Japanese for Beginners - How to Start

Do you want to learn how to speak Japanese, but dont know where to start? Below you will find lessons for beginners, writing lessons, information on pronunciation and comprehension, where to find dictionaries and translation services, information for travelers to Japan, and  audio and video lessons. Try not to be overwhelmed. The Japanese language will seem very different at first from your native language, but it is not as hard to learn as many people think. It is quite a logically laid out language and once you learn basic reading skills it will be easy to pronounce any word you can read. Introduction to Japanese Are you new to Japanese? Familiarize yourself with Japanese and start learning basic vocabulary here. Japanese Vowels: Learn the pronunciation and how to write them in hiragana.Japanese Verb Conjugations: See the conjugations for the most common verbs.Japanese Grammar: Learn the characteristics of how sentences are constructed.Japanese Writing Systems: An overview of the three writing systems.Greetings and Everyday Expressions: Useful for tourists.First Meetings and Introductions: These tips will help in both business and social interactions.Simple Japanese Phrases: Learn a variety of simple phrases. Learning Japanese Writing There are three types of scripts in Japanese: kanji, hiragana and katakana. Japanese does not use an alphabet and all three systems are commonly used. Kanji has blocks of meaning and thousands of characters. Hiragana expresses the grammatical relationship between kanji symbols and katakana is used for foreign names. The good news is that hiragana and katakana have only 46 characters each and words are written as they are pronounced. Japanese Writing for Beginners - Introduction to Japanese writing and understanding how kanji, hiragana, and katakana are used.Kanji - 100 Most Frequent Characters: With thousands of different characters, these are the meanings of the top 100. Pronunciation and Comprehension Familiarizing yourself with the sounds and rhythms of the language is a good place to start. Audio and video lessons can help. Hearing someone speak in Japanese and being able to answer appropriately is very rewarding for the beginner. Audio PhrasebookJapanese Language Videos: Use these videos to see how to pronounce sounds from Hiragana and to use different expressions. You may learn better by seeing as well as hearing a person speak in Japanese. Japanese for Travelers If you need quick survival skills for your trip, try these. Japanese for Travelers: Learn phrases relating to getting around by train, taxi, bus, car, air, and walking.How to Order at a Restaurant: Youre going to need to eat, here are phrases that will come in handy. Dictionaries and Translations Choosing the right words for a translation can be difficult. There are many ways to look up Japanese words and to translate from English to Japanese and back again. Top 3 Japanese Dictionaries: If you want a book to have handy either on paper or electronically, these are the best.Top 10 Online Dictionaries: Access these from your mobile device or computer.Learning About Translating: Its not as simple of plopping words into an online form.Online Translations: The best of the bunch.

Persuasive Speech Greedy Money Hoarders - 1484 Words

Greedy Money Hoarders Imagine being a student in college, when you receive a letter telling you how much you owe in tuition fees. You already have a full time job, and still manage to get to your daily classes, but with the minimum wage pay you receive you can’t afford the basic necessities and the tuition prices that seem to increase every year. Your parents refuse to help you, so you’re on your own. Parents have decided it’s a cultural norm to have their children leave the house and become self-sufficient when they turn eighteen. Despite â€Å"becoming of age† college and life in general are a lot for one person to handle, and pay for alone. Laws should be put in place that require parents to support their children because the cost of†¦show more content†¦Students don’t have the time to maintain two very demanding, yet completely separate activities College continues to get more expensive each and every year.â€Å"For the 2014–15 academic year, average annual current dollar prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated to be $16,188 at public institutions, $41,970 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,372 at private for-profit institutions. Between 2004–05 and 2014–15, prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at public institutions rose 33 percent, and prices at private nonprofit institutions rose 26 percent, after adjustment for inflation,† (NCES). With the mindset of some parents, students have to pay everything on a job that pays minimum wage. Parents should have to take the responsibility of having a child, and that includes tuition fees, especially when many force their children to go to college to have a steady career later in life. â€Å"Rachel Canning, a student at Morris Catholic High School, claims that her parents cut her off when she turned 18 on November 1st and have refused to pay for her higher education as well as take care of a $5,306 tuition bill at her current school. â€Å"My parents have rationalized their actions by blaming me for not following their rules,† Rachel said in court papers. â€Å"They stopped paying my high school tuition to punish the school and me and have redirected my college fund, indicating their refusal to afford me an education as a punishment,† (The

Cu1520 Promote Child and Young Person Development. Free Essays

CU1520: PROMOTE CHILD AND YOUNG PERSON DEVELOPMENT. 1. 1 Explain the factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development. We will write a custom essay sample on Cu1520: Promote Child and Young Person Development. or any similar topic only for you Order Now When assessing a child you must be careful to take into account confidentiality before carrying out an observation you must have parents and the settings permission and not to leave confidential material lying around they must be secured in a locked cabinet. Only talk to authorized personal about confidential material. This confidentially can only be broken when a child is at real risk. When carrying out observations you must take account of the child’s wishes and feelings if a child is upset or wants you to stop then you must stop. Ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds when we asses a child we must take account of their ethnic, cultural and linguistic back ground as these can play important roles in how the children acts and the understanding of the words being used. Disability or specific requirements need to be taken in account when carrying out any assessment /observation or a child can be underestimated and the observation will be unreliable. Also read: Pros and Cons of Having Children While Young Reliability of information no one can get an accurate picture of development if the information is not accurate this can harm the child’s development and the underestimating of their potential. With observation we must understand the limitations of each type of observation method. Avoiding bias when observing children we must remain completely objective also having 2 people observing the child at the same time can produce a more accurate account. 1. 3 Explain the selection of the assessment methods used. There are various methods used to assess a child’s development. Free description- this is to record the behaviour of a child over a very short period of time. The observer notes down what he or she is seeing. This is a good method for looking at several areas of development. Advantage: observer can be unobtrusive and record children without them being aware. It’s a flexible method allowing the observer to carry out frequent observation. Dis advantage: observer ca n show bias and find it hard to record every thing a child says or do * Checklists and tick charts-Here specific activities are looked for either during a structured assessment or by observing children over a period of time. Advantage: observer is focused on developmental skills to be observed and so less biased. Disadvantage: observer may not record child’s attitude or how they socialise. The observer might alter the child’s performance once they know they are being observed. * Time sample- this method is used to look at children’s activity over a predetermined length of time. Advantage: the observer can see what a child is doing over a period of time and pick up on many different areas of development, attitudes, friendship and confidence. Disadvantage: interesting behaviours might fall of the sample time and open method of recording may allow for observer bias. * Event sample- this looks at the frequency at which an aspect of development or behaviour is performed. It is recorded in a prepared sheet. For example how often the child talks with adults or other children. Advantages: the observer focuses on one thing. Disadvantage: it does not explain why the child shows the type of behaviour. * Target child- this is used to record one child’s activity over a long period without any gap in the recording process. It gives information about several areas of development. Advantage: observer gains overall picture of what the child is doing. Disadvantage: The observer may not choose the period of time the child is showing their usual behaviour. * Standardised tests-used on older children to consider their skills in literacy, maths and over all cognitive development. Advantage: The observer bias is less. Disadvantage: children know they are being tested hence they do not show usual behaviour. They would have rehearsed and may show better performance. Filming- this provides you information about several areas of development. And you are able to watch it over again to see if you missed anything unlike the paperwork. More information is gained. Disadvantage: observer chooses what to record and the child is aware he is being recorded and this may change their usual behaviour. * Information from parents and colleagues- parents and colleagues see children in different situations and so may have a differ ent view of the child’s development. However they may show observer bias. CU1520 PROMOTE CHILD AND YOUNG PERSON DEVELOPMENT 2. 3 Explain the importance of a person centred and inclusive approach and give example of how this is implemented in own work. Any plan that involves supporting an individual should be focused on their needs and interest and wherever possible the children should be involved in the planning process. A child centred planning takes into consideration what is best for the child as well as how it might engage and involve the child. It is also important in planning that a child is not segregated from others but consider ways in which other children can become involved in the activity too. CU1520 PROMOTE CHILD AND YOUNG PERSON DEVELOPMENT 3. 1 Explain the features of an environment or service that promotes the development of children and young people. The physical and emotional environment that we create for children has a huge impact on their development. Features to consider while planning the environment includes the following. * Stimulating and attractive: the environment for the children must be interesting and visually attractive. * Well planned and organised: Working with children requires great organisational abilities because every child will have their needs, interest and personality. To accommodate this early years setting have to plan effectively and everyone within the setting needs to be organised. * Personalised and inclusive: it is required that early years settings to personalise the activities and play opportunities for children in ways that are inclusive. * Regulatory requirement met: all settings must meet the requirement of legislation. This will include compliance with the statutory framework of EYFS, health and safety legislation and also other legislation involving the safeguarding of children and their right. Varied environment: the setting should be varied in the provision to as to maintain the children’s interest. * High quality policies in place and followed: the need for policies and procedures follows on from the need of settings to follow legislative requirements. Policies must be reviewed, updated and evaluated to check for effectiveness. 4. 1 Explain how own working practice can affect children and young people’s development. * The adults in my own setting are aware of the development needs of the child. Activities are specifically planned to support every child’s development. * There is always a balance of activity to engage children’s interest. * There is a balance between child initiated and adult initiated activities. * The balance of activity covers each of the aspects of learning in the curriculum and also builds on each of the developmental areas. * It is ensured that the adults have sufficient time to work with individual or small groups of children * All the children were engaged or participated during part or all of the sessions. 4. 2 Explain how institutions, agencies and services can affect children and young people’s development. Children in their early years may have a range of needs and the way that practitioners work together can have a positive impact on their health, development and learning. Once parents/carers involved with the child have identified that a child needs additional support, a multi agency approach may be used. The parents visit the GP who makes the appropriate referral. Once they have ruled out the hearing or visual impairments, the GP may refer directly to the speech and language service. Once it is established what type of support a child requires, a collaborative approach is required in order that all professional, the parent and the setting work together. CU1520 PROMOTE CHILD AND YOUNG PERSON DEVELOPMENT 5. 2 Evaluate different approaches to supporting positive behaviour There are many different strategies and approaches when it comes to supporting children’s behaviour. Below is some of positive behaviour support. * Least restrictive principle * Reinforcing positive behaviour. This is about sending signals and rewards to children and young people so that they become inclined to repeat behaviours that are appropriate. Modelling. Children learn some of their behaviours from others especially those around them. * Positive culture. Expectations adults have about children and their attitude towards them will influence their behaviour. * Looking for reasons for inappropriate behaviour and adapting responses. Understanding the needs of children and thinking about w hat might be influencing their behaviour is the heart of helping to promote positive behaviour. * Speech, language and communication difficulties. Children’s behaviour is linked to their language acquisition. Children who have difficulties expressing their needs or who are not using a language fluently often find it harder to manage their behaviour. * Individual behaviour planning, when a child is showing inappropriate behaviour a plan to manage it is drawn up. * Phased stages * Planning interventions to reduce inappropriate behaviour * Deescalate and diversion * Containment. This is about preventing children from getting themselves further in trouble. * Following management plans. Here every staff would follow the settings behaviour policy. Boundary setting and negotiation. Here the young children must know the boundary in the setting and what is expected of them. * Supporting children and young people’s reflection on and management of own behaviour 6. 1 Explain how to support children and young people experiencing different types of transitions. Different types of transitions e. g. : * emotional, affected by personal experience e. g. bereavement, entering/ leaving care * physical e. g. moving to a new educational establishment, a new home/locality, from one activity to another * physiological e. . puberty, long term medical conditions * intellectual e. g. moving from pre school to primary to post primary When child go though transitions they need people they have built up positive relationships with to help support them through the changes in their lives. We use circle time to explain to the children what is going to happen and they can talk about their feelings children will make a better transition if they know what is going on. We take are cues from the children on how much information is given and how much an explanation is required. We allow time for the information to be processed some children might have delayed reaction and might want to talk later at a more quieter time. We are always to be truthful in all our answers so we keep their trust. We listen and acknowledge how the children are feeling and we reassure the children that what they are feeling is normal and other children have been through this. The children can express their anxieties and we can help reassure them. This covers emotional transitions like bereavement, physical moving homes or locality, physiological puberty, intellectual when moving up from pre school to school. How to cite Cu1520: Promote Child and Young Person Development., Essay examples

