Play And Childrens Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Play And Childrens Development - Research Paper Example In a study that measured the rate of video game playing by students compared to their academic performance, video gaming or passive gaming was found to have negative effects on the cognitive ability of students. The study reported decreasing interest in academic work due to its strong addictive nature that ties the students’ mind to such video gaming. According to this study, teachers and policy makers in education have constantly voiced their concerns regarding the detrimental effects of video passive gaming and TV watching. The study found that video gaming was negatively correlated to academic performance among college students, with the variation being much higher in male students compared to females. This may be explained by the time displacement hypothesis where media consumption takes away most of time that would be used in the intellectually challenging academic activities. Shelving such intellectual challenging activities thus leads to lower cognitive development amon g such constant passive game players, resulting to lowered cognitive development. Thus as Kantor (259) asserts, physical or active play would lead to improvement in cognitive development due to the mental activities and body systems involved, all which work to improve healthy development of an individual. Russel and Newton (295) relate passive gaming to the acute increase in obesity cases among teenagers today. According to this study, child obesity increases due to lack of enough time for physical activities, and increase in passive gaming and watching screen content.TV watching and passive gaming are rapidly displacing children physical activities with more teenagers showing increased preference to passive gaming over physical activities. The... The self-efficacy of children becomes critical in social development. Increasing children efficacy can be enhanced through increased self-confidence, which is attained when children learn to do things alone. Independence can be developed by ensuring children plan their own games and are supported and not guided in such unstructured games, which improve a child’s efficacy. Structured games will, therefore, reduce the learning process in a child compared to unstructured games, which reduces their self-efficacy, and limits their social development. Some of the plays that children can use freely to express themselves and enhance development are drawing, collages, using paper mache and block games where children arrange blocks to form different patterns. Playing is not only beneficial in developing physical health and abilities but has a great impact on social and psychological attributes in children. To ensure the benefits of physical play among children for both psychological and physical health, child play should not be directed. Allowing children to design their games and construct meanings from such games leads to creativity and self-drive, which is critical in ensuring cognitive development in children. Therefore, active play in children has to be encouraged and facilitated in any way possible to avoid health complications in obesity and other negative behaviors related to passive gaming. Such an approach in a child’s play promotes major psychological, social and physical benefits involved in physical gaming.

Islam in Modern Turkey and in Arab World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Islam in Modern Turkey and in Arab World - Essay Example The push toward the Ottoman past is now too strong to stop. It has been fuelled by events in Central Asia whose only links with the Turks are through the Ottoman origins in the Asian heartland (Ozal). From the 1970s onwards a combination of factors has fed into an Islamic revivalism: the success of Sadat's October was against the Israelis in 1973; the use of oil as weapons by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia; the general resurgence of Islam -the triumph of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran. Islam for Khomeini meant Ithna Ashari or twelve Imam Shiism (Fereydoun 65). While providing the Shias with an immense reservoir of religious passion, this inevitably acted as a barrier between Shia and the Sunni areas and thereby created obstacles for Khomeini on the larger Muslim world stage (67). Henceforth Islam was to become increasingly a force in Arab politics. Islam meant cultural identity and pride; it also meant social and moral purity in a world seen as corrupted by the West. Furthermore, it was a local native response to organizing and living in the world, not something imported from Moscow or Washington. But Islam would not have any easy run; Muslim activist would be killed and jailed and tortured in their thousands (Ozal). Their legitimate participation in election would be frustrated and their aims deliberately distorted in order to misinform people. The struggle is far from over. Turks are tough and pound people, with developed perception of themselves as people of honour and worth. There is the story from the early 1950s about a Turkish bridge in the Korean War. Threatened by overwhelming communist forces, the Turkish commander refused to retreat. Defying the orders of his United Nation superiors, he sent a message back to saying the word "retreat" did not exist in the vocabulary of the Turks. The Turks were always in the front-line of Islam against Europe; but it was a sophisticated culture Islam embracing many societies (Ozal). Here many systems thrived; here Jews and Christians lived in safety and comfort. However, the Iranian strand reflects the oscillation in society between the dynastic principle of powerful kings and that of pious religious figures. The oscillation has been in evidence in the politics of Iran over the last few centuries. For example, how Majlisi, one of the leaders of the clergy in the late seventeenth century, actually led a revoluti on, not unlike that of Khomeini's, to impose the will of the clergy on the Safavid ruler (Fereydoun 31-63). The dilemma was difficult for the Iranians to resolve. According to one principle, power came from God, and humanity was to submit; according to the other, power came from the imperial dynasty, and genealogy decided their rich cultural heritage, the more they underlined the importance of royalty in their tradition, the further they moved away from the Islamic principle. So those who were against the Islamic principle would oppose it implicitly by talking of the glories of Persian culture, poetry and art. It was a subtext that announced their real political and religious positions (Fereydoun 31-63). There is a central debate in Turkey now about how Islamic the Turkish pass was at the time of the Ottomans. Although the debate may appear academic to an outsider, it relate directly to

Various Types Of Robots Computer Science Essay

Various Types Of Robots Computer Science Essay A Robot is man-made mechanical device that can move itself, whose motion must be modeled, planned, sensed, actuated and controlled, and whose motion behaviour can be influenced by programming. Robots are called intelligent if they succeed in moving in safe interaction with an unstructured environment, while autonomously achieving their specified tasks. This definition implies that a device can only be called a robot if it contains a movable mechanism, influenced by sensing, planning, actuation, and control components. It does not imply that a minimum number of these components must be implemented in software, or be changeable by the consumer who uses the device; for example, the motion behaviour can have been hard-wired into the device by the manufacturer. 12.2 Three Laws of Robotics Science-fiction author Isaac Asimov is often given credit for being the first person to use the term robotics in a short story composed in the 1940s. He suggested three principles to guide the behavior of robots and smart machines.- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 12.3 Components of robotic systems This figure depicts the components that are part of all robotic systems. The real robot is some mechanical device (mechanism) that moves around in the environment, and, in doing so, physically interacts with this environment. This interaction involves the exchange of physical energy, in some form or another. Robotics as an integrated system of control interacting with the Figure : components of robotic system Both the robot mechanism and the environment can be the cause of the physical interaction through Actuation, or experience the effect of the interaction, which can be measured through Sensing. Sensing and actuation are the physical ports through which the Controller of the robot determines the interaction of its mechanical body with the physical world. As mentioned already before, the controller can, in one extreme, consist of software only, but in the other extreme everything can also be implemented in hardware. Within the Controller component, several sub-activities are often identified: Modelling- The input-output relationships of all control components can (but need not) be derived from information that is stored in a model. This model can have many forms: analytical formulas, empirical look-up tables, fuzzy rules, neural networks, etc. The other components discussed below can all have models inside. A System model can be used to tie multiple components together, but it is clear that not all robots use a System model. The Sensing model and Actuation model contain the information with which to transform raw physical data into task-dependent information for the controller, and vice versa. Planning- This is the activity that predicts the outcome of potential actions, and selects the best one. Almost by definition, planning can only be done on the basis of some sort of model. Regulation- This component processes the outputs of the sensing and planning components, to generate an actuation setpoint. Again, this regulation activity could or could not rely on some sort of (system) model. The term control is often used instead of regulation, but it is impossible to clearly identify the domains that use one term or the other. 12.4 Parts Concept required for Robot Generally robots have at least the below mentioned parts and concepts: Sensors Most robots of today are nearly deaf and blind.   Sensors can provide some limited feedback to the robot so it can do its job.   Compared to the senses and abilities of even the simplest living things, robots have a very long way to go.  The sensor sends information, in the form of electronic signals back to the controller.   A sensor also gives the robot controller information about its surroundings and lets it know the exact position of the arm, or the state of the world around it.  Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are the kinds of information we get from our world.   Robots can be designed and programmed to get specific information that is beyond what our 5 senses can tell us. For instance, a robot sensor might see in the dark, detect tiny amounts of invisible radiation or measure movement that is too small or fast for the human eye to see Switch Sensors Light Sensors Polarized light Resistive Position Sensors Effectors An  effector  is any device that affects the environment. Robots control their effectors, which are also known as end effectors. Effectors include legs, wheels, arms, fingers, wings and fins. Controllers cause the effectors to produce desired effects on the environment. Two basic ways of using effectors: to move the robot around =>locomotion to move other object around =>manipulation Actuators Actuators, also known as drives,  are mechanisms for getting robots to move. Most actuators are powered by pneumatics (air pressure), hydraulics (fluid pressure), or motors (electric current).  Most actuation uses electromagnetic motors and gears but there have been frequent uses of other forms of actuation including muscle-wires and inexpensive Radio Control servos. To get a motor under computer control, different motor types and actuator types are used. Some of the motor types are Synchronous, Stepper, AC servo, Brushless DC servo, and Brushed DC servo.   Radio Control servos for model airplanes, cars and other vehicles are light, rugged, cheap and fairly easy to interface. Some of the units can provide very high torque speed. A Radio Control servo can be controlled from a parallel port. Controllers The robot connects to a computer, which keeps the pieces of the arm working together. This computer is the controller. The controller functions as the brain of the robot. The controller can also network to other systems, so that the robot may work together with other machines, processes, or robots Arms common effectors known as Arms. The robot arm comes in all shapes and sizes and is the single most important part in robotic architecture. The arm is the part of the robot that positions the End Effector and Sensors to do their pre-programmed business. Many (but not all) resemble human arms, and have shoulders, elbows, wrists, even fingers. This gives the robot a lot of ways to position itself in its environment.   Artificial Intelligence The term artificial intelligence is defined as systems that combine sophisticated hardware and software with elaborate databases and knowledge-based processing models to demonstrate characteristics of effective human decision making. The criteria for artificial systems include the following: functional: the system must be capable of performing the function for which it has been designed; able to manufacture: the system must be capable of being manufactured by existing manufacturing processes; designable: the design of the system must be imaginable by designers working in their cultural context marketable: the system must be perceived to serve some purpose well enough, Mobility Industrial robots are rarely mobile. Work is generally brought to the robot. A few industrial robots are mounted on tracks and are mobile within their workstation. Service robots are virtually the only kind of robots that travel autonomously. Research on robot mobility is extensive. The goal of the research is usually to have the robot navigate in unstructured environments while encountering unforeseen obstacles. Some projects raise the technical barriers by insisting that the locomotion involve walking, either on two appendages, like humans, or on many, like insects. Most projects, however, use wheels or tractor mechanisms. Many kinds of effectors and actuators can be used to move a robot around. Some categories are: legs (for walking/crawling/climbing/jumping/hopping) wheels (for rolling) arms (for swinging/crawling/climbing) flippers (for swimming) Types of robot 12.5.1 Mobile Robot- Mobile robots are able to move, usually they perform task such as search areas. A prime example is the Mars Explorer, specifically designed to roam the mars surface. Mobile robots are a great help to such collapsed building for survivors Mobile robots are used for task where people cannot go.   Mobile robots can be divided in two categories   1.1 Rolling Robots:   Rolling robots have wheels to move around.   These are the type of robots that can quickly and easily search move around.   However they are only useful in flat areas, rocky terrains give them a hard time.   Flat terrains are their territory 1.2 Walking Robots:   Robots on legs are usually brought in when the terrain is rocky and difficult to enter with wheels.   Robots have a hard time shifting balance and keep them from tumbling.   Thats why most robots with have at least 4 of them, usually they have 6 legs or more.   Even when they lift one or more legs they still keep their balance.   Development of legged robots is often modeled after insects or crawfish. Stationary Robots Robots are not only used to explore areas or imitate a human being.   Most robots perform repeating tasks without ever moving an inch.   Most robots are working in industry settings.   Especially dull and repeating tasks are suitable for robots.   A robot never grows tired; it will perform its duty day and night without ever complaining.   In case the tasks at hand are done, the robots will be reprogrammed to perform other tasks Autonomous Robots Autonomous robots are self supporting or in other words self contained.   In a way they rely on their own brains. Autonomous robots run a program that gives them the opportunity to decide on the action to perform depending on their surroundings.   At times these robots even learn new behavior.   They start out with a short routine and adapt this routine to be more successful at the task they perform.   The most successful routine will be repeated as such their behavior is shaped.   Autonomous robots can learn to walk or avoid obstacles they find in their way.   Think about a six legged robot, at first the legs move ad random, after a little while the robot adjust its program and performs a pattern which enables it to move in a direction Remote-control Robots An autonomous robot is despite its autonomous not a very clever or intelligent unit.   The memory and brain capacity is usually limited; an autonomous robot can be compared to an insect in that respect. In case a robot needs to perform more complicated yet undetermined tasks an autonomous robot is not the right choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Complicated tasks are still best performed by human beings with real brainpower.   A person can guide a robot by remote control.   A person can perform difficult and usually dangerous tasks without being at the spot where the tasks are performed.   To detonate a bomb it is safer to send the robot to the danger area Virtual Robots   Ã‚   Virtual robots dont exist in real life.   Virtual robots are just programs, building blocks of software inside a computer.   A virtual robot can simulate a real robot or just perform a repeating task.   A special kind of robot is a robot that searches the World Wide Web.   The internet has countless robots crawling from site to site. These WebCrawlers collect information on websites and send this information to the search engines.    BEAM Robots BEAM is short for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and Mechanics.   BEAM robots are made by hobbyists. BEAM robots can be simple and very suitable for starters. Key Points Robotics  is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture, and operation of  robots. Field of robotics overlaps with electronics, computer science,  artificial intelligence  , mechatronics,  nanotechnology  , and bioengineering. MITs Kismet: an expressive robotic creature with perceptual and motor modalities tailored to natural human communication channels. In the future, robots will have a high level of intelligence, such as feeling and emotions, or the ability to make a rational decision on their own. Exercise Q.1 Discuss the Laws of Robotic system? Q.2 What are main components of any robotic system? Q.3 What kind of tasks a robot can perform? Q.4 What is the difference between Automation and Robots? Q.5 How can we measure performance of any robot? Q.6- What is degree of freedom? How much degree of freedom is required for 2D and 3D motion?

