Does teaching yoga to older adults improve their overall health Research Paper

Does teaching yoga to older adults improve their overall health - Research Paper Example 2. Conducting a survey or an actual experiment to ascertain the effect of yoga on the overall health of adults would limit the researcher’s conclusions to the population in a particular area where he or she had conducted the experiment or survey. If the researcher wishes to make a representative conclusion for the older adult population across different states, he or she can do so with a systematic review. 3. (Related to number 2) Budgetary, logistics and time constraints to making a nationwide or interstate study will be eliminated because the data is already collected for the researcher. The researcher won’t have to travel that long and won’t need to shell out money for the expenses of printing our hundreds of survey forms. This is ideal for college students especially those that still have subjects because they won’t have to take time off of their classes to accomplish the research. The constraint lies on the organization and the selection of articles i ncluded in the review because this entails hours and hours of arduous library and computer research wherein most of the articles the researcher will read will not make it to the final list of articles that will be included in the systematic review. Sampling: Choosing the articles will require the library data base of the university as well as its access to different printed and online journals. Articles included in the study should be products of first hand, qualitative or quantitative research which are peer reviewed and came from reputable journals. No review articles will be included. Only articles published within the span of 3 years including the present year will be incorporated so as to keep the information pool up-to-date. The ages of the participants in the articles should be not less than 45 years, so as to comply with the â€Å"older adult† category in the research question. Articles should be focused on the effects of yoga on different facets of health (emotional, mental, environmental, social, spiritual, and physical) – these effects must include both positive and negative reaction to yoga. Among the articles that have passed these criteria, a final list of 30 articles will be included in the actual systematic review paper. This will require the researcher to be patient, diligent and exhaustive in doing the selection and making the final cut of articles included in the final paper. Key Variables: Two types of data are expected to be gathered and examined for this review – qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data like satisfaction in the effect of Yoga, perceived improvement in the quality of life, and testimonies of yoga practitioners will be collated and summarized then presented as text in the final paper. The qualitative data can also be nominalized and presented in a graph with the frequency of people that was a significant improvement in their wellbeing with yoga. Quantitative data will also be summarized and a ppropriate graphs will be presented for each health facet. The if data gathered did not use the p-test to statistically validate their hypothesis then a re-analysis of the data and normalization of the data set will be done as to make it analyzable by test statistics that can be

“Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation over the past 40 years.” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Examine the reasons for changes in the patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation over the past 40 years.† Essay The patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation over the past 40 years has varied quite significantly. In 1972, the highest ever number of couples (480,000) since the Second World War got married. Now, obviously there is a reason for this. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), this was due to the baby boom generation of the 1950s reaching marriageable age and these people choosing to marry at a younger age compared with previous generations. However, after this period, the number of marriages in England and Wales then went into decline. Most recently, marriages reached an all-time low in 2005 when only 244,710 couples got married. Some people would say that it reached so low because people are rejecting marriage and are no longer bothered about it. But in fact, statistics reveal that many people are actually delaying marriage. It is said that most people will marry at some point in their lives, but people are deciding to marry later in life, most likely after a period of cohabitation. A reason for this is probably because couples want to â€Å"Test the water† before they make any commitments. Evidence to support the â€Å"marrying later in life† view is that the average age for first-time bridges in 2003 was 29 years and for all grooms 31 years, compared with 22 for women and 24 for men in 1971. In particular women may want to delay marriage so they can advance their career prospects. As well as a decline in the total number of marriages, there is also a decline in marriage rates (the number of people marrying per 1000 of the population aged 16 and over). In 1994, the marriage rate was 11.4 but this had declined to 10.3 by 2004. The male rate declined from 36.3 in 1994 to 27.8 in 2004 whilst the female rate declined from 30.6 to 24.6. Once again, even though there is a decline, British Social Attitude Surveys indicate that most people, whether single, divorced or cohabitating, still see marriage as a desirable life-goal, and therefore will most likely will get married at some point in the future, particularly if they are having children, because they believe that this is best done in the context of marriage. Another change in the patterns of marriage is that two fifths of all marriages are remarriages, in which one or both partners have been divorced. These people are obviously committed to the institution of marriage despite their previous negative experience of it. The reason for this trend could possibly because their first marriages were empty-shell marriages. This is where there is no love or intimacy between them, but the marriage persists for the sake of the children until they are old enough. They then might have wanted to start a new life, including a re-marriage. Despite the decrease in the overall number of people marrying, married couples are still the main type of partnership for men and women in the UK. In 2005, seven in ten families were headed by a married couple. In terms of Divorce – the legal ending of a marriage, this has increased rapidly since 1969 due to a piece of legislation that granted divorce on the basis of â€Å"irretrievable breakdown† – the Divorce Reform Act of 1969. In addition, since 1984, couples have been able to petition for divorce after the first anniversary of their marriage. This law made the Divorce rate shoot high because it generally made it easier and cheaper to end marriages. In addition, people were finally able to legally to end all connections, as previously when divorce was either too expensive or difficult to obtain, separation was very common, which was when a couple decided to live away from each other. To go into more detail of the trend of increased divorces, in 1993, the number of divorces peaked at 180,000. By 2000, this figure had fallen to 154,000, although the years 2001 – 2004 have seen a gradual rise to 167,100. There are now nearly half as many divorces as marriages and, if present trends continue, about 40% of current marriages will end in divorce. An acceptable reason for this increasing trend of divorce is that it is no longer associated with stigma and shame. Britain’s culture is based upon Christian religion, and Christians believe that marriage is for life (‘till death do us part’). However, over years, changes in attitudes and secularisation have emerged, and the view that divorce can lead to greater happiness for the individual is more acceptable. A third reason which could explain the increasing divorce rates is down to women wanting to improve educational and career opportunities. In 1870, the Education Act passed by Gladstone’s government meant that every child between the ages of five and fifteen had the opportunity for elementary education. Not only did this produce a large literate generation of people, but it also improved the girls reading and writing ability, which previously was much lower than boys. Now, women have their own stable careers with a good wage, and thus do not have to be unhappily married because they are financially dependent on their husband. Feminists note that women’s expectations of marriage have radically changed, compared with previous generations. In the 1990s, most divorce petitions were put forward by women. This may support Thornes and Collard’s (1979) view that women expect far more from marriage than men and, in particular, that they value friendship and emotional gratification more than then do. If husbands fail to love up to these expectations, women may feel the need to look elsewhere. This would also support the fact that, on average, the number of divorce proceedings started by women is about 70%. Finally, functionalist sociologists argue that high divorce rates are evidence that marriage is increasingly valued and that people are demanding higher standards from their partners. They believe that couples are no longer prepared to put up with unhappy, empty-shell marriages, as people want emotional and sexual compatibility and equality, as well as companionship. It is said that some are even willing to go through a number of partners to achieve these goals, and if they marry every time they meet a new partner, then obviously they are going to contribute a lot more to the rising divorce rates. The final area of the diverse family is cohabitation. The basic trend of cohabitation is that it is on the increase and has been for the last decade. The proportion of non-married people cohabiting has risen sharply in the last 20 years from 11% of men and 13% of women in 1986 to 24% and 25% respectively. In 2007, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested that cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK. In fact, around 2.2 million families are cohabiting couples with or without children. This family type has grown by 65% since 1997, and really, the numbers are likely to be higher than this because the ONS data did not include same-sex couples living together. In addition, the ONS data suggested that a third of teenagers in 2007 were destined to cohabit rather than marry, compared with one in ten of their grandparents. As we gathered that the general trend is on the increase, it’s good to know the reasons why. One of the first reasons, which I mentioned earlier on, is that people like to cohabit to â€Å"test the water.† During this period, they will assess whether they (the couple) are compatible with each other and whether they will be able to live with each other before making any sort of commitments. After all, cohabitation on average lasts for 5 years, which then 60% of cohabitees will then marry. Another reason for the said trend is that there are a significant number of people who live together whilst waiting for a divorce. For example, in 2005, 23% of cohabiting men were separated from a pervious partner whilst 36% were divorced. So although a person may be married, they may have separated and moved into another house to live with a person they have met. They will then be counted as a cohabitee. A third reason for the increased rate of cohabitation could be because people are put off the cost of marriage. According to Wedding Guide UK, the average cost of a traditional wedding in the UK is around  £11,000. In addition to the price, some people are also put off because of the religious ceremony of marriage. This is because overtime we have become a more secular society. Both of these factors to some people will refrain them from marrying, because in their eyes they see it as long as they are with each other in a happy and loving relationship, they don’t need a ring or a piece of paper with their names on it.

