Wednesday, October 30, 2019

COMM480 QUIZ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

COMM480 QUIZ - Essay Example She is also responsible for assisting the International Students Association in its activities by coordinating transportation and booking venues. She is prepared to deal with anything that comes her way, as many international students require her expertise in applying for driver’s licenses, medical insurance, and travel documents. Although Nikki does much nitty-gritty work of taking care of everyone, she enjoys the rewarding experience. As the secretary of ISO, international students gravitate to the office and often share their stories with her. She feels that one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is having the chance to learn about all these different countries and cultures. â€Å"There was an Irish student a couple of years ago. Perhaps it is the fact that he came from a remote part of Ireland, but his hometown only eats food that are readily available. When he came to Albright, he was astonished by how common ice cream is and explained that ice cream was more of an occasional luxury.† Nikki recalls, â€Å"I was really surprised since I never expected ice cream to be so special.† Nikki said that her job allows her to connect with students on a more personal level since she helps with international students affairs. As a secretary, she can simply be a friend who is willing to listen and share your problems. She believes that international students can thrive in the close-knit community of Albright. Although many international students feel uncomfortable in the new environment and try to stay within their ethnic circles, Nikki encourages students to open up to ne culture and be confident in their English. â€Å"As long as you can take the initiative to try to interact with local students, you will enjoy your four years of college at Albright. After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, as some of you might not come back to the United States afterwards and none of you will go to

Monday, October 28, 2019

Kingdom of Life Essay Example for Free

Kingdom of Life Essay The Kingdom of Monera is the smallest in size in the biological world but are the most in terms of numbers. They can be found almost everywhere on earth. Monerans are the only kingdom of the prokaryotic type, organisms that lack a nucleus. The most common of this kind is the bacteria, which most people know are harmful for it causes illnesses and some degrees of food poisoning. The division of a single bacterium into two similar daughter cells constitutes the bacterial growth. This process is called binary fission which in turn promotes its population to grow exponentially. Bacteria are said to be the first inhabitants of Earth. Protozoa, fungus-like protists and the algae are the major categories under the kingdom of Protista. Members are categorized as colonial, unicellular or multi-cellular. Organisms under this kingdom are all eukaryotic, meaning they all have a true nucleus. Most undergo mitosis for their growth while some by meiosis and fertilization for their reproduction process. All organisms live in a water-based environment. Network forming which is called mycelia is the common process in which members of the kingdom of fungi grow. Fungi cause diseases in plant like smuts and rusts, while severe damage are from stem root and leaf rots. Most common in humans are athlete’s foot and ringworm among others. Animal diseases are very hard to treat because of its genetic and chemical similarity to fungi. Harmful as they may seem, some fungi members play significant roles in the ecological system. Some plants can’t grow without fungi. Breakthroughs in medicine are synthesized from fungi while others are used for food. The environment can not take form without plants. Humans can’t live without them. That is how important the kingdom of plantae is to our planet and to our lives. Said to lived 360 million years ago, plants vary in sizes, from very small kind to tall huge trees. Plants reproduce asexually and grow with the help of external factors. They are the only living organisms that are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis. Members of the kingdom Animalia are all heterotrophs. Animals, for their sustenance and survival, depends on other organisms around them. All organisms of the kingdom are eukaryotic and multicellular. Animals reproduce sexually through their special cells which when united form the zygotes that later grow into a new individual. The first recorded phyla of this kingdom was a marine specie some 542 million years ago. References: Windows Team, (1998, December 17). Windows to the Universe. Â   Retrieved, September 27, 2008 from, http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/life/monera.html Carter, Stein J., (2004, November 3). SC Links. Â   Retrieved, September 27, 2008 from, http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio106/protista.htm

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Mother and Daughter Relationship Exposed in Joyce Carol Oates Short Sto

Mother and Daughter Relationship Exposed in Joyce Carol Oates' Short Story, Shopping The relationship between a mother and a daughter is one of complications, heartaches, and sweet rewards.   This is no exception between Nola and Mrs. Dietrich, characters in "Shopping" by Joyce Carol Oates.   The tribulations of their relationship are shown during their annual shopping trip.   In the time spent together, Nola is obviously trying to break free from her mother and become her own woman.   This coming-of-age path is expressed by her "private thoughts" and   "answers in monosyllables" (Oates 834).   As Nola desperately tries to acquire her own self, her Mrs. Dietrich desperately tries to hang onto the child in Nola.   She tries to stay in her daughter's life by wanting to know "why are you so quiet" and "what are you thinking?" (Oates 834).   In Oates short story, she develops Mrs. Dietrich's and Nola's relationship by showing the conflicting needs of mothers and daughters.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The shopping trip allows Mrs. Dietrich to try to penetrate her daughter's new adult life and surface the child.   She is also simple trying to be a part of her daughter's life.   As a divorced woman, Mrs. Dietrich finds Nola as her only source of love-her outlet to give and to receive love. Mrs. Dietrich even finds herself thinking "she is in love with her daughter" (Oates 834).  Ã‚   These strong emotions are most likely why Mrs. Dietrich needs Nola to such an extent.   Mrs. Dietrich wants to feel needed; she wants to be a mother.   The betrayal of Mr. Dietrich causes Mrs. Dietrich to cling even more.   However, she finds that Nola no longer needs her.  Ã‚   Nola is becoming an adult. Mrs. Dietrich's memories of Nola as a child are now replaced with the images of her dau... ...ong in her actions and her words.   At the end Nola loses strength and becomes weak.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Joyce Carol Oates short story "Shopping" gives an excellent example of the trials a mother and daughter experiences. She shows that each a mother and daughter can have wants and needs in the relationship.   These things can only be understood if the two communicate to each other.   The story also presents the problem of how a mother wants her little girl, while the daughter wants to be a young woman.   Most importantly Oates shows the human tendency to be independent at times and at others dependent.   Each character won and lost a battle, expressing the human complexity of sometimes being able to be strong but then at other times weak.   This shows that in a mother and daughter relationship each is needed for the other person because each person needs someone to be strong.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Education and Safe Educational Environment Essay

â€Å"Rights talk seeps into spheres of American society where a sense of personal responsibility and of civic obligation traditionally have been nourished. An intemperate rhetoric of personal liberty in this way corrodes the social foundations on which individual freedom and security ultimately rest.† Because I agree with this quote, I firmly resolve the resolution that establishing a safe educational environment for grades K-12 justifies the infringement of civil liberties. I would like to offer the following definitions: Establish: to make firm or secure Safe Educational Environment: an environment conducive to learning where students are free from hurt, injury or loss Justifies: to demonstrate to be right, just, or valid Infringement: an encroachment, as of a right or privilege Civil Liberties: fundamental individual rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, protected by law against unwarranted governmental or other interference The value that the affirmative upholds is education. The value criterion I will use to uphold my value is safety. Safety is extremely important on any educational institute because it allows the students and faculty to learn and operate without any threat hanging over them. To explain my position, I offer the following contentions: Contention 1: Without the establishment of a safe learning environment, the ability to learn and to teach is severely hampered. Without a safe educational environment, the attainment of knowledge is difficult to achieve. As Michael Ferraraccio said, â€Å"If schools cannot operate in a violence-free atmosphere, then education will suffer, a result which ultimately threatens the well being of everyone.† An infringement of a student’s civil liberties is required to be able to maintain a safe and enjoyable learning atmosphere for both the students and the faculty. When a student does not feel secure in their learning area, they are often distracted and unable to focus. For example, a student cannot possibly concentrate if another classmate is spewing insults and cuss words at the teacher. However, if we allowed students the freedom of speech, this could be common place. Contention 2: Moral obligation to provide safe schools Donald Beci stated â€Å"Because a state requires compulsory school attendance, it has a moral duty to maintain student discipline and to protect children from violence that occurs while they are attending the very schools to which the state has bound them to attend.† A school is required to protect the children that it harbors, and thus some civil liberties must not be granted. Examples of these are the right to bear arms and the right to privacy, which could be construed to mean very dangerous things by students not mature enough to understand them. Also, privacy rights must not be granted in school, as it might endanger the safety of others. In fact, Donald Beci also says that, â€Å"In situations where the school administration and students share joint control of lockers, desks, or other school property, the students would not have a legitimate expectation of privacy in such property; thus, in the abscence of privacy, Fourth Amendment requirements would be inapplicable.† Thus schools must disregard some civil rights to uphold the value of safety which most of them abide by. The affirmative has proven that schools must disregard students’ civil rights in order to ensure a good and safe learning environment.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Adv & Disadvantages of Leadership Development Methods Essay