National Geographic: Mysteries Underground :: essays research papers

National Geographic: Mysteries Underground   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The video I reviewed was a National Geographic film called Mysteries Underground. This video was about extraordinary sites there are to see in underground caves. You traveled along with cave explorers and got to see all the beautiful untouched natural formations such as gypsum chandeliers, gnarled calcite columns, and jewel-like lakes. It showed and talked about all the careful proceders the cave explorers go through. It also talked about how the formations were made over such a long time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I learned many interesting things that would never seem possible. In the world's new most exotic ,Lechuguilla, cave there lied water so clean and clear that the cave explorers were forced to take all there clothes off before they swam acrossed it because the littlest dirt from any clothing would contaminate the pureness of the water. All the cave explorers are very cautious as to what they touch or where they step because some of the crystal formations are so fragile that the slightest vibration from a voice or a footstep could ruin millions of years of forming. In some parts of caves there are giant and very smooth ice formations that must be slid down very carefully because if they are not taken cautiously you will pick up to much speed while sliding and finally hit some kind of stone wall or something. One lady was not careful enough and boy did she pay. She was only a mile and a half or so in the cave and she broke her leg. It took almost five days to get who to the surface of the cave where she could be attended to. Also I found out that caves were much larger then I had originally thought. The largest cave now, Mammoth Cave, is over 200 miles long. And if you are exploring a cave being miles and miles from the entrance it is very important that you be careful because if you break your leg that far from the entrance it would probably take months to get you out safely. One safety precaution I learned was that when the explorers are traveling through cold water they must make sure they don't get their upperbody wet because that will cause them to freeze and get many sicknesses that are caused by the cold. One thing that I found interesting was that with the technology today you would think that we would have all the caves discovered and explored. We aren't close at all. In fact some caves have been being explored for years and there is still no end in sight.

Europeans in Jamaica Essay

When did they come? Jamaica was first colonized by a native group of South American origin who, in the early history of Jamaica, called their home a paradise of wood and water. The Arawak were there to greet Christopher Columbus when he arrived in Jamaica in 1494, beginning a long period of European colonization there. The history of Jamaica as a European outpost saw the island under Spanish rule for 150 years, during which the city now known as Spanish Town was established and flourished as the colony’s economic hub. In the 1650s, Jamaica was captured by the British. Despite turning Jamaica into a profitable colony, continued harassment by a group of ex-slaves – brought over throughout the Spanish period and set free during their retreat – and their descendants dogged the British until they relented and granted emancipation to all remaining plantation laborers in 1838. The Maroons, as this small army was known, are still revered today as some of the most brave and noble figures in the history of Jamaica. Why did they come? On May 10, 1655, an English expedition, commanded by Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables, landed at the present-day coastal town of Passage Fort, in the southeastern parish of Saint Catherine. This expedition, which had failed to capture Hispaniola, proceeded to claim the island of Jamaica for England. At the time of the English conquest, the Spaniards were unable to effectively resist the invasion because only about 500 of them were armed with weapons. The English ordered the Spanish colonists to deliver all of their slaves and goods and leave the island. Some followed these orders, but a group led by Don Cristabal Arnaldo de Isasi remained and put up guerrilla resistance to the English. Isasi freed the slaves, many of whom retreated with the Spanish rebels into the hills. From there, the Spanish and the freed blacks who had joined them frequently raided and waged guerrilla warfare on English settlements. Isasi, finally overwhelmed by English forces, fled to Cuba for reinforcement. Some of the blacks who had fought with Isasi, recognizing that the Spanish case was lost, defected to the English. A black regiment fighting for the English, led by the former slave Juan de Bolas, proved a decisive factor in the final defeat of the Spanish, marked by Isasi’s retreat in 1660. How did they colonize? Jamaica’s English-appointed governor Edward D’Oyley compensated the black regiment by officially recognizing their freedom and granting them landholdings. Other formerly Spanish-owned slaves remained autonomous of the colonial administration, living in their own communities as maroons. Spain officially ceded the island to England under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670. The English established a representative system of government, giving white settlers the power to make their own laws through an elected House of Assembly, which acted as a legislative body. The Legislative Council, whose members were appointed by the governor, served an advisory function and took part in legislative debates. This system lasted until it was replaced in 1866 by the crown colony system of government, which stripped the island elite of most of its political power. What changes did they make? The English encouraged permanent settlement through generous land grants. In 1664 Sir Thomas Modyford, a sugar plantation and slave owner in Barbados (a Caribbean island of the Lesser Antilles chain), was appointed governor of Jamaica. He brought 1,000 English settlers and black slaves with him from Barbados. Modyford immediately encouraged plantation agriculture, especially the cultivation of cacao and sugarcane. By the early 1700s sugar estates worked by black slaves were established throughout the island, and sugar and its by-products dominated the economy. Other economic activities, including livestock rearing and the cultivation of coffee and pimento (allspice), developed as well. With the establishment of the plantation system, the slave trade grew. Slaves of both genders and every age were found in all facets of the island’s economy, in both rural and urban areas. They were laborers on plantations, domestic servants, and skilled artisans (tradesmen, technicians, and itinerant traders). The wealth created in Jamaica by the labor of black slaves has been estimated at ? 18,000,000, more than half of he estimated total of ? 30,000,000 for the entire British West Indies. It has been postulated that the profit generated by the ‘triangular trade’ (involving sugar and tropical produce from the British Caribbean colonies, the trade in manufactured goods for slaves in Africa, and the trade of slaves in the British Caribbean) financed the Industrial Revolution in Britain. More than 1 million slaves are estimated to have bee n transported directly from Africa to Jamaica during the period of slavery; of these, 200,000 were reexported to other places in the Americas. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Akan, Ga, and Adangbe from the northwestern coastal region known as the Gold Coast (around modern Ghana) dominated the slave trade to the island. Not until 1776 did slaves imported from other parts of Africa-Igbos from the Bight of Biafra (southern modern Nigeria) and Kongos from Central Africa-outnumber slaves from the Gold Coast. But slaves from these regions represented 46 percent of the total number of slaves. The demand for slaves required about 10,000 to be imported annually. Thus slaves born in Africa far outnumbered those who were born in Jamaica; on average they constituted more than 80 percent of the slave population until Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807. When Britain abolished the institution of slavery in 1834, Jamaica had a population of more than 311,000 slaves and only about 16,700 whites. By the mid-1700s planters were distributing small plots of marginal land to their slaves, both men and women, as a way to offset the cost of providing food. However, the slaves were expected to tend their own crops only during their limited free time. Although slaves were not allotted much time to work the plots, they were able to produce enough not only for their own subsistence but also for sale. A vibrant marketing network developed among the slaves throughout the island, creating what is referred to as a proto-peasantry. In the British mind, slaves were no more than property and merchandise to be bought and sold. On this premise, the British enacted a whole system of slave laws aimed primarily at policing slaves. In general, the premise that slaves were no more than property allowed slave owners to treat them brutally. The severity of this brutality varied. Slaves on large sugar estates generally suffered the harshest punishments, while those on smaller estates and in towns received somewhat better treatment. Colonialism The history of Jamaica is crucial to understanding the country’s current situation. Many of the problems today are results of neocolonial forces. The roots of such concerns can be found within the country’s long legacy of colonialism extending 300 years in length before reaching independence. Jamaica was the meeting place of two expropriate populations: the Britisher uprooting himself in search of quick wealth through sugar; and the African uprooted by force from his environment to supply slave labor upon which his owner’s dream of wealth depended† (Manley, 1975: 12). In 1494 Christopher Columbus arrived on the island to be followed by his son, Diego, in 1509. Diego Columbus sent a delegation to the island thus supporting Spanish control in Jamaica until 1660. During the reign of the Spanish the colonizers managed to wipe out the entire population of native Arawaks, comprised of 60,000 people. The Spanish had imported some slaves from Africa during this time but developed little of the island. Profound development began in 1660 when, after a five-year struggle against the Spanish crown, the British won power. There was a significant rise in population under British control. Their system allowed the colony to prosper as they gave new European settlers land to cultivate sugar cane and cocoa. â€Å"The European planter has been described as a machine for making money† (Waters, 1985: 22). The purpose of this colonial economic system was to provide raw materials and goods for the Mother Country. In addition, a general consumer market was developed to send wealth to Europe and allow for capital accumulation, all for the benefit of the colonizers. Slavery represents an important part of Jamaican history and the cultivated dominant atmosphere. For one, plantations highly depended on slave labor to maximize profit margins. Between 1655 and 1808 one million slaves were forcefully brought to Jamaica (Waters, 1985: 21-23). Persaud (2001: 72) suggests, â€Å"the plantation system, the totality of institutional arrangements surrounding the production and marketing of plantation crops, has seriously affected society in Jamaica†. In other words, the slave mode of production was a crucial factor in the establishment of Jamaica’s structural society. â€Å"Jamaica’s class structure today reflects its history as a colonial plantation society and its beginnings of industrial development characterized by a high rate of inequality and poverty

