Martial Law Reflection Paper

Colleen Gatchalian September 17, 2012 II – Ilang-ilang Soc Sci 2 MARTIAL LAW REFLECTION PAPER During our humanities week in my high school, we commemorated the 40th anniversary of Martial Law as the Social Science activity. 1 There were exhibits, rituals, talks, and many experiences shared and throughout all this, I have come to realize how lucky I am, that I have the freedom all those heroes during martial law fought for, without breaking a sweat. 2 I realized how blessed I am, that I can do what I want to do, when I want to, because of heroes who sacrificed their lives for that. 3 I learned about the importance of freedom, love for country, sacrifice, and remembering all those who have done something worthwhile. 4 During the tribute to Pisay martyrs, I really took the time to remember and value everything they did for our country. 5 I still have those rice grains we were asked to keep in my desk drawer, and every day when I open the drawer to get paper or a pen, I always remember what the grains represented – the fruits of the labor that all the martyrs went through. During the talks in the gym and in the small group discussion, I learned about the blood and sweat that all the Filipinos wasted fighting martial law. 7 Honestly, I never think of martial law heroes when I see or hear the word â€Å"hero†, because I mostly think of the heroes from the Spanish era, but then I realized that this was just a modern version of what happened to our country during the Spanish era – the people made so many sacrifices and lived through horrible and torturous times. I learned about all the hardships Filipinos went through, and the many things they weren’t allowed to do, along with the very few things they were actually allowed to do. 9 I do realize that I am only supposed to cite one important thing I learned, but I feel it necessary to enumerate all these, because I feel that they are of equal importance. 10 Freedom is very important, because it is one of the things in life that people look forward too – making their own choices, and doing what they want, when they want. 11 Love for country is also important, because your country is the place where you were born and where you live, you grew up in its culture, and you act like someone who grew up in it; you can’t just throw it aside, rather, you have to fight for it, love it, and honor it, because it is yours. 12 I consider sacrifice as one of the most important things I have learned during the talk, because without sacrifice, there would be no heroes who gave us what we have today. 13 Sacrifice is a virtue we must all have, and something we must use when it comes to people whom we love. 14 Lastly, remembering all our heroes is important, because not all of us will just lay down our lives for our country, because it takes a great deal of love for our country, and of course courage, to sacrifice for one’s country. 15 Just like what Elias said in Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, we must â€Å"remember those who fell in the night without seeing the dawn. 16 We have to value all our heroes for what they did, and strive to become like them in serving our country. 17 Assuming I was a Pisay student during the martial law era, I would definitely join an activist group, because I feel that the power the people hold is without a doubt larger than whatever power any leader holds; therefore, if a lot of people revolt against martial law, the time will come when the leader will have to give up and do what the people want, just like what happened during the People Power Revolution. 18 However, inside school, I would start an activist group. 19 I don’t have the courage to start an activist group outside of school because I don’t have the authority and I am not comfortable doing so, but once inside my school, I will do what I want to go against Marcos and his ridiculous martial law declaration. 20 Likewise, I feel that fighting for a cause is more effective if more people unite and do it all together. 21 Being a Pisay student also means being an â€Å"Iskolar ng Bayan†; therefore, I have to fulfill the duties of being an â€Å"Iskolar ng Bayan†. 22 In doing so, I can show my appreciation of the deeds of the heroes and martyrs of Martial Law by always remembering them during National Heroes Day and valuing what they did whenever it’s September 21. 23 Also, I will try to find my own way to serve my country as they did, so to use my talents in a proper way, and to give back to the country that gave me my exceptional high school education. 24 Also, I will bring up the subject of martial law heroes whenever the subject of Filipino heroes comes up and most of all, I will reasure the freedom that I have with all my heart and treat it as the most precious thing I can ever possess to value everything that the heroes and martyrs did for all of us. 25 I can’t begin to imagine a life without freedom. 26 I salute to all the martial law heroes who laid down their lives to give me and every other Filipino the freedom each of us deserves. 27 And so to end my reflection paper, I’d like to say thank you to every hero who gave me my freedom, both named and unnamed. 28

Attention to Detail Essay

Paying attention to detail is a key part in today’s society not only in the Marine Corps or the military but in civilian life as well. No matter what career or MOS you are in you need to concentrate and focus on attention to detail. Without it one could miss a crucial part or step in the process and mess something up. It could be as small as a document that you can redo or as big as not getting a bolt right on a plane and destroy millions of dollars of equipment and get someone killed. There is a reason we are constantly told to pay attention and don’t get complicit. In the military attention to detail is key and very important and should be a part of everything you do. An example of attention of detail would be to bring canteens and jerry cans to refill canteens but without checking to make sure there is water in them they are useless. Another would be safety rules on the range. You may know them but if you don’t pay attention you could forget to put your weapon back on safe after firing. Also if you forget to tighten a bolt to the right torque it could cause something to go wrong and destroy millions of dollars of equipment and get someone injured in the process or even killed. In civilian life it is important to pay attention to detail for many reasons. If you work in an office or work with documents all day need to make sure each one is accurate and a filled out correctly. Making sure to use capitation where it is needed and using the right forms and formats. It should take time to fill forms out and make sure they are correct reading them over multiple times. If something is messed up with the forms it could cause issues later when the documents are needed. No matter what you do in life attention to detail is key and should be implemented in everything you do. It could mean everything from as small as a form or as big as a plane. You are told to do something a specific way pay attention to every detail and don’t mess anything up.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Essay I have been diagnosed with what is called a Bipolar Disorder Essay. For all of my life I have been moody, so I guess when my I had mood swings my parents chalked it up to being a teenager. I always knew that it was more than just moodiness, but I had no idea what was wrong with me. When I am in a manic state I feel empowered and clever. In this phase, people find me very charismatic I also love myself and others and am very creative and productive. I also make unwise decisions during this phase like investing in one of my creative ideas which are not realistic.My manic phases can also jump to irratbility and imparience with others, when I amin this stage of my manic phase all that I can see is that everyone is an idiot, and the world is against me. This is when my charisma wears off and I end up alienating people. Luckily, I have some friends and family that stick with me no matter what I do to hurt them. Eventually this manic stage wearsoff and I crash into a deep depression. I feel remorse and sadness for the harm that I have caused those around me. I spend alot of my depressed state apologizing to people for the harm I have inflicted on them. I try to clean up my mess. I also can not sleep during this phase so I force myself to do the everyday things such as cleaning the house, showering, as well as reading books and doing anything I can to keep my mind occupied. If I am not busy during this time my mind fills with ideas of my suicide. I have written my final intructions and apologies so many times I cant even begin to count them. I know every method of suicide possible, its a wonder that i am still alive. Fortunately one of my close firends found one of my suicide notes and told my family and close friends. They talked me into finding help I eventually checked myself into a psychiatric facility because I did not want to go to my home alone. After 4 hours of filling out insurance papers and talking to people I eventually saw a doctor at this point I panicked and ignored their advice. I had never checked myself into a facility like this because I was afraid if everyone saw how crazy I am I would never get out. I have now realized that the facilities help and do not harm. The doctors put me on medications for a while to tes the waters. The firts was Lithum, a drug that naturally occurs it is a mood stabilizer which helps control my mood swings. They also suggested stronger drugs such as depakote, depacine, depakene and epilim these are all derivatives of a substance called valproic acids these are called anti convulsants they help me stay calm. The doctors have given me a self medication regien that will help me control my moods. They had me change my eating habits. Rather then having my usual samll breakfast, medium lunch and large dinner they had me eat three meals of equal size and on a certain schedule. They said eating a larger meal later on in the day can make my bipolar disorder harder to treat. They also said it is imperative to have a set sleeping schedule. Going to bed at the same time everyday and waking up at the same time. they say lack of sleep can trigger mania. Along with a set eating and sleeping schedule the doctors have me make a mood chart to help illistrate which medications are working. it is also important in helping me find my triggers such as stress, foods, people, etc. I alo have had to learn how to manage I am also seeing a therapist who listens to me and helps me manage my disorder. .

Case Study 3 - Input Diagnosis (skype) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Study 3 - Input Diagnosis (skype) - Essay Example Now in the context of the project, the report will highlight the business strategy of Skype. Apart from that the report will also shed light on the three generic strategies of Porter and its resemblance with the organizations strategy of Skype. Furthermore Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model will be also emphasized in accordance with the strategies of Skype. Finally the report will present the critical inputs of Skype and will then offer a conclusion based on the findings from the study. The next part will therefore put emphasis to the business strategy of Skype. Skype mainly follows the business model, which is the combination of network effects model and service provision and thereby collective referred to as â€Å"freemium† model. Skype offers both free as well as premium services to the customers. Some of the applications that are offered free include chatting, Skype-to-Skype calling, file transfer, multi-party calling, and video calling. On the other hand premium or paid serv ices comprise of Skype-In, Online numbers, Voicemail, subscriptions, Skype-Out and SMS. Since Skype offers a number of communication methods via internet, it has been able to target a large number of customers, who seek communication over the internet at low cost. In the recent past the company has also entered the mobile market by incorporating software that runs on a Smartphone. Skype also caters to the television segment along with the blue-ray devices. Hence from an overall viewpoint the basic business strategy of Skype is to have global coverage for the users of mobiles and computers. Apart from generating revenues from the premium services, the company earns revenue by providing partnership perspectives through licensing, and advertisement opportunities (Hagstedt, Hakansson & Thideman, 2011). Nevertheless, one of the important factors that played a major role in driving the business of Skype is the security it offers to the customers and a strong brand reputation supported by Microsoft. Porter’s Three Generic Competitive Strategies The three generic strategies of Porter include cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy. The cost leadership strategy is about being the low-cost manufacturer. The differentiation strategy can be characterized by the offerings of a service or product that is unique and highly valued by the customers. Finally the focus strategy is about focusing and catering to a particular customer segment. Now comparing with the business strategy of Skype, it can be concluded that Skype makes use of differentiation strategy. The company offers a large number of unique communication modes that are distinctive and are highly value by the customers. Organizational Inputs The organizational inputs are those materials which the organization has to utilize for completion of their desired objectives. There are several different types of inputs, each of which signifies different resource for the organization. All t he organizational inputs are interlinked; especially the environment and resources have a very close relation. The environmental conditions affect the availability and price of acquiring the resources. The key organizational inputs are: a) Environment: It includes all the factors such as events, groups, individuals, institutions, and the whole