Depression Essay -- essays research papers

Depression and suicide are two causes of death that are increasing in prevalence for all age groups. They are also on the rise in a specific age group, that of older adults. The theory behind this finding that older adults are becoming more and more depressed and committing suicide at a greater rate than ever before is due to their failing physical and mental health. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon and prove this theory by gathering statistics about suicide in older adults, and by obtaining the information of scholarly sources by summarizing their views as it relates to the above mentioned theory. Official suicide statistics identify older adults as a high-risk group (Mireault & Deman, 1996). In 1992, it was reported that older adults comprised about 13% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for 20% of its suicides; in contrast, young people, ages 15-24, comprised about 14% of the population and accounted for 15% of the suicides (Miller, Segal, & Coolidge, 2001). Among older persons, there are between two to four suicide attempts for every completed attempt (Miller, Segal, & Coolidge, 2001). However, the suicide completion rate of older adults is 50% higher than the population as a whole. This is because older adults who attempt suicide die from the attempt more often than any other age group. Not only do elders kill themselves at a greater rate than any other group in society, but they tend to be more determined and purposeful (Weaver & Koenig, 2001). Studies of Depression and Suicide in Older Adults Depression in Older Adults A study was conducted examining the relationships between disease severity, functional impairment, and depression among a sample of older adults with age-related macular degeneration. It showed that the relationship between visual acuity and physical function was moderated by depressive symptoms (Casten, Rovner, & Edmonds, 2002). It appears that when faced with vision loss, depressed persons tend to generalize their disability to activities that are not necessarily vision dependent. They seem to adopt the attitude of not being able to see leads to not being able to do. This attitude is in line with the cognitive theory of depression in which depressed persons engage in faulty information processing (Casten, Rovner, & Edmonds, 2002). Suicide in Older Adults A study about older adult suicide was c... ... adults, reasons for depression in older adults, reasons for suicide in older adults, and included studies on depression and suicide in older adults. A review of suicide notes from older adults was also conducted. It was found that the theory to be corroborated was successful. It is true, based on the findings from the above mentioned sources, that depression and suicide are increasing in prevalence among older adults due to their failing physical and mental health. There are several aspects to physical and mental health, however they appear to be the main causes for the increase in depression and suicide among older adults. Reasons for depression among older adults briefly include anxiety, cognitive dysfunction, genetic factors, interpersonal relations, and stressful life events. Reasons for suicide among older adults can be briefly summarized by physical and psychiatric illnesses, unbearable psychological pain, cognitive construction, indirect expressions, inability to adjust, interpersonal relations, rejection-aggression, alcohol abuse, identification-egression, visual impairment, neurological disorders, malignant disease cardiovascular disease, and musculoskeletal disorders.

River Phoenix - My Favorite Famous Person :: essays research papers

Do you like to see the movies? Do you know the most handsome boy in Hollywood? Though the handsome boy that everyone thinks can be different , I think that River Phoenix is the movie star who is just the right man who sparkled in Hollywood even if he doesn’t exist in this world and there are a large number of actors and they appear in the future. Why he is famous is because of his too early death and because he played brilliant roles in many movies for his short life. When I saw his movie for the first time, I’ve got crush on him. I think that he had something special which appeal to us. At first, his background is interesting. He was born on August 23, 1970 in a small house in Oregon. He was firstborn child of five children. During his childhood, his parents joined a cult known as the children of God and traveled extensively until when they heard disturbing news about the leader. Since then, as they weren’t protected by the church any more and were in a desperate struggle to make ends meet, River, at age five, often sang and played music in the streets to earn the money. In the early morning of October 31, 1993, River took a lethal dose of a mix of drugs and died on the sidewalk outside. He was only 23 years old. Second, he achieved success in many movies and received many awards. At the age of 10, he started to play on TV shows and his first appearing in film is â€Å"Explorers† in 1985. The next movie which is most famous of his movies and led him to be a star is â€Å"Stand By Me†. The story is about four boys’ journey to find the body missing. He was cast as Chris Chambers. He got a lot of acclaim for his acting and the movie was the hit of the year. Through this movie, everyone knew that he would be one of the best actors of his generation. In closing, I believe that he is still one of the best actors and the most attractive actor because he left the fabulous movies and there are many fans who are fascinated with him.

Brochure about UK Travel and Tourism Organisation Essay

Tour Operators are usually a person or a company that puts together travel packages. These packages combine travel with normal tourist destinations and there are sold in a package. The tour operators have contracts with hoteliers, airlines and ground transport providers. They produce brochures to distribute their holidays and short-break packages example of a tour operators in UK are Thomas Cook and Thomson. Transport providers allow tourists to move around the country either by road, rail or air an example of transport providers are British Airways, TFL and National Express. Accommodations there are a different accommodation options for tourists in the UK depending on their needs and budgets. For examples Hotel, Services apartments, self-catering, Holiday villages. Plaza Park Hotel is an example of hotel in London. Visitor Attractions Places where attract tourism to come and visit. Natural attractions have not been built by man and are a natural feature of the environment. Example of natural attractions in the UK is The Peak District was the first of the UK’s National Parks and now is welcomes visitors from around the world come to see its areas of stunning natural beauty that offer fantastic walking and mountain biking opportunities. Another example of natural attraction in the UK is Lake District Built attractions are built to attract tourists, some of the built attractions charge an admission fee, while others are free. But some of them were originally built for a different purpose but also attract visitors. The built attractions in the UK are many but the main attractions that tourism visit are Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Warwick Castle and Windsor Castle. Supporting Organisation Visit Britain is an example of supporting  organisation. Visit Britain is the UK’s national tourism agency, promoting the UK to the rest of the world and encouraging domestic tourism in England Formed in 2003 and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport it works in partnership with thousands of different organisations across the UK.As well as marketing and promotions Visit Britain also advises the government on tourism matters. Ancillary Organisations support outbound travel and tourism organisations, includes car hire and insurance companies. Example of organisation providing travel insurance to outbound travellers can be found at insure and Go, Columbus Direct, Direct-travel and Atlas Direct.

Road Traffic in Egypt versus U.S. Essay

Road Traffic in Egypt versus U.S. Essay Road Traffic in Egypt versus U.S. Essay As a person who has a driving license from Egypt as well as from the U.S. Traffic system, which supposed as an international system, means to me traffic lights, road lanes, signals. In addition, how people deal with it. From my experience, it differs from one country to another. I am going to highlight the differences between U.S and Egypt in terms of driver's behaviors, police reaction and road maintenance. In Egypt, the drivers' behavior differ from U.S in terms of speed limits, road signs' obedience and the dealing with pedestrians. There is neither respect for the speed limits on highways nor in interior Streets. Egyptians are always in a hurry and passing another car from the right side is very normal. They rarely make use of converting signals from lane to another. For example, when the driver wants to move from the right lane to left one, instead of giving a yellow signal he jumps to lane without signaling. I cannot remember seeing a driver stopping his car when there is a sto p sign. Nobody should be surprised when Egyptians drive in the wrong side on the highway speeding! Pedestrians are the main victims. They even suffer when they want to cross the street because they do not have a chance to cross safely. On the other hand, American driver's behavior is more civilized. In general, they show respect for all kinds of traffic signals. For example, they stop when there is a red light and stop signs. When U.S drivers' need to convert their direction from left to right, they give the yellow signal and watch the road until it is clear to move. In addition, what I liked very much is there high attention to bus schools. Moreover, they adhere to speed limits, and they give way to pedestrians. We should not be surprised that the rate of traffic accidents in Egypt is 13.2 deaths per 100.000 population, according to World Health Organization statics while only 11.6 with the U.S.A. In Egypt, when we have a car accident, the first reaction from the drivers is startin g to shout at each other. Each one pretends he is not wrong. In some cases, this shouting extend to a body language when they start slapping, boxing, and even wrestling. Therefore, we can say we will have a free show of boxing and wrestling. Egyptian Police reaction is so slow and late. Rarely, they are at the location of the accident unless it is great one or receiving heavy calls. Cops patrol is not as many as in the United States and indeed, it is not active. When Egyptian drivers break traffic laws, the police is not treating everyone equally. It depends on the relationships between them. If he knows the driver, he will be on his side. In contrast, In U.S I have not seen fighting between two drivers when they have an accident. I think that for several reasons. First, there is a