Professional qualifications that require refreshing will be supported if they are an essential criteria for the post| * Trust induction * Trust Essential Update training * Manual Handling * Professional re-registration training * PRINCE2, MSP, LEAN| * Provides an understanding of how the Trust works * Provides health and safety training * Sends out a clear message that professional registration is recognised, important and is supported| * Trust induction training tends to be very generic and does not necessarily relate to the job role * Training for re-registration is not always timely * Is dependent on funding * Cost implications of ensuring that the training budget can cover training| Elective Learning| Courses that are not part of the essential criteria for the post will be deemed to be elective and will be subject to the trust policy on supported learning| * Courses identified as part of the personal development plan * Influencing skills * Negotiating skills * MS Project/Other IT Skills * Meets specific needs for the individual * Can be delivered by others in the team or by a generic course * Ensures that leaders are given requisite skills| * Some generic courses do not cover specific requirements * Is dependent on funding being available| Work Assignments| Work assignments will be seen as an opportunity to help leaders develop specific competencies or practice key behaviours. * Specific goals will be set as part of personal development plans * Feedback on progress will be done either via formal appraisal or by 1:1 feedback with line managers| * Reiterates the message that lessons can always be learned * Gives leaders the growth opportunities to put theories and models into practice * Learning by doing| * Unless well managed there is a tendency to concentrate on ‘getting the job done’ * Opportunities are not always recognised or used to the full advantage| Special Assignments/Initiatives| Involvement in short-term assignments or initiatives either generated from within the team or as part of a project team| * Attendance at programme or project board meetings * Involvement in assignments/initiatives

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Herbert George Wells Essays - H. G. Wells, International PEN, Wells

Herbert George Wells Essays - H. G. Wells, International PEN, Wells Herbert George Wells In History, many writers have tried to touch on stories of science fiction, but were not too successful. One man though, by the name of Herbert George Wells has been considered by some to be the father of modern science fiction.(GeoCities.com) H.G. Wells as some may call him, have had various books, and stories that has made him very famous in the great book world around the nation, as far as modern science fiction goes. Wells best know books include, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds and The Island Of Dr. Moreau. Out of 100 Books Wells wrote fifty of them were top sellers across the United States and many parts of the world. Many Critics seen Well's as a crazy and loony writer because of his illusional mind, But Wells seen his work as a piece of the world that everyone was afraid to touch on, but Wells was the crazy writer that did so. As far as many people were concerned, Wells was considered a great author for his work and one of the best authors of his ti me because of his imagination and delusional sense of mind. His writings were not like any others because he always wrote about the other side of the world no one dares t touch aliens and the world ending at that time. Now many writers have free-fall writing about science fiction because of our more sense on the science fiction life. Wells can be responsible for why we now talk about science fiction, Because in this world many things are still to be discovered and taught about and some people are too scared and afraid to see what is out there and when Wells found science fiction a whole new door opened. At the time this made him different from many writers because of his subjects but he was just as good as good as some and better than a lot. His sense and wonder for science fiction made him unique and very fascinating to the reader world. At First people we scarred to read Wells writing because they didnt know what to expect from a science fiction writer but once they got a hold of his first book they were fascinated, and thats how Wells succeeded. H.G.Wells had a past that was similar to many great writers but his unique backgrounds made him different. Wells was born in Bombay, Kent in 1866.(Geocities.com). His father was a shopkeeper, even though being a shopkeeper wasnt a great job' during those times but Wells father had a family to tend too so he had to do what he had to do. His mother on the other hand served from time to time and, also was a housekeeper at the newly estate. His fathers business failed and to elevate the family to middle class status, Wells apprenticed like his brothers to a draper, spending the years between the years of 1880 and 1883 in Wilson and South sea.(kirjasto.sci.fi/hgwells.com) His career as an author was fostered by unfortunate accident as a young child. He broke his leg in 4 places and spent a mandatory of the time resting and reading almost every book he could find(kirjasto.sci.fi/hgwells.htm). In 1883 Wells became a teache r/pupil at Midwest Grammar School. He was a very good teacher and many of students and staff seen him as a good and great teacher because of his ways he carried on his teaching and the was he taught his literary work. He obtained a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London and studied their biology under T. H. Huxley.(kirjasto.sci.fi/hgwells.htm) He majored in biology and science and earned his degrees, this had a lot to do with how he got his knowledge for science fiction books and why he was so good at his work. However his intent fluted and in 1887, he left without a degree. He taught in private schools for four years, not taking his Bachelors degree until 1890. The next year he settled in London and by accident he married his cousin. Her name was Isabel, unfortunately he fell in love with her and forced her to marry him, but when he

Monday, October 21, 2019

Analysis of the first sequences of the film Punch Drunk Love Essays

Analysis of the first sequences of the film Punch Drunk Love Essays Analysis of the first sequences of the film Punch Drunk Love Paper Analysis of the first sequences of the film Punch Drunk Love Paper Essay Topic: Film Punch-Drunk Love is above all a portrait of a personality type. P.T. Anderson utilizes many techniques to synchronize the experience of the protagonist, Barry, and the viewing audience, in order to effectively immerse the viewer in the universe Punch Drunk Love inhabits. Barry Egan has been damaged, perhaps beyond repair, by what he sees as the depredations of his domineering sisters. It drives him crazy when people nose into his business. He cannot stand to be trifled with. His world is entered by alarming omens and situations that baffle him. The character is vividly seen and the film sympathizes with him in his extremity. Music was an important mise en scene element through out this film. Music in this film plays two main roles: representing Barry Egans crippling,sometimes violent, anxiety and First scene starts with fade in to show the contrast between the large area and the small desk which is located in the corner of the large empty area. A wide angle lens is emphasizing Barrys smallness in it. Limited light emphasizes on Barry, and the limited light and limited colour will be important during the movie to show the abstract meanings. The first sound of the movie is heard by the Barrys phone conversion with the Healthy Choices representative to take advantage of the loophole in the promotion campaign of the firm. The phone calls are important during the movie which show the isolated Barry from the community and show the way of communication with people. He expresses himself clearly via telephone then contacting with face to face. The shade of blue on the warehouse wall and on the suit Barry wears are nearly same colour. Concept of the colour is an important mise en scene fort his movie, that is why some basic colour is used during the whole movie. While he is on the phon e he hears something. When he hangs up he picks up his thermos and walks across the room to understand the reason of the sound. The camera follows him into what seems like complete blackness while he is walking from the corner of the room to the door. Then the abrupt, rackety sound of the large metal door opening upward fills the soundtrack, and we see the dirty blue haze of a Los Angeles dawn. Barry shuffles outside and the camera swoops around his head, making sure to capture the tranquil ambiance of the morning atmosphere, and looks in the direction Barrys looking. The parking lot is out of focus, but after a few beats, the focus pulls back and we see everything that Barry sees. He looks down a long alley, which leads to a main road. It introduces the audience to its unorthodox presentation of its maladroit main character, startling noises, quirky humor, suggestive lighting, alternately static and sweeping camerawork, and complete spatial reorientation. Barry is then shown at the mouth of the driveway, looking out at the road. The color of his surroundings has become dull and darker than they first appeared. The street is deserted, and the cameras perspective is now assumed to be Barrys. As the ambient noise dies down, the audience now views the street from the protagonists point of view, fixed on two cars approaching from the distant left corner of the screen. Suddenly, one flips without warning, loudly tumbling closer to the viewer as the camera follows it down the street. The accident, a taxi immediately pulls up to the driveway, leaving a harmonium. Stunned and confused, Barry walks up to it and examines it for some time. Once more, the ambient noise fades away, and he is shown in an extreme longshot from the other side of the street. Suddenly, a truck noisily passes by, prompting Barry to quickly pick up the Harmonium and run to his office. The second secene starts with Barry (Adam Sandler) is making a business talk over the phone on his desk. After his phone call, he goes outside to look for the piano. In the mean time a car entered to his offices garage. This is the time when Barry meets Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) with her attractive red drees. She asks him to look after her broken-down car (In the future he meets Lena Leonard again. She is introduced to Barry by his sister Elizabeth, one of her co-workers). It seems like she dropped her car off because she wanted to see him after seeing a picture of him with Elizabeth. When Lena leaves the garage, Barry he hides back of the door and gasps of breath. Scene ends with when Barry watching Lena from back the door. It seems like he is attracted from her. Second scene starts with Barrys phone call with a medium shot giving an impression of the Barry expressions. The shot emphasizes the color blue the visual backdrop is slightly tinted, and Barry`s suit is also dark blue. Then the camera moves tracking forward when Barry walks out of his office. A long shot is made when Barry is looking to the piano and with the enterance of Lena`s car. At the mean time the audience hears natural sounds like the voice of the brake. The camare stopped at the medium shot to show Barry`s and Lena`s conversation and their acting more clearly. The audience sees that Barry is acting weird (it was like he gets excited). Steadicam shot follows Lena from behind as she is walking away from the camera, but Anderson holds it for longer than we expect and through it we somehow understand all we need to know about this woman. Then Lena turns back to see Barry and a subjective shot made from Lena`s point of view. Camera exits from subjective shot and turned into a long shot. A cut made and camera starts to show Barry in a dark corner. Again we heard the sound of klaxon of the truck (natural sound). Anderson is using the sound as an additional form of expression, used to heighten the connection with Barrys emotional and psychological feelings. So the audience understands that something happens in the emotions of Barry. A shallow focuses (the opposite of deep focus, which keeps only one plane in sharp focus, Direct the viewers attention to one element of a scene) used which makes audience`s attention to Barry with an extreme close up to his eyes. Anderson uses a different visual technique in the second scene is the lens flare. When Lena and Barry is talking a lens flare appears (looks like a rainbow) with a mixture of colors red, blue, white, yellow. Anderson is embracing the lens flare as a form of expression in this film. The lens flare is does heighten the emotion of a particular scene. Ultimately the lens flare is representing the presence of love. Through the use of the lens flare, Anderson is heightening the feeling Barry and Lena have for each other as an additional form of visual expression In the scene the most important mise en scene element is the blue suit or the blue color. Blue is used throughout the film as an indication of Barrys emotional state of loneliness. Obviously the most notable example is the blue suit Barry is seen wearing throughout the film. Blue is found in both Barrys home and at his office, and very much represents a part of him. This scene is the first time that Barry feels something to woman (meta movement). Additionally this scene foreshadows that the life of Barry will change after meeting with Lena Leonard, the loneliness will end. However the audience can have absolutely no idea what will happen next. One more interesting thing that the clip shows is after the main theme starts To swell; the film cuts to several slowly moving, colorful, nondiegetic images. Over The colors, a collage of all the different types of music can be heard. In a way, this Scene gives away the whole movie (at least musically), which implies a sort of fate For Barry and Lena. The artwork (even in short moments) is beautifully breathtaking, and seem to work perfectly within the mood and flow of the films narrative. Anderson is essentially stretching the boundaries of cinematic narrative with this visual expression. Aside from Blakes artwork, Anderson uses several key colors to express the emotions and narrative of the film. The most obvious is the use of Blue, Red, and White. Throughout Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson places these colors within the emotional and physical environment of Barrys character Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Analysis of excerpt [09:35-10:35] The movie Punch-Drunk Love, tells the story of a small-business owner, whose mundane life starts to become interesting after he finds a harmonium and meets a woman, with whom he then falls in love. The excerpt consists of two shots. The first shot takes place in an office, where the main character is in a dialogue with a supporting character. The shot begins with a Medium Long Shot and becomes Medium Close Up as the main character moves towards the camera. The character is centered and the camera follows the character from inside the office to the outside, which is actually a warehouse. The cam seems to be a steady cam, because the image seems stable, it is probably a Dolly cam. The door of the warehouse was observed to be open in the previous scene, so while we were only hearing a slow background music at the beginning, it is then mixed with the street-noise, as the main character gets out of the office, into the warehouse. After that, we hear the sound of another person, a possible customer, who just entered the warehouse and took the attention of the main character. He then, turns to the camera, which is an example of Frontality. The scene decor consists of ordinary office equipments and in contrast to that, a harmonium in the middle, which is the point of interest of both the characters in this shot. The light looks like a natural light without much contrast difference, it can even be considered as dark. The costume of the supporting character is daily work clothes, but the main character wears a suit, which surprised the supporting character in the previous scene. This shows that the main character put extra effort on that day, because of a certain reason. The second shot is basically, a continuous change of images and colors, fading, changing forms and colors, then changing into an image, which looks like a sky full of stars, that shine spontaneously and then again fades and changes to a different type of color shapes. This shot can have different meanings, but considering the next scene, where the characters have the same clothes on, but seems like a different time; this shot shows that it is just an ordinary day, just like the other days, no distinguishable differences. It just indicates a time difference in the same day. The music in the background is still the same as the previous shot; a slow-music, which sort of moves with the changing colors and images. But the noise from the street is filtered in this shot.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Expanded and Extended