How Will Astronomy Archives Survive the Data Tsunami Case Study

How Will Astronomy Archives Survive the Data Tsunami - Case Study Example Archives operate within an environment where resources, mostly financial are limited (Chaisson & McMillan, 2011). When the response time for astronomy queries increases, so is the cost of obtaining data from the archives. This impresses on the need to search for further technological techniques, which are more efficient and cost effective. Various performance degradation issues associated with the growing trend are indicated by the archived astronomical data. First, there is growth in the usage of the archived data, increasing the access and queries associated with the archived data sets. This effectively reduces the efficiency of data access, while also increasing the response time involved in queries (Berriman & Groom, 2011). The decreased efficiency and increased response time has the effect of making the study into this field less efficient, thus discouraging the widening of the knowledge base in astronomy. Most significant is the fact that, the growth in archived astronomical da ta increases the demand for such data, encourages the creation of more sophisticated queries and analysis techniques, which in turn increases the storage, computation and database costs (Berriman & Groom, 2011). This serves to make the access to archived astronomical data more expensive for users. Additionally, the increased volume of archived astronomical data means that it is now more accessible, thus influencing the research undertaken in this field, since most researchers are now using the archived data to undertake their research, at the expense of newly acquired data (Chaisson & McMillan, 2011). This practice is detrimental to the growth of astronomy, since new research and enquiries are rarely made, thus making new discoveries and innovations in this field impractical. The effect of this is to limit the knowledge base of the astronomy field, while also enhancing the regurgitation of data and provision of redundant and irrelevant study findings (NRC, 2011). The essence of rese arch is to promote new enquiries and discoveries in certain field, with a view to creating new knowledge, while also enhancing creativity and innovation in solving the problems associated with the field (Berriman & Groom, 2011). With a continued publication of more papers using the archived data sets, the hope of new discoveries and innovations in this field is extinguished. The increased volume of archived astronomy data has also caused performance degradation of various astronomical data institutions such as NASA’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) and Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), through affecting their reporting abilities (Berriman & Groom, 2011). Following these performance degradation issues, a need for alternative archival techniques has risen. One such alternative archival technique is graphical processing units (GPUs), which is a technique developed to enhance the output of an image that occurs on a display device (Berriman & Groom, 2011). Neverthele ss, while this technique is meant to help in reducing the inefficiencies associated with large volumes of archived astronomical data, the technique has proved to be ineffective due to various reasons. First, the technique is only applicable in graphic-like

Ethics Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Case Analysis - Essay Example Question 2. The physician also should never have spoken to Annie about the seriousness of her illness. This is because withholding the truth about the seriousness of Annie’s condition by the physician did more good to Annie and her family, more than revealing the whole truth to her. This is because, had Ann known that she was about to die, she would become distressed and make her family also distressed. The main ethical dilemma in this case is to make the choice of either or not to reveal to Annie the seriousness of her illness. Revealing the truth to Annie would have meant that the physicians and the Annie’s husband have acted in the honest way by telling Annie the truth; the main disadvantage of telling Annie the truth, however, was that Annie would become emotionally and psychologically disturbed, thus becoming distressed and making her family also distressed. Withholding the truth, on the other hand, would have meant that the physicians and Annie’s husband have acted in the best interests of Annie and her family because Annie would remain hopeful throughout the short period remaining in her life; withholding the truth from Annie, however, would mean that the physicians and Annie’s husband lied to Annie, thus acting in a dishonest way towards Annie. Making a choice between these two options is a real dilemma because each of the options has both positive and negative consequences. The main reason why I am of the view that the Physicians should never have revealed the truth to Annie about the seriousness of her illness is that the physicians are not under any obligation to reveal the whole truth to their patients. This view is supported by Sokol when he argues that, physicians have no moral obligation to tell their patients the whole truth about their condition (2002). For that reason, therefore, the physician acted in the morally right way by not disclosing to Annie about the seriousness of her illness. Secondly,

Artifact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Artifact - Essay Example The object has an approximate height of 5 inches; the widest portion of its body has a width of 4 inches, and the three legs have equal height of 3.5 inches. The object’s width is much bigger than its height and one can inscribe it within a form of a rectangle. The primary raw material used to produce the object is wood. The top part is in a circular shape and is firm since it is of a thick wood material. The thickness of this top part is of approximately 2 inches. The surface area of the top part is big enough to allow for anybody sit comfortably on the chair. The legs are firm enough and forms a u-shape to enable them support the weight of the top part firmly and therefore if anyone sits on the stool no matter how heavy he or she is chances of the stool breaking are limited. The wood materials used to construct the object are curved smooth. The object’s top part has two-fit horizontal lines at the part where the top rests and joins the three legs and the other line is at the surface where an individual sits. When one views this object from a side the stool seems to present some V-shapes formed by each two legs. The objects legs are separate from one another at an equal interval and points downwards supporting the top surface. The legs are thick enough to ensure maximum support of the weight of the top part, which seems to be heavy. When one looks at the object from its top, the stool’s top surface seems to present a disc-shape. This means that much of the weight exerted on the stool is supported by the core and the central part of the stool and that why the legs are joined at the outermost part of the top surface for the purpose of maintain balance when an individual sits on the object. This object however consists of four distinctive parts, which include the top body and the three legs. While the legs of the object are in the form of a long rod, its upper portion is in a disc-shape. The top of the object is in

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Anything - Essay Example The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) design leads to harsh debate concerning key principles of economic freedom between Republican and Democrat Senators as well as their representatives. Once Congress passed PPACA Republican, affiliated groups filed a suit with the Supreme Court that criticized the constitutionality of the law since it considers a universal mandatory health insurance. The group argues that the act contravenes the principles of American constitution that enshrines the preservation of freedom. Influential opinion in the political world has significant levels of political and economic and political consensus in the principles highlighted under the act. Prior to the deliberation of the Act, United States health care lacks obligatory insurance. The situation creates significant number of people that have never had an insurance contact. Impoverished people lack the funds to pay for their health bills. Now that the country adopts the Act, the burden of health bill lies with the state health system. Those that oppose the bill cite that the system as a whole is more expensive to manage compared to any other developed country. With the new system, America is likely to spend more than $7000 per capita on health care and that is double the expense in United Kingdom and Japan. Clinton administration is unable to convince Congress to pass that bid. The benefit of PPACA includes (1) significant reforms that include the removal of preexisting condition clauses for all the health insurance plans. (2) The new health insurance covers immunizations and preventive care. (3) The plan will serve to reduce the long-term cost in health since preventiv e treatments imply low costs.(4) The plan will cover unmarried children under their parents cover until they are over 26 years. The conflicting issue is that it is mandatory to contract a health insurance for all employees. The only exception is the poverty level that becomes part of the Medicaid

Leisure and toursim policy - choosen topic is future of london toursim Essay

Leisure and toursim policy - choosen topic is future of london toursim and international toursim in general - Essay Example als and evening based economic activity driven by theatres, cinemas, restaurants, bars, public houses, nightclubs and casinos, all of which attract tourists and day visitors as well as residents. [1] On the other hand, it has to be noticed that tourism is not a clear-cut sector but an all-embracing and pervasive domain of service and industrial activities. It touches upon almost all spheres of national life within the country and that is particularly the reason why a sound state policy of tourism should be essentially formulated before any significant tourism investment projects are launched. As rightly put by MacCannell, tourism is an ideological framing of history, nature and tradition; a framing that has the power to reshape culture and nature to its own needs (MacCannell 1992). Regarding specifically the leisure activities, it has been found that the participation of the public to them is really significant. A characteristic example could be the case of U.S. where the participati on of people of all ages in the leisure activities is noticeable. More specifically, according to the 1994-1995 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, most U.S. residents over 16 years old participate in fitness activities (68.3%), swimming, (54.2%), and walking (66.7%) (Cordell 1999). As for Britain it has been found [7] that the types of leisure activities preferred by the public are differentiated from that of U.S. with nearly nine in ten adult viewers in the United Kingdom to watch television every day of the week in 2003, with nearly a quarter of viewers watching it for two to three hours a day. UK residents made a record 42.9 million holiday trips abroad in 2004, an increase from 6.7 million in 1971; Spain was the most popular destination, followed by France [7]. In order to define tourism policy we should primarily describe tourism. In this context, according to a broad definition [6] tourism is a service industry, comprising a number of tangible and intangible

Smoking Cigarettes Essay Example for Free

Smoking Cigarettes Essay Smoking cigarettes is harmful for many reasons. It is not only harmful to the human body but also affects the environment. This is because of many chemicals and substances that produce this hazardous product. There are many causes of smoking cigarettes. First of all, teenagers smoke because they want to be fit, and avoid gaining weight as smoking sedate hunger. Them they see their friends smoke and think it makes them look cool, be independent, and feel no tension and worries. The main cause of smoking is Nicotine which is an addictive and harmful substance contained in cigarette. People smoke cigarettes when they are depressed, lonely, or bored, and they help them to reduce the stress. Smoking is harmful to the human body, and it affects the eyes, mouth, throat, lungs, heart, stomach, and pancreas. It also causes cancer. The effects of smoking to the eyes is smoker have two to three times greater chance of developing cataracts, which leads to blindness. The Lungs and heart also are affected by smoking. Smokers are at a high risk of lung cancers, and smoking causes hardening of the arteries. The Stomach and pancreas also get affected from smoking. Smokers experience more coughs and colds as compare to the non-smoker. Any pregnant woman who is in habit of smoking cigarettes will have an increased risk of having an abnormal baby. Smoking is like a slow death. Besides affecting oneself, it also has a negative impact on the other people are smokers who are known as second hand smokers. Many people who start smoking have a family member or close friend who smokes. Smoking reduces ability to do things, such as sports and exercise. The tar in cigarette covers up alveoli, which helps a person to breath. Some people began smoking to showing off, or some wanted to enjoy it. Smoking is a habit which person find difficult to quit. Always try to avoid what your friend say about smoking. We need to give more attention to the effects of smoking to the non-smokers because they get more serious effects than the  smokers.