People - Culture and Contemporary Leadership - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about thePeople, Culture and Contemporary Leadership. Answer: Role of Chief Operating Officers A COO (Chief Operating Officer) is administrative who supervises on-going business process within the company and reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) in an appropriate manner. The Chief Operating Officer is a main member of the top management team who only report to the CEO. The major goal of Chief Operating Officer is to secure the business function to successfully operate the business and improve the growth in long-term. In addition, it can also be said that the COO is responsible for the casual and permanent activities of the staff. There are certain roles and responsibilities of COO such as design the business strategies, procedures, and plan, define the goal regarding performance, make policies to promote the vision, and supervise the daily operating activities of IT, marketing, sales, and finance department. Moreover, others responsibilities are to direct the employees, Determine the performance of employees, submit the report of whole activities to the chief executive officer, make a relationship with business partners, and contribute to the extension of investment. These responsibilities are discussed as below: Design of business strategies The chief operating officers design the business strategies, plan, and procedures to successfully operate the business in long-term. Additionally, it will be effective to accomplish the goal of Shop For us in long-term. Define the goal regarding performance The COO can also make a goal regarding the performance of employees, which will be effective to enhance the growth of Shopz for Us in long-term. Make policies to promote the vision The chief operating officers can also make the policies for promoting the culture and vision of the company, which will be appropriate to make a positive relationship with consumers in long-term. Supervise daily operation The COO can supervise the daily process of organization and the activities of managers. These departments are information technology, marketing, sales, and finance department. Additionally, it can also be said that the executive of these department plays an effective role to complete the task. Lead the workforces The chief operating officer can also lead the workforce to accomplish the task of an organization, as it will improve the performance. At the same time, it can also be said that they can also inspire the employees and create the dedication regarding the completion of the assigned work. It will be significant to improve the actual condition of the organization in long-term. Evaluate the performance The COO of an organization can evaluate the performance of employees by using the past performance record. It will be supportive to know the actual performance of workforce and improve their performance appropriately. Assist CEO in raising the fund The COO of an organization can also assist the chief executive officers to simply raise the fund of business in long-term. As a result, the enhancement in the fund can improve the financial condition of the company effectively. Contribute in expand the activities The chief operating officer can also help to expand the activities in many sectors named actions, investments, and corporate alliance. Consequently, it will be effective to improve the performance of an organization. Make relationships with Stakeholders or partners The COO can also make a positive relationship with partners because it will improve the financial performance of the company in long-term. Key strategic issues There are mainly two key strategic issues for the chief operating officer within in an organization such as employee engagement, and staff turnover issues. Additionally, these issues can decline the performance of an organization: Employee engagement issues The employee engagement becomes a major issue for the organization because of declining the financial performance in long-term. There are three major reasons of employee engagement issues such as internal communication, recognition, and training and development. At the same time, it can be said that chief operating officer is responsible for the employee engagement issues within in an organization. The factors of employee engagement are discussed as below: Internal communication The internal communication refers to the conversation among the employees within the organization appropriately. Additionally, it can be said that lack of internal communication can decline the financial performance of an organization in long-term. Moreover, the inappropriate communication can create the employee engagement issue, which can also generate the problem for the company. Training and development The Training and development can also affect the employee engagement. Additionally, effective training and development can enhance the performance of company while inappropriate training and development programme can decline the growth of the organization. In addition to this, it can also be said that companies do not understand the importance of training and development, which can create the employee engagement issue within an organization. Staff turnover issues The staff turnover also becomes a big issue for the organization because it declines the growth as well as productivity. In additionally, Shopz for Us enhance their employee turnover rate due to follow inappropriate activity within an organization. Consequently, it can be a major problem for the organization. At the same time, it can also be said that the staff turnover is increased by some significant reasons such as employee dissatisfaction, inappropriate behavior of senior management and imbalance work-life. Other factors are and lack of skills, organizational instability, and lack of growth opportunities. Additionally, it can be said that these factors enhance the rate of staff turnover (Goleman, et al., 2013). Ways to overcome the key strategies issue issues The chief operating officer can use different methods to overcome the key strategies issues appropriately. These are discussed as below: Ways to overcome the employee engagement The employee engagement can be significant to improve the performance as well as the culture of an organization in the upcoming period. There are different factors that generally not exist in the organization, which can create the employee engagement issues such as yearly survey, lack of face to face communication, bonus, perks, and suggestion. Therefore, an organization can create a culture where workforces accomplish their allocated task or goal in a positive manner. At the same time, they also believe to develop their skills by communicating with expertise, which will be effective to obtain the favorable outcome. Feedback An organization can collect the feedback from the employees about their working culture and work, which will be effective to make a positive image in the employee's mind. Additionally, it can be said that the collection of feedback shows that the opinion and view of employees are significant for the organization. At the same time, the chief operating officer makes a comfortable environment to easily collect the actual opinion and view of employees towards the company as well as their assigned work. Development of personal and professional growth The personal development and professional growth are significant for the employees as well as organization consequently it helps to obtain the positive outcome in long-term. In addition, in case, employees avoids to the personal development then, it will decline the interest of employees to accomplish the task of organization. As a result, there will be high probability of declining professional growth. Therefore, COO should communicate with employees and create awareness among them regarding the importance of personal development. Perks The COO of an organization should concentrate on different factors such as limitless vacations, flex period, paternal leave, and work from home. As a result, it will support to make a positive environment along with making a robust relationship with employees in long-term. Be Transparent The chief operating officer should consider the opinion, and view of the employees in decision making process. Therefore, the officer should make transparency between the employee and organization because it enables the organisation to engage the employees towards their work. Communicate the Vision of organization The COO can also communicate about information and vision with each employee of the organization. Additionally, the officer can also discuss organization values of the organization together with supporting the employees to connect with the core values of the organization. It will be supportive to easily accomplish the task of company appropriately. It can also eliminate the issues of employee engagement. Identify the Goals to Support the Team Chief operating officer identifies the goal of the organization and discusses with everyone to accomplishing the task in long term. The COO also determines the roles and responsibilities of each employee to successfully accomplish the task of the company. The COO can also clear the confusion of employees regarding their responsibilities and also inspire them to accomplish the task. The clear goal-setting scheme can make a link between the top management and lower level employees, which will support to engage the employees in long-term. Staffs turnover issues The staff turnover can affect the performance of the organization in long-term. The following factors indicate the ways to overcome the staff turnover: Select the appropriate people The selection of appropriate employees can also reduce the probability of staff turnover. Additionally, the human resource team can clarify the roles and responsibilities of a candidate for their organization as well as clarify the goal or working culture of the organization. It will be supportive to select the appropriate candidate for the organization. Provide suitable compensation An organization has needed to provide the suitable or fare compensation to their employees as it will retain the employee in long term. At the same time, the appropriate compensation can be supportive to make a positive image in the customer's mind, which will decline the turnover in long-term. Encourage kindness and appreciation An organization can also create the kindness and appreciation amid the employees to retain them in long-term. Further, an organization can provide the opportunity to make a link with another employee by implementing the acts of gratitude and kindness. Consequently, it will support to make a healthier environment at the working place. At the same time, it will also supportive to make a stress-free environment. Recognize and recompense employees An organization can also provide the recognition and reward to their employees, which shows their success and efforts regarding the company. The reward should be tangible because it will create the long-term relationship with employees. Provide flexibility An organization should also provide the flexible environment to their employee, it can retain the employees in long-term. On behalf of the current scenario, it is found that approximately 77% executive and 85% of workforce seeks that comfortable environment has a direct impact on the employee retention. Additionally, organization should provide flexible working culture, working hour, and location to their employees, as it will reduce staff turnover. Give priority to the employees happiness Happiness is very important to perform any kind of activity within the organization. At the same time, it can be said that a happy employee can perform better as compared to the unhappy employee. Therefore, the organization should focus on making the happy environment in the organization. It influences some significant factors such as alignment, job satisfaction, and absenteeism. Further, it can also be said that a happy employee can increase the productivity by retaining within an organisation in long-term. Opportunities for growth and development An organization should provide the opportunities to their employees for the personal development and professional growth in long-term. Therefore, an organization should make strategies to personal development, as it will improve the performance of an organization. Demonstrate and encourage esteem An organization can also make an environment where each employee respects each other along with organization also care about the esteem of employees. As a result, it will be supportive to retain the employee as well as making a robust relationship within the organization (Northouse, 2015). References Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. USA: Sage public. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., McKee, A. (2013).Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. USA: Harvard Business Press.