Canis Major Facts and Description

Canis Major Facts and Description In ancient times, people saw all kinds of gods, goddesses, heroes, and fantastical animals in the patterns of stars in the night sky. They told legends about those figures, tales that not only taught the sky, but contained teachable moments for listeners. So it was with a little pattern of stars called Canis Major. The name literally means Greater Dog in Latin, although the Romans werent the first to see and name this constellation. In the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iran and Iraq, people saw the mighty hunter in the sky, with a small arrow aimed at his heart - that arrow was Canis Major. The brightest star in our night sky, Sirius, was thought to be part of that arrow. Later on, the Greeks called this same pattern by the name Laelaps, who was a special dog who was said to be an incredibly swift runner. He was given as a gift by the god Zeus to his lover, Europa. Later on, this same dog became the faithful companion of Orion, one of his treasured hunting dogs. Scoping out Canis Major Today, we simply see a nice dog up there, and Sirius is the gem at his throat. Sirius is also called Alpha Canis Majoris, meaning its the alpha star (the brightest) in the constellation. Although the ancients had no way of knowing this, Sirius is also one of the closest stars to us, at 8.3 light-years. Its a double star, with a smaller, dimmer companion. Some claim to be able to see Sirius B (also known as the Pup) with the naked eye, and it can definitely be seen through a telescope. Canis Major is relatively easy to spot in the sky during the months that its up. It trails south-eastward of Orion, the Hunter, frolicking at his feet. It has several bright stars that delineate the legs, tail, and head of the dog. The constellation itself is set against the backdrop of the Milky Way, which looks like a band of light stretching across the sky. Searching the Deeps of Canis Major If you like to scan the sky using binoculars or a small telescope, check out the bright star Adhara, which is actually a double star. Its at the end of the dogs back legs. One of its stars is a bright blue-white color, and it has a dim companion. Also, check out the Milky Way itself. Youll notice many, many stars in the background. Next, look around for some open star clusters, such as M41. It has about a hundred stars, including some red giants and some white dwarfs. Open clusters contain stars that were all born together and continue to travel through the galaxy as a cluster. In a few hundred thousand to a million years, theyll wander off on their own separate paths through the galaxy. M41s stars will probably stick together as a group  for a few hundred million years before the cluster dissipates. There is also at least one nebula in Canis Major, called Thors Helmet. It is what astronomers call an emission nebula. Its gases are being heated by radiation from nearby hot stars, and that causes the gases to emit or glow. Sirius Rising Back in the days when people werent so dependent on calendars and watches and smartphones and other gadgets to help us tell time or date, the sky was a handy calendrical stand-in. People noticed that certain sets of stars were high in the sky during each season. For ancient people who depended on farming or hunting to feed themselves, knowing when the season for planting or hunting was about to occur was important. In fact, it was literally a case of life and death. The ancient Egyptians always watched for the rising of Sirius just about the same time as the Sun, and that indicated the beginning of their year. It also coincided with the yearly flooding of the Nile. Sediments from the river would get spread out along the banks and fields near the river, and that made them fertile for planting. Since it happened during the hottest time of summer, and Sirius was often called the Dog Star, thats where the term dog days of summer originates.

Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essays

Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essays Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essay Education System in Nigeria and Kenya Compared Essay Essay Topic: Education TASK Write a well documented paper on the education system with specific reference to: brief background, aims/goals of education,thestructureoftheeducation system, administration, financing,teachingprofession,challengesand lessons Kenya would learn or borrow. Choose one of these countries Nigeria, Australia, Canada, or China. Background of Nigeria Education Nigeria education has evolved through a number of phases. The education system in Nigeria has been formed by a number of influences, the colonial influence, the influence of the military rule in Nigeria and then the impact of independence and a new constitution. The progress of education in the southern states of Nigeria reveals the involvement of the Christian missionaries towards the education system in Nigeria during the colonial period. Nigeria education was slowly but soundly developing during the colonial time until the conclusion of World War II. The Christian missionaries introduced the western education system in Nigeria in the mid nineteenth century. Three fundamentally distinct education systems existed in Nigeria in 1990. They were, the indigenous system, the Quranic schools, and formal European-style educational institutions. Higher Education in Nigeria originated with the colonial government launching the Yaba higher college. Education in Nigeria became the responsibility of the state and local councils according to the 1979 constitution. First six years of primary education was made mandatory, which was a significant factor in the development of education in Nigeria. There has been a noticeable upgrading of educational facilities in Nigeria in the latest years. The apparent rate for adult illiteracy in the year 2000 is 35.9%. The Structure of Nigeria Education System The local and state governments manage primary and secondary education in Nigeria. Higher education is the responsibility of both the federal and the state governments. Education is free but not compulsory at present in Nigeria. The formal education system includes six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school, three years of senior secondary school, and four years of university education consequently directing towards a bachelors level degree in the majority of the subjects. The annual term of school in Nigeria stretch through ten months, and is sectioned into three ten to twelve weeks periods each at the pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary stages. Nigeria Education includes a significant stage of language education. Primary education in Nigeria starts in the native language but brings in English in the third year. Administration and Organization of Education System The current administrative system is divided into the Federal Capital Territory and 36 states. The management of education in Nigeria is based on this federal system, so that while basic educational policy regarding structure, curriculum and school year is centrally determined, some powers over educational delivery are devolved to state and local government. In effect, education is administered by three branches of government: primary education is under the control of local governments, secondary schools fall under the jurisdiction of the state government and higher education is administered by both the federal and state government. Administrative Bodies and Agencies * The Federal Ministry of Education, through the National Council of Education (NCE), coordinates education policies and procedures through the federation. * The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) is an independent body of professional educators acting in an advisory capacity to both the federal and state ministries of education, universities, institutes of education and other education agencies. * The National Universities Commission (NUC) operates under the Federal Ministry of Education and is mandated to approve programmes, to monitor universities and to accredit programmes. The NUC provides a full listing of recognised federal, state and private universities in Nigeria. * The National Examinations Council?   (NECO) is responsible for conducting the Junior and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), as is the West African Examination Council (WAEC). * The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) conducts the National Technical Certificate (NTC)/National Business Certificate (NBC) examinations, as well as the advanced level versions of these exams in a number of trades/discipline such as engineering and construction. * The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has responsibility for the establishment of minimum standards in polytechnics, technical colleges and other technical institutions in the Federation. In addition to providing standardised minimum guide curricula for technical and vocational education and training. The NBTE supervises and regulates, through an accreditation process, the programmes offered by technical institutions at secondary and post-secondary levels. It is also involved with the funding of polytechnics owned by the Government of the Federation of Nigeria. The NBTE provides a full listing of approved polytechnics and technical colleges in Nigeria. * The National Commission for Colleges and Education co-ordinates all aspects of non-degree teacher education in Nigeria. * The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) conducts the Matriculation Examination for entry into all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria. * The National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) was established in 1972 to encourage, promote and coordinate educational research programmes in Nigeria. This agency provides significant data on educational problems within Nigeria and its work underpins the reform agenda nationally. The Federal Ministry of Education owns and runs universities, polytechnics, technical colleges, colleges of education and secondary schools. The remaining tertiary institutions are owned and funded by state governments, while other secondary schools are owned and funded by state governments, communities and private organizations.The administration and management of state government-owned secondary schools falls under the remit of state Ministries of Education. The administration of public primary schools falls under the local education authorities. Aims/Goals of Education in Nigeria The purpose of education refers to the aims, goals and objectives of education. Abimbola (1993), while clarifying curriculum aims, goals and objectives, cited Zais (1976) who proposed the use of purposes as targets because he, (Zais) is of the opinion that aims, goals and objectives are purposes at differing target distances and levels of specifity. Aims are the expression of purpose at the highest level such as the national level which can only be achieved in a distant future after the child has passed out of school. Aims according to Broudy (1971), are statements that describe expected life outcomes based on some value schemes either consciously or unconsciously borrowed from philosophy (p. 306). Aims are not related directly to school or classroom outcomes. Goals and Objectives are educational purposes directly related to school and classroom outcomes respectively. Goals are expression of purposes specified for achievement at each level of education. When the purpose of education for a country is being discussed, the term aim of education may be used. Purpose of Education in Nigeria The purpose of education in Nigeria includes unparalleled development of science and its application to industry and technology for better living. The National Policy on Education spells out the purpose of Education in Nigeria as an Instrument par excellence for effecting national development; to use education as a tool to achieve its national objectives; to make such education relevant to the needs of the individual and set its goal in terms of the kind of society desired in relation to the environment and realities of the modern world and rapid social changes (p. iv).In section 1, (p. 7) of the National Policy on Education,the observation is made that since the national policy on education is geared toward achieving that part of its national objectives that can be achieved using education as a tool, no policy on education ban be formulated without first identifying the whole philosophy and objectives of the nation. Reference is therefore made to the five main national objectives of Nigeria already stated in the National Development plan and endorsed as the necessary foundation for the National Policy on Education. These are the building of: a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united, strong and self-reliant nation;a great and dynamic economy and a land of bright and full opportunities for citizens The implication of this is that the Nigeria Philosophy of Education according to Adeyinka (1992) is based on: The integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen; and Equal education opportunities at all levels, both within and outside the formal school system. For the philosophy to be in harmony with Nigerias national objective, it has to be geared towards the values, aims and objectives stated at the National curriculum conference of 1969 and specifically stated in the National Policy on Education as the General Objectives of Education in Nigeria which are as follows: (a) The inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of the individual and of society. This is an objective which can concern mainly the affective domain; (b) The inculcation of national consciousness and national unity. This is also an objective mainly in the affective domain; (c) The training of the mind in the understanding of the world around. This is aimed at developing the intellectual aspect of human beings. (d) The acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the development of his society. This objective is aimed at developing the intellectual, affective and psychomotor domains of human nature simultaneously. This is why education should be seen as aiming to develop all aspects of human persons simultaneously. Aims of Education in Nigeria Nigeria has been classified over the years among the developing nations of the world. That is, among those nations that are not as technologically advanced as Europe, United States of America and the Russia. These Countries are known to be largely illiterate and poor. They lack medical facilities especially when compared with the technologically advanced countries. The aims of education in these countries will be how to eradicate these problems. The aim of education in developing countries has been summarized by Adeyinka and Kolawde (1995) as follows: 1. Learning to live according to the old traditions of the people (society). 2. Learning to live according to the traditions of other countries in order to imbibe their religion, their culture and their social life. 3.Learning to live modern life of technologically advanced countries. Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Lesotho, all in Africa, have a common trend. All of them were colonies under European countries which became independent after serving their masters for a number of years. These countries and some others have been striving for a stable government, dynamic economy and education that can deliver the goods. This is the root of the aims of education in developing countries stated below: 1. To promote national unity and international understanding; 2. To remove social inequalities, poverty, high-way robbery, hunger, diseases, squalor; illiteracy, ignorance, superstition, pride and fear; 3. To provide individual happiness and pleasure, self- realization, public morality and aesthetic development; 4. To train for good citizenship, health improvement, vocational competence, industrial and commercial developments and adult literacy; 5. To produce adequate manpower for economic development so that there could be less dependence on expatriates; 6. To create a society with high moral standards; 7. To eradicate the problem of economic and technological dependence on the advanced countries of the world; and 8. To promote public enlightenment and civilized behavior. (Adeyinka, et al; 1995) Financing of Education in Nigeria Financing of basic education All three tiers of government†federal, state, and local†fund primary education. Federal and state governments: Capital expenditures (buildings, books, and furniture) come from the federal and state governmentsâ„ ¢ share of the Federation Account.The Federation Account holds all federally collected revenues. The funds are divided among the three tiers of government according to a formula determined by the NationalAssembly. Some of the funds in this account accrue from government-owned mineral resources, a set percentage (13%) of which is returned to the states, apportioned on the basis of the statesâ„ ¢ original contributions. Thereafter, 15% of VAT revenues are distributed to the federal government, 50% to state governments, and 35% to local governments. Of the funds remaining within the Federation Account, 54.7% goes to the federal government, 24.7% to state governments, and 20.6% to local governments.State governments also pay the recurrent costs for managing State Primary Education Boards (SPEBs), Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAs), and primary schools. Local governments: The local governmentsâ„ ¢ 20.6% share of the Federation Account results in two types of local funding for education. First, at the state level, a percentage of the local share (a first charge) is set aside for primary school teachersâ„ ¢ salaries and allowances. Local governments may then use a part of what remains for direct assistance to primary schools. They also contribute own-source revenues to primary education. Financing Higher Education. Higher education relates to all forms of post-secondary education such as the Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education, Monotechnics and Professional schools (Abdu 2003). Oghenekohwo (2004) classified the funding of higher education into two regimes namely: Pre-deregulation regime Deregulation regime In the pre-deregulation regime, higher education funding in Nigeria was done by government or public funding alone. High priority was accorded to funding higher education, thereby creating a wrong impression amongst Nigerians that funding of higher education is the exclusive preserve of governments. On the other hand in the deregulation regime, which is mostly a post Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) inevitability, things began to change. The benefits of the acquisition of any higher education programme now went largely to the individual as a private good for which beneficiaries and their families should pay.In the submission of Okebukola (2003), he noted that an additional concomitant of the private good is that, grants have been changed to loans, pacing major burdens on many university graduates. The financing of education should be the function of all the major stakeholders. This is because government alone cannot fund higher education. There are many stakeholders involved in the success of any educational system. The major stakeholders include the governments, educational institutions, parents/guardians and the private sector that employs the output of these institutions. Others include the students and the society in general. In private institutions, the incidence lies mostly on the individual while for the public sector ownership it lays on the public sector. The benefits of higher education should be identified. Some studies argued that education service should be above market forces and therefore should be provided free meaning that government should bear the cost of education so that the poor in the society can also get education. Other studies believed that not all levels of education ensures equity but rather there is higher private returns in higher education and as such individuals should be made to bear the cost of their higher education (Psacharopolous, 1996), while funding by the government should be limited to the basic education alone. Teaching Profession in Nigeria. In the past, to teach in primary school a person needed a Teacher Certificate Grade II (TCGDII) from four years of secondary school at a Grade II Teacher-training college. These were phased out after 1998, when the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) became the required diploma for all primary and junior secondary school teachers. In 1996, out of approximately 420,000 primary school teachers in the country, about 80 percent had either the NCE or TCGDII (equally divided between the two). The government created the National Teachers Institute (NTI) in 1978 to conduct programs that would upgrade teacher qualifications to the NCE level, with most of this training carried out by distance learning. Between 1993 and 1996, the NTI graduated 34,486 in their NCE distance learning programs. In 2000, it trained 20,000 teachers. A Bachelor of Education program with NTI received approval by the government at the end of 2000. NTI also conducts workshops and conferences on curriculum development and in other areas of teacher training. To teach in senior secondary schools a person must have either a bachelors degree in education or a bachelors degree in a subject field combined with a postgraduate diploma in education. The faculty in senior secondary schools are among the best qualified in the country, almost all holding bachelors degree. A few teachers possess the NCE. The bachelors degree programs in education are offered at major teacher universities. Of the 63 colleges of education offering the three-year NCE program, about a third are owned by the federal government, and about half by state governments. The remaining are privately owned. All are under the supervision of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), which sets and maintains standards and approves of courses and programs for all universities in Nigeria. To teach at Nigerian universities, teachers must have qualifications that are similar to professors at U.S. and European universities, usually a doctorate. At the university level, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) represents university faculty, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) bargains for the senior non-academic workers. The Academic Staff Unions of Polytechnics (ASUP) represents polytechnic faculty members. These unions are very active. The major teacher organization representing primary and secondary school teachers is the Nigeria Union of Teachers. Although it is very active, NUT has been unable to change the unsatisfactory conditions under which teachers work. Another major concern of teachers is salary. Not only is payment often incomplete, but the salaries are low. Salaries are set by the local, state, and federal governments, depending on which level controls the institution.. Challenges of Education in Nigeria Education is the bedrock of development. But unfortunately education in Nigeria is bisected with myriads of problems. These include: Poor Preparation and Malpractices: Experts in the education sector have been able to identify examination malpractices with poor preparation of students for an examination, and lack of self confidence. In view of the rising costs of education students and even their parents will not ordinarily want to be held back by any form of deficit or failure in any of the required subjects hence will go to any length to ensure success.In some cases, some teachers at the secondary school level are involved by way of encouraging students to contribute money in order to secure the needed assistance during such examinations because they, the teachers are left with no other alternative considering the fact that they are aware of the inadequate preparation of their students as well as the lack of facilities to get them properly prepared before examination. Exploitation and Educational Standard:A close assessment of activities in schools have revealed that, students are made to suffer undue amount of exploitation by school heads at both private and public schools in the name of enrolment fees and assurance of success in their examination and this they do in collaboration with the ministry officials who are suppose to inspect and monitor activities in schools to ensure standard compliance. Despite the fact that most of the schools lack basic learning facilities and a complete set of teachers. In like manner, students are being surcharged in a number of ways in tertiary institutions either in the name of dues that are not accounted for, force purchase of reading and other learning materials at exorbitant rate or on services of which staff are being paid for as assigned responsibility and official provision made by the respective institution. All these lead to lowering of the academic ability of students. Orientation and Educational Standard: In view of the prevalence of examination malpractices and other related irregularities in schools at all levels this day, the interest and habit of reading, procurement of books and other skills development materials has drastically dwindled among a number of students. This trend is also observed to have close relationship with rising sexual promiscuity among students. Poor Parenting /Guidance Parenting, entails caring, protection,guidance, provision of basic needs for a child up keep in order for him or her to be properly equipped to meet with the challenges of life, in accordance with the laws of the land. In desperation, many parents have decided to bring in additional innovation by way of not only involve in encouraging, but also finance activities in and around examination venues to effect malpractices in order to brighten the chances of their children or wards in qualifying examination to higher institutions and some even progress on this act through the tertiary level of education. Poverty and Fall in Standard: Acquisition of Education knowledge is supposed to help us fight against-poverty, ignorance and disease. The process of acquiring this well desired knowledge has gradually turned money spinning venture for many of those in dire need of the knowledge and skill. It is now a source of exploitation from the service seekers with little or no consideration for quality of service rendered and facilities on ground, and made an offer for the highest bidder. A trend which has cut across all levels of education, from nursery school to tertiary institutions. The concept, poverty, refers to a situation and process of serious deprivation or lack of resources and materials necessary for living within a minimum standard conducive for human dignity and well being (NEST, 1992: 16). Admission and being in school today is merely an ability to pay what is demanded in monetary terms by school operators and not on what could be offered academically. And this in essence widens t he scope of poverty prevalence as well as the gap between the rich and the poor which education is designed to bridge. Little wonder why graduates from many of the institutions exhibits ignorance towards societal realities and lack of creativity, due to the inadequacies associated with the learning and training process which is also observed to be partly because many of those that offer this service do so with greed. The Need for Research Development: This research sub-sector that is grossly neglected in Nigeria and play upon indiscriminately is the basis for the socio economic, political, scientific and technological advancement of our most admired developed nations of the world today. Therefore, conscious effort towards qualitative and durable educational system needs to be put in place for posterity in Nigeria. Funding /Constrains: The gross under funding of the educational sector in the country in general and the neglect of the maintenance of the physical facilities. Instructional and living conditions have deteriorated in many of these schools, classrooms, libraries and laboratories are nothing to write home about, all leading to decline in academic standards. Attention must be focused on these areas too if these educational institution are to get out of the woods and this is only possible through adequate funding. Since 1986 when the federal military government introduced the structural adjustment programme SAP, allocation of financial resource started to fall coupled with the consistent decline in the value of local currency till date. Which have also consistently affected the procurement of imported technical and scientific equipments, books, journals and other instructional needs in the educational system. Education system in Nigeria today, needs a total overhauling and restructuring, this reform is required to improve the performance of higher education in the country, the nation entered the 21st century insufficiently prepared to cope or compete in the global economy, where growth will be based even more heavily on technical and scientific knowledge (World Bank 1994). It is also a well known fact that the inadequacies always observed among many undergraduates and graduates alike is as a result of the inadequacies associated with the primary and the secondary education system in Nigeria. Though, the system is expensive to keep afloat, quality however in any form is partly a function of the total fund made available to the system and judiciously utilized for the purpose to which it is meant for. Funds are required and necessary to maintain both the human and material resources of the system in order to achieve desired goals. Also there is the need for an effective monitoring of the management of fund presently being allocated to the sector, as effort should be intensify to improve on what is currently being allocated to the system. Organizational Influence on Educational Standard Many viewers have observed that, most corporate organizations today in the country are fond of employing series of measures which are in effect bias and unproductive. They indulge in an unfair selective judgment on applicants seeking employment opportunity into their establishment, by way of using certificate grades as well as institution attended as prerequisites for interview attendance and recruitment. In some cases, they rather prefer candidates with first class and second class grade certificate and those that attended the first generation universities at the detriment of some others with lesser grade who might be better if given equal opportunity. This is their own way of encouraging irregularities and malpractices in the process of grade acquisition by prospective job seekers, therefore compromising standard and perpetual dependence on the services of foreign expatriates for both medium and high tech services. Lessons for Kenya. It has been said that the criteria for assessing any educational system are: the curriculum of study, the state of infrastructural facilities, the quality of students, the quality and quantity of staff, the competence of leadership, the level of funding and the direction and consistency of policy. In the area of curriculum and policy in Nigeria, the main problem is not with formulation as such but implementation. The implementation of laudable policies has often been hampered by incessant change of government, unstable academic calendars, poor and inadequate facilities, lack of motivation for staff, insecurity of life and property and the unwillingness of the products to make positive contribution to society. In this, Kenya can learn the importance of consistency in implementation of education policies despite changes in political leadership. Also the importance of proper motivation of teachers to ensure efficient and effective curriculum implementation. Failure to adhere to effective curriculum implementation may lead Kenya the Nigerian way i.e. the Nigerian system churns out a morally decadent and intellectually inept child who is a threat to both parents and society. The Nigerian youth are yet to imbibe the right type of values and attitudes. Rather, Nigerian schools and campuses have become breeding grounds for cultism, gangsterism, hooliganism, armed robbery, sexual promiscuity, examination malpractices, and a host of other vices. Instead of producing pragmatic and altruistic students, the Nigerian educational system churns out students who are egoistic, individualistic and escapists who are not interested in solving societys problems. In Nigeria, another area of serious decline is that of staffing. Time has gone when teachers were the best both in character and learning. What we have today is a pathetic story of pathetic teachers producing pathetic citizens. Kenya can learn the critical need of proper vetting of teachers to weed out rogue teachers before they teach wrong doctrine by bad example. A body to do the same needs to be put in place as the TSC seems overwhelmed by its broad mandate. Teacher qualification is another area Kenya can borrow from Nigeria. While in Kenya people with a teaching certificate teach in primary schools, Nigeria is moving to diploma holders at this level. Their tactic of systematic neglect has turned Nigerian educational institutions to an arena of the absurd. Apart from under-paying teachers (which had led to massive brain-drain), the money allocated to education falls kilometers short of the UNESCO recommended 25% of annual budget. The Kenyan primary free education concept can learn the importance of proper funding and the need to follow up to ensure the money ends up in the right use failure to which the poor state of infrastructure and consequent poor performance in public institutions will persist. With the coming into being of county governments in Kenya, the system of financing lower cadres of the education system can be adopted from Nigeria so that the central government concentrates on the higher levels of education financing. Bibliography Abimbola (1993) Guiding Philosophical perspectives U.M.O Ivowi, (Ed.) Curriculum development in Nigeria, (pp. 4-16) Ibadan: Sam Bookman Educational And Communication Services. Zais, R.S. (1976). Curriculum: Principles and foundations. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. Inc. Broudy, H.S. (1971). The philosophical foundations of educational objectives. In M. Levit (Ed.) Curriculum: Reading in philosophy of education. University of Illinois Press. Adeyinka, A.A. (1992). Book of reading in educational theory and practice in A. Akinyemi, (Ed.) llorin:Institute of Education, University of llorin, llorin, Nigeria Adeyinka, A.A. Kolawole D. (1995). History and philosophy of education. Unpublished Manuscript, Available for the Department of Education Foundations University of llorin, llorin, Nigeria. Abdu, P.S (2003) The Cost and Finance of Education in Nigeria Education Today Quarterly; June, Vol. 10 (1); 12 â€Å" 16 Oghenekohwo, J.E. (2004) Deregulation Policy and Its Implication of the Funding of the University Education in Nigeria in Journal of Research ion Education, Jan June Vol 3 (1) Pg 204-224. Okebukola, P (2003) Issues in Funding University Education in Nigeria. NUC Monograph Series, Abuja, MUC. Psacharopoulos, G. (1984) The Contribution of Education to Economic Growth International Comparisons in J. Kendrick (ed) International Productivity Comparisons and Cause of the Showdown. Cambridge Mass: Ballenger Aina, A.T. and A. T. Salau.1992. The challenge of sustainable Development in Nigeria. Nigerian Environment Study/Action Team (NEST). An NGO report prepared for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, June 1-12, p. 8, 16. World Bank (1994). Higher Education: The Lessons of Experience. Washington D.C: The World Bank. Online sources rti.org/pubs/Financing_Education_Nigeria.pdf accessed on 26th January 2011 mapsofworld.com/nigeria/education/ accessed on 26th January 2011