Linguistics Psychology Contribution to Language Teaching

Linguistics Psychology Contribution to Language Teaching THE CONTRIBUTION OF LINGUISTICS AND PSYCHOLOGY TO LANGUAGE TEACHING Since the beginning of the 20th century investigations in the fields of psychology and lingusitics have paved the way to new concepts of language teaching. On the basis the acquired empirical evidence, linguists, researchers and scholars have developed certain methods to improve the process of child and adult language acquisition. According to Stern (1992), â€Å"One of the main features of the development of language pedagogy has been the continuous attempt to renew language teaching through changes in teaching methods† (p.6). To a great extent, these new approaches â€Å"have reflected changes in theories of the nature of language and of language learning† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.1). The aim of this essay is to analyse the impact of linguistics and psychology on language teaching; such an analysis has been a topic of increasing importance over the last years, as the recent reforms and educational standards are considerably based on both disciplines. These reforms a re introduced to account for individual differences of language learners and to diversify the process of language acquisition. Although many language teachers take psychology and linguistics courses in universities, only some of them can effectively apply their knowledge of psychology and linguisitics to language teaching. This inconsistency can be explained by two key factors: firstly, there are many controversies in research findings and, secondly, the received results are not tested within the classroom environment. Thus, the role of a modern language teacher is to fill the gaps between theoretical assumptions of linguists or psychologists and practical usage. Linguistics as a discipline investigates the structure of language and different processes of language acquisition. The gradual shift from structural to generative linguistics reveals the linguists’ attempts to establish a new taxonomy for language teaching. Structural linguisitics initiated by Ferdinand de Saussure (1966) at the beginning of the 20th century delves deeply into word forms and their meanings. In Brown’s (1980) viewpoint, â€Å"Structural linguistics had provided tools for dissecting language into its smallest parts and for contrasting two languages† (p.242). This school of linguistics is more interested in modern speech patterns rather than in diachronic language changes. Withdrawing from the traditional historical-descriptive analysis, structural linguistics (together with behaviouristic psychology) has challenged the efficacy of the Grammar-translation method and has generated the emergence of the Audio-Lingual Method. As Larsen-Freeman (1986) s tates, the Grammar-Translation Method prevailed in language teaching up to the middle of the 20th century. This method provides learners with an opportunity to acquire grammar and vocabulary skills; however, this is not the case with communicative skills. The fact is that the Grammar-Translation Method â€Å"views language learning as consisting of little more than memorising rules and facts† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.5). In light of this, the method satisfies the needs of those learners who perform standardised tests or translations, but it is inappropriate for those learners who want to speak a foreign language. In contrast to the Grammar-Translation Method, the Audio-Lingual Approach puts major focus on continual repetition of different language patterns and listening. Applying this method to language teaching, educators help learners recognise phrasal verbs and other language structures that were fully neglected in the Grammar-Translation Method. The obvious advantage of the Audio-Lingual Approach is that error correction is reduced, while motivation of learners is increased. In this approach, as Stern (2001) points out, imitation of speech is more crucial than understanding of the meaning. Although the Audio-Lingual Approach is certainly more effective for the formation of learners’ linguistic competence than the Grammar-Translation Method, it is unsuitable for the formation of learners’ communicative competence. However, in the Total Physical Response Approach proposed by Asher (1969) more heed is paid to learners’ comunicative competence. Integrating the concepts of structural linguistics and behaviourist psychology into his approach, Asher (1969) implies that both the first and second language is easily acquired if the balance between action and speech is achieved. Unlike structural linguistics, generative/transformational linguistics proposed by Noam Chomsky (1966) deals with the analysis of learners’ unconscious cognition rather than with the language production. In other words, generative linguistics specifies that there are certain natural rules with the help of which a learner constructs sentences. In the 1960-1980s the Natural Approach emerged on the basis of the concepts proposed by Chomsky (1966) and Krashen and Terrell (1983). According to Krashen and Terrell (1983), both children and adults use their innate LADs (Language Acquisition Devices) in the process of language learning. But unlike children, adults possess problem-solving skills that allow them to acquire language in conscious and unconscious ways. Two important conclusions can be drawn from theoretical assumptions of Krashen and Terrell (1983): firstly, in childhood a language is acquired, in adulthood it is learned; secondly, communication is the major element of adul t language learning. Psychology as a discipline examines the functions of the human mind and their relation to human behaviour. The move from behaviouristic to cognitive psychology in the middle of the 20th century signifies that psychologists became interested in scientific research and analyses of intellectual processes. Behaviouristic psychology supported by Skinner (1984) adheres to the idea that language teaching should be based on observations of learners’ behaviours rather than on the examination of inner factors. Seen from this viewpoint, the process of language teaching occurs under the constant control of a teacher with the minimal use of reinforcement strategies. While the behaviouristic school of psychology has inspired the use of computer-based materials in language teaching, the cognitive school of psychology has generated the spread of discovery learning programs. Cognitive psychology has contributed much to the spread of the Communicative Language Teaching Approach supported by Wid dowson (1978) and the Silent Way Approach proposed by Gattegno (1976). Special attention in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach is given to interaction, communication in a foreign language and use of authentic reading materials (Nunan, 1991). Taking into account the research on human cognition, the Silent Way Approach has changed the direction of language teaching. This approach allows learners to devise their own language hypotheses and verify their validity in practice. Unquestionably, the Silent Way Approach shapes learners’ freedom of thought and helps them â€Å"develop their own inner criteria for correctness† (Larsen-Freeman, 1986 p.62). As communication in the Silent Way Approach and the Communicative Language Teaching Approach occurs in the target language, learners’ communicative skills are formed in a rapid pace. Contrary to the Grammar-Translation Method, these approaches pay much attention to phonetics and phonology and introduce different â€Å"problem-solving activities† (Richards Rodgers, 2001 p.27). While in the Grammar-Translation Method many parallels are drawn between the native language and the target language, such parallels are not employed in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach and other recent methods. The idea of communicative competence is the core principle of other emerged methods, in particular, the Community Language Learning Method and the Suggestopaedia. These approaches reveal inconsistencies of prior methods, implying that there is a close connection between language and context. The Community Language Learning Method is quite popular in today’s language teaching due to its learner-oriented ethics. The Suggestopedia Approach concentrates on relaxation as an integral part of successful language acquisition; the widespread activity of this approach is listening to music during language lessons. Overall, all methods that have been developed under the impact of linguistics and psychology highlight group working and the use of individual approaches to every learner. Group working shapes learners’ communicative skills and problem-solving abilities; individual approaches are crucial for the formation of learners’ identities and recognition of factors that af fect language acquisition. Many variables are juxtaposed in culturally or socially diverse learning environment; hence, individual approaches allow to reveal all obstacles to language learning. Linguisitics and psychology have demonstrated that the principal goal of any teaching method is to help learners use a language in everyday situations and in different settings rather than construct gramatically-correct utterances. The Task-Based Language Teaching Approach is developed for these specific purposes. Designing versatile tasks, an educator teaches language learners to respond flexibly to the given activity and co-operate with peers. As the essay suggests, linguistics and psychology have significantly reinforced the need for efficient teaching methods. Under the impact of these disciplines, language teachers have started to experiment with approaches, making an attempt to reconcile theory with practice. The structural school of linguistics has provided educators with valuable insights on the process of language acquisition. The generative school of linguistics has revealed that language acquisition in children occurs on an unconscious level, while language acquisition in adults occurs on both conscious and unconscious levels. The behaviouristic school of psychology has reduced the importance of meaning in language acquisition, but has stimulated the implementation of computers in schools and universitites. The cognitive school of psychology has rejected settled opinions and has defined the concepts that are successfully used in teaching culturally diverse learners. Taken together, linguistics and psychology have revealed that different methods should be used in language teaching, methods that integrate such techniques as reinforcement, individual approaches and communication (Kumaravadivelu, 2003). As new teaching methods came to the fore, the role of an educator in language teaching was changed. In the Audio-Lingual Method, the Suggestopedia or the Natural Approach a teacher is treated as an instructor; contrariwise, in the Communicative Language Teaching Approach or the Community Language Learning a teacher is an assistant to language learners. Bibliography Asher, J. J. (1969) ‘The Total Physical Response Approach to Second Language Learning’. The Modern Language Journal, 53 (1), 3-17. Brown, H. D. (1980). Principles of language learning and teaching. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall Regents. Chomsky, N. (1966) Topics in the theory of generative grammar. The Hague: Mouton. Gattegno, C. (1976) The Common sense of teaching foreign languages. New York: Educational Solutions Inc. Krashen, S. Terrell, T. (1983) The Natural Approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003) Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven, C. T.: Yale University Press. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1986) Techniques and principles in language teaching. New York: Oxford University Press. Nunan, D. (1991) Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers. London: Prentice Hall International. Richards, J. C. Rodgers, T. S. (2001) Approaches and methods in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press. Saussure, F. de (1966) Course in General Linguistics. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Skinner, B. F. (1984) ‘The operational analysis of psychological terms’. Behavioural and brain sciences, 7 (4), 547-581. Stern, H. (1992) Issues and options in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stern, H. (2001) Fundamental concepts of language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1978) Teaching language as communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lesbian and Gay Couples Should be Allowed to Marry Essays -- Gay Marri

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Statement of Philosophy and Goals Essay -- Philosophy of Education Tea

Statement of Philosophy and Goals As a child playing school with the neighborhood children, I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Since the first day of kindergarten, watching the teacher teach us how to do basic things like counting, writing, and reading is what interested me in teaching. Throughout my elementary and secondary education I became even more interested in the teaching field. I thought that being a teacher would be the best thing in the world because a teacher has an immense amount of knowledge. Now I am in college where I am currently studying to be a secondary mathematics teacher. There are several reasons why I want to become a teacher, but the two most important reasons are to make a difference and to enrich the learning process. Everyone has to have some reason of why he or she decides to pursue his or her particular career choice. I want to become a teacher so that I can make a difference in a young person’s life. My high school calculus teacher, who was also my role model, made a difference in my life. It was her class that made me decide that I wanted to become a secondary mathematics teacher. I had a first hand experience at what it is like being a teacher during my senior year of high school by being my calculus teacher’s teacher assistant. While being her teacher assistant I experienced several things that a teacher does on a daily basis: making copies, grading papers, constructing lesson plans, and teaching/ tutoring students. I hope that when I become a teacher that I will be capable of inspiring a young person, just the same as my high school calculus teacher did for me. Another important reason why I want to become a teacher is that a teacher is constantly learning new things... ...e level I would like to teach is at the high school level. While pursuing my career as a teacher I plan on continuing my education by going on to graduate school. I am currently enrolled in college to learn how to become a teacher. A teacher must learn a variety of teaching methods and how to manage a classroom. There are six philosophies of education, and I agree with certain arguments in each one, but the three that are most important to me are essentialism, progressivism, and behaviorism. The most important of the three is essentialism; the back-to-basics approach which was enforced after the launching of Sputnik. My goals as a teacher are to make a difference and to become a role model. A teacher is continuously learning new things, and I plan on continuing my education. By going to college I am fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming a teacher.