Pericles Funeral Oration free essay sample

Pericles, the leader of the Athenians had presented this Oration as did his predecessors after their people have fallen in battle. The Oration was to talk about why their very own were fighting in battle and as a result died for their lands and ways of life. This particular Oration was from the early days of the Peloponnesian War. The speech was intended for every Athenian and any others that wished to attend. Prior to the speech, the dead are honored in a similar fashion as we do today with our high ranking public officials or famous people. The honored dead were in a procession, coffins brought through the streets along with one empty coffin for the missing. Eventually, the dead were laid in public sepulcher (tomb) in suburbs of the city. Pericles starts his speech off by honoring their ancestors because it is the right thing to do and one of the requirements by law during these Orations. We will write a custom essay sample on Pericles Funeral Oration or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page After all if it weren’t for their ancestors, Athens would not be. He then goes into describing their democracy and why it is the best for all to follow. In their democracy, as in any democracy, the laws cover all not just certain groups of people. There is equality for all, even a person with a deformity or poor can serve in a public position. This normally does not happen in a non-democracy government. Pericles goes into depth regarding how the Athens culture has always been like an open door policy. They did not have the military running around the streets enforcing everything, letting one and all who wanted to claim home there do so. Although being a great idea, in their past there has been individuals, â€Å"enemies† found to take advantage of the decent and law abiding people and used it against the people of Athens. Athenians live as they want to, they want and like to be happy and enjoyed life and the freedoms everyone should endure. But they are also willing to drop everything to march off into dangerous times with no assistance or allies while their adversaries would have back-up or sheer numbers as evident of Lacedaemonians, (Sparta). He wanted the Athenians to realize their greatness, this adeptness comes from the fact that warriors fought for something, not because they were told and forced into fighting at such young ages. Athenian warriors fought for their country but also for their family, friends and other communities in the city. Athenians soldiers were not afraid to die for their culture to continue as they thought dying was more honorable than to be only wounded. This has great advantages even today when someone has a purpose to fight for not just because they are being forced to fight. He then goes into saying that they are a city that is the school of Hellas, â€Å"Greece. This meaning the more flexibility of its people of Athens will enrich the power of their city/state. He drove this point that education is meant to upgrade their states worthwhile. Through such teachings the Athenians reputation has been emulated by others. If it weren’t for education we would probably still be in the ancient times. Pericles the whole time is in the comforting frame of mind for the many that came to listen to his speech, after all, many that are there to listen has just lost a loved one, maybe their f ather, husband or brother. He touches on the subject of kids. Saying that the women, who can still bear children, should do so not only to take their minds off the loss of someone but I think it was also meant to increase man power if and when needed. To sum up the Oration in my opinion, this was meant to motivate. It encouraged, inspired and reminded not to mention prepared them for the remainder of the Peloponnesian War with hopes they would all remember the ones that had already took the ultimate sacrifice, death.

Free Essays on Harriet Martineau

An early nineteenth century novelist, journalist, social reformer, educator, children’s writer, philospher of naturalism, environmentalist, social scientist, and pioneering feminist, Harriet Martineau published over fifty books and almost two thousand articles and newspaper columns. The extreme nature of her spoken ideas conjured recurring abuse and created numerous enemies she was still liked, admired, and even worshiped by many. As a girl growing up in the 1800’s formal study was almost non-existent. Private study even for a sophisticated middle-class Unitarian family such as hers had to be brought about secretly behind ones back. Do to a shortage of students she was allowed to accompany her brothers to a boys school. This would go on for two years before being put to a stop. After which she was on her own to achieve the knowledge that she thirsted for but was being denied because of her sex. â€Å"I had no self respect,† she recalled, â€Å"And an unbounded need for approbation and affection. My capacity for jealousy was something frightful.† ^ When the family finances deteriorated it was assumed that Harriet would assume responsibilities for the mother, disabled younger sister, and the brother who was an alcoholic. She was only able to write when the sun had gone down after she had completed her daily responsibilities. The Unitarian journal Monthly Repository published a number of her early essays. ^ She seemed to have been treated fairly by the Unitarian journal, however, she later came across a religious publisher who seized control of her early stories, changed and used them without her consent, knowledge, or restitution. The autobiography on her life and work was meant to be a serious publication, she exhibited faults, modesty, nor a lady like reluctance when expressing her strong opinions. She had the audacity to write with authority on topics meant for men alone. Martineau might p... Free Essays on Harriet Martineau Free Essays on Harriet Martineau An early nineteenth century novelist, journalist, social reformer, educator, children’s writer, philospher of naturalism, environmentalist, social scientist, and pioneering feminist, Harriet Martineau published over fifty books and almost two thousand articles and newspaper columns. The extreme nature of her spoken ideas conjured recurring abuse and created numerous enemies she was still liked, admired, and even worshiped by many. As a girl growing up in the 1800’s formal study was almost non-existent. Private study even for a sophisticated middle-class Unitarian family such as hers had to be brought about secretly behind ones back. Do to a shortage of students she was allowed to accompany her brothers to a boys school. This would go on for two years before being put to a stop. After which she was on her own to achieve the knowledge that she thirsted for but was being denied because of her sex. â€Å"I had no self respect,† she recalled, â€Å"And an unbounded need for approbation and affection. My capacity for jealousy was something frightful.† ^ When the family finances deteriorated it was assumed that Harriet would assume responsibilities for the mother, disabled younger sister, and the brother who was an alcoholic. She was only able to write when the sun had gone down after she had completed her daily responsibilities. The Unitarian journal Monthly Repository published a number of her early essays. ^ She seemed to have been treated fairly by the Unitarian journal, however, she later came across a religious publisher who seized control of her early stories, changed and used them without her consent, knowledge, or restitution. The autobiography on her life and work was meant to be a serious publication, she exhibited faults, modesty, nor a lady like reluctance when expressing her strong opinions. She had the audacity to write with authority on topics meant for men alone. Martineau might p...

Assignmnet on Accounting Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assignmnet on Accounting Budget - Essay Example The institution has 92 branches and also has a representative office on Dubai. The bank was voted four times consecutively for being the best bank in Oman by The Banker and by both EuroMoney and Global Finance Inc. also five times consecutively. Through the strategic planning and budgeting process, Bank Muscat has taken aggressive steps for many years to reduce costs and create more effective and efficient ways of operating, while at the same time preserving and enhancing quality services to its clients. The Bank has specifically shifted resources from administrative functions to support research and service thereby moving the resources to the most promising and effective programs, and eliminating duplication in programs and services. The Bank's current strategic planning process integrates planning, budgeting, and continuous quality improvement and this ensures that the budget allocations will be based on sound and well-thought-out plans. (Lynn, 2004) The bank's objectives are not only to maximise profit but also to meet the needs and wants of the clients within a sustainable financial context. A risk adjusted return on capital growth rate is set by private financial institution sector. All resource allocations of the bank are integrated in the context of competing uses and available gross income. This shows clearly that the bank is projected to have enough potential income to increase reserve as it meet budgeted core commitment and expenses. The Bank's planning council is comprised of the Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operation Officer and all General Managers of various sections with the institution. They review the strategic plans of each financial year and consider requests for resources from the Board of Directors and later on recommend funding levels. The strategic plan starts from the bottom whereby each section within the institution develops its own strategic plans. They review their services taking into account clients' interest, societal and commonwealth needs, developments in the field of banking and the sections' expertise. Strong programs and services that are central to the bank's mission are recommended for enhancement. Unpopular services are identified to determine if they should be continued, merged with other services or eliminated. The goals of the Bank's-wide strategic plan is complemented and supported by each unit's strategic plan. There are usually annual updates that are prepared to measure the progress and refine goals. (Lerner and Cashin, 2001) Due to scarce resources, BankMuscat turned to internal budget reductions and allocations to fund strategic priorities and critical operating needs. A deliberate process of budget recycling and reallocation was incorporated into the strategic planning process. Since then, the Bank's budget priorities have been to reallocate funds from administrative and support core mission activities of delivering qualities and efficient services to their clients. 2 BankMuscat being a banking institution, its main objectives is to offer

Case Study - Internaional Business report Essay

Case Study - Internaional Business report - Essay Example This is done, firstly, by utilizing the PESTEL framework of analysis. In addition to this, other lesser known factors that lie outside the PESTEL framework are also discussed. Political Climate: On the political front, Ireland has moved on from a troubled past, where terrorism and chaos were the dominant theme for the nation. With greater internal harmony and more placid religious and ethnic intolerance, the country is finally poised to fulfil its economic potential. The roots of the present Irish government’s policy framework lay in the radical changes brought about by the political leaders of the early 1980’s. Such public welfare programs such as the â€Å"National Wage Partnership Program fostered cooperative industrial relations, reduction in taxes, targeted government programs to attract FDI, and financial support from the EU† (Ireland in 2004). Programs such as this, acted as sound precedents for further policy initiatives, continuing to the present day. This succinctly explains how the political atmosphere in Ireland had contributed to its newfound prosperity. Economic Factors: To take the case of the fiscal year 2002, the FDI inflow to Ireland had risen to 25 billion dollars – a whopping 150 percent increase over the previous year. This came at a time when the rest of the developing world was struggling with economic sluggishness. To understand the success of the Irish economy we have to look at the source nations from which these investments are coming in. Unlike many other emerging markets, the primary investors in Ireland are the UK, the Netherlands and of course, the United States. This diversity helps reduce dependency on regional economic activity and helps mitigate the vicissitudes of global fiscal trends. Moreover, â€Å"this has grown rapidly over the past two decades, from $32 billion in 1980 to $157 billion in 2002. FDI plays a capital role in the Irish economy: the ratio of inflows to gross