Expanded and Extended Expanded and Extended Expanded and Extended By Maeve Maddox Tali asks, What is the difference between extended and expanded When do you use either? Although extend and expand can be used interchangeably in some contexts, extend applies to things that are being stretched out, while expand applies to things that are spread out. One implies length; the other area. If you extend your arm, for example, you stretch it out, making it longer. If your waist expands, its getting larger. As a business expands, or gets larger, it may extend its opening hours. Extend comes from a word meaning to stretch out, lengthen. (Latin extendere, stretch out, from ex out + tendere, to stretch.) Expand comes from a word meaning spread out, spread flat. (Latin ex out + pandere to spread, stretch. In this quotation that uses both words, extend conveys a lengthening of time, while expand indicates that more people will be covered by the credit: On Wednesday, the Senate voted to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who already own homes. Here are some uses of both words: Laguna College of Art and Design officials hope to expand the library and build a new gallery. Availability of the iPad will expand to all of Best Buys U.S. stores Sessions Predicts Congress Will Extend Tax Cuts After Election Investigators are going to extend the probe until February 2011 A contract might be expanded to include additional specifications, or extended to last for a longer period: BP could expand the contract of a local disaster relief company, giving it the power to call in additional resources to defend Mobile Bay in the event its threatened by oil†¦ Last seasons UEFA Champions League runners-up, Bayern Munich, have decided to extend the contract of Coach Louis van Gaal. When expanded and extended are used as adjectives, context determines meaning: This article explains how to allocate memory and set up your system to run both expanded and extended memory. The Extended Mind refers to an emerging concept†¦that addresses the question as to the division point between the mind and the environment†¦ I have returned [from my travels] with an expanded mind and an open heart. Bottom line: Choose expand if what youre talking about is getting wider, becoming more inclusive, or taking up more space. Use extend if what youre talking about is increasing in duration, length, or reach. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 1The Many Forms of the Verb TO BETreatment of Words That Include â€Å"Self†

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Property & Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Property & Law - Essay Example nstitutional arrangements by diminishing substantially the role played by the church (or religious institutions more broadly) in shaping human-to-human and human-to-nature interactions† (Norton & Bieri 4). As opposed to medieval scholars, the representatives of humanism studied not the God, but humans, their relations with other people, with the state and the society. Two main directions were developed in socio-political sciences. The first is theoretical justification of a necessity to replace feudal and class inequality with legal equality fixing the right for property ownership, personality protection from religious and feudal tyranny. The second was political ideology of the lower class, predecessor of working class, which was based on the ideas of Utopian socialism. The state submits to society, which in its turn submits to a personality. Only a part of the rights of a personality, which is defined by the attitude of a person to a property is transferred to e government: t he more property, the more political rights, but also the more obligations to the state, which is guarding this property. Failure to provide the abovementioned function makes the government illegal and provides the citizens with the right for opposition. The analysis of a problem of a personality, his/her valuable attitude towards the surrounding reality became the basic principle of scientific researches of this period. Renaissance was characterized by radical reorganization of socio-political and spiritual life. Political knowledge became an autonomous trend, political problems found comprehensive reflection in humanistic literature and caused shifts in the system of political and legal thinking. Integral rights of the personality, which can’t be transferred to the state, were also defined: the rights for life, freedom, equality, property ownership. By the right of property there are essential distinctions between the European and Anglo-American systems. The European system regulation

Friday, October 18, 2019

Teen Pregnancy Nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teen Pregnancy Nursing - Term Paper Example Great numbers of teen pregnancies are unintentional. Access to contraceptive, complete education on sexuality and youth development programs can assist teens to choose their options that can guard them from pregnancy at this age. Parents with a busy life are unable to discuss important issues such as sex with their children. Due to the lack of proper guidance, these teenagers are unable to make wise decisions on this subject and this result into teen pregnancy. According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, majority of the teens who indulge in sexual activity are more possibly exposed to sexuality in the media. By glamorizing this, teenagers adapt this as something good and involves in irresponsible sexual activities. If it is something accepted in their group of friends or community, they may try to get pregnant as a means to get social acceptance (Laden et al 2006). A vast number of teenage girls who get pregnant have reported sexual abuse or rape. Sexual harassment leaves them in a state of shock and because of the fact that they have no idea how to proceed and avoid pregnancy many of them conceive. The teens that are more likely to have unintended pregnancy are those who are not educated about sex. Kids who start drinking in their teens are more likely to take other risks as well. This may involve crimes, careless sex and other dangerous activities that may have consequences. According to ‘teenage pregnancy: the interaction of psyche and culture’ many of the women who became mothers in their teens didn’t want it. It had happened because of lack of knowledge about how babies were conceived or they didn’t know or have access to methods of avoiding or aborting their pregnancies (Dean et al 1997). The socioeconomic factors which trigger teen pregnancies are poverty, illiteracy, and peer pressure. Early marriages are even a big factor resulting into this problem faced by young girls. These were some of the causes of teen pregnancy, now we would discuss its effects. There a lot of teenage mothers who ponder what would have happened if they would have been a little more precautious, hadn’t left school or what opportunities did they miss because of the pregnancy. Bringing a child into this world brings a great amount of responsibility on the shoulder of the parents, the baby needs a lot of attention and care that means their irresponsibility lead them away from their dreams and ambitions in life. â€Å"Women who become parents as teenagers are at greater risk of social and economic disadvantage throughout their lives than those who delay child bearing† (Hayes 1987, 138) A lot of teenage girls who get pregnant try to hide it as long as they can therefore are unaware of the care they require at this age. They are affected by malnutrition, depression and frustration that results in miscarriages, death during the delivery and weak babies. This emotional crisis can lead these teens to have something against their new born babies and they blame them for their lost possibilities in life. Kids born to teens most of the times go through emotional conflict, social insecurity and educational failures. ‘Single mothers with limited resources may be subject to multiple stresses in trying to provide such basic necessities as food or shelter, and, thus have little energy or time for their children†