Stereotypes- Katha Pollitt

Stereotypes Almost from the birth kids are differentiating, girls are dressed in pink clothes and boys in blue. But they are just kids who behave almost in the same way, and their beliefs are changing with growing up. The only difference between them is their anatomy. Through genes, masculine and feminine traits are physically different. The mostly common stereotype is that girls should play with a doll, take dance lessons and be a nurse, not a doctor because it is a male profession. Why stereotypes are most important factors in our society to distinguish boys from girls?Following common stereotypes, toys are given to the children according to their gender. Consequently, boys are supposed to play with a truck and girls with a doll. Toy companies design specific toys, ones for girls and other for boys. Even aisles at markets are divided by gender. One is all in pink, with Barbie’s and kitchen sets. The second one is a mixture of colors, mostly of blue and red with trucks and gu ns. I wonder how it would look conversely, dolls in blue clothes and pink trucks. According to Katha Pollitt article, society gives children deceptive view of the world.She states, â€Å"†¦ to reject her is to say that what Barbie represents- being sexy, thin, stylish. † This quotation shows untruthful vision of the ideal women. A toy like Barbie negatively influences teen girls because this doll demonstrates an impossible body image. Fortunately kids are good observers and they know it is not true. Barbie and other toys can result in future psychological for the children because of the negative gender roles. The major reason lies only in our beliefs which we pass through generations.People lie in the stereotypes because is easier to be like each other. Sometimes being different and standing out from the crowd may have bad effects. I think it is fine and acceptable for a boy to play with a doll, and for a girl with truck. I think that boys playing with dolls can only hel p them show their emotions and feelings. Since we have the same rights, why is it seen in some way as eccentricity? There is only one major reason why people are so antisocial and sticking with the stereotypes.It is the traditional view of women as irrational, oversensitive person which destiny is to be a wife and mother. Roots of the current position and status of sexual differentiation lie in childhood and adolescence. During the process of socialization children learn how everything is functioning in the society. Also it comes to the shaping personality traits, needs and values of the system, as well as roles and patterns of behavior expected by the society. Both genders need some knowledge of other’s traditional role in the family life.Boys like girls should do housework and other stereotyped activities. There are two separate theories to distinguish boys from girls. Stereotyped toys and traditional view of role division, divide our society and leads us to think stereotyp ically. Therefore, I agree with Katha Pollitt, we should not limit boys and girl by toys according to genders. I don’t think it is not wrong for child to play with any toy or participating in any sports or activity as long as they are having good time and spending their time, and play appropriately.

The Ancient Greek Underworld and Hades

The Ancient Greek Underworld and Hades What happens after you die? If you were an ancient Greek, but not too deep-thinking a philosopher, the chances are you would have thought you went to Hades or the Greek Underworld. The Afterlife or Hereafter in the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome takes place in an area often referred to as the Underworld or Hades (although sometimes the location is described as a distant portion of the earth): The Underworld, because it is in the sunless regions under the earth.Hades Realm (or Hades) because the Underworld was Hades third of the cosmos, just as the sea was the god Poseidons (Neptune, to the Romans) and the sky, the god Zeus (Jupiter, to the Romans). Hades is sometimes referred to euphemistically as Pluto, which refers to his wealth, but the Lord of the Underworld had little in the way of a following. Underworld Myths Perhaps the most familiar story about the Underworld is that of Hades taking an unwilling young goddess Persephone below the earth to live with him as his queen. While Persephone was allowed back to the land of the living, because she had eaten (pomegranate seeds) while with Hades, she had to return to Hades every year. Other stories include Theseus being trapped on a throne in the Underworld and various heroic voyages to rescue people down below. Nekuia Several myths involve a voyage to the Underworld (nekuia*) to obtain information. These voyages are made by a living hero, usually, the son of a god, but in one case a fully mortal woman. Because of the details of these trips, even at such a great remove both in time and space, we know some details of ancient Greek visions of Hades realm. For instance, access to the Underworld is somewhere in the west. We also have a literary idea of whom one might meet at the end of ones life, should this particular vision of the after-death happen to be valid. Life in the Underworld The Underworld is not entirely unlike Heaven/Hell, but its not the same, either. The Underworld has a glorious area known as the Elysian Fields, which is similar to Heaven. Some Romans tried to make the area around the burial site of prominent wealthy citizens resemble the Elysian Fields [Burial Customs of the Romans, by John L. Heller; The Classical Weekly (1932), pp.193-197]. The Underworld has the dark or murky, torturous area known as Tartarus, a pit beneath the earth, corresponding with Hell and also the home of Night (Nyx), according to Hesiod. The Underworld has special areas for various types of deaths  and contains the Plain of Asphodel, which is the joyless realm of ghosts. This last is the main area for the souls of the dead in the Underworld neither torturous nor pleasant, but worse than life. Like the Christian Judgment Day and the ancient Egyptian system, which uses scales to weigh the soul to judge ones fate, which could be an afterlife better than the earthly one or an eternal end in the jaws of Ammit, the ancient Greek Underworld employs 3 (formerly mortal) judges. House of Hades and Hades Realm Helpers Hades, who is not the god of death, but of the dead, is Lord of the Underworld. He doesnt manage the limitless Underworld denizens on his own  but has many helpers. Some led their earthly lives as mortals specifically, those selected as judges; others are gods. Hades sits on the Underworld throne, in his own House of Hades, beside his wife, the queen of Hades realm, Persephone.Near them is Persephones assistant, a powerful goddess in her own right, Hecate.One of the attributes of the messenger and commerce god Hermes that of Hermes Psychopomp puts Hermes in contact with the Underworld on a regular basis.Personifications of various sorts reside in the Underworld and some of the creatures of death and the Afterlife appear to be on the periphery.Thus the boatman, Charon, who ferries the souls of the deceased across, might not actually be described as inhabiting the Underworld, but the area around it.We mention this because people argue over similar matters like whether Hercules went all the way to the Underworld when he rescued Alcestis from Death (Thanatos). For non-academic purposes, whatever the shady area in which Thanatos looms may be considered part of the Underworld complex. *You may see the word katabasis instead of nekuia. Katabasis refers to a descent and can refer to the walk down to the Underworld. Which Is Your Favorite Underworld Myth? Hades is Lord of the Underworld, but he doesnt manage the Underworlds limitless denizens on his own. Hades has many helpers. Here are 10 of the most important gods and goddesses of the Underworld: Hades- Lord of the Underworld. Combined with Plutus (Pluto) lord of wealth. Although there is another god who is the official god of death, sometimes Hades is considered to be Death. Parents: Cronus and RheaPersephone- (Kore) Wife of Hades and queen of the Underworld. Parents: Zeus and Demeter or Zeus and StyxHecate- A mysterious nature goddess associated with sorcery and witchcraft, who went with Demeter to the Underworld to fetch Persephone, but then stayed to assist Persephone. Parents: Perses (and Asteria) or Zeus and Asteria (a second-generation Titan) or Nyx (Night) or Aristaios or Demeter (see Theoi Hecate)Erinyes- (Furies) The Erinyes are goddesses of vengeance who pursue their victims even after death. Euripides lists three. These are Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. Parents: Gaia and the blood from the castrated Uranus or Nyx (Night) or Darkness or Hades (and Persephone) or Poine (see Theoi Erinyes)Charon- The son of Erebus (also a region of the Underworld in which both the Elysian Fields and the Plain of Asphodel are found) and the Styx, Charon is the ferryman of the dead who takes an obol from the mouth of each dead person for each soul he ferries over to the Underworld. Parents: Erebus and NyxAlso, note the Etruscan god Charun. Thanatos- Death [Latin: Mors]. A son of Night, Thanatos is the brother of Sleep (Somnus or Hypnos) who along with the gods of dreams seem to inhabit the Underworld. Parents: Erebus (and Nyx)Hermes- A conductor of dreams and a chthonian god, Hermes Psychopompous herds the dead towards the Underworld. He is shown in art conveying the dead to Charon. Parents: Zeus (and Maia) or Dionysus and AphroditeJudges: Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus.Rhadamanthus and Minos were brothers. Both Rhadamanthus and Aeacus were renowned for their justice. Minos gave laws to Crete. They were rewarded for their endeavors with the position of judge in the Underworld. Aeacus holds the keys to Hades. Parents: Aeacus: Zeus and Aegina; Rhadamanthus and Minos: Zeus and EuropaStyx- Styx lives at the entrance to Hades. Styx is also the river that flows around the Underworld. Her name is taken only for the most solemn oaths. Parents: Oceanus (and Tethys) or Erebus and NyxCerberus- Cerberus was the serpent-tailed 3- or 50-headed hell-hound Hercules was told to bring up to the land of the living as part of his labors. The task of Cerberus was to guard the gates of Hades realm to make sure no ghosts escaped. Parents: Typhon and Echidna