Reform Model for Prisoners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reform Model for Prisoners - Essay Example The judgment of effecting punishment as an alternative approach to reform prison inmates does not entirely help them become non-violent members of the society. Gilligan emphasizes on an overwhelming weight of empirical evidence that punishment in prison is the most potent stimulus or cause of violence contrary to the widespread belief to its adherence. With the current condition of our state prisons where inmates are crammed into tiny prison cells and brutal solitary confinements allows more room for violence in order to protect oneself from the onslaught of further invasion of privacy. Typical hatred of inmates is shown on our retributive type of justice when Bedau cited that "it is applied randomly at best and discriminatorily at worst upon those whose offenders who are people of color, poor and uneducated". Brutal punishments and solitary confinements imparts to the inmates that human life does not deserve an iota of respect thus punishment is legitimate. He further added "that threat of severe punishment cannot deter criminals especially ones who are in the drug trade". Gilligan for his part promotes "the successful re-entry of prisoner into society as productive people as a positive tool for their transformation". Support coming from the community itself by shunning the social stigma and stereotype attached to former prisoners erases the chance of evoking anger and trauma. Education according to him is the key to prevent or at least reduce the incidence of crimes by providing tools needed to acquire knowledge and skills, self-esteem and respect for others. Almaraz supports the reform model as an effective implementation tool that is best supported by the government and communities. He believes in a reform model which consists of programs such as college degree courses, therapy and job training opportunities for inmates while in jail. Although such pro-life activities require a costly maintenance the possibility of learning through one's own mistakes may create a morally subservient person. We cannot dismiss the fact that violence is perpetrated by violators and violators begets violence; hatred begets hate and thus allowing hatred while in the process of reform mentally implies that the negative attitude is a form of life. Mexico, heavily relies on the reform model and promotes the efficient scientific principle of the "positive" school by expanding treatment to low risk offenders and attempts at separating the violent prisoners form the non-violent ones. Viable education and behavioral modification and treatment programs are made available to prisoners who are willing to commit to reform. Drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation serves to lessen the chances for recidivism. Summary and Conclusion In support of the reform model of effecting a desirable change for the inmates especially among first time offenders, the Jacksonian theory of absolute and brutal distinction should be discarded. Prisoners have not repudiated their membership in the community thus temporary exclusion does not require branding with harsh treatment to accomplish moral and political correctness. The prosecution and persecution of

Cultural Diffusion and Imperialism

Cultural Diffusion and Imperialism World has now become a global village. By global village what we mean is that everything is available to every person through the process of free information flow (Ascher, 2010). Globalization has brought everything closer and that has happened through cultural diffusion. Now to understand what cultural diffusion is, we first have to have a fair idea over what is diffusion. Secondly there is well defined process through which a culture is diffused in other cultures and makes it mark. This culture diffusion affects international business to the core because when we say that globalization have made its presence felt in the global economy, we see that it is there because of culture diffusion in different ways. This has also lead to come sort of cultural imperialism which we shall discuss in length in paragraphs to come. Culture diffusion happens when non material and material culture travels to another culture (Wise, 2008). How this happens is a million dollar question which needs to be answered correctly and to the point. To have a profound knowledge over how it happens we go to the basics of it which is culture hearth. Now culture hearth is a place where civilizations first began and then they spread to different areas. Nowadays culture hearths are considered to be in those countries which are well developed and whose culture gets diffused to other developing countries because they have to be in tandem with each other so to have a good and viable trade. If we talk by considering the present world and international trade, we see that this cultural diffusion has spread many cultural straits wherever they got a chance to get diffused. Sometimes this spread is so rapid that no one can find out its origin, timing and spread. There are two different ways in which a culture is diffused to another culture ; one is acculturation and another is Assimilation (Howes, 1996). Both are the ways in which culture is diffused in another culture. In acculturation what happens is that some cultural traits of strong cultures are being taken up by weak cultures like in ancient times we see that Spain had some cultural traits which are taken from Aztecs. Similarly if we see examples in the modern world we observe that a very common greeting hello is also a cultural trait which is being taken by many cultures as a greeting by default. Why that happened so? Because it has its roots in western world and as West dominated for the last two centuries, all the trade, rules and policies were being written and implemented by Western countries which influenced weak cultures to adopt the greeting and many other things which now we call globalization. On the other hand, another way in which a culture can be diffused is through assimilation. In assimilation what happens is that cultures are intertwined with each other in such a way that it is hard to distinguish between where its origin had been. Lets for example when Arabs came to Indian Subcontinent, the Indians had nothing than a piece of cloth worn up to their knees with an open jacket as their vests but Arabs brought a new culture of a full length suit of cloth covering whole body. Now after centuries the Mongols and the warriors from Afghanistan brought minor changes to the original dress which made people easy to carry, walk and most of all made it best attire which can be used for combat purposes also. End result was that the whole thing got assimilated with each other so quickly that there was little difference left between what people wear in Arabian countries mainly the natives of Arab Emirates and the people wear in subcontinent. It specially pertains to the dressing of men. Other thing which effects diffusion is the cultural barriers, time and distance delay and lastly physical barriers (Rauth, 2004). Cultural barriers includes things which are not acceptable to other culture at any cost for example Mc Donald came up in India with its different burgers mainly in beef but as Indians hold cow as sacred, they do not go for it so Mc Donald have to introduce veggie burgers instead of beef as local cultural barrier never allowed any assimilation or acculturization to take place. In time and distance delay, diffusion is hampered because time and distance which it would take to reach another culture would be more and then would become less futile for example Eskimos who live at poles, their cultures and way of living is different from us and still they are yet to have culture diffusion (Howes, 1996). Time and distance delay is somewhat linked with the physical barriers also which also helps in making things bad for cultural diffusion to take place for example t he terrain which is very tough to pass would obviously make things worse for people to travel hence making it hard to diffuse a culture or similarly a sharp weather change would also create a physical barrier for culture diffusion to take place as it would be difficult to take things from one culture to another as culture traits differ from each other or not even close to each other. That culture is diffused either in expansionary diffusion or relocated diffusion (Said, 1994). We have seen that expansionary diffusion have taken place in most of the places in world where West culture is being adopted by the elite and now it is being transmitted to the lower end of the population. This sort of diffusion is known as hierarchical diffusion in where the spread of a new culture takes place from top to bottom. Example of this is the coffee shops like star bucks, which had no concept in south Asia but they are brought by Westerners who came here for business purposes. They first inculcated the trend in elite and now it is being adopted by every person as it have has transformed many old kiosks for betel leaves and cigarettes into coffee shops. Similarly blackberries; many corporate customers have this gadget in their hands which is attracting other upper middle class people to have it too so to have some satisfaction. Other types include relocation diffusion which happen s when people take their innovations with them to a new place like for example Jews. Jews in Europe were really good in scientific knowledge and due to their astuteness they were being victimized and were sent to concentration camps. When after the world war they relocated themselves in different parts of the world, they went with their knowledge and innovations which brought a lot of prosperity around the globe. Another example of it can be AIDS which spread through relocation diffusion as disease is carried by one person who migrates to another society with having a different culture. Now as diffusion is discussed at length, we now see that whether cultural imperialism can be established through cultural diffusion? Yes to some extent I would agree to it because in international business when there is trade and goods flow from one place to another, it not only takes a new product across the borders but also takes its culture to another place. In other words level of diffusion depends on the factors discussed above and also on a culture being strong as to the culture where it is being diffused as being weak (Hobson, 2010). Like for example the trend of suits around the world, from where it came? It came and assimilated in our culture because it was being followed by a strong culture or in cultural hearth which is American and Europe and from there it diffused to all parts of the world. Mens formal suitings, as we all know, have such an importance that now if a south Korean business tycoon needs to do a deal with his Indian counterpart to open up a microchip factory in Delhi, they would be following their own business rules and formalities but their attire would be formal and would follow the strong cultures dress code which is to have a formal dress suit. Moreover the casual dress in China, a decade ago was not jeans and a tee shirt but now they have taken the affect of American culture as it diffused into their society but why? Because more than 70 percent of Chinas trade is bound for America so Chinese have adopted some practices of American culture which shows us that yes there is diffusion of culture but that does not proves cultural imperialism at any point; people went towards tee shirts and jeans because they were easier to handle, according to the young generation, as compare to traditional safari suits for men and traditional Chinese for women. Apart from this, cultural diffusion does not reflect cultural imperialism for example whole world is following more or less same accounting principles so the rules of debit and credit are same so to imply that it is a product of a particular nation or it is a part of any culture would be a gross mistake. Yes its true that methods of accounting were first brought up by Chinese but significant changes were made throughout.

A Thousand Differences :: Sociology, Social Norms

The world today is full of so many cultures. Each one drastically different from the other and equipped with their own customs and â€Å"social norm†. The culture in America is radically different from that in Afghanistan. This fact is evident in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This book follows the journeys two young women living in the harsh world in Afghanistan until their paths cross and they unite to rebel against the maltreatment of women that is widely accepted in their country. The lives these women lead in this book is dramatically opposite of the life that women have in America. The daily life over all in Afghanistan is very strange compared to America. They must live with droughts, poverty, and war every day. In 1999, in the city of Kabul, there was a huge drought. It had not snowed in the winter and there was no rain in the spring. The riverbed that ran through the city was completely dried up (261). With very little and scorching heat it must have been exceedingly difficult to cook or stay cool. With two young children to keep fed and hydrated water is a necessity. One of the main characters, Mariam, grew up in a mud hut on the outskirts of a village in the mountains (10). Small houses and very little income was the average life in the country. In her city, a two-story house was practically a mansion, and in America that is considered normal. The standard of living is much lower in Afghanistan. The region the two girls live in was one of constant war. Different ethnicities and religions were constantly fighting and the government was very uns teady. They lived literally in the midst of the battle zone. They could hear gunfire and rockets constantly. Houses along their very own street were taken out by bombs. Laila even lost her parents when her own house was bombed (174). It is impossible to imagine what it would be like living with that. Everyday hearing the whistling and hoping the rocket was not coming down on your house. Then losing your parents, it is unfathomable. Innocent bystanders shot down simple because they are in the wrong time at the wrong place. Women in their country have very little rights and freedoms.