Computer Communications: Bus Network :: essays research papers

Computer Communications: Bus Network Bus Network, in computer science, a topology (configuration) for a local area network in which all nodes are connected to a main communications line (bus). On a bus network, each node monitors activity on the line. Messages are detected by all nodes but are accepted only by the node(s) to which they are addressed. Because a bus network relies on a common data â€Å"highway,† a malfunctioning node simply ceases to communicate; it doesn't disrupt operation as it might on a ring network, in which messages are passed from one node to the next. To avoid collisions that occur when two or more nodes try to use the line at the same time, bus networks commonly rely on collision detection or Token Passing to regulate traffic.Star NetworkStar Network, in computer science, a local area network in which each device (node) is connected to a central computer in a star-shaped configuration (topology); commonly, a network consisting of a central computer (the hub) surrounded by terminals. In a star network, messages pass directly from a node to the central computer, which handles any further routing (as to another node) that might be necessary. A star network is reliable in the sense that a node can fail without affecting any other node on the network. Its weakness, however, is that failure of the central computer results in a shutdown of the entire network. And because each node is individually wired to the hub, cabling costs can be high.Ring networkRing Network, in computer science, a local area network in which devices (nodes) are connected in a closed loop, or ring. Messages in a ring network pass in one direction, from node to node. As a message travels around the ring, each node examines the destination address attached to the message. If the address is the same as the address assigned to the node, the node accepts the message; otherwise, it regenerates the signal and passes the message along to the next node in the circle. Such regeneration allows a ring network to cover larger distances than star and bus networks. It can also be designed to bypass any malfunctioning or failed node. Because of the closed loop, however, new nodes can be difficult to add. A ring network is diagrammed below.Asynchrous Transfer ModeATM is a new networking technology standard for high-speed, high-capacity voice, data, text andvideo transmission that will soon transform the way businesses and all types of organizationscommunicate. It will enable the management of information, integration of systems andcommunications between individuals in ways that, to some extent, haven't even been conceived yet.

Bradley Manning Responsible For the Largest Intelligence Leak in the History of the United States Essay

Bradley Manning Responsible For the Largest Intelligence Leak in the History of the United States (Your Name Here) UMUC CSIA 301 Bradley Manning may be responsible for the largest intelligence leak in the history of the United States . The U.S. Government alleges that Bradley Manning was responsible for leaking classified intelligence, causing it to be published on the internet which make it available to the enemy. The Government has charged Manning with 22 charges under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, UCMJ, to include espionage. If convicted, Manning could face confinement for life or the death penalty . In an interview with Frontline, Adrian Lamo, a convicted hacker, states that Manning contacted him via online chat and confessed that he had leaked hundreds of documents to Julian Assange, the editor of a website called WikiLeaks. Type of Breach Bradley Manning is an example of the most dangerous type of enemy, an insider. Insiders pose one of the greatest security threats. The main aspect that makes insiders such a potent threat is the amount of data they have access to . In an interview with Adrian Lamo, Manning boasted about the amount of information he leaked to WikiLeaks. He claimed to have leaked, â€Å"250,000 State Department diplomatic cables and 500,000 classified field reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan† . Being charged with espionage, Bradley Manning is one of the most dangerous types of insiders, because the information he leaked potentially put American lives in danger and caused harm to our nation. Bradley Manning was not driven by the same motivation that drives most people who commit crimes such as the ones that Manning has been accused of. Manning was not motivated by financial gain. He claims that he leaked the information because the information needed to be in public view. He has expressed an extreme dislike for the US Army and the way the US Government conducts its self in the global arena. He claims that he could have sold this information to the Chinese or Russians, but instead chose to give it to  WikiLeaks via Julian Assange . How the Breach Occurred The question arises how Bradley Manning gained access to such a large quantity of intelligence. Since September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission has changed the way intelligence agencies handle information sharing. Agencies now share raw intelligence with each other, because it is believed that if that policy had been in place earlier then the tragedy on September 11 could have been avoided. Manning had access to the network know as the Secrete Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet. SIPRNet is where Manning downloaded most of the information he leaked. Manning was an intelligence analyst. His job was information aggregation. He would analyze large amounts of raw intelligence and form it into smaller, more concise reports . This is not what Manning leaked, he leaked raw intelligence. Some of this raw intelligence was uploaded to WikiLeaks via the internet, however the majority of the data was downloaded onto compact disks. Manning recalls one instance to Lamo about downloading data to a disk labeled Lady Gaga. In an online communication with Lamo, Manning wrote, â€Å"No one had ever taken note of him, and no one did now: ‘everyone just sat at their workstations †¦ watching music videos / car chases / buildings exploding †¦ and writing more stuff to CD/DVD’†. In order to download large amounts of raw relevant data, Manning uploaded data mining software. This software allows one to sort or index files on a computer or network. Then a search for key words will select the information based on desired parameters . Lamo suggests this implicates Julian Assange as a coconspirator in espionage with Manning. He claims that Assange gave Manning the parameters for the information that would be the most useful. If it can be proven that WikiLeaks coached or persuaded Manning to steal classified information then everyone involved can be charged with espionage. WikiLeaks operates under the unique model that all sources are unknown to them and the information they are given is unsolicited. If these two conditions are met, WikiLeaks is not guilty of collusion . The Information Security Triad The primary point of damage to the Information Security Triad by Manning is Confidentiality. By downloading raw intelligence from SIPRNet Manning did  not damage the integrity or the availability of the data. This would have been contrary to his goal. Manning planned to release the information. The information would have been useless if it had been altered or made unavailable, and this could have potentially made it easier for him to get caught. He never planned to get caught. Manning was arrested as a direct result of the online chat conversations he had with Lamo, not from the Army discovering what he had been up to. Technological Improvements that Would Help Prevent Recurrence Some technological improvements that could have prevented Manning from stealing classified information would be to disable USB ports through the BIOS and password protect the BIOS. If computers had CD ROMs not burners then it would not be possible to download any information from a network onto a disk using Department of Defense, DOD, computers. It has not been clearly published how Manning was able to upload data mining software on his computer or on the SIPRNet. These points were brought up in a congressional hearing where Senator Collins brought up the point that the intelligence community was already required to have audit capabilities installed by 2007. This could have helped expose the fact that more than a quarter of a million classified documents were downloaded in less than two months. Role-based access to secure systems is also another possible solution. This would mean that all information of a certain clearance level would not be accessible to everyone with that same clearance. Role-based access would be used in conjunction with the mandatory access control that is currently in place. This would have limited the amount of information that Manning would have had access to . The extent of damage Bradley Manning has done to intelligence sharing or US operations overseas cannot be quantified. The effects are too far reaching and still ongoing. Bradley Manning is still being held in prison awaiting trial. Many are calling Manning a whistle-blower. Whistle blowers release specific information of an embarrassing, illegal or negligent nature to right some wrong. Manning potentially put American lives in danger by releasing vast amounts of data from unnamed sources. Manning was operating on the hacker premise that all information should be free. There are people  that protect our freedom and rely on confidentiality of information to stay alive. Manning is not a whistle-blower or a hero as many online publications would suggest. He is a sad case of an individual given to much responsibility; we can only hope our intelligence community moves forward and not backward as a result of Bradley Manning’s actions. Works Cited Affairs, M. P. (2011, March 3). Manning faces more charges for classified leaks. Retrieved from The Official Home Page of the United States Army: http://www.army.mil/article/52773/ Fishman, S. (2011, July 3). Bradley Manning’s Army of One How a lonely, five-foot-two, gender-questioning soldier became a WikiLeaks hero, a traitor to the U.S., and one of the most unusual revolutionaries in American history. Retrieved from New York News & Features: http://nymag.com/news/features/bradley-manning-2011-7/ INFORMATION SHARING IN THE ERA OF WIKILEAKS: BALANCING SECURITY AND COLLABORATION, S. Hrg. 112-219 (ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION March 10, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg66677/html/CHRG-112shrg66677.htm Lamo, A. (2011, May 24). WikiSecrets. Frontline. PBS. Retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/1946795242/ Miles, D. (2012, June 6). News American Forces Press Service. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Defense: http://www.defense.gov/ne ws/newsarticle.aspx?id=116654 Miller, B. H. (2011, September). The Death of Secrecy: Need to Know†¦with. Studies in Intelligence, 55(3), 13-18. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csistudies/studies/vol.-55-no.-3/pdfs/Studies%2055-3%20-7-Oct-2011.pdf Pfleeger, C. P., & Pfleeger, S. L. (2006). Security in Computing (4th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Prentice Hall PTR. Wendy, G. (2011, April). Aggregation: the hidden risk. Computer Fraud & Security, 2011(4), 18-20. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1016/S1361-3723(11)70043-4 Zetter, K. (2011, April 4). Army: Manning Snuck ‘Data-Mining’ Software Onto Secret Network. Retrieved from Wired: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/manning-data-mining/

Mgt 311 Learning Team Reflection Week 4

Organizational Development Team D Learning Team Reflection December 3, 2012 This week we learned about the influence of how organizational structure is on behavior. Also we learned how to analyze and influence an organizational culture on behavior. Then there is how power and politics influence people’s behavior. We talked about mechanistic structure and organic structure. When talking about mechanistic structure, the employees know how to present themselves, why there is no room for them to mess up. (Robbins & Judge, 2011).When people are at work they have to act one way compared to the way they act at home. If the business does not put into place a strong organizational culture, then there could be a lot of unethical behavior in the place of business. This would show the people that work at the place of business and the customers that there is a low organizational structure. All work places of some kind of influence of power and politics. Without the right kind of power and politics in the place of business this could cause discord for people that work in the business.If this kind of behavior is not watched it could cause other people in the business to feel left out or not appreciated in the right way. In week four we took a look at power and leadership, here we contrasted the two. Power is the influence someone has over another person and leadership uses power to attain goals. It is important that one does not have to be a leader to have power. Many people have the power to coerce others without having the leadership role. We could relate to formal power and compare it to the workplace. We use the different formal powers; coercive, reward, and legitimate powers every day.When our employees fail to comply with company goals they can get written up which could result in termination. We also use rewards for employees who exceed goals. Exhibit 13-2 in chapter 13 was very humorous; it gave political labels and compared it to effective management. For exam ple, the political label ‘passing the buck' is known as ‘delegating authority' for effective management. The things we learned that made us think more was about virtual organizations. Some of us did not know what the full term meant and now we can say that the company one of us works for is one of the utsourcing companies from a virtual organization. Some of the leading companies have the profit that they do because of the flexibility and low overhead. Organizational behavior is here for the people to have a better understanding of the people they work with. The more that we know our surroundings and the people that work in the place we are able to know how to influence the individual or group. This will help each person to feel a part of the team and in return the business will run better because the people working there will not mind doing the work.