Free Essays on Dating In 2003

My girlfriends dating men who we worked with ended up having the worst consequences. A couple of years ago, I worked at an engineering firm. I was on the shy side, so I didn’t engage in many conversations with my male co-workers. Dave, a handsome engineer who I worked closely with, approached me one morning and asked me out to dinner. Very excited, I accepted the offer. Unfortunately, after the dinner date, I had decided that I would rather not continue to date him. The next morning at work I felt extremely uncomfortable. I found myself avoiding Dave as much as possible. I started feeling nervous with the thoughts of him asking me out on another date. By that afternoon, he did approach me and he asked me out to see a movie. Nervously, I began to make up excuses of how I was just too busy to find the time to go out. That went on for a few days until I finally had the courage to tell Dave the truth. Working with him was never the same. Going out with Dave on a date had created an unbreakable tension between us. The tension made it nearly impossible for me to be productive or to concentrate at work. It took several weeks before I felt comfortable again. Looking back, I wished I never accepted the date. My girlfriend Linda is an attractive, intelligent woman who has had plenty of dates, but just hasn’t found the right man. She had met Tom at her work and they dated for several months. She fell madly in love with him and was convinced that he would someday become her husband. To her disappointment, he abrupt... Free Essays on Dating In 2003 Free Essays on Dating In 2003 My girlfriends dating men who we worked with ended up having the worst consequences. A couple of years ago, I worked at an engineering firm. I was on the shy side, so I didn’t engage in many conversations with my male co-workers. Dave, a handsome engineer who I worked closely with, approached me one morning and asked me out to dinner. Very excited, I accepted the offer. Unfortunately, after the dinner date, I had decided that I would rather not continue to date him. The next morning at work I felt extremely uncomfortable. I found myself avoiding Dave as much as possible. I started feeling nervous with the thoughts of him asking me out on another date. By that afternoon, he did approach me and he asked me out to see a movie. Nervously, I began to make up excuses of how I was just too busy to find the time to go out. That went on for a few days until I finally had the courage to tell Dave the truth. Working with him was never the same. Going out with Dave on a date had created an unbreakable tension between us. The tension made it nearly impossible for me to be productive or to concentrate at work. It took several weeks before I felt comfortable again. Looking back, I wished I never accepted the date. My girlfriend Linda is an attractive, intelligent woman who has had plenty of dates, but just hasn’t found the right man. She had met Tom at her work and they dated for several months. She fell madly in love with him and was convinced that he would someday become her husband. To her disappointment, he abrupt...

Resume Editing 10 Things You Should Remove in 2017

Resume Editing 10 Things You Should Remove in 2017 You spend so much time padding your resume and putting things in that it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the things we’d be better off leaving out of our resumes. When resume editing, keep in mind that hiring managers give you about 6 seconds before they put your resume through the shredder. Why not give your resume a little holiday season makeover for the new year? Remember to focus on only the most relevant information- anything that isn’t clear, clean, and in support of your message or brand can go.Here are the first 10  things that can get the axe and you should avoid when resume editing.1. â€Å"Objective†The Objective statement is an irrelevant dinosaur. Replace it with a â€Å"Professional Profile† instead- something that summarizes the best parts of your background and shows you off best. Set the tone/theme and use the rest of the resume as proof. The only exception here is if you’re changing fields or industries completely, but t hat is a rare situation requiring some finessing of its own.2. Bad GrammarIt may seem like a small thing, but even the smallest error can turn off a keen-eyed recruiter. Keep faithful to first person headlines and double check that all your verbs agree.3. Mailing AddressYou don’t have room for this. No one is going to need it. And it’s probably a security risk.4. Multiple Telephone NumbersPick the best number at which you can consistently be reached, and leave out the rest. If they want multiple methods of contact, they can always email.5. Too Many BulletsDon’t bullet everything or you’ll run the risk of over-bulleting. Use this useful tool only to draw out the most important information in a clear manner.6. Irrelevant EducationExcept in specific circumstances, no one needs to know where you went to high school, what college you transferred out of, or your GPA. Include only what makes sense for the jobs you are applying for and leave out the rest.7. Refer encesObviously, you’ll provide references on request. Don’t waste valuable space saying so on your resume. If an employer wants them; don’t worry, they will ask.8. More than One PageUnless you need to for your particular field, don’t bloat your resume with piles and piles of text. Try to keep it to a clean single page with surgical detail and no extra padding.9. Mismatched FormattingWhen you’re proofreading for content and orthographical or grammatical errors, be sure to also double check your formatting. Keep your underlining, indentations, italics, etc. completely uniform.10. LiesNo bending the truth necessary. You can portray yourself to best advantage wherever possible, but you never want to include mistruths or outright lies. You will get caught and it won’t be good.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Assignment - Essay Example Likewise, the formation of this team was disclosed to be part of Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, which allegedly aims to bring connections to parts of the world where access to the Web has not yet been reached. Therefore, to enable connections to be made possible, it was disclosed that new technologies would have to be invented, which, accordingly would necessitate working with drones, satellites and lasers (Albergotti, 2014). Concurrently, Albergotti (2014) also revealed that Facebook has made other business ventures and acquisitions to expand its organizational sphere. As noted, Facebook had reportedly agreed to purchase â€Å"Oculus VR, a maker of virtual reality goggles, for $2 billion†¦ (and) announced a $19 billion deal to acquire WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). As indicated, these business ventures fare lesser in scope and amount of investments when compared to the launching Connectivity Lab. The manner by which connections to remote places would be accessed was described as â€Å"sending infrared light beams to the earth, using satellites for rural areas and solar powered aircraft for more suburban areas that lack Internet connections† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). These future plans evidently indicates that Facebook has made advanced thrusts to capture opportunities in currently remote areas towards the organization’s outlook for unprecedented growth through technological innovations. Albergotti, R. (2014, March 27). Facebook Creates Team to Beam Internet Everywhere on Earth. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal:

How has the advancement of technology affected the ability to produce Research Paper

How has the advancement of technology affected the ability to produce and analyze imagery intelligence (IMINT) - Research Paper Example Whereas all types of intelligence that can be gathered has a distinctive purpose and subset of potential users, the growth and proliferation, as well as increasing extent of cutting-edge technology, has created a situation by which IMINT faces a fundamental crisis. Ultimately, this particular branch of intelligence is one that has increasing relevance and potential within the current world. As such, the rising costs associated with maintaining on cups of relevance and technology with regard to IMINT has been steadily increasing over the past several decades; seemingly with no end in sight. Accordingly, this particular analysis will not only seek to analyze the current exhibition of this particular form of intelligence but also to denote the underlying reasons for why costs have been rising so exponentially as well as provide for potential levels of remedy that might be directed towards reducing these costs. Furthermore, shortcomings and drawbacks with respect to other proposed remedi es will also be referenced in the hopes of providing a full and nuanced understanding of the problem at hand as well as the ways in which it might potentially be engaged. The rapid rate of technological growth and expansion has created undue difficulty for aspects of image intelligence. In much the same way that the average cost of a single fighter jet has risen exponentially over the past several decades, the cost of gathering and analyzing potentially salient intelligence information form of images is tracking along the same path. Even an individual that does not have formal training with respect to finance and accounting could realize the fact that such a path is unsustainable; especially considering the limited resources that the United States government will be able to provide to achieve a specific goals that image intelligence might exhibit within the coming years. As such, one of the key recommendations that have been made with respect to seeking to ameliorate the overall

Case Study in Managerial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study in Managerial Accounting - Essay Example The cost endor being placed at $5.50 is referred to as the variable cost since it is believed to be the market cost though it tends to vary depending on the market situations. The $5.75 is referred to as the period cost since used for accounting purposes to record the actual expense to be incurred when the product is purchased The $14,000 that Alderon received from Solo Industries is referred to as fixed price that Solo Industries fixed for the tatooine. The $20,000 that Alderon paid is referred to as the product cost since Aalderon actually incurred the cost and it was used for accounting purposes.10If the tatooine was purchased today by Alderon, then it would cost $11.00 which is therefore referred to as the market price. The $1,000 is referred to as indirect labor cost as the price cannot be directly traced back to the product. The $10,000 that would have been a donation of each of the 10 percent viewers of the wildlife show is an opportunity cost as the best forgone alternative. The $5000 is referred to as the outlay cost as it would be the future cash flow. The $25,000 is the revenue cost likely to be collected once the wildlife show is sold to another television show. The wildlife show has a smaller viewing percentage but have high income of $10000Ãâ€"10=$100,000 as compared to the manufacturing show with a big viewing percentage but low income of $5000Ãâ€"15=$75000. It is therefore of significance to show wildlife as opposed to manufacturing

Qatar Balance of Payments Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Qatar Balance of Payments Analysis - Assignment Example The fact that Qatar relied to very solely on investments in the oil sector lead to very low investment inflows which then kept the income balance of Qatar very low. The income from foreign direct investment was generally low in comparison with that of other countries. The deficit in the income balance of Qatar in 1997-2007 estimated to have averagely $ 2 billion which is responsible for the deficit in balance of payment during that period. According to CIA World Factbook (2013), statistics on the economy of Qatar shows that the country imports more service than what they export. Since 1997 to 2007 the general amount of exports from Qatar were estimated to be about $12 billion while their imports were estimated to be about $38 billion. However, their major exports were goods while the service industry contributed small portion of their exports. This therefore led to more imports on the service which then amounted to deficit balance on the services. This then shows that the general services balance of Qatar had been in a deficit before the country took a step to diversify their economy in 2008. The external borrowings of Qatar have also been increasing between the years 1997 and 2007 which was an estimate of about $ 1 billion increase. The increase in the borrowings of Qatar was from both the private and foreign sources. These needed to develop the natural gas in Qatar. This therefore led to the increase in the current transfers of the country of Qatar between 1997 and 2007. With increased current transfers and unfavourable balance of trade on services and income, the country of Qatar has persistently registered a deficit in its balance of payment in

Ulster Solemn League and Covenant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ulster Solemn League and Covenant - Essay Example The Ulster unionists in 1912 believed that their situation was difficult although not completely lost. The leading Ulster unionists came to the conclusion that the Solemn League and Covenant and then the Ulster Volunteer Force were essential elements of preventing Home Rule leading to an independent Irish Republic dominated by Roman Catholics, their worst nightmare come true.1 The drawing - up of the Solemn League and Covenant amply demonstrated the general fear of the Ulster Protestants towards the Home Rule Act as passed by the British Parliament would be introduced throughout Ireland in 1912. The act was designed to provide Ireland with a high degree of autonomy, the Ulster unionists fearing it would sooner rather than later make Ireland an independent nation.2 The Ulster unionists did not want the granting of home rule for Ulster even if it was given to the rest of Ireland, as they wished to maintain their allegiance to the British crown. On the 28 September 1912, quickly dubbed Ulster Day, the solemn league and covenant was signed by more than 450,000 unionist supporters on the first day. The covenant publicly declared the Ulster unionist determination to stay loyal to the Crown and vehemently opposed the enforcement of home rule for Ireland as a whole.3 The Home Rule Act was primarily intended to give an Irish Parliament control over its internal affairs only' leaving it part of the United Kingdom. It would give the Irish autonomy whilst leaving defence, trade, and foreign to be run from London. The province of Ulster was made up of nine counties in the north-eastern part of Ireland with a Protestant majority. Another major factor was that Ulster had maintained its trade superiority over the rest of the Ireland. The unionists therefore, argued that Ulster needed to maintain its British and Protestant identity and the best way to do so were to remain loyal to the crown (the unionists are also refereed to as Loyalists). The moderate Irish nationalist leader was John Redmond the strongest advocate of Home Rule, and naturally enough argued that Ulster was included in Home Rule so that its heavy industry and generally successful commercial activities particularly in Belfast could be shared with the rest of Ireland. The Roman Catholics, who formed a majority of the Irish peoples, supported the autonomy that Home Rule would have granted them. Only a very small minority of Irish Roman Catholics supported the concept of a united Irish Republic completely free of British control and influence.4 The introduction of the Ulster Covenant, masterminded by Sir James Craig was subsequently signed by the vast majority of unionists they openly proclaimed their loyalty to the crown and were assisted by the Conservatives who worked behind the scenes to block or at least water down Home Rule legislation. The controversy over David Lloyd George's Peoples Budget of 1909 had the unforeseen consequence of inadvertently delaying the legislation for Irish Home Rule whilst the Parliament Act was passed to curb the power of the House of Lords. The crisis over the Peoples Budget gave the opponents of Home Rule in Ulster particular the opportunity as well as the time to organise resistance to its adoption. They were helped considerably by the Conservativ