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Research approach in the social world - Essay Example s, many researches were conducted regarding teenage pregnancy (Colleta, 1981; Barth and Schinke, 1984; Crockenberg, 1987; Whitehead, 1994; Kelly, 1997; Cater and Coleman, 2006). According to Teenage Pregnancy Associates (2011: 1), despite the case that the teenage pregnancy rate in United Kingdom decreased about 18 percent since 1998, England still had the highest rate accumulating a total of 35,966 conceptions under 18 years old in 2009. It is the case that the society in which we live in highly discriminates and stigmatises teenage pregnancy. There are different ‘imaginative measures’ to make teenage motherhood look nasty, disagreeable and immoral, thus ‘uglifying’ teenage pregnancy (Whitehead, 1994: 55 – 81). Girls who have been pregnant at an early age are labelled as sluts, ho, promiscuous, ignorant, incompetent, irresponsible, and so on (Kelly, 1997: 165 – 180). In this case, these young girls are stigmatized for being young moms. However, this concern is not just personal but also with the trend, the society is also alarmed. Different institutions like government, economy, education, church, and most specially, the institution of the family have been upset with the numbers young mothers. Basically, the reason that has pushed me to investigate this research topic regarding teenage pregnancy is because of how our society views these pregnant teens as well as the teenage moms. Thus, the necessity to conduct an exploratory study of the experienced and circumstances contributing to the crisis of teenage pregnancy can be backed – up by the current situation of our society in relation to the issues on teenage pregnancy. However, in this study, instead of looking from the perspective of society, this will examine the perspective of the young moms. The question of who will be the beneficiaries of this academic endeavor is not only the pregnant teens and teenage moms but the society as a whole because as the stories of these girls are told through this