Document 20 Oral interview with robert Rasmus Essay

Document 20 Oral interview with robert Rasmus - Essay Example He says it felt like being in a dramatic movie, but with the added terror of it actually being real. It took a while for him to get used to this. Later in the interview he describes his six week tour of duty, and actual examples of the battles he was in and how they were. Throughout the rest of the interview though he returns to that same conflict he feels between the excitement of the war and the horrors of the reality of it, and how he doesn’t want to die. He says he was â€Å"pulled in two directions: Gee, I don’t wanna get killed. And, Boy, this is gorgeous country.† In the rest of his interview he talks about the experience of taking one German town and then another one, and how the first to die was a sergeant everybody hated and wanted to kill. But he is sure nobody in his platoon did fire the shot, and that it was a German. The immediate historical context of this document is the end of World War II. It is a war that many people thought had to be fought be cause of the evils of Hitler and the holocaust. Despite that, and despite the worthiness of the cause of the war, to the soldiers fighting in the war it was still terrifying. This accounts for the sense of â€Å"schizophrenia† that Robert Rasmus refers to several times in the interview. He felt simultaneously as if he was doing the right thing, and that it was great, and that he was going to die, and he did not want to die.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa Essay

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa - Essay Example The nation attained internal self-independence in 1994 following a successful fight against Apartheid. Since the end of the apartheid movement in 1994, South African politics has been majorly dominated by the ruling party; African National Congress (ANC). The ANC has been winning all the previous elections with 60 plus percentage. The lowest percentage of those coming in the last general election where ANC garnered 63% of the votes while the strongest opposition party known as the Democratic Alliance attained 18% of the votes. South Africa is among the most advanced states in Africa and the world over. However, the electorate that has been handling political matters has majorly been hinged on the race, the culture and the ethnic line from which the individual originates. For starters, the blacks majorly dominate ANC; the ruling party. The officials in charge of the party are blacks. The blacks also control the different wings of the party majorly the ANC Youth League as well as the ANC Women’s League. The South African situation contrasts the nations where the ruling party tends to embrace all the races within the nation. In the United States, for example, president Barrack Obama, serving final term in office, is regarded as of African American origin. The Democratic Alliance, the major political party in South Africa, is mostly associated with citizens of white origin. Politics is said to be hinged on races because out of all the elections that have been carried out in South Africa, the blacks who form the highest population of voters, have not accorded the Democratic Alliance much support. In as much as the ANC has always promised them radical change in terms of development and failed to honor most of the pledges, the blacks have normally rallied behind the ANC with the Democratic Alliance receiving support from the coloured people of various origins. Observers and stakeholders in various sectors have

A Matter of Personality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Matter of Personality - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the type of personality characteristics that a store manager should possess is that of a people-centered personality: sociable, accommodating, understanding, caring, and taking into perspective the needs and demands of both, the customers and the employees – with committed adherence to the policies and procedures explicitly defined by the store or by the organization. These traits and characteristics are important to ensure the manager’s success because these traits signify genuine interest in addressing the concerns, needs, and demands of customers and employees; two of the most important stakeholders in an organization. When compared to the personality of Wallace, it could be deduced that he is more of a task-oriented manager; who does not have any concern for the well-being and interests of his employees or of the customers. He was noted to exhibit the â€Å"personality of an army drill sergeant†. In addition, h e was obviously not people-centered since he was described as uncaring, does not address the customers’ complaints, and does not even follow the policies of the organization, especially in terms of accommodating returns. The personality of Wallace evidently demotivates employees. As noted, the employees do not care about Wallace as their store manager; meaning, they do not have any established professional bonds to respect or follow his ideals.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa Essay

How have culture and ethnicity been politicised in South Africa - Essay Example The nation attained internal self-independence in 1994 following a successful fight against Apartheid. Since the end of the apartheid movement in 1994, South African politics has been majorly dominated by the ruling party; African National Congress (ANC). The ANC has been winning all the previous elections with 60 plus percentage. The lowest percentage of those coming in the last general election where ANC garnered 63% of the votes while the strongest opposition party known as the Democratic Alliance attained 18% of the votes. South Africa is among the most advanced states in Africa and the world over. However, the electorate that has been handling political matters has majorly been hinged on the race, the culture and the ethnic line from which the individual originates. For starters, the blacks majorly dominate ANC; the ruling party. The officials in charge of the party are blacks. The blacks also control the different wings of the party majorly the ANC Youth League as well as the ANC Women’s League. The South African situation contrasts the nations where the ruling party tends to embrace all the races within the nation. In the United States, for example, president Barrack Obama, serving final term in office, is regarded as of African American origin. The Democratic Alliance, the major political party in South Africa, is mostly associated with citizens of white origin. Politics is said to be hinged on races because out of all the elections that have been carried out in South Africa, the blacks who form the highest population of voters, have not accorded the Democratic Alliance much support. In as much as the ANC has always promised them radical change in terms of development and failed to honor most of the pledges, the blacks have normally rallied behind the ANC with the Democratic Alliance receiving support from the coloured people of various origins. Observers and stakeholders in various sectors have

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Hsc module c Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hsc module c - Essay Example It is imperative to recognize that different countries have varied political structures. Therefore, people are represented differently in different countries. In essence, it is essential to study the politics of different nations to identify the dynamisms in politics. The society is usually stratified into political, socio-cultural and economic aspects. The socio-cultural aspect entails the people’s way of life and the organization of social institutions. The economic aspect is concerned about the people’s source of livelihood. The primary focus in the economic division is how people earn a living. Finally, the political organ deals with leadership and administration of services in the country. In essence, the political organ affects the operation of the other divisions and, therefore, emerges as a sensitive aspect (Reynolds, 2000). Apparently, all people cannot be involved directly in leadership and, therefore, representatives have to be chosen from the general population. Essentially, there exist numerous ways that can be used to choose political leaders from the general population. For instance, the leaders are chosen through elections or appointments. The Australian government operates a democratic government where all eligible candidates are offered a level ground to participate in the country’s leadership. In most case, people representation in politics is facilitated by the general elections. In this case, the citizens are allowed to participate in the general elections and elect leaders of their choice. The elected leaders become representatives of the common citizens in the political arena. All the political decisions made by the elected and appointed members reflects on the ideas of the general population of the country. Therefore, the elected leaders act as the custodians of the interests of t he local people and thereby their actions significantly influence the operations of

Monday, October 14, 2019

Historical cost accounting Essay Example for Free

Historical cost accounting Essay Advantages †¢Historical cost accounts are straightforward to produce †¢Historical cost accounts do not record gains until they are realized †¢Historical cost accounts are still used in most accounting systems Disadvantages †¢Historical cost accounts give no indication of current values of the assets of a business †¢Historical cost accounts do not record the opportunity costs of the use of older assets, particularly property which may be recorded at a value based on costs incurred many years ago †¢Historical cost accounts do not measure the loss of value of monetary assets as a result of inflation. Current purchasing power accounting Advantages †¢CPP method adopts the same unit of measurement by taking into account the price changes. †¢Under CPP method, historical accounts continue to be maintained. CPP statements are prepared on supplementary basis. †¢ CPP method facilitates the calculation of gain or loss in purchasing power due to the holding of monetary items. †¢CPP method uses common purchasing power as measuring unit. So, the comparative study is easy. †¢ CPP method provides reliable financial information for taking management decision to formulate plans and policies. †¢CPP method ensures keeping intact the purchasing power of capital contributed by shareholders. So, this method is of great importance from the point of view of the shareholders. Disadvantages †¢CPP method considers only the changes in general purchasing power. It does not consider the changes in the value of individual items. †¢CPP method is based on statistical index number which cannot be used in an individual firm. †¢ It is very difficult to choose a suitable price index. †¢CPP method fails to remove all the defects of historical cost accounting system. †¢The use of general price index for CPP method is questioned. While general price index deals with consumer goods, business is interested in the price movement of producer goods. Current cost accounting Advantages †¢More relevant †¢Provides up to date information with financial markets †¢Takes inflationary adjustments into account. â€Å"Critics have argued market value(current cost) reveals economic realities that are hidden by historical cost accounting. †¢Investors and creditors also prefer the market value accounting. â€Å"the information about the market value at the reporting date, the changes in that value and the components of that change- all provide the investors the valuable information for his decision making.† †¢In F/S, easier to view and determine whether the asset or liability is at risk or not Disadvantages †¢Unreliable   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Volatile, when market price of an asset and liability is not available, the value is estimated (inappropriate) Continuously contemporary accounting Strengths †¢CoCoA provides information about an entitys capacity to adapt. Chambers considers such information crucial for effective decision making †¢It solves the additivity problem-there is a common basis of valuation (net-market values) so it makes logical sense to add the various asset values together. †¢There is no need for arbitrary cost allocations through depreciation. Weaknesses †¢Not all assets will have a readily determined market price-hence a deal of subjectively will be involved. †¢Some assets can generate income within a particular entity, but have little or no value to anybody else (for example, the case of the blast furnace). The value in use of such assets is ignored. †¢It values assets on the basis of the separate disposal of the respective assets. The implication of this is that assets which cannot be separately sold are deemed to have no value-for example, goodwill. This attribute of CoCoA has attracted a great deal of criticism. †¢CoCoA has never had widespread acceptance within the business community and hence there would be numerous obstacles to its implementation. †¢Because CoCoA would represent a radical departure from current methods of accounting, its adoption could cause major social and economic implications. †¢People are used to preparing and reading historical cost accounting reports, hence there would be a need to re-educate them about the strengths and limitations of CoCoA-this might be costly. †¢If an entity does not expect to sell an asset, it is questionable whether the selling price is really that relevant. †¢Tied to the above point, valuing all assets on the basis of selling prices has been criticised if it is considered that the entity is a going concern. †¢Determining the market price of unique assets introduces a degree of subjectivity into the accounting process.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Physical Activity And Academic Performance