Voyeurism notes

Video voyeurism is a relatively new crime that involves the use of video cameras in public areas to record underneath women's clothing. Recently, several courts have determined that this form of voyeurism is not covered under existing criminal statutes dealing with voyeurism. This paper examines current statutes relating to voyeurism to determine if these laws are adequate or If new legislation Is required to combat video voyeurism.Some of the areas covered Include: the nature of video voyeurism, challenges faced by law enforcement, and the challenges faced by makers attempting to write legislation which will clearly criminality the behavior. The old crime of the ‘Peeping Tom' has advanced, through the use of technology, to become a crime that Is so ‘state of the art' that police, prosecutors, and legislators are having a hard time keeping pace (Pope, 1999).Recently, criminal voyeurs have taken advantage of the ever decreasing size of video and photographic equipment to f acilitate and expand the scope of their criminal actively. Today, two forms of video voyeurism have become so commonplace that they have received nicknames in the awe enforcement community: ‘upsetting' and ‘downsizing. ‘ These forms of voyeurism involve using a video camera in order to photograph underneath the clothing of women in public places. A voyeur takes a shopping bag and places a small video recording device inside the bag pointing upward.He then goes to a shopping mall and waits near the bottom of an escalator. When a woman wearing a skirt gets on the escalator he steps on behind her. He sets the shopping bag down on the step underneath her skirt so the video cording device is pointed up her skirt and turns it on. A voyeur who wants to participate in ‘downsizing' heads to the same mall and stands on the top floor looking down. When a woman wearing a revealing blouse walks by on a lower floor the perpetrator simply zooms in on the woman's cleavage.Th e vantage point from the upper level of the mall gives the voyeur a better viewpoint from which to record the breasts of the woman below. Such innovative invasions of privacy go far beyond that of yesterdays ‘Peeping Tom' whose crime was generally limited to looking into sidelines, and did not involve the making of a permanent video record. The damage Inflicted by perpetrators of video voyeurism goes much further in view of the ease with which homemade video recordings and photos can be uploaded and distributed via the Internet.A ‘Google' search of the terms ‘upstart' and ‘downspouts' on the Internet can return literally millions of ‘hits. Voyeurism notes By chrysanthemum voyeurism to determine if these laws are adequate or if new legislation is required to combat video voyeurism. Some of the areas covered include: the nature of video come a crime that is so ‘state of the art' that police, prosecutors, and legislators are having a hard time keepin g pace (Pope, 1999).Recently, criminal voyeurs have taken facilitate and expand the scope of their criminal activities. Today, two forms of video law enforcement community: ‘upsetting and ‘downsizing. ‘ These forms of participate in ‘downsizing heads to the same mall and stands on the top floor inflicted by perpetrators of video voyeurism goes much further in view of the ease via the Internet. A ‘Google' search of the terms ‘upstart' and ‘downspouts' on the

Ha Noi Opera House, Long Biên Bridge and Temple of Literature

Ha Noi Opera HouseHanoi Opera House is a theater in central Hanoi, Vietnam, and is considered one of the architectural landmarks of Hanoi. It was built by the French government. Hanoi Opera House occupies an area of 2600 square meters.Behind the stage is the administration office, chamber of 18 pages, 2 studio theater, a library and a conference room. Through the vicissitudes of history, the Hanoi Opera House is also home to witness the first day of peace of the capital. Present, has been refurbished quite a lot but this place still retains the characteristics of the cross-cultural Vietnamese – French †¦The Hanoi Opera House is an architectural work is incomparable with the price outstanding value of history, culture, architecture and art. Can see the Opera House as an integral part of urban and architectural capital, contributing to the establishment of our country faces today in the cultural field. For over 100 years old and works in Hanoi Opera House exists as a symbol of architectural space, cultural and political capital 1,000 years old.Long Bià ªn BridgeLong Bien Bridge is the first steel bridge across the Red River in Hanoi, a length of 1862 built by the French. At that time, Long Bien Bridge is the largest bridge in Indochina and is one of four huge bridges in the world. But do not take pride that the long term, such a tool is built primarily by the purpose of colonization, the bridge soon to bear the buckling his war wounds.Old bridge is an important transportation hub, became the meeting place between urban and rural, one the banks still appear the floral field bowls, one side of life with urbanization. Today, trains, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians are still crossing the bridge. Some parts of the bridge is intact, but most have been repaired by the damage. But the bridge  is still there as a significant evidence of war and history.After more than a century of existence, the Long Bien Bridge has a familiar image for many, many gen erations and became a cultural icon, the history of Hanoi. For Hanoi, almost everyone kept a memory of this bridgeTemple of LiteratureVan Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a monument rich diversity and contains many precious human values of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general. Covering an area of 54,331 square meters, including: Lake Van, the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam and park Giam. The value of history and culture of the Temple of Literature was confirmed during thousands of years.Quoc Tu Giam is where the examinations held important national stature and train talented people for the country and 82 preserved in Temple of Literature. It depicts of the traditional hospitality of the people It is also the encouragement and urged the next generation of today and tomorrow is always to preserve and retain traditional hospitality of the people.Many times repairing the Temple of Literature 9 March 2010, UNESCO officially recognized 82 steles at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, the l egacy of the material world. It is also a lot of domestic and foreign delegations have been visiting the Temple of Literature. With the ancient architecture and the unique human values, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam is a hyphen history of Hanoi's past and present, contributing to enrich the cultural treasure of the nation.

Early americas history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Early americas history - Essay Example This paper will analyze two of the articles available in the book during a period when slavery was rampant in the south (Johnson, 2012). One of the articles is ‘Plantation rules’ written by Barrow as a code of regulations that he wrote down. The article appears in one of the plantation journals written during a time when slavery of black people was the order of the day. The article presents us with clear picture of the rules that a black slave adhered to and the level of ownership that the owner felt. The document depicts what was happening in the American past at around 1852. Barrow wrote down this article with his black slaves in mind because he expected them to understand precisely his expectations for as long as they worked under him (255-256). From the article, some facts become clear about the period of 1800’s in the United States. During this time, blacks worked for white landowners as slaves. In addition, the owners of land perceived slaves as their proper ty. Therefore, they formulated rules that governed the entire life of the salve. The article highlights the restrictions that the slaves went through on the farms. They worked all day long and had to acquire permission in order to engage in any extra activity. The owner of the slaves controlled their movements. Through this, he intended to ensure that slaves did not interact with other slaves fro m other farms. He was aware of the potential reactions of black slaves. If they met too often and without control from their owners, slaves were likely to stage a rebellion. From the article, a reader realizes that black slaves did not have an opportunity to enjoy their rights as free individuals. They received minimal allowances for their work. They often worked for long hours. In addition, the owner limited the development of relationships of the slaves forbidding them from marrying from a different farm. The article highlights the plight of slaves in the southern states in ancient Americ a. It tells the facts from the owner’s point of view without altering and it presents reliable information of the fate of Negroes who ended up in white farms (258). However, the article does not reveal the story from the slave’s point of view. However, it provides the reader with an opportunity to experience the attitude and power exercised by slave owners in ancient America. The article highlights the core issue that led to racial issues between the whites and blacks. The article is the ‘confession of Nat Turner’ officially published by Ruffin Gray. Gray was the lawyer to Turner, a slave who was responsible for the organization of a slave revolution in one of the southern states, Virginia. Turner had been a slave who could not bear the conditions that surrounded slavery and called upon other slaves to raise a rebellion against the whites who were continually oppressing the slaves and overworking them. Turner’s confession targeted the entire America n public at that time. He was in jail and felt took the responsibility of narrating his reasons and contributions in organizing the revolution. He made his confessions to Gray, the lawyer who published the confession (259). From his account, it becomes evident that slavery in the southern states was very rampant. In addition, the article elaborates how the salves perceived the situation they were going through. Turner claims that he sought to organize a revolt with a divine motivation. He described

The Cross Elasticity of Demand and Indifference Curve Assignment

The Cross Elasticity of Demand and Indifference Curve - Assignment Example Indifference curve depicts equal levels of utility (satisfaction) for a consumer faced with various combinations of goods. There is no preference for one combination versus another as they render the same amount of satisfaction for the consumer. Consumer theory uses indifference curves and budget constraints to produce consumer demand curves. The curves are convex to the origin as a result of diminishing marginal utility. Ans: When the price elasticity of demand is less than one, the demand is inelastic. When the demand is inelastic, a given change in price causes a smaller proportionate change in the quantity demanded. Inelastic demand is for things which do not have a close substitute. When a tax is imposed on the product, the consumer bears the burden of the tax. The more inelastic the demand, the greater financial burden of a tax is placed on the consumer. When the demand is perfectly inelastic, the entire burden of a given tax will be borne by the consumer. Ans: In order to maximize profit, a firm would always try to sell more and more pollution permits and avoid buying permits for own, if possible. At the same time, there will be an effort to improve the efficiency of production to reduce pollution by less waste generation and yet keeping production cost low. Thus, the total cost of pollution abatement would be influenced by the degree of a transaction of pollution permits. For example, if a fir m earns high revenue from trading permits, it would not mind spending a part of the profit in reducing waste generation or carrying out better pollution abatement. Since eventually, it is the environmental groups who would be buying more and number of permits from most of the firms, the firms would be forced to generate less and less waste and the overall cost of pollution abatement will go down till an optimal level of pollution abatement is reached.  