Week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week 6 - Essay Example The next is Team / Shared leadership. It is important top put others first and value the input of those around you. You must constantly seek their input and let them know that you value their contributions. As Bandura points out, â€Å"...belief in their capabilities to master activities affects their aspirations, their level of interest in activities, and their accomplishments† (1994. p.130). A leader must also be Ethical and Honest, to be as upfront and straight forward as possible while acting in a professional manner. This is one of the most critical areas where one must lead by example. The next characteristic is Visionary Leadership. This often requires a leap out of the leader and perhaps the team’s comfort zone. In order to progress and grow, I this dynamic ever-changing environment, change is a necessity. But change, good or bad, is always difficult to implement This requires someone with vision that can also share that vision with others as well as the passion to complete it. This leads to the final characteristic of Influencer. Being able not only to share facts and communicate directive, but charging the task with emotional content is perhaps the most important aspect of a leader for the future. Gone are the days of work being its own reward, staff today need to feel empowered and part of the process both intellectually and emotionally. As Goldberg states, "Process your learning continually. Be open to amazement" (2001, p. 58). Keeping an open mind and continually learning and developing are both the secrets to not only good teaching and leaderships, but to a great life as well. In the past, a paradigm shift occurred when the industrial revolution created thousands of jobs and new technologies evolved for mass production. Then another shift occurred when the economy moved from produced goods to services and this is the present day situation. So now the future

Ulster Solemn League and Covenant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ulster Solemn League and Covenant - Essay Example The Ulster unionists in 1912 believed that their situation was difficult although not completely lost. The leading Ulster unionists came to the conclusion that the Solemn League and Covenant and then the Ulster Volunteer Force were essential elements of preventing Home Rule leading to an independent Irish Republic dominated by Roman Catholics, their worst nightmare come true.1 The drawing - up of the Solemn League and Covenant amply demonstrated the general fear of the Ulster Protestants towards the Home Rule Act as passed by the British Parliament would be introduced throughout Ireland in 1912. The act was designed to provide Ireland with a high degree of autonomy, the Ulster unionists fearing it would sooner rather than later make Ireland an independent nation.2 The Ulster unionists did not want the granting of home rule for Ulster even if it was given to the rest of Ireland, as they wished to maintain their allegiance to the British crown. On the 28 September 1912, quickly dubbed Ulster Day, the solemn league and covenant was signed by more than 450,000 unionist supporters on the first day. The covenant publicly declared the Ulster unionist determination to stay loyal to the Crown and vehemently opposed the enforcement of home rule for Ireland as a whole.3 The Home Rule Act was primarily intended to give an Irish Parliament control over its internal affairs only' leaving it part of the United Kingdom. It would give the Irish autonomy whilst leaving defence, trade, and foreign to be run from London. The province of Ulster was made up of nine counties in the north-eastern part of Ireland with a Protestant majority. Another major factor was that Ulster had maintained its trade superiority over the rest of the Ireland. The unionists therefore, argued that Ulster needed to maintain its British and Protestant identity and the best way to do so were to remain loyal to the crown (the unionists are also refereed to as Loyalists). The moderate Irish nationalist leader was John Redmond the strongest advocate of Home Rule, and naturally enough argued that Ulster was included in Home Rule so that its heavy industry and generally successful commercial activities particularly in Belfast could be shared with the rest of Ireland. The Roman Catholics, who formed a majority of the Irish peoples, supported the autonomy that Home Rule would have granted them. Only a very small minority of Irish Roman Catholics supported the concept of a united Irish Republic completely free of British control and influence.4 The introduction of the Ulster Covenant, masterminded by Sir James Craig was subsequently signed by the vast majority of unionists they openly proclaimed their loyalty to the crown and were assisted by the Conservatives who worked behind the scenes to block or at least water down Home Rule legislation. The controversy over David Lloyd George's Peoples Budget of 1909 had the unforeseen consequence of inadvertently delaying the legislation for Irish Home Rule whilst the Parliament Act was passed to curb the power of the House of Lords. The crisis over the Peoples Budget gave the opponents of Home Rule in Ulster particular the opportunity as well as the time to organise resistance to its adoption. They were helped considerably by the Conservativ

The Mexican Revolution Essay Example for Free

The Mexican Revolution Essay In the Mexican Revolution multiple ideologies were involved at once, all competing with each other. None of them was clearly associated with an image of triumph or defeat, which downplays the image of ideology associated with this process, or rather, has made a nebulous identification of them. Catholics and those clericals who were related to the church, clashed against the property of land and against the traditional oligarchy (francisized and bourgeois), often addicted to Porfirio Diaz. This process commonly describes the oligarchy as the big loser and victim of the process of modernization caused by the revolution. For instance, the current level of popularity of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the number of times that the Pope (John Paul II) visited one of the largest Catholic nation on earth. Mexico remains perhaps, today in the XXI century, as Catholic as on early twentieth century. Another ideology that starred in the revolutionary process, and possibly suffered the biggest defeat was the positivist thinking. Dominant in Mexico since the second half of the nineteenth century, it served to provide of theoretical grounds to the extensive dictatorship (more than three decades) of Porfirio Diaz, and helped to justify (with its racist determinism) the inferiority of the natives and the mestizoes, or the Mexican. In fact, Porfirio considered the people of Mexico as immature for democracy, which was another argument for his more convenient and permanent re-election. Positivism was also tied to the landowner oligarchy, but more to the urban and conservative bourgeoisie, which was a permanent aspirant to social advancement. It was common to find their exponents in the huge state apparatus loyal to Diaz, in the universities and in the army. This thought often decanted in other ideology that is liberalism, also dragged from the nineteenth century, but which takes a great strength in the new urban middle classes and in part of the bourgeoisie that was jaded of the eternal dictators regime, it is liberalism which articulates the initial criticism to the Porfiriato, being hostile to the excessive exploitation by which the Mexican countryside was being submitted. It is this ideology that accelerates, according to general opinion, the revolutionary process. It is from this speech that, after the dialogue had failed, the mass was led to rise against the tyranny of the dictator, an invocation which proved to be for the sole purpose of the use of force and rage of the people, because it didn’t empathize with the demands of the peasants (most of the Mexican population of the time) or those of the emerging urban industrial working class or of the mining class in the province (usually linked to oil). With a marked influence of American liberalism (as opposed to European positivist ideas), liberalism enables to articulate and launch the first serious calls for uprising (for example, the San Luis Plan was launched by Madero from his exile in San Antonio, Texas). In addition there was a presence of anarchist ideology and to a lesser extent of socialism, which in some way guided the illiterate peasant forces, without actually entering them (there were only sketches of these ideologies in the proposed policies and actions of the major peasant leaders, namely Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata). Anarchism and socialism, sometimes separately, and many other times combined, strongly caught on the working class of Mexico City and other industrial centers of the country, they helped enormously in the turmoil of the pre-revolutionary process of 1910, usually operating from exile (for instance, associations of anarchists in California and socialists in Mississippi) and then vaguely reflected in the agreements of the Convention of Aguascalientes, which approved the Ayala Plan, a cornerstone of the subsequent Mexican agrarian reform. And finally we can define a last ideological factor, often ignored or downplayed, always misunderstood from the classical analysis, this is the native-peasant thought that is present throughout the whole history of Mexico and is the main foundation of the current Mexican nation. Many believe that without the discontent of these masses, accumulated over centuries of exploitation and absolute subjugation, the outbreak would not have occurred with the magnitude that it had. Most of the military conflict was made up of disgruntled peasants (in the case of the rebels) or peasants enlisted by the drafts (federal army). The main slogan of the armies led by Zapata and Villa is the division of land, not by ambition, but for their attachment to it. It is the awareness that all is owed to it, the place to which they have always belonged to, that has always been in the atavistic memory of the community, and is also the land which gives the fruit, which represents the yoke of slavery, that ties to the employer, to work for others. The land represents the entire universe of native peasants; everything good and bad that can happen to them is linked to it. But if we must define the ideology of revolution, or the one that has mobilized and convinced the masses to revolt, to slaughter, to fight, and often to death (1,000,000 approximately), this is not definable, even non-existent for many. Because the Mexican peasantry faithfully and blindly followed to warlords, who were not clear how to design a speech or an organization to legitimize their demands. This is reflected in the attitude of Zapata and Villa to take and occupy Mexico City, when they have taken hold of the city they don’t know what to do, they do not locate in that place that represents the power and therefore appoint a lawyer as president, which was Gutierrez, to enact laws to carry out their demands. But the peasants followed their leaders with almost messianic devotion, without a clear ideological conscience. It can be said that there was not a revolution in Mexican politics. There was a rearrangement, a modernization, but the resulting political system merely replicated and deepened, in a more sophisticated way, the old monopoly of power that was criticized to Porfirio Diaz. The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) ruled the country for nearly seventy years, and as its name suggests, it proclaims by itself the institutionalization of the revolutionary process. During the lengthy period of years that this party dominated, there were countless electoral manipulations for the sole purpose of retaining power. It is true that land reform was carried out, but access to the command remained restricted to many and split between a few. Peasants did not access to this apparatus of power, and they were who, basically, carried out the revolution (after their leaders Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata). The Mexican politics did not follow the expansive course usually followed after a revolutionary victory, to put it briefly; there was not even an attempt to export the revolution. In fact, Mexico remained in the relative seclusion in which it was. Society, in contrast, showed a little better this revolution. Peasants agreed, but not throughout the country, to own the land for which they fought and yearned for so long. The modernization is evident in several aspects, the country gradually loses the image of rural indigenous nation that traditionally held, and becomes one of the most modern in Latin America, not yet being clear whether this is because of the magnitude of its population, or due to a real modern vocation of Mexican society. Mexico is a society of contradictions and polarizations, where indigenous communities coexist with rich ancient traditions (perhaps prosperous) with developed urban communities, which in turn contrast with very poor and extensive slums, which often receive indigenous and mestizo peasants from uprooted and impoverished communities. But it is doubtful to believe that the Mexican society and its political expression did assimilate the revolution, or inherited a tradition of this. Mexico is a fairly conservative country in many respects, being perhaps its ultimate expression the passivity with which it accepted and took over half a century of institutional revolutionaries in power, but very early it became clear that these â€Å"revolutionaries† only reproduced the political corruption that was previous to the revolutionary period. Mexicans seemed to assume with usual indifference the electoral manipulations and political gatopardisms. The revolution seems to be more an expression of a highly curbed energy, which springs from the bowels of the earth after centuries, a release that does not mostly renew the landscape, which covers with its centenary magma, but it gives to it more vigor in the germination of an order within the apparent chaos that is the Mexican society. Mexico did not change radically its political and social order, as in other post-revolutionary societies. What actually happened is that Mexican society shocked its dust off (during the revolution) in order to fully receive the coming century, leaving behind those most unpleasant elements inherited from the colony. The Mexican Revolution was a conservative revolution, which really did not intend to renew the Mexican society, as they didn’t know clearly what they were fighting for, or more simply, there was no clarity about general goals.