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HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT - Labor Laws and Unions - Essay Example The Company’s mission is to â€Å"connect people with their world everywhere they live, work and do it better than anyone else†. AT & T Inc has been accused of inhuman treatment of their employees and overtime payment row to their middle managers in a number of states (Sterling Attorneys, 2011). In the first case, AT&T was accused of requiring employees to stand all day when attending to customers in newly acquired stores notwithstanding the extended hours of operation to 12-13 hours a day. AT&T was in breach of The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) which stipulates the minimum wage and overtime pay. It is not only individuals that enjoy a wide range of benefits arising by virtue of being a member of a trade union but also organizations. For instance, organizations stand a better chance of identifying challenges faced by their workers owing to liaison with workers representatives. This gives an opportunity to tackle the problems faced by employees in due time. The Unionization process begins with gathering information about whether there is an existing union in the organization. If there is an existing union then an individual will contact them for further information. In case no union exists in the organization then employees will have to build their own union by coming together to sign an â€Å"Authorization† card. The next step involves making the union official by holding a secret ballot election under the supervision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers can also make their union official by asking the employer to voluntarily recognize the association. The trade unions tend to bargain through collective bargain whereby the union agents on behalf of the unionized employees, petition the employer to take into consideration a particular interest of the employees such as pay rise or improved working condition. Unions bring about serious implications on employers. In case the union disagrees on

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Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple - Personal Statement Example The fourth element is the channel, which is the mechanism that transmits the message. The fifth element is the feedback, which is the return message from the receiver to the sender. Another important element in the communication process is what communication specialists call noises, which tend to disrupt the communication. There are two main noises: mechanical noise and semantic noise. Mechanical noise has to do with such things as static on the radio, lines of type missing from a newspaper, or coughing during a lecture. Semantic noise is the degree of potential misunderstanding between sender and receiver. There are a number of barriers that tend to frustrate, impede, or even halt communication. These barriers may be personal, monological, ideological, or socio-cultural. Personal Barriers can be traced when the sender or receiver or both have negative feelings towards the other. Another example is the physical personal barriers, such as when one of the communicants has a headache or is sleepy. As for the monological barrier, it is when the communicator loses touch with the receivers because he or she is so self-occupied, and is blind to the nature and needs of the audience. On the other hand, many communication problems stem from the fact that communicants have different basic ideologies or political orientations. In addition, communicants will always have trouble communicating if they are not using the same language. Lastly, it is hard to communicate well with someone who has a different culture or belong to a different society. This is due to the differences in values, traditions, background, religion, economic status, etc. Strategies for Managing Interpersonal Conflicts: Dealing with... The management of our own non-verbal communication is extremely important. As nonverbal communication is capable of changing the spoken words in many ways, it is important to realize that we can safeguard our own communication against misinterpretation, if our nonverbal supports our verbal message. In other words, unless we manage the nonverbal attributes of our message so that they are compatible with our words, our total message is open to misinterpretation and may be screwed up. To put it clearly, if the receiver lacks awareness of the significance of the factors influencing the nonverbal communication, then he is likely to remain confused. It can be said that a large portion of a message comes not from the words spoken, but from nonverbal attributes that can be transmitted and received consciously or unconsciously. Such nonverbal communication usually serves a variety of functions in relation to verbal communication. Examples of these functions include repeating, complementing, c ontradicting, substituting, and regulating. Thus, the person who is not only aware of the nonverbal message and the factors influencing it, but also who manages his own nonverbal communication, is less likely to be confused or confusing. Finally, it can be concluded that most researchers agree on the importance and significance of nonverbal attributes in interpersonal communication. This belief is the motive behind the quotation: "What are words when the body can bend, cry, shout, and jump! There's language in one's eyes' and cheeks, lips and hips."

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Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example To conduct a rhetorical analysis, the first step is the identification of the purpose or the author's intent. Questions like what occasion give rise to the need for writing and the intentions of the author are evaluated. The author may attack, defend, praise, blame or teach about a given phenomena. The next step involves the identification of the audience; this involves the identifying and classifying the audience to either primary or secondary audiences as well as identifying the author values for the audience. The third step involves identification of rhetorical strategies used to appeal the audience accept the author views. One common appeal is the aristotean appeal which groups the author's concept to either Ethos Logos or Pathos. Ethos appeals refer to the character and confidence of the writer as well as his credibility. Pathos refers to the emotional appeals, use of repetition and description while logos refer to the use of definitions, laws, statistics and comparisons to conv ince the audience. In conclusion, it is somehow difficult to conduct rhetorical analysis especially identifying the different appeals as well as the audience classification.

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MASTERPECIS - Essay Example He is talking about the loneliness he felt in the month of November accompanied by the misty lonely woods .The poet explains the beauty of the hills and experience of the trembling lake which exaggerated his loneliness. In this poem the poet is trying to connect with the objects of the magnificent nature to overcome his undying solitude. He takes the company of the nature and tries to reflect his solitude and despair with it. He finds the solitary element in all the objects of nature which is the situation of the heart of the poet. He resembles the sound of the village clock to that of a galloping horse which is full of energy. He his explaining the motion of the earth which we know is just like the moving fields shown in a passing train. He is trying hard to forma communion with nature and gets lightened by the extreme beauty and moves of nature. Comparison of William Wordsworth’s ideas with William Blake William Wordsworth and William Blake were great romantic poets of 17th century and described their feeling through the beauty of nature. Both of them had an undying love and passion for the nature and believed in the divinity existed in the universe. There can also be seen certain other comparisons between Wordsworth and Blake in how they admired the grace and benevolence of divine nature. Apparently, both these poets believed greatly in the imaginative power of the human being and praised the primitive instinct of a man. Both Wordsworth and Blake saw the characteristics of god in his vast creations and urged for the communion with the divine power. These poets are greatly influenced by the overpowering beauty and grace of the nature and strived to merge with nature to find God. According to Cutajar(2011)â€Å"In his poems such as The Prelude and Tintern Abbey, Nature is personified with Godlike characteristics and it becomes the object of love and worship. Wordsworth believed that this â€Å"natural piety† has given his life consistency and co herence†. This shows that how much Wordsworth was influenced by the nature and god Similar to Wordsworth, Blake also believe in harmony, serenity and divinity in the nature and wants to get back to the primitive nature of man.Applebaum(1996)writes that, â€Å"Serene will be our days and bright, And happy will our nature be, When love is an unerring light, And joy its own security†These lines of Blake depict the love and passion he had for nature and god same like Wordsworth. William Blake found the innocence in the nature which was real and authentic, and Wordsworth also idealized the uncorrupted glory of nature. It can be noticed that the both poets gave much emphasis on God and nature and their theme was exclusively God and universe. They both had the extreme awareness of god and divinity inside them and experienced this through the exalting beauty of nature. They instantly felt the mysterious beauty of nature which can never be altered or created by human at any cost . They were impressed by nature and is stunned by the divine play of God and craved to be a part o f him. Both these poet listen to the inner voice of their heart and connect themselves with the explicit charm of nature and God. Contrast in William Wordsworth’s ideas with William Blake Both William Wordsworth and William Blake were great poets of their time in England and Scenic beauty of the country was their inspiration. However,