Motivation and Texas Roadhouse Essay

Ajor challenges are: Retaining a positive working environment, Recognition, and Work performance evaluation. One of the major challenges a manager faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is retaining a positive working environment. Today, the success of any business is for a manager to provide a positive working environment. This require manager having the abilities, tools, and knowledge to help her understand her employees’ retention needs and be able to implement a retention plan intended to increase employee engagement in the organization. In Noe, Holllenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright (2011), an article written by Texas Roadhouse Resturant states, â€Å"We wanted to provide a place that the whole family could enjoy.† This statement suggests that Texas Roadhouse is a place where the whole family can enjoy great nourishment, in a fun-filled, enthusiastic atmosphere at a reasonable price. In this example, the practice on the culture of Texas Roadhouse involved putting their employees first and this is a key component in their formula for success. Employees who love their working environment tend to give customers better services. On the other hand, if a manager refuse to look after her employees, employees might depict negative work related performances; tardiness or unpunctuality, bad customer service, and even high turnover. Yet, in the cases of Texas Roadhouse Resturant, their technique of motivating employees can be used in other businesses and organizations. For instance, let’s take another look at another statement made by Texas Roadhouse: â€Å"We wanted to provide a place that the whole family could enjoy†¦ we take good care of our employees, they will take care of our customers.† This announcement is part of Texas Roadhouse belief or value. Texas Roadhouse believes in participating with their employees; they understanding their employees’ retention need, requests and values; and they get to know their employees as individuals. If other businesses and organizations follow Texas Roadhouse belief or value (putting their employees first and retaining a positive working environment), then they too will have the tools to motivate their employees, obtain increased job satisfaction and productivity within their organization, and even low turnover. A second major challenge a manger faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is Recognition. Individuals have a straightforward human need to feel appreciated and proud of their work. Recognition is an alternative method that could be used to motivate workers and make them feel respected and proud of their work. According to Drennan & Richey (2012), when employees achieve a specific task within an organization, they feel that they have accomplished something, and they feel unappreciated when the manager don’t recognize their achievement. In this case, a manager must be clever another to recognize his employees’ achievement. When a manager acknowledges her employees’ achievement, it is highly recommended that the manager congratulate his employees by giving them a round hand of applause for their specific achievement (Strickler, 2006). A manager could also congratulate his employees for their achievement by holding a meeting or company-spon sored social gatherings, or a luncheon to present plaques, trophies or a certificate for their achievement, hard work, and dedication to a job well done. A Third major challenge a manger faces in motivating her employees today as opposed to 50 years ago is work performance evaluation. Manager must consider certain facts about her employees before conducting a work performance evaluation. These facts or facets must include the growing difficulty of finding trained employees; younger employees with different approaches or attitudes about work; diverse groups; and older employees heading toward retirement. If a manager have regular conversations with employees, then, work performance evaluation may not be entirely required (Strickler, 2006). Regular conversation eliminates negative feedback from a performance evaluation which could cause negative responses from the employee. Once again, sometime, performance evaluation is perhaps pointless if a manager have regular conversations with employees. For example, employees will begin to know where they stand when manager create several direct-line of communication with them. Employees become dedicated to their supervisor or manager when the manager began to interact with his employees (Walumbwa & Hartnell, 2011). This interaction could be based on the manager participation in a casual conversation with his employees in the dine room, in the work place, in weekly meeting, or a manager could have a one-to-one conversation with individuals in regards to their work performance In Noe, Holllenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright (2011), an experiment manager knows that when employees have self-assurance in their ability to perform a certain task, they incline to work better, and they feel safe within the organization. This simple means that productivity will increase and employees will have no fear of losing their job because they know where they stand. When the manager has gained the trust and respect of his employees, he can construct a good basic conversation with his employees and talk about their work performance and simply tell them how to maintain the company goals (Walumbwa & Hartnell, 2011). Respect is of the ultimate importance when motivating a person. A person feels unhappy if he is not respected and recognized for his achievements. In other words, motivation shrinks if an important achievement goes undetected.

How to Use and Where to Find a Helpful and Simple IEEE Format Example

How to Use and Where to Find a Helpful and Simple IEEE Format Example Students who choose computer science classes should be familiar with the IEEE reference style and format their assigned paper accordingly. You need to master it, no matter if you study programming, information technologies, web communication, computer science, management, or similar disciplines. Find a good IEEE format example to make things easier. It will provide you with useful information and a list of helpful suggestions and guidelines to write your next text correctly. What is the IEEE format? This question is often asked by confused students who need some guides. The IEEE is a professional organization that supports different IT and engineering fields, and it has established its own writing manual to let both professionals and students in relevant areas organize their references and writing works. Read this important journal to get a clearer idea of basic rules. Check out a brilliant IEEE format example to understand that this style consists of two crucial elements: References; In-text direct and indirect citations. What are in-text citations? They are brief quotes taken from both secondary and primary sources, and you need to number them in square brackets. Each number identifies a complete citation listed in your bibliography or works cited list, but many students call such citations references. A list of references is in their numerical order. The IEEE manual is lengthy and complex, and that’s why you should read this brief guide because it will help you save time in the end. ORDER PAPER IN IEEE FORMAT How to cite in the IEEE format? Each reference must have its corresponding IEEE citation in the main body of your research paper or academic essay. What is the difference between indirect and direct in-text citations? The main difference is that direct citations duplicate original quotes, while the indirect ones are the same ideas paraphrased by you. Each time you want to add a citation, insert a specific number within square brackets to help readers find complete references on your reference page. Make sure that it’s a separate section of your assignment. A complete IEEE format reference contains the information necessary to help other people find more details about your discussed subject with ease, including: Publication places and dates; Full titles; Authors’ initials and surnames; Some smaller details, such as page numbers or volumes. Corresponding numbers should show up before every reference. How to create IEEE citations? In-text citations shouldn’t necessarily contain such details as quotes pages, authors’ names, or publication dates, and you can mention sources using special numbers in a bracket line. It must match a complete citation in your bibliography. Insert in-text citations to back up major arguments in the main body (before any punctuation and with a space before opening brackets). Number all sources in the order you mention them. After referencing and assigning numbers to them, feel free to use the same corresponding numbers each time you need to quote these sources in your paper. If you cite many sources simultaneously, apply the best approach and provide every number separately (in brackets and use dashes or commas between numbers). Most experts apply the same formatting approach. How to write your reference page? Based on IEEE formatting requirements, a page that contains your full bibliography is called a reference list or page, and you need to put in at the end of your writing project. The basic goal that it serves is to provide full citations for each source that you use to describe in-text citations. Add all references in their numerical sequence. Don’t forget to include their bracketed numbers at the beginning. Follow these simple rules: Word "References" is the title of this page (you can either align it left at the top or put it in the center); Use a hanging indent for each reference with numbers in brackets to identify the right numerical order; The titles of your cited sources, including magazines, newspapers, articles, or others, should be in quotation marks; The titles of all works should be in italics; List surnames and initials as authors’ names. PLACE YOUR ORDER HERE Where to find excellent examples? The IEEE updates its writing manual on a regular basis. You should visit its official website to know all the changes made to such vital format elements as: Footnotes; Abbreviations; Punctuation; Section headings; Biographies; Tags Equations and numbers; Capitalization. How to style and cite references? There are some basic rules that remain the same, regardless of new editions, and they concern: Direct quotes; Findings, data, tables, and graphics. Place a text from your sources in quotation marks. Add quotations to original sources, summarize or rewrite them, and come up with citations when making a summary of or restating data from them, including claims, ideas, verdicts, and research. Cite your original sources when adapting, referring to, and taking any information from them to format your academic paper successfully and earn high grades. Why is citing essential for your academic performance? Some students don’t gain the point of citing. It’s an important element of academic writing for different reasons: Plagiarism is a big problem, and incorrect citing equals to it; Formatting plays a huge role in final grades; Full references help readers to conduct their research and learn more about specific problems; It’s unethical to steal the words of other authors. You shouldn’t count on your good marks if you fail to cite your sources of information based on IEEE formatting rules. What if you need expert help? Turn to our team of qualified and experienced writers because they will help you format all papers and do other things for you.

Gods, Myths and Legends in Greek Mythology

Gods, Myths and Legends in Greek Mythology The basics of Greek mythology are the gods and goddesses and their mythical history. The stories found in Greek mythology are colorful, allegorical, and include moral lessons for those who want them and puzzles to mull over for those who dont. They include profound human truths and the basics of western culture. This Introduction to Greek Mythology provides some of these background features. The Greek Gods and Goddesses Greek mythology tells stories about gods and goddesses, other immortals, demigods, monsters or other mythical creatures, extraordinary heroes, and some ordinary people. Some of the gods and goddesses are called Olympians because they ruled the earth from their thrones on Mount Olympus. There were 12 Olympians in Greek mythology, although several had multiple names. In The Beginning... According to Greek mythology, in the beginning was Chaos, and nothing more. Chaos was not a god, so much as an elemental force, a force made of itself alone and not composed of anything else. It existed from the beginning of the universe. The idea of having the principle of Chaos at the beginning of the universe is similar to and perhaps a progenitor of the New Testament idea that in the beginning was The Word. Out of Chaos spun out other elemental forces or principles, like Love, Earth, and Sky, and in a later generation, the Titans. Titans in Greek Mythology The first few generations of named forces in Greek mythology grew progressively more like humans: The Titans were the children of Gaia (Ge Earth) and Uranus (Ouranos Sky)- the Earth and Sky, and based on Mount Othrys. The Olympian gods and goddesses were children born later to one specific pair of Titans, making the Olympian gods and goddesses grandchildren of Earth and Sky. The Titans and the Olympians inevitably came into conflict, called the Titanomachy. The ten year battle of the immortals was won by the Olympians, but the Titans did leave a mark on ancient history: the giant holding the world on his shoulders, Atlas, is a Titan. The Origins of the Greek Gods Earth (Gaia) and Sky (Ouranos/Uranus), who are considered elemental forces, produced numerous offspring: 100-armed monsters, one-eyed Cyclops, and the Titans. Earth was sad because the very unpaternal Sky wouldnt let their children see the light of day, so she did something about it. She forged a sickle with which her son Cronus unmanned his father. The love goddess Aphrodite sprang up from the foam from Skys severed genitals. From Skys blood dripping on Earth sprang the spirits of Vengeance (Erinyes) also known as the Furies (and sometimes known euphemistically as the Kindly Ones). The Greek god Hermes was the great-grandson of the Titans Sky (Uranos/Ouranos) and Earth (Gaia), who were also his great-great-grandparents and his great-great-great grandparents. In Greek Mythology, since the gods and goddesses were immortal, there was no limitation on child-bearing years and so a grandparent could also be a parent. Creation Myths There are conflicting stories about the beginnings of human life in Greek mythology. The 8th century BCE Greek poet Hesiod is credited with writing (or rather first writing down) the creation story called the Five Ages of Man. This tale describes how humans fell getting further and further away from an ideal state (like paradise) and closer and closer to the toil and trouble of the world we live in. Mankind was created and destroyed repeatedly in mythological time, perhaps in an effort to get things right- at least for the creator gods who were dissatisfied with their almost godlike, almost immortal human descendants, who had no reason to worship the gods. Some of the Greek city-states had their own local origin stories about creation that pertained just to the people of that location. The women of Athens, for instance, were said to be the descendants of Pandora. Flood, Fire, Prometheus, and Pandora Flood myths are universal. The Greeks had their own version of the great flood myth and the subsequent need to repopulate the Earth. The story of the Titans Deucalion and Pyrrha has several similarities to the one appearing in the Hebrew Old Testament of Noahs ark, including Deucalion being warned of the coming disaster and the construction of a great ship. In Greek mythology, it was the Titan Prometheus brought fire to mankind and as a result, enraged the king of the gods. Prometheus paid for his crime with torture designed for an immortal: an eternal and painful occupation. To punish mankind, Zeus sent the evils of the world in a pretty package and loosed on that world by Pandora. The Trojan War and Homer The Trojan War provides the background for much of both Greek and Roman literature. Most of what we know of those terrific battles between Greeks and Trojans have been attributed to the 8th century Greek poet Homer. Homer was the most important of the Greek poets, but we do not know exactly who he was, nor whether he wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey or even either of them. Nevertheless, Homers Iliad and Odyssey play a fundamental role in the mythology of both ancient Greece and Rome. The Trojan War began when the Trojan prince Paris won a foot race and handed Aphrodite the prize, the Apple of Discord. With that action, he started the series of events that led to the destruction of his homeland Troy, which, in turn, led to the flight of Aeneas and the founding of Troy. On the Greek side, the Trojan War led to disruption in the House of Atreus. Horrible crimes were committed by the members of this family on each other, which included Agamemnon and Orestes. In the Greek dramatic festivals, the tragedies frequently centered on one or another member of this royal house. Heroes, Villains, and Family Tragedies Known as Ulysses in the Roman version of the Odyssey, Odysseus was the most famous hero of the Trojan War who survived to return home. The war took 10 years and his return trip another 10, but Odysseus made it back safely to a family that was, oddly, still waiting for him. His story makes up the second of the two works traditionally attributed to Homer, The Odyssey, which contains more fanciful encounters with mythological characters than the more war-story Iliad. Another famous house that couldnt keep from violating major societal laws was the Theban royal house of which Oedipus, Cadmus, and Europa were important members who featured prominently in tragedy and legend. Hercules (Heracles or Herakles) was immensely popular to the ancient Greeks and Romans and continues to be popular in the modern world. Herodotus found a Hercules figure in ancient Egypt. Hercules behavior was not always admirable, but Hercules paid the price without complaint, defeating impossible odds, time and again. Hercules also rid the world of horrible evils. All Hercules tastes were superhuman, as befits the half-mortal (demigod) son of the god Zeus. Sources and Further Reading Edmunds, Lowell (ed.). Approaches to Greek Myth, Second Edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.Graf, Fritz. Greek Mythology: An Introduction. Trans: Marier, Thomas. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.  Rose, H.J. A Handbook of Greek Mythology. London: Routledge, 1956.  Woodard, Roger. The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Blog assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Blog assigment - Essay Example Each of the seven sections represent a crucial scenario about Balinese, the activities undertaken, the environmental setting of the essay and the unfolding eventualities given the observed scenarios. The seven sections therefore provide a step by step analysis of the essay in the light of keeping the audience at par with the author so that the transition from one section to another is understood. Geertz treats the Balinese and the unfolding events as units to every section. This is the reason why different figures of speech have been used. The seven sections cannot be said to be similar, though they are closely related. Different forms of writing have been employed. Figurative language has been used extensively across the essay. Narration is evident alongside use of numbers to represent different scenarios. Footnotes are also extensively employed. The outline is not consistent with some sections having subheading and subtitles, while others do not. The essay outline is unique to every section, thereby presenting a unique switch and transition from one section to another due to the idea event flow and logic dynamism employed in the essay, making idea presentation