The Corporate Communication Strategy

The Corporate Communication Strategy This report aims to critically evaluate and analyse the corporate communication strategy, framework and main issues influencing a corporation. The company that I have chosen to examine and apply the knowledge of corporate communication is Microsoft Corporation. Communication strategy of Microsoft Corporation applies or follows which enabled it to expand and grow its business with such an immense efficiency. How does the organisation incorporates main issues of corporate communication; such as, communicating with external and internal stakeholders, maintaining its identity, image and reputation to reflect its organisational behaviour, the organisations attitude towards cultural influence, the role and impact of technology, and lastly, the role of Human Resource Management in contribution of its effective communication and overall performance in global context. (Cornelissen J, 2004) states that corporate communication is a function of corporate identity, corporate image, corporate brand and corporate reputation for the goodwill of the organization and its ongoing concern which is making profit. Corporate communication is a modern term of Public Relations. The term corporate communication is increasingly being used in practice to describe the management function that is still referred to as public relations in academic literature (Groenewald, 1998). According to surveys, over half of the heads of corporate communication departments administer communication functions. They are as follows; External and internal communications Managing corporate reputation and brand Recruiting and retaining Product launches Developing company strategy Corporate social responsibility Boosting investor or analyst perception Managing crises Corporate communication is simply the process of exchanging information within and outside of any organisation with concern of the above mentioned functions to run it effectively and efficiently. It is taken as an important aspect for any organisation to develop and flourish its capability at its best. However, it is more crucial to organisations that operate globally. Most of the successful organisation has used corporate communication as the means of success because it helps to formulate their distinctiveness, their status and mark their existence in the mind of their customers. Background of the organisation: Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in USA. It is a multinational company with headquarter in Redmond, WA, United States, and its subsidiaries in 110 countries. With 182,884 employees in USA and worldwide and annual revenue of USD 62.48 billion, it can be said that it is one of the worlds largest and dominant software companies. It provides software, services and solutions to people and businesses world-wide. The company focuses on research and developing, manufacturing, licensing, and supporting wide range of software products and services for various types of computing devices. The major software products and services it provides are; operating systems for servers, personal computers, and intelligent devices, different types of personal and business applications, software development tools, online services platform, and games; taking into consideration and benefiting all range of people from business, students, workforce to households. *According to the Microsoft Corporation, The Microsoft mission is to help people and businesses around the world realize their full potential. We work to accomplish this mission through the development of innovative products and services that help people harness the power, opportunities, and benefits of technology. http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/our-commitments/reporting/about-microsoft/ The communication strategy and its framework in the organisation: An effective corporate communication strategy is very important for any organisation to overpower todays highly competitive and information driven business environment. It protects an organisation from negative publicities and limits misleading steps of the corporate. Strategy requires choices deciding what particular kind of value an organisation wants to deliver and to whom (Porter, in Gibson, 1997). Implementation of proper and practical strategies can bring equal opportunity to people; resulting in distribution of innovative information, resolution of conflict and coordination in organisation. X-Border communication strategy issues include; degree of adaptation and standardisation, consistency, internal vs external, corporate identity and reputation, costs, role of technology. As a multinational organisation, Microsoft Corporation adapts almost all of the x-border communication strategy to stay on top of the market. (see Appendix) Steve A. Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, states that they see their citizenship strategies and business strategies as complementary, creating shared value for Microsoft shareholders, employees, stakeholders, and society. http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/our-commitments/reporting/ceo-intro-letter/ Neil Holloway, President of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), focused on the balanced objectives of driving customer satisfaction, improving integration across Microsoft business units, addressing the unique technology needs of diverse markets, and growing the software business in the region. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/neilho/default.mspx The statement of Neil Holloway and Steve A. Ballmer clearly implements the communication model (shown below) in Microsoft. Keeping in mind of their identity and image, they deliver messages to their shareholders, employees, stakeholders, and society by the use of Management communication, Organisational communication, and Marketing communication. (see Appendix 1) Figure 1: Communication model, Strategy of the organisation (M. Welch and P. Jackson, 2007) Communication framework In all organisations, communication flows vertically and horizontally, internally and externally, formally and informally linking employees internally to each other and to various layers of management, and to the many external resource holder of the organisation (Fombrun and Riel, 2006). There are three main types of structures of the company and they are as follows; Functional Matrix Project Microsoft follows the matrix structure to perform communication (see Appendix 3). It has horizontal divisions for international operations and vertical divisions for product groups. Mike Love, senior director of corporate communications at Microsoft EMEA says that Microsofts matrix of management decision-making and the challenge to communicate through this matrix is very complex. He also adds that Internal and External communicators each have geographical, functional and product-area responsibilities as their direct focus (see Figure 2, below). http://www.melcrum.com/articles/clutter_at_microsoft.shtml Figure 2: Areas of responsibility at Microsoft Microsofts governing body is the Annual Meeting of Shareholders and the executive body is the Board of Directors (see Appendix 4). Microsoft adapts a centralized and functional area accompanied by a network of decentralized structure for adapting the function to the special needs of the independent business units. The main issues relating to corporate communication External and Internal communication External communication: External communication refers to communicating with external parties of an organisation which includes customers and business partners, suppliers, media, and competitors. Communication with customers: Customers are the most influential part for any organisation to exist in business environment. Microsoft claims that the success of their company is based on their ability to listen and respond to customer feedback about their products, programs, and services, and to increase customer satisfaction with all of the possible ways. They continually engage with their customers and partners through third-party surveys and feedback mechanisms within their products, and community-based websites (see Appendix). However, Microsoft has not institutionalised engagement of external stakeholders in corporate decision-making. Their customer and partner experience (CPE) strategy is sponsored by their chief operating officer and president of the Microsoft Business Division. Communication with media: Media is one of the most powerful and critical areas of any corporate communication function. According to Argenti (2009), the media are both a constituency and a conduit through which investors, employees, and consumers receive information about and form images of a company. It has the ability to turn a business up or down in a matter of seconds. It is very essential for corporation to understand this matter and have a good relationship with media. Microsoft has good understanding on this matter. Hence, they have included media as one of the areas of responsibilities (see Figure 2). They have a separate section in their company site called Microsoft News Center where it provides latest updates and information on company. For media, it has a section called Press Tools with Press Releases, Analyst Reports and many more. It has also established number of air-traffic control tools to avoid misleading and misinterpreting messages to media (see Appendix). Communication with competitors: The main competitors of Microsoft are Google, Apple, VMware, Oracle, and Open source (Linux and Firefox). However, Google is seen to be the prior competitor of Microsoft. Microsoft keeps up-to-date information about its competitors. Microsoft had some problem with its competitors in past and was accused for its unhealthy competition (see Appendix). This had a negative impact on the reputation and image of Microsoft. Since then, Microsoft has been keeping healthy relationship and healthy competition with its competitors through changes in its products and services, filtering words when having conversation on their competitors. http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/208984.asp Communication with Government: Government is involved in all stages of business development. As Microsoft operates in various regions and areas globally, it makes sure to follow the national, regional, and local bylaws and legislation of the country. Microsoft also sense importance of collaboration among the internationally recognized groups. Its Citizenship and reporting strategies are guided by those laid out in the Global Reporting Initiative, the Global Network Initiative the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and the Carbon Disclosure Project. Communication with shareholders: However, the company does not provide training to staff on stakeholder engagement, nor do they disseminate the principles through more than one medium or translate them into other languages. Microsoft has also not institutionalised external stakeholder engagement in corporate decision-making.**** Internal communication: Strong internal communications- fostering increased workforce loyalty and productivity will thus continue to play a pivotal role in a companys employee relation and overall success (Argenti, 2009). Microsoft fully realise the role of employees and vendors for its overall success. It is also aware that with change in culture and business environment, employees and their attitudes, beliefs are changing and they need to be treated in different ways. To understand the values and attitudes of employees to gain their loyalty and productivity, effective communication among and with employees is very crucial. Communication with employees: One of their most important developments during the past year has been the establishment of an Internal Communicator Community (see Appendix). They have also developed a new approach to the annual planning process by creating a forum for sharing internal and external communication plans across all business disciplines to build a one company approach. They have also established a regular quarterly meeting and monthly Live Meeting1/conference call for all Public Relations leads in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regardless of their areas of responsibility. This has become a clearing house for communication plans and has helped establish the discipline of air-traffic control. Communication with vendors: http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/microsoft-adds-human-element-to-corporate-communications/110453 Identity, Image, and Reputation The concept of corporate identity is traced by organisations marks or logos, name, motto, products, services, and any other possessions of the organisation that is visible and tangible to differentiate themselves from their competitors and print their image in the minds of consumers (Argenti, 2009). Image is shaped by the identity of an organisation, it is the way internal and external constituents perceive the organisations identity get fulfilled. Finally, strong reputation of an organisation is achieved when identity and image align with each other. Microsofts identity is majorly reflected by its name, products and services, market capitalisation, market capture, and Bill Gates, former CEO, Microsoft Corporation (see Appendix). Microsofts image has been problematic since its establishment. It has been accused Microsofts holds a highly valued reputation Read more: Corporate Identity http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Con-Cos/Corporate-Identity.html#ixzz18qO7ytiL Corporate Identity Names, Brands, Symbols, Self-presentation is perceived by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Employee Image Investor Image Community Image Customer Image The sum of their Corporate Reputation perceptions equals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Figure 3: Reputation Framework (Argenti, 2009) Culture and its influence in corporate communication Any organisations culture is reflected by the behaviours, attitudes, beliefs, norms and values of its employee working with each other towards attaining a common goal. It has become a serious issue with prevalence of globalisation (see Appendix). Hofstede (1980, 1982, 1987) has outlined five dimensions of cultural impact in an organisation. They are as follows; Power distance Individualism Vs Collectivism Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity or Feminity Long term or Short term Microsoft believes that the following listed values guide their behaviours and it is reflected in their employees in their interaction with each other and their stakeholders. Integrity and honesty Passion for customers, partners, and technology Open and respectful with others and dedicated to making them better Willingness to take on big challenges and see them through Self-critical, questioning, and committed to personal excellence and self-improvement Accountable for commitments, results, and quality to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees (see Appendix 5) The above statements by Microsoft shows that it follows collectivism idea, there is no power distance as employees believe in open and respectful relation with each other. They believe in one company approach. We should communicate with and not at our internal audiences, engaging in a dialogue not a monologue. Such an approach fits well with Microsofts corporate culture, which strives to be devoid of hierarchy. http://www.melcrum.com/articles/clutter_at_microsoft.shtml The role of technology The role of technology in carrying on communication effectively has been immense. With rapid development of technologies nowadays, it is almost impossible to have a thought of communication without technologies. Microsoft Corporation itself is a leader in developing and distributing innovative technologies world-wide. There are numerous software products and services produced by Microsoft for communication use. However, technologies that they use for internal and external communication are; e-mails, video conferencing, teleconferencing, telephones, webcasts, podcasts, blogs, internal intranet site, air-traffic control tools, and integrated communication planning. The role of Human Resource in corporate communication HRM is a strategic and coherent approach to the managers of the organisation. The most valued assets, the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievements of its objectives. (Armstrong, 2003). According to Ulrich (1997), there are four roles of Human Resource Management in an organisation. They are as follows; Administrative expert Employee champion Change agent Strategic partner http://www.stw.de/typo3temp/pics/c98097d6bc.jpg Figure 4: The HR Business Partner (based on an idea by Dave Ulrich, 1997) Conclusion and recommendation In conclusion, Microsoft practices a very good and practical corporate communication strategy and framework. Microsoft follows the matrix structure with strongly centralized and wholly decentralized framework for communication. They understand the importance of effective communication between their internal and external stakeholders for their success. Microsoft has implemented various communication tools and plans, such as, air-traffic control tools and integrated communication planning specially for effective communication with employees and media. The use of technologies for communication are; e-mails, telephones, video conferencing, blogs, webcasts, podcasts, Annual Report, Press Releases, internal intranet site. Their identity is basically its name, products and services, and Bill Gates, former Chairman of Microsoft who is known as one of the wealthiest people alive. Their image and reputation were frequently in stake and problematic with different kinds of accuses. However, they are doing their best in overcoming and maintaining a superior image. Microsoft practices open and respectful culture with equal opportunities for all employees. They practices This invariably means they work within communication silos roles rather than taking a broader view of the company as a whole.