Physical Activity And Academic Performance The recommendations for participating in physical activity for children is 60 minutes per day, or more. Physical education is insufficient for children nowadays (Carlson, et. al., 2008). Children can benefit a great deal from physical activity; the beneficial effect comes in many forms. For example, physical activity is considered good for cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal health, blood pressure, among other forms (Strong, et. al., 2005). Depression is a common disease, and gets more serious with adolescents. A research by Turner, Thompson, Huber, and Arif (2012) where depression symptoms score was divided into quartiles for analyses, showed that nearly three fourth of the students were in the third or fourth quartiles, which is too many students. Depression is the most common problem of psychological problems (Davey, 2008). The beneficial effect of physical activity for both psychological and physical well-being is well established. Accumulative evidence also suggests that phys ical activity improves cognitive performance (Singh, Uijtdewilligen, Twisk, Mechelen, Chinapaw, 2012). This review will critically examine the effect of physical activity on academic performance and further more whether the effect is mediated by depression. The review is divided into four sections where in the first one the relationship between physical activity and academic performance will be discussed, in the second section the relationship between physical activity and depression will be discussed. In the third section the relationship between depression and academic performance will be discussed and the fourth and final section will be about future directions. Physical activity and academic performance Several reviews have indicated that physical activity is related to improved academic performance but the strength of the relationship varies between studies (Singh, Uijtdewilligen, Twisk, Mechelen, Chinapaw, 2012; Trudeau, Shephard, 2008; Biddle, Asare, 2011). For example a review made by Biddle and Asare (2011) showed that physical activity can have a positive effect on cognitive functions, the behaviour in the classroom and academic achievement in children but the association is often weak and not entirely consistant. Harrison and Narayan (2003) did a cross-sectional research about adolescent ´s participation in sports and other activities. Their results were that if adolescents participated in sports or other extracurricular activities they were more likely to do their homework and have a positive attitude towards school and teachers. However, Tremblay, Inman and Willms (2000) also did a cross-sectional research on 12 year old children to see whether physical activity did in crease academic achievement in mathematics and reading. The participants answered a questionnaire about their physical activity and academic climate. The results showed a very weak but significant association between physical activity and academic achievement in both mathematics and reading. Similar results were in a research by Carlson et. al. (2008), but they did a longitudinal and cross-sectional research on children in kindergarten until they were in 5th grade and weak but significant association was also found in the result of this research. The only association between time spent on physical education and academic performance was with the group of girls who spent the most time in physical education (70 300 minutes per week) and the girls who spent the lowest time in physical education (0 35 minutes per week). No association was found in boys. The differences in gender could be because boys have higher levels of fitness than girls at baseline and that boys need to have more s timulus than is provided in physical education. Cross-sectional studies give an example that there is a relationship between two variables but their weaknesses is that it can ´t say which variable causes the other. Intervention studies can say much more about the relationship between the variables. By using an intervention, Davis et. al. (2011) found out that the more exercise obesity children performed the better cognitive function they had. They put 171 obese children into three randomized groups, low dose exercise, high dose and control group. Low dose group had 20 minutes of exercise each day after school and 20 minutes of sedentary activities such as board games for 3 months. High dose group had two 20 minutes bout of exercise each school day. The children ´s academic achievement was measured by using Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III. The results showed that the high dose exercise group had more improved cognitive performance than the other two groups and low dose exercise group had better cognitive performance than the control group. These results show ´s that the more exercise obese children have the better cognitive function they will have. All these research find a positive relationship between physical activity and academic performance but the association is sometimes week and sometimes strong. But the researches are different and that could cause the different results. The strength of the relationship between these two variables could differ because of the different age of the participants. Increased physical activity could have much more effect on academic performance in adolescent than in children. Also the self-described physical activity and grades from participants could not be true so the association could differ because of that. Cross-sectional data is a limitation because it says only that there is a relationship between the variables but not what variable causes the other variable, but it can indicate that there is a relationship. Intervention studies provide stronger evidence that physical activity may lead to improved academic performance. But because there was only one intervention study then that is a li mitation. More intervention studies need to be done to provide a stronger evidence of the relationship between those two variables. There need to be more intervention studies for more than just obese children. In spite of these limitations the results indicate that there is a relationship between these two variables. Other, little is known about the re mechanism whereby physical activity affects academic performance. Independent line of researches raises the possibility that the impact of physical activity on academic performance may be mediated by other variables, for example depression. Physical activity and depression Physical activity has often been associated with depression, in other words depression has shown to decrease with more physical activity (Mata, Thompson, Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides, Gotlib, 2012; Toker, Biron, 2012). A review of reviews was conducted to find out the relationship between physical activity and depression in children and adolescents (Biddle, Asare, 2011). There were 5 reviews which were reviewed concerning physical activity and depression. The results showed that physical activity seems to have a negative effect on depression, but the intervention designs do not have enough quality and many of the reviews have cross-sectional researches which can deviate the relationship or it will not show whether physical activity affect depression or the other way around. A cross-sectional research that was conducted to find risk factors for depression in adolescents showed that the adolescents who were depressed were less likely to engage in physical activity than the adolescent s who was not depressed (Diego, Sanders, Field, 2001). But cross-sectional studies do not show the cause of the variables so it does not say whether depression causes less physical activity or physical activity causes less depression symptoms. Gallegos-Carrillo et. al. (2012) did a longitudinal research of 1047 Mexican adults, both male and female, who were free of depression between the years of 1998 2000. The participant ´s lifestyle and health were assessed, that is how much physical activity they had. The participants were divided into 3 groups after how much physical activity they performed each week, that is light, moderate or vigorous. After 6 years the participants was assessed again to see whether physical activity would prevent depressive symptoms. The results showed that the vigorous physical activity participants performed they had lower risks of developing depressive symptoms. The limitations in this research were that there was only one follow up after 6 years and that the participants had to fill out a questionnaire about how much physical activity they had. Another longitudinal research showed that leisure-time physical activity reduced depression symptoms only in women after both two and four years follow up but this was not found in men (Wang, DesMeules, Luo, Dai, Lagace, Morrison, 2011). But the long term effect on leisure-time physical activity and the changes of physical activity and marital status on the risk of evolving depression was the reason for this research. No participant had a depression at the baseline of the research. Similar results were also in a longitudinal research about adolescent girls because the sexes have found to be different in depression and physical activity (Jerstad, Boutelle, Ness, Stice, 2010). In that research, girls aged 11-15 years old reviewed a list of physical activity and crossed in a box for an activity that they had done more than 10 times for the past year and they answered a questionnaire for d epression symptoms. This was done once a year for a 6 years period. The results showed that there was a relationship between regular basis of physical activity and depression. If the girls were involved in physical activity it reduced the likelihood of having depression symptoms in the future. Because the research was only about adolescents girls the results can ´t be generalized to other groups. A research by Alosco et. al. (2012) points out that there is a relationship between depression and physical activity in older adults with heart failure. They did their longitudinal research on older people with heart failure. For baseline measure the older adults wore an accelerometer for 7 days and did an assessment to measure their fitness and answered a questionnaire concerning depression. All of those researches show that there is a relationship between physical activity and depression. There is a limitation is that there is no intervention study, because intervention studies provide stronger evidence than cross-sectional and longitudinal for the relationship between physical activity and depression. Cross-sectional studies is not good enough because they can ´t indicate the affect, which variable predicts what. The self-report of depressive symptoms and physical activity is a limitation in the longitudinal study ´s because it is not reliable; the participants could for example exaggerate how much time they spent in physical activity and decrease the depressive symptoms. Depression and academic performance In a cross-sectional research that conducted a stepwise regression on risk factors for depression in adolescents, how much time the adolescents spent on their homework and their report of their grades explained 13% of the variance of depression symptoms (Diego, Sanders, Field, 2001). They were explaining the relationship between academic performance and depression. A cross-sectional research was done with data from student responses National college health assessment from 2008 to study the relation between depressive symptoms and academic performance (Turner, Thompson, Huber, Arif, 2012). The depressive symptoms were divided into a quartile. The results showed that students who had the lowest level of depressive symptoms were least likely to report having C, D, or F for grades but the students who fell into the second quartile were most likely to report having an average grades of C, D or F. For better explanation, the students who had moderate symptoms of depression were more like ly than those who had milder or more severe to have worse academic performance. Pelkonen, Marttunen, Aro (2003) were also researching the risk for depression by a longitudinal study in Finland and their results indicated the relationship between poor academic performance and depressive symptoms. The data was collected when the participants were 16 years old and researched the risk factors for depression at the age of 22. Chen, Rubin and Li (1995) showed in a 2 year longitudinal research that depression has been related to academic performance, according to them depressed children in China had more academic achievement problems than children that were not depressed. Another longitudinal analysis research which was performed in Los Angeles, which 243 adolescents participated in, showed that if the adolescent perceived themselves as a victim it caused psychological adjustment such as depression and loneliness which caused lower grades in school (Juvonen, Nishina, Graham, 2000). That is similar to the findings of Schwartz, Gorman, Nakamoto, Toblin (2005) which did a longitudinal investigation which focused on the relationship between victimization of 9 year old children and academic achievement over a 1 year period. The participants were 240 from 12 classrooms. The results showed that the children who perceived themselves as a victim in the peer group, they had lower academic achievement than the children who did not perceive themselves as a victim, but the results showed evidence that this relation was mediated by depressive symptoms. Shahar, Henrich, Winokur, Blatt, Kuperminc, Leadbeater (2006) did a research about the relation between personality factor, self-criticism and depression on academic achievement in adolescents. This was a one year longitudinal study where 460 students in sixth and seventh grade participated in. They answered a questionnaire to measure their self-criticism and depression and their grades were obtained from their report cards. The ir findings were the first to certificate relation between depression and a personality aspect of defencelessness in predicting academic achievement. The results showed that interaction between adolescent self-criticism and depression predicted a decrease in one ´s average grade. A longitudinal research was done by Lehtinen, Raikkonen, Heinonen, Raitakari, Keltikangas-Jarvinen (2006) where the purpose was to find out whether the grades in school at the age of 9, 12 and 15 was associated with depressive symptoms 12 to 21 years later or at the ages of 21 to 37. Because there had been found difference between sexes both in depression and grades, the sexes were measured separately. The results were that lower grades in 12 and 15 year old girls was associated with depression 12 and/or 17 years later, grades seemed not to have any other association with later depression. Because it seems that some researches will mean that depression has an effect on academic performance while other po int out that academic performance has an effect on depression Hishinuma, Chang, McArdle, and Hamagami (2012) did a longitudinal research to put in a model called Longitudinal bivariate dynamic latent change model, which can be used to transmit the hidden scores from one variable to another over time. The results indicate that depression causes lower grades in adolescents but not that lower grades cause depression. There is a relationship between depression and academic performance according to previous researches. The cross-sectional researches do not have much reliability because they only indicate that there is a relationship between depression and academic performance but they can ´t say much more about the relationship. Longitudinal researches are better than cross-sectional but intervention researches are the best of describing the relationship but there is no intervention research so that is a major limitation. Summary and future directions As reviewed above there is a relationship between physical activity and academic performance but this evidence is not strong and most of the studies have been correlational. But as also reviewed above there is a relationship between physical activity and depression and also between depression and academic performance but this evidence is also not strong because there are only correlational study ´s. Future studies should examine if interventions if aimed at increasing physical activity also improve academic performance. They should also examine potential mechanism whereby physical activity affects academic performance. The literature review above suggests that physical activity is associated with less depression and that depression is associated with worse academic performance. These findings raise the possibility that the relationship between physical activity and academic performance may be mediated by the beneficial effects of physical activity on depression. The model below will explain that there is a relationship between physical activity and academic performance, but if depression in the individual is taken into account there will not be a relationship between these two variables because it is mediated by depression. Depression Academic performance Physical activity Figure : Depression as a mediator between physical activity and academic performance. If this model is right, then it will suggest that for adolescents to get higher grades they can increase the physical activity and by doing so decreasing depression and finally get higher grades in school.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Transformational School Leadership Essay -- transformational leaders