Human Bioscience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human Bioscience - Essay Example Gas exchange occurs in the alveoli. There are about 300 million alveoli running to about 160m2 area. Lungs expand when there is increase in the volume of thoracic cavity. During inspiration, there is contraction of the external intercostal muscles which lift the ribs up and out and there is contraction of the diaphragm which draws the ribs down. During expiration, these processes are reversed. The elastic recoil of the lungs makes them to come back to their resting volume. At rest, a normal adult human being breathes about 15- 18 times exchanging 500ml of air each time. To diagnose a patient as having chronic bronchitis, the patient must suffer from chronic cough for atleast 3 months in one year for 2 consecutive years. The cough is accompanied by sputum expectoration, but there is no other cause for sputum production. There is enlargement of the mucus glands in the lungs, inflammation of the airways and thickening of the bronchial walls. Because of these pathological changes, there is loss of supporting alveolar attachments leading to deformity of the airway walls, which inturn results in narrowing of the airway lumen and decrease of airflow through it (Sharma, 2006) In emphysema, the alveoli are enlarged abnormally and permanently. There is also destruction of the alveolar walls and loss of elastic recoil. There are 3 types of emphysema: centriacinar emphysema, panacinar emphysema, and distal acinar emphysema or paraseptal emphysema (Sharma and Graham, 2005). Patients with emphysema typically suffer from breathing difficulty. The most common cause of COPD is smoking in the form of cigarette smoking or exposure to tobacco smoke either due to passive smoking or environmental tobacco smoke. Other causes include air pollution, airway hyperresponsiveness and alpha1- antitrypsin deficiency. COPD can occur either due to chronic bronchitis or

Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

1 - Assignment Example The private sector, on the other hand, is referred to as for-profit sector. These include businesses and institutions that offer goods and services for sale. Their main aim is to achieve profits in the sale of these products and services. This is quite different from the public sector that majors on service delivery not on a profit. It is through the revenue and taxes that the employees in the private sector fund the public sector. The private sector also through their corporate social responsibility programs help the community to develop. Non-for profit organizations are institutions that are not categorized in the public or private sectors and offers goods and services for free. In some situations, good corporate citizens donate to the public sector in an effort to give back to the community. In disaster situations, these groups are affected interdependently. For a case of a mudslide, the demand for public services is increased. Due to the increase in the demand of these services, the budget of the public sector is strained. Companies and businesses in the private sector are also interfered with due to the damage of the disaster. This results to less tax remittance since their services have been affected (Lyon & Hamlin, 2001). In worst cases scenarios, the staff at these businesses may lose their jobs on either a permanent or temporary basis. The tax remittances and contributions to non-profit organizations have to reduce since the businesses are not running as usual. In this type of scenario, the non-profit organization is faced with a decrease in contributions and sometimes an increase in demand of their services. Depending on the cruelty of the disaster and the strains on the local system, funds from outside of the resident community may be required to support the public in its salvage and go back to its normality. Question #2 Disaster and emergency management has had continual evolution through the years. There exists numerous career opportunities in this field since an individual can be employed in the private, public and non-profit sectors. It is a sophisticated field because it disaster affects any part of the community. This interrelationship between the sectors has affected the skills set for disaster and emergency managers. The careers range from the project managers on the ground to policy makers and executives in the office. Employment, therefore, in this field can be permanent or temporary since the disaster and emergency are not always happening (Haddow et al, 2011). An example of a full time employment is at FEMA. At FEMA, Permanent Full-Time (PFT) staffs are employed through a modest procedure that comprises an interview and application. Recruited employees can gain competitive status after one year of continuous service. Temporary employment at FEMA can be as Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE). These are employees hired to labour for a specific limited period. This is usually about two to four years. Em ployment is usually renewed if there is consistent disaster and funding for the program is available. These staffs can be employed under a rationalized method instead of a modest process. They are normally qualified for similar remunerations  as PFT personnel, but do not get modest career or status tenure during their period of employment. Other employment avenues are in the disaster management facilities or offices. These range from administrative, accounts, management to support staff who guarantee smooth running of the facilities.