Misfortunes Make You Finally L :: essays research papers

Misfortunes make you finally learn. Teenagers tend to want more liberty and want to move out of their parent’s house, when they eventually do that they end up hating it because it did not met their expectations. When people are young and immature they make decisions, due to a certain lust or desire, which they latter on regret. Urging too much for something sometimes causes for you to take your distractions off the consequences, because you do not see them. These ignorant people will become understanding as they mature, and realize that some things in life our not quite as easy as they seem. â€Å"The Chaser,† by John Collier shows how some people who are urging for things such as love, are so single minded that they ignore all other consequences and concerns. The bad affects that might occur are neglected and left for the future to make them dwell on the awful decisions. Alan Austen the main character has desires and craves for affection, which he must attain. He plans to purchase a love potion from an old man to satisfy his wants of Diana’s attention. The old man warns him before handing him the potion saying, â€Å"She will be afraid of the pretty girls you may meet. She will want to know all you do. All that has happened to you during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about.† This quote explains the feeling the girl will have once taken the potion. She will be greatly obsessive, wanting to know every little thing not trusting him. The boy is still ignorant all he can seem to care is about the love potion saying such things as, â€Å"But the love potion.† Alan is not at all precautions and wondering the bad affects. The old man who is much wiser and mature knows that the boy will eventually be overwhelmed with agony for his senseless action and return. The old man said â€Å"In the end.† In the end will be after all the grieves which the old man knows he will go through, because of the wife’s obsession. He will come back because of the miseries he experienced in the end. Then he will purchase the glove cleaner, which would be described as, â€Å"Imperceptible to any known autopsy.† He will separate himself from her by killing her to ease the pain.

Young Lonigan by James T. Farrell :: Young Lonigan James Farrell Essays

Young Lonigan by James T. Farrell "After they had left the parlor, Studs sat by the window. He looked out, watching the night strangeness, listening. The darkness was over everything like a warm bed-cover, and all the little sounds of night seemed to him as if they belonged to some great mystery. He listened to the wind in the tree by the window. The street was queer, and didn’t seem at all like Wabash Avenue. He watched a man pass, his heels beating a monotonous echo. Studs imagined him to be some criminal being pursued by a detective like Maurice Costello, who used to act detective parts for Vitagraph. He watched. He thought of Lucy on the street and himself bravely rescuing her from horrors more terrible than he could imagine." (Young Lonigan, 62) Studs Lonigan lives in a different world from those around him. Chicago exists as different set of sensations for Studs, who communes with his environment in a language foreign to the masses. The heat and hardness of day are replaced by the creeping and overwhelming softness of the Chicago night; it pushes the toughness out of his body, eliminates the immediacy of things and dulls the viciousness of life as an Irish boy without a future. Farrell writes Studs as a contemplative soul who verges on artistic sensitivity. When he examines his environment he is lost its texture and physical existence. He simply does not belong to the city the way it owns the community, the â€Å"people that lived, worked, suffered, procreated, aspired, filled out their little days, and died† (Young Lonigan, 147). By nature Studs cannot accept the authority or possessiveness of the city, but he is incapable of escape. It is as much a part of him as he is of it; there is a symbiosis at work in Young Lonigan that depends very deeply upon the moments Studs shares with the fading day. Darkness provides us a view of Studs’ psyche that is intensely personal and crucial to understanding him as not only a character, but a representation of a developing personality and moral code. When darkness appears Studs is more vulnerable to both his hopes and his fears. At times he is overcome by visions of pain and hellfire; he is wracked by his Catholic guilt and a perceived lack of purity. â€Å"He puffed and looked about the dark and lonely place.

Inspirational Speech Essay

I would like to begin my speech by asking if anyone has ever felt like giving up on their education? Like myself, I am sure most will answer †Yes†. Today, I would like to speak on the importance of staying in school and completing your education. Hopefully what I have to say can both inspire you and motivate you to want nothing but the best for yourself and your future. One of the most important reasons why it is important to complete college and received a degree is because in todays society it is a mandate. There used to be a time where having a high school diploma or even a GED could get you by in life. Now, as times have advanced, most employers for a decent job won’t hire you unless you have an associates degree or higher. Just take a second to think about what the job requirements will be in years to come. It’s shocking to know that in just a few years to have a decent job you will need to have a bachelors or masters degree. I would like to share a sto ry with everyone. I have an Aunt that graduated from high school about 10 years ago. A few months after her graduation she was offered a good job opportunity for a company and she accepted it. She worked there for 7 years and one day her new boss told her that she needed to be recertified for the position. With all the changes that had gone on within society and within the workplace, the job now required that she have an associate’s degree. At the time my Aunt was a single mother and worked full time so it was an almost impossible task for her to complete an associate’s degree program in the allotted amount of time the job had given her. To make a long story short they allowed her to work at the job for 6 more months and let her go. Furthermore, it is not only important to complete college for the degree but for the status it brings. I’m sure everyone has friends and family members that are on a path for destruction. If they can see that you completed college, even with all you may have or have had going on in your life, it can be motivation for them. I’ve always been told that you never know the impact that your story will have on another person. In conclusion, some of you may be feeling a sense of discouragement, losing hope towards your life. Some of you may even be wondering why you’re sitting in that chair because there is no hope. Let me tell you first that you are a person of worth, a person who can be a successful businessperson or a famous entrepreneur one day. By stay motivated and having perseverance you can be successful in any career field of your choice. It may seem an impossible dream or goal but as  you know, it is never too late to get back up again. Every challenge and misfortune that you have to face during your duration in this school, will only make you a better and a stronger person.