Jehovah Witnesses Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jehovah Witnesses Religion - Research Paper Example The first misconception that I had about Jehovah’s Witness congregation members is that they were forced to knock on people’s doors and witness to them all of the time. This always gave me the impression that they were very aggressive individuals. I do not mind meeting with people in my home to talk about my religious beliefs. Evangelical groups and Mormon missionaries have often visited me. I don’t know if it is simply a matter of style or what, but the Jehovah’s Witness members that I would meet with always seemed tense and ready to argue. I was told that this is the case because they are required to spend a set quota of time each week knocking on people’s doors, distributing the Watchtower magazine and trying to convert people into Jehovah’s Witnesses. My research into this religion showed me that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not required to knock on doors. They do it out of a motivation to spread the Gospel of Jesus, as they understand it. There are no quotas as to the amount of time a person needs to spend in this type of activity but the Jehovah’s Witnesses do make it clear that witnessing as an expected part of the religion, be it door-to-door or otherwise. I understand more fully now the doctrine and motivation that inspire Jehovah’s Witnesses to do what they do. The second coming of Jesus is central to their theology. They really believe that they need to get the word our now before it is too late. What I also learned from my research is the fact that when a special conference is planned, Jehovah’s Witnesses from surrounding areas will concentrate their efforts in order to try to convince people in the community to attend the conference (Byrd, 2011). My prior understanding of this religion was altered through this experience in several ways. First of all, I have a greater respect for the adherents of this religion. Through a greater understanding of their doctrine and after having met with several of them, I can see that my biggest misunderstanding was their motivation for door-to-door meetings. My early assumption was that no one would ever choose to do something like that unless they were compelled to do it. I believe d in all of the rumors I had heard concerning quotas and that they would lose their chosen spot in heaven if they did not go out to try and sell the Watchtower magazine. My research helped me to see past these misconceptions and to view members of the Jehovah’s Witness church in a new light. Instead of seeing aggressive people that were knocking on my door because church leaders compelled them, I now see dedicated individuals committed to living their religion as best they can. This change has been brought about by thorough independent research and meeting with Jehovah’s Witnesses so I could get to know them. What has not changed as a result of my research, however, is the difficulty I have concerning several specific points of doctrine. The preoccupation with the return of Jesus is something that I understood the Jehovah’s Witnesses had going into the research. Their peculiar beliefs concerning the 144,000 chosen to live with God and the evolution of the Earth into a place like the Garden of Eden do not endear me to their religion. Nor does the fact that predictions have been made in year’s past about the coming of Jesus that have been proven false or have been rationalized by saying that the return was â€Å"secret† in some way (What†¦, 2008). The best way to sum up how this experience has altered my prior understanding of the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be to say that I have a greater respect for them as people and adherents of a faith, but even more questions and reservations

Essay on International business finance report

On International business finance report - Essay Example REPORT TO IBF Respected Directors, IBF London (U.K) Introduction IBF Supplies Plc is a London based large manufacturer and distributor of office supplies. A recent forecast shows decline has been shown in the demand for office supplies in the UK. At the same time it is anticipates a strong demand for office supplies in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa over the next several years. Hence, executives of IBF have started exploring the overseas markets and are planning to establish foreign subsidiaries in new markets. Before entering the market certain aspects are to be considered. These aspects include: Financial and non-financial factors The potential risks and possible external strategies to manage such risks. Other strategies available other than establishing a foreign subsidiary Financial and non-financial factors First of all it is to be made sure that whether the selected countries are going to produce the desired results or not. It is a good thing that IBF has anticipated a strong demand in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa for the type of goods it manufactures but again a detailed research needs to be done before taking any final decision. Developing a foreign subsidiary means establishing company’s branch outside the country to run as a separate entity than IBF the parent company itself.  There are a lot of things that need to be considered like the political stability of these selected countries, their legal systems, the fiscal policies, the monetary policies, availability of labor that is skilled, logistics infrastructure etc (Terpstra and Sarathy 2001). It is a good thing that IBF has a proactive approach but still there are a lot of things that are of utmost importance before any final decision can be taken. The financial situation of the company happens to be one very important factor to be considered before IBF can take any decision. The tax bracket is to be kept in mind before actually deciding to expand the business to a new area. The net wor th and the objectives of the company happen to be of critical importance. The level of risk that the company can afford to take is also a point of significant importance. While considering the financial factors, IBF needs to take a decision regarding choosing one of the two financing techniques or may be both the techniques. These two financing techniques are debt and equity financing. If IBF chooses debt financing to raise funds it means that the company will borrow money from another source like bank. IBF will have to return the loan with interest and it can be short term or long term. The other way is that of equity financing. In this way IBF can raise finance by selling off its business part to some other party like the investors or the venture capitalists. The company need to decide whether it is going to be generating funds locally or by the parent company. A detailed PESTEL Analysis is required that includes things like political factors etc. The forecasting regarding the exc hange rates and the taxation agreement needs to be done before taking any final decision. It is to be kept in mind that these foreign subsidiaries are going to be exposed to volatility of exchange rates. IBF will need to evaluate its risk associated with exchange of foreign currency through monitoring

Virtual Business Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Virtual Business Design - Assignment Example Problem Definition Since the Eurozone debt crisis that affected Portugal since 2010, the pharmaceutical industry in general and Olive Pharmaceuticals have been experiencing reduced profitability. As a result, it has become difficult to stay within the annual operating budgets. As part of the 2011 IMF bailout package, the Portuguese government has instituted heavy reductions in public expenditure which includes the public health care system. Olive Pharmaceuticals has been affected because of the growing public debt of hospitals and the cuts in pharmaceutical expenditure by the government. In 2012, public hospitals owed â‚ ¬1.5 billion to international pharmaceutical companies. In 2013, the public pharmaceutical expenditure was further reduced by â‚ ¬333 million, which makes pharmaceutical expenditure just 1 percent of GDP (Feria, 2012). As a result, sales to state hospital pharmacies have declined by 10% over the past two years (Feria, 2012). At the same time, operational costs have not reduced proportionally because of increase in energy costs and imported raw materials. The business mission of Olive Pharmaceuticals is to provide high quality oncology pharmaceutical products at affordable prices to consumers through efficient operations and continuous research. This is achieved through goals of keeping operating costs low and maintaining supply chain efficiency. The situation has implications for planning and organizing decisions for Olive Pharmaceuticals as it influences the decision about investing in research or selling generic products. Secondly, the supply chain may have to be reorganized for greater operational efficiency. Situation Analysis Impact of the Situation on Planning Planning is defined as the management function related to the determination of organizational goals and objectives and identifying tasks and resources to achieve those goals (Hill and McShane, 2006). The goal of Olive Pharmaceuticals is to grow its market share and profitabili ty by investing in research and efficient operations. Planning is conducted at different levels such as strategic planning, tactical planning and operational planning. The present situation has implications for planning at all levels. Strategic planning is concerned with decisions about which products to produce and which markets to serve (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009). In the current situation, where the government is reducing expenditure on pharmaceutical products, the sales of oncology products will become expensive due to high costs. Rationing will further reduce profits while keeping costs the same. On the other hand, sales of generic drugs will increase due to lower prices to the consumer. The planning decisions to be made in this situation include the selection of whether to continue investment in researching new products or market generic drugs to reduce costs and increase sales. This would require careful analysis of the organizational mission and goals. Tactical plann ing is concerned with decisions made at the divisional level. These goals and plans are developed with a view to help the achievement of strategic level goals and plans (Daft, 2013). The challenge of reducing operational costs can be achieved through effective planning at the tactical level with the divisional managers assuming responsibility for staying within the operating budgets for their divisions. Finally, operational level planning is also relevant in the current situ

On Eating Roadkill, the Most Ethical Meat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Eating Roadkill, the Most Ethical Meat - Essay Example Some researchers argue that factory-farmed meat has various effects on the environment. Therefore, road kill meat should be made permissible for as much as it is less harmful to the environment. Also, according to (Buhler 1) most roadkill meat goes to waste since people do not consume it. By making it acceptable to eat road kill meat, the waste would be reduced, and less harm would be done to other animals. Game meat is also the healthiest among other meat and eating it would save lots of cash in many families.If the road kill meat is not fresh and healthy, it can lead to various complications. One, it can lead to foodborne illnesses. For instance, a deer killed by the roadside might offer risks of infections like Toxoplasmosis gondii, chronic wasting disease, and other deer specific infections. Moreover, other roads kill meat like raccoon and squirrel might be carrying diseases related to their species. Another risk that might be experienced if people are allowed to eat road kill me at is bacterial contamination. Bacterial contamination occurs due to vehicular collision and considering that most ruminants have E. coli 0157, a chance for torn intestines and ruptured bladder leading to a gut spillage would be a concern.If eating road kills meat would be made obligatory and socially acceptable, the following guidelines should be taken into consideration. First, if a person happens to run over an animal, he or she should report to the game authorities before handling it.

Civil society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Civil society - Essay Example Locke however, believes that rights and obligations are the main propellant of problems that civil society faces while working under a given government. Moreover, Locke provided wide analysis on the state of nature in his second treatise which had an impact on the civil government. His work was written in the year 1680, the time of exclusion crisis in England. He believed that the existing men are free to order the prevailing actions as well as disposing persons and their possessions (Edwards, 12-18). This argument was due to the bounds law of nature availed in England and he suggested that the possessions and actions taken could fit well in line with the law. Locke analyses the state of law in a very well understandable way. He maintained that the state of nature has a specific law of nature that governs it and the prevailing law leads to a specific reason. Moreover, his views on the state of nature went against the norms of Christian believes entitling unlike hobbies and dependent philosophy that was not underscoring prior to the theology norms. The first treatise of Locke tried to adventure the norm Anglicans and Protestants and he had a mind to establish and make people understand as to why two treatise governments should be allowed to overthrow monarchy personnel who were there to abuse the trust that had been set to the people believe. Good governance is what people needs. This is only through the provision civil rights based on the nature and labor at large. The problems and challenges that civil society faces as per Locke desire is the dissolution of government which makes governance hard to deliver its manifesto well. The rights and obligations are the main propellant of problems that civil society faces while working under a given government. Locke provided wide analysis on the state of nature in his second treatise which had an impact on the civil government. Other problems are the political society which nurtures inequality due to tribalism and nepo tism among the society groups. Poor governance, lack of democratization process that provides a link between citizens and the state are other problems faced by civil society. However, when a given state provide well established governance, employ democratization process and enhance preservation of the society’s records, then this will help to solve this civil society problems availing as per Locke observation. Drawing primarily on Rousseau and Madison on how existence of political factions threaten and undermine civil society we find that, a lot has to be done to eliminate this aspect. Rousseau proposed a specific subject of argument in his scholarly works suggesting that, man is born free and an aspect of slavery should not be a threatening statue that civil society has to be accounted to. Rousseau challenged the work analyzed by Locke basing his argument on the origin of hobbies. He claimed that taking people away from socialization and forcing them away from their society undermines the rights of civil society. In his writings he suggested that according to the nature people are neither good or bad and therefore modern society should be blamed on blemishing the pure people through threatening their lives. In addition, Rousseau suggested that the level of sovereignty is indivisible and this is a

Impressionist’s Gender Roles Essay Example for Free

Impressionist’s Gender Roles Essay Manet’s Olympia (circa 1863) is a classic example of the reclining nude. This appears to be a private space as there is an attending woman included in the painting. In contrast to this Berthe Morisot’s landscape painting is a public piece, depicting people on a promenade. For Manet’s painting, the viewer relates in a blatant voyeuristic way, gazing upon the nude just as the nude gazes back at the viewer in a poised repose. Morisot’s painting is striking because she depicts women out and about, not confined to a garden persey, but out in the open (two women and a small female child). In both paintings, the women depicted appear to be of high class, since the woman in Manet’s painting has a servant and the two women in Morisot’s painting have parasols indicating that they have enough money for accoutrements. Manet’s painting is a classic gaze painting, meaning there are tones of voyeurism but that the subject gazes back at the viewer with her head held high as though she were not indeed naked. In Morisot’s painting, there is a marked distance between the subjects and the viewer allowing the viewer more freedom to gaze upon these women and their stares do not penetrate the canvas back toward the viewer. It is interesting to note that Manet’s painting depicts a nude woman who stares blatantly back at the viewer while Morisot’s painting depicts clothed women who do note even recognize the viewer’s presence into their world. Thus, the difference between and male and female painters is taken note of in this instance: The female painter does not allow her subjects to look back while the male painter has a fully nude woman strongly gaze upon the viewer.