Learning Disabilities Essay Example for Free

Learning Disabilities Essay Puzzling is the term teachers use to describe students with learning disabilities.   They tell us that these students look entirely normal, seem intelligent, carry on intelligent conversations – that they don’t appear to any different than other students. Yet these students have difficulty doing certain tasks – not all- in school.   Some have difficulty reading; others perform poorly in spelling; still others make frequent mistakes in math.   Teachers in many schools tell us that these students are very hard to teach – that they simply do not learn in the same ways or as easily as others their age.    They tell us that these students have special needs and are not easy to teach in large classes in which most other students perform reasonably well.   They tell us that modifying instruction so that these students can profit from teaching is an intricate process. Because of the heterogeneous nature of this group of children, the concept of specific learning disabilities has been hard to define or describe in few sentence or by a numerical score such as an IQ or by a decibel loss. Furthermore, because the field has been of interest to educators, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurophysiologists, pediatricians, ophthalmologists, optometrists, speech pathologists, and others, the problem has been viewed in each of those disciplines from different perspectives. Hence there is really the need for several definitions for learning disabilities and thus we can conclude that its definition is defined in â€Å"case to case† basis. Definition of Learning Disabilities Historically, the following terms were used to name children with Learning disabilities: ââ€"   perceptually handicapped ââ€"   brain injured ââ€"   neurologically impaired Then, there came two broad aspects of concern in defining and or identifying those children: biological etiology- â€Å"minimal brain dysfunction†, psychoneurological learning disorders. behavior – â€Å" developmental disparity in psychological processes†, developmental imbalance† The definition of learning disabilities in an educational term has derived its heritage from: ââ€"   neurology ââ€"   psychology ââ€"   speech pathology ââ€"   ophthalmology ââ€"  Ã‚   remedial reading      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wiederholt (1984) has traced the history of Learning disability and has delineated three dimensions of disorders namely: (1) disorders of the spoken language studied primarily by neurologists and ophthalmologists such as; ââ€"   Samuel Kirk developed a test, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, for use in describing language functioning and developing remedial programs. disorders of written language represented mostly by psychologists, speech pathologists, and educators such as; ââ€"   Grace Fernald established a clinic at UCLA where she perfected remedial reading and spelling techniques. disorders of perceptual and motor behaviors studied mostly by a number of disciplines such as; ââ€"   Goldstein, Werner and Strauss as pioneers of the field which listed the following behavioral characteristics that differentiated between those with and those without brain injuries: excessive motor activity, hyperactivity, awkwardness and consistently poor motor performance, erratic behavior, poor organization, high distractibility and faulty perceptions (like reversals) and ââ€"   Samuel Orton was a neurologist who believed that lack of cerebral dominance was a cause of language disorders. (In normal individual either the left or right side of the brain has dominance in controlling specific functions.) ââ€"  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cruickshank focused his efforts on the study of brain-injured children, specifically children with cerebral palsy. ââ€"   Getman, Marianne Frostig, Newell Kephart, and Ray Barsch focused on the correlation of perceptual disorders and developed remedial procedures ranging from optometric eye exercises, tracing and copying patterns, and differentiating figure from background in a puzzle, to making angels in the snow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today, there are various provinces in Canada that have established programs for learning disabilities which was instituted for example by ââ€"   The Ontario Ministry of Education ââ€"   Saskatchewan Department of Education ââ€"   Halifax Board of Education and ââ€"   Quebec Ministry of Education But the most widely used definitions is the one incorporated by the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada or LDAC (2002) which state that, the term â€Å"Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include, but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g. planning and decision-making)†. Further, LDAC mentioned that learning disabilities range in severity and may interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following: oral language (e.g. listening, speaking, understanding); reading (e.g. decoding, phonetic knowledge, word recognition, comprehension); written language (e.g. spelling and written expression); and mathematics (e.g. computation, problem solving). Further, the U.S. Department of Education regulation further states that a student has a specific learning disability if: the student does not achieve at the proper age and ability levels in one or more of several specific areas when provided with appropriate learning experiences; the student has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of these seven areas: (a) oral expression, (b) listening comprehension, (c) written expression, (d) basic reading skill, (e) reading comprehension, (f) mathematics calculation, and (g) mathematics reasoning. To summarize, all these definitions of learning disabilities, it includes the following major concepts: The individual has a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes.   Ã‚  Ã‚   (These processes refer to intrinsic prerequisite abilities, such as memory, auditory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   perception, visual perception, oral language, and thinking.) The individual has difficulty in learning, specifically, in speaking, listening, writing, reading (word-recognition skills and comprehension), and mathematics (calculation and reasoning.) The problem is not primarily due to other causes, such as visual or hearing impairments; motor handicaps; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or economic, environmental, or cultural disadvantage. A severe discrepancy exists between the student’s apparent potential for learning and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   his or her low level of achievement.   In other words, there is evidence of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   underachievement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The various definitions of learning disabilities have several elements in common: neurological dysfunction uneven growth pattern difficulty in academic and learning tasks discrepancy between potential and achievement exclusion of other causes Identification of Learning Disabilities In identifying individuals with learning disabilities, the following common characteristics must be observed: ââ€"   Disorders of attention: Hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration ability, short attention span; ââ€"   Poor motor abilities: Poor fine and gross motor coordination, general awkwardness and clumsiness, spatial problems; ââ€"   Perceptual and information processing problems: Difficulty in discrimination of auditory and visual stimuli, auditory and visual closure, and sequencing; ââ€"   Oral language difficulties: Problems in listening, speaking, vocabulary, and linguistic competencies; ââ€"   Failure to develop and mobilize cognitive strategies for learning: Lack of organization, active learning set, metacognitive functions; ââ€"   Reading difficulties: Problems in decoding, basic reading skills, and reading comprehension; ââ€"   Written language difficulties: Problems in spelling, handwriting, and written composition; ââ€"   Mathematics difficulties: Difficulty in quantitative thinking, arithmetic, time, space, and calculation facts; and ââ€"   Inappropriate social behavior: Problems in social skills deficits, emotional problems, and establishing social relationships. There are also other practical classification schemes that are useful: (1) the academic learning disabilities ( reading, arithmetic, handwriting, spelling, and written expression) (2) the developmental learning disabilities: ( attention, memory, perceptual skills, thinking skills, and oral language skills) A somewhat more systematic way to look at characteristics of students with learning disabilities is to look at those factors referenced in screening devices.   The following outline reflects the types of difficulties often observed in learning disabled students: (1) significantly different classroom behaviors difficulty in beginning or finishing tasks difficulty in organizing inconsistent in behavior difficulty in peer relationships (2) significantly below-average performance in auditory comprehension and listening difficulty in following directions difficulty in comprehending or following class discussions inability to retain information received aurally difficulty in understanding or comprehending word meanings (3) significantly below-average performance in spoken language use of incomplete sentences or unusual number of grammatical errors use of immature or improper vocabulary or very limited vocabulary difficulty in recalling words for use in self-expression difficulty relating isolated facts, scattered ideas difficulty in relating ideas in logical sequence (4) significant academic problems difficulty in reading fluency difficulty in associating numbers with symbols incorrect ordering of letters in spelling confusion of manuscript and cursive writing avoidance of reading confusion of math concepts – addition, multiplication (5) orientation difficulties poor time concept, no grasp of meaning of time difficulty in â€Å"navigating† around building or school grounds poor understanding of relationships (big, little, far, close, under, on, near) inability to learn directions (north, south, left, right) motor disabilities or significant underdevelopment for age poor coordination very poor balance awkward, poorly developed manipulative or manual dexterity lack of rhythm in movements III. Intervention for Learning Disabilities. This knowledge of the characteristics of learning disabled students is one basis for intervention. Thus, we have seen that children with learning disabilities compose quite a diverse group.   It should be no surprise then to find that the teaching and strategies approaches designed to help those children are also quite a diverse. But it is possible to cluster the various approaches into three broad educational strategies: task training, in which the emphasis is on the sequencing and simplication of the task to be learned. ââ€"   Ysseldyke and Salvia (1984) have advanced tow theoretical models namely: (a) analyzing the child’s abilities and disabilities and (b) analyzing the task and the direct training of the terminal behavior or task. This view is supported by behavioral analysts who advocate (1) finding out what the child can and cannot do in a particular skill, (2) determining whether or not the child has the behaviors needed to succeed in the task, (3) defining the goals in observable terms, and (4) organizing a systemic remedial program using reinforcement techniques. The applied behavior analysts do not infer processes or abilities that underlie difficulties but rely solely on the child’s interactional history and the current behavior and environmental situation.   They feel that their approach, which is task oriented and observable, is the most parsimonious approach, and to some it is the only approach needed. ability or process training, in which the focus is on the remediation and simplification of the task to be learned. Quay (1983) discussed the relative efficacy of ability or process training.   He stated that three approaches to remediation have evolved: (1) remediating a disability so that learning will be facilitated at a later date, (2) training and ability or process for its own sake, and (3) direct training of the task.   He concludes that the direct instruction method (task training) should be tried first and then discarded in favor of other methods if direct instruction is not successful. ability – or process-task training, in which the first two approaches are combined and integrated into one remedial program. Raschke and Young (1986) support this approach.   They compared the behavior – analysis model with the diagnostic-prescriptive model. They state that neither approach alone has the answer and propose what they call a dialectic-teaching approach into one system. Essentially the model assesses the abilities and disabilities of the children (intraindividual diffences), makes task analyses of the skills to be learned, and prescribes remediation in the functions and skills to be developed. This dialectic system they maintain â€Å"permits the teacher to assess, program, instruct, and evaluate the child’s psycholinguistic characteristics in the same system as his skill competencies and consequential variables†. Hence, the task of developing a definition of learning disabilities proved to be a formidable challenge.   Indeed, defining this population is considered such an overwhelming task that some have likened learning disabilities to Justice Potter Stewart’s comment on pornography: impossible to define, â€Å"but I know it when I see it.† Thus, defining learning disabilities in a way acceptable to all has continued as a debatable issue since the inception of the field.   Although a number of definitions have been generated and used over the years, each has been judged by some to have some shortcomings.  Ã‚   There are many types of disabilities, each of which may require a unique diagnosis and a unique remedial method. POSITION PAPER   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The definitions of learning disabilities are numerous and so varied that it is difficult to present taxonomy or even a specific list of these different definitions.   The definition of learning disabilities is a problem in much of the nations throughout the world. This problem first came out when some parents in the United States became concerned because their children who were not learning in school were rejected from special education since they were not mentally retarded, deaf or blind, or otherwise handicapped.   Their children were called by various names such as; neurologically handicapped, brain-injured, aphasodic, dyslexic, and perceptually handicapped. In spite of its current widespread use, the term learning disability is vulnerable to misunderstanding and misuse. The condition is difficult to define operationally since the designation learning disability is an umbrella term for a variety of deviations that are not included in traditional categories of exceptional children. Also it has been confused with general learning problems that are common to some degree in most children. In addition, it has been misused to include educational retardation, which is found in slow learning children and in children who have not learned because of poor teaching or absence from school. Another vulnerability of the term comes from the difficulty in drawing an explicit line between normal and abnormal.   Some allowances must be made for biological and psychological diversity, and considerable variation in abilities is accepted as normal. So, the question now is, â€Å"If there are objections to the term learning disabilities, why use it?   Why not use some other term? Well and good, if a better term can be found.   Other terms are either too specific or too broad.   Dyslexia for example, only refers to severe reading disability and it is not the only learning disability.   Brain injury has little or no educational relevance.   Perceptual handicaps exclude children with language disorders. Hence, the label learning disability has evolved to encompass the heterogeneous group of children not fitting neatly into the traditional categories of handicapped children. And that, substantial number of children show retardation in learning to talk, do not acquire other communication skill, do not develop normal visual or auditory perception, or great difficulty in learning to read, to spell, to write, or to make arithmetic calculations. Some of them even, are not receptive to language but are not deaf, some are not able to perceive visually but are not blind, and some cannot learn by ordinary of method of instruction but are not mentally retarded. Although such children are from a heterogeneous group and fail to learn for diverse reasons, they have one thing in common: they do not perform as well in school as they could. Discussing the problem and the difficulties of names for these children, Kirk (1963) explained that sometimes classification labels block our thinking. He further stated that it is better to state that a child has not learned to read than to say the child is dyslexic. So he advised that the name should be functional.   