School leadership in recent times has involved more and more time and consideration as schools are being made held responsible for significant changes in the outcomes of students learning (Leithwood & Riehl, 2005, p. 12). With pressures coming from all levels of government, Principals are not the only ones being held accountable to the outcomes of students (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). Davis (2012) identifies strongly with this as middle executive roles and teachers within a school are being required to work collaboratively to achieve objectives and to transform cultural change into reality. This paper will discuss the traditional social construction of leadership and how the use of transformational leadership has planned, developed and established an alternative learning within a rural New South Wales high school. This paper will also discuss and analyse effectiveness of the leadership that has taken place This programme was designed and is being run to address poor attendance and retention of targeted students from 14 to 17. This programme ran in partnership with local employment providers, Aboriginal Training Groups as well as the local tertiary training centre. School X is an isolated high school within a town with a populace of 3000 people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). The student population currently resides at 210 with 50% of the students recognising themselves as Indigenous (McDonald & Levinston, 2011). A large percentage of the town’s vocation consists of unskilled labour, with a best part of these also being small business owners (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). These include earthmoving companies, primary industries service companies and only a small percentage of the town has a post-sec... ...about leadership? Leadership for the disillusioned: Moving beyond myths and heroes to leading that liberates (pp. 17-34). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. Stogdill, R. M. (1948). Personal factors associated with leadership: A survey of the literature. The Journal of Psychology, 25(1), 35-71. Tobin, T., & Sprague, J. (1999). Alternative Education Programs for At-Risk Youth: Issues, Best Practice, and Recommendations. Oregon school study council bulletin, 42, 20. Watkins, P. (1986). A Critical Review of Leadership Concepts and Research: The Implications for Educational Administration: Publication Sales, Deakin University Press, Deakin University, Victoria 3217, Australia ($12.50 Australian; quantity discounts). Williams, B. P. (2011). An analysis of participation in servant leadership as self reported by elementary school principals in southwest Georgia.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Effects of Illegal Music Downloading on the Music Industry

Illegal downloading is commonly known as piracy, it describe that the steeling music from artists, songwriters, musicians, record label employees and others whose hard work and great talent who make music possible. Nowadays, downloading music is available for everyone on internet. However, it is still illegal. Downloading music on internet is what most people are doing because they do not have to pay, and they can choose only the songs they want to have. Unlike CDs which we have the whole album which might contain the songs that we do not want to listen to, plus we have to pay for it.However, it is not always a good thing, it might be good for the people who download the music, but what about the music industry? Is it killing the industry, or does it have profits on it? This paper will discuss both pros and cons of piracy downloading on the Music Industry. One of the most important influences that internet piracy has had on the music industry is the sale of retail CDs. Until the past few years, CD sales were one of the key things that music industry insiders used in order to find out which musicians and albums were the most popular with the public.As the world’s technology has been growing, it made the digital music and internet piracy growing too, sales of retail CDs dropped amongst younger consumers to such an extent that the best selling CDs on the market began to bear very little resemblance to the music that was actually popular with the young listeners that form the backbone of the music industry. For example, Bob Dylan’s album Modern Times quickly became the number one best seller when it was released in 2006, despite the fact that none of his tracks were highly requested on mainstream radio programs or popular with younger listeners.The most well-known case that involves internet piracy and the music industry was when a group of major recording companies took peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster to court for facilitating copyright inf ringement in the year 2000. After the increasing of the internet piracy, A&M Records and other record companies sued Napster on three separate claims, and it was successful. These claims included accusations that Napster was response for allowing users to infringe upon existing copyrights and were even encouraging users to download unlicensed copyrighted materials.When the recording industry won this landmark lawsuit, Napster stopped offering their file sharing services to users, and soon their company failed. The Institute for Policy Innovation make a conclusion that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.Today, most people who download music illegally do it by using new peer-to-peer networks like BitTorrent. The BitTorrent protocol is for of handling a lot of data very quickly and is very popular for people who upload and download copies of movies and television programs that have no license. In more recent years, dozens of major record labels and Hollywood studios have begun offering legal videos and tracks through BitTorrent in order to distribute their content on their own terms and avoid the pirating of their content.The Institute for Policy Innovation concludes that global music piracy causes $12. 5 billion of economic losses every year, 71,060 U. S. jobs lost, a loss of $2. 7 billion in workers' earnings, and a loss of $422 million in tax revenues, $291 million in personal income tax and $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes. However, there are some profits that the music industries get from the music piracy. One of it is that older music is still available. Because of the way contracts are constructed, artists do not own their own music–record labels do.So when artists that change labels, their new label is not allowed to produce the albums the artist made on the old label, and if the old label decides not to release the songs, the music is dead. Music downloading is the only way for people to access these old dead songs. It can also make the artists still be famous over time because people still listen to their music even if they are obsolete. Another positive thing is that the not well-known artists become more famous, and their music albums also have better sales. 1. 87% of the entire music industry was controlled by 4 record companies. But most artists aren’t signed to these labels. As the results, most artists do not get radio play, and their music videos are usually in low quality and they are not usually shown on the television. Music downloading is great for lesser known artists to get the chance to be more famous. Most people won’t buy music they have not listened to. Music Piracy allows people who download music to experiment the unkno wn artists.This kind of experimentation cannot hurt the industry, it helps the industry instead. As people would not have bought the music if they cannot download it, but downloading and having the music may either make them realize they like the music, and buy the albums, or share the music to their friends, who then might like the music, and by the album, or even go to the concert. These smaller, independent artists have been on the rise in the past several years, and they also make profits to their industry. According to the RIAA, only 15% of albums make money.However, most record label contracts require that all costs for making the album be returned to the company, meaning that 85% of artists are in debt to their company after the records are released. Most artists repay this debt through money they got during concerts. And people who found out the artists through piracy may like the music enough to go to the concerts. The RIAA Consumer Profile in 2005 showed that CD sales at c oncerts have risen, it came from more people that go to join the concerts and more people that join these concerts do not own these CDs; both of this all came from online music downloading.From my experiences, I usually download music from internet, and when there is some artist I really like, I will become their fans and buy their albums. It also makes me know more artists that I never know of, and that is how it makes them famous. This is not just happening to me, it also happens to most of my friends. These facts prove that the music downloading is not all bad, but it might be to some music industries which are not so famous Even if music Piracy is illegal, it is very hard for someone to control or forbid people from doing it.It becomes part of the music society, everyone downloads music from internet. Some people do not even know that it is illegal because when they did it, nothing happened, no punishment or anything. However, it is also a good thing it benefits many things, bot h to the consumers and the industries. It might be bad for the industry in few years ago, but now people start to get use to it and make profits from it. Artists actually get more famous from it.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Macbeth: Act 5 Summary Essay