Macbeth sountrack Essay Example for Free

Macbeth sountrack Essay In act 1 scene 5 is when Lady Macbeth found out the news about how Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor and king for the witches. I chose the song â€Å"I Want It All† by Queen to represent this scene. Part of the songs lyrics are â€Å"I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now†. Lady Macbeth heard the news that he would be king and she right away wanted to accomplish that. She didn’t want to wait but instead she take the steps necessary to make Macbeth king as soon as possible. In act 1 scene 6 is when the king and others arrive at Macbeth’s castle to stay the night. I chose the song â€Å"Let Em In† by Paul McCartney to represent this scene. The songs lyrics are â€Å"Someones knockin at the door, somebodys ringin the bell, do me a favor, open the door and let em in†. This perfectly describes that scene because when King Duncan arrives Lady Macbeth is there to let them in. She already has a plan figured out for them and can’t wait to execute it. In act 3 scene 4 I chose the song â€Å"I’m Going Slightly Mad† by Queen to represent this scene. In the scene Macbeth is having a dinner party and notices that all the seats are taken. When he sees that his seat is taken by the ghost of Banquo he starts talking to the ghost who is invisible to everyone else. The lyrics â€Å"I’m going slightly mad† describe how Macbeth was acting really strange and made the guests question him. The ghost later came back and made Macbeth have an outburst again alarming the guests which sent them home. A symbol that is portrayed in this play is the weather. The weather plays a role in which if something bad is coming up a storm might appear. The song â€Å"The Thunder Rolls† by Garth Brooks reminds of when the witches would enter and a storm would move in. Also the night that Duncan got murdered, a terrible storm came in that night indicating that something bad happened. These natural occurrences are hints to the audience that something isn’t right and the song does a good job of describing a thunder storm. In act 1 scene 7 is when Lady Macbeth told Macbeth to be a man and kill Duncan. â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would; Be so much more the man†. I chose the song â€Å"I’ll Make a Man out Of You† from the movie Mulan. This song is about training men to become manlier and this is what Lady Macbeth wanted Macbeth to do. She wanted him to become manlier and do what she tells him. I chose the song â€Å"Tragedy† by the Bee Gees to describe the whole play. The genre of this play is tragedy and this song describes â€Å"when you lose control† of everything. Macbeth took things too far and lost everyone that was close him. The lyric â€Å"With no one beside you, you’re goin’ nowhere† reminds when Lady Macbeth died then he really didn’t have anyone else. Since he had no one with him for support, the only way he could go was down.

An Analysis Of The Critical Period

An Analysis Of The Critical Period The critical period hypothesis cites a commonly observable phenomenon, the fact that children find language learning much easier than adults, and learn language remarkably quickly, to claim that language learning is more difficult, or impossible after puberty. The concept of critical periods was initially introduced in the study of animal behavior, where it was noticed that certain behavioral responses only emerged when stimulus was given within a particular time frame. This concept has been applied to many species, including humans, with regard to the development of specific emotional responses such as stress.  [1]  In 1967 Lenneberg proposed that this concept also applied to human linguistic development, seeing language as a response and exposure to language as the stimulus.  [2]  There are two versions of this hypothesis: the strong version, which claims that no language acquisition is possible after puberty, and the weak version, which maintains that language learning wil l be much more difficult. A distinction is often made between language acquisition, the way in which children unconsciously learn their native tongue, and language learning which implies formal instruction, and Lenneberg maintains this distinction himself. Age is not the only variable when comparing groups of learners. We cannot simply compare children and adults, but must differentiate between children acquiring their first language, children learning additional language(s) naturalistically, child and adult classroom learners, both in the country where the language is spoken and outside of it, and immigrants immersed in a foreign language and culture, learning language through induction. With these groups, different social and psychological factors, as well as age, affect their language proficiency, and these must be explored alongside the role that age may play. Some psychologists and psycho-linguists, such as Steven Pinker, claim that language learning stops at puberty because before that an innate language learning mechanism is present in the brain, enabling children to flawlessly acquire any language, given enough input.  [3]  Once puberty is reached, this language acquisition mechanism is shut down, and language acquisition becomes impossible. Chomsky claims that another variety of innate device, a Universal Grammar capability, allows the child to extract grammatical rules from the input that he receives, and to use them to generate an infinite number of further grammatical sentences.  [4]  In claiming that these devices shut down at puberty, these theories make no allowances, for example, for the fact that vocabulary is added to the corpus of language knowledge throughout life, and that adults can be successful in learning foreign languages. If a child acquires substandard forms, this does not mean that as an adult, he or she wi ll not be able to modify these forms. It is also possible to acquire a first language after puberty, as some cases, which will be discussed later, have shown Both Pinker and Chomsky allude to the ease of language acquisition as proof of an innate device behind it. We do not ascribe innate knowledge to other fields that children excel in, simply because they find them easy. For example, any child who is physically able to can learn to ride a bicycle, yet it is doubtful that a theorist would propose that evolution has provided an innate bicycle-riding apparatus. One element of the skill, balance, is innate, and is controlled by a specific part of the inner ear, the semicircular canals.  [5]  Once the child has achieved good enough control over its muscles, it can build on the innate function of balance to learn to ride a bicycle. To learn language, a child must process the data to which it is exposed, deduce rules from regularities occurring in this data, and apply these. In addition, it must have control over the muscles that govern articulation. There is no need to suppose that a specialized linguistic device to extract these rules exists, however. The entire left hemisphere of the brain is constantly constructing theories regarding the world around it, based on sensory evidence.  [6]  Language heard by the child is a part of this sensory data, existing in its aural form and in a visual or aural referent, which must be simultaneously processed. Brain function experiments have shown that the left hemisphere of the brain is indeed more active when grammar is being handled.  [7]  Like bicycle riding, language is an ability based entirely on an innate function, but is not entirely innate in itself. Without exposure, language doesnt appear; therefore it is not innate. Rather than supposing that vague, un located language acquisition or universal grammar mechanisms exist in the brain, the ability to extract theories from data could be seen as a wider function of the brain itself, rather than being language specific. If these specialized mechanisms cannot be proven to exist, then the decline in language learning ability cannot be accounted for by the shutting down of these mechanisms. Such theories also seem to suggest an erroneous concept of the brain itself. Were the brain designed it would doubtless include specific linguistic structures, and some kind of mechanism for language acquisition. But it has evolved to contain not innate knowledge or skills, but the potential for knowledge and skills to develop. The fact that the same areas of the brain handle language in approximately 90% of the population  [8]  is no reason to regard these areas as empty containers waiting to be filled with language, or with their own mechanism to enable this to happen. In any case, the brain is so richly provided with interconnections that it is impossible to describe any boundaries within it. Language is organized in the same way in most humans, but the organization is not rigid. If that part of the brain is injured in youth, language can be relocated to a different place without detrimental effect, suggesting that, although a preference may exist, no sector of the brain is mo re or less suitable than any other for language processing, and negating the possibility that one particular area of the brain is equipped with a language acquisition device.  [9]   Brain injuries also shed light on another important issue. If a young child suffers a head injury to the region of the brain that controls language, it suffers minor temporary language handicap, followed by normal development. The language centers develop again elsewhere without detriment. An older child will also be able to recover language ability, but other abilities, such as spatial skills, will be compromised. An adult suffering the same injury would be terribly and irrevocably handicapped by aphasia.  [10]  As well as suggesting that language can exist normally in other parts of the brain, it suggests that there is a difference between child and adult brains. Also, children become gradually more like adults, reflecting a gradual change in the brain as maturity is approached. In his original critical period hypothesis, Lenneberg cited this change undergone in the brain as the main physiological basis for the critical period.  [11]  Children were constrained in their language ability until the brain was mature enough, but once the brain achieves maturity, as occurs at puberty, language acquisition is again impossible. This is because lateralization is complete, with all brain functions being localized to a particular area, and cerebral plasticity not longer possible. This is supported by the experience of brain injured people. In younger children, brain organization is incomplete, and so if one part of the brain is injured, it is straightforward for the language centre to be re-established. Older children can also re-establish their language ability, but at the expense of other skills, suggesting that language is supplanting these skills in a particular area of the brain. Adults inability to do this suggests that functions previously flexible have now become immovable, supporting the idea of brain lateralization, and its effect on language. However, this does not provide proof that language learning is impossible after puberty. Adults learning a second language are not attempting to establish another centre of language function. The same areas of the brain are used to process all languages, even sign language. They are adding to their linguistic knowledge, acquiring new grammatical rules and vocabulary, but the same part of the brain will handle such knowledge. We acquire much of the vocabulary of our native language during our teens and beyond, as well as learning more complicated grammatical structures, so there is no reason to suppose that we cannot do the same with a foreign language. We can discount these claims, and still be left with the observation that children learn languages much quicker than adults do. If a family immigrates to a new country, the children will pick up the new language quickly, leaving their parent far behind, and probably acting as their interpreters. Children undoubtedly have advantages, yet these are not inextricably linked to their age. When a child is learning language, circumstances are uniquely supportive, and these circumstances are not usually replicated in later life. Physiologically, children have advantages. Hearing declines with age, and so the child is better able to identify different phonemes, and because children have better control of the articulatory muscles, they are better able to reproduce what they have heard.  [12]  Young children also have an amazing ability to learn by rote, and so can retain more data for analysis. Psychologically, they are unaffected by inhibitions or previous experiences. Young children acquiring a second language may not even have a conception of language itself, since it is many years before children can discuss language reflexively. They are usually free from prejudice against the new language, or any cultural concepts that may accompany it. In terms of hours spent on language acquisition, it is no small task. Children are attuned to language from birth, and are aware of sound in the womb.  [13]  Yet it is many months before they begin to vocalize, and years before they consistently produce grammatical sentences. From a vast amount of input, numbering many hours every single day, the child still takes much time, and much experimentation, before it is consistently accurate in its application of grammatical rules. It would take years of weekly language lessons for an adult to have experienced similar exposure, and undoubtedly the adult would then have acquired a good deal of the language, and would perhaps be approaching native-speaker fluency. The input is therefore superior on terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality. Caretaker language is a common phenomenon, including foreigner talk as well as Parentheses. This is due to the obvious fact that in communication, we are aiming to be understood, and will naturally produce what we judge that our listener will understand. Parentheses and Foreigner talk share many common features, but Parentheses is superior for language learning for many reasons. Firstly, the parent or other has a much better idea of what the child can understand and can modify their output accordingly. Secondly, Foreigner talk is often ungrammatical, with, for example, infinitives being overused to aid comprehension. Parentheses is mostly grammatical, unlike adult to adult speech,  [14]  and therefore provides the child with a large amount of perfect data from which to extract rules, whereas the foreigner is more likely to extract erroneous rules from the false data presented. And of course a pare nt has a much greater interest in the language skills of their children than a colleague or acquaintance will have in the language learning of their foreign friends. The child is also favored by the relative unimportance of comprehension. If a baby does not understand what an adult with whom it is playing says, it doesnt matter. If needs be, the adult can physically move the child or otherwise compel it to do something. If the baby is at the top of the stairs, and doesnt heed instructions to move, the adult will simply pick it up. However, an immigrant will have to perform some tasks, such as finding work, shopping, or applying for a driving license, and not understanding warning signs such as Beware of the Dog or Electrified Fence. The need to understand and been understood is much greater, and accompanying stress and frustration may hinder the learner. In addition, the world is favorably disposed towards children, whose mistakes they find endearing, but often hostile towards foreigners with a similar language capability. For children, the vast majority of social interaction is not based on conversation but centered on a particular activity, such as a ball game, or painting. Therefore, a child may gain acceptance into a group of his or her peers without a common language, and through participation is able to learn the language. For adults the reverse is true. Little interaction will take place if adults without a common language meet, reflecting the central role that conversation plays in most adult interactions. Again, this is a sociological factor. On a German exchange, for example, a student would participate in events like family meals, at which they would understand little of the conversation. They would be able to acquire several items of vocabulary, and phrases such as Guten Appetit. However, it is unlikely that an adult would be able to have the benefit of such an opportunity. In the first place, it is unlikely that he or she would have been able to make such a friendship as to prompt an invit ation. Were this possible, conversational conventions would not allow for a silent participant, making the hosts feel as if they were in some way excluding their guest, and the guest as if he was not providing his or her share of the evenings conversation. Used to being able to participate, the guest would no doubt feel frustrated at being unable to express opinions already thought through in the second language. In this way, inhibitions bar the older learner from excellent language learning opportunities. Our life experience shows us that adults can indeed be successful in learning a new language, whether it is stock phrases from a phrase book, or the entire language. If enough time can be devoted to the language, fluency is achievable at any age. The main area where children are superior to adults is pronunciation. A child can easily sound like a native speaker, yet few adults manage to acquire a perfect accent, however hard they study. This may be because children have superior hearing and better control over their articulatory organs. Even within the native language, accents appear to become fixed after puberty. A Scottish child who moves to England will quickly exchange his accent for the one he hears at school, whereas a Scottish adult may spend the vast majority of his life in England, and yet retain his accent. But adults can alter their accent, through elocution classes, and an actor may possess a vast repertoire of regional accents. In both cases, acquiring a new accent is ad vantageous; therefore there is a genuine motivation to do it. Research substantiates this: Neufeld developed a successful pronunciation technique that moves gradually from listening to speaking. After eighteen hours of instruction, nine out of twenty students convinced listeners that they were native speakers of Japanese, and 8 out of twenty that they were Chinese.  [15]  Where there is no need to alter ones accent it is unlikely that the effort will be made. A native speaker of English, with a regional accent, will have no problem with being understood in any part of the country, and therefore has no motivation to adapt it. While children are more likely to alter their accent, and have physical advantages enabling them to do so, adults do not lack this ability. Some kind of choice, probably subconscious is made. Children wish to be like their peers, and adults wish to retain their developed sense of personal identity. The importance of accent is perhaps overrated. Fluency is the ability to communicate as well in a second language as in the native tongue, to be able to generate and to understand an infinite number of sentences, not to pass as a native speaker. A foreign accent doesnt often hamper comprehension if the sentence is grammatically correct; therefore accent is not a vital part of language. It is merely a social factor. The fact that adults do not acquire native-like accents is not proof of a critical period for language acquisition. Although children seem to have the upper hand in naturalistically acquiring language, for these various reasons, research shows that classroom learning actually favors the older learner. When language is not taught in a formal context, children excel. Perhaps it seems effortless because the young child is not told that it should be laborious. But a child introduced to language in the classroom, who has experienced school as boring and demanding, and is told that much learning of grammar will be required, and is constantly informed of his mistakes, will see language learning as an effort. Krashen recognizes these factors in his Affective Filter hypothesis,  [16]  basically an exploration of the different factors that may influence motivation, obviously an important factor influencing learning of any kind. Studies concentrating on a variety of first and second languages have shown that when older and younger students learning by the same method are compared, older students make better progress. When immigrants to Holland were compared, adults made faster progress than children did in learning Dutch  [17]  ; Swedish pupils were shown to make better progress in their English lessons the older they were  [18]  . The Total Physical response method of language teaching is supposedly more suitable for children, yet in a Russian study adults achieved better results.  [19]  Even in a supposedly more naturalistic technique, the French immersion system as practiced in Canada, where children acquire French through being taught a range of school subjects only in that language, those who entered the immersion program at a later stage were judged more proficient than those who participated from the start.  [20]  The situation is of crucial importance here. Effectiveness in a classroo m situation increases with age in all other subjects, and in adulthood, when education is by choice not compulsion, learners are even more motivated. Childrens physiological advantages do not produce greater success when they are compared with adults in an identical situation. This suggests that it is the situation in which the language learning is taking place that is of vital importance. Children mostly learn naturalistically, in a supportive environment, whereas adults learning through immersion often find society hostile. The constraints of a classroom mean that language learning is not as effective as naturalistic learning. An important part of the debate over the critical period has focussed on the Wild Children the few children who have been raised entirely without language and have been later discovered. These children cannot provide proof of anything in scientific terms. They are unfortunate human beings rather than a scientific experiment, with their lives before discovery shrouded in mystery. We could not use the fact that these children do not always acquire language to prove that no child would be able to under the same circumstances, since we cannot discount factors such as mental retardation, or the effects of their often brutal earlier lives. However, their achievements do challenge some theories advanced. History has provided us with two known examples of children who did not begin to learn their native language until past puberty. Two cases, Caspar Hauser and Victor, the wild boy of Aveyron, are distant in time and complicated by claims of hoaxing in the first instance and mental retardation in the second, which obviously cannot be proved or disproved. For what it is worth, both cases acquired language, Caspar (aged 16) perfectly, and Victor (aged around 12) imperfectly, but he is said to have attained a useful communicative ability.  [21]   More recently, other cases of children being raised without language have occurred, and have been subject to more stringent scientific exploration, and can therefore be more useful in a discussion of the critical period. Genie is perhaps the most notable example, being the eldest at the time of discovery, at thirteen years old, and subject to complete isolation before that time.  [22]  The case of Isabelle, aged six, is also notable for her perfect acquisition of language within two years, to the normal childs five. Genie was discovered in November 1970, having been isolated in the same room between the age of twenty months and 13 and a half years. Her only human contact was with her father and brother, who used only growling noises and violence to communicate with her. Genie was handicapped not only in her language development, but also in all forms of socialization. She had no reaction to temperature, no concept of ownership or of personal space, and could not even chew her food. At first, she was disinclined to vocalize at all, having been beaten by her father for making any noise whatsoever, and even in her tantrums she tended to use items of furniture to make sound, remaining eerily silent herself. Children begin to use words to describe a world they have already become familiar with, but Genie was faced with the task of acquiring words to describe an environment she could barely even understand. Under these circumstances it is not remarkable that she did not develop complete language compe tency over the first five years of her rehabilitation. However, her achievement in these years was not inconsiderable, as one researcher, Susan Curtiss points out: Genies language is far from normal. More important, however, over and above the specific similarities and differences that exist between Genies language and the language of normal children, we must keep in mind that Genies speech is rule-governed behavior, and that from a finite set of arbitrary linguistic elements she can and does create novel utterances that theoretically know no upper bound. These are aspects of human language that set it apart form all other animal communication systems. Therefore, abnormalities notwithstanding, in the most fundamental and critical respects, Genie has language.  [23]   Here we have an example of an individual past puberty who has made considerable progress in mastering her first language, has succeeded in the most fundamental and critical respects even if not completely. At the very least, Genie shows that the term critical period is misleading, since language exposure before puberty is not critical, and no fixed amount of time or developmental stage can be cited.  [24]   Isabelle, like Genie, was completely isolated from the speaking world, being imprisoned with her deaf-mute mother. Unlike Genie, she was not treated cruelly, and interacted with her mother using gestures of their own devising. On being discovered aged six, in 1938, she was thought to be uneducable, but within a week had begun to use words. She was noted to pass through the normal developmental stages of language acquisition, but at a vastly accelerated rate, catching up with her age group two years later.  [25]  The fact that Genie was more than twice Isabelles age is not necessarily the decisive factor here. Isabelle was not traumatized by her upbringing, and was not an unsocialised creature, like Genie. She understood the concept of communication, and had developed a language of a sort, the gestures she used with her mother. Her task was not so great as Genies, and so her greater achievement is proof only that a six-year-old can acquire language, and not that a thirteen-year-ol d cannot. The Critical Period hypothesis suggests that age is the primary reason for childrens apparent superior language learning ability. This may be a factor, but is far from being the only reason. Language is more complex than a simple response to a simple stimulus, as Lennebergs hypothesis may suggest. Even if it were proved that childrens ability proceeds entirely from their more suitable circumstances, the impossibility of exactly replicating these circumstances for an adult would mean that the discovery would not be of much functional use. As an adult language student it would be most useful to note that it may be my inhibitions rather that my inabilities that hinder me most in my studies, and that regarding grammar as laborious may indeed make it so!