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Terrorism Represents The Most Significant Threat Criminology Essay To start with, Terrorism is not a new phenomenon; it was first used in the 18th century during French Revolution, but its definition is still a subject of debate in the international bodies. The term Terrorism has been defined differently by different people, governmental, non-governmental and international organisations in the field of international relations and beyond. Within the United States of America Terrorism is defined differently, taking some examples, The United States Department of Defence defines terrorism as the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.  [2]  However The FBI uses a different definition as: Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.  [3]   Outside the United States, there are greater variations in other features of terrorism; United Nations defines Terrorism in 1992 as; An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent actions, employed by (semi-) clandestine individuals, groups or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby in contrast to assassination the direct targets of violence are not the main targets.  [4]   The Key legal definition of terrorism in the UK legislation is contained in the Terrorism Act (2000); In this Act terrorism means the use or threat of action where- (a) The action falls within subsection (b) The use or threat is designed to influence the government or an International governmental organisation or to intimidate the public Or a section of the public, and (c) The use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.  [5]   One of the most comprehensive and solid studies of modern terrorism required more than a hundred pages to survey and compare the various definitions.  [6]  Walter Laqueur, as frustrated with the proliferation of the definition of terrorism concludes that any definition of political terrorism venturing beyond noting the systematic use of murder, injury and destruction or threats of such acts towards achieving political ends is bound to lead to endless controversy. As a result it can be predicted with confidence that the arguments about a comprehensive and detailed definition of terrorism will continue for a long time that they will not result in an agreement and that they will make no notable contribution towards the understanding of terrorism.  [7]   Sometimes it might be just easy to generalize terrorist groups, whereas at other times it is important to recognize significant differences because they can be critical for shaping policy responses. In the sense that they have all engaged in acts that meet most definition of terrorism. The Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Al-Qaeda, can all be considered terrorist organisations. Whereas, they are very different in terms of their motives, goals and objectives, as well as the attacks committed. The IRA can be viewed as a traditional terrorist in the sense that they involve in small scale bombings, they also tend to calibrate their use of violence, using enough to rivet world attention but not much as to alienate supporters abroad.  [8]   Al-Qaeda on the other hand, has much more open political and religious goals and is motivated by a particular form of religious fundamentalism; its tactics and the scale of attacks are in a very different level with the IRA. Although terrorism is not a new thing but the September 11 attack suggests that the world will be dealing with something very different, September 11 is very different type terrorism from what the world is used to. It is particularly significant because religious motivated organisations have been increasing in number since the 1980s. According to Hoffman, only two of the sixty-four groups active in 1980s, could be classified as predominantly religious in character. The majority of terrorist groups were nationalist and ethnic in nature, but by 1995, however religious groups are nearly half of the sixty-four known in the 1980s.  [9]   In addition to the organisations that fuse fundamentalist religious doctrine with political aims, there are also groups like the Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, that conduct a Sarin Nerve gas attack or the Tokyo subway in March, 1995, killing twelve people and taking as many as 5000 to the hospital.  [10]  Generalisation of terrorist or terrorism organisations can sometimes be complicated, because recognising their motives can make it easier to respond its problems. Terrorism is posing severe threats to the whole array of securities. Threats now come from far end not just from neighbouring states. The world today is faced with the problem of the proliferation of nuclear weapons by different states, which has a lot of threat to the international security. The Bombing of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 demonstrates that terrorism is and will remain a central threat to international security as the 21st century has approached. Bombs are the most common form of weapons used by terrorists groups around the world. Many experts fear that terrorists will ultimately resort to weapon of mass destruction terrorism, because they talk about it lot and videos and training manuals that deals with Weapon of Mass Destruction, have been seized from their training camps.  [11]  However researchers who had an interview with imprisoned terrorists found that the terrorists are not interested in Weapon of Mass Destruction.  [12]   Terrorism is seen as the unpredictable mix of threats in todays International security; some see terrorism as the fundamental security threat of the 21st Century, while others argue that it is a minor stress compared to greater threat of global warming or other fatal diseases. Still some group of people argue that terrorist violence is insignificant compared to daily travel accidents in many developed countries.  [13]   Terrorism affects the foreign policy of many nations. A huge number of lives have been destroyed, and material goods worth billions also destroyed. People live in continuous fear of insecurity, because they do not know the next turn of events, or where it would take place.  [14]  International terrorism continues to pose difficult challenges to the world and human security in the international system. Apart from the fear of insecurity terrorism brings about, it also reflects in economic decline, and unemployment, it brings about poverty and a general sense of frustration amongst the victims of terrorism.  [15]   Although the total number of terrorists incidents has declined worldwide in the 1990s, the percentage of terrorist incidents resulting to fatalities has nonetheless increased. According to the (Research and development) RAND-St. Andrews Chronology of International Terrorism, the number of terrorist attacks has declined in the late 1990s.  [16]   Table 1 Source: RAND, RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents, at: http://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/terrorism-incidents/ Table 2. List of Significant Terrorist Attacks from 2001-2009  [17]   Year Attack Fatalities/Injuries Luanda, Angola 10 Aug 2001 Attack on train 152 146 United States of America 11 Sep 2001 crashing of hijacked planes into World Trade, Centre Pentagon and site in Pennsylvania 2,993 8,900 Kuta, Indonesia 12 Oct 2002 car bombing outside nightclub 202 350 Madrid, Spain 11 Mar 2004 Bombings of 4 trains 191 1,876 Kadhimiya and Karbala, Iraq 2 Mar 2004 multiple suicide bombings at shrines 188 430 Uganda 21 Feb 2004 Armed attack and arson at refugee camp 239 60 Baghdad, Iraq 14 Sep 2005 Multiple suicide bombings and shooting attacks 182 679 Hilla, Iraq 28 Feb 2005 Car bombing outside medical clinic 135 130 Baghdad, Iraq 23 Nov 2006 Multiple car bombings 202 250 Mumbai, India 11 Jul 2006 multiple bombings on commuter trains 200 714 Baghdad, Iraq 18 Apr 2007 multiple bombings 193 197 Armili, Iraq 7 Jul 2007 multiple suicide truck bombings 182 270 Al-Qataniyah and Al-Adnaniyah, Iraq 14 Aug 2007 multiple car bombings 520 1,500 Hilla, Iraq 6 Mar 2007 two suicide bombings and additional attacks 137 310 Luanda, Angola 10 Aug 2001 attack on train 152 146 Mumbai, India 26-29 Nov 2008 multiple shooting and grenade attacks and hostage takings 370 includes 9 terrorists killed Peshawar, Pakistan 28 Oct 2009 bombing at marketplace 118 200 Baghdad, Iraq 25 Oct 2009 two vehicle bombings at government buildings 155 540 Baghdad, Iraq 8 Dec 2009 five car bombings 127 448 Sources: Shimko Keith. International Relations, Perspectives and Controversies (USA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008). RAND, RAND Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents, at: http://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/terrorism-incidents/ From the table above, it shows clearly how Terrorism is posing significant threat to innocent civilians around the world, killing hundreds and thousand of innocent people; the New terrorism of the Al Qaeda network has entirely replaced the Old terrorist regimes and movements of the last 3 decades, by far the most worrying and significant trend in terrorism globally is the increase in lethality and towards indiscriminate attacks in public places. World terror represents a true modern epidemic that threatens the very survival of the free world. This shows that terrorism is the most significant threat in International Relations today.

Apple Computer and Long-Term Success Essay -- Technology, Computers, E

In the 1970s, technologies such as video cassette recorders and personal computers were revolutionizing the industry. Co-founders, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, were drawn to this technology revolution and in 1976 started Apple Computers (Abdelsamad et al., 2008). The combination of their charisma and intellect enabled them to design the Apple I computer. Today, Apple is one of the leading technology companies in the world. However, internal factors such as Apple’s unclear marketing plan, employee work life negligence, and financial-legal issues have negatively affected their performance and sullied their corporate reputation. Apple worked to correct the issues that were detracting from their performance and has had great success in recent years. However, Apple must learn to continually monitor these areas in order to achieve long-term success and retain a competitive advantage. Since Apple’s inception, there have been three significant internal factors that have been detrimental to the company’s performance. One of the factors affecting Apple’s performance was their inability to distinguish themselves in their industry. In addition to the fact that Apple would not allow outside computer manufacturers to use their Mac operating system, their products were easily imitable (Abdelsamad et al., 2008).The combination of these two factors allowed their rivals, Windows and Intel, to dominate the personal computer (PC) market. It was necessary for the company to focus on a particular marketing mix to gain an advantage over their competitors (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012). Another detrimental factor that was affecting Apple’s performance was the negative attention the company received when a trade union was formed at a Chinese factory that ... ....ht ml Kurtenbach, E. (2011, December 20). China probing blast at Apple supplier factory. USA Today Tech. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-12-20/apple- factory-explosion/52112678/1 Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2007). Fundamentals of human resource management (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Robertson, D. (2006, August 14). Apple pleads for more time to file. Times - United Kingdom. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Schoonmaker, D. (2005). Apple Store Opens Here. Grand Rapids Business Journal, 23(26), B2. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Supplier responsibility. (n.d.). Apple. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/ . Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2012). Strategic management and business policy: Toward global sustainability (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Free Essay - Review of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