Scene I A doctor and gentlewoman are at the castle watching Lady MacBeth because she has been sleeping walking. When Lady MacBeth enters the scene she washes her hands saying there is blood on them and refers to the murders: Duncan, Banquo, and Lady MacDuff. Once she leaves the doctor looks stunned at such behavior. Scene II A group of Scottish lords gather together to discuss the military situation. It is decided that the Scottish army will meet the English army led by Malcolm by Birnam Wood to join forces together. It is also reported that MacBeth has fortified Dunsinane Castle. Scene III MacBeth tells his attendants they have nothing to fear of the army approaching them because no one of woman born can harm him. MacBeth also refers to the second apparition and says he will reign until Birnam Wood is moved to Dunsinane. Next, MacBeth orders Seyton to retrieve his armor so he can do what he does best, fight on the battlefield. The doctor reports to MacBeth about Lady MacBeth’s condition. MacBeth demands that the doctor rid her of the disease and cure her. Scene IV While marching toward Dunsinane, Malcolm orders his soldiers to break a branch off of a tree in Birnam Wood hope to, â€Å"Thereby shall we shadow / The numbers of our host,† and make MacBeth’s spies, â€Å"Err in report of us,† (5.4.5-7). Scene V Seyton comes to tell MacBeth that the queen has died. Shocked by the abrupt end of his wife, MacBeth makes a compelling spiel. The messenger enters telling MacBeth that the forest of Birnam Wood is moving towards them, Dunsinane. MacBeth is overcame by disbelief and horror that the apparition’s prophecy may come true which said that he couldn’t die until Birnam Wood moved towards Dunsinane. Scene VI Malcolm orders his soldiers to throw down the branches and reveal to MacBeth’s castle who they really are. Scene VII MacBeth kills the Young Siward and makes fun of the soldiers who are born from a woman because their swords can not kill him. Malcolm makes a comment about MacBeth’s soldiers saying, â€Å"We have met with foes / That strike beside us,† because they aren’t even trying to fight (5.7.31-2). Scene VIII The castle is surrounded by Malcolm and Siward’s men. MacDuff finally finds MacBeth and the fight begins. While fighting, MacBeth tells MacDuff he is wasting his time because he cannot be killed by a woman born human. MacDuff shocks MacBeth by letting him know he was not woman born but cut out of his mother’s womb. MacBeth still does not give up and they continue fighting. As trumpets sound victory of the Scottish and English forces, MacDuff enters carrying MacBeth’s head and declared Malcolm King of Scotland.

Lesson Plan – Pop Art

LESSON PLAN for 8F: Pop Art – Roy Lichtenstein P4&5| CLASS: 8F| DATE: 07/06/12| LEARNING OBJECTIVE/S: * To create a piece of pop art in the style of Roy Lichtenstein. * To be able to understand what pop art is and recall information about Roy Lichtenstein. * To be able to make positive comments on your own and others work to boost confidence and self-esteem. EXTENSION TASK: Begin to create your own piece of Pop Art representing something you enjoy or a person you idolise.Success Criteria: * Students will be able to show a basic attempt at producing a piece of work with some similarity to the original (Level 4) * Students will be able to show a satisfactory attempt at the task with good similarity to the original and appropriate choice of colour and technique (Level 5) * Students will show a strong attempt at the task with strong similarity and technique. A personal touch may be applied to the end product to improve it’s appearance. Level 6)| RESOURCES REQUIRED * PowerPo int on Roy Lichtenstein and his Pop Art (True or false quiz for starter) * White boards, pens, board rubbers * Working SmartBoard and remote * 3 sets of colour images of Roy Lichtenstein’s work for reference * Pre-outlined images on cartridge paper plus photocopies for other students. * Plain cartridge paper * Pencils, felt tips, rubbers, scissors (+2 left handed pairs for AB and JC) * Coloured paper| LESSON OUTLINE:| Structure| Groupings| Activities|Starter(10 – 15 mins)Introduction(5 mins)Main(first part)2nd partBreak(2 period lesson)1st part(5 mins)MainPlenary (20 mins at end of lesson)| Whole ClassWhole ClassIndividual workWhole ClassWhole classIndividual workingWhole class| True or false fact quiz on Roy Lichtenstein and Pop Art. Ask students to write their answer on their whiteboard and hold up in the air when prompted to compare with each other. Ask students to recall a fact for a merit. When starter completed ask LSA to collect equipment to avoid distraction du ring explanation of main task.Put pictures of Roy Lichtenstein’s work up on the board and ask students to tell me what is different about these pieces (composed of dots and lines). What do they like about them? What don’t they like? Discuss as a group. Show students example piece (created by me) to show what their end product may look like. Explain equipment used and techniques, varying ways to approach and variants in colour. Refer back to work on Andy Warhol and how the use of colour is reflective in the overall product. Offer outlines to students but discuss how to approach completing task from scratch also.Remind students to refer to colour copies for inspiration Answer any questions, begin task. Circulate the room, ask LSA to do this also so that any questions can be answered. Focus on SB and AB to ensure they are feeling confident and are aware of what they need to do. Monitor approaches and understanding by allowing students to discuss ideas. Line all students u p and allow time for quick toilet break Ask students if they have any questions regarding the task and remind them to ask if they need anything.Continue to circulate, spending extra time with SB and AB to ensure focus. Check on BE, CA and SS to make sure they are remaining focussed on the task. If any students are near completion, explain extension task. Bring focus back to front of the class by asking students to come up in twos and place their art work on the board in an exhibition for reviewing. Once all pieces up, ask the class to walk around and decide one thing they like about someone else’s work on the board. Once seated, ask each student to share their compliment with the rest of the class.Ask students if they can recall a fact from our earlier PowerPoint and finish by asking for a thumbs up/middle/down approach to the task they completed today. | ASSESSMENT/DIFFERENTIATION:Where does diff. occur? What learning, and whom, will be assessed? Differentiation will take pl ace in a number of ways throughout the lesson: * Teacher and TA interaction with pupils – helping those who are finding the work difficult, asking extension questions to more able pupils. * Teacher to take in to account some short term memory issues within the group and allow time to recall facts with hints where needed. Pre-drawn outlines for all students to access if they feel unable to complete a piece from scratch which several members will. Assessment will take place informally with the teacher noting how well the students can complete the task, and more formally through peer and self assessment. | Strategies to ensure effective learning takes place: * Ensure all students are aware of and understand the task in hand by asking the class on a whole and then walking around the room (LSA also) once the task is set to answer any questions one on one. Make sure students have correct equipment available for the task. * Refer back to the facts learned at the beginning of the les son by offering merits as reward for recollection of facts. * Allow time at the end of the lesson to see how students felt overall about the task. * Tackle any behavioural issues if they occur without disruption to the rest of the class. * Discuss the new technique with students and how they are finding it. |

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Case study examining a firm in the US from a microeconomic standpoing Research Paper

Case study examining a firm in the US from a microeconomic standpoing - Research Paper Example Apple operates in both oligopoly and monopolistic conditions. Apple Inc. is American technological company with headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple is a huge, tremendous corporation that is the business of design and selling smartphones and computers. Apple is also a strong competitor in the business of offering online services. The company was founded in 1976. The three founders of Apple are Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak. The company became Apple Computer Inc. in 1977. The name was changed to Apple Inc. in 2007. Currently, Apple is the second largest information technology based on revenue earned. It is bettered by Samsung Electronics, which holds number one position. The company employs 72,800 employees who are permanent and work full time. It has 425 retail stores that are found in over fourteen countries. Moreover, the company is responsible for operating its online businesses, which are Apple and ITunes stores. The company enjoys brand loyalty and high revenues. The paper examines Apple Inc. from a macroeconomic perspective. Supply and Demand have a direct influence on business operations. Supply affects the amount of products in the market, which will eventually affect the price of products. Price increase with a decrease in demand.. Demand refers to the desire of consumers to obtain a service or product. The interplay of supply demand leads to the price elasticity, which explains how changes in price affect demand for products and services. Apple is a multinational company, which means United States and global economic conditions affect its operations. It is obvious Apple is affected by the dynamics of supply and demand, which are at the center of all markets. Apple Inc. has been affected by increase in the number of people who have use computers and smartphones. The increased demand for smartphones and computers is due to the need for growth. In response, the company has been able to register

