventer, Utrecht, and Leiden.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was probably during the first years of his residence in the Netherlands that Descartes wrote his first major work, Essais philosophiques, published in 1637. The work contained four parts: an essay on geometry, another on optics, a third on meteors, and Discours de la methode (Discourse on Method), which described his philosophical theories. This was followed by other philosophical works, among them Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (Meditations on First Philosophy, 1641) and Principia Philosophiae (The Principles of Philosophy, 1644). The latter volume was dedicated to Princess Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia, who lived in the Netherlands and with whom Descartes had formed a deep friendship. In 1649, Descartes was invited to the court of Queen Christina of Sweden in Stockholm to give the queen instruction in philosophy. The rigors of the northern winter brought on the pneumonia that caused his death on February 1, 1650.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most notable contribution that Descartes made to mathematics was the systematization of analytic geometry. He was the first mathematician to attempt to classify curves according to the types of equations that produce them. He also made contributions to the theory of equations and succeeded in proving the impossibility of trisecting the angle and doubling the cube.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Front Sheet Assignment Two Challenging Behaviour

It is a serious disciplinary offence Candidate l confirm that this assignment, which I have submitted, is all my own work and I have recorded all literature and resources that have been used, including the internet'. Teacher ‘l declare that the candidate's activities have been regularly monitored and all feedback is recorded on this front sheet. Also declare that to the best of my knowledge this is the candidate's own work'. Student Signature: Date: Internal Verifier Signature: Scenario: You have been hired as part of Lancashire County Council's (LLC) challenging behavior Crisis team.You have been sent to two separate care settings to gather information on two different individuals and create a Behavior Management Plan (BUMP) on suggested ways of how to minimize their more severe challenging behavior. Once you have completed the (BUMP) you are to create a report for LLC management and the care settings management. This is to focus on the benefits of using each strategy you have suggested and possible problems and weaknesses of that strategy. Task Sheet: Grading Criteria: Task 1 – Behavior Management PlanIdentify 2 individuals from 2 different Health and Social Care settings who each show a different type of challenging behavior. You will need to give an introduction to the individuals, outline their care setting and their challenging behavior which you are going to be addressing. You will need to give some detail as these individuals are very complex and can come from different care settings. The behavior management plan will look at one of the individuals more difficult types of challenging behavior which you wish to see changed.Within the behavior management plan you will have to suggest a range of different coping strategies (xx), approaches (xx) and methods of intervention (xx) for the individuals (2 of each for each individual), and discuss how these will help to minimize the type of challenging behavior, in their particular setting. Task 2 â €“ Report As a Crisis team member you must also reflect on the strategies you have suggested for each individual. In a separate repertory need to show that you have thought each coping strategy, approach and method of intervention through.This is to focus on the benefits of using each strategy you have suggested and possible problems and weaknesses of that strategy. For each individual you need to explain each of the specific strategies' benefits and strengths, and the strategies possible problems and weaknesses. You will need to find evidence to back up your report, to prove what you are saying is correct and is well practiced throughout the sector. By doing this you will be Evaluating your chosen strategies. You must use the Harvard referencing system to present your references, support material and bibliography.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Reaction to “Race, The Power of Illusion” Essay

Viewing this documentary was an extremely valuable experience in my understanding of not only some of the material we’ve been discussing in our course, but also in developing a much more developed grasp on the full extent of our nation’s ugly history of racism. While, by and large, I was already keenly aware of many of the events and incidences discussed throughout the three-part documentary including the assimilation and forced removal of Native Americans, slavery, manifest destiny, the idea of the â€Å"white man’s burden†, and the study of eugenics, there were so many different aspects to these events that you simply do not learn in grade school. Watching these events unfold visually compelled me in way I never quite had been before from an emotional standpoint- the social implications of these events are so much graver and severe than I had even thought previously. As the documentary noted in the third act, racism is so deeply rooted in American soil that one born here or moving here after the most blatant forms of racism have vanished (segregation) finds themselves unwittingly fitting into racialized society. Without viewing films like these and having the kinds of discussions we do in class about institutionalized racism, it is rather easy to accept it as normal having grown up from a place of privilege. What struck me most overall from watching this documentary were the â€Å"big picture† ideas presented about what race actually means. Time and time again evidence is presented that refutes the â€Å"ferociously pervasive† misconception that people belonging to the same race show evidence of significant genetic markers, and that our perceptions of what race means is entirely created by historical, social, and policy markers that all stem from the faulty science that delegates certain attributes to different races. The idea that people of a certain race could inherently exhibit certain attributes over people of other races creates a social hierarchy that initially was designed to justify the enslavement of African men and women. As the documentary observes, the problem is that by claiming that race is  based in biology, as demonstrated in the studies on eugenics presented in â€Å"scientific† works such as â€Å"Types of Mankind†, the perceived inequality between people of different races became much more serious than a power imbalance. The note that, if race was treated as a way to keep people of color subordinate upfront, the inequality would have dissipated following abolition. However, when eugenics went as far as to claim that people of different races were of different species, it justified the idea that Thomas Jefferson’s claim that â€Å"all men are created equal† did not have to include African Americans. I also had never heard any mention of Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, that, while pitching America’s brand to European countries, was horrifically racist, claiming that blacks were inferior to whites in body and in mind. I was personally horrified upon learning that the Nazi’s claimed inspiration from American eugenicists on the racial profiles that led to the extermination of millions of Jews. The culture and the race of Jewish people were often intertwined, as in the assumption that in the 1920’s many basketball teams consisted of Jewish men due to their â€Å"artful dodger† nature. Another idea presented by the documentary that I had not considered previously was how race effected the experience of citizenship in the US, and how race is determined in the context of citizenship. Back when there was an influx of immigrants from European countries, there was much prejudice against immigrants despite that they were by and large racially homogenous. Over time, as these people from different cultures assimilates, they became accepted as American whites, while African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans were still prejudiced against. It became clear, especially in light of the change of heart about the morality and civility of Native Americans when they initially refused to yield to American imperialism, that race was used more to justify displacement of peoples to maintain certain cultural ideas and â€Å"standards† than it was actually about one’s racial profile. To write off a group of people as immoral and incompetent was a huge reoccurring theme we saw among these groups of oppressed people. This is evident in America’s conquest of the Philippines- when the people of the Phillipines were depicted as  racially similar to African Americans despite baring no visual commonality it became evident that they used race as an easy marker for the foreign, or the â€Å"other†. More interesting still was learning about the laws that defined race in the nineteenth century, and the great lengths Asian and South Asian people went to in justifying that they should be considered Caucasian to gain citizenship in the US. In the case of the Japanese man who committed suicide after having his citizenship rejected, the courts used race as an indicator of values rather than actually observe the actions of the people seeking citizenship. How ironic was it that prior to India gaining independence from Britain in 1947, that families fled to the US where â€Å"all men are created equal† only to be denied citizenship based on their race? This is so sadly indicative of so much of the inequality still evident in this country today.