Troubled Youth Today

Youth today are dramatically different than the youth just fifteen years ago. Styles, schooling, resistance, and especially consequences have changed a lot. Children can no longer come home after school with a note from the teacher and receive a lashing with dad’s belt. No longer can they wear the dunce hat in class when misbehaving. Though this is a good thing, it has become much harder for parents to control and maintain their children. In â€Å"Children Should Be Seen Not Heard† by Gill Valentine, a single mother states, â€Å"I think children are allowed to get away with more because we’re so frightened of Social Services†¦they know there’s nothing you can do to stop it. † Without consequence children’s behaviors are going much farther down the â€Å"wrong† road then parents know how to handle. In light of this, now more than ever, drastic measures have been taken to help children. There are youth help centers where parents can send their children to receive the help they need to return to a more level headed state of being. In an article written by Bruce R Schackmann, it was stated that, â€Å"only one in ten adolescents who need treatment actually receives help. † Some of these programs are not as strict, and the child only goes in a few times a week for sessions. Other residential treatment centers are for a month or two, while the most extreme residential centers for youth are over one year long. Since this has become quite a popular trend for parents to do, there is more and more research showing the outcomes of these children and if it actually helped. For parent’s to really understand what their child needs they need to know if strict institutes or more loose help centers are more productive with enhancing and helping the youth’s individual and family life. There are pros and cons to each type of center. A residential treatment center, also known as an RTC is similar to Therapeutic Boarding Schools (TBS) with the exception of how long the program lasts, the intensity of the therapy, and the educational component involved. At Risk Teen-Residential Treatment Centers website). The RTC’s provide much more verbal contact with the family and physical family involvement. Usually in these types of facilities there are less rules, which helps the students to build closer friendship-like relationships with the staff, which can overall help the outcome of the student. The child is learning new things during every session and gets to practice his or her new knowledge within just a few weeks sometimes even hours. This gives the student the ability to test what they have learned and come back to the program to share how it went and work on how to make it better. There tends not to be as much resistance at these shorter, sometimes non-residential centers, which leads to less resentment being built up against the institute. Students at these types of programs have the ability to think for themselves. They are given a type of structure to follow, usually in the form of a certain amount of steps, however it is up to them how to succeed and progress through these steps to the end. Chris Conner from The Spot said, â€Å"discipline may not always be helpful because then the student cannot develop who they are by themselves and they won’t be able to really take their life into their own hands and create their own structure. † Another perk of these programs is that they tend to be less expensive. This allows students of lower class to be able to participate in the RTC services. â€Å"Positive outcomes for youth in RTC’s are [mainly] associated with stays that are relatively shorter, include family involvement, and involve aftercare. † (Brenda D. Smith) Though there seem to be many pros, there are also a few cons. Because the students are there for such a short time period it is easier for them to skim by, or fake what they are doing. Also they might not hold onto the information they have learned as deeply as a longer program. This can cause the students of shorter programs to relapse sooner than longer programs. In Teenage Wasteland by Donna Gaines a boy â€Å"was arrested for drunk driving and entered a rehab program. For a while he dried out, and then he tried getting his life in order. Things started to look up for him†¦but that didn’t last. † (The Kids In The Basement) The longer programs known as TBS’s have many pros and cons as well. Unlike RTC’s they tend to be over a year in length, which means they are residential and away from the family. There is limited communication with the family as well as limited physical contact. There is a loss of connection to the outside world, which can cause a student to build extreme resentment against the program. The therapeutic aspect of these programs is extremely intense and can be hard for such young students to deal with. â€Å"They try to discipline your whole life, to embarrass you out of being yourself, they put you on a routine, to make you normal†¦this structured pproach can be harmful to some extent. More often it gets abused. † (Teenage Wasteland-The Rock). After having stayed at a program away from your family, friends, and society for so long the student usually has the urge to break free when they get out. Unhealthy ways of rebellion are often seen among these youth. This can be seen in disobeying one’s parents, skipping classes again, and can mean â€Å"joints, beers, liquor, and if it’s a good night maybe something a little stronger-coke, dust, crack. † (Teenage Wasteland-Us and Them). The children who go to these programs are pretty equal when it comes to gender. One has to be in the middle to upper middle class to be able to afford the price of these programs which can range from â€Å"around $2,100 per month and can climb to $8,000 a month. † (At Risk Teen-Residential Treatment Centers website). Some pros of the long term program are that because they are longer the student has the chance and time to really work on their issues with the help of much more intensive therapy than an RTC. Instead of having to leave school for a month or two at these programs there is schooling offered to help the students to not fall too far behind and even catch up if they were behind. Though the structure can be seen as harmful at times, it also teaches the students the importance of structure in their lives and not just being a wild spontaneous party animal. The staff and students have more time to create bonds that can be lifelong along with student-student relationships. Having relationships with the people where you are living helps one to feel more at home and they have a better chance of becoming more open and letting people in emotionally to help them. Because of these aspects of longer programs they tend to have a very good outcome. The youth who are being sent to these programs are coming from all different backgrounds of race, gender, and class in particular. These youth tend to be children who have either not had enough rules growing up or too many, and they have found their own ways to resist society, especially in the face of their parents, and have been sent to these places to get help. Family life has changed dramatically along with our society and culture. â€Å"In the 1950’s, it [smoking cigarettes] was a mark of juvenile delinquency for boys, trampiness for girls. † (Teenage Wasteland-Us And Them). Now a child smoking a cigarette is one of the smaller worries of a parent. With drugs becoming so popular, affordable, and easily accessible, this trend has hit almost every youth sub-culture. It is a way for the youth to rebel from their parents and society, while gaining acceptance from their peers. With our culture having changed so much recently, especially in the last twenty to forty years, the youth has become extremely peer oriented. â€Å"Wherever they have been taught to look for good, they find evil. Families are falling apart, and the papers are full of atrocities perpetuated by adults on kids. (Teenage Wasteland-This is Religion I). It is becoming harder and harder for the youth to come home to their families to talk to them about the eighth graders picking on them at lunch time, when they are traveling between their father’s house and their mother’s house on alternate Tuesdays, every other soccer game, and every third weekend. The newspapers and shows are showing that is it dangerous for children to be alone on the street or any further than a block or two away from home, and â€Å"consequently, boys and girls increasingly are having their activities formally organized and timetabled. (Children Should Be Seen Not Heard, Gill Valentine). This type of lifestyle is very overwhelming for children. To have some sort of a release the child usually begins to spend more and more time with their friends to avoid the family life. Along with this, to really deepen the avoidance tactic, the child usually starts to use drugs of some sort. The burden of homework and being embarrassed to go to class because one is unprepared can be overwhelming enough for a child to start skipping classes, and in time drop out all together. The youth at these programs can be involved in the punk scene, the gangster scene, and the hippie scene, and all be going through these same issues. The youth are just finding their own way and different sub-cultures to associate with to avoid their own lives. When the youth get sent to these programs their sub-culture is completely torn apart and they are forced to create a new one with all of the other students at the program. This can actually be very healthy. When I was sent to my wilderness program I was stuck in the middle of Duchesne, Utah with five other girls. I had no choice but to be-friend these girls no matter if they looked different and acted different than me. This was the first step in helping me to step away from judgment. When I got to my TBS in Heron, Montana, I was given a sort of uniform and my make-up, music, and pictures from home were all taken from me. Everyone was shed of their outer appearance that they based friendship off of at home. Girls had to have their hair up at all times with no bangs or hair in their faces. Boys had to have short hair and wear belts at all times. We weren’t even allowed to talk about what type of music we listened to at home, to fully extinguish the images that we all had had. This really helped me to make friends with everybody and grow as a less judgmental person. The rules we were given were extremely strict. We were told they were not called rules but â€Å"agreements†. We were agreeing to live by this standard, and ironically we were being forced to say â€Å"agreements† and if we said rule we were punished. I had fifteen-minute phone calls with my parents every two weeks and was not allowed to talk to any other family members except for them. As time went one I was awarded privileges to be able to write my sister and grandparents letters and it wasn’t until I had been at the program for 18 months that I was allowed to use the phone to call my sister for 10 minutes every two weeks. Punishments included things such as doing extra chores, dishes, digging, weeding, shoveling snow, and the worst was digging a stump out of the ground. I had four stumps during both winters I was there. Extremely low temperatures and feeling sick were not taken into account when a child had broken a rule. I was ostracized three times during my 23-month stay. When I first got there I was not allowed to talk to anybody for one week. And then the two times I got in major trouble I was not allowed to talk to any other students. I was also not allowed to talk to any of the staff or teachers there except for my personal therapist, family therapist, and headmaster. I was forced to sit in the back of the dining hall facing the wall at all times. I was shamed and guilt tripped and I believe this to be an incredibly unhealthy technique to use with growing youth. The children who went to The Rock in Teenage Wasteland by Donna Gaines were very similar to me. Most of them were diagnosed with a disorder called ED, emotionally disturbed. Most kids going to the TBS or RTC programs today are diagnosed with either ADD, ADHD, or ODD. ODD stands for Oppositional Defiant Disorder. It has become prevalent since corporal punishment has become illegal. Most kids who went to The Rock had been given up on by the faculty at their other schools, and this was the only place for them. When I left home no one had given up on me as a person, they had given up on trying to control me and help me. Everyone supported me and wanted me to become healthy again. They sent me away because they loved me and that was what I needed. The kids who go to The Spot, in downtown Denver Colorado, are children with seemingly similar backgrounds. They have probably been given up on, or have given up on themselves. They have this help center to go to with not many rules, but that can really help them to lead a healthier and more successful life. I am similar to these youth because before I had gotten sent away I was no longer living at home. I was sleeping couch to couch and sometimes sitting on curbs until two in the morning when someone could sneak me into their house. I had given up on myself and was harming my own body with drugs and had stopped going to school all together. I feel that the homeless youth who are going to The Spot are taking the initiative to help themselves, however I feel that there might not be quite enough structure or help services for them to really start working on their life and turning it around. There needs to be a place with an amount of structure between a TBS/RTC and youth help centers such as The Spot and the YMCA. In general the youth who are homeless and attending the spot and the youth who are so out of control they are being sent to these residential treatment center can tell us a lot about the general youth in the United States today. â€Å"In contemporary Western societies we are witnessing a decay in childhood as a separate category and that the distinction between children and adults is becoming increasingly blurred. † (Seabrook, 1987). There is an incredible amount of resistance among the youth of the U. S. today towards the â€Å"norm†. Youth are being oppressed by the different laws that are placed on them, the inability to hang out in certain public spaces, and the overall mindset that we are hormonal and crazy teens. The youth are resisting this oppression by breaking the rules, by taking drugs, skipping classes, and hanging out and skateboarding in places where it is printed â€Å"not allowed†. However, through this resistance we are proving that the adults are extremely correct. The youth are beginning to gain more and more power out of this resistance mostly due to corporal punishment being illegal. Parents are being watched very closely to see that their children are not being abused. It has become very hard for parents to discipline their children, with the fear that any wrong move and their own child, neighbor, or passer-by could call Child Protective Services on them. It is very important for these youth to be studied because we are the future of this nation, of this world. Some of these children are being treated in unnecessary and unfair ways that can be economically harmful to the family, and in some cases can emotionally pull the family apart due to lack of communication. The population of the children going through these processes is becoming larger and larger by the year. If the adults of the society could start to look at what they are doing that could be helping to cause this â€Å"loss† of children in our communities, things could really start to change for the better. It seems as if â€Å"parents have become ‘overeducated. ’ But instead of becoming sensitive or acting rationally, they get hyper alert to ‘signs’ of ‘drug problem. ’ They start reading pathology into every little thing their kid does. † (Teenage Wasteland-The Rock). Give the children a chance to be themselves. As much as a child might yell when they hear that who they are is just â€Å"phase†, it usually is true, it is a â€Å"phase†. Let your children make mistakes and learn from them. Be there for them all the time to love them and to help teach them right from wrong. Try to understand and listen to them rather than preach from our own childhood. The gap between youth and adults will become much closer if we all begin to listen and love. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gaines, Donna. 1991. Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia’s Dead End Kids. New York: Harper Perennial Valentine, Gill. 1996. Urban Geography. Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard: The Production and Transgression of Adults’ Public Space. 205-220 Website: Residential Treatment Centers: http://www. selectown. com/oppositional-defiant-disorder. php Copyright 2004 Website: Residential Treatment Centers: http://www. selectown. com/residential-treatment-centers. php Copyright 2004 Interview with Chris Conner from The Spot Seabrook, Jeremy, 1987. The Decay Of Childhood. News Statesman. 10 July, 14-15 Schackman, Bruce R. , Erick G. Rojas, Jeremy Gans, Mathea Falco, and Robert B. Millman. â€Å"Does higher cost mean better quality? evidence from highly-regarded adolescent drug treatment programs. (Short Report). † Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2. 23 (July 31, 2007): 23. Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Denver. Smith, Brenda D. , David E. Duffee, Camela M. Steinke, Yufan Huang, and Heather Larkin. â€Å"Outcomes in residential treatment for youth: The role of early engagement. (Report). † Children and Youth Services Review 30. 12 (Dec 2008): 1425(12). Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Denver.