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

'In the present era of globalisation, control over the movement of Essay

'In the present era of globalisation, control over the movement of people has become the last bastion of sovereignty. Nowhere - Essay Example In this third wave of globalization and post modernism where international migration is restricted against all its cultural and political norms. This expulsion of human mobility from the globalization definition leaves it as a narrow concept of expansion where it’s ethical, economic and political existence comes in conflict with sustainability. Besides all aspects of globalization, this barrier to international human mobility also comes under violation of international law where freedom to move freely is under attack. This asymmetrical nature of globalization defines the exploitation of this term being used for interests of certain groups which have been promoting free exchange of goods by liberalizing economies and diminishing barriers to free mobility of goods yet are keen to impose restrictions on migration. Barriers can be justified by the number of migrations, in all past era migration figures were way smaller than the total population but the first wave of globalization registered the massive migration of around 3%. ... It resembles the inconsistency and incompatibility of such asymmetric policies which at one hand support growth of liberalization while on the other hand attempt to contain it. This irregularity in policies has led to many international crimes against humanities of which the most prominent in this regard is the human trafficking (POOLEY & WHYTE, 1991). This evolving humanitarian crisis and inconsistent policies demand great attention and oversight for governance and policy making which ensures human rights of migration and also maintains the ethical, political and economic values of globalization. Human migration has always been the same as people move from developing countries to developed countries whereas in the first wave of globalization, Asia, Latin America, South Asia, Africa, Caribbean and Baltic states have been the major outsourcer of labours to America, Europe, Middle East, Australia and Japan etc. (TALANI, 2010). The figures for human trafficking stands around one out of every tenth migrant who cross borders with no permission and papers. Migration statistics sufficiently proves the argument that immense migration has resulted an unprecedented growth of population to the recipient countries which now has become a threat to the sovereignty of these states particularly to their security and in general to their domestic culture, values, norms and religion. Critical analysis require information from both sides, no doubt international migration has been enormous to the developed world but there is no evidence that they have spoiled the growth of recipient country so, the ultimate result is still to be revealed. In case of Europe where domestic population if greying; in case of America baby boomers have reached to their retirement; it can be said

Monday, October 7, 2019

Inventory management and materials requirement planning Assignment

Inventory management and materials requirement planning - Assignment Example Introduction Inventory management can be defined as the practice of managing the inventory of an organisation so as to ensure that it does not go out of stock and that the needs of the organisation are continually met (Pillsbury, 2005). Inventory management is carried out in order to protect the organisation against stock-outs when there is variability in terms of demand. Inventory management and materials planning in a military setting is very much different from the business setting due to the nature and sensitivity of the inventory itself. The fact that there is always need to provide the right materials to the military personnel at the right time especially during war has resulted in a situation where the inventory management practices adopted are very risk averse leading to the holding of a lot of inventory at a time in their stores. This is due to the fact that there is need to consider the risk of lacking particular materials when they are needed by the personnel on the ground (Hillier and Lieberman, 2001). Royal Air force of Oman Inventory system The Royal Air force of Oman is no exception to the inventory management practices adopted by the military. ... Some of the items in the inventory have been there for many years and the military is now being faced with the risk of obsoleteness as new technology development has resulted in new more advanced military equipments (Max, 2005). Military organisations all over the world have traditionally focused on keeping high levels of inventory in order to be able to deliver the needed services and equipments to their personnel. This has therefore led to a situation where the military organisations have to take a risk averse position and adopt inventory management practices which allow the storage of high levels of inventory for readiness purposes. This is a practice that most military logistics personnel adopt and has resulted in a common believe that holding more inventory is better when it comes to being ready for warfare and being ahead of other military forces. It is however important that these military organisations adopt better inventory management practices so as to reduce the costs of s torage and the risk of obsoleteness. This will help them manage their inventory levels in a more cost effective manner thus lowering some of the heavy costs they have been incurring over time (Melcher and Ferrari, 2004). Inventory Management Systems There are several inventory management systems that can be used by an organisation to manage their inventory. These are; reorder point systems, periodic review systems and material requirements planning. The inventory management system adopted by military organisations such as the Royal Air force of Oman is based on the material requirements planning system. This is due to the fact that most of the materials purchased by the military are based on needs and therefore

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Middle East Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle East Politics - Essay Example The government uses oil money to uplift the lives of the residents. Iraq is an unstable political nation (Ayoob, 2006). The country is the threshold of breaking up between the people of both the Kurdish group and the Arab group. There is a continuing rift between Iraqi Sunni Muslims and Iraqi Shiite Muslims. The rift cropped up because Muhammad did not appoint his replacement (Hazleton, 2009). Iran is on the verge of producing its first nuclear warhead. The nation is an open republic. The republic allows suggestions, comments, and other inputs from any member of Iranian society. The drive to set up nuclear weapons is a stop the uninvited political intervention from the United States. Iranian politics is leading towards a democratic government. The religious leaders run the Iran government, especially Shiite Muslim Ayatollah Sistani. The citizens democratically elect their next political leaders (Ayoob, 2006). The Saud family, the political family ruling over Saudi Arabia, is persuaded to grant more democratic power to the citizens (Ayoob, 2006). The granting of democratic freedom strengthens Saud family’s hold on the people. Such democratic movements will allow the people to voice their anti-American politics concerns. Turkey questions why the European Union cannot allow entry of Turkey into the fold of the European Union (Ayoob, 2006). Some residents believe their Islamic faith hinders entry into the European Union. The people happily feel the government grant more democratic freedom. Turkey is deeply involved in the Middle East nations’ political affairs, doing its best as NATO member to keep the peace and unity within the region. The political situation shows there is a continuing political conflict between the Jewish Israel people and the Islam-dominated Palestine people (Ayoob, 2006). The United States is persuading Israel to give up its control over the Gaza strip to Palestine, to reduce the conflict between

Friday, October 4, 2019

Lost civilization ( the fall of Rome ) Research Paper

Lost civilization ( the fall of Rome ) - Research Paper Example Its cultural influence spread across the whole of its empire to such an extent that most of the peoples came to adhere to it. The Roman state and empire was essentially built through military might and it relied heavily on the latter for its survival. Most of the high-ranking officers in the military often came from the aristocracy of Rome and these continued the tradition of joining and championing the military to such an extent that they became the dominant element within it. The military ability of the Roman state cannot be underestimated because it helped in the conquest of new lands for Rome and ensured that the state remained stable (Mitrovici 618). Furthermore, it was responsible for the construction of a road network spanning the entire empire that made communication and trade within it to flourish; essentially ensuring that the empire became a melting pot of all the peoples within it. The Roman Empire amassed great wealth through its control of the trade routes within it as well as those leading into Asia and the rest of Europe since it occupied a central position among these routes. In this way, it was able to finance its massive government, despite all the corruption that went on in its political arena. However, with its swift expansion, the empire also came to include many different peoples as its subjects as its cultural dominance spread to them and they submitted to Roman rule. These peoples brought great diversity into the Roman state and this was to such an extent that many of them came to attain high positions within its government as well as in its merchant class. The Roman Empire was the bringer of peace in all of the territories over which it ruled and this ensured that a lot of wealth flowed into the city without any form of interruptions to its trade ("The Fall of Rome"). The result was that the Roman ruling class in later centuries became relaxed an d instead of concentrating their efforts to retaining the military might of their

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

Ernest Hemingway Essay Ernest Hemingway probably summed it up best when he said, All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn (source). We’re dealing with quite a book here. Published in 1885, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain’s follow-up to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, carved new territory into the American literary landscape in several ways. As one of the first novels to use a specific region’s vernacular in its narration, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn set a precedent for many other distinctly American works to follow. Some readers didn’t exactly get this new colloquial style, however. Accustomed to the proper prose of Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Emerson, some readers didn’t know what to do with Huck’s particular way of storytelling. Aside from the novel’s new style of writing, Twain’s decision to use thirteen-year-old Huck as the narrator allowed him to include certain content that a more civilized narrator probably would have left out. At first, Twain’s novel was labeled crass by some readers. The book was even banned in schools for its use of the n-word which is ironic, given that the novel is up in arms over slavery. Even today, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn makes Banned Books lists. Twain’s novel jumped head first into one of the biggest issues of its day: racism. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed over two decades before Huckleberry Finn’s original publication date, African-Americans everywhere were still victims of oppression and racism. They were technically free, but often by name only in Reconstruction-era America. Many southerners were bitter about the outcome of the Civil War. By guiding his characters through several states of the Confederacy, Twain was able to reveal the hypocrisy of many pre-war southern communities. As a southerner himself, Twain had first-hand experiences to draw on, and he was able to walk the fine line between realistic depiction and ironic farce. Not to mention, Twain created the now-iconic character of Jim, a runaway slave who convinces Huck that African-Americans are deserving of freedom, and that equality is a goal for which we all should be fighting. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is now considered to be one of the Great American Novels, mostly due to how it so heartily champions the American ideals of freedom, independence, and rugged individualism. Huck’s dedication to his own moral standards and his bold sense of adventure and self-sufficiency have earned him a place in the All-American Hall of Fame. In addition, Twain is a hilarious storyteller, and the plot of this novel is a roller-coaster ride of moral dilemmas – so trust us when we say that if you haven’t taken the ride yet, you probably should. Why Should I Care? Mark Twain wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn twenty years after the American Civil War. Slavery had been abolished, and the North and South were making up (albeit with some residual anger). So why publish a highly moralistic tale about a system that was no longer in place? Weren’t race issues a moot point once slavery was out of the picture? Hardly. Freedom didn’t mean equality by any means – not legally, socially, or practically. (See Shmoop Historys Jim Crow in America for more.) Actually, come to think of it, this isn’t an outdated notion at all. Rules and laws often don’t accurately reflect what’s really going on. From a legal standpoint today, we have equality of race; yet racism is still a problem. Men and women are equal, yet many still see a glass ceiling for women in the workplace, meaning they often have invisible boundaries to advancement. That doesn’t mean laws are useless. Laws may not immediately effect change, but we’ve seen that they do precede change. While laws can affect how people act, it takes more to change the way we think. We can’t rely on laws alone. That’s where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn comes back into the picture. We need people like Mark Twain to remind us not to be self-congratulatory for starting a process in motion, but instead to realize that greater change is always necessary.