  Review of the Scarlet Letter   The novel opens with an explanation of how the romance of The Scarlet Letter came to be presented as a story in its existing form.   Having always wanted to be a â€Å"literary man†, Nathaniel Hawthorne talks about his three-year stint as a Surveyor in the Salem Custom House.   Mostly filled with older gentlemen, the workplace was a very political, Whig-influenced environment and charged with Puritan history.   After brief character sketches of the personalities in the Custom House, Hawthorne then explains how he came upon a special package among the piles of papers.   It contained a red cloth with the letter â€Å"A† embroidered in gold thread and a manuscript by Jonathan Pue (the man who once held Hawthorne’s job).   Finding the story extremely interesting, the author thus retells the story of Hester Prynne from Massachusetts’s Puritan history.   The first chapter begins with Hester being led to the scaffold where she is to be publicly shamed for having committed adultery.   Hester is forced to wear the letter â€Å"A† on her gown at all times as punishment for her crime.   She has stitched a large scarlet â€Å"A† onto her dress with gold thread, giving the letter an air of elegance.   Hester carries Pearl, her daughter, with her.   On the scaffold she is asked to reveal the name of Pearl’s father, but she refuses.   In the crowd, Hester recognizes her husband from Amsterdam, Roger Chillingworth.   Chillingworth visits Hester after she is returned to the prison.   He tells her that he will find out who the man was, and that he will read the truth on the man’s heart.   He then forces her to promise never to reveal his own identity to anyone else.   Hester moves into a cottage bordering the woods.   She and Pearl live there in relative solitude.   Hester earns her money by doing stitchwork for local dignitaries, but often spends her time helping the poor and sick.   Pearl grows up to be wild, in the sense that she refuses to obey her mother.   Roger Chillingworth earns a reputation as being a good physician.   He uses his reputation to get transferred into the same home as Arthur Dimmesdale, an ailing minister.   Chillingworth eventually discovers that Dimmesdale is the true father of Pearl, at which point he spends every moment trying to torment the minister.   One night Dimmesdale is so overcome with shame about hiding his secret that he walks to the scaffold where Hester was publicly humiliated.

Divorce Essay Essay

The Beginning of the End Growing up I always believed divorce was the worst mistake a couple could make. Now that I am older I now have a different view on divorce. My parents divorced when I was seventeen years old, and since going through this experience I view divorce differently. Although most people think of divorce as a negative thing, I think sometimes it turns out to be the best decision for everyone involved. When I was a little girl all I would hear from people is how divorce was wrong and couples should always work out their differences. My parents would always assure me that â€Å"no matter how much we fight, we will never get a divorce†. As the years went on things started changing in my parent’s relationship and we saw their marriage starting to dissolve. My sister and I could see that they were no longer the happily married couple they had been for the past 25 years. Eventually my father’s personality started to change, and he no longer was interested in family activities or spending quality time with my sister and I. He was not the dad we had known our whole lives. After realizing his behavioral changes he finally went to go see a professional. After a few sessions with the doctor and many counseling sessions with my mom, my dad was diagnosed with depression. We had already seen first hand what depression could do to a marriage, as his parents had gotten divorced after my dad’s mother was diagnosed with depression. As time went by I saw my father’s depression taking a toll on my mother’s happiness and her daily attitude. I wanted both of my parents to be happy, but was that too much to ask of them to stay together? I knew my father had changed and was not the same man my mom had fallen in love with 25 years earlier. My dad was no longer the fun, ambitious, adventurous guy my mom had met back in college. Instead my dad was bitter, had frequent outburst, and a constant negative outlook on life. When my parents finally reached the decision to divorce my family knew it was going to be a tough road ahead. Although my sister and I were upset we knew it was for the best, it was just going to take some adjusting. Luckily the divorce was very civil and my parents are still able to maintain a peaceful relationship for the sake of my sister and I. We both know my parents love us and that the divorce had nothing to do with anything we had done. My dad has since gotten help and my sister and I visit him often. He is getting back to the fun, loving, kind man we all knew him to be. Unfortunately, my dad waited to late to make changes in his life to save his marriage. Today, my parents are both in healthy relationships with other people. My sister and I enjoy spending time with both families and feel blessed these new people are in our lives. I had a very negative view on marriage when my parents told me they were divorcing, but since that time I feel not everyone gets divorced and marriage takes a lot of work. Although the divorce was hard to swallow, it is good to see both of my parents happy again. Now that my parent’s divorce is final everyone seems to be more peaceful and happy with their lives. I am not saying divorce is the right decision for everyone, but I am saying depending on the situation sometimes it is the best choice. I have learned through my experience not to judge others that are divorced because everyone’s situation is different. I feel my parents made the right decision for our family and I am a stronger, and happier person as a result.

Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher , is an adaptation of the Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera, music and book by Andrew Llyod Webber. The musical The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The movie stars Gerard Butler as The Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, in the leading roles. While watching the movie, you can't help but notice all of the spectacular sets. Each of the sets matches the time period perfectly and the details that are put into the sets is beyond mazing.The Phantoms underground lair is a great example of an exquisitely detailed set. The lights and the sets work together hand in hand to create an atmosphere of mystery and sadness. The lights depict the pre electric era when stage lighting was done with gas light. It provided a warm-looking environment. An example of this lighting would also be the Phantoms lair. While he uses an abundance of candles, those candles still create shadows in wh ich he hides his deformity. The costumes and make up in this movie are absolutely phenomenal.They portray the extravagance of the opera performers using bright and colorful make up and huge dresses, to the simple and lightly colored white dresses that Christine wears that represents her youthful purity and innocence. Christine's lack of makeup enhances her look of youthful innocence also. The Phantom, on the other hand, with his stark white mask, his black slicked back hair, and sweeping black cape represents the mystery of the character. The direction of this movie starts with it being well cast, especially the three main roles.The lead actors are realistically portrayed, while the characters taking part in the opera performance are more presentational. The gravelly sound of Gerard Butlers voice add s to the tragedy of his character, the Phantom. In the direction of the movie, Joel Schumacher aids with the development of his actors characters. One thing that stood out for me was wh en the Phantom leads Christine down to his underground lair, and all she's looking at is him. She is memorized by the Phantoms mystery and almost starts to fall in love with him.The overall theme of this movie is love goes deeper than what is shown on the outside. When Christine pulls of the Phantoms mask for the second time, she finally sees what his deformity is. The fact that she is not disgusted and appalled by what she sees shows that she really truly loves him for who he is and not what he looks like underneath the mask. The Phantom of the Opera is by far one of the best movies I have honestly ever seen. It has such a beautiful and powerful message that I think everyone can learn something from watching the movie. Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher , is an adaptation of the Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera, music and book by Andrew Llyod Webber. The musical The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The movie stars Gerard Butler as The Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, in the leading roles. While watching the movie, you can't help but notice all of the spectacular sets. Each of the sets matches the time period perfectly and the details that are put into the sets is beyond mazing.The Phantoms underground lair is a great example of an exquisitely detailed set. The lights and the sets work together hand in hand to create an atmosphere of mystery and sadness. The lights depict the pre electric era when stage lighting was done with gas light. It provided a warm-looking environment. An example of this lighting would also be the Phantoms lair. While he uses an abundance of candles, those candles still create shadows in wh ich he hides his deformity. The costumes and make up in this movie are absolutely phenomenal.They portray the extravagance of the opera performers using bright and colorful make up and huge dresses, to the simple and lightly colored white dresses that Christine wears that represents her youthful purity and innocence. Christine's lack of makeup enhances her look of youthful innocence also. The Phantom, on the other hand, with his stark white mask, his black slicked back hair, and sweeping black cape represents the mystery of the character. The direction of this movie starts with it being well cast, especially the three main roles.The lead actors are realistically portrayed, while the characters taking part in the opera performance are more presentational. The gravelly sound of Gerard Butlers voice add s to the tragedy of his character, the Phantom. In the direction of the movie, Joel Schumacher aids with the development of his actors characters. One thing that stood out for me was wh en the Phantom leads Christine down to his underground lair, and all she's looking at is him. She is memorized by the Phantoms mystery and almost starts to fall in love with him.The overall theme of this movie is love goes deeper than what is shown on the outside. When Christine pulls of the Phantoms mask for the second time, she finally sees what his deformity is. The fact that she is not disgusted and appalled by what she sees shows that she really truly loves him for who he is and not what he looks like underneath the mask. The Phantom of the Opera is by far one of the best movies I have honestly ever seen. It has such a beautiful and powerful message that I think everyone can learn something from watching the movie.