He suggested further that since the parents were interested in service to their children, it might be preferable to use a term related to teaching or learning and that the term learning disability might be preferable over the currently used terms such as cerebral function and brain injured. The term learning disabilities were agreed by these parents and they consider it more appropriate since it implied teaching and learning and since they were interested primarily in service for their children. So, one of the major problems of definition is that a learning disability is not as obvious or homogenous as blindness or deafness. There are many types of disabilities, each of which may require a unique diagnosis and a remedial method may vary differently from another condition also termed a learning disability. It is no wonder that many students, teachers, and parents have become confused about the term learning disability and the characteristics of children so labeled. This confusion appears to be international and is illustrated by the remarks of a teacher who, in testifying to a government committee studying the subject (Learning Difficulties in Children and Adults, 1986), stated:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I find myself asking the following questions:   What does the term â€Å"learning difficulty† mean?   Does the term â€Å"learning difficulty† mean the same as â€Å"learning disability†? How about the term â€Å"dysfunction†? What does the term â€Å"minimal brain dysfunction† mean? Do they all mean the same? Certainly, all these labels are not necessary, or are they? Does labeling a child with learning problems create more problems? It all becomes a bit confusing†¦The terminology changes often, varies from state to state and from country to country. Out of these definitions, came my own definition of learning disability: Learning disability describes a result rather than the cause of the learning disability.   Therefore, the conditions we call a learning disability is defined in terms of the student’s difficulties – what he can and cannot do in school – and focuses primarily on the academic performance.   So, one cannot be labeled as learning disabled if he has not yet started formal schooling as the label learning disabled indicates that a student is having unusual learning difficulties and involves speculations to possible causes, but it specifically indicates that the primary cause cannot be a condition such as mental retardation, hearing or visual impairment, and so on. Learning disabilities should be identified in the formal school context. Thus, preschoolers should not be labeled as learning disabled as growth rates are so unpredictable at young age,   In addition, very young children who appear to have problems may be identified under a noncategorical label, such as developmentally delayed.   For many children, learning disabilities first become apparent when they enter school and fail to acquire academic skills.   The failure often occurs in reading, but also happens in mathematics, writing, or other school subjects.   Among the behaviors frequently seen in the early elementary years are inability to attend and concentrate; poor motor skills, as evidenced in the awkward handling of a pencil and in poor writing; and difficulty in learning to read.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the later elementary years, as the curriculum becomes more difficult, problems may emerge in other areas, such as social studies or science.   Emotional problems also become more of an impediment after several years of repeated failure, and students become more conscious of their poor achievement in comparison with that of their peers.   For some students, social problems and inability to make and keep friends increase in importance at this age level. A radical change in schooling occurs at the secondary level, and adolescents find that learning disabilities begin to take a greater toll.   The tougher demands of the junior and senior high school curriculum and teachers, the turmoil of adolescence, and the continued academic failure may combine to intensify the learning disability.   Adolescents are also concerned about life after completing school.   They may need counseling and guidance for college, career, and vocational decisions.   To worsen the situation, a few adolescents find themselves drawn into acts of juvenile delinquency.   Because adolescents tend to be overly sensitive, some emotional, social, and self-concept problems often accompany a learning disability at his age.   Most secondary schools now have programs for adolescents with learning disabilities. Many teachers in Canada suggested that we abolish the label learning disability, and merge it with the emotionally disturbed and the educable mentally retarded and only deal with the child from an instructional point of view by defining learning tasks so that they can be taught step by step.   I strongly opposed with this suggestion.   Though maybe it is possible for the child with severe learning disability, but this approach is not sufficient to mild learning disabilities students. This is one of the greatest sources of controversy about the identification issues. The question of how much academic and learning retardation is evidenced before an individual should be identified as learning disabled.   Aside from identifying children with learning disability, it is very important to judge the extent of a child’s learning disability as either mild or severe.   Determining the level of severity is helpful in placement and in planning teaching delivery.   I strongly suggest that students with mild learning disabilities should be given different remediation from those of students who have severe learning disabilities. At this point, it is very crucial to differentiate the two cases.   Mild learning disabilities describe the problems of many students.   Students with mild learning disabilities usually have a disability in just one or two areas of learning, and although they need supportive help and special teaching, they can probably get along – at least for part of the day – in the regular classroom. So, within the regular classroom, the regular teachers should often make changes in instruction that will benefit these students. On the other hand, students with sever learning disabilities pose a very different problem and they require quite different educational services.   These students are likely to lag significantly in several areas of learning and to have concomitant social, emotional, or behavioral problems.   They need the environment of a special classroom, should contact mainly with one teacher, and should be given special services for most of the day.   Because of the intensity of their problems, the special class should be given fewer students than the regular classroom.   I suggest the 1:3 teacher to student ratio is the best to maximize and hasten the remediation process.   However, students with severe learning disabilities can gradually be mainstreamed for special subjects or activities or placed in the resource room, or even back in the regular classroom as their progress permits.   Because of these definitions; teachers, guidance councilors, and other school personnel, play the biggest role in identifying, diagnosing, remediating or treating this kind of disability within the school context.   So any teaching/service delivery should best meet the requirements needed to serve properly learning disabled students within the regular classroom.   Hence, learning disabled students should be treated or given remediation within the given school context with the greatest help of the regular classroom teacher but the guidance of the learning disabilities specialist.   So, it is implied that each school should have a learning disabilities specialist. With this, a change in the administrative arrangements for the placement for instruction of children with learning disabilities is a must.  Ã‚   It is important to take note that in the past, the rapid growth of special education was in the direction of removing atypical children from the mainstream of regular classroom and placing them into special education programs. Even the regular education supported this movement which maybe because the responsibility of educating children with a variety of learning problems is transferred to the domain of special education, and that would really lighten the work load of regular teachers.  Ã‚   But that should not be the case and I do not support that movement. The trend should be reversed and all students with learning disabilities should be brought back into the regular classroom with the regular students and in the hands of the regular teacher with the help of the learning disabilities specialist.     Ã‚  A number of movements and researches support this claim. The influential movement that supports this claim is the REI or the regular education initiative led by Madeline Will, the director of special education in the U.S. Office of Special Education in 1986.   She stated that this initiative is designed to promote collaborative efforts among regular and special educators and â€Å"shared responsibility† (Will, 1986).   In this initiative, regular and special educators were encouraged to pool their talents and coordinate their efforts in planning and teaching.  Ã‚   I greatly support this initiative as the underlying premise of this concept is that student’s learning disabilities can be more successfully taught in the regular education classroom than in special education classes or resource room. By promoting the merging of special and regular education, the regular education initiative reflects a major change in the way students with learning disabilities are identified, assessed, and educated. The approach is supported by many special educators (Lloyd, Singh, Repp, 1991; Maheady Algozzine, 1991; Biklen Zollers, 1986; Greer, 1988; Reynolds, Wang Walberg, 1997).     Ã‚  A specific example is, more than fifty years ago, Samuel Kirk, in his presidential address to special educators, emphasized that all teachers (regular and special educators) have the responsibility for teaching learning disabled children.   Kirk implored that â€Å"every teacher †¦ is a teacher of learning disabled children† (Kirk, 1941).   He further wrote the following: Actually the education of exceptional children is not wholly the responsibility of any one group of teachers †¦. It is hoped that in the future all special class teachers will not only be responsible for the education of children in their classroom, but will take on the added responsibility of contributing their knowledge and special skill to the regular classroom teacher †¦ who (has0 many learning disabled children in (the) classroom. (Kirk, 1941) In 1968, Lloyd Dunn wrote an influential article about the benefits of having special educators work with regular teachers in serving learning disabled children (Dunn, 1968). Another view to change the administrative arrangement in special education is to group children with different disabilities together for instruction.   This categorical system in special education historically evolved as the field of special education developed.   Each category of disability (such as visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, orthopedic disabilities, speech disorders, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities) became established individually over the years when there was sufficient interest in that particular area of exceptionality.   This concept emphasizes the common characteristics among students with disabilities and the common instructional methods for teaching students with various disabilities.   In this system, students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and mental retardation are often grouped together. Some parents and special educators are concerned that children with learning disabilities might be lost in the shuffle of this kind of placement, if such classes become a dumping ground for students with a variety of unrelated problems.   The resulting diversity of learning and behavior problems would impede teachers in helping students with learning disabilities. But this view is also opposed by a number of authors and has even provoked unusual levels of confusion, emotion, and debate within the special education community (Jehkins Pious, 2001).   Moreover, other special educators and parents, express concern regarding the regular education initiative movement and caution that more study is needed before making full-scale and far-reaching changes in procedures and policies that will affect the lives of students with learning disabilities (Lloyd et al., 1991; Journal of Learning Disabilities, 1988; Cannon, 1988; Kaufman, Gerber, Semmel, 1998; McKinney Hocutt, 1988, Lerner, 1997). But these opposing views have no substance and should be disregarded altogether.   Fuchs Fuchs (2000) have conducted research on the perceptions of and attitudes toward the regular education initiative among both regular and special educators.   These studies suggest that neither regular nor special education teachers are dissatisfied with the current special education delivery system.   In fact, the teachers favored the resource room model over the consultant model.   Many of the teachers saw no improvement in the achievement levels for either special or regular education students as a result of the regular education initiative reforms.   The success of the initiative depends on the support of regular and special teachers (Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, Lesar, 1991; Coates, 1989).   Moreover, the research prove that merely shifting the responsibility from the resource room teacher to the regular or a consultant is not enough to ensure the success of the reform. Hence, major policy changes in regular education profoundly affect students with learning disabilities.   Several recent national study commissions on the poor quality of schools serving the learning disabled students.   It is my fear that, most school’s pursuit for academic excellence standards will left behind students with learning disabilities – or they will be the losers.   Being unable to meet the educational standards set by the pursuit-of-excellence movement, some students with learning disabilities will be denied a high school diploma and thus be denied the opportunity to complete their schooling.   Further, if regular teachers are held accountable for the academic excellence of their students, they will be reluctant to accept the responsibility for hard-to-teach students.   Some special educators predict that the push for excellence may serve to widen the schism between regular and special education (Pugach Sapon-Shevin, 1997). Hence, it is my challenge to educators and healthcare professionals to undergo another education reform movement where school curriculum requirements for the learning disabled should be added to the current curriculum standards for the regular students. So in this recommendation for curriculum changes, a greater consideration should be given for the learning disabled students.   But this should be within the context of the regular education curriculum. This approach is same with the integration of regular and special education.   Some special educators also are now urging that the integration process should be taken much further – that the current special education system should be drastically restructured and that regular and special education should be merged into a single system (Kauffman Trent, 1991).   Such educators cite several reasons for changing the current system.   Special education, they maintain, is not effective when it occurs outside of the regular classroom.   In addition, the physical separation of students with disabilities is demeaning and degrades instruction.   These special educators maintain that integrated special education is more effective than separate programs. So the delivery options for teaching students with learning disabilities should also include regular classes and resource room classes.   This approach is concomitant to the observation that successful adults with disabilities have learned to function comfortably in society as it exists – an unrestricted environment composed of all people.   To promote experiences in the greater society, it must be ensured that, to the extent appropriate, students with disabilities should have experiences in school with regular (or non-special education) students. Since society includes the family, parents too should not be forgotten as an important element in the entire complex.   Parents are a vital component in the student’s education. These parents of children with learning disabilities need help in accepting their situation.   Mental health professionals should help make parents be aware that the problem must be faced both by the child and by other members of the family.   In addition to an honest acceptance of the disability, there must be recognition that improvement is often a slow process. So any approach concerning children with learning disability should establish healthy parental attitudes and ensure parent-teacher cooperation is of course, very necessary.   Parent support groups and family counseling are effective in assisting parents understand their children and their problems and in finding ways to help their children within the home.   In addition, parent-teacher conference can become a bridge between the home and school and can involve parents in the